Jews in Brooklyn
Jews in BrooklynFlash 90

A New York City firefighter who once compared his own dislike of Jews to Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitism has been assigned to a fire station inside a predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.

According to a report Saturday night by the New York Post, 28-year-old Joseph Cassano has been assigned to the Fire Department of New York’s (FDNY) Engine 247, stationed at 60th Street in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Cassano, the son of former FDNY commissioner Salvatore Cassano, previously worked as an FDNY medical technician, but resigned his position in 2013 after it was revealed that he had made racist and anti-Semitic comments on social media.

In one Twitter comment, Cassano wrote: “I like jews about as much as hitler #toofar? NOPE.”

After his resignation, Cassano returned to the FDNY in 2015, later joining the department’s firefighter training program. Cassano expressed “regret” in a public statement through an FDNY spokesperson for his social media comments.

“I regret posting some comments that were offensive, especially since I enjoy my job and treat every patient with great care and respect.”

Last week, Cassano graduated from New York’s Fire Academy and began his service as a FDNY firefighter.

Many locals expressed anger at the decision to assign Cassano to a neighborhood with a large Jewish population, given his history of anti-Semitic social media comments.

“For him to be assigned to Borough Park, where you have an incredible number of Holocaust survivors, is an insult to our community,” said New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who represents Borough Park. “Put him somewhere else.”

“All of us make mistakes,” continued Hikind, “but we’re talking about a guy who made the kind of vile remark that is so hateful and beyond the pale. I want to be fair, but when you make that kind of statement, you lose me. I’m done with you.”