Jewish businessman at center of controversy after hotel used for homeless

"It doesn’t feel safe to walk. I don’t want to expose my kids or have to explain it,” a local resident said.

By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDS
The Lucerne Hotel, New York City (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Lucerne Hotel, New York City
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
A Jewish philanthropist and hotelier has caused controversy in his New York neighborhood, after one of his hotels on the upper west side was used to house homeless people during the coronavirus outbreak in a bid to stop the disease from spreading within overcrowded shelters.
Sam Domb owns the Lucerne hotel on West 79th and Amsterdam, one of three hotels in the neighborhood which took in homeless people under a policy instated by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
"We have no problems at the Lucerne,” he told the New York Post in early August.
However, others disagree. A Post reporter witnessed two medical emergencies on the Lucerne's block within the space of 20 minutes, apparently linked to drug use, and a third was recorded later that day. Local residents told the Post that they are now afraid for their children's safety, following incidences of a woman being stabbed, public masturbation, and public nuisance.
“This was not well thought out,” Dr. Sejal Shah told the Post. “I take care of these people, but at the end of the day, they shouldn’t be here. It isn’t safe.”
She told the Post that although she and her husband are not looking to leave the area, they are considering homeschooling their children to minimize their exposure to the areas new residents.
“We want to stay at the school, but safety is a concern,” she said. “There was just a woman stabbed at Broadway and 72nd Street in broad daylight, and men [are] masturbating in public. 
“My office is at 75th and Central Park West and it doesn’t feel safe to walk. I don’t want to expose my kids or have to explain it.”
Speaking to the Post, Domb initially said that he "didn't have a choice" over taking in the homeless to the Lucerne, and that he was "forced" as part of the city's efforts to manage the spread of the coronavirus.
"The contract was from FEMA," he explained, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency which is covering 75% of the cost of rehoming the residents, with the remaining 25% financed by the city.
However, by the end of the interview he told the Post: "I will not renew," in reference to the contract, before abruptly hanging up the phone.
Domb, a major philanthropist, along with several other high-end hoteliers donated $2,800 — the maximum permitted contribution for the primary and general election — to Mayor de Blasio’s presidential campaign last year, public filings show. The Regent Hotel LLC, of which Domb is Principle, contributed a further $2,800 to de Blasio's $1.1million war chest, according to the New York Jewish Week.
He has also been a generous donor to many Jewish organizations over the years, including Congregation Ohev Shalom, an Orthodox congregation on 84th St where he is a member.
"The impact of these homes is pretty obvious in the streets,” Ira Streitfeld, a long-time member of Ohev Shalom told the New York Jewish Week.
"People from shul are not happy about what Sam has done, but they don’t place the blame on him as much as on the mayor [de Blasio],” she continued. “Even though Sam’s the actual one who rented out his hotels, de Blasio’s policy is putting the homeless in the neighborhood.”
Both Stretfield and others in the congregation expressed sympathy with Domb, given the impact the coronavirus lockdown has had on the hospitality business.
"From shul, we talk about it amongst ourselves,” Streitfeld said. “We understand that the hotel business is terrible now and we can understand why he [Domb] did this economically, even if we aren’t happy with it.”
“I haven’t discussed the matter with him directly but others in the neighborhood have spoken to him,” said Rabbi Aaron Mehlman, the rabbi of Congregation Ohev Shalom. Although the Rabbi is out of the city with his family, he said that he understood the safety concerns of his congregants, and Domb's financial concerns.
“He was pressed for funds to support his business,” said Rabbi Mehlman, “I can’t blame him.”
The de Blasio administration has indicated that it will soon begin to move the homeless back into shelters, but no time frame has yet been indicated for the policy shift.
“As the health situation has continued to improve, we’re going to start the process of figuring out where we can get homeless individuals back into safe shelter facilities, and reduce the reliance on hotels,” de Blasio told reporters on Monday. “Hotels [are] certainly not where we want to be in general, and we’re going to start that process immediately.”