By Ivan Pereira
The late Queens Supreme Court Judge Moses Weinstein put his heart and soul into helping make the Kew Gardens community the homey neighborhood it is today, according to civic leaders.
“We didn't have schools. We didn't have playgrounds. We were a very young community,” Pat Dolan, the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association president, said. “There was a very big need for infrastructure and he answered the need for that infrastructure.”
On Monday, the community returned that favor when it officially renamed Vleigh Place Playground the Judge Moses Weinstein Playground. Dozens of community members and leaders joined Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe in dedicating the greenspace, located at Vleigh Place and 141st Street.
“Recognizing important neighborhood residents is one way to honor public servants and celebrate local role models,” Benepe said in a statement.
Weinstein, who died at the age of 95 at his home in Florida in November, had worked hard for the borough in several ways. After fighting in World War II, he moved to Kew Gardens Hills in 1947 with his wife and children and served as a member of the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association.
He immediately saw the potential for neighborhood growth, according to Dolan, and advocated for the creation of public playgrounds, such as the Vleigh Place Playground, which opened 60 years ago, to attract young families and promote safety.
Community Board 8 District Manager Marie Adams-Ovide, who was one of the several members who approved the renaming, said Weinstein would visit the 3.5-acre greenspace with his three sons, Peter, Jonathan and Jeremy, and his late wife, Muriel.
“The board overwhelmingly voted for the renaming,” she said. “They felt he gave his life to serve the public and he was very much involved in making greener areas.”
Weinstein's community activism was so popular in Kew Gardens that he decided to run for office and in 1958 was elected to the state Assembly. During his 11-year tenure in Albany, he became a high-ranking figure, according to Dolan, and was not only selected to be the Assembly majority leader from 1965-68 but also the chairman of the Queens Democratic Party from 1962-69.
In 1970, Weinstein was elected to the bench as a State Supreme Court judge in Queens, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. Despite his busy schedule, he never forgot about his neighbors in Kew Gardens Hills, according to Dolan.
“Every year our civic membership would do its membership drive, and every year we'd receive a check from him,” she said.
Adams-Ovide said she was particularly happy about the playground renaming because it would allow future generations to remember Weinstein's legacy as both a resident and an advocate for justice.
“Usually when you go the park, you see the name and wonder who that is,” she said. “Now with Google, people can search it and learn about him immediately.”
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 146.
