The DEA regrets to announce the passing of Retired Det. First Grade Mordecai (“Morty”) Dzikansky, who was a member of the NYPD for 25 years.
The funeral was held in Israel.
Shiva will be observed at the home of Morty’s sister Navah Aspir at 44 Orth Avenue, Passaic, New Jersey 07055 on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (with a break from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m.).
Dzikansky was appointed to the force in 1983, and among his commands were Brooklyn North, the Organized Crime Control Bureau, the Manhattan South Homicide Squad, and the Midtown North Detective Squad. The Brooklyn born son of a rabbi, among the high-profile cases Dzikansky worked on were the murders of Rabbi Meir Kahane and Ari Halberstam, who was shot and killed on the Brooklyn Bridge. Dzikansky’s ability to speak Yiddish led to his work as the lead investigator on a rash of synagogue burglaries that required the formation of a specialized Torah Task Force, which successfully recovered many of the stolen, sacred scrolls. After the World Trade Center attacks, from 2003 to 2007, Dzikansky served as the NYPD Intelligence Liaison in Israel working with the Israeli National Police. He also spent time overseas reporting to the NYPD on terrorist attacks in Istanbul, Moscow, Madrid, and Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt. In retirement, Dzikansky became a respected lecturer on global security, terrorism awareness and prevention, and he co-authored three books, including his memoir, Terrorist Cop: The NYPD Jewish Cop Who Traveled the World to Stop Terrorists.
Click on the link below to watch a video of Det. Dzikansky discussing his work on the podcast “Police Off the Cuff.”
