Temple congregants disturbed by shots from NYPD range

Congregants at Temple Beth-El on City Island Avenue were upset after their request that an NYPD shooting range cease detonations on Yom Kippur were unheard.
Those who attend services at the Bronx temple say that normally they have learned to manage and even ignore the sound of gunshots from the firing range at Rodman's Neck.
Robert Berent, a member of Temple Beth-El for about 50 years, says the congregation learned that the NYPD training facility was going to detonate explosives on the holiest day of the Jewish year and that temple leaders sent a letter to various city agencies asking for a delay to the detonations so they could reflect in peace. He says they never received a response. 
Berent says that three explosive devices were detonated on Yom Kippur, which interrupted their services twice.
John Doyle, of the City Island Civic Association, says it's just another example of the nuisance caused by all the noise that comes from Rodman's Neck. 
"When they were talking about moving this to Queens, they were going to totally enclose this range because they knew the residents of Queens would not put up with this," Doyle says. "But for some reason they feel the need to dump on the Bronx and not afford us the same opportunity."
Doyle has started a petition on Change.org, calling on elected officials to come forward with what they're doing to combat the commotion. He says that this will get an open and transparent process going that will eventually benefit everyone.
News 12 reached out to the mayor's office for comment but has not heard back.