Curtis is the founder and president of the Guardian Angels. Photo: Mahmood Al-Yousif.

Catholic Guardian Angel founder Curtis Sliwa has long been known as a mensch. Now the title takes on new meaning as he has revealed to the New York Post that he plans to raise his kids Jewish.

In an exclusive interview with the paper, Sliwa reveals that in his relationship with Jewish former New York politician Melinda Katz he fathered two children. Originally responding to Katz’s request for a sperm donor, he is now living with the family and taking an active role in the upbringing of his young sons.

A cult figure in New York, Sliwa is known for leading the City’s citizen fight against crime in the 80’s and 90’s and his vigilante escapades. Writes the Post, his “famous red beret now serves a dual purpose: The Roman Catholic wears it to shul every Saturday as a yarmulke and plans to raise his sons Jewish.”

Sliwa’s status among New York Jews was elevated following the 1991 Crown Heights Riots when his angels moved into the neighborhood for three months, protecting the Chasidic Lubavitch locals from the aggression of black mobs. A year later he escaped an abduction attempt  by diving out of the window of a moving car after being shot twice in the groin, later recounting that he had a dollar received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe (Grand Rabbi) on his person throughout the incident.

He describes his experience in Crown Heights in the video below: