Dr. Torian Easterling briefs Jewish Community Leadership on Supervised Injection Sites
January 5, 2022 – JCRC-NY hosted a special briefing for Jewish organizational leaders on the recently established Supervised Injection Sites / Overdose Prevention Centers in New York City. New York City recently became the first city in the U.S. to authorize supervised injection sites, drawing much attention.
The briefing drew Jewish organizational leaders from across the religious, political and geographic spectrum in New York. Not only did it address an important emerging issue, it also illustrated JCRC-NY’s critical role as the table where Jewish leaders can gather to learn about and discuss key issues of the day.
While JCRC-NY has not taken a position on the initiative, we are grateful to Dr. Torian Easterling, First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Equity Officer of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, who joined us to present the benefits of these sites from a public health perspective and address some of the misconceptions and controversies surrounding them. He believes that were it not for COVID-19, addiction crisis would be the top medical issue in the City.
For context, Dr. Easterling is well-known for his frequent public service announcements to urge New Yorkers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and many other key public health issues. Last year, JCRC honored Dr. Easterling with our annual Martin Luther King Award for his work in addressing healthcare disparities exacerbated by the pandemic, and we continue to appreciate his leadership on this and many other public health issues.
The New York Times has noted that “opponents view [them] as magnets for drug abuse, but proponents praise [them] as providing a less punitive and more effective approach to addressing addiction.” NPR reported last week that NYC Mayor Eric Adams supports the continued existence of these sites, and health officials are currently exploring the expansion of these sites. As such, this new initiative will continue to impact our Jewish community and many other New Yorkers suffering from drug addiction.
Click HERE to watch the video.
Statement on the Death of Yao Pan Ma
January 1, 2022 – JCRC-NY mourns the tragic and untimely passing of Yao Pan Ma, 61, a Chinese immigrant who was hospitalized after being the victim of a brutal, unprovoked, anti-Asian attack on April 23rd, 2021. He succumbed to his injuries on December 31st. Our hearts are with his widow, Baozhen Chen, and their family. As New Yorkers continue to witness a steady rise in hate crimes, JCRC-NY stands in solidarity with the Asian communities of New York in our resolve to eliminate hate and violence from our City.
In the coming weeks, JCRC-NY, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, will launch its We Are all Brooklyn Fellowship Against Hate bringing together diverse community leaders and providing them with tools to work together to help rid New York of the hate and bigotry that plagues us.
Join the JCRC-NY Family! We’re Hiring a Director of Communications and Social Media
CSI and its Chair, David Pollock, Featured in Jewish Press Article on Agudah’s Yeshiva Summit
Statement on the Passing of Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole
Shine A Light in Times Square
Post-Event Press Release with Photos
Questions?
For more information contact Jonathan Marx at marxj@ujafedny.org.
This event is part of #ShineALight on Antisemitism Campaign — a national initiative to raise awareness about antisemitism. We’re bringing together our community and millions of others to fight back against antisemitism this Hanukkah.
Hate! The Way Out Conference
Click image for video.
Jewish Press Article – 12/10/21
Thursday, December 2nd
9:00 am – 12:30 pm
UJA-Federation of New York
130 E. 59th Street, Manhattan
Recent rises in hate have cast a dark shadow across our neighborhoods, city, and nation. As part of “Shine A Light Week” in partnership with UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York sponsored “Hate! The Way Out.” This convening featured Peter Coleman, Chair of the Morton Deutsch Center for Conflict Resolution at Columbia University and author of The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization, a panel of diverse community leaders whose communities have been plagued by hate, and breakout sessions.
Featuring Keynote Speaker:
Peter Coleman
Chair, The Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University
Panelists:
Gary Anthony Ramsay – Moderator
Vice President, Inclusion, Equity & Polycultural Consulting, BCW Global
Devorah Halberstam
Brooklyn Jewish Children’s Museum
Wayne Ho
Chinese-American Planning Council
Frankie Miranda
Hispanic Federation
Pastor Gilford Monrose
67th Precinct Clergy Council
Mohammed Razvi
Council of People’s Organizations
Beverly Tillery
NYC Anti-Violence Project
Program Agenda:
Breakfast and Networking
Greetings and Welcoming – Louisa Chafee, UJA-Federation of New York and Gideon Taylor, JCRC-NY
Keynote Speaker: Peter Coleman – Toxic Polarity: The Way Out
Panel – Hate Through the Lens of Those Impacted
Breakout Sessions:
- Hate and Community Partnerships – Mark Appel, The Bridge Community Organizing
- Preventing Hate through Government Partnerships – Deborah Lauter, Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes
- Hate on College Campuses – Sophia McGee and Monica Roman, CERRU at Queens College
- Hate and Gun Violence – Pastor Louis Straker
Closing & Next Steps
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s First Public Address to the NY Jewish Community: Video & Media Coverage
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and JCRC-NY CEO Gideon Taylor
New York City, NY – On Wednesday, November 10th, 2021, at 6:00pm, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul joined the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) to deliver her first public address to the New York Jewish community. The address was streamed live via JCRC-NY’s Facebook and YouTube pages.Governor Hochul declared that “My commitment to the Jewish community is strong. I understand the power and potential of government when it’s used in a positive way. We are our brother’s keeper. I worked closely with the Jewish community where I grew up, and while a Member of Congress I stood closely with Israel. Our faith leaders work in concert with our elected officials, and the State of New York has a tremendous opportunity to restore peoples’ faith again.”
“Resilience is part of your DNA,” the Governor continued. “The Jewish people have always had to fight back. I’m conscious of what is going on, very much so, and am working very hard to make sure that resources are there from the state government to fund security programs.”
“We deeply appreciate Governor Hochul’s strong commitment to the concerns of the Jewish community and all New Yorkers in her speech today,” said Gideon Taylor, JCRC-NY Executive Vice President and CEO. “The Governor has repeatedly stood with us as anti-Semitic and hateful incidents have increased – including joining JCRC-NY and over 25,000 people marching over the Brooklyn Bridge to firmly reject hate. We are especially grateful for her recent announcements of additional funding being made available for faith communities to secure their institutions, and for her commitment of support for Israel. JCRC-NY is proud to work closely with Governor Hochul to improve the lives of all New Yorkers.”
“We are honored that Governor Hochul chose JCRC-NY as the venue for her first public address to the Jewish community,” said Cheryl Fishbein, JCRC-NY President. “JCRC-NY will continue to effectively convey the concerns of our diverse Jewish community to the Governor so that issues may be addressed as they arise.”
Click the links below to view Governor Hochul‘s address: