2023 Wrap-Up
As 2023 draws to a close, we are immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished at JCRC-NY over the past 12 months. However, it is impossible to ignore the weight of the challenges we have faced together as a community since October 7, and our hearts are heavy over the tragic massacre. We’ve also witnessed remarkable resilience; and while this resilience came with a very heavy price, let us reflect on the triumphs that have defined our organization the past year, even before the events of October 7. We hope you enjoy reading up on some of those highlights below.
Israel and Jewish Communal Affairs
We took members of the New York State Assembly on a study tour to Israel in February, showing them the everyday lives of Israelis and discussing the importance of Israel to the Jewish diaspora.
We hosted events celebrating Jewish culture across the globe. We saw the long awaited, in-person return of our Congressional Breakfast. We met with new ambassadors and said our bittersweet goodbyes to others.
We enjoyed the enormous success of the 2023 Celebrate Israel Parade, where over 40,000 marchers and tens of thousands of spectators showed up to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary.
Israel Solidarity
We took two concurrent solidarity missions to Israel to show our support alongside a diverse group of faith leaders and a group comprised of city and state elected officials.
We held two large scale rallies with attendance in the thousands, to stand in solidarity with our brethren in Israel and give our family in New York a place to mourn together. We attended and spoke at dozens more.
Security
We joined our Representatives in demanding an end to antisemitism. We attended hate crimes training and held a conference on gun violence. We spoke at press conferences calling for greater protection of Jewish communities, and we met with those in power to discuss what our communal need for safety entails.
Our Community Security Initiative (CSI) secured hundreds of schools and faith institutions, expanded their coverage area, held dozens of online safety trainings, hosted security preparedness events, and prevented a mass shooting.
CSI also distributed security grants and direct security guard deployments to about 100 locations without guards, as well as microgrants for supplementary security guard hires for another 120-plus locations. Moreover, CSI provided funds for increased “mobile patrols” for existing Jewish security patrols (Shomrim, Shmira, Chaverim), and CSI is assisting Hillel and Jewish university students in the greater NYC Metro area to better protect themselves with safety apps and additional security guard support.
Shared Society
Our Shared Society fellowships Youthbridge, We Are All Brooklyn Fellowship Against Hate and the inaugural Bridges cohort, which included a study tour to Senegal, all inducted and graduated incredible classes full of the future leaders of New York.
We sponsored kosher community lunches for neighborhoods with large Jewish populations to get to know their neighbors and to celebrate their diversity.
We spoke on the importance of a truly shared society. We attended interfaith breakfasts, dinners, speaking engagements, and unity celebrations to continue our years of work learning about different cultures in New York, and bringing the Jewish people together with those diverse communities to combat hate and antisemitism.
As we look ahead to 2024, we are filled with optimism and a renewed commitment to creating positive change through our work. However, none of this is possible without your continued support. Your contribution, no matter the size, has the power to amplify our efforts and bring about lasting transformation. Once again, we invite you to join us this year-end in making a difference. Your donation will directly impact the betterment of our shared future.
TO DONATE, CLICK HERE.
Thank you for being an essential part of our journey,
Bennett Golub, President
Cheryl Fishbein, Chair of the Board
Noam Gilboord, Interim CEO
A Shabbat Message from Interim CEO Noam Gilboord: The Eternal Flame of Resilience
A Shabbat Message from Interim CEO Noam Gilboord on Solidarity Missions to Israel
Testimonials From Participants in JCRC-NY Solidarity Missions to Israel
Action Alert: Buyout at Morton Williams Supermarkets
JCRC-NY calls upon New Yorkers to support Morton Williams Supermarkets!
Recently the Jewish owned supermarket chain, Morton Williams, has been targeted with anti-Israel, antisemitic boycotts and destruction of property at the Columbia University location.
The chain, a community staple, has been named to the Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace BDS list, resulting in two Columbia students entering the store at 2941 Broadway, defacing Israeli products and verbally assaulting the store employees. Read more about the attack here.
Co-owner Avi Kaner stated “You have a right to your opinion. You don’t have a right to deface private property. These actions are blatantly antisemitic. They have to be called out.”
We urge you to join us in BUYING OUT the Israeli product section and doing all of your Thanksgiving shopping at Morton Williams Supermarkets! Show your appreciation for Morton Williams and their continued support for Israel and the Jewish community!
Morton Williams store locator
Morton Williams social media
Morton Williams online store
JCRC-NY Solidarity Missions to Israel with Elected Officials & Faith Leaders Featured in the Forward
Shabbat Message from Interim CEO Noam Gilboord on Israel-Hamas War
I don’t want my home to be Ground Zero
I haven’t slept much since waking up on October 7th. On that day, the greatest fears of the global Jewish community were realized as Hamas terrorized, slaughtered, raped, and kidnapped civilians in their communities. They indiscriminately butchered Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and so many others regardless of religion or nationality. The vulnerability of the State of Israel had been exposed. Who would stand with us in our moment of need?
Together with our partners at UJA-Federation, JCRC-NY got to work mobilizing support for Israel and the Jewish community. We organized three major rallies for tens of thousands of New Yorkers, and Jews and non-Jews alike showed up and spoke out in support of Israel. We solicited support from elected officials and diverse community leaders and received an outpouring of expressions of sympathy and calls for the immediate release of the hostages. We coordinated meetings between these leaders and families of hostages, who shared their pain and pleaded for help bringing their loved ones home. We liaised with law enforcement to make sure our communities and institutions were secure so that we could pray and convene in peace. We spoke at press conferences in every borough and supported the elected officials who stood proudly and continue to stand firmly with Israel. And earlier today, we returned from two concurrent solidarity missions to Israel in which 26 leading elected officials and faith leaders joined us to offer comfort to the survivors, the families of victims, and bear witness to the cruelty and evil inflicted by Hamas.
Back in New York, I remain troubled by public calls to “Globalize the Intifada,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “there is only one solution, Intifada revolution.” Make no mistake, whatever verbal gymnastics some folks use to justify these slogans as calls for human rights, they cause fear within the Jewish community and violence against us. It’s no surprise that in the wake of October 7th, anti-Jewish incidents have increased 214%. It hurts to feel unwelcome in your own home.
Last Monday, at a rally that JCRC-NY produced with UJA-Federation, I stood on stage in front of a crowd of over 10,000 people sharing some of my deepest convictions – ones that are shared by Israelis across the political spectrum. “Hamas and its supporters do not seek peace. They actively call for more violence by any means necessary! Let me be clear: Murderers are not liberators. You do not kidnap innocents for human rights. And there is no such thing as beheading babies in the name of social justice!”
Like all forms of hate, anti-Jewish hate has consequences that extend beyond its immediate victims. Each incident, whether overt or subtle, contributes to an environment where people feel marginalized, unsafe, and excluded. Beyond the visible scars, those feelings ripple through entire communities ultimately turning into another generational trauma that we will carry forward with us.
Yesterday, I met a woman from Netiv Ha’Asara, an Israeli town just outside of Gaza, who survived the Hamas attacks on October 7th and was evacuated from her home along with the other survivors to a hotel in Central Israel, away from the fighting. She cried saying, “I don’t want my home to be Ground Zero.” While we live thousands of miles away in New York, I feel the exact same way. We cannot allow our streets to become centers of hate. We cannot allow our communities to devolve into violence and intimidation. JCRC-NY’s constant work to build bridges between communities and foster shared society is the antidote to this disease.
We have spoken loudly in support of Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas and bring the hostages home, and we will continue to do so. We remain in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Israel and their right to live in safety and security. We are thankful to all the elected officials and community leaders who have stood with us at this time. Your support for the global Jewish community is deeply meaningful, and now it’s more important than ever.
Shabbat Shalom,
Noam Gilboord
Interim CEO, JCRC-NY