JCRC Statement on Anti Semitic Attack on Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright
Statement on the Passing of Congressman John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon and JCRC-NY’s1994 Congressional Breakfast Honoree
All of us at the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY (JCRC-NY) were saddened to learn this Jewish Sabbath of the passing of civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis, recipient of the Benjamin Rosenthal Congressional Leadership Award at JCRC-NY’s 1994 Congressional Breakfast.
Anyone who was fortunate enough to be in the room that spring morning 26 years ago remembers Congressman Lewis’s powerful and passionate oratory as he shared his personal experiences fighting for equal rights for Black Americans. His recollections of his incredible journey and his sincere and heartfelt commitment to the partnership between Black and Jewish Americans for decades were truly inspirational then and still resonate today.
Among the many important leadership roles in his distinguished career, Congressman Lewis was a Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations. The caucus was founded just a year ago to recognize the history of the Black and Jewish communities standing together for social justice and civil rights and to ensure that our communities continue to learn from each other and advocate for joint concerns.
We extend our deepest condolences to the Congressman’s son John-Miles. May he, and our entire nation, find comfort in Congressman Lewis’s indelible legacy.
JCRC-NY’s then-President Judah Gribetz presents the award to Congressman Lewis.
Zoom Video: The Global Rise in Anti-Semitism & Bright Spots in the Arab World
JCRC-NY’s Annual Meeting with NYPD Comm. Dermot Shea
JCRC-NY Annual Meeting took place on June 24th. It featured a conversation with New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea led by JCRC-NY’s Executive Vice President and CEO Michael S. Miller and Jewish Week Editor-in-Chief Andrew Silow-Carroll. Topics included in the wide-ranging discussion were the recent protests and riots, police recruitment, oversight, and reform, criminal justice reform, the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic repercussions, and his vision for the NYPD.
Click HERE for the Zoom video.
Click HERE for excerpt from Andew Silow-Carroll’s weekly newsletter in The Jewish Week
At the meeting, JCRC-NY President Cheryl Fishbein was elected for the second of three one year terms, new Officers were announced, and new Board Members were elected. All terms begin July 1st.
- Current Vice Presidents Ester Fuchs and Jonathan Greenspun will be joined by Craig Unterberg and current Secretary Gene Rachmansky.
- Current Board Member Robyn Polansky Morrison will be the new Secretary
- New to the Board of Directors are: Sanford (Sandy) Antignas, Camille Dunst, David Fine, Eric Rechtschaffen, and Anna Propp Riesenberg.
- Returning to the Board of Directors are the following alumni: Abraham Biderman, Suzanne Davidowitz, Jay Hershenson, Bradley Korn, Jeffrey Levine, and Michael Lustig.
In addition, we thank former Vice President Marc Wolf, who resigned from the Board to become JCRC-NY’s Chief Development Officer, term-limited Vice President Michael Lustig, and Board Members Gary Jacob, Michael Nussbaum, Shelley Lieff Parker, Marcella Rosen, Irving Rotter, Brian Schreiber, and Marian Stoltz-Loike for their dedicated service.
Watch On-Demand: 2020 Virtual Celebrate Israel Parade
COVID Reopening and Reentry
Space of Healing and Listening with Prominent African-American Community Leaders
As we mourn for George Floyd and the many other victims of racism and
hate in America, JCRC-NY, in solidarity with our African-American
sisters and brothers and all communities of color, has decided to
postpone the annual Celebrate Israel Parade.
Recognizing and memorializing the historic moment
in which we are living, JCRC-NY convened a virtual
Space of Healing and Listening
on Sunday, June 7th.
This gathering provided an opportunity for Jews and non-Jews
alike to hear messages from prominent African-American community
leaders in New York, including:
Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO, Federation of Protestant Welfare
Associations
Tamara Fish, Co-Founder, Khazbar, Former President, Jewish
Multiracial Network
Rev. Charles O. Galbreath, Senior Pastor,Clarendon Road Church
Congressman Gregory Meeks, 5th District, NY
Letitia James, New York State Attorney General
Samuel M. Pierre, MPA, Chief of Staff to New York City Council Member
Farah Louis
We hope this gathering will inspire us to heed the call to
end the scourge of racism and all forms of bigotry in America.
George Floyd Statement
“Making Masks and Unmasking Ourselves” – Women in Faith Zoom Report & News Coverage
April 29, 2020: The Women in Faith Fellowship, a program of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, in partnership with The New York Board of Rabbis, hosted, over Zoom, “Making Masks and Unmasking Ourselves” to connect and protect the communities we share. In the time of social distancing, over 45 men and women from various streams of Christianity, Judaism and Islam made needed masks and unmasked the stereotypes we have of the other. The gathering provided a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue, exploring how their faith and the faith of the other are addressing the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on our lives. In the words of one of the participants, “I know what my community is doing but to hear it multiplied through so many other communities was really inspiring.”
News coverage:
WOMEN IN FAITH brings together women of different faiths and spiritual practices to discover commonalities and honor differences, building deep and sustained connections across cultures, ages, professions and social strata. Through the fellowship, participants come to understand each other and the role of faith in their lives, and hone skills for listening generously with open curiosity and speaking in ways that honor the inherent dignity of others, creating positive changes in our communities.
For more information, contact Program Director Rabbi Melinda Zalma.
Zoom Video: State of Emergency: Israeli Government Responses to COVID-19
