JCRC Board 2024-2025
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Time to Reflect, A Time to Give

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JCRC-NY

Friends,

As we celebrate Hanukkah and 2024 comes to a close, I want to take a moment to reflect on my first 10 months as CEO at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and all we’ve accomplished as an organization.

This past Rosh Hashanah, we launched our Jewish Value of the Year: hachnasat orchim — welcoming guests. It’s at the heart of how we build community at JCRC-NY and a theme that resonates with me personally as the son of Ukrainian immigrants. Looking back, this value has already carried the organization through much of 2024, and I am filled with pride for what we’ve accomplished thus far.

Since I joined JCRC-NY in March, we’ve partnered with leaders and allies committed to nurturing deeper communal ties. Highlights include:

  • Hosting JCRC-NY’s first-ever model Seder with dozens of Holocaust survivors, NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and the Council’s Jewish Caucus.
  • Paying tribute to four exceptional Jewish community leaders at our 2024  Gala, with the support of over 400 guests, allies, and government officials.
  • Marching with 100,000 New Yorkers, including 4,000 members of the October 7th Hostages and Missing Families Forum, to demand the hostages’ safe return on Israel Day on Fifth.
  • Honoring U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for his leadership and allyship with the Jewish community and presenting him with the inaugural JCRC-NY Shamash Award.
  • Hosting our Second Annual Reception at SOMOS, honoring leaders within the NY Latin American community
  • Taking the former NYC Public Schools Chancellor and 200 staff to the NOVA Exhibition.
  • Leading a solidarity mission to Israel with the NYS Comptroller and Members of the NYS Assembly and NYC Council. We also participated in mission trips to Israel with UJA Federation bringing Rep. Ritchie Torres and labor leaders.
  • Celebrating the first ever Jewish AAPI Heritage Celebration with NYC Council Member Susan Zhuang and Marks JCH of Bensonhurst.

These are just some of the events we hosted and special moments we shared with fellow New Yorkers.

It’s also been a year of growth and renewed purpose, with new team members joining us to infuse our work with fresh energy and ideas: Dr. Sara Fredman-Aeder, Adama Ahmed, Gianna Bergman, Sam Dubin, Dr. Ari Finkelstein, Matt Abrams Gerber, Arielle Kaden, Ethan Lustig-Elgrably, Hannah Margolis, and Marcy Rosenbaum.

Looking ahead, JCRC-NY will focus on our 2025 initiatives that prioritize bridging divides and fostering dialogue. In the coming months, we will launch programs that strengthen ties within and beyond the Jewish community, including our fellowships, We Are All Brooklyn and Bridges-NY. As we enter the new year, I invite you to join us in continuing this vital work.

As I shared on Israel Day on 5th, we are not whole until we are all home. We continue to pray every day for the release of all hostages so they can be returned to their loved ones and we see lasting peace and security for Israel and all of its neighbors. May the coming year bring hope, health, and happiness to you and your loved ones.

In solidarity,

Mark Treyger
CEO

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