Dear friends,

This was a week filled with moments of turning pain into purpose.

This past Monday we witnessed vile antisemitism on display at Effy’s, a cafe on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which was vandalized because the owner is Jewish. However, the day ended much better than how it started.

Residents of the Upper West Side stepped up and volunteered to clean up the hateful and antisemitic graffiti, packing the restaurant to capacity for a meal afterward. Additionally, JCRC-NY, which I am now proud to lead, showed up with elected officials, interfaith leaders, community leaders, and our partners at UJA, to not only condemn what took place at Effy’s, but to grab a bite to eat to show love and give support to this wonderful local business.

As I shared during our impromptu press conference outside of Effy’s, an attack on one group is an attack on all. That is why I also thank and appreciate our friend, Sheik Musa Drammeh, for standing in solidarity with us yesterday.

We also give thanks to the NYPD and mayor’s office for their swift response and ensuring the community that an active investigation is underway to hold those responsible for this vile hate accountable.

We are officially in Purim season, which means many of us will engage in spirited debate over our favorite hamantaschen! Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and I held our first annual Battle of the Hamantaschen! 

The Jewish community greatly contributed and still greatly contributes to the development of New York and American life. Some of our many contributions are our tasty baked goods! Borough President Levine and I tried some of the Lower East Side’s best Hamantaschen, including from beloved classics like Kossar's and Russ and Daughter's and a relatively new and very good bakery, Michaeli’s. My four areas of good hamantaschen criteria include: appearance, tenderness of crumb, filling to dough ratio, and taste that brings you back for more! All were delicious, but the strawberry hamantaschen from Michaeli’s was pretty, pretty good!

Purim teaches us about resiliency and overcoming the odds. Strength and resilience are in our DNA. Hamantaschen and the stories behind the cookie and bakeries that make them are a tasty and unifying way to promote Jewish identity while bringing New Yorkers together.

Hamantaschen eating season has begun, and the hateful graffiti is long gone but love for Effy’s is here to stay—- and that is the New York spirit that I know and love. Chag Sameach!

Shabbat Shalom, 

Mark Treyger, CEO