Happy New Year! On behalf of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, I want to extend warm wishes for a meaningful and fulfilling 2025. As we commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day this past week, we took time to honor the survivors, remember the six million Jews, and mourn the countless others who fell victim to one of history’s darkest chapters. Their stories compel us to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust remain vivid in our collective memory. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to combating antisemitism and safeguarding Jewish religious freedom wherever it is threatened.

At JCRC-NY, we believe education is a cornerstone of progress. That’s why we continue to advocate for comprehensive Jewish identity education in K-12 schools and proactive anti-discrimination measures for students in colleges and universities. In fact, I recently published an op-ed in the New York Daily News outlining these priorities in greater depth.

Beyond education, our work spans many areas. Recently, our Israel and International Affairs team, in collaboration with our Government Affairs team, hosted an extraordinary event at the Sephardic Community Center in Brooklyn, where we honored House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries with our first annual Shamash Award, for his leadership and unwavering ally-ship with the Jewish community.

Nurturing future leaders is also central to our mission, and in December, we celebrated the graduation of our latest Bridges-NY Fellows. For this fellowship, we recruit a religiously and ethnically diverse group of rising leaders in public policy and civic service, providing them with a year of intensive leadership training and a deeper understanding of Jewish identity and Israel. Many go on to influential careers in New York, carrying lasting connections with us, the Jewish community, and each other. The program’s impact continues to grow—applications doubled this year, reflecting its rising prestige. Just last week, we were thrilled to welcome a new cohort, ready to embark on this transformative journey.

Looking ahead, this Sunday, we will host our annual Congressional Breakfast, bringing together government leaders from local to national levels to discuss pressing issues impacting the Jewish community and our neighbors. We are expecting a powerhouse line-up of our New York congressional delegation and that is a testament to the strong relationships we have cultivated together with our communal partners. And, of course, we are already preparing for the Israel Day on Fifth Parade, which will take place on May 18, 2025. Each day, we do all we can to celebrate Israel and stand in solidarity with our Israeli brothers and sisters as we advocate for the safe return of all hostages. We are not whole until we are all home. 

Strength and resilience are ingrained in our Jewish community, and that was evident once again when this past weekend Miriam, an Israeli restaurant in Brooklyn, was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. I visited the site that day to ensure accountability and see that our NYPD partners were launching an immediate investigation. I was deeply moved to see that throughout the day, crowds poured into the restaurant to support the business (just so you know, the falafel there is ten out of ten!). Neighbors, both Jewish and non-Jewish, showed up. This is who we are, as Jewish people and as allies: we rise, we rally, and we build strength through community and purpose.

Thank you for your generous support for making the work of JCRC-NY possible and we welcome the opportunity for additional support to increase our ability to make even a greater impact in this important work.

In solidarity,

Mark Treyger

CEO, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York