For the first time in New York City’s history, Mayor Eric Adams has appointed a Jewish Advisory Board to advise the Democratic Mayor and his team on all issues related to Judaism. The advisory board, the Jewish Advisory Council, consists of 37 representatives of the very diverse Jewish community in New York, including 22 rabbis.
The members come from all five districts of the metropolis and represent all currents of Judaism. They work in synagogues, non-profit organizations, schools and community centers.
inauguration “Our Jewish community—the largest in the world outside of Israel—is an important part of New York City,” said Mayor Adams, who served as borough president for seven years before taking office on January 1, 2022.
From the top of the Bronx to the bottom of Staten Island, “the work and contributions of our Jewish brothers and sisters can be felt in all five boroughs,” he noted, adding, “In the face of the rise in anti-Semitic crime nationwide, our newly formed Jewish Advisory Council will ensure that Jewish New Yorkers in every community have a seat at the table and access to the support and resources our city offers.” According to the government website nyc.gov.
Different universities in New York have another problem with anti-Semitism.
In New York City, anti-Semitic crimes increased 39 percent from 2021 to 2022, but hate crimes have so far declined noticeably over the same period in 2023. Nationally, the civil rights movement Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported a 36 percent year-over-year increase for 2022.
career The African American Adams grew up in modest circumstances in Brooklyn and Queens and was a police officer before his political career. His awareness of the needs of the Jewish population of New York was sharpened, among other things, by the coexistence of Jews and Afro-Americans in Brooklyn. There are several neighborhoods, such as Williamsburg or Borough Park, where mostly Orthodox residents live. In recent years, they have increasingly reported anti-Semitic attacks on the street.
Another problem with anti-Semitism is at various universities in New York, where anti-Zionist groups are promoting resistance to Israel in a way that many Jews feel has crossed the line into anti-Jewish attacks.
So it’s no wonder that the establishment of the council on June 26 met with approval in the Jewish community. “The Mayor’s Advisory Council demonstrates the city’s commitment to understanding the needs of the Jewish community and empowering the diverse Jewish communities within the larger Jewish community, and of course speaking out when there are issues with anti-Semitism,” conservative Rabbi Rachel Ain told New York Jewish Week on the way to the advisory council’s first meeting. “I see it as an opportunity to amplify the positive and respond to the negative.”
Challenges The Council will be chaired by Joel Eisdorfer, who has been the mayor’s senior adviser for a year. “The Jewish community is fortunate to have a mayor who has such a deep understanding of the challenges facing New York’s Jews,” Eisdorfer told nyc.gov.
Joel Eisdorfer is the first Hasidic Jew to serve on the city government’s senior staff and certainly the first closest adviser to an African-American mayor of New York.
2023-07-24 20:51:00
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