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Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz Begins Planning Jewish Heritage Month

Representatives from Brooklyn’s Diverse Jewish Communities
Discuss Celebrations and Events

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz met with members of the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Committee this morning at Borough Hall to begin planning events to celebrate Jewish Heritage in May. Comprised of representatives from Brooklyn’s cultural centers and different Jewish communities--including reform, conservative, orthodox and Hasidic--the Committee has been revitalized by the Borough President in conjunction with Jewish Heritage New York 2002 (JHNY2002), the coordinating body of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

"We want to celebrate Jewish Heritage all over Brooklyn," said Borough President Markowitz. "This borough has more Jews than any other city in the world outside of Israel, yet we’ve never suitably honored this rich heritage."

Attending the meeting were Judith Shapiro and Howard Teich, co-Chairs of JHNY2002; representatives from the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Hasidic Arts Center, Brooklyn Jewish Film Festival; and members of Jewish community organizations and Zionist organizations. Ms. Shapiro will serve as co-Chair of the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Committee.

A film festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in late April and a special event at Borough Hall on April 30 will kick off a month of celebration. Cultural institutions will host events highlighting Jewish culture, and neighborhood groups will organize festivities. The Committee discussed organizing a Brooklyn contingent to march with Borough President Markowitz in the Salute to Israel Parade and working with the annual Memorial Day Parade, in which Jewish veterans play a large part.

In addition to attracting tourists from outside New York, Borough President Markowitz said that one of his goals as Borough President is to "introduce Brooklyn to Brooklyn." He continued, "Brooklyn has so many rich cultures, and I want communities--including different Jewish communities--to begin sharing their cultures and traditions with each other. The events of Jewish Heritage Month will be a big part of that."