Community Relations
 

Federation’s Community Relations Committee, under the leadership of Evan Karzhevsky, has squarely faced the new circumstances thrust upon our community and Jews across the world since October 7th. Many thanks to all the Committee members for their relentless determination to represent and safeguard our community.

Rockland has the highest Jewish density of any community in the US (31%+). We work to bridge divides in the community, building mutual understanding and respect - and beyond the Jewish community, allying with other vulnerable and targeted communities in Rockland.

In the post October 7th environment, our CRC has developed a new internal policy to guide our engagement beyond the community, establishing criteria to measure the credibility, openness, and integrity of our interlocutors. Our community’s pride in our Jewish identity, support for Jewish self determination in our ancestral homeland, and refusal to be subject to ideological attacks are at the core of our values.

In our changed world, CRC has gone into overdrive. What follows is a sample - but not an exhaustive list - of the comprehensive and engaging programming of the CRC in 2023-2024.
 

• At 48 hours notice, it brought more than 2000 people - from all across Rockland’s diverse Jewish population, and from our friends outside of the Jewish community, to rally in support of Israel after the brutal attacks of October 7th.
• In less than 2 weeks, CRC brought together over 700 Rocklanders to travel with Federation to Washington on November 14, 2023, joining with 300,000 others from across the country to rally for Israel and the Jewish people. This included organizing 13 buses, 3 onboard Orthodox minyans with Torahs, one onboard Conservative minyan with a Torah, several people with physical challenges, an early morning start and late evening arrival, and it went off without a significant hitch. We are grateful to all of our participants and partners.
• Brought together over 300 people for a shloshim memorial in November.
• Sent a small delegation to visit Israel in Solidarity, meet with the families of the bereaved and the hostages, and visit with our emergency beneficiaries weeks after 10/7.
• Brought together 2 busloads and over 120 people to march in the Israel Day parade in New York City in early June, the first time Rockland has participated in almost 10 years and the largest contingent in even longer.
• Developed and delivered programs needed and demanded by the community on every aspect of how to understand and deal with the aftermath of October 7th, including:
  • Rising campus antisemitism
  • Antisemitism in progressive spaces with a leading progressive Zionist who encountered a wave of hate after October 7th
  • Cooperation across the congressional aisle to support Israel and the Jewish community with local republican and democratic congressmen
  • Advocating for Israel in the face of a tidal wave of animosity
  • Education on the particulars of the conflict for over a dozen synagogues and organizations
  • Key definitions of concepts like antisemitism, Zionism, genocide, Jewish indigeniety
  • Print, TV and social media responses and engagements on antisemitism and the current conflict
• Met and consulted with all five Town Supervisors on the challenges the Jewish community has been facing since October 7th.
• Met and consulted with all superintendents at Rockland County school districts on the impact of October 7th on Jewish students. Ongoing consultation with several of them in dealing with incidents within their boards. Special thanks to Clarkstown superintendent Marc Baiocco for his development and deployment of an effective response format. CRC was happy to consult on this with Clarkstown Central School District.
• Partnership in, development of, and Participation in The Great Healing Forum at RCC in late 2023, bringing together 200 members of the Jewish and Muslim communities to begin to find ways to communicate and support each other post October 7th. Special thanks to all partners, including Rockland Human Rights Commissioner Spencer Chiimbwe and Suffern Imam Syed Ali.
• Made several trips to Albany, New York City, and Washington to engage with State and Federal officials on our community’s priorities, including non-profit security grants, confronting antisemitism, and continuing ironclad support for Israel, engaging with Congressman Mike Lawler, Senator Chuck Schumer, Governor Kathy Hochul, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Congressman Josh Gottheimer, Congressman Ritchie Torres and many more.
• Created personal and property blue ribbon campaigns for the hostages reaching over 5,000 people.
• Created an anti-BDS campaign highlighting local businesses supporting Israel.
• Worked with local media to educate and consult on antisemitism and Israel issues resulting in measurable changes and repeated consultation from major news outlets.
• Participated in and represented at over a dozen local Candle Lighting and Chanukah celebrations.
• Monitored social media for the use of antisemitic tropes by local groups and individuals, reporting where appropriate and confronting where necessary, including engaging local government and law enforcement. Engagement with State Attorney General Laetitia James and her office of Civil Rights on confronting online hate and antisemitism.
• Participation in the Mid Hudson Hate and Bias Prevention Regional Council of the state DIvision of Human Rights. Federation CEO Ari Rosenblum is an appointed council member.
• Continued to advise and assist the New York State Department of Health in addressing local Public Health needs in Rockland.
   

In the coming year we will continue to advocate for and stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and the Jewish people in every constructive and effective way. We will bring education opportunities to the community about diversity within and beyond our synagogues and neighborhoods; enhance and expand educational programming on antisemitism and anti-Zionism; and initiate a Good Citizenship/Kiddush Hashem agenda.