Toby Nussbaum Jewish Heritage-NY2019 Contest Booklet

THE TOBY NUSSBAUM JEWISH HERITAGE-NY2019 CONTEST

MACHLOKET L’SHEM SHAMAYIM: CONSTRUCTIVE CONFLICTS AWARD CEREMONY WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 CITY HALL, NEW YORK CITY Jewish Heritage-NY2019 is a project of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

THE TOBY NUSSBAUM JEWISH HERITAGE-NY2019 CONTEST AWARD CEREMONY PROGRAM

Welcome....................................................... Hon. Marco Carrión

Commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit

Greetings.......................................................... Charles S. Temel President, JCRC-NY

Remarks ........................................................ Michael Nussbaum

Member, JCRC-NY Board of Directors, and Co-Chairperson, Toby Nussbaum Jewish Heritage-NY2019 Contest

........................................................................... Dale Nussbaum

Co-Chairperson, Toby Nussbaum Jewish Heritage-NY2019 Contest

Tribute ...................................................... Bernard W. Nussbaum Presentation of Awards ................................. Hon. Marco Carrión Closing .............................................................. Michael S. Miller Executive Vice President and CEO, JCRC-NY

The Toby Nussbaum JHNY2019 Contest is supported by a generous grant from Bernard W. Nussbaum and sponsored in cooperation with the New York City Department of Education.

THE TOBY NUSSBAUM JEWISH HERITAGE-NY2019 CONTEST WINNERS – ALL HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL (GRADES 9-12)

FIRST PLACE (TIE)

George Dong

Brendan Katz

Drilona Vata

Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan

James Madison High School, Brooklyn

James Madison High School, Brooklyn

Robert Sandler

Robin Kovat

Robin Kovat

Teacher

Teacher

Teacher

Eric Contreras

Jodie Cohen

Jodie Cohen

Principal

Principal

Principal

SECOND PLACE (TIE)

Zachary Cytryn

Yasmin Kerikar

Clara Shapiro

Bronx High School of Science

James Madison High School, Brooklyn

Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan

Sophia Sapozhnikov

Robin Kovat

Allyson Compton

Teacher

Teacher

Teacher

Dr. Jean Donahue

Jodie Cohen

Eric Contreras

Principal

Principal

Principal

THIRD PLACE (TIE)

Qazi Ali

Edwin Cheng

Gabriel Matatov

Townsend Harris High School, Queens

Townsend Harris High School, Queens

Townsend Harris High School, Queens

Aliza Sherman

Aliza Sherman

Aliza Sherman

Teacher

Teacher

Teacher

Brian Condon

Brian Condon

Brian Condon

Principal

Principal

Principal

HIGH SCHOOL FIRST PLACE TIE

Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan

HIGH SCHOOL FIRST PLACE TIE

James Madison High School, Brooklyn

Brendan Katz 5/8/19 Jewish Heritage Essay Contest

“Inclusive justice and compassion are …the central imperatives to guide our behavior.”Dr. Yehezkel Landau, a modern-day Israeli-American interfaith educator and Founder of Open House, a Peace Education Center for Israelis and Palestinians in Israel. In Jewish tradition, constructive conflict is known as mahloket l’shem shamayim and the only way to be successful is to talk and have constructive discussions. There has to be acknowledgement that there is a problem in society and that leaders are taking actions to fix these problems. Conflicts between religions and race will always occur but change can happen if individuals comprehend the issues and attempt to make a change and come together to form peace.

The world is much divided and conflicts occur on a daily basis all over the world. There have been many religious attacks in the past year. The massacre at the Pittsburg Synagogue and the San Diego Synagogue are just some examples of many attacks that have recently occurred in the past year. All different religions and races have been affected this year, as acts of violence occurred. Mahloket l’shem shamayim is about arguing issues while respecting and maintaining good relationships with the other side. In addition, it also involves making sure that one’s personal motivation is to come to the best solution and to admit when being wrong, and acknowledging that sometimes both sides might be right. Civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. once said “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” Dr. King is describing to society that we all once were different and unequal but now society has/should have changed making everyone live in a peaceful, harmonious society.

New York City is a culturally diverse city where individuals should live in a peaceful society. I got the pleasure of meeting three different Holocaust survivors and learning about their stories. They lived in an undivided society where they were targeted because of their religion, but in today’s society we hope for change but in recent events we have seen a repeat of history.

Society should be evolving not repeating itself, and compromises along with discussions should occur to stop hate from overtaking society. Society should change for the better, teaching the future generation that equality and peace is possible to achieve.

HIGH SCHOOL FIRST PLACE TIE

Drilona Vata

James Madison High School, Brooklyn

HIGH SCHOOL SECOND PLACE TIE

Bronx High School of Science

HIGH SCHOOL SECOND PLACE TIE Yasmin Kerikar

James Madison High School, Brooklyn

Hello my friend you don’t agree with what I say That’s okay I won’t throw our friendship away We are both wise Because we don’t let our ignorance rise I’m Muslim and you’re a Jew Our faith is nothing new You are my sister, you are my brother And we care deeply for one another We may have gone through different things But we have managed to spread our wings We have felt extreme pain And been given a lot of blame One event involving a terrorist plane And the other involving Hitler's reign I’m Christian and you’re Hindu Our history has been blue But I want you to know I respect you Even though we don’t have the same view It’s important to learn from each other And be supportive of one another Nowadays we have friends from everywhere And there’s no need for anyone to say beware Being friends with someone who was different from you use to be considered rare And it would ensure you get a disgusted stare But we’re smarter now and we don’t compare We all have our form of prayer And if someone tries to compare then they could go elsewhere Let’s keep the peace Have violence cease And love increase It doesn’t matter if your white, Latino, or black We have each other’s back And won’t stand for any kind of attack It doesn’t matter if your straight, bisexual or gay We won’t cast you away I will just pray That you are happy and no one bothers you Cause some people act so arrogant when they don’t have the slightest clue They try to tell you that you don’t know who you are or who you like But those are the people who are acting childlike

I’m a Buddhist and you’re an atheist Our kind don’t mix But I will not tell you that you’re going to hell Because I don’t nor do I want the power to cast that spell I’m a peaceful person And I’m not about to worsen Just because we don’t think the same Doesn’t mean any of us should feel shame We have all been given a bad name So let us be us There’s much to discuss If we disagree it doesn’t mean one of us is correct and the other wrong We can agree to disagree and get along Because we are all so strong And as this poem ends I hope you look around and cherish all your friends

HIGH SCHOOL SECOND PLACE TIE

, Manhattan

HIGH SCHOOL THIRD PLACE TIE Qazi Ali

Townsend Harris High School, Queens

HIGH SCHOOL THIRD PLACE TIE

, Queens

HIGH SCHOOL THIRD PLACE TIE

Gabriel Matatov

Townsend Harris High School, Queens

JEWISH HERITAGE-NY2019 A project of the Jewish Communal Affairs Commission of The Jewish Community Relations Council of NY JCRC-NY President: Charles S. Temel JCRC-NY President-elect: Cheryl Fishbein JCRC-NY Executive Vice President and CEO: Michael S. Miller JHNY2019 Chairperson: Judith Shapiro The Toby Nussbaum JHNY2019 Contest Co-Chairpersons: Dale Nussbaum and Michael Nussbaum Director, Special Projects: Marcy A. Fishman Special thanks to Hon. Marco Carrión, Commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit, and his staff; the New York City Department of Education; and all the teachers and students who participated in the contest.

Jewish Community Relations Council of NY 225 West 34th Street, Suite 1607 New York, NY 10122 Tel. 212-983-4800 Fax. 212-983-4084 www.jcrcny.org