JCRC-NY Officers & Board of Directors
Officers
PRESIDENT
Bennett W. Golub
CHAIR OF THE BOARD
Cheryl Fishbein
VICE PRESIDENTS
Sanford Antignas
Josh Moskowitz
Gene Rachmansky** Craig S. Unterberg
EXECUTIVE VP & CEO Gideon Taylor
CEO EMERITUS
Michael S. Miller
SECRETARY
Robyn Polansky Morrison**
TREASURER
Michael P. Lustig ***
Past Presidents
Martin S. Begun* Kenneth J. Bialkin*
Cheryl Fishbein Judah Gribetz
Gedale B. Horowitz* Alan S. Jaffe
Ezra G. Levin* Matthew J. Maryles Lester Pollack* Richard Ravitch
Janice W. Shorenstein
Charles S. Temel* Laurence A. Tisch* Peggy Tishman* Ronald G. Weiner
Honorary President
Jack D. Weiler*
Honorary Officers
George Klein Rabbi Israel Miller* Daniel Shapiro*
Board of Directors
Jonathan Adelsberg
Karen R. Adler
George Arzt
Sharri A. Berg
Abraham Biderman***
Tom Blumberg***
Charles R. Borrok
Jacques E. Brand W. Stewart Cahn Brian M. Cohen
Steven D. Cohn **
Suzanne R. Davidowitz
Suzanne W. Doft
Camille Dunst
Jennifer E. Falk David A. Fine
Stuart Finkelstein
Adam Fleishman**** Rachel “Ruchie” Freier
Ezra Friedlander
David J. Friedman Zoya Raynes Friedman Ester R. Fuchs Ruth Golan
Jonathan Greenspun Jessica Haller
Jay Hershenson
Matthew J. Hiltzik
Suzanne Denbo Jaffe*** Richard I. Janvey Karen Spar Kasner Judy Kaufthal
Bradley Korn*** Alisa F. Levin***
Jeffrey E. Levine*** Max J. Levine Richard S. Linhart Gustave K. Lipman
Jason D. Mack Joel R. Marcus Mendy Mirocznik Shira Nadel Michael Nussbaum
Shelley Lieff Parker Simon “Shimi” Pelman
Joseph Rafalowicz Andrew Rechtschaffen*** Eric Rechtschaffen
Anna Propp Riesenberg Eugene Schneur M. Ronen Schwartzman*** Marissa J. Shorenstein
Adam Shpeen**** Rada Sumareva*** Richard M. Weinberg Steven Wils Jacob J. Worenklein
*Deceased
**Development Committee Co-Chairs ***Development Committee Members ****Observers
Dear Friends,
It is our pleasure to welcome everyone to the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York’s 2022 Annual Benefit. The core mission of JCRC-NY is to protect and enhance the quality of life of the New York Jewish community and of all New Yorkers. To accomplish its goals, JCRC-NY has always devoted a significant portion of its resources to security concerns and community-bridging programs - - emphasizing the values and interests that unite all New Yorkers, Jews and non-Jews alike.
As we celebrate our achievements this evening, we are pleased to pay tribute to Reverend Jacques Andre DeGraff, recipient of the Bridge to Justice Award; Hal Fetner and his son Alex Fetner, recipients of the L’Dor V’Dor Community Builder Award; and Michael P. Lustig, recipient of the Shofar Award. We are privileged to recognize these outstanding individuals for their commitment, dedication, and leadership.
We want to extend a special thank you to our Annual Benefit Co-Chairs and Sponsors, Development Co-Chairs Robyn Polansky Morrison and Gene Rachmansky, and Development Committee. The tremendous support we have received from these exceptional individuals and everyone gathered here this evening is a testament to JCRC-NY’s extraordinary achievements. Your faith in our mission and goals will ensure that our outstanding Officers, Board of Directors, and staff can continue to serve all the people of the New York metropolitan area for many years to come.
Thank you, and please enjoy the evening.
Sincerely,
W. Golub President
Cheryl Fishbein Chair of the Board
DECEMBER 15, 2022
Bennett
Gideon Taylor Executive Vice President and CEO
JCRC-NY REPRESENTS ALL OF JEWISH NEW YORK.
As the voice of the mainstream Jewish community at the tables where the critical issues of the day are being discussed, we build bridges of dialogue and understanding with every segment of the city’s population.
For almost 50 years, JCRC-NY has been the primary community relations organization representing and advocating for the needs of the 1.4 million Jews in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester. A collaborative network of over 50 member organizations, we foster relationships with the
WHAT WE DO:
• Create a more connected New York Jewish community
• Nurture relationships with the broader New York community to address critical issues and build a shared society
• Keep the Jewish community safe and secure
WHO
WE WORK WITH:
government and close to 200 faith-based and ethnic groups in our area. Our Board of Directors reflects the broad cultural, political, ethnic, geographic, and denominational spectrum of New York Jewry.
New York needs JCRC-NY now more than ever. Our advocacy work on behalf of the Jewish community is essential. Our expertise, our relationships, and our reach make us the most effective organization working to ensure a strong, vibrant, secure New York Jewish community.
• Strengthen support for Israel among New Yorkers
• Speak out on important issues affecting the Jewish community, New York, and Israel
Our partners within and outside the Jewish community include:
• Ethnic and racial communities
• Faith communities
• Public officials
• Jewish leaders from all streams
• Non-profits
WHERE
WE WORK:
• Our reach extends throughout the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester, and Israel.
THE JCRC-NY APPROACH:
• We are a common table for New York Jews.
• We cultivate relationships with all city leaders, finding common ground and supporting the issues that are important to them.
• We show up to represent New York’s Jewish community, building relationships and supporting dialogue between Jewish and nonJewish groups. We care about all New Yorkers and cultivate mutual understanding, supporting issues that matter to other communities.
• In partnership with UJA-Federation of New York, through our community security initiative
• Law enforcement
• The labor, progressive, and conservative movements
• Education systems
• Our impact reaches far beyond New York, as we share best practices and consult regularly with Jewish nonprofits across the country.
(CSI), we have significantly upgraded the physical security of approximately 2,000 Jewish institutions in the New York area so that people of all faiths can feel welcome and secure in our communal spaces.
• We educate the educators, exposing them to different narratives and voices from israel. We’re helping to educate our children about the Jewish community and other communities, to dispel myths and encourage mutual respect and tolerance.
www.jcrcny.org
BRIDGE TO JUSTICE AWARD
Reverend Jacques Andre DeGraff
Social Justice Champion
Reverend Jacques Andre DeGraff has served on the pastoral staff at historic Canaan Baptist Church where he was ordained under the Reverend Wyatt Tee Walker, (Reverend Dr. MLK’s former Chief of Staff) and is a renowned champion for equity and inclusion.
Rev. DeGraff is a graduate of Hunter College and studied at the NYU School of Real Estate, New York Theological Seminary, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Rev. DeGraff has been an outspoken advocate for economic and social justice for communities of color. Well-known and respected in New York leadership circles, he has been a tireless advocate for minority and women owned businesses which create jobs in our communities, and he helped to lead the passage of Local Law1 to create municipal opportunities for MWBE contracts.
City and State Magazine featured him in a recent cover story as a leader in the national Black Church initiative to combat COVID in NYC. His activities also earned him inclusion on the list of New York’s Black Power 100.
Rev. DeGraff served as Co-Chair on the African American Council on matters of economic development and diversity for the Nielsen Corporation, the leading global provider of consumer information and analysis.
Rev. DeGraff was the featured speaker and U.S. Representative at the United Nations at its Commission on Violence against Women. He has been a leader and activist against gun violence
working with One Hundred Black Men, former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, and the New York Police Department. Rev. DeGraff helped spearhead the acclaimed gun buyback program.
He is also a founding member of the world-famous Harlem Week.
Rev. DeGraff served as Chairman of the NewsCorp Community Philanthropic Awards and Scholarships Program and the past Chairman of Diversity Council for properties including Wall Street Journal, Fox News, 20th Century Fox Films, and other properties.
He is Past Chairman of the Board of the Urban Assembly, an innovative educational foundation that has created over twenty-two public schools in the City of New York.
He serves as Chairman and President of The Friends of Harlem Hospital, the fund-raising organization for the enhancement of the hospital and patient care.
He serves as the New York City Clergy Leader for Choose Heathy Life, a faith and Black Church initiative that ensures churches receive the necessary resources and support to address the COVID-19 pandemic health disparities, and to deliver preventive wellness programs.
He is Executive Director for the Velez Organization for the Mentor Technical Assistance Program at the School Construction Authority. This is the city’s premier capacity building mentor program for capital projects. MTAP has become a national training, educational, and technical assistance model.
L’DOR V’DOR COMMUNITY BUILDER AWARD
Under Hal’s direction, Fetner Properties has become one of the most well-respected real estate companies in New York.
Always on the forefront of the residential real estate industry, Hal has earned the reputation as one of the most sustainable builders in the city, with multiple LEED® Gold residential buildings to his name. Hal focuses on affordable and market rate housing and is currently developing three ambitious new projects in New York City.
A proud alumnus of Syracuse University, Hal serves on the University’s Board of Trustees, is Chair of the Facilities Committee at the University, and is a member of the University’s Whitman School of Management Advisory Council and the Whitman Real Estate Advisory Board. Dedicated to providing opportunities for future generations of Syracuse students, Hal established the Fetner Program fund, a scholarship at the Whitman School for students
pursuing sustainability, and created the Fetner Sustainability Series as well as the Fetner Prize in Sustainable Enterprise. Hal sits on the Board of Governors and the Executive Board of the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) and is on the Board of Trustees of the Citizens Budget Commission — a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization pursuing constructive change in the finances and services of New York City and State.
Hal graduated from the Whitman School of Management and subsequently earned a Juris Doctor from New York Law School. In 1988, Hal took on the role of CEO at Fetner Properties as the third generation to take the helm. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Joe Hynes, special prosecutor of the State of New York.
He and his family reside in Westchester County, New York.
Alex joined Fetner Properties in 2021. He helps lead the effort to source and evaluate new acquisition and development opportunities.
Prior to joining Fetner Properties, Alex was a Vice President at CBRE in the Investment Properties group. While there, Alex was instrumental in the execution of over $5B of transactions across the city. Alex joined CBRE from Eastdil Secured.
Alex is a member of the Real Estate Board of NY. He attended Cornell University, graduating with a major in Government and minor in Business. As an alumnus, Alex served as the Chair of his fiveyear reunion fundraising campaign and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Cornell Young Alumni Philanthropy committee. Alex resides in Manhattan, and in his spare time enjoys golf, tennis, and reading.
President & CEO, Fetner Properties
Associate, Fetner Properties
Hal Fetner
Alex Fetner