The co-founder and external affairs director of Brooklyn’s iconic Jewish Children’s Museum, Devorah Halberstam, was named by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to the city’s newly formed Jewish Advisory Council.
Halberstam also serves as the chair of the NYPD Hate Crime Review Panel and is one of two members of the Chabad-Lubavitch Jewish community of Crown Heights, Rabbi Chanina Sperlin, to serve on the panel. Sperlin is the executive vice president of governmental affairs at the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council (CHJCC).
The 37 members of the council – who hail from all five boroughs and sectors — to be chaired by senior mayoral adviser Joel Eisdorfer, will convene regularly to discuss issues that affect New York’s Jewish community.
“With antisemitic crimes up across the nation, our newly formed Jewish Advisory Council will ensure that Jewish New Yorkers in every community have a seat at the table and have access to the support and resources the city offers,” Adams said Sunday in making the announcement.
“The Jewish community is extremely fortunate to have a mayor who has a deep understanding of the challenges facing the Jewish community,” Eisdorfer commented. “While antisemitic hate crimes are rising around the world, Mayor Eric Adams proudly, vocally and physically stands with the Jewish community at every opportunity.”
NYC Community Affairs Unit Commissioner Fred Kreizman added the establishment of the new body “demonstrates the Adams administration’s commitment to fostering strong relationships with the Jewish community in New York City. The Jewish community is valued and vital to the vibrancy of New York City’s culture,” he added.
“Mayor Adams has always been a visionary,” Halberstam said. “This advisory council represents and includes a wide spectrum of the Jewish community. I hope we will be able to advise the mayor on the issues and needs of our community. Safety first, including the antisemitic incidents happening in this city and the importance of educating our youth about our history and culture.”
NYPD statistics show that Jewish New Yorkers were targeted last year more than any other group.
Antisemitic crime in New York City skyrocketed in 2022, with 263 incidents reported over the 12-month period, a 41 percent jump in the figures from the previous year.
Antisemitic incidents across the United States also soared, increasing by 36 percent in 2022, according to an annual audit published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). That report said there were 3,697 incidents reported across the US last year, the highest figure since the ADL began tracking the incidents in 1979.
Many incidents are also unreported, according to Jewish security organizations.
Last November, Adams participated along with at least 50 other mayors from around the world at the 2022 Mayors’ Summit Against Antisemitism held in Athens.
COLlive.com contributed to this report.
