Mayor Eric Adams Joins Staten Island Council of Jewish Organizations in Providing Passover Food Pantry Services

Mayor Eric Adams Joins Staten Island Council of Jewish Organizations in Providing Passover Food Pantry Services

Edited by: TJVNews.com

The Staten Island Council of Jewish Organizations (COJO) held its Annual Passover food drive and distribution Thursday, March 23, 2023, at the Aur Torah Sephardic Minyan of Staten Island, located in the New Springville section of the Island. Thanks to the efforts of COJO approximately 2300 families in Staten Island are able to enjoy Passover 2023 with the traditional foods necessary to experience festive Sedarim and holiday meals.

This year marks the 48th consecutive year that COJO is helping make sure that members of the Staten Island community can celebrate Passover in a dignified manner in accordance with Jewish traditions and customs.

Mayor Eric Adams joined the distribution and assisted in packing some of the cars, greeting individuals and chatting with the many community members and leaders that attended the event.

On his way out he thanked the community members for “doing G-d’s work.”

“Every family in New York City deserves food to put on the table — for Passover and all year round. COJO Staten Island and Project Hospitality are doing remarkable work to take care of their communities, and I was honored to support them in that work,” The Mayor emphasized.. “When you donate your time, even an hour a week, you are donating into the social bank of life and you will be able to draw on that equity when you need it.”

Mendy Mirocznik, President of COJO thanked Mayor Adams who was joined by senior members of his Administration in assisting COJO with the food distribution. Joel Eisdorfer, Senior Advisor to Mayor Adams, Fred Kreizman, Commissioner, Community Affairs Unit, Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, Rabbi Moshe Davis, Senior Liaison, Office of the Mayor of New York City, and Edward Jackson, Staten Island Borough Director, Office of the Mayor of the City of New York were on handing joining the mayor as he assisted with the distribution..

Mirocznik, quipped, “that we feel fortunate and blessed that Mayor Eric Adams came to volunteer and show support to COJO at our 48th Annual Pre-Passover Food distribution. We have to realize that in New York City we are fortunate and blessed to have a great Mayor who cares about people, the everyday New Yorker and places the needs of the people who reside in the city as his primary objective of uplifting us as a city. Today we witnessed leadership at its finest and experienced community care and how a responsible public servants treat the public who they Sheppard and faithfully serve. The mayor by attending and actively participating took time from his grueling, hectic and busy schedule and that demonstrates his deep love, concern and compassion for others.

The city will rebound to greater heights of accomplishments thanks to  this altruistic feeling of responsibility that the mayor has. Because of the Mayor’s commitment we will overcome all the challenges we face. It is because we have a mayor who has a generous warm loving heart and who leads by example and is hands on. We pray that the A-Mighty give the mayor the continued strength, Solomonic wisdom and fortitude to continue his great work for the people of the city.”

Mirocznik further stated, “the positive spirit demonstrated today is the energy of optimism that will help alleviate the down feeling that we are experiencing as we grapple with uncertainty, a staggering economy and food insecurity into a healthier reality. Sadly, the rise inflation and the failure of the pay check to meet the sudden and unexpected rise in the cost of living is making it difficult for many working people to further stretch their paychecks to purchase the necessary food needs to experience a truly festive Passover meal experience. It is love, unity and fellowship that will get us through this crisis. It is only when good people partner up and work together, we get the strength, wisdom and fortitude to preserver through the challenges we face. Thank you Mayor Adams for reinforcing that important message.”

“We could not have had any more welcoming hosts then the Aur Torah Sephardic Minyan of Staten Island. The care and concern and assistance to every detail was instrumental in making the Pre-Passover Food Distribution a success. Rabbi Aharon Zeev, President Oshri Reuven and the Aur Torah Shul family outdid themselves and the key to building a thriving community is with strong community bonds that has the focus of delivering the best to the community it serves. Thanks to Aur Torah we accomplished this most important mission” stated Mirocznik.

Mirocznik thanked COJO Security Chairman and Coordinator of the Staten Island Shomrim, Ari Weiss for mobilizing the Shomrim and coordinating the Passover distribution with the NYPD. Thank you to Chief Terence Hurson, Executive Officer, Patrol Borough Staten Island, Inspector Richard Taylor, Commanding Officer Community Affairs Bureau, Lt. Rafet Awad, Commanding Officer, Community Affairs Staten Island, Captain Eric Waldhelm, Commanding Officer, Pct. 121, Community Affairs Officer, Sean Mondello, Community Affairs Officer, Sean Mondello, NYPD Explores and NYPD Blue Chips for their great work in helping to make the Pesach Food Distribution the success that it was.

Mirocznik further thanked the generous COJO Food Pantry partners who made this Passover food drive and distribution possible. Mirocznik thanked in particular Met Council, David G. Greenfield, CEO and Executive Director of Met Council, Aaron Cyperstein, Associate Council and Director of External Affairs of Met Council, Jessica Chait, Managing Director of Food Programs at Met Council, Benjamin Zaientz, Quality Specialist at Met Council and Rebecca Glass, Met Council Pantry Coordinator for their support, encouragement and generosity and for their collaboration with COJO, NYPD and Project Hospitality in making this important Pre-Pesach food a reality. As tough as this year is David Greenfield’s commitment to helping others is amazing. It is no secret that COJO would not have been able to have assisted our constituency without the help, partnership and collaboration of Met Council. We at COJO look forward to our continued efforts in battling together with Met Council hunger, hopelessness and the eradication of poverty.”

Iva Reuven, COJO Service Committee Chairperson stated,  “We are pleased to partner with  Met Council, Food Bank NYC and City Harvest on this important initiative to provide Passover food to our community members in need” stated Iva Reuven, Chairperson, COJO Service Committee. “I am particularly proud of my Service Committee and their dedicated crew and of Carina Vizhnay, special events coordinator, Empire BlueCross & Blue Shield, and Jenny Palaguachi, Healthcare Education Advocate 1199 SEIU both great member of the COJO service committee for all her help in making this year’s Pre-Passover Food Distribution the success that it was.

Scott Maurer, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice-President of COJO remarked, “that the COJO Passover Food Relief is just one component of our pantry that services all people of Staten Island.  Our goal is to make sure that no person goes hungry in Staten Island. It is my sincere dream that no one should experience poverty and hunger and the pantry should go out of business due to a lack of clients in need.  However, until we reach that day, we here at COJO are in the business of combating hunger.”

Also attending and participating in COJO’s 48th Annual Pre-Passover Food Distribution was Staten Island District Attorney Michael, Former Assemblyman Michael Cusick, Pinny Hikind, representing, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Simon Sebag, representing New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Anthony Reinhart, representing Senator Andrew Lanza and Umamah Masum, representing Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton.