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As the arduous battle for Israel’s existential survival continues to rage on and as the Jewish people across the globe continue to be target of haters of all stripes as anti-Semitism has reached unprecedented levels, we once again turn to our communal leadership for the kind of strength and informed guidance that is essential during these highly turbulent times.
New York City boasts the largest number of Jews in the world, outside of Israel and as such, the leaders we choose have been and will continue to make a significant impact on the local, national and international stage. It has now come to our attention that the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of New York has selected a new Chief Executive Officer to usher his flock during the potentially challenging days that lie ahead.
According to a January 24th press release on the JCRC web site, “the Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) announced the appointment of Mark Treyger as Chief Executive Officer. During this critical time for the Jewish community, Treyger will step up to lead New York’s most prominent Jewish community relations and advocacy organization and continue the important work of building relationships to advance the Jewish community’s values, interests, and security and create a more interconnected New York for all.
In August 2023, a Search Committee comprised of JCRC-NY Board members and other important stakeholders was formed to research, review, and select their top candidate for the CEO role. Following an expansive search, the Committee presented its recommendation to the JCRC-NY Executive Committee, which unanimously approved the appointment of Mark Treyger as JCRC-NY’s CEO, effective March 4, 2024. “
We find it quite curious that the JCRC with help from the UJA-Federation of NY’s CEO Eric Goldstein has chosen Mark Treyger for this important role. Treyger served in the New York City Council representing Brooklyn’s 47th council district. Prior to assuming that post, Treyger spent eight years teaching World History, Government, and Economics at New Utrecht High School.
While teaching, Treyger took an active role in the United Federation of Teachers, serving as a union delegate, staff developer, and member of the school leadership team. In 2003, at the age of 21, Treyger became the youngest president ever of the United Progressive Democratic Club (UPDC) in Bensonhurst. In 2013, Treyger won a competitive Democratic Primary, and then received 71% of the vote in the general election to become the Council Member of the 47th District.
Treyger has been in the forefront of the climate change battle and has taken positions on issues that have aligned with the woke, progressive agenda that he and others in the city council have advocated for. A July 1, 2020 report on the brooklynpaper.com web site said that the “City Council voted in favor of approving an almost $1 billion reduction in money allocated for the New York Police Department — a complex and controversial move that drew ire from both supporters of police and anti-law enforcement groups. “ Among those voting in favor of defunding the police was none other than Mark Treyger.
In a July 4, 2020 report on the Shorefrontnews.com web site, Treyger defended his defund the police vote in the aftermath of the George Floyd slaying in Minneapolis.
During his tenure in the city council, Treyger claims that he made enormous progress in the essential work that needed to be done in rebuilding the city in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, but interestingly enough, Treyger did nothing about rebuilding the old park and playground for children in his district. Due to neglect by the city’s parks department for decades, the playground fell into disrepair. Despite the fact that his constituents repeatedly importuned Treyger to take the necessary steps to make some inroads on the refurbishment of the park, their pleas fell on deaf ears.
The requests to have the long neglected park fixed came from Treyger’s Orthodox Jewish constituents and it was the only request made of him. In essence, Treyger ignored the needs of those Orthodox Jews who reminded him that their’s was the only park in the city that was not attended to.
Treyger, however, had a different agenda and that was one of championing the rights of New York City teachers and promoting the nefarious aims of the most radically left wing labor union in the city, namely the United Federation of Teachers. Treyger did not hide the fact that he played a pivotal role in the left wing, woke progressive revolution that has engulfed us. It is his prerogative to decide what positions her takes on political issues and it his constituents’ right to decide whether to vote for him or not.
The question here is not Treyger’s political bona fides or credentials. The issue here is whether someone like Treyger who has never headed up a Jewish political organization before is suitable for the position of CEO of the JCRC of New York.
Clearly, such major players in selecting Treyger for this position such as Eric Goldstein of the UJA speaks volumes about which direction the Jewish establishment is heading during these perilous times for the community that they purportedly represent.
Rather than furthering the interests of the Jewish people by selecting a leader with strong pro-Israel, right of center political credentials that reflect the perspectives of the vast number of Jews in the city of New York, Goldstein and his acolytes have clearly acquiesced to the high speed momentum of the woke, progressive agenda.
Perhaps Goldstein and others of his ilk are incentivized by the largesse of big Democratic donors who are major financial backers of the UJA as well as those on the political left who contribute to the alphabet soup of other Jewish establishment organizations, or perhaps they are shaping the narrative because they are true adherents and stealth warriors in the Marxist revolution that we find ourselves in the middle of.
That said, it is beyond outrageous that the establishment, headed by the UJA, has spearheaded the drive to place Treyger in this important position. To say that his views and political worldview stand diametrically opposed to that of the majority of Jews in New York City, many of whom are Orthodox, is a gross understatement.
There is no doubt that the folks at the Biden White House are celebrating this decision as now they will have yet another ally to use to pressure Israel and to help drive Jewish votes for them in the upcoming presidential race.
Rather than listening to the needs of those they represent and appointing someone with the requisite background to effectively safeguard the Jewish community against the incessant tide of egregious anti-Israel and anti-Jewish propaganda, the UJA and others have made a highly significant but lamentable pronouncement through the appointment of Treyger.
This entire, sorry mess is beyond tragic and it is up to those who truly believe in real Jewish values to speak up now and voice their strenuous objections to the path to hell that was carved by the Jewish establishment.
Simply put, Treyger is the wrong person for a job of this caliber. The JCRC needs an experienced and highly qualified leader who has been involved in all aspects of operating a Jewish organization of this magnitude. The JCRC needs a leader who can and will take an intrepid stand and boldly speak out on behalf of Jewish rights and for the survival of Israel.
