QJA registers over 500 voters in two weeks
Residents from Far Rockaway, Kew Gardens Hills, Kew Gardens, and Rego Park came together to launch the Queens Jewish Alliance (QJA) with a free community concert at the beach on Thursday evening, July 11. Their weather outlook of rain and thunderstorms did not stop the over 250 people who came to hear the eloquent notes of Shea Rubenstein and Joey Newcomb at O’Donohue Park, off Seagirt Boulevard, between Beach 15th and Beach 17th Streets.
The Queens Jewish Alliance was established by a core group of community activists and lay leaders aiming to ensure that all segments of the Jewish community are educated on the political process and understand the need to elect people who represent Jewish ideals. This gathering was designed as the first of many voter registration drives to be held throughout Queens. Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato stressed that everyone should consider registering to vote as a member of the Democratic Party, enabling them to partake in local primary elections that often are the deciding factors in the eventual general election.
Special acknowledgment is owed to State Senator Joseph Addabbo and to Yoni Dembitzer for encouraging all attendees to register as New York City voters, to Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato for her words of support, and to Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal for chairing the event. Also in attendance were representatives from Councilmember Donovan Richards’ office and Alan Schiff (Democratic judicial nominee). Recognition for organizing the kickoff is extended to the Alliance of Bukharian Americans, Achiezer, the Chazaq Organization, the Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula, the Jewish Community Council of Marine Park, the Queens Jewish Community Council, and Pesach Osina for all of their efforts.
Please log onto QueensJewishAlliance.com and take less than two minutes of your day to register to vote, as the process does not happen overnight. The QJA encourages all shuls, schools, community centers, and other organizations to reach out and coordinate a voter registration kickoff at their next event. For more information or to arrange tabling, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
By Shabsie Saphirstein
