Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. welcomed elected officials, communal leaders, faith organizations, performers, and residents to the Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Borough Hall on Monday, July 27, for a borough-wide celebration marking America’s 250th anniversary.
The evening combined patriotic music, multicultural dance, community recognition, and local cuisine, serving as a testament to the borough’s singular diversity. Among the primary partners and sponsors was the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, with JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger working alongside borough leadership to bring communities from across Queens together.
To ensure that observant Jewish guests could participate fully, an extensive glatt kosher spread was provided.
Treyger framed JCRC-NY’s participation as an expression of proactive coalition-building, emphasizing the importance of establishing genuine relationships across neighborhood, religious, and cultural lines long before times of crisis.
“This is the answer forward on uniting people, bringing people together regardless of background,” Treyger said. “We’re Americans. We are proud to work, celebrate, and live with one another.”
Borough President Richards offered a warm tribute to Treyger and the JCRC-NY team, acknowledging their active presence in Queens civic life and their ongoing partnership in confronting anti-Semitism and ensuring that every New Yorker can live openly and safely.
Richards described Treyger as one of the city’s fiercest partners in the fight against anti-Semitism, underscoring JCRC-NY’s role not only in defending the Jewish community but also in building durable alliances with public officials, faith leaders, and communities throughout the city.
Addressing the audience beneath the red, white, and blue, Richards spoke about the foundational role immigrants and their descendants have played in shaping the nation. He urged those present to remember the courage and sacrifices of past generations while accepting a shared responsibility to confront hatred in all its forms.
That message carried poignant weight as Richards prepared to depart Borough Hall for Ozone Park, where he joined a candlelight vigil honoring Staff Sgt. Angel Sarah Rampersad.
The 28-year-old US Army soldier from Ozone Park was killed on July 17 during an Iranian missile attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. Rampersad served with the 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, and had previously been reported missing following the attack.
Rampersad immigrated to Queens from Trinidad as a child, later graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and served in the Army for seven years. Her posthumous promotion to staff sergeant was announced as hundreds gathered near her family’s home to support her loved ones and honor her sacrifice. Officials have also discussed memorializing her locally through a street co-naming and other permanent tributes.
Throughout the evening, cultural performances showcased the rich heritage represented across Queens. The NYPD Marching Band opened the program, followed by musician Noah Watman, whose grandparents survived the Holocaust.
Watman performed classic American selections, including “This Land Is Your Land” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” connecting the evening’s patriotic theme to the enduring Jewish immigrant experience in the United States.
The program also featured the Korean American Youth Choir of New York; a classical Bharatanatyam Indian dance presentation by Ashish Jared Poly honoring Mother India; and an Indigenous presentation titled “The Brotherhood of the Eagle and the Condor” by Cisa Pacari.
Several civic leaders shared reflections on the occasion. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams spoke about the city’s pluralism, noting that New York’s three citywide elected officials had taken their oaths of office on three different sacred texts: the Torah, the Christian Bible, and the Quran.
Council Member Ty Hankerson of District 28 reflected on his family’s journey through the Great Migration. Hankerson recalled that his great-grandfather, despite having only a third-grade education, built a business, purchased a home, and raised ten children.
Hankerson said that true patriotism involves appreciating the country’s progress while continuing to push it toward its founding ideals.
The celebration offered a meaningful reminder that civic engagement and Jewish communal responsibility go hand in hand. America has allowed generations of Jews to build shuls, yeshivos, businesses, and charitable institutions while practicing their faith openly. For those freedoms, we must remain deeply grateful to this country and never take its blessings for granted.
