NCJW MEETING ON DIVERSITY

At our General meeting on May 15, an enthusiastic group of over 170 members and coalition partners came together to hear County Executive James J. Tedesco, Bergen County Executive, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg and five panelists discuss Diversity! Expanding Awareness and Appreciation of Our Unique Bergen County.

Topics discussed included statistical data, the importance of a diverse society, the impact of diversity education in the schools and at home, inter-group socialization, neighbor to neighbor communication, the dignity of all human beings in a diverse society, guiding principles in diversity/equity/inclusion and the challenges each group faces living in a diverse community. The takeaway was the excitement engendered by the presenters. When the program ended, many people remained to speak to the panelists, the Senator and County Executive. The most commonly-heard statement was “let’s all get together to work on this.”

Bea Podorefsky, NCJW BCS Program Chair, center, with left to right John Bang, Esq.; Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco, III; Imam Mohammed Moutaz Charaf, Elzahra Islamic Center, Midland Park; Elynn Park, President of the Korean-American Association of New Jersey; Rabbi Adina Lewittes, founder of Sha’ar Communities; Esmilda Abreu, PhD; and Patricia King-Butler, Executive Director of the Sankofa Institute for Higher Achievement

NCJW BCS member Lucy Doree asks the panel what is the role of education in developing a diverse environment.

Left to right NCJW BCS members Bari-Lynne Schwartz and Peggy Kabakow chatted after the program with Patricia King-Butler, Yi-Fan Hu, and Esmilda Abreu.