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Van Cortlandt Jewish Center Honors Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz addresses the audience during an event held in his honor at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) in Van Cortlandt Village and organized by the center on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, where he met with guests both in person and remotely via Zoom.
Photo courtesy of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) was honored by Van Cortlandt Jewish Center on Sunday, Dec. 19, as part of a “Celebration of Appreciation” event held at the center in the Van Cortlandt Village section of the Bronx.

 

VCJC vice president, Robert Gillman (at podium), introduced honoree, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) during an event held at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) in Van Cortlandt Village, which was organized by the center on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021.  
Photo courtesy of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

The assemblyman, who is Jewish, was elected to the New York State Assembly to represent the 81st Assembly District on February 15, 1994, and has been the elected assemblyman since then. The district broadly covers the Northwest Bronx section of the borough and includes Van Cortlandt Village where the the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) is located.

 

The gesture of appreciation from the local Jewish community was in stark contrast to the protest held outside the assemblyman’s home in Riverdale on Sunday, Dec. 12, as reported, when a small number of Jewish community members joined others in opposing the assemblyman’s proposed bill A8378, while also displaying anti-Semitic imagery.

 

The bill, if passed, and which is still at the committee level stage of the legislative process, would authorize the State commissioner of health to develop and supervise the execution of an immunization program against COVID-19 for schools funded with State aid, and would require immunization against COVID-19 for those attending such schools.

 

After the speeches were concluded at an event held in honor of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) in Van Cortlandt Village, organized by the center on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, attendees had the option of eating on site from a buffet or taking a meal home with them.  
Photo courtesy of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

It was the second such rally protesting the assemblyman’s legislation in the last month on public school vaccination mandates. The assemblyman later responded at length to the protest, affirming people’s right to protest but denouncing the anti-Semitic imagery displayed at the rally.

 

Meanwhile, the VCJC event garnered a smaller than usual audience, with some taking the decision to play it safe, connecting virtually out of an abundance of caution amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising case rates of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, which was recently confirmed as being the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the U.S.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) speaks to some of the attendees who were both physically present and who joined virtually, during an event held in his honor, at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) in Van Cortlandt Village, organized by the center on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021.
Photo courtesy of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

The center’s representatives said they were pleased to be able to show their appreciation for what they described as all of the work the assemblyman had done for VCJC and the community over the years. Stuart Harris, president of VCJC, said, “I am happy that we’re finally able to honor Assemblyman Dinowitz after the year we’ve had, due to COVID.”

 

He added, “He is a man that deserves to be honored, and I’m sorry we had to put it off last year.”

 

Editor’s Note: It has come to our attention that photos taken by members of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center during this event and published in this story (with the authorization of the photographer) are being sold online elsewhere without the authorization of the photographer. Norwood News has issued a cease and desist legal notice to the seller and is also following up on the matter with the appropriate authorities. 

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