Rabbi Michael Miller, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, watches over James Lebenthal as he embraces his daughter, JCRC NY honoree Alexandra. Photo: Maxine Dovere.

A warm, early spring evening greeted more than 600 leaders of the New York Jewish, political, business, and humanitarian communities who gathered at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan March 22 to celebrate the work of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and recognize the special contributions of its 2012 honorees.  The annual event is an opportunity for a diverse group of New Yorkers to honor the JCRC NY’s inter-community “bridge building.”

The early part of the evening provided an opportunity for friends, old and new, to connect, politicians to speak with constituents one to one, and members of many of New York’s political and ethnic communities to share a wonderful representation of the tastes of  New York from barrel pickles and hotdogs to those most memorable metropolitan specialties, sushi and kebobs.

JCRC NY works towards Building Relationships, Connecting Communities, Meeting Challenges.  Its 2012 honorees exemplified the totality of its goals. Keynote speaker H. E. Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in New York, extolled the impact of the JCRC NY and its work to positively affect inter-group relationships.  Honorees of the Evening have created family companies, community centric businesses and made significant contributions to both the Jewish community and the New York community at large.  Alexandra Lebenthal, introduced by her father James in the most loving and humor filled dialogue, received the Continuing Legacy Award; Brothers Arthur and Edward Coppola of Macerich Company, were joint recipients of the Community Builders Award and Steven B. Siegel, Chairman of Global Brokerage, CBRE, accepted the Corporate Leader Award. The words of Siegel, who, with deep emotion, asked the ballroom full of friends and admirers to pray for the health of his wife, Wendy, touched the hearts of all.

Christine Quinn, Speaker, City Council of New York. Photo: Maxine Dovere.