Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Committee hosted the Brooklyn Jewish Heritage Night Salute to Israel ceremony and reception at Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Special presentations were made to this year’s event honorees: Dr. Yaffa Eliach, president and founder of the Shtetl Foundation; Dr. Bernard Lander, president and founder of Touro College; and Shimon Waronker, principal, Jordan L. Mott, Middle School 22, of The Bronx.
Organizations being honored included the Sephardic Bikur Holim (accepting was Dr. Mayer Ballas, board member and former president) and Shema Kolainu (represented by Joshua Weinstein, president and founder).
Winners of an essay, poetry and play writing contest for high school students were also announced:
Essay: Yevgeniy Zolotnikov (Edward R. Murrow High School); Daxin Lin (New Utrecht High School); Shikaun Huang (New Utrecht High School); honorable mention: Florence Chan (Sheepshead Bay High School); Hassan Mohammad (FDR High School)
Poem: Aneta Panczak (New Utrecht High School); Neather Darroux (Sheepshead Bay High School); Jennifer Mayers (Edward R. Murrow High School); honorable mention: Inna Shulman (Leon M. Goldstein High School)
Play: Honorable mention: Andy Jimenez (New Utrecht High School); Alexandra Villafane (New Utrecht High School)
