Celebrating At Congresswoman Grace Meng’s Annual Forest Hills Hanukah Event

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On the afternoon of Sunday, December 10, Congresswoman Grace Meng invited the Forest Hills community to her annual Hanukah event at the Central Queens Y. The event was especially catered to Congresswoman Meng’s Jewish constituents. Many community and organizational leaders gathered to celebrate the hallowed custom of lighting Hanukah candles, and also came to respect the efforts by Congresswoman Meng to ensure the continuation of her constituents’ customs and holidays. All of the speakers at the event thanked the Congresswoman for her continued support from Washington–for making it her personal priority to advocate for her community.

Congresswoman Meng took the microphone to thank all those who attended and became part of her tradition of recognizing the unique groups which make up her constituency. Celebrating her constituents’ culture reaffirms the support and connection that has become and will continue to be a real two-way street. Learning and appreciating each other’s cultures facilitates effective representation for all community remembers, and this event is meant to do just that.

Congresswoman Meng also made a point to sing special praise for those local and more distant leaders who work under the radar, rain or shine, to make her advocacy possible. She emphasized the importance of local work on the ground in tandem with her focused work in Congress as instrumental in pushing key legislation for her constituency. Her work can only be as effective as the level of communication relayed to her regarding local and specialized interests. The chain of civil servants all the way up to her office in Washington do a superb job of ensuring her ears constantly ring with accurate information about the important needs and wants of her constituents. The congresswoman’s successful work represents the culminating effort of a complete structure including local politicians and activists.

Congresswoman Meng also took time to discuss her work on a subcommittee chiefly responsible for sending aid to Israel for programs such as Iron Dome. The Iron Dome Project alone received seven-hundred million dollars from this subcommittee to help develop a complex system for intercepting hostile rockets and missiles launched against the State of Israel. Iron Dome was operationally invaluable in recidivating the missile threat posed by Hamas since Operation Protective Edge against Hamas in Gaza. In many cases, programs such as these have also garnered bi-partisan support, demonstrating Congress’ unified desire to protect her allies across the globe.

Focusing on more local work, the Congresswoman spoke about the importance she attaches to keeping shuls in our area safe. This included supporting the shuls in as many ways as legally possible to help keep the community together. In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, she pushed and continues to push for legislation to recover damage, including that suffered by religious centers and houses of worship. The Congresswoman also addressed the damage done to communities and their members due to persecution and also mentioned her fight to refund federal programs against anti-Semitism. There is a special importance of speaking out for communities that face discrimination across the spectrum, and she resolved to continue in her efforts in that regard.

Congresswoman Meng also expressed her desire to work increasingly closer and collaborate more with the Jewish community. The Jewish community has historically been significantly involved with the social and political life of her district and she hopes to deepen the partnership. She expressed particular satisfaction with groups such as the newly formed Jewish Democratic Council of America, which looks to bring the political arena and discussion closer to home. Meaningful dialogue and information goes a long way in bringing citizens to participate in local and federal politics, she noted.

At the end of the event, Congresswoman Meng thanked the crowd for being involved and partnering together with her for celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukah. She thanked the attendees for their continual support expressed wishes for continued success and advancement. Finally, as she does every year, she wished her Jewish constituents a happy and joyful Hanukah.