OUR HEARTFELT CONGRATULATIONS TO COUNCILWOMAN ELECT FARAH N LOUIS ON HER GREAT WIN.HER VICTORY SENDS A MESSAGE TO ALL OF BROOKLYN'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES  THAT ONLY TOGETHER AS JEWS CHRISTANS MUSLIMS CAN WE PREVAIL TO MAKE OUR COMUNITIES A BETTER PLACE

THE "UNITY IN ACTION" TEAM IN ISRAEL WITH COUNCILWOMAN ELECT FARAH LOUIS

Farah N Louis has won the election to be the city’s newest Councilwoman and will fill the seat vacated by now Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, after winning the special election on May 14.

Louis recieved 42 percent of the votes, She earned 3861 votes out of a total 9,235 ballots cast with more than 99 percent of scanners counted by Wednesday morning.

The councilwoman-elect will take up the seat in City Hall to represent the 45th district, which includes parts or all of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Flatlands, Midwood, and Canarsie.

Farah  worked as Williams’s deputy chief of staff for six years when he was a councilman as did former staffer Monique Chandler-Waterman, who came in second with 2,790 votes, just north of 30 percent.

The two front runners soared ahead of the other candidates, with Jovia Radix — daughter of New York Supreme Court judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix — coming in third at a mere nine percent of the vote and 849 ballots cast.

In a  unexpected move  Williams  passed over  Louis by endorsing Monique Chandler-Waterman, despite the latter having worked for him as Deputy chief of of staff 

But the incoming legislator had the backing of multiple local political heavyweights and organizations that have clashed with the public advocate in the past.

They include Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush),  the police union the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, , Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein (D-Flatlands), and the late former Councilman Lew Fidler,and strong support from Councilman Chaim Deutsch and Councilman Kalman Yeger who campaigned hard for her in the Jewish community

Farah Louis who spend ten days in Israel with the Unity in Action team led by Mark Meyer Appel Founder of The Bridge proclaimed that her visit to the Wailing Wall and other religious sites in Israel sealed her decision to run for the Council seat in the 45th Council District

Mark Meyer Appel a early supporter of her candidacy was beaming with tears of joy as news of her win reached the campaign.Farah is a true leader and I am sure her call for unity and her strong commitment to justice  will make all very proud to have her as our leader 

Louis also received the endorsement of powerful Brooklyn Democratic Party boss Frank Seddio, who had previously thrown his support behind Williams’s Public Advocate campaign

.

At her victory celebration Farah louis expressed thanks to all  the diverse groups in her district who joined together in the getting out the message of unity and expressed her special thanks  to the Jewish community who came out strongly by endorsing her candidacy

Jumaane Williams sent his congratulations to Louis on her victory on social media.

“Congratula­tions to @FarahNLouis Councilmember of the 45th District,” he wrote on Twitter.

Louis campaigned on stemming the displacement of locals by a new wave of  developers and has advocated for what she calls “contextual zoning” that would mandate new buildings suit the neighborhood’s existing character and building sizes.

She also wants to reform the federally-mandated formula of the Area Median Income for determining so-called “affordable housing” to better reflect local communities.

The newcomer will serve out the remainder of the current term of the office and will soon have to revive her campaign to run again during the upcoming June primaries, followed by the general election in November for a two-year term ending in 2021.

Louis thanked her team and her voters for helping her to victory.

“This campaign has shown me the beauty, resiliency & power of this district,” she said on Twitter. “Every person who contributed, volunteered, voted & every person who offered a word of encouragement played an integral part in tonight’s outcome. It is my deepest honor to represent

INERFAITH FREEDOM SEDER

UNITY IN ACTION

COMMUNITY Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, D.A Eric Gonzalez Headline Interfaith Seder Y On Sunday April 14.2019 The Bridge conducted its third annual Interfaith Unity Seder.Over three hundred guests of Jews, Muslims and Christian faith attended the unity Seder on Sunday that both celebrated both the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover and served to highlight that beneath our cultural, religious and ethnic differences, we all share the common bond of humanity. The Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project, 1894 Flatbush Avenue, hosted the annual event, which featured live music by FELINA BACKER AND EZZY GLUCK, dancing and both Kosher and Halal food. The eight-day Passover holiday celebrates the ancient Hebrews exodus from slavery in Egypt, and the Seder is the meal on the first two nights of the holiday where the tale of that exodus is recounted. The chair of the event Dr Monalisa Ferrari welcomed Rabbi Joseph Potasnik executive vice president of THE NY BOARD OF RABBIS who led the event with a powerful prayer for unity It is always a pleasure to join @thebridgemcp at their annual Seder, where people of different religions, cultures, and backgrounds came together to celebrate unity and our borough’s diversity,” tweeted Gonzalez, who has been celebrating at all of the freedom seders in the past Among those honored were NYPD officers Sergeant Zagham Abbas and Detective Mohamed Amen. Among the other elected officials in attendance included City Council Member Mathieu Eugene (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Prospect Lefferts Gardens) and Assemblywoman Mathylde Frontus (D-Coney Island, Bay Ridge). Also in attendance were a number of judicial candidates, and several candidates running in the upcoming special 45th District City Council election. “Bringing together so many hundreds of people of all faiths at our unity Seder shows how we as a community are united in standing against hate and bigotry,” said The Bridge Founder Mark Meyer Appel. The Mission of The Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project (MCP) is to unite and energize people of every racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious group across New York City and the United States to address social issues facing society today. Only as a united community can we promote and advocate for government to educate society as a combined unified voice.

The Bridge Multicultural Advocacy Project | 1894 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210 718 338 5200

A Hate Attack on One Person of Any Faith, Race or Sexual Orientation is an Attack on All New Yorkers                     

OCTOBER 22,2018

PRESS RELEASE                                                                                OCTOBER 22,2018

                         

By Mark Meyer Appel,

Founder
 THE BRIDGE MULTICULURAL AND ADVOCACY     CENTER

The past couple of weeks have been troubling for all New Yorkers. Four hate crimes committed against people of different racial and religious groups from four different communities brought pain and anguish to the residents of Brooklyn.

In the past few days I proudly stood with political and community leaders of all races and religions to denounce these recent hate crimes, calling for peace in our communities. I stood with members of the Anti-Defamation League, Agudath Israel and with prominent Afro-American, Caribbean and Muslim civil rights leaders—all united by one clear message: THAT HATE AGAINST ONE NEW YORKER FROM ANY BACKGROUND IS A HATE CRIME AGAINST ALL NEW YORKERS 

I believe that to be successful in fighting hate crimes of today, we must examine how leaders of our city had worked to reduce hate crimes in the past. During the unrest in Crown Heights in the 1980’s, the late Congressman Major Owens created an ongoing dialogue of all the groups living in Crown Heights known as the Crown Heights Coalition. The coalition addressed issues of hate crimes by finding ways to unite different groups living in the community. In 1998, Congressman Owens helped to create the Crown Heights Mediation Center to continue the work of the Crown Heights Coalition. Today, the Mediation Center’s focus is on much needed criminal justice reforms.

Congressman Owens’ efforts aimed at the improvement of the relations between African Americans and Jews living in Crown Heights, almost immediately following the rioting. We must follow the example of Congressman Owens and form a City-Wide Coalition Mediation Center to battle the rise of hate crimes in 2018. A new coalition must create educational and inter-group programs to enlighten the young, old and all residents that New Yorkers, despite their different backgrounds and beliefs, are all members of one NYC family.

In 2012 I founded THE Bridge Multi-Cultural and Advocacy center, known as the Bridge. The mission of the Bridge is to bring all racial, religious and sexual orientation groups that make up our great city together. The Bridge’s objective is to show that We have much more in common than what divides us.  The Bridge advocates events and programs to bring New Yorkers from different groups and backgrounds together.

In the past years the Bridge held numerous events that highlighted the beautiful history of different cultures, Jewish, Caribbean, Muslim. The Bridge invites members from every community to each of its cultural events. The Bridge’s Unity in Action Team is made up of community leaders from many backgrounds who march and fight back against hate all over Brooklyn. The Bridge is also fighting for more affordable housing, to lessen the increasing tensions caused by gentrification.

If we are to remain a great nation, each generation of Americans must improve the work of the past. It is the duty of our generation to reduce the hate and bring Americans from different groups and backgrounds together. I formed the Bridge to help accomplish this mission. We can only fix today’s problems of hate, lack of quality education, poverty, homelessness and lack of affordable housing by working together. If all of us, from different religious, racial, ethnic and sexual orientation groups work together, we can make America a better county for all. Communication, understanding and respect between people from different backgrounds is what the heart and soul of America is all about.

THE BRIDGE MULTICULTURAL AND ADVOCACY PROJECT

1894 FLATBUSH AV

BROOKLYN, NY 11210

718 338-5200

WWW.THEBRIDGEMCP.COM

THE BRIDGE MULTICULTURAL MISSION TO ISRAEL

• By Dr Monalisa Ferrari
• REFLECTIONS AND EMOTIONS
• 
  
• On July 8, 2018 I took part in the most historical and memorable heritage trip to the Holy land. This multicultural mission gathered people of different faiths. During our ten-day visit, we visited several holy sites in Israel including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem and Husan, a Palestinian village of 70000 inhabitants which have been living peacefully with their neighboring Israeli communities for many years without any walls or barriers. Rabbi Bob Kaplan, a leader of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, joined our group in Israel “Journeying in Israel with this group of leaders representing Brooklyn’s present and future and seeing it through their eyes was a powerful and dynamic experience. The work of The Bridge and its founder Mark Meyer Appel is a true gift to all who live in New York’s diverse communities” said Rabbi Kaplan
  
  
  

  

  IN DISCUSSION WITH RABBI BOB KAPLAN  (JCRC)

  

  SABBATH PRAYER SERVICE

Since its inception in 2012, The Bridge has been instrumental in uniting and energizing people of all backgrounds to face societal issues and advocate for change as a united community. Mark’s vision as a founder has broken many of the barriers that have prevented us from growing as a cohesive community. His philosophy as a leader is to promote unity and justice for all. A major part of the advocacy work entails providing support in a variety of ways to the members of the Bridge and their homeland such as Haiti, Israel, Puerto Rico and Yemen. Unity through diversity is key in the process of everyone coming together as one people.

 Appel is also the co-founder of Community Health and Protective Services (CHAPS), a primary care diagnostic and treatment center for children with special needs and their families, and the CHAPS Early Intervention Center, which provides services to children under age 3 who have special needs. In addition, he has served on the board of New York City Health and Hospital Corporation (NYCHHC) and the New York City’s Mayoral Mental Health Advisory Board. As a trustee of the American Jewish Congress he attracts many of his fellow members to join in the fight for equality amongst communities and the different ethnic groups that make New York City a true melting pot.

Our trip began with prayers at the three holiest sites in Jerusalem which is comprised of today’s three major religions Christians, Jewish and Muslims. Our visit at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem which is a major pilgrimage center for Christians all around the world brought chills to members of our delegation as they kneeled at the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus to pray. As we navigated the Wailing Wall on the western side of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, we were all amazed by the amount of tourist from around the world who gathered to bring their written prayer request. Nearby the Muslims simultaneously congregated at the mosque across the Dome of the Rock an Islamic shrine.

MEETING YONI PERES AT THE PERES PEACE CENTER

MARK MEYER APPEL,.MAYOR NIR BARKAT AND DEPUTY MAYOR YITCHOK PINDRUS OF JERUSALEM

MEETING THE UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL DAVID FRIEDMAN

As a member of the New York Haitian Leadership Fellowship now known as the Haitian Leadership Coalition which is a project of CAUSE-NY, the intergroup relations department of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) I was overjoyed to experience the clinical and practical aspect of the teaching of Rabbi Kaplan. A session with Hagai allowed me the opportunity to acquire a deeper knowledge and understanding on how to rebuild communities that are prone to being resistant to change yet they are able to coexist today in spite of their religious beliefs or myths projected by the media. This experience has stimulated ongoing interactions with all community leaders who have tirelessly worked towards the rebuilding of Haiti. As a member of the Unity in Action Team we look forward to building sustainable relationships across the Diaspora whereby model communities can be replicated successfully. My multiple visit to the holy city did not prevent me from experiencing the same level of excitement and inspiration as my colleagues. This was the first time that I witness a diversified and interracial group of individuals bonding without fear or reservation. Thus, leaving me with the hope and certainty that the ultimate goal of the mission to unite all of us as children of one God will be met.

The delegation comprised of Mark Meyer Appel of The Bridge Multicultural Center, Rabbi Bob Kaplan of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY), Rabbi Mendy Mirocznick Executive Vice President of Rabbinical Alliance of America, Ms. Farah Louis, Deputy Chief of Staff NYC City Council, Margarette and Mellissa Tropnas, Carol and Victoria Elias, Pastor Nerlyne Desrameaux, Edwidge Michel, Katherine and Anisa Khatan, Mireille Leroy Jacob Kornbluh, Political Reporter for Jewish Insider and Dr. Monalisa Ferrari President of the Society for Haitian Research-Perspectives Haitians

As a Jew who travels frequently to Israel, this trip will remain a lifetime memory filled with joy and love. To experience Israel with my fellow New Yorkers of all religions brought me to a new and renewed conviction that only together we can achieve peace and prosperity together. Visiting with the Peres family at the Peres Center n Tel Aviv as well as meeting with the different government officials including Mayor Nir Barkat and Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Yitchok Pindrus an important part of our mission proclaimed THR BRIDGE founder Mark Meyer Appel

IN THE MEDIA

Ihttps://www.liherald.com/eastrockaway/stories/building-bridges-across-borders,105775

http://liherald.com/fivetowns/stories/building-bridges-across-borders,105775

mark meyer appel

mark@thebridgemcp.com

A HAPPY AND SWEET YEAR