650 Friends at Jewish Children’s Museum’s First Birthday Celebration

Friends and supporters of Brooklyn’s Jewish Children’s Museum joined together on Thursday, March 30 to mark a successful first year of operation at the Museum.

The dinner and award ceremony was chaired by Mr. John Kanas, Chairman, President and CEO of North Fork Bank. In his opening remarks, Kanas praised the Museum’s executive director, Rabbi Yerachmiel Benjaminson, calling him a “man with a vision” who stops at nothing to see that his dreams become realities.

The Museum is dedicated to the memory of Ari Halberstam, the 16 year old Yeshiva student gunned down by a terrorist on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1994. Ari’s mother, Devorah, was lauded by the many honorees and political leaders in attendance for turning her grief towards the creation of the Jewish Children’s Museum, a center that promotes tolerance and acceptance.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Vice President of North Fork Bank George Klett was presented with the Guest of Honor award, former New York prosecutor David N. Kelley was given the Ari Halberstam Memorial Award and Robert Liner of Stark, Amron and Liner was named Man of The Year.

Notable guests included Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, U.S. Congressman Anthony Wiener and Ruby Shamir representing Senator Hillary Clinton. The New York State Commissioner, Director of Homeland Security and Assistant Director of the FBI were in attendance together with officials from the Office of the Governor many City Council members, and Israel Singer of the World Jewish Congress.

In addition a Who’s Who of New York real estate came largely in tribute to the Museum’s Guest of Honor.

The Jewish Children’s Museum is a state-of-the-art, fully interactive facility, that uses its fun environment to promote tolerance, understanding and cooperation in the multicultural city of New York.