NCFJE 65th Annual Awards Dinner

The event was held in the Museum of Jewish Heritage located in Battery Park City in Manhattan with a beautiful view of the Statue of Liberty, the Smorgasbord opened the event at around 6:00pm, and then at 7:00pm the crowd of around 500 people moved into the auditorium for the award ceremony and speeches from the awardees. During which the crowd was treated to a special musical performance from the children of the Tenafly, NJ Jewish Community Council.

The awards were presented to, Esther Raab, the Holocaust Memorial Award, Dennison Young, the New York City Patriot Award and Moshe Rubashkin the Crown Heights Patriot Award. The event honored three generations of the Morgenthau Family and was accepted by Mr. Robert M. Morgenthau the District Attorney of Manhattan since 1974 [the museum is dedicated in his name].

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Then the crowed moved on up to the dining hall and were served a beautiful and delicious dinner, During which a few awards were presented, one to Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Dennison Young, another to Esther Raab. There was a raffle on a diamond pendent on a necklace worth well over $4,500 and was won by one of the attendees, who then went and auctioned the necklace back to the crowd for $4,000 and donated the money back to the NCFJE. MODI a comedian entertained the crowd cracking jokes in Jewish and Lubavitch humor.

A very moving story was told by Esther Raab a survivor of the Sobibor Death camp, as you may know that this is one of the camp where the Jew’s stood up to the Nazis killing 12 SS Guards as well as some Ukrainian guards as well. Esther herself was shot while running away from the camp and miraculously survived throughout the rest of the war hidden on a farm of a Christian Polish friend. In 1951 Esther had made it to the United States with her husband Izzy, and had 2 boys. She now has 8 grandchildren and she says that they are all Shomer Torah Umitzvot, and she says “This is my revenge”.