New York City Council candidate David G. Greenfield was honored Sunday night at the Yeshiva Kehilath Yakov Pupa dinner, which took place at Ateres Avraham in Williamsburg. Greenfield, who received the “Ish Haklal Community Leadership Award,” addressed the crowd of nearly 1,000 and spoke about the need to work together on behalf of the community.

Greenfield is running in the 44th Council District to replace Councilman Simcha Felder, who is vacating his seat to become a Deputy Comptroller in the New York City Comptroller’s office. The 44th Council District includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Boro Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst.

After wishing Mazel Tov to Reb Aron Oberlander and Reb Kalmen Fisher, who were also honored at the dinner, Greenfield discussed his experience as a community advocate and the challenges that the community faces on a daily basis.

“I don’t sleep much at night…I am worried that too many people in our community are struggling to make ends meet.” Greenfield said. “I am worried that too many families in our tzibbur don’t have enough money to make a nice Shabbos. I am worried that too many people in our community are in danger of losing their home to foreclosure. I am worried that too many families in our tzibur don’t have enough money to pay for schar limiud – tuition. I am worried about all the difficult problems that our community is facing.”

Greenfield told the crowd about his efforts to address the tuition crisis that has affected families throughout the frum community through his leadership of the umbrella group TEACH NYS. He spoke proudly about the $600 million annual tax credit for school-age children that he helped secure, which translates to nearly $2,000 each year for the average yeshiva family. Greenfield talked about the millions of new dollars that were secured from New York State for mandated services, as well as the millions of dollars in new funding for services to New York City yeshiva students that he helped secure. He also noted that thousands of yeshiva children in New York City are now receiving free tutoring services from the federal government.

In addition to the challenges facing yeshivas and tuition-paying parents, Greenfield also addressed a number of other pressing issues facing the community.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that the needs of our community are addressed. We have a responsibility to focus on the issues that affect our community as a whole. We need to create new jobs in our community. We need to make sure that the vital social services programs that are important to so many families in our community are not cut. We need to build affordable housing developments so that families have a place to live. And we need to do all this, together, as a community.”

Greenfield closed out his remarks with a call to action to those assembled and urged people to join together to help the community.

“By working together and focusing on what is important, we can help our community regain its footing and improve the quality of life and the financial situation for our families. Together, we can solve the problems facing our community. Together, we can help our community withstand the downturn in the economy that has touched every corner of our community. Together, we can solve the many problems our community faces.

Hashem should help so that we can continue to work together on behalf of the klal and we should come to the point where we no longer have to worry about the klal, and then and only then, can we can all get a good night’s sleep.”

Greenfield, a lifelong resident of Brooklyn, is an experienced attorney and acclaimed community advocate and the Director & Counsel of TEACH NYS. He is also the executive vice president of the Sephardic Community Federation (SCF), the umbrella governmental relations and public policy organization of the Sephardic Jewish community. In that role, Greenfield works closely with public officials at every level of government to improve the lives of New Yorkers.

Before joining SCF, Greenfield served as deputy director of finance in Senator Joseph Lieberman’s 2004 presidential campaign. Prior to that, he was chief of staff to Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

(Dov Gordon – YWN)