Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D – Far Rockaway) and City Council Member Julissa Ferreras (D – Elmhurst), Chair of the powerful City Council Committee on Finance, met in Far Rockaway to discuss ongoing Sandy recovery efforts and to visit vital educational and nonprofit organizations serving the community. The whirlwind tour included stops to Ohel Regional Family Center, Yeshiva Darchei Torah, and Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula.

“The Far Rockaway community is fortunate to have strong institutions working to educate our families and provide the vital services we need. Still, more than two and half years after Sandy, we desperately need support from all levels of government to continue to help the community recover,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. “Council Member Ferreras is a great friend to Far Rockaway and an important advocate in the Council with a deep understanding of our recovery and resiliency needs. It was my honor to take Julissa on a tour of the community and discuss how the city can help our families grow and prosper in the years to come.”

“Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder’s warm welcome to his district shed light on organizations that are doing fantastic work as well as their ongoing Sandy recovery efforts. Understanding the needs of communities near and far is an important part of my work as the City Council negotiates New York City’s budget,” said Council Member Julissa Ferreras. “I am thankful for the assemblyman’s collaborative spirit and the opportunity to visit and tour Far Rockaway.”

The officials’ first stop was a visit to Ohel Regional Family Center, where Goldfeder and Ferreras met with Ohel C.E.O. David Mandel and C.A.O. Amy Bierig, and toured the facility’s psychotherapy and counseling departments. The Ohel administrators also showed the building’s first floor classrooms, which were severely damaged by flooding during Superstorm Sandy.

Following Ohel, Goldfeder and Ferreras stopped by Yeshiva Darchei Torah (YDT) to meet with Rabbi Baruch Rothman, the Director of Institutional Advancement. Rabbi Rothman showed the officials around the Yeshiva’s sprawling campus, and gave Goldfeder and Ferreras a tour of its groundbreaking vocational program, which teaches students skills in lucrative construction and home design trades. YDT is a leading educational institution among American Yeshivos, offering comprehensive Jewish and general primary and secondary education.

The Assemblyman and the Council Member concluded their tour with a visit to Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP). Executive Director Nathan Krasnovsky explained the organization’s food pantry operations, including its recent work providing food and supplies to needy families for Pesach. Krasnovsky also showed the elected officials JCCRP’s social work and disaster case management offices, which have served hundreds of families in the wake of Sandy.

The tour came as the City Council recently submitted its response to the Fiscal Year 2016 Preliminary Budget, which sets out plans for the city’s $75 billion budget for the coming year.

(YWN Desk – NYC)