Shortly after the shooting in D.C. that took the lives of two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, we received a message from our local alderman, Anthony Quezada, representing the 35th Ward. Alderman Quezada expressed his desire to visit CJDS to show his support for a Jewish institution in his ward, especially given the challenges and vulnerabilities facing Jewish communities everywhere. 

Quezada explained the reason for his visit, stating, "There's just so much rise in violence, and I wanted to make sure that as an institution in my ward, that you knew that I had your back... and to better understand how we can all be working together to build those bridges of understanding. Especially now, more than ever, there needs to be a lot of care and attention to what you all are experiencing."

Many thanks to CJDS Parent Ameya Pawar (Sigalit Epstein-Pawar, Grade 3) for facilitating the visit, as well as to CJDS Board President Jay Goodgold, Judy Finkelstein-Taff, Jill Kushnir LeVee, and Tamar Cytryn for meeting with the alderman to discuss important and timely issues.