NYC Council speaker joins Met Council mock Seder, food distribution - JNS.org

Julie Menin, the speaker of the New York City Council, attended a mock Passover Seder and food distribution at a Met Council senior residence on Wednesday evening.

“This was one of those evenings that reminds you exactly why we do this work, bringing people together with dignity, purpose and real impact in our communities,” David Greenfield, the CEO of Met Council, told JNS.

“What made it especially moving was seeing senior residents, including Holocaust survivors, have the chance to connect with the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council,” he told JNS. “We are deeply grateful for speaker Julie Menin’s leadership, her presence and for standing up against antisemitism when it truly matters.”

The Met Council plans to distribute Passover food to more than 350,000 Jewish New Yorkers “ensuring families can celebrate Passover with dignity,” it said.

It told JNS that its effort this year “reflects a significant expansion in both scale and impact.”

Some 800 volunteers, which includes government official, are distributing more than 3.5 million pounds of food across the city and Long Island via 250 distribution points, in partnership with 230 community organizations and local food pantries. “This year’s initiative is reaching deeper into neighborhoods and serving more families than ever before,” Met Council said.

It told JNS that leading up to Passover this year, it is “surging over $6 million worth of food to pantries to ensure consistent access to essential kosher-for-Passover items.”

“This includes 2.3 million eggs, 61,000 pounds of matzah and over 51,000 gallons of grape juice, along with chicken, fish, oil, fresh produce and other key holiday staples that are allowing families to fully observe the holiday,” it said.

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