The 2021 Mazals!
This year's honorees have been at the frontlines working to build a New York that’s home to all of us.
Every year at The Mazals, JFREJ honors organizations and people who have transformed the social movement landscape in the past year or whose lifelong work has inspired us to action. The theme of the 2021 Mazals is A JFREJ House Party. We’re celebrating people living and making change in our home city of New York, doing the critical work to build a caring and just future for all of us. Our 2021 honorees have been at the frontlines working to build a New York that can be a caring, sustainable, and equitable home to everyone who lives here.
Learn about the 2021 year's honorees and how you can support their work below:
The Fund Excluded Workers Hunger Strikers
The Fund Excluded Workers Hunger Strikers, for their unwavering commitment, steadfast leadership, and unimaginable sacrifices—under extreme conditions—in their historic fight and unprecedented win in holding Governor Cuomo accountable and securing the largest excluded worker fund in the country.
Learn more and join the fight to Fund Excluded Workers!
Joo-Hyun Kang
Joo-Hyun Kang, for her bold and brilliant organizing as the outgoing director of Communities United for Police Reform (CPR) where she has brought determination, vision, rigor, coalition-building-savvy, and decades of experience in principled leadership, to the fight to hold the NYPD accountable and create true, equitable public safety for all New Yorkers.
Learn more about CPR and fund their vital work!
Upper West Side Open Hearts, Shams DaBaron, and the Men of the Lucerne
Upper West Side Open Hearts (UWS OHI), Shams DaBaron (Da Homeless Hero) and the Men of the Lucerne, for their courageous efforts banding together to expose and resist the city's dehumanizing treatment and harassment of homeless New Yorkers—often at great personal risk—and for the spirit of solidarity they embodied in the process.
Learn more about UWS OHI and follow Shams DaBaron on twitter and instagram!
Shoshana Brown
Shoshana Brown, for her leadership as a founding member of JFREJ’s Jews of Color Caucus and as co-founder of the Black Jewish Liberation Collective, a fiercely loving and determined organizer, social worker, teacher, union member, and Kohenet, and who in a few short years has made a historic impact on the Jewish community’s conception of, and commitment to, racial justice.
Learn more about the Black Jewish Liberation Collective and fund their work by donating to their fiscal sponsor!
Our 2021 emcee is...Jaslin Kaur! JFREJ's electoral arm, The Jewish Vote, was honored to throw down as part of Jaslin’s groundbreaking 2021 campaign for City Council. Together, we built an historic multiracial working-class movement in one of New York City’s most moderate districts. While we didn’t win the election in the end, we came extremely close to pulling off a socialist victory in Eastern Queens—close enough to absolutely shock and terrify the establishment and transform the landscape for the next election. Jaslin's true victory came months later, on November 3, 2021, when she helped secure debt relief for NYC taxi drivers through her organizing with the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.
Thank you to the 2021 Host Committee!
- Amanda Lindner
- Andrea Shapiro
- Anne Lessy and Alex Rabb
- Anne Lieberman
- Ari Nepon
- Ari Wohlfeiler
- Ariana Hellerman
- Audrey Sasson
- Avi Smolen
- Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz, Sarah Wolk, and Beth Blum
- Benjamin Schneider
- Betty Jane Jacobs
- Bill Leavitt
- Brian Kates & Jonathan Cohen
- Cantor Lisa B. Segal & Ari (Arthur) Strimling
- Carlyn Cowen
- Carol Smith and Joseph Esposito
- Cheryl Cook
- Chris Hammett
- Claude Heffron
- Claudia Horwitz
- Cynthia Greenberg
- Dan Katz
- Dana J. Schneider and Kathleen Pequeño
- Daniel Altschuler
- Daniel Walkowitz
- Danielle Feris and Sarah Bernstein
- Dara Silverman
- David Unger & Lauren Jones
- Deborah Bloom
- Deirdre Fishel
- Diane and Robert Sasson
- Donna and Steven Schragis
- Donna Katzin and Alan Altschuler
- Donna Schneiderman and Mitchell Drach
- Dove Kent & Theo Luebke
- Dr. Jessica Brown
- E.Y. Zipris and Ira Blumberg
- Eileen Blank
- Elana Kravitz
- Elana Levin, Organizing 2.0
- Elizabeth Wilson and Rabbi Jo Hirschmann
- Ellen Landsberger
- Ellen P. Chapnick and William Schleicher
- Envision Freedom Fund
- Ethel Raim
- Ezra Nepon
- Faren Siminoff & Leslie Salmon
- Franny Silverman and Mike Newman
- Gayle Kirshenbaum and Ira Yankwitt
- Gene McCullough and Cheryl I Paradis
- Geo Bowersmith
- Himmelstein, McConnell, Gribben, Donoghue & Joseph LLP
- Hon. Gale Brewer
- Howard Horowitz and Alisse Waterston
- Jack Gorman
- Jacob Remes and Mari Armstrong-Hough
- Janice Rous
- Jay Saper
- JD Davids
- Jeannie Blaustein and Peter Bokor
- Jen Abrams and Katherine Pradt
- Jennifer Hirsch & John Santelli
- Jesse Ehrensaft-Hawley
- Jessica Greer
- Jeyn Levison
- Joan A. Kuriansky
- Joanne Sandler
- Jonah (Yoyneh Hersh) Boyarin
- Jonathan Hatch and Eve Goodman
- Judith Trachtenberg
- Julia Salazar
- Karen Pittelman
- Kate Rubin + Franklin Romeo
- Katherine Acey
- Katie Unger and parents
- KC Wagner
- Kim Russell
- Lab/Shul, Inc.
- Lani Santo and Nathan Ascher
- Lara Weitzman & Geo Bowersmith
- Laura Ferguson
- Laura Wernick & Lori Brooks
- Linda Sarsour
- Lisa and Daniel Zucker
- Lisa Ochs
- Liz Vladeck
- Lizzie Busch and Ruth Allanbrook
- Lucas Shapiro
- Lucretia John
- Ma’ayan Seligsohn
- Mana & Robert Levine
- Mariame Kaba
- Marilyn Neimark and Alisa Solomon
- Marilyn Williams
- Marjorie Fine
- Marla Erlien
- Martha Ackelsberg and Judith Plaskow
- Martha Bragin
- Mary Anne Mackey
- Megan Madison
- Meghan Grover
- Melissa Benson
- Meredith Slopen
- Micah Sifry
- Michael and Konnie Michael Chameides
- Michael Mandel
- Michele Burger and Tom Cramer
- Michele Levy
- Miriam Cohen and Stuart Kivelowitz
- Murad Awawdeh
- Nancy Meyer and Marc Weiss
- Naomi Braine & Margaret Reiff
- Naomi Dann
- Naomi Sobel & Rabbi Becky Silverstein
- Naomi Sunshine & Jill Szuchmacher
- Neal Hoffman and Andrew Ingall
- Nell Geiser
- Nikki Morse
- Nina Robinson Vitow
- Nissa Mai-Rose
- NYS Assembly Member Harvey Epstein
- Odelia and Ronen Sharon
- Paul Sonn & Martha Lees
- Paula Galowitz
- Phyllis Arnold
- Pippi Kessler and Jules Skloot
- Rabbi Angela Buchdahl
- Rabbi Brian Walt and Rabbi Caryn Broitman
- Rabbi David Jaffe
- Rabbi Dr. Barat Ellman and Jay Golan
- Rabbi Ellen Lippmann and Dr. Kathryn Conroy
- Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky
- Rabbi Kerry Chaplin
- Rabbi Lauren & Jon Grabelle Herrmann
- Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg and Jim Talbott
- Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster and Paul Pelavin
- Rabbi Salem Pearce
- Rabbi Shelley A. Goldman
- Rabbis Alex Weissman and Adam Lavitt
- Rabbis Ayelet S. Cohen and Marc Margolius
- Rachel M. Weinstein
- Rachel Rosenbloom
- Rafael Shimunov
- Rebecca Ennen and Ari Weisbard
- Rebecca Hoffman, Good Troublemaker
- Rebecca Wisotsky and Katya Levitan-Reiner
- Rebekah Bob-Waksberg
- Richard Blum
- Richard Semegram
- Riva Silverman & Abram Heisler
- Robert Bank and Alan Cohen
- Robert Cohen
- Ruth Finkelstein & BC Craig
- Ruth Messinger
- Sally Rappeport
- Sam Dorrance
- Sam Gardenswartz
- Sandi DuBowski & Eric Rockey
- Sandra Abramson
- Sarah Chandler
- Sarah Jacobus
- Sarra, Alana, Aaren, Adina, Merrill and Gregg Alpert
- Sasha Wilson and Kendra Sibley
- Sherry Gorelick
- Simone Zimmerman
- Sondra Youdelman
- Sonja Vitow
- Stefan Goldberg and Dawne Hood
- Stephanie Greenwood
- Stephen and Rachel Figurasmith
- Steve Auerbach, MD
- Steve Fahrer and Monona Yin
- Susan Milamed
- Susan Weltman
- suzi dessel
- Talia Kravitz
- Tania Kravath
- The Hummingbird Family aka Beloved University
- The Panzone Family
- The Sagner Family Foundation
- Tina Dobsevage
- Toby & Robert Rubin
- Trish Kent
- Vered Meir
- W Mae Singerman
- Yael Jacobson-Zieff