Community Conversation: New York Style

White House Chief of Staff meets with the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) on July 31, 2012. Pictured from left to right: Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement Jarrod Bernstein, Executive Vice President of JCRC of New York Michael Miller, White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew and Past Chair of the JCRC of New York Janice Shorenstein. July 31, 2012. (by Office of Public Engagement)

Monday, White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew visited the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC), the latest in a series of community forums. While at JCRC he engaged in a dialogue with a cross section of Jewish community leaders in the New York metropolitan area. The wide ranging conversation covered topics in the areas of domestic and foreign policy.

Chief of Staff Lew spoke of President Obama’s unwavering commitment to the security of Israel. Lewhighlighted this Administration's most recent actions, including the provision of an additional $70 million to ensure that Israel can maximize its production of the Iron Dome system,and the signing of theStates-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012last Friday. The bill conveyed bipartisan Congressional support for Administration initiatives that deepen U.S. defense and security cooperation with Israel.

Remembering and Honoring Courage: Raoul Wallenberg Receives the Congressional Gold Medal

On July 26^th 2012 President Obama signed into law a Bill bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal upon Raoul Wallenberg.  Mr. Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who, while living in Nazi-occupied Hungary, devoted himself to saving the lives Jews suffering at the hands of the Nazi regime. He, along with others, successfully protected as many as 100,000 Jews in Budapest during the Holocaust.  As we celebrate Raoul Wallenberg’s upcoming centennial on August 4^th we reflect on the heroic life of Mr. Wallenberg and commemorate his selfless dedication to human rights. This spring, the President recorded a video message marking the 100^th Anniversary of Wallenberg’s birth.  In a blog post accompanying the video United States Ambassador to Sweden, Mark F. Brzezinski, remarked:

For the Win: FROGs for the Future

Will Lourcey (Photo Courtesy of Points of Light).

For the Win is a guest blog series featuring the remarkable initiatives that young Americans are advancing to win the future for their communities. Each week we highlight a new young person and learn about their inspiring work through their own words. 

Will Lourcey, founder of FROGs, is a fourth grader at Tanglewood Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas. He enjoys writing, traveling and fighting hunger. Willwas recognized as a 2012 Hasbro Community Action Hero, an award recognizing outstanding young service leaders presented by Hasbro in partnership with generationOn, the global youth service enterprise of Points of Light.

I was inspired to help the hungry about two years ago, thanks to baseball. One hot, June night I was riding home from a little league game and when we stopped at a red light, I saw a man with a cardboard sign that said: Need A Meal; written in red ink. Right then and there I had no idea what it meant, but I felt bad for the man. When we got home, I talked to my mom and dad, and decided I wanted to help the man. Dad said we couldn't give directly to the man, but he knew a member of the local food bank and scheduled a meeting.