PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Rabbi Yonah Berman, Dean of Rabbinic Initiatives at YCT Rabbinical School
2:15:57
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82 sec
Rabbi Yonah Berman, Dean of Rabbinic Initiatives at YCT Rabbinical School, expressed gratitude for Intro 641 and emphasized the importance of health initiatives for New York City residents, especially children.
- Highlighted the Jewish value of gratitude and its relevance to the current discussion
- Thanked Chair Schulman, Council Member Eric Dinowitz, and supporters of Intro 641
- Praised the Interfaith Public Health Network for its work in bringing diverse groups together for public health
- Expressed hope that Intro 641 and similar bills will improve the health of all New Yorkers
Rabbi Yonah Berman
2:15:57
Hi.
2:15:58
Good afternoon.
2:15:58
My name is Rabbi Yonah Berman.
2:16:02
People don't usually tell me to talk louder.
2:16:06
Good afternoon.
2:16:07
My name is Rabbi Yonah Berman.
2:16:08
I'm the dean of rabbinic initiatives at YCT rabbinical school in the Bronx.
2:16:13
The first words that Jews say in the morning are mode ani, literally thank you, thank you, god in that context.
2:16:20
But it teaches us that gratitude is a central value in our Jewish tradition.
2:16:24
Many of us just gathered around food this past weekend thinking about perhaps a complicated history, but a reality that giving thanks of gratitude need always be on our minds.
2:16:35
I come today to say thank you as a rabbi, as a resident of the Bronx, thank you to chair Shulman, to my local council member, Eric Dinowitz, and to the many supporters of intro 641.
2:16:48
I thank the Interfaith Public Health Network for its tireless work in bringing a diversity of people of faith, of health workers, clergy, and others around our shared passion for health and for the well-being of our cities, all of its residents, and especially its children.
2:17:05
I hope and pray that interest 641 and other similar bills serve as steps, perhaps baby steps but important steps, in our shared and holy work in bettering the health of all New Yorkers.
2:17:18
Thank you very much.
