By Howard Koplowitz
The Queens Jewish Community Council celebrated its 36th anniversary at the Flushing-Fresh Meadows Jewish Center Sunday by honoring five individuals and hosting a testimonial breakfast that included various elected officials from the borough.City Council Speaker Gifford Miller (D-Manhattan), who is running for mayor, was on hand to present the organization with a proclamation and $500,000 in capital funds.Borough President Helen Marshall, an honoree at the event, used a portion of her speaking time to address anti-Semitic graffiti that was found recently near the border of Flushing and Kew Gardens Hills.”Queens is the most ethnic county in the country. There is no room for hatred and intolerance,” she said, adding that the incident, which called for the killing of Jews, took place on the same day Adolf Hitler threw out all political parties in Germany except for the Nazis.Miller echoed Marshall's concerns and urged the community to take active steps in preventing similar occurrences.”Silence is the most unacceptable response to the hatred and the attacks we just saw. … History has a tendency to repeat itself. We must grow from our history.”Besides Marshall, the organization honored Stephen Mills, president and CEO of New York Hospital Queens; Judy and Stuart Rosen, who are active in many Jewish causes; and Sam Chen, a prominent member of the Asian community who has documented The Rape of Nanking in which 370,000 innocent Chinese died and 80,000 women were raped after Japan's imperial army seized the city in 1937. According to the QJCC's anniversary program, Chen is joining with the Holocaust Resource Center and Archives at Queensborough Community College to present an exhibit titled “The Rape of Nanking” to start at the college in July. Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 173
