Long Island Herald
Jewish Alliance for Dialogue and Engagement aims for civil discourse
Billing itself as a forum for people across the political and religious spectrum to discuss issues of local importance, the Jewish Alliance for Dialogue and Engagement, currently a private chat group on WhatsApp comprising roughly 130 people, is seeking to re-engage community members without rancor.
“It’s about bringing civility and discourse to speak to our neighbors,” said Cedarhurst resident Karen Benezra, who works for the Manhattan-based Cornerstone Capital Inc., in business development, and serves as JADE’s senior communications director. “Some decisions in politics [don’t] have to tear apart the fabric of the community. We want to reach across the divide. There are so many people alarmed out there. The harsh rhetoric makes people feel isolated. They are looking to find community with other people.”
Woodsburgh resident Amy Mosery, who established JADE, initially created a WhatsApp group, Five T and Beyond 4 Biden/Harris 2020, late last year. She said she viewed that group as a run-up to JADE.
“We count members from across the political and religious spectrum, said Mosery, an attorney. “Some started as Biden-Harris supporters, others not. We’re united by more than politics. We work on bringing a return to civility among neighbors coping with pandemic losses, economic woes and promoting social justice concerns — everyone’s welcome.”
JADE was involved in a partnership with the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC in December, hosting a virtual program about Covid-19 vaccines that included introductions by U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice, who represents the Five Towns, and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.
The panel included Lawrence Eisenstein, the county’s commissioner of health, and Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt of Woodmere, who is chief of infectious diseases and chairman of the Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital in Oceanside.
“JADE has attracted people from varied backgrounds and beliefs, and because of that has the ability to create meaningful and respectful dialogue on issues facing our community,” said Stacey Feldman, Gural JCC’s associate executive director.
