UJO Addresses Federal, State and City Officials to Assure Full Participation of the Jewish Community in 2020 Census in the Upcoming Year

 Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s Friday, March 8, 2019 edition

At the meeting hosted by the JCRC with tens of representatives of Jewish communities, discussion revolved around how critically important it is for full participation in next year’s Census to take place within the Orthodox communities so that all receive necessary services to be appropriately represented in government.

Brooklyn, NY – Last week the United Jewish Organization of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn participated and addressed the conference with Federal, State and City officials present. The meeting took place at the Jewish Community Relations Council and focused on how to assure maximum participation in the Census 2020 that will officially take place in April 2020.

Unfortunately, after the 2010 Census, it was clear that the Orthodox community, especially those in Boro Park were extremely underrepresented. It is estimated that this undercount of  Orthodox members of the community totaled tens of thousands lost to the Census. The absence of large numbers was so apparent, that immediately after the count, Mayor Blumberg held a press conference where he pointed out that the results of the 2010 Census did not reflect the growth of the Orthodox community.

As a result, the Orthodox community suffered by receiving a lesser representation in government than it deserved. This is because each district is drawn according to the number of people residing in it, and since Orthodox numbers received a lower count, it made other districts larger, diluting the Orthodox voice and representation. This undercount also created a situation where Orthodox communities were entitled to fewer services and less funding due to the perceived smaller population. Next year’s goal is to prevent a recurrence of this underrepresentation. This was the incentive for the JCRC to call the meeting to organize the Jewish community before the 2020 Census to ensure that everyone participates in being counted in the 2020 Census.

The meeting was opened by Rabbi Michael S. Miller, Executive Vice President and CEO of the JCRC and Associate Director, Mr. David Pollack. Attendees were also addressed by Mr. Jeff Baily, Regional Director of the Census Bureau;  Karim Camara, Executive Director and Deputy Commissioner for Governor’s Office for State-Based Communities;  Ms. Julie Menin, Director of NYC Census; and Mr. Michael Snow, the Jewish Liaison to Governor Cuomo.  Mr. Michael Nussbaum of JCRC chaired the meeting and Rabbi David Niederman, UJO Executive Director and President, spoke sharing recommendations on how to assure communities participate in the upcoming Census.

Also among participants present was Rabbi Avi Greenstein, CEO of BPJCC; Rabbi Yeruchim Silber,  Director of Agudath Israel; and Rabbi Hersch Horowitz, Executive Director of Monsey’s Community Outreach Center.

“I thank the JCRC,” Rabbi Niederman says, “for their work in assuring maximum participation in the Census which is very important for the welfare of the community. It is still a year ahead, but the Census has an effect for the upcoming ten years, and we need to make sure that we don’t fail again. We express our strong appreciation to Mr. Baily of the Census Bureau, Mr. Kamara and Mr. Snow from the State, and Ms. Menin from the City Census Bureau for their commitment towards reaching out to Jewish communities to assure maximum Jewish participation in this endeavor. It is  important to realize that an accurate count is critical for the welfare of the Jewish community for years to come.”