Hundreds Participate in UJO’s Ways to Success Evening

 Hundreds of participants attended the latest UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn’s Ways to Success evening. Attendees were able to acquire relevant information and guidance on how to, with Hashem’s help, be successful in building their careers.  Community leader, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Desser, the founder of POEL group, was a featured speaker. Over the years, Rabbi Desser and the POEL group have been a true asset to the community, helping hundreds upon hundreds find well-paying jobs.

Rabbi Desser spoke about how one can increase one’s value by making an effort to present the characteristics employers are looking for when seeking a job. Rabbi Desser also spoke about not only what employers are looking for in a candidate but the characteristics of people who are able to make progress in their field.  Other topics Rabbi Desser discussed include 

·         How to prepare resume

·         How one should conduct oneself during an interview

·         What qualifications help when one is looking for a job

·         How a beginner can include points in a resume even if they have not yet landed their first job

·         The value of starting out at in an entry-level position so later one can rise in that workplace, or one will subsequently be able to go out and find another job

·         Who is qualified for a number of known businesses

Rabbi Desser also had his firm on hand, providing free resume assistance during the event.

At the conclusion of the evening, Rabbi Desser thanked Rabbi Niederman for his tireless devotion to the Williamsburg community. Rabbi Desser mentioned that when Rabbi Niederman invited him to speak, he felt that he could not decline the invitation given all that Rabbi Niederman does for the community. 

Rabbi Niederman, in turn, gave Rabbi Desser a hearty thank you for making the time to share his expertise with the community in order to assist those in need of employment in finding well-paying jobs. Rabbi Desser was thanked as well for sharing his wealth of information in this field and praised for accomplishing the highest level of charity according to the Rambam - helping someone to find and earn a livelihood in order to gain self-sufficiency. 

UJO Reminds Williamsburg Residents About the Importance of Completing the 2020 Census When It Arrives

Excerpt from Yiddish article in Der Yid’s February 28, 2020 edition

The 2020 Census is scheduled to arrive in the middle of March following Purim. It is very important people for residents to be aware that the Census form is arriving so as not to inadvertently discard it. Residents should respond to the Census as early as possible. Williamsburg’s previous response to the 2010 Census count was very low, and this caused financial harm when it came to important services for the community. Low response rates also weaken the political representation of the Williamsburg neighborhood. 

UJO, the mayor’s office, New York City Council, New York City Census 2020, and New York City Complete Count Fund, CUNY are all working to ensure the maximum participation from the community in Census 2020.

Brooklyn, NY –Together with NYC Complete Count Fund, the UJO of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn has launched a campaign to create awareness in the Williamsburg community. The goal of the initiative is to create awareness and to let residents know to expect the Census forms, which will arrive in two weeks throughout the country. Additionally, community members are urged to respond as early as possible. 

The UJO was selected to join the NYC Complete Count Fund, a partnership between CUNY, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council. The NYC Complete Count Fund is a first-of-its-kind Census-related community organizing program that is a resource to community-based organizations working to help NYC reach a full and accurate count in the 2020 Census. These funds will support the UJO’s Williamsburg Community Census, focused on achieving a complete count from the hard to reach Yiddish speaking community in Williamsburg and its surrounding areas and to explain the importance of the Census to the community.

The Complete Count Fund was built with the understanding that local community-based organizations — which serve New Yorkers in the communities where they live and in the languages that they speak — are the most trusted messengers of important and sensitive information. 

As a culturally and linguistically unique community in New York City, a hyper-local focused approach is needed to connect with the Williamsburg community. As a trusted local voice and social service agency for over half a century the UJO of Williamsburg has the tools and deep roots in the community to educate and encourage a robust community census response.

“Unfortunately,” says said Rabbi David Niederman, President of the UJO of Williamsburg, “during the 2010 Census South Williamsburg was among the many poor communities in NYC that were undercounted. The undercount cost the community valuable resources needed for the betterment of the community that would have been available if it was fully counted. We are grateful that for the 2020 census around Mayor Bill de Blasio and his Census team led by Julie Menin, are prepared with a citywide plan that will make sure there is no New Yorker left behind.”

A complete and accurate count is critical to the future of New York City. The Census will determine how more than $650 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, roads and bridges, affordable medical care and equipment at local medical facilities, and more, gets distributed annually throughout the country. It will also determine the number of seats each state is allocated in the House of Representatives (and thus, the Electoral College). Based on current estimates, an undercount could cost the State of New York up to two congressional seats, which would limit NY’s voice in Congress and limit bringing home necessary funds to NYC.

In such a complex city, enriched by such linguistic and cultural diversity, New York City’s full participation in the first online Census faces a unique set of challenges. As New Yorkers, we have embraced these challenges as an opportunity. Together, these citywide efforts will lay the groundwork for a civic engagement apparatus that will continue well beyond the 2020 census. 

For more information or to request assistance in completing the Census, email Census@unitedJewish.org or call the UJO – (718) 643-9700 extension 236.