Eight Community groups sponsor a forum, �2007 � A Transit Odyssey,� featuring MTA CEO/ Executive Director Elliot Sander, several elected officials and a labor leader at Legislative Forum 2007, Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 4 Iyar 5767. The event, hosted by Northeast Queens Jewish Community Council ["NEQJCC"], Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation [�Parker�], UJA-Federation, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty [�Met Council�], The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater New York (JCRC), Queens Civic Congress, Queens Region-Hadassah and The Samuel Field/Bay Terrace Y takes place 9:30 a.m. at the "Y", 58-20 Little Neck Parkway in Little Neck. The Forum begins with a light breakfast - courtesy of Parker.

          In addition to the MTA's Sander, the program, moderated by City Council Finance Committee Chair David I. Weprin, includes State Senator Frank Padavan, Assembly Members Catherine Nolan and Mark Weprin, City Council Environmental Chair James Gennaro, City Council Transportation Chair John Liu and Amalgamated Transportation Union Local 1056 President Ed Figueroa. William E. Rapfogel, CEO of Met Council, and NEQJCC Chairman Corey Bearak chair the program. �We look forward to a discussion of important issues including buses, subways, LIRR, Access-a-Ride, clean fuels, fair fares, tolls, congestion pricing,� stated Mr. Bearak.

          The free Forum follows the serving of a light breakfast - courtesy of Parker Jewish Institute - at 9:30 a.m. and usually concludes in under two hours.  People wishing to attend are advised to make reservations by April 20.  Call the NEQJCC at (718) 225-6750 extension 247 or or email NEQJCC@aol.com.
 
          Legislative Forum 2007, an annual program of the NEQJCC and the Y, also invites the Borough's legislators to meet and greet their constituents.  The breakfast attracted many community and civic leaders in addition to members of the Councils' member-organizations.

          NEQJCC President Jeffrey Mr. Gurdus stated: "We look forward to working cooperatively with our fellow sponsors to present this Legislative Forum and other events to benefit Northeast Queens communities." NEQJCC Executive Director Gail Eisenberg added: "This forum presents an important opportunity to show decision-makers the strength and unity of the Jewish community."   Y Executive Director Steve Goodman noted:  "By coming out on April 22, we can be sure that our voices will be heard when critical decisions that impact on our community are made."

          The NEQJCC represents synagogues and other community, educational, fraternal, and religious institutions and organizations in some of the communities which form the City's backbone: Bayside, Bay Terrace, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hillcrest, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Jamaica Estates, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village. NEQJCC projects include a pre-Passover food Drive which collected over 3,600 pounds of donated food last month, neighborhood development, Jewish continuity including Shalom Bayit/Healthy Marriage, Lay Leadership, social action, promoting involvement and volunteer opportunities, fostering intergroup understanding and building a multi-cultural coalition. The Council combats anti-Semitism and discrimination, sponsors forums with major public figures, Jewish cultural events, open discussions with local Rabbis and represents community concerns. Its newest program, the Harmony initiative or �Hi� represents a collaboration funded by the City Council including the Office of the Queens District Attorney, the City Commission on Human Rights and the Northeast Queens Branch-NAACP.

          The NEQJCC helped form the NORC-WOW, a pilot program to serve seniors in one and two family homes. It publishes a (four-fold, 8.5 by 14-inch) brochure, You Can Have It All, touting life in northeast Queens communities, also available through its website, www.northeastqueensjewish.org, which also features a �community calendar.�

          Mr. Gurdus said annual programs include its Installation of Officers and Awards Breakfast each fall, the lighting of the largest Chanukah Menorah in Queens, a Purim Carnival at the Samuel Field Y, and its Legislative Forum each Spring. In 2002 and 2004, the Council, together with Queens Region Hadassah and the Consulate of Israel, hosted the Ben Yeduda Street Comes to Bayside, an Israeli Gifts, which attracted thousands of visitors who purchased direct from Israeli merchants and listened to Israeli entertainers. A beneficiary of UJA-Federation, the NEQJCC works closely with the Queens Region-Hadassah, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater New York, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, the Samuel Field/Bay Terrace Y and Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation, noted Executive Director Gail Eisenberg who can be reached at (718) 225-6750 x247 or via email at gail@northeastqueensjewish.org.

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WHO:       MTA CEO/ Executive Director Elliot Sander, State Senator Frank
                 Padavan, Assembly Members Catherine Nolan and Mark Weprin, City
                 Council Environmental Chair James Gennaro and City Council
                 Transportation Chair John Liu, Amalgamated Transportation Union
                 Local 1056 President Ed Figueroa

WHAT:     LEGISLATIVE FORUM 2007: "2007-A Transit Odyssey" [buses,
                 subways, LIRR, Access-a-Ride, clean fuels, fair fares, tolls, congestion
                 pricing] sponsored by Northeast Queens Jewish Community Council
                 ["NEQJCC"], Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and 
                 Rehabilitation [�Parker�], UJA-Federation, Metropolitan Council on
                 Jewish Poverty [�Met Council�], The Jewish Community Relations
                 Council of Greater New York (JCRC), Queens Civic Congress,
                 Queens Region-Hadassah and The Samuel Field/Bay Terrace Y

WHEN:    Sunday, April 22, 2007, 9:30 a.m.

WHERE:   The Samuel Field Y, 58-20 Little Neck Parkway in Little Neck

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