Midwood City Councilman David Greenfield continues to stand out as the borough’s go-to person both as a deal maker in the city council and amongst lawmakers in bridging the cultural gap between Orthodox Jews – arguably Brooklyn’s most powerful voting block – and other ethnic groups.
A case in point was Greenfield’s recent co-hosting with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. a citywide Latino/Jewish networking event in Manhattan on Monday.
“What the borough president and I wanted to do was simply have an event where people could just meet each other, get to know each other, and build relationships,” said Greenfield at the event, who noted that there is a “commonality of interests” between the Jewish and Latino communities.
Greenfield said there was no program or agenda or particular purpose except to get folks to network and meet, and have some food and drinks. The event featured a mix of Latino and Jewish music and allowed people to talk about commonalities of culture, he said.
“People had a very nice time. We had university and hospital presidents, rabbis and elected officials,” Greenfield added.
Other elected officials at the event included Bushwick City Councilmember Rafael Espinal and council members Andrew Cohen, Daniel Garodnick, Vanessa Gibson, Corey Johnson and Mark Levine.
“There’s a strong and rich history when you speak of Latinos and the Jewish community,” said Diaz at the event. “That history is one that we need to celebrate, and I am proud to be able to partner with Council Member Greenfield and so many leaders from across the city to engage in discussion and develop meaningful partnerships between these two populations.”
Greenfield, a Georgetown Law School graduate and accomplished attorney, is often seen at multi-cultural events, including some in Bedford-Stuyvesant that local City Councilmember Robert Cornegy Jr. hosts.
Interestingly, Greenfield also crosses the cultural divide within the Jewish community, feeling very much at home with both secular and religious Jews. Additionally, before moving into the public sector, Greenfield, an Ashkenazi Jew, served as the executive director of the Sephardic Community Federation.
The way term-limits were set up, Greenfield, who also chairs the Council’s powerful Land Use Committee, can serve in the City Council through the end of 2025.
“What makes New York City great is the strength of our diversity. We in the Orthodox community need to make sure to build relationships and connections,” said Greenfield.
