FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 01, 2007
MAYOR ED KOCH AND RUTH
GRUBER MADE THE BLUE CARD’S
2007 DINNER AN UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
“Who would remember if survivors would not be here to tell us?”, Mayor Ed Koch posing an all important question in his remarks.
(New
York)………The Annual Benefit Dinner, held at Tavern on
the Green, was hugely successful thanks to our generous supporters and friends.
The event was a great success financially; in total, $130,000 was raised.
This money will provide 250 Holocaust survivors with Personal Emergency Response
System (PERSYS), a device that could mean the difference between life and
death for homebound seniors. As of today, the Blue Card distributed $980,000
in grants over five of its programs; Emergency Assistance, Monthly Stipend,
Holiday Program, Summer Vacations and the Personal Emergency Response System
(PERSYS). It is projected that the Blue Card will end up distributing $1,1
million worth of grants in 2007 and $1,2 million in 2008.
The event’s M.C., Mayor Ed Koch, highlighted our calling and the main reason for the gathering of the friends and supporters of the Blue Card in his speech, “The obligation of Jews worldwide is to take care of those who have already been victims and make certain that there will “never again” be a war against the Jews causing the deaths of children, women and men”.
Samuel J. Dubbin, the lead attorney in the lawsuit of the Hungarian Gold Train, and a principal in the law firm of Dubbin & Kravetz, L.L.P., underlined the importance of the situation with the needy Holocaust survivors. “It’s a humanitarian disaster that so many Holocaust survivors here and around the world are in need they are in, but it’s a moral disaster that their voices have not been heard in this process, they have been literary shut out”.
In his remarks, Dubbin went on to say that “the needs are there and the needs are crucial” Dubbbin concluded his Guest of Honor Speech with, “the Blue Card has been in the front lines dealing with the needs of the Holocaust survivors”.
Mark Bilski, the Director of Private Banking at Credit-Suisse and a recipient of the Generation to Generation award, speaking of the Blue Card in terms of a close family environment, remembered how he got involved, “I originally got involved with the Blue Card to honor my father [Berthold Bilski] as I learned more about the organization over the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the difference they have been able to make in so many lives”. Mark Bilski learned the true value of Tzadaka from his father, Berthold Bilski, who sadly, could not join us at the dinner due to health reasons, but nevertheless expressed his happiness to share the Generation to Generation Award with his son Mark. Both father and son are active supporters of the Blue Card.
About The Blue Card
Established 1934 in Germany, the Blue Card’s sole purpose was to provide
financial assistance to Jews plundered by the Nazis. The organization got
its unusual name from the original blue identifier cards that were issued
to those it helped. It ceased operations in the late 1930s. In 1940, The
Blue Card was reestablished in the United States to continue aiding refugees
of Nazi persecution who resettled in America. Today it is the only organization
in the United States whose sole mission is to aid Holocaust survivors in
such a capacity. In 2007, the organization expects to give nearly $1 million
to 1000 Holocaust survivors in the greater New York area; by keeping its
overhead to an absolute minimum, almost all donated money goes directly to
elderly holocaust survivors to cover items such as medical care, utility
bills, and small repairs. Some Blue Card Board members are the children and
grandchildren of The Blue Card's original founders. Due to a low overhead,
Charity Navigator—America’s Largest Charity Evaluator--continually
bestows its top rating of 4-Stars upon the Blue Card. The Blue Card is a
501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization.