Earthquake Relief Concert for Turkey

An earthquake relief concert was held at Kaplen JCC on the Palisades on March 19th, 2023 to raise funds for the victims of recent earthquakes in Turkey.

The concert was organized in partnership with several organizations including the Korean Community Center, Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, New York Young Arts Foundation, Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, JCC Thurnauer School of Music, and Peace Islands Institute.

The event began with the performance of both the American and Turkish national anthems. The audience enjoyed famous classical pieces played by young musicians from the NY Young Arts Foundation and JCC Tharnauer School of Music. Sufi music was performed by Bahadır Ekinci.

CEO of the Korean Community Center, Michael Nam, and CEO of Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, Steve Rogers, gave welcoming remarks. Veysel Ucan, Outreach Director of the Turkish Cultural Center, expressed his gratitude towards all the participants and musicians who came together to support the victims of earthquakes. He mentioned that almost 2 million dollars were raised by the Embrace Relief Foundation, and 75% of the donors were non-Turkish individuals.

The mayor of Tenafly also attended the concert and encouraged people to support the cause. Additionally, New York State Assemblyman Ron Kim joined the program with a video message.

Overall, the concert was a great success, bringing together people from different communities to support a worthy cause.