More than 30 Jewish community leaders were on hand on Wednesday evening, August 6, for a briefing by Connecticut’s Senator Chris Murphy regarding events in the Middle East. For more than an hour, Murphy, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chair of its sub-committee on Europe, answered questions on topics related to the current crisis between Israel and Hamas, concerns about growing anti-Semitism in Europe, and the ongoing talks with Iran to curb that country’s attempt to develop nuclear weapons. Moderated by JFAC Chair Bob Lesser, the briefing was organized by the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut (JFACT), and the Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRC) of both the Jewish Federations of Greater Hartford and New Haven.

Pictured here at the briefing are (l to r) Robert Fishman, JFACT executive director; Dr. Stephanie Wain, president, Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven; Allan Hillman, chair of JCRC New Haven and JFACT president-elect; Sydney Perry, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven; Sen. Chris Murphy; Robert Lesser, JFACT president.David Brandwein, chair of JCRC Hartford; Laura Zimmerman, associate vice president, JCRC Hartford; Howard Sovronsky, acting CEO and president of Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford; and Robert Yass, chair of Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.