Bill De Blasio: "Immigration makes our city stronger!"

23 November 2014 of the Year at the National Arts Club (National Arts Club) held a solemn ceremony of awarding the prize "Man of the Year of Russian-speaking America", organized with the participation of Universal Awards Management LLC, the World Forum of Russian Speaking Jewry, headed by Alexander Levin and with the support of the American Council for World Jewry, led by Jack Rosen. The main objective of the award is to unite Russian-speaking communities throughout the country and note the valuable contribution of Russian-speaking Americans to the economy, culture and life of the United States. The need to organize an event of this level was long felt in our country, so, despite the fact that the ceremony was held for the first time, it attracted attention from both the general public and officials, many of whom were present at the ceremony.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio came to express his respect for the Russian-speaking Americans on behalf of all New Yorkers.
Speech by the Mayor of New York at the Man of the Year of Russian-speaking America Awards
Thank! Many thanks to all of you! I want to thank my good friend Alexander Levin for everything he does for his community here in the United States and around the world. I want to thank everyone who helped to organize this event, including the World Forum of the Russian-speaking Jewry, the American Council on World Jewry and its president, Jack Rosen, who is also a great friend of mine. I want to thank the whole Council of experts, all those who have invested their time and energy in it. A lot of people have gathered today to greet the finalists, whose contribution to the development of society is very valuable to us. And this is a really important event if Ido Aharoni, the Israeli Consul General, is present. Thank you, Ido, for being with us. And some of the elected officials — Manhattan President Gale Brewer, member of the State Assembly of New York Alec Brooke Red, born in Moscow, member of the City Council Ben Callos, whose ancestors from Russia — all gathered to greet those who did so much for our country on behalf of the Russian-speaking community and the whole society. They work in various fields, but they are united by the fact that they are the pride of our community. We are proud of their achievements.

For New York, a huge honor is to become the venue for the first-ever ceremony "Man of the Year Russian-speaking America." This is an important moment for the Russian-speaking community, and we are glad that this is happening here in our city.
New York has become home to the largest Russian-speaking community in the country, of which we are certainly very proud. One of the factors that determine the strength of New York is that it brings together talented, energetic people from around the globe, and they make it stronger and better. The Russian-speaking community has played a decisive role in the development of our city in recent decades - it has woven strong threads into the fabric of its daily life.
If you listen to today's New York, you will certainly hear a strong Russian accent!

The Russian-speaking community has been present here for a long time, but in recent decades has flourished and left a deep mark on the life of the city. Remember that some of our most iconic institutions were born thanks to Russian-speaking leaders. A great example of this is George Balanchine, who founded the New York City Ballet, one of the great institutions of the city, which also has a Russian accent. That is why, on behalf of the whole city, we want to encourage and support the remarkable contribution that the Russian-speaking community has made.

I would like to note that it is immigration that can make us stronger. Now there is a moment in the country when these issues are being discussed more and more. And here, in New York, we see an excellent example of what immigration efforts are making to make us stronger, to unite us, not to divide. I will give a beautiful quote from the Russian-American writer Lara Vapnyar, who came from Moscow and lives in Brooklyn. What she said, I think, many of those gathered can be attributed to themselves, since her words perfectly describe the immigrant experience. "Each person is given one life, but thanks to immigration, you have the opportunity to live a second." So many people have taken this step - and we all have become even better and stronger.

Congratulations to all the nominees for the award and thank you for everything you do for our wonderful city. Thank you very much!

Link to the original transcript: http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/935-14/transcript-mayor-de-blasio-delivers-remarks-russian-american-person-the-year -awards-event

NYC Mayor's Press Office
Translation by Julia ABELEV