FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:September 8, 2015
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THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK AND THE NEW YORK BOARD OF RABBIS
LAUNCH "THE EDWARD I. KOCH MEMORIAL SPEAKERS SERIES"

                In a unique partnership, the Archdiocese of New York, along with the New York Board of Rabbis, will launch the Edward I. Koch Memorial Speakers Series,  in honor of the late Mayor Koch,  the 105nth Mayor of New York City, who served from 1978 until 1989.  The premier lecture will take place at the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought and Culture, located at 18 Bleecker Street, onSunday, September 20, at4:00 p.m..
                Koch, who was well-known for his humor, wit, and love of New York, was friends with four Archbishops of New York, including  Terence Cardinal Cooke, Edward Cardinal Egan, and Timothy Cardinal Dolan.  However, he had a particularly close relationship with John Cardinal O'Connor, and together they penned a book, His Eminence and Hizzoner, in which they tackled pressing issues in New York City with both a secular and religious response. 
                "'The difference between the Cardinal and myself,' I once told a CBS reporter, 'is that he is in the business of saving souls and I am in the business of saving lives.'  By the nature of his profession he deals in the long term—"long" as in eternal—and the theoretical . . . I, on the other hand, am more interested in the here and now.  I take a pragmatic approach (perhaps, some would say, too pragmatic) to my concerns about getting millions of people through the day, the week and the rest of the year.  Different time frames? Yes.  Different commitments? Not as much as you might suspect."  — Mayor Kochn
                The inaugural talk onSeptember 20, will feature The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, the 108nth Mayor of New York, and Mr. James Gill, a close friend, advisor, and confidant of Mayor Koch.  Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President of the Board of Rabbis, will serve as moderator.  Their discussion will focus on Koch as mayor, Koch's relationship with both the Catholic and Jewish communities and Koch—the man.
                The Archdiocese of New York and the New York Board of Rabbis plan to continue this collaboration by annually creating a special commemorative program in memory of Mayor Koch
                The event is free and open to the public.  Tickets can be obtained by visiting http://sheencenter.org
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