WESTPORT — The local chapter of the United Nations Association, for a 59th year, will play host Saturday to international visitors for annual “jUNe Day” festivities.
Following a tradition established by the late Ruth Steinkraus Cohen, founder of the United Nations Association of Southwestern Connecticut, the occasion provides visitors from the United Nations a day of local hospitality with a variety of activities. The event was chosen to coincide with signing the United Nations charter on June 26, 1945.
In salute to jUNe Day, flags from nearly 200 nations will be flying from the Post Road bridge spanning the Saugatuck River, which now bears Cohen’s name.
This year, jUNe Day activities get underway at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 29, when First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker and UNA President Bill Hass greet a delegation of about 300 visitors.
In addition to being welcomed as guests at the “Great Duck Race,” which will be taking place at the same time on Jesup Green, the visitors will be hosted at a variety of local activities. These include tennis and golf at the Longshore Club Park, and visits to Earthplace, Wakeman Town Farm and Compo Beach.
They also will be able to visit restaurants and shops downtown.
People interested in volunteering to help with jUNe Day should contact Andrea Dostal at 203-526-3275 or Andreasusa@yahoo.com. For more information about the event, contact Bill Hass at 203-454-7685.
Is this the same UN that does not condemn Hamas and blames Israel for Oct 7 and defending itself and responding to a terrorist attack? Is this the same UN that says Israel is committing genocide? Is this the same UN that had UNWA workers take part in the Oct 7 terrorist attacks? The UN has become a JOKE and clearly anti- semitic
If being critical of the Netanyahu administration is being anti-semetic, then half of the residents of Israel are anti-semitic.
The UN rightly condemned Hamas for the acts of October 7 – I guess you missed that.
You don’t seem to care in the slightest about the more than 30,000 civilians that have been killed in Gaza by the IDF. Says a lot about you.
I never mentioned Netenyahu! I only mentioned the anti semitic UN!
“Anti-semitic UN” is a dopey statement when you consider that the UN is made up of 193 member states.
So what if it is made up of anti Semiites?!
When I was a little kid Ruth Steinkraus asked my family to host a famous novelist and his family from Africa at our home. It was a great honor, with great fanfare. They family had a little girl who was my age. I was instructed to hand her flowers as she de- trained at Saugatuck Station.
Ruth explained that I was the special ambassador to the un for Westport. I was thrilled with this status.
Later, my mother wrote a series of articles about refugees, people so desperate to come to America, they would bare any burden.
As a political entity, the un has flaws, not structurally but from the stand point of intentionality. We should never take sides in the cases where children are dying— we need to be on humanity’s side.
Ruth was and is the finest example for Westporters. Those flags on our bridge represent children, writers, dreamers and refugees from every walk of life, and Westport’s commitment to spread love throughout the world.
You are correct, and we should never condemn a country for responsing to a terrorist attack and act of war and erroneously call it a genocide! We also should always believe women who were raped, condemn the rapists, and not protect the terrorist regime that insithated said act of war and terrorism. We should not accept a country whose charter it is to destroy the state of Israel and the Jewish people.
Last, rape is not resistance, but I guess to the UN it is. So is killing?!
Stephanie, I agree with you 100 percent. My point, that i was trying to make, is that when I see the flags on the bridge, i dont see the UN. I fell out of love with the UN decades ago. I see a beautiful Westport that is all inclusive. But when the terrorists Hamas invaded Israel and killed innocent civilians, Isreal has the right to defend itself by any means necessary. When a terrorist organization sponsored by Iran uses brainwashing techniques on its civilian population to turn them into murderers, its not Israel’s fault; they must be taken out… period. However, we need to sympathy for the innocent chilren on both sides. So I would hope that after they kill off all the terroists, they go in there with humanitarian relief right away. To me the flags on the bridge donr represent one un point of view or another. The flag on the bridge represent all the people of the world coming together for peace and love. If people a being brainwashed by Iran to kill jews they must be killed. Israel has no choice but to deend itself with offensive military power. Biden has really dropped the ball. My comments weren’t directed at your comments. I was remembering that winter day when I was 7 years old, standing on the platform with flowers awaiting the arrival of a young girl from Africa whise father happened to be a literary genius from Tunisia.
Makes sense. Thank you.
It is mind-boggling that anyone could “thumbs-down” such a comment as Todd’s.
Yeah, im not sure what people are thumbs downing about. I am 100 percent pro Israel and Netanyahu. Howevere, when children are dying on both sides, I also believe we need to step away from politics and see from the perspective of love… I also think people can be triggered by any comment they dont understand… these days… little children dont have political opinions…
The UN itself is not doing that Todd. The UN only condemns Israel. Why are they not screaming for the release of the hostages? Why are they calling a response to a terrorist attack and mass rape, genocide. Do they not know the definition of genocide? Why did they not believe Israeli women?
This is not political at all to me. I know both Republicand and Democrats who feel the EXACT same way about the UN!
Not a thumbs down. A statement of facts about the UN being unfair to Israel and Israeli women.