LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commending RAJE, the Russian American Jewish
Experience, upon the occasion of its Second Annual Banquet on February
9, 2010, and honoring Sonya Bekkerman, Senior Vice President and Direc-
tor of Sotheby's Russian Art Department in New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend organizations of high purpose and worthy accomplishment whose
endeavors have a significant impact on the lives of those they serve;
and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and fully in accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commend
RAJE (Russian American Jewish Experience) of the Russian Division of
Gateways, upon the occasion of its Second Annual Banquet, to be held at
Sotheby's on February 9, 2010, and to honor Sonya Bekkerman, Senior Vice
President and Director of Sotheby's Russian Art Department; and
WHEREAS, Since 1998, the Gateways Organization has dedicated itself to
education in values and ethical living, and to reconnecting people with
their Jewish heritage; and
WHEREAS, Nearly a million Jews from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) have
made their home in America, including thousands upon thousands in New
York City and New York State, and given the opportunities of our great
nation, many have flourished; and
WHEREAS, Yet the seeds of spiritual and communal destruction implanted
by the Soviet regime helped create a crisis of Jewish and communal iden-
tity which, if left unabated, could jeopardize the survival of this
important Russian American community; and
WHEREAS, To address this monumental challenge, the RAJE Leadership
Fellowship was created to train and inspire a new generation of communi-
ty leaders; and
WHEREAS, Sonya Bekkerman, Senior Vice President and Director of
Sotheby's Russian Art Department, will be honored with the Torch of
Freedom Award at the dinner; and
WHEREAS, Sonya Bekkerman is one of the leading figures in the highly
competitive world of Russian Art; and
WHEREAS, She joined Sotheby's in 2000 and became a specialist in 19th
century European art; and
WHEREAS, During her tenure in the European art department, Sonya Bekk-
erman began including important Russian paintings within the context of
the European art sales, and in 2004, she founded the Sotheby's Russian
Art Department in New York, to coincide with the record-breaking private
treaty sale of the Forbes Collection of Faberge; and
WHEREAS, Sonya Bekkerman has published numerous essays in the field of
Russian Art including those on painters Bons Anisfeld and David Burliuk,
as well as on 20th century Russian women artists from the Thomas P.
Whitney Collection for an exhibition at the Meade Art Museum at Amherst
College; and
WHEREAS, Sonya Bekkerman has also contributed numerous articles on the
state of the Russian art market to the Russian daily newspaper MOSCOW
NEWS, Artnet.com, the Moscow State Tretyakov Gallery Magazine, GASTRONO-
MICA, and regularly contributes to Sotheby's PREVIEW magazine and most
recently in 2009, published an essay on the work of Sergey Isupov; and
WHEREAS, Additionally, Sonya Bekkerman is a frequent guest lecturer
for museums and organizations world-wide; and
WHEREAS, She holds master's degrees in American Fine and Decorative
art from Sotheby's Institute as well as a Master of Arts degree from
Williams College; and

WHEREAS, Sonya Bekkerman supports numerous not-for-profit organiza-
tions and passionately espouses Jewish causes; for a number of years,
she has been working closely with her Sotheby's colleagues in Israel and
most recently, studied Hebrew intensively at Middlebury College,
Vermont; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commend RAJE for its
purposeful endeavors and commitment to the preservation and enhancement
of the rich religious, ethnic, and cultural heritage of the Russian
American Jewish community which has become such a valued and integral
part of the community of the City and State of New York; now, therefore,
be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend RAJE upon the occasion of its Second Annual Banquet on February
9, 2010, and to honor Sonya Bekkerman, Senior Vice President and Direc-
tor of Sotheby's Russian Art Department in New York, recipient of the
Torch of Freedom Award; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to RAJE and to Sonya Bekkerman.