New York and New Jersey Tibetan Community Centre Opened

By Hugh M Casey / June 7, 2019;

Phuntok Deshe Community Centre inauguration

The Phuntok Deshe Community Centre for New York and New Jersey Tibetans has been formally opened in Queens, New York City. The Centre is the result of a decades-long endeavour by the growing community. It will serve as a social space and potential learning centre for the estimated 10,000 Tibetans residing in the New York and New Jersey area – the majority are in Queens.

President Dr Sangay with Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member of the 26th District.
Photo: screengrab

The inauguration ceremony was conducted by the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government-in-exile), Sikyong Lobsang Sangay, and His Eminence Sakya Gongma Rinpoche. Approximately 2,000 Tibetans from across North America attended the event, which was organised by The Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey.

In his address Dr Sangay expressed the need for diaspora communities to support the work of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by becoming more actively involved in furthering the Tibetan movement. Strength can be found through unity, remarked Sangay, who highlighted the construction of the community centre isan example of what can be achieved.

Sakya Gongma Rinpoche

Rinpoche, the former supreme head of the Sakya Buddhist tradition, evoked His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s persistent teaching on the great potential of the Tibetan language, which is a cornerstone of the broader Tibetan identity and Buddhist heritage. Rinpoche also mirrored Sangay’s call for unityby identifying it as a fundamental principle for the success of the Tibetan political struggle. His Eminence called upon the Tibetan diaspora to reject regionalism and remain committed to the pursuit of the greater interests of Tibet. Furthermore, he praised those who teach weekend language classes and made an appeal for parents to establish the use of Tibetan in their homes through daily interactions with their children.

Tibet Way Sign at the crossroad in front of the newly inaugurated hall

32nd Avenue, the street on which the community centre is built, has also been renamed Tibet Way by New York and New Jersey 26th District Council. Jimmy van Bramer, a 26th District Council member, co-sponsored the renaming and was in attendance of the event. In his address van Bramer expressed his love for Tibet and his love for “representing the very large, very vibrant, growing Tibetan Community in Queens”.