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New York City Names Street After Late Jewish Media Mogul and Philanthropist
Sumner Redstone, former executive chairman of CBS Corp. and Viacom, arrives at the premiere of “The Guilt Trip” starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen in Los Angeles December 11, 2012. Photo: Reuters
The City of New York named a street on Tuesday in honor of the life and legacy of Sumner Redstone, the late Jewish global media executive and philanthropist who vastly contributed to the media and entertainment industry as the head of Viacom, CBS, and Paramount.
Sumner Redstone Way is on the corner of 44th Street and 7th Avenue, outside of Paramount Global headquarters in Manhattan.
Redstone was the CEO of Viacom through 2005 and oversaw some of the company’s high-profile acquisitions, such as Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment, DreamWorks SKG, and CBS. Redstone served as chairman of Viacom and CBS until 2016, and when the two merged in December 2019 and became ViacomCBS, he took on the role of chairman emeritus of the combined company. He died at the age of 97 in August 2020.
A street-naming ceremony took place on Tuesday and was attended by the Redstone Family, senior leaders from Paramount, New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher, and others.
“My father was one of the great champions of the media industry,” said Shari Redstone, who is daughter of the honoree, chair of Paramount Global, and president and CEO of the Redstone Family Foundation.
“By taking smart risks, never making a decision of out of fear, and doing things his way, he drove the industry continuously forward,” she added. “His achievements live on today in countless ways, including Paramount’s commitment to creating content that excites, informs, and educates audiences and leaves them coming back for more. I want to thank the City for honoring my father and all the incredibly talented individuals at Paramount who bring his vision to life.”
Redstone was born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 27, 1923, to Belle Ostrovsky and Max Rothstein. His father later changed his name to Michael Redstone.
Redstone served in World War II as part of a US Army intelligence unit that focused on breaking Japanese military and diplomatic codes. He served in the army unit until the end of the war and received many honors, including the Army Commendation Award and two commendations from the Military Intelligence Division for his service, contribution, and devotion to duty.
After his military service he graduated from Harvard University School of Law and began his career as a law secretary with the United States Court of Appeals and then as special assistant to the US Attorney General. He left his career in law in 1954 and took over, and expanded, the cinema chain founded by his father that is now known as National Amusements.
Throughout his decades-long career, Redstone was a member of multiple entertainment industry organizations, including the Advisory Council for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation and on the Board of Trustees for The Paley Center for Media. He was the first chairman of the board of the National Association of Theatre Owners of America, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and there is a Sumner Redstone Building in the Paramount Pictures lot dedicated in his memory.
He additionally held positions on the executive board of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston and was former chairman of the Metropolitan Division of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies. He joined the Boston University School of Law as a faculty member in 1982 and went on to create one of the first classes in entertainment law in the US.
Then-New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced and sponsored the co-naming of Sumner Redstone Way on Dec. 15, 2021. The Council approved and passed the bill that same date, and it was officially adopted into the City Charter on Jan. 15, 2022.
The post New York City Names Street After Late Jewish Media Mogul and Philanthropist first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.