50 for 50: Meet Kurt Sonnenfeld

It all started with an older adult center, an early childhood center, youth programming, and a vision for an integrated community in Forest Hills. Queens Community House opened its doors in 1975, and this year we are excited to celebrate 50 years of impact and community building across the borough! Join us as we go "50 for 50," honoring people – past and current – who embody the QCH spirit.

“When people are sharing lunch together at a senior center, or waiting together to pick up their kids from an after school program, they begin to understand that we all have the same needs and hopes.” — Kurt Sonnenfeld

Kurt Sonnenfeld (1925-2017) was not only one of QCH’s founding board members — he was a fierce and compassionate advocate for justice, inclusion, and community.

A refugee from Nazi-era Austria, Kurt brought a deep understanding of the dangers of division and the power of community. In the early 1970s, when a low-income housing development was proposed in his neighborhood of Forest Hills, the community erupted in heated opposition. But Kurt stood on the side of progress. He organized counter-demonstrations, spoke publicly in favor of the project, and worked to change the narrative of Forest Hills as a place of intolerance.

Kurt welcomed the new neighbors with warmth and stood with them, sometimes literally — like when he shielded residents from garbage-throwing protesters. He knew that real inclusion took more than words. It took showing up.
As a professional social worker, Kurt understood the transformative power of community spaces. He championed the inclusion of a community center within the new housing development and worked with other neighbors to lay the foundation for what would become Forest Hills Community House (now QCH). He also advocated that the organization be founded as a settlement house, recognizing the strength of that model's comprehensive services and community-focused, strength-based perspective.

Kurt served on our board for almost 35 years, guiding our growth from a neighborhood center to a borough-wide organization. His unwavering commitment to inclusion reminds us that building community requires both vision and persistence—qualities that continue to inspire our work today.