As Queens designates ‘Spider-Man Way,’ NY state Assembly member thinks of his Holocaust survivor grandparents

“My grandparents may not have had superpowers, but they understood that with the opportunity to build a new life came a responsibility to give back,” Sam Berger told JNS.

Sam Berger Lynn Schulman — New York state Assembly member Sam Berger and Lynn Schulman, a member of the New York City City Council, at Spider-Man Way Street co-naming ceremony, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, Oct. 12, 2026. Credit: Gerardo Romo/New York City Council.

(Oct. 14, 2026 / JNS)

Peter Parker, better known as Spider-Man, was born in Forest Hills, as the comic book backstory goes. So too were the grandparents of New York state Assembly member Sam Berger.

“As the grandson of Holocaust survivors, who settled in Forest Hills and rebuilt their lives in Queens, I’m especially proud to see Spider-Man Way recognized in the very community they helped build,” Berger told JNS, of the newly named street in the Queens neighborhood in New York City.

“My grandparents may not have had superpowers, but they understood that with the opportunity to build a new life came a responsibility to give back and leave their community better than they found it,” he said.

Berger, who represents the area and advocated for the street naming, connected that legacy to the Jewish creators, who helped shape American comic books, including Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Joe Simon, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Lee penned the Spider-Man comics, while Steve Ditko illustrated them.

“Through their stories, they helped generations understand that our greatest strength isn’t measured by our powers or achievements, but by how we use them to stand up for others and make the world around us a little better,” Berger told JNS.

“That’s a legacy worth celebrating, and one that makes Spider-Man Way especially meaningful here in Queens,” he said.

Spider-Man Way in Forest Hills in Queens, New York City

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Spider-Man Way in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, in New York City, Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by Rebecca Szlechter.

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Spider-Man Way in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Queens, in New York City, Oct. 14, 2026. Photo by Rebecca Szlechter.

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New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin and council member Lynn Schulman hosts Spider-Man Way Street co-naming ceremony, Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, Oct. 12, 2026. Credit: Gerardo Romo/New York City Council.

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Spider-Man debuted in Amazing Fantasy No. 15 in 1962. The character’s connection to Forest Hills had made the Queens neighborhood a point of interest for comic-book fans.

The street designation was unveiled on Oct. 12 at the intersection of Ingram Street and Ascan Avenue in Forest Hills, near 20 Ingram Street, identified as Peter Parker’s home in a 1989 comic book.

Lynn Schulman, a member of the City Council, introduced the co-naming legislation after Berger advocated for it. The ceremony brought together elected officials and Marvel representatives to recognize the neighborhood’s connection to the superhero.

For Berger, the designation celebrates both the Jewish creators whose stories have inspired generations and the community his grandparents helped rebuild after the Holocaust.

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U.S. Politics Holocaust

Rebecca Szlechter

Rebecca Szlechter is a reporter at JNS based in New York City.