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WESTCHESTER

JewishLifeWESTCHESTER COUNTY’S ONLY MONTHLY JEWISH NEWSPAPER FOR 25 YEARS

October 2019 -- Tishri-Cheshvan 5780, Volume 25, Issue 10

Celebrating

Years

1994-2019

Third Annual WJC Leadership Reception Held at JCC of HarrisonBY STEPHEN E. LIPKEN

Westchester Jewish Coun-cil (WJC) President Lisa Roberts welcomed the community to the Third Annual Westchester Jew-ish Leadership Reception at the Jewish Community Center of Har-rison (JCCH) on Thursday, Sep-tember 12th, attended by approxi-mately 130 citizens. The program serves as an update on community matters for the leadership of the Council’s over 140 member organi-zations and local elected officials.

This is our annual gather-ing,” Roberts noted. “Your pres-ence here, especially at this par-ticularly busy time of year really speaks to the commitment that we all share to work together as a community to enhance and en-rich Jewish life in Westchester.”

Roberts thanked JCCH Rabbi Ey-tan Hammerman and his lay staff for hosting the program.

“Westchester County doesn’t have the ‘sexiest’ issues,” Guest Speaker, Westchester County Executive George Latimer

began. “We treat sewage, run the government and hope that you don’t see the in-side of our County Jail. But we stand together, unified in brotherhood. As the yard signs say, ‘Hate Has No Home Here’—that is the Westchester County we believe in.”

Joining Lat-imer were Ben Boykin, Chairman,

Westchester County Board of Leg-islators; Legislator Nancy Barr; Assemblyman David Buchwald; Legislator Terry Clements; Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins; Legislator Michael Kaplowitz; NYS Senator Shelley Mayer; Legislator Majority Catherine Parker; As-semblywoman Amy Paulin; White Plains Mayor Tom Roach; District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. and Legislator Mary Jane Shim-sky.

“One of the three priorities

for Israel is security, security, se-curity,” Israel Nitzan, Deputy Con-sul General of Israel in New York stressed, adding that he was un-able to return to his post in Cairo after the Embassy was attacked in 2011. Saying that Israel should follow the model of American de-

Westchester County Executive George Latimer

Guest Speaker Hon. Israel Nitzan, Deputy Consul General of New York

mocracy, Nitzan acknowledged the importance of law enforce-ment in New York protecting Jew-ish life.

“At this time of year, we should review our deeds, actions,

Ronald E. Burton, Westchester Jewish Council Past President

Westchester Jewish Council President Lisa Roberts (left) and WJC Executive Director Elliot Forchheimer.

wrongdoings, achievements and failures, their actual impact to make this world a better place,” Nitzan continued. “We must share

Mark Silver, President, Beth El Synagogue Center, New Rochelle.

Left to right: Bantukan Ezra, Shinshinit; Rabbi David Schuck, Beth El Synagogue Center, New Rochelle; Eden Cohen, Shinshinim.

values with the United States, the greatest democracy in the world. Israel should learn more about American Jewry.”

Left to right: JCC Harrison Rabbi Eytan Hammerman; Westchester Jewish Council President Lisa Roberts and JCCH President and former Legislator Marty Rogowski.

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September 16 - Europe’s Immigrant Problem

Engel Announces $100,000 Federal Security Grant for Chabad of Yonkers

Congressman Eliot L. Engel has announced that Chabad of Yon-kers has received a $100,000 Federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant to improve safety mea-sures at the synagogue. The funding will be used to add fencing, lighting, windows, alarms, a panic button, se-curity cameras and a security guard. DHS security funding for Chabad of Yonkers comes as hate crimes con-tinue to rise across the country.

“I’m pleased we were able to ad-vocate this year on behalf of Chabad of Yonkers for this much needed DHS security funding,” Rep. Engel said. “The horror we saw with the shoot-ings in Pittsburgh and Poway, sadly, can happen anywhere. Anti-Semi-tism, racism, and bigotry of all kinds have been on a steady rise in recent years and our insufficient gun laws aren’t helping the problem. Some reports show that more than half the hate crimes in the New York City area are anti-Semitic in nature. We have to stay vigilant and this grant will help us do just that.”

“I would like to express my appreciation to our Congressman, Eliot Engel, and his amazing staff,” said Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz. “For the past two years, Chabad of Yonkers applied for the homeland security grant, which is designed to better secure not-for-profit institu-tions. In our case, it is to better secure our synagogue. Both times we weren’t approved for the grant. I reached out to our Congressman and he told me, when you will re-apply for the grant, reach out to me and we will assist you in any way possible because ‘that’s what I’m here for.’ This time when I reapplied, I reached out to the Congressman’s office and he and his staff were extremely helpful. We were approved for the grant.”

Chauffeur Isaac Henry listens as Chabad of Yonkers Rabbi Mendy Hurwitz sound the shofar announcing the coming Jewish High Holidays, at Top Class Limo’s Yonkers garage on Ashburton Avenue, Yonkers. Visit www.JewishYonkers.com photo © 2019 Robert Kalfus

Gen Z Now, Understanding and Connecting with Jewish Teens TodayBY STEPHEN E. LIPKEN

The Jewish Educa-tion Project (JEP) presented “Gen Z Now, Understanding and Connecting with Jewish Teens Today” at Leffel School, Hartsdale on Wednesday, Sep-tember 18th, attended by ap-proximately 85 citizens from Hartsdale and surrounding Jewish communities.

Martine Fleishman, Chair, Project 10 Jewish Agen-cy for Israel and President, JEP Board of Directors, 2019-2020 opened the Program, saying that JEP inspires and

empowers educators “to create transformative Jewish experi-ences, helping children, teens and parents thrive in today’s highly complex and challeng-ing world.

“Tonight, we are celebrat-ing the voice of JEP who lis-tened to almost 18,000 Jewish students. We listened to these teens as a result of early re-search and started a journey with 14 youth organizations coming together.” She thanked Rosov Consulting for conduct-ing the survey and introduced Ruth Suzman, Chair, BBYO Board of Directors.

“Understanding these Jewish teenagers today will inspire them to realize all their potential tomorrow,” Suzman said. “This the largest study of its kind. BBYO teens were 30% of the respondents.”

Dr. Michael Kay, Ph.D. Head, Leffel School mentioned that the Rosov Survey found that Jewish teens like their

Ruth Suzman. Photo © 2019 Perry Bindelglass

Teen Panel, left to right: Drew Siskin; Abe Baker-Butler;Alexandra Zelman; Daniel Goldberg

continued on page 5


Show Up for Shabbat October 25-26 BY DANIEL ELBAUM, AJC CHIEF ADVOCACY OFFICER

On October 27, 2018 when Robert Gregory Bowers en-tered the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, he had two goals in mind. The first was to kill Jews. The second was to intimidate and silence the Jewish community.

Tragically, he accomplished his first goal, murdering 11 congregants at prayer. But he failed entirely to achieve the second.

Because instead of cowering in fear, Jews and allies showed up.

Using the American Jewish Committee {AJC} -initi-ated #ShowUpForShabbat hashtag on social media, tens of thousands of Jews and people of all faiths filled synagogues across America and around the world in the largest expres-sion of public support for the American Jewish community in recorded history. More than 250 million people—includ-ing world leaders, elected officials, and celebrities—inter-acted with the hashtag on social media.

At the lowest moment in American Jewish history, Jews discovered that they were not alone.As the one-year anniversary of Pittsburgh approaches, so much more needs to be done. 2019 has

seen more antisemitic murders, a startling increase in antisemitism on social media, and even antise-mitic sentiments at the highest levels of government.

So, on the weekend of October 25-26, AJC asks you to do three things: 1. Show up for Shabbat, again. Attend Shabbat services at a local synagogue, invite your family and

friends to join you, and share your plans on social media using the hashtag #ShowUpForShabbat. If you don’t usually attend services, visit AJC.org/ShowUpForShabbat for guidance on which area synagogues will be welcoming guests.

2. Urge others to join you and help grow this movement.3. Go to AJC.org/AddYourName and add your name in support of this initiative. Let the world know

that you are not afraid.Together, Jews can turn a global campaign of solidarity into a powerful force against hate.

Daniel Elbaum

JCC of Mid-Westchester Hosts Inside the Admissions Office

What really happens be-hind the closed doors of the Ad-missions Office? On Monday, Oc-tober 7, 2019 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. at the JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale, the deans and directors of a number of top colleges and universities will open those doors and dispel the myths about what it takes to get into college. This is the elev-enth year in a row this program is being presented.

The free community-wide event, “Inside the Admissions Office,” is sponsored by the JCC of Mid-.Westchester and Woolf College Consulting. Students and parents will hear the real story behind how decisions are made from the deans and direc-tors of Binghamton University, Mt. Holyoke College, Swarth-more College, Syracuse Univer-sity, Union College and the Uni-versity of Chicago. The evening will give the public the opportu-nity to learn the differences and similarities in how decisions are made by a range of colleges

including selective universities, state universities, and liberal arts colleges. Advance registra-tion is required at https://jccmw.org/teens/academic-center-col-lege-prep/

Moderated by Mama-roneck-based college admissions consultant Betsy F. Woolf of Woolf College Consulting, stu-dents and parents will learn:• What makes a student’s appli-

cation “stand out”;• How an admissions staff

makes the ultimate decision to admit, deny or defer;

• How colleges weigh grades, test scores, family connec-tions, athletics, campus visits, interviews, essays and other factors;

• The institutional needs and policies behind the decision-making;

• The difference between a well-rounded student and a well-rounded class – and why that is important in college admissions;

• Whether declaring certain

majors gives students a leg up in the admissions process;

• How admissions committees treat the application of a stu-dent who discloses his or her learning difference or ADHD.

Betsy F. Woolf (www.woolf-collegeconsulting.com) is a col-lege admissions consultant and an award-winning editor special-izing in higher education and secondary school. She is a magna cum laude graduate of NYU and holds a J.D. from Hofstra Univer-sity School of Law and a Certifi-cate in College Counseling from UCLA.

The JCC of Mid-West-chester, is a nonprofit organi-zation dedicated to enriching the community by providing cultural, social, educational and recreational/fitness programs, human services and Jewish identity-building opportunities to people of all ages regardless of religion or background. For more information about the JCC of Mid-Westchester visit www.jc-cmw.org.


9-11 Memorial Ceremony at The RisingIn a solemn ceremony at

Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, Westchester County paid trib-ute to every life that was lost during the tragic events of Sep-tember 11, 2001. Standing be-fore “The Rising,” the County’s beautiful 9/11 Memorial, sur-rounded by dignitaries, clergy, colleagues, local residents and families of the fallen, County Executive George Latimer commemorated the Westches-ter residents who passed on that devastating day eighteen years ago, as well as those who have died from 9/11 related ill-ness since the attacks.

Latimer said, “This som-ber day is a day to remember, and a day to never forget. To remember those who died, on a beautiful morning, going to work and simply living a nor-mal day. To remember those who bravely sought to save others, and died. To remember those who helped clean up the horrid aftermath, and fell vic-tim to disease and premature death. To remember the fami-lies left behind.

“And it is a day to never forget. To never forget the

heights of evil to which men will rise out of hatred and envy and wickedness. To never forget all the things we now must do to protect each other, know-ing that a single lapse could cause the death of thousands.”

The ceremony in-cluded the presentation of colors, led by the West-chester County Police Department’s Ceremo-nial Unit Color Guard, followed by Pipes and Drums of the Police Em-erald Society of West-chester County. Students from the Elmsford Union Free School District led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Concordia College’s Brass Ensemble played. A commemorative wreath was laid on the “Beam of Remembrance,” a steel beam that was pulled from the ashes of the World Trade Cen-ter, and dedicated to the Coun-ty as a lasting reminder of our nation’s sacrifice and strength on that fateful day.

The names of those who

were lost, as displayed on the “Circle of Remembrance,” were read aloud by Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins and members of the Westches-ter County Board of Legisla-tors.

Campus BDS Efforts Expanded Beyond Israel to Direct Attacks on Jewish Students

As students settle back onto campuses across the country, AMCHA Initiative releases a new report, The Ha-rassment of Jewish Students on U.S. Campuses: How Elimi-nationist Anti-Zionism and Academic BDS Incite Campus Anti-Semitism. The report il-luminates a number of critical shifts and increases in campus anti-Semitism in the past year and includes recommenda-tions to help university admin-istrators take action now to address many of the alarming trends.

“While acts of classi-cal anti-Semitism in the U.S. reached near-historic lev-els in 2018 and included the deadliest attack against Jews in American history, the na-tion’s colleges and universities revealed a somewhat differ-ent but nonetheless troubling story. On U.S. campuses across the country, harassment mo-tivated by classical anti-Sem-itism actually decreased, and

significantly so. At the same time, however, the number of Israel-related acts of harass-ment increased significantly,” wrote the researchers.

The main findings of the report include: Shifts in types of incidents: Classical anti-Semitism significantly decreased, Israel-related anti-Semitism significantly in-creased from 2017 to 2018.

Acts of classic anti-Se-mitic harassment of Jewish students decreased 42%, while incidents of Israel-related anti-Semitic harassment increased 70%.

Direct targeting of Israel’s supporters for harm, especial-ly Jewish students, reached alarming levels: Acts accusing Jewish and pro-Israel students of supporting racism, geno-cide and other evils more than doubled; 147% increase linking Jewish and pro-Israel students to “white supremacy.”

Attempts to exclude Jew-ish and pro-Israel students

from campus activities more than doubled, with expression calling for the total boycott or exclusion of pro-Israel stu-dents from campus life nearly tripling.

Israel-related anti-Se-mitic expression increased significantly in amount and blatant eliminationist intent: Expression demonizing and delegitimizing Israel increased 32%, with expression accusing Israel or Zionism of “white su-premacy” more than doubling.

Expression promoting or condoning terrorism against Israel increased 67%; Dramatic increase in student and faculty acknowledgment that goal is to eliminate Israel; Expres-sion promoting or condoning elimination of Israel more than doubled; Expression acknowl-edging opposition to Zionism increased more than three-fold; Expression acknowledg-ing the goal of BDS is to elimi-nate Israel increased from one incident in 2017 to 32 in 2018.

There has been a shift in BDS Tactics: Divestment cam-paigns declined, while aca-demic BDS activity more than doubled from 2017 to 2018. Student-led anti-Israel divest-ment campaigns decreased slightly, with more than half of the 2018 divestment votes end-ing in failure. Promotion or im-plementation of academic BDS increased by more than 100%.

Academic BDS Incites Campus Anti-Semitism: Aca-demic BDS strongly linked to Israel-related anti-Semitic harassment and rhetoric. Aca-demic BDS-compliant behav-ior was linked to 86% of Israel-related acts of anti-Semitic harassment.

The report says that there has been a dramatic increase in the Faculty role: Faculty took a much more ac-tive and prominent role in academic BDS promotion and implementation, and in the promulgation of anti-Semitic

expression used to justify aca-demic BDS. Events sponsored by academic departments that contained the demonization or delegitimization of Israel in-creased by 85%.

“Taken together, these results suggest that the signifi-cant increase in acts of Israel-related harassment seen in 2018 may have been a direct consequence of the increased promotion and implementa-tion of academic BDS. Specifi-cally, academic BDS’s mandate to boycott or suppress pro-grams, collaborations, events, or expression that promote ‘the normalization of Israel in the global academy,’ as well as the academic BDS-compliant ‘common sense’ mandate to criticize, protest and boycott individuals who are deemed complicit with or supportive of ‘Israel’s crimes,’ appear to greatly encourage anti-Semitic behavior… These data also highlight the prominent and growing role that faculty play

in advocating for and imple-menting academic BDS. They suggest, too, that faculty play a no less important role in pro-viding academic legitimacy to the Israel-related antisemitic expression that accompanies and justifies academic BDS promotion and implementa-tion.

AMCHA results “high-light the fact that attempts to promote or carry out anti-Zionism’s eliminationist goals inflict direct and substantive harm on Israel’s on-campus supporters, particularly Jew-ish and pro-Israel students,” explained the researchers in the report.

“Academic BDS is more dangerous than people real-ize,” stated Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, AMCHA’s director and one of the lead research-ers. “Not only does imple-mentation curtail students’ educational rights and oppor-tunities, its promotion on cam-

continued on page 11

Lincoln Park Jewish Center Gives Out Apples and Honey for the New Year

On Sunday Sept. 22, Lincoln Park Jewish Center in Yonkers continued the tradition of distribu-tion of Apples and Honey inaugurated by Spiritual Leader Rabbi Levi Welton in 2018 , to the entire Lincoln Park Community, to wish them all a sweet New Year and L’Shana Tovah for 2019/5080. The sweet ‘Bridge Building’ Activism took place at Central Park Avenue and Clark Street in front of the Empire City Casino.

The Sisterhood of Lincoln Park Jewish Center, under the direction of President Eileen Schnit-zler, prepared 100 baskets of Apples and Honey, all of which were handed out by Rabbi Levi Wel-ton and wife Chavi, President Jack Schweizer, Board members Ben Tissera and Sara Schweizer and LPJC staff member, Agustin Gonzalez. The outreach to the Community was positively received with mutual expressions of Happy New Year and L’Shana Tovah. LPJC is looking forward to continuing this again for 2020/5081.


parents and value their perspectives. Describing their families, 79% teens stated “We are all Jew-ish;” 20% “Some of us are Jewish, some of us are not” and 1% “We are not Jewish/Not Sure.” Dr. Kay added that social drama is peaking in Grades 5-7, so cell phones are prohibited in Middle School but permitted in High School.

Dr. David Bryfman, Ph.D., CEO, JEP conducted a teen panel consisting of Abe Baker-Butler; Daniel Goldberg; Drew Siskin and Alexandra Zelman. Noting that Gen Z is often called the “selfie generation,” Bryfman requested the members to describe their passion. Daniel replied, “Overt in-clusion of LGTBQ in the Jewish Community;” Alexandra, “A cohort of teens to fight for Israel;” Abe, “Public Health and Well Being in the Community.”

The Survey can be found on jewishedproject.org/genznow.

Gen Z Now, Understanding and Connecting with Jewish Teens Todaycontinued from page 2

“Lasting Impressions” Project Needs Volunteers to Interview Seniors

DOROT Westchester is looking for Volunteers to in-terview Seniors for DOROT’s Legacy project called Lasting Impressions. Volunteers will help gather and record these legacy stories in writing or through other media (video tape, audio tape, collage, etc.) as each older adult and vol-unteer discuss and agree on a subject.

The goal of DOROT’s Legacy project is to provide a way for seniors touched by DOROT’s volunteers and services, many of whom have lived full and interesting lives, to share their beliefs and values, life lessons, hopes for the future, and special memories, to ensure they are recorded for generations to come and will not be forgotten.

To qualify, one should have an interest in engaging with seniors around their legacy stories; Excellent listening, communication and writing skills; Ease in discussing end-of-life issues; Experi-ence with older adults {preferred}; Facility with audio/video equipment; Creativity; Background in social services, human resources or related fields ; and Basic computer skills.

A volunteer will work with DOROT clients to facilitate legacy work, which may include: making outreach calls to talk with seniors interested in participating in workshops, working one-on-one interviewing seniors at DOROT or in their homes, working with seniors to help complete final legacy “product.”

The commitment is approximately 2-4 hours weekly but hours may vary.In addition to DOROT volunteer orientation, specific training for the legacy project and life

cycle issues will be provided. The LIV specialist will also receive ongoing support and guidance as needed by the manager of Lasting Impressions.

DOROT’s Lasting Impressions program is supported by a grant from the Keller-Shatanoff Foun-dation.

To learn more call 917-441-3724 or Visit dorotusa.org

The Hadassah Foundation Awards $500,000 to Organizations Changing What is Possible for Women and Girls

The Hadassah Founda-tion, a public charity that awards grants to social change programming that empow-ers women and girls in Israel and the United States, has announced its 2019 grant re-cipients, ten organizations in Israel and the United states that are making it possible for women to advance in positions of power.

The Hadassah Foun-dation has shifted its fund-ing methodology in order to deepen its impact. Grants have been extended to a minimum of two-year terms and the funding amounts have been substantially increased. These changes have led the Hadas-sah Foundation to select fewer recipients, narrowing in on the programs and organiza-tions that have goals that most closely align with those of The Hadassah Foundation.

In addition, since its founding in 1998, the grant fo-cus has been on the economic security of women in Israel and the leadership advance-ment of teens in the US. These topics remain vital, yet the approach has been changed to place a greater emphasis on the social changes that are necessary for women and girls to obtain and advance in posi-tions of influence. This done with the understanding that when women are in positions of leadership, their influence will mitigate many of the is-sues keeping us from obtaining gender equality.

The grant recipients are enabling women and girls to: advance in positions of lead-ership, break glass ceilings in fields not predominately led by women or people of their back-ground, increase their political

involvement and representa-tion, and eliminate religious barriers that create unequal or separate playing fields.

Board Chair of the Ha-dassah Foundation, Sue Beller, explains, “I am con-fident that these organiza-tions, with the support of The Hadassah Foundation, will bring us closer toward gender equality with women in positions of power. The programs transform individ-uals, and at the same time, shift the way entire commu-nities, policies, and institu-tions behave. For meaningful social change to take place, everyone has to play a part and these institutions are making that happen.”

In the United States, the following organizations are selected as this year’s grant recipients: • Jewish Women Inter-

national: A national or-ganization that ensures women and girls thrive in healthy relationships, control their financial futures, and realize their full potential. Funds will underwrite the Washing-ton, DC-based pilot of the Jewish Communal Wom-en’s Leadership Project (JCWLP), an initiative to help women advance to

the highest positions of Jew-ish communal organizations.

• Yeshivat Maharat: The first rabbinical school in North America to train and ordain Orthodox women for the rabbinate. Funding will en-hance the Executive Ordina-tion Track, the part-time, advanced program for expe-rienced women leaders and educators. Located through-out the world, the women in the EOT track have never previously been afforded the opportunity of ordination.

• Jewish Women’s Archive and jGirls Magazine: JWA Docu-ments Jewish women’s sto-ries and trains young women to develop authentic voices and leadership styles. jGirls Magazine amplifies the ideas and voices of teens through an online community writ-ten, edited, and curated by self-identifying Jewish teen girls. Funds underwrite the creation of a joint JWA/jGirls Alumnae Network to create a community of committed young Jewish women leaders.

These organizations join the 2019 Israel grant recipients announced earlier this year:• Adva Center: A non-partisan

policy institute that exam-ines Israeli society to assess the level of equality and social justice. Funding supports a group of 75 individuals ap-pointed to the role of Mayoral Advisor for Gender Equality, covering about 1/3 of Israel municipalities. The advisors will undergo training, coach-ing, and networking to better implement policies that pro-mote the status of women and gender equality within their designated authorities.

• The Center for Women’s continued on page 12

Sue Beller

The 10th annual ArtsFest spon-sored by The New Rochelle Council for the Arts, will be held in New Rochelle and Pelham on October 4, 5 and 6. For more infor-mation go to newrochellearts.org.

The JCC of Mid Westchester Aca-demic Center, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale, will hold a PSAT Boot Camp on October 6 and 13 at 8:30-10:30am. To sign up contact [email protected]

Friends of the Greenburgh Li-brary, 300 Tarrytown Road, Elms-ford, will hold their annual Book Sale {cash or check only} October 4- 7-. Call 574-6582 for times and details.

The JCC of Mid Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale pres-ents the following: On October 3, The JCC in collaboration with The Jewish Agency for Israel and Westchester Jewish Council screens the film, The Other Story at 7:15pm, with refreshments at 6:30pm, and meet The Westches-ter Israeli Shinshinim {young Is-raeli emissaries}; On October 12 at 7:30pm, in collaboration with Le-ket Israel and Feeding Westches-ter, they present, Comics Against Hunger; On October 17 at 10am, Ladies Who Lit, a Fall Literary Sa-lon with local authors. Visit jccmw.org to learn more.

First Hebrew Congregation, 1821 Main Street, Peekskill, will hold a Tashlich and Potluck Picnic on

october calendarUPCOMING For Jewish Young adults ages 18-26, Synagogue Connect is a global database of 1200 syna-gogues around the world, from all expressions of Judaism that will connect you with free admission to services. Go to synagoguecon-nect.org to learn more.

AJC Westchester/Fairfield is pre-senting the following programs; On October 13 from 12-1:30pm, a visit to Our Lady of Shkodra Al-banian Church, 361 W. Hartsdale Avenue, Hartsdale. RSVP to 948-5585; October 16, Immigrant De-tention: Are We Violating Human Rights? at Bet Torah, 60 Smith Avenue, Mt. Kisco. Call 948-5585 for details.

On October 16, Rabbi Molly Karp will begin a new class discuss-ing the book, Israeli Judaism at 9:30am at Beth El Synagogue Center, 1324 North Avenue, New Rochelle. For questions or to enroll, contact [email protected]. A new online course on Reading Hebrew will be given by Rabbi Molly Karp starting No-vember 19 at 7pm. To learn more or to register, contact [email protected]

J-Kids, a group of Jewish and inter-faith families with children ages 2-5 meets one Sunday morning each month at 10am, for creative and so-cial activities at First Hebrew, 1821 Main Street, Peekskill at 10am. RSVP required at 739-0500

The Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, Ct., will host the 38th An-nual Outdoor Crafts Festival October 5-6 from 10am -5pm. Visit brucemuseum.org for details.

october 5-6On October 27, a Meet the Authors event sponsored by The Harrison Public Library and The JCC of Harrison , will be held at The JCC of Harrison, 130 Union Avenue at noon, featuring local and bestselling authors such as Todd Strasser (above), Julie Satow, An-drea Rothman and more. Call 835-0324 to learn more.

october 27


October 6 at the Lake in Depew Park, Peekskill, begining at noon and bring a dairy or vegetarian dish, Temple membership not re-quired. Call Rabbi Dana at 739-0500 for details; On October 19 at 6pm, Celebrate Sukkot at a Suk-kah dessert reception. Visit firsthe-brew.org to learn more.

SAVE THE DATESOn November 1 at 7:45am, UJA Federation of NY in Westchester’s Business and Professional Divi-sion, will hear from Ron Moelis, CEO and Co-founder of L &M Development Partners at Willow Ridge Country Club, 123 North Street, Harrison. To attend call 385-2122.

On November 6 at 7pm, Manhat-tanville College and the Holo-caust and Human Rights Educa-tion Center will present a lecture and exhibition called 13 Drivers’ Licenses with Lisa Salko at the College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase. RSVP to 696-0738.

On November 9, An Evening with Lainie Kazan comes to the White Plains Performing Arts Center at 8pm in celebration of their 16th anniversary. For tickets call 328-1600.

OCTOBER October 5 The 2019 Westchester Heart Walk will begin with registration at 9am, with the walk starting at 10am at Kensico Dam Plaza, Val-halla. To register go to westches-terheartwalk.org

On October 7, The JCC of Mid Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale’s Academic Center and Woolf College Consulting will present Inside the Admissions Office 2019, at 7:30pm. Call 472-3300 to learn more.

October 13At 6pm, The Chabad of the Rivertowns invites you to Suk-kot under the Stars dinner with services beginning at 5:45pm at 303 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry. RSVP to chabadrt.org or call 693-6100.

October 16AJC Westchester/Fairfield and Bet Torah, 60 Smith Ave., Mt. Kisco, will present a program on the current practices at US Immigrant Detention Centers. Free with registration by calling 948-5585.

October 17 At noon, The ADL New York/New Jersey Annual Real Estate Luncheon honoring Jeffrey R. Gural, Chairman, GFP Real Es-tate, along with keynote speaker

John Miller, Deputy Commis-sioner of Intelligence and Coun-terterrorism, NYPD, will be held at Daniel Restaurant, 60 East 65th Street, NYC. To attend call 212-885-5823

October 20Registration starts at 9am for SunriseWALKS-Pearl River 2019, a family event to help chil-dren with cancer attend Sunrise Camp, 44 Henry Kaufmann Rd., Orangeburg, NY. free of charge. For more information visit sun-risedaycamppearlriver.org or call 845-288-3796

October 20The Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk will be held at Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase with check in at 8am and the walk at 9:30am. For more information go to [email protected] or call 877-774-6365.

The Museum of Jewish Heri-tage- A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is an Open House New York participant and is of-fering free architecture tours highlighting the campus at 11am, 12pm, and 1:30pm, free with reservation at ohny.org starting October 8.

October 24The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center will host their 22nd annual Benefit at 6:30pm honoring Spencer Bar-

back, Partner, Citrin Cooperman and Recognizing Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr., Westchester Coun-ty District Attorney at Westches-ter Country Club, 99 Biltmore Avenue, Rye. RSVP to 696-0738

At 7pm, Feeding Westchester’s An Evening in Good Taste will be held at 1133 Westchester Av-enue, White Plains. To RSVP call 418-5204.

October 25At 5:50pm, join AJC Westches-ter/ Fairfield and Temple Israel Center of White Plains, 280 Old Mamaroneck Road, for Show Up for Shabbat program with a special commemoration on the one year anniversary of the Pittsburgh shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue with keynote remarks by AJC CEO David Har-ris. Call the Synagogue for more information at 948-2800.

October 26At 6:30pm, mentalist Oz Pearl-man will be the headliner for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Family Services of Westchester fund-raiser at The Neuberger Muse-um of Art, Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase. For tickets call 937-3779.

October 28At 12:30 pm Hadassah West-chester is hosting a Mah Jongg Tournament at Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester, 2125 Westchester Avenue, Rye. RSVP to 937-3151.


Cancer Support Team Hosts 21th Gayle K. Lee Health Awareness LuncheonCancer Support Team

(CST) is hosting its 21st Annual Gayle K. Lee Health Awareness Luncheon on Thursday, Octo-ber 10th at the Scarsdale Golf Club in Hartsdale. This year’s presentation begins at 11:30 with featured speaker Eliza-beth Comen, MD, an Assistant Attending Physician on the Breast Medicine Service at Me-morial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She will discuss one of the most promising areas in cancer treatment: “Immuno-

therapy Today.”Dr. Comen splits her time

between seeing breast cancer patients and her research on immunotherapy trials. These trials are not specific to breast cancer. One trial is investi-gating how mutations in im-mune cells can affect cancer in breast, lung, and colon cancer patients. Dr. Comen is also featured in a commercial for MSKCC entitled “Elizabeth’s Story” now airing nationally.

The Luncheon’s Honor-ary Chair is Carol Petrillo, of Mamaroneck. The Co-Chairs are Betty Kelly and Jean Mey-erowitz both of Larchmont. Tickets for the Luncheon are $125, a portion of which is tax-deductible. Additional ticket levels are available for table sponsorships and a post-Lun-cheon meet and greet with Dr. Comen including an intimate Q&A. Seating is limited, and reservations are required.

Celebrating over 40 years. CST is licensed by the NY State Department of Health assist-ing cancer patients and their families from southern West-chester. CST’s professional staff of nurses, social workers and case managers offer nu-merous in-home support ser-vices including symptom and pain control, nutritional guid-ance, counseling, advocacy as well as rides to/from treatment with the help of a wide volun-

teer network. CST’s services are provided at no cost and patients do not need insur-ance. The demand for CST’s es-sential services remains high with hundreds of patients at all stages of the disease being served each year.

If you would like more information about CST, visit www.cancersupportteam.org or call Tania Weiss at (914) 777-2777, or email her at [email protected].

Elizabeth Comen, MD

AJWS Campaigns for a Just and Hate Free World

As the High Holiday season begins, The Ameri-can Jewish World Service {AJWS} is asking people to renew their Jewish commitment to building a more just and hate-free world for everyone. AJWS is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in the developing world. Through philanthropy and advocacy, they respond to the pressing issues of the times including disasters, genocide and hunger, to the persecution of women and minorities worldwide.

Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, AJWS works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world.

The AJWS has started an online campaign with four easy steps: Print their sign at ajws.org; Write your own message in the blank; Snap a photo or film a short video with your sign; and post on social media with the hashtag #NewYearNewWorld and tag AJWS!

Robert Bank, President and CEO of AJWS, questioned,”I’m asking myself: What can I do to help fix our terribly broken world? How can I ensure a saf-er, more equitable future and a cleaner planet? How can I shift the toxic rhetoric of hate, prejudice and racism toward a global dialogue about understanding and love for the stranger?

“This New Year, more than ever, I’m so grateful for the AJWS community and the way we work together to repair the world. Driven by our shared history and values, we stand in solidarity with each other and all those facing persecution,” notes Bank.

“That’s certainly something worth fighting for!” AJWS was founded in 1985 by American Jews who wanted to join together as global citizens to

help some of the poorest and oppressed people around the globe. They now invest over 30 million a year to promote global human rights. In 2018, AJWS supported 453 grassroots organizations in 19 countries, enabling them to continue and expand their work to build a more just and dignified world.

Robert Bank

The 11th Annual Cycle of Support Bike Ride Supports Children’s Mental Health

On September 15, the Jew-ish Board of Family and Chil-dren’s Services held its 11th an-nual Cycle of Support Bike Ride. Cycle enthusiasts and casual bikers gathered to participate in the half-day charity event rais-ing $725,000 for a broad range of children’s mental health pro-grams in New York City and Westchester. The ride consisted of three courses, 20- and 62- mile courses for more experienced riders as well as a 10-mile course for casual riders.

There were more than 360 riders, including families, teams and individuals gathered to ride for children’s mental health at Purchase College in Purchase. Snacks and drinks were provided throughout the event, and follow-ing the ride, participants enjoyed a festive BBQ, massages, raffles and more. Activities for children included arts and crafts, Tic-Tac-Toe, ring toss, lawn bowling and relay races.

For more than 140 years, the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services (The Jewish Board) has been helping New Yorkers realize their potential and live as independently as possible. They pro-mote resilience and recovery by addressing all aspects of an individual’s life, including mental and physical health, family, employment and education. Across the five boroughs and in Westchester, they serve more than 43,000 New Yorkers from all religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds each year. For more information, visit www.jbfcs.org.

photo credit: Michael Priest Photography

Meet the Authors at The Jewish Community Center of Harrison

The Harrison Public Library is partnering with the Jew-ish Community Center of Harrison to bring another exciting "Meet the Authors" event featuring local and bestselling writ-ers. On October 27 from 12-5:30pm, they will be raffling books and the Village Bookstore of Pleasantville will be on site for anyone who wishes to purchase books to have signed by the authors.

The authors who will be appearing are: Mary Calvi -- Dear George, Dear Mary; Boris Fishman -- Savage Feast: Three Generations, Two Continents, and Dinner Ta-ble (A Memoir with Recipes); Mariah Fredericks -- Death of a New American; Lisa Grunwald -- Time After Time; Donna Moriarty -- Not Just Words: How a Good Apology Makes You Braver, Bolder, And Better At Life; Andrea Rothman -- The DNA of You and Me; Julie Satow -- The Plaza: The Secret Life of America's Most Famous Hotel; John Burnham Schwartz - The Red Daughter; Todd Strasser -- Summer of '69.

Register online or by contacting the library at (914)-835-0324. The Jewish Community Center of Harrison is located at 130 Union Avenue, Harrison.

Todd Strasser

FIDF National Chairman Peter Weintraub Meets Israeli Army Chief of Staff

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) National Chairman Peter Weintraub and his wife Ellen Weintraub of Scarsdale, met Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi recently in Israel to discuss the key role FIDF plays in strengthening the bond between the U.S. Jew-ish community and Israel.

The meeting, at an IDF Intelligence base in central Israel, included FIDF Israel Executive Director, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Effi Idan, and head of the IDF donation branch, Lt. Col. Hila Eckstein. Kochavi outlined the challenges facing the IDF and emphasized the importance of FIDF’s assis-tance for soldiers and their families.

The Weintraub family also participated in an IDF Search and Rescue Brigade event at Israel’s Bet Shean Na-tional Park. The family personally supports the Search and Rescue unit as part of FIDF’s Adopt-a-Unit program, which allows FIDF donors to directly address the humanitarian needs of men and women in IDF brigades or battalions.

(From left to right) Peter and Ellen Weintraub, COS Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and FIDF Israel Executive Director, Brig. Gen. (Res.) Effi Idan. Photo credit: Courtesy of FIDF


NYS Hate Crimes Task Force Hosts Hate Crime Investigation Training Seminars

On September 18, Gov-ernor Andrew M. Cuomo an-nounced that the New York State Police, in partnership with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services and the New York State Division of Human Rights, will host a se-ries of hate crime investigation training seminars for law en-forcement agencies across the state. More than 140 members of law enforcement registered for the first session.

“New York has absolutely zero tolerance for any form of bias or discrimination,” Gov-ernor Cuomo said. “There has been an alarming rise in anti-Semitism and hatred of all kinds across our state and our nation, and these seminars are just the latest effort to ensure our state and local law enforcement have the proper training to investi-gate and prosecute hate crimes and keep New Yorkers safe.”

“We do not tolerate any form of hate or violence in our state,” said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. “With the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in New York and across the nation, we are doubling down on our efforts to combat these crimes. The series of training seminars hosted by the Hate Crimes Task Force will help to ensure law enforcement agencies across the state have the training and resources they need to investigate these crimes and protect residents.”

Each of the training ses-sions will feature presentations by members of the New York State Hate Crimes Task Force (State Police, DCJS and DHR), as well as the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and the Queens County District Attorney’s Office. The Manhat-tan training will also include a presentation by the NYPD. Top-ics covered in the sessions in-clude an overview of hate crime investigation for responding law enforcement, background on white supremacist groups, the prosecution of hate crimes and the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in the em-ployment, housing and public accommodation sectors.

The next training session will be presented on October 17, 2019 in Albany County.

The training sessions are open only to sworn or civilian members of law enforcement,

prosecutors, parole and pro-bation officers and correction officers. The seminars will be closed to media due to the law enforcement-sensitive nature of the training.

New York State Police Su-perintendent Keith M. Corlett said, “These training sessions allow State Police and our law enforcement partners to learn about the latest legal issues and techniques that will assist in the investigation of hate crimes. This collaborative effort is criti-cal to ensuring that perpetra-tors are held accountable for their actions and successfully prosecuted.”

Division of Criminal Jus-tice Services Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green said, “We are proud to partner with State Police and the Divi-sion of Human Rights on this series of seminars and thank Governor Cuomo for his con-tinued support. No matter if the intended target is an individual, a group of individuals or a piece of property, bias and hate mo-tivated crimes have no place in this state. Keeping law enforce-ment informed and trained on best practices for responding to and investigating hate crimes will ensure communities will be safer for all New Yorkers.”

Division of Human Rights Commissioner Angela Fernan-dez said, “This training is es-sential to let perpetrators know that, when they engage in hate crimes and bias incidents, New York State will apply the full weight of the law. Our agency will continue its work with the Hate Crimes Task Force to edu-cate New Yorkers about their right to live with dignity, free from discrimination and bias.”

This training comes as

New York continues to experi-ence a number of bias-related incidents. Governor Cuomo has taken a number of actions to combat hate and bias-related incidents, including the launch of a Hate Crimes Text Line, en-abling any New Yorker to easily report incidents in their com-munity. Those who have expe-rienced or witnessed bias or discrimination are encouraged to text “HATE” to 81336 with de-tails of the incident, including photo or video documentation.

The text line is in addition to a toll-free telephone bias and discrimination hotline operated by the State Division of Human Rights (1-888-392-3644). Since its creation in November of 2016, the hotline has received nearly 23,400 calls and has referred 187 calls to the State Police for inves-tigation into potential criminal conduct. In case of emergency or if you are a victim of a crime, always dial 911. A $5,000 reward is also being made available for any information leading to an arrest and conviction for a hate crime.

Under state law, a person commits a hate crime when one of a specified set of offenses is committed targeting a victim because of a perception or be-lief about their race, color, na-tional origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation, or when such an act is commit-ted as a result of that type of per-ception or belief. Hate crimes can be perpetrated against an individual, a group of individu-als or against public or private property. Also under state law it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, re-ligion, ethnicity and many other protected classifications.

Hate Graffiti Found at Scarsdale High School

Two times in September, symbols of hate were in Scarsdale High School. Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to assist in the investigation of the hate filled graffiti found at the school.

“I am disgusted by the hate-filled graffiti found at Scarsdale High School for the second time this month. In New York, we have absolutely zero tolerance for anti-Semitism and bigotry of any kind, and I am directing the State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to assist school officials and local law enforcement in their investigation to ensure those responsible are held accountable. We have been crystal clear that hateful acts — whether they be in the form of graffiti or violence — are com-pletely unacceptable, and we will continue to call them out whenever and wherever we see them,” he stated.

County Executive George Latimer also made a statement on the hate words and symbols found at the school. “On the eve of the high holy days in the Jewish faith, I am outraged and sickened that hate symbols and words have been discovered scrawl at Scarsdale High School for the second time this month. Hateful acts of any kind-will not be tolerated and those that commit them will be found.

“The Westchester County Human Rights Commission is prepared to work with the school. Here in Westchester County we are proud of our diversity and will continue to teach and practice tolerance and acceptance. I want the people of Scarsdale, and this entire County, to know I will al-ways stand with them.”

Scarsdale High School Principal Kenneth Bonamo wrote letters to the parents and explained that hate speech and scare tactics would not be tolerated.

Westchester Synagogues Open to the Community for Holiday Services

The UJA Federation of New York has compiled a list of Westchester Synagogues for unaffiliated citizens to at-tend Holiday services. The following is a local list but call first before a holiday to make a reservation or for additional information or visit ujafedny.org/findaservice :

Bet Am Shalom Synagogue www.betamshalom.orgReconstructionist 295 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606Reservation Contact: Vicky Farhi, 914.946.8851, [email protected]

Beth El Synagogue Center www.bethelnr.orgConservative 1324 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY 11804Reservation Contact: Beth El Synagogue Center, 914.235.2700, [email protected]

Bet Torah www.bettorah.orgConservative 60 Smith Avenue, Mount Kisco, NY 10549Reservation Contact: Seth Young, 914.666.7595

Community Synagogue of Rye www.comsynrye.orgReform200 Forest Avenue, Rye, NY

10580Reservation Contact: Gynis Conyer, [email protected]

Congregation KTIwww.congkti.orgConservative575 King Street, Port Chester, NY 10573Reservation Contact: Suli Fassler, 914.939.1004, [email protected]

Congregation Sons Of Israelwww.csibriarcliff.orgConservative1666 Pleasantville Road, Briar-cliff Manor, NY 10510Reservation Contact: 914-762-2700

Congregation Sulam Yaakovwww.sulamyaakov.orgConservative2111 Boston Post Road, Larch-mont, NY 10538Reservation Contact: Karen Greene, [email protected]

Jewish Community Center of Harrisonwww.jcch.orgConservative130 Union Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528Reservation Contact: Eric Nussbaum, 914.835.2850, [email protected]

Larchmont Templewww.larchmonttemple.orgReform75 Larchmont Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538Reservation Contact: 914-834-6120

Lincoln Park Jewish Center www.lpjc.orgOrthodox 311 Central Park Ave, Yonkers, NY 10704Reservation Contact: 914-965-7119

Mount Kisco Hebrew Congreationwww.mkhc.orgOrthodox 15 Stewart Place, Mount Kisco, NY 10549Reservation Contact: 914.242.7460

Pleasantville Community Synagoguewww.shalompcs.comUnaffiliated210 Orchard Ridge Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514Reservation Contact: Marcy Gray, 914.769.2672, [email protected]



MAZEL TOVTeach NYS Gala Honors State Senator Shelley Mayer

Teach NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union (OU) and a leading advocate for equitable funding for New York State’s nonpublic schools, honored State Sen. Shelley Mayer, and lay leaders Daniel Lowy from Manhattan, and Elizabeth and Joe Braha from Brooklyn, recently at its annual dinner at the Metropolitan West.

Key New York State legislators joined with leaders from nonpublic schools across the state celebrated securing an additional $60 million in government funding for nonpublic schools, including Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature’s historic STEM bill.

More than a dozen state legislators – including Sen. Monica Martinez, Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, Assem-blywoman Alicia Hyndman, Assemblywoman Latrice Walk-er, Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, Sen. Jemaal T. Bailey, Assemblyman Jonathan G. Jacobson, Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein, Councilman Chaim Deutsch were also present at the dinner to show their support for the day school and yeshiva community and the work that Teach NYS is doing.

The evening honored Mayer, the chair of the Committee on Education in the New York State Senate. Mayer has been a champion of increased government funding for nonpublic schools. Prior to serving in State Senate, Mayer championed education issues while in the lower house, serving as chair of the Assembly Education Sub-committee. She resides in Yonkers with her husband.

The honorees received special gifts represented of where STEM funding goes in Teach NYS schools. The gifts were custom-designed and 3-D printed in Westchester Day School’s “makerspace,” by science teacher Becky Shapiro with design help from her sixth-grade students who are currently leaning how to use the 3-D software. Lowy and the Brahas were given engraved apples, and Mayer received a golden shofar symbolizing the upcoming Jewish High Holidays. Westchester Day School is a Jewish nonpublic school within Mayer’s district.

“We are grateful to Senator Mayer for her leadership in Albany on behalf of each and every New York child. We thank Daniel Lowy and Elizabeth and Joe Braha, for their commitment and dedication to Teach NYS,” said Teach Coalition Executive Director Maury Litwack.

Teach NYS, a division of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, was founded in 2013 to advocate for equi-table government funding for New York’s nonpublic schools to increase security, enhance education and defray the costs of state mandated services. For more information, visit http://teachnys.org.

Teach Coalition Executive Director Maury Litwack presents award to State Senator Shelly Mayer

Karen Franklin Awarded IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award

Karen Franklin of Yonkers was awarded the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award of the IAJGS (International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies) at its International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Cleveland, Ohio, this past summer.

The award recognizes Karen for her ”tire-less efforts and remarkable achievements on behalf of the world of Jewish genealogy. Karen is the Renaissance woman of Jewish genealogy, having advanced the genealogical enterprise in countless ways over more than thirty years, in roles of both professional and volunteer.”

Her volunteer work has been wide-rang-ing, far reaching, and significant: President of the IAJGS; Founder and Co-coordinator of Ger-man SIG; Member of the Executive Council of the JGS of New York; Co-Chair of the Board of Governors of JewishGen where she continues to serve as a volunteer. She is Co-Founder and President of the Jury of the Obermayer German Jewish History Award, an award presented each year in the Berlin Parliament to recognize individuals and organiza-tions in Germany that have raised awareness of the Jewish culture that once thrived their communi-ties. She also pursues work as a volunteer on behalf of individuals seeking art and book restitution, and lectures widely on a broad range of genealogical subjects at conferences and society meetings.

In her professional life, Karen currently serves as Director of Family Research at the Leo Baeck Institute. She was previously Director of the Judaica Museum in Riverdale, and Guest Curator and Exhibit Researcher for the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. She has served as Chair of the Council of American Jewish Museums and of the Memorial Museums Committee of the International Council of Museums; the latter organization (ICOM-US) awarded her its Service Citation for her work in Holocaust era property restitution.

The International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) is an umbrella organiza-tion of more than 85 Jewish genealogical organizations worldwide offering the world of Jewish ances-try where you live. The IAJGS coordinates and organizes activities such as the annual IAJGS Interna-tional Conference on Jewish Genealogy and provides a unified voice as the spokesperson on behalf of its members. The IAJGS’s vision is of a worldwide network of Jewish genealogical research organiza-tions and partners working together as one coherent, effective and respected community – enabling people to succeed in researching Jewish ancestry and heritage. Find the IAJGS at: www.iajgs.org

Karen Franklin (center) is presented the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award from IAJGS President Ken Bravo (r) and Avraham Groll, IAJGS Board Secretary (l). Photo by Lauri Burkons

Houlihan Lawrence has announced that Liz Nunan has been pro-moted to President.

Previously the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Liz will now over-see all aspects of Houlihan Lawrence’s operations, including the company’s residential and commercial brokerage divisions, with 30 offices and 1,300 agents.

Liz’s promotion is accompanied by other executive changes. Chris Meyers, formerly President, now assumes the role of CEO, and Stephen Meyers will become the company’s Chairman. Stephen will continue to play an active role supporting Liz, Chris and the leadership team.

“Liz is admired by everyone in the company,” said Stephen Mey-ers, “She thoroughly embodies Houlihan Lawrence’s core values. Liz has played a significant role in the evolution of our organization into what it is today, and she is the perfect person to lead us through the next phase of our growth.”

As President, Nunan will shape Houlihan Lawrence’s strategy and direct operations with a focus on driving growth, while preserving their legacy of exceeding expectations known to generations of buyers and sell-ers. “Stepping into the role of President is humbling and brings great joy as this company means so much to me,” said Liz Nunan, “Houlihan Lawrence has been my home for twenty years, and I intend to put my passion for this business to work for our team. Our agents are the best of the best, and I look forward to building upon our presence as the market leader.”

Nunan brings a worldwide reputation to the role, offering a unique perspective that combines knowl-edge and experience in brokerage management and operations, with corporate relocation and the luxury real estate market. She began her career with Fox and Lazo Realtors in Philadelphia before moving to New York and joining Houlihan Lawrence. There she helmed the company’s Global Business Development team, widely-renowned in the industry. A licensed real estate broker, Liz has served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Realtors since 2006 and the Board of Directors of the Hudson Gateway MLS from 2014-2017. She was appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2018, where she oversaw all core functions of the business and set a strategic plan for growing both agent and company productivity.

Houlihan Lawrence Names Liz Nunan President

Liz Nunan

Bernard A. Krooks Named Lawyer of the Year in Trusts and Estates

Best Lawyers in America® has named Bernard A. Krooks, JD, CPA, LLM, CELA, AEP® (Distinguished) of Littman Krooks LLP as 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” for excellence in Trusts & Estates.

Best Lawyers awards this honor to a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area. These lawyers are selected based on the impressive voting averages received during the peer review assess-ments. This designation reflects the high level of respect that a lawyer has earned among leading lawyers in the same community and the same practice area for their abilities, their professionalism, and their integrity.

“It is an honor to be recognized by my peers. I look forward to our continued work with our clients to help them accomplish their goals,” says Krooks.

Krooks has also been named to New York Super Lawyers since 2006 and to the Top 25 Westchester County Super Lawyers since 2009 by Super Lawyers® magazine.

He is a founding partner of the law firm Littman Krooks LLP and Chair of its Elder Law and Spe-cial Needs Department and is a nationally-recognized expert in all aspects of elder law and special needs planning. He is a member of the NAEPC (National Association of Estate Planners & Councils) Estate Planning Hall of Fame. He also is past President of the Board of Directors of the Arc of West-chester, the largest agency in Westchester County serving people with intellectual and developmen-tal disabilities.

Krooks is the immediate past Chair of the Elder Law Committee of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and also is immediate past Chair of the Elder Law and Special Needs Planning Group of the Real Property, Trust & Estate Law (RPTE) Section of the American Bar Association (ABA). He is past President of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and past Chair of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the New York State Bar Association.


The Remarkable Career of Influential American Art Dealer Edith Halpert on View at The Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum will present Edith Halpert and the Rise of American Art, the first exhibition to explore the remarkable career of Edith Gregor Halpert (1900-1970), the influential American art dealer and founder of the Down-town Gallery in New York City. A pioneer in the field and the first significant female gallerist in the United States, Halpert propelled Ameri-can art to the fore at a time when the European avant-garde still enthralled the world.

The artists she supported — Stuart Davis, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia O’Keeffe, Yasuo Kuniyo-shi, Ben Shahn, and Charles Sheeler key among them — became icons of American modernism. Halpert also brought vital attention to over-looked nineteenth-century American artists, such as William Michael Harnett, Edward Hicks, and Raphaelle Peale, as well as little-known and anonymous folk artists. With her revolutionary program at the Downtown Gallery, her endless energy, and her extraordinary business acumen, Halpert inspired generations of Americans to val-ue the art of their own country, in their own time.

The exhibition, on view at the Jewish Mu-seum from October 18, 2019 through February 9, 2020, will feature 100 works of American mod-ern and folk art, including paintings, sculptures, and prints by artists such as Davis, Lawrence,

O’Keeffe, Kuniyoshi, Shahn, and Sheeler, as well as Arthur Dove, Elie Nadelman, Max Weber, and Marguerite and William Zorach, among oth-ers, and prime examples of American folk art portraits, weathervanes, and trade signs. Along with major artworks that were exhibited at and sold through the Downtown Gallery, highlights from Halpert’s acclaimed personal collection of both modern and folk art, reassembled for the first time since its landmark sale in 1973, will also be on view.

Born to a Jewish family in Odessa, Russia (now Ukraine), Halpert opened the Downtown Gallery in 1926, at the age of 26, at 113 West 13th Street, the first commercial art space in bohe-mian Greenwich Village. She deliberately pro-

moted a diverse group of living American artists, fundamentally shifting the public’s opinion of whose voices mattered in the art world. Though an outsider in many respects — as a woman, an immigrant, and a Jew — Halpert was, for over 40 years, the country’s most resolute champion of its creative potential and the defining author-ity of the American art landscape. Not only did her trailblazing career pave the way for the next generation of women leaders in the art world, Halpert’s inclusive vision continues to inform our understanding of American art today as be-ing pluralistic, generous in its parameters, and infused with idealism.

The Downtown Gallery quickly attracted important clients. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller,

founder of The Museum of Modern Art, under Halpert’s tutelage became a key patron to many modern artists and later an enthusiastic col-lector of American folk art. Halpert became an influential advisor to other art patrons who, like Rockefeller, went on to build new museums or donate major collections of American art to public institutions across the country.

Almost as stunning as the achievement of her influential 40-year career is the speed with which her contributions have been forgotten. Her name is scarcely recognized today, even among art scholars. That she was a woman may have something to do with this historical era-sure; throughout her life she was underestimat-ed by her peers. The way she wielded influence was also a factor. Halpert’s accomplishments were often credited to others, particularly when she worked in tandem with important curators, collectors, and patrons.

The Museum offers diverse exhibitions and programs, and maintains a unique collec-tion of nearly 30,000 works of art, ceremonial objects, and media reflecting the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years.

It is located at 1109 Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, New York City. The public may call 212.423.3200 or visit TheJewishMuseum.org

Students Preparing for Travel to Israel in 2020

For many year, Thornton- Don-ovan School in New Rochelle has concentrated their curriculum on a particular country or geographical area. In the past they have focused on South Africa, Iceland and Mongolia. This year, the 170 student body will be immersed in the culture of Israel. Thornton- Donovan students, from all different religions, will have a choice of electives in the music, art, history, pol-itics and literature of the Holy Land.

Annemarie Licini, Assistant to Headmaster Douglas E. Fleming, Jr., explains, “The Thornton Donovan edu-cation is customized to a students’ interest and talent. We have small classes and perspectives are challenged daily through culturally themed courses. This year we are focused on Israel.”

Established in 1901, Thornton Donovan is one of the oldest private schools in Westchester and offers progressive education for academically talented students in grades K-12. Known locally as, “The Little Red Schoolhouse,” the school’s mission states, “Thematic education, learning through discovery. We are individually focused and globally engaged.”

“We are planning to depart April 18, 2020, for a 15 day trip to Israel,” Licini says. “We invite the Junior and Senior High School students to tour Israel as a group with an optional Rome exten-sion. So many students have signed up. The students are showing so much interest and parents and grandparents are signing on to go, too.”

In Israel, some of the planned tours the students will take include visiting the Old Port of Jaffe, touring Tel Aviv, Caesarea, Nazareth, Kibbutz Hagoshrim, a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, Tzfat, Yad Vashem, Jerusalem and Masada.

In anticipation of the trip, special guest speakers are planned to speak at the school to coincide with what the students are learning about Israel. Field trips are also being scheduled.

The Thornton- Donovan School, proudly acknowledges that it, “has been recognized for its sup-port of students with high academic potential by the John Hopkins University Center for talented youth, which identifies and develops the talents of the most advanced K-12 learners world-wide.”

Ambassador (Rabbi) David Saperstein to Serve as President of the WUPJ

Rabbi David Saperstein, the long-time Director of the Reform Movement’s ac-claimed Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), who served as U.S. Ambas-sador for International Religious Freedom during the Obama Administration, will serve as President of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) in 2019-2020.

Carole Sterling, Chair of the Board of the WUPJ, announced the appointment, ex-plaining, “We are truly excited about Rabbi Saperstein’s leadership this year for the World Union. It is vital to us, during this transition year, that there be strong lead-ership at the helm, someone of prominence and achievement, who understands the needs of our movement and members in North America, Israel, and around the world. We are honored that Rabbi Saperstein accepted our invitation to serve in this post.

“As we announced at our annual International Humanitarian Award Dinner in May, we have selected a strong successor to lead the World Union as its new President beginning no later than the summer of 2020. We are confident that Rabbi Saperstein and his successor will continue the growth in congregations, rabbinic leadership training, and youth engagement that marked Rabbi Daniel Freelander’s leadership”

Rabbi Saperstein is one of America’s most widely-known and highly-respected rabbis with ex-tensive connections across religious, ideological, and political spectrums. Newsweek Magazine has called him the most influential rabbi in America and the Washington Post called him, “the quintes-sential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hill.”

The first rabbi to hold the title of U.S. Ambassador, Rabbi Saperstein dealt directly with the ministries of religion, justice, and foreign affairs in the 32 nations he visited, and developed deep ties with religious leaders and institutions in nations across the globe, including with many of the World Union congregations.

An attorney as well as a rabbi, Rabbi Saperstein taught church-state law and comparative Jew-ish and American law at Georgetown University Law Center for 35 years. He has authored and edited several books on Jewish social justice themes and his articles have appeared in a number of aca-

Rabbi David Saperstein



pus, particularly by faculty who give it academic legitima-cy, is inciting an alarming in-crease in harassment against Israel’s presumed supporters, first and foremost Jewish stu-dents. Administrators must take the necessary steps now to stop these unacceptable acts of intolerance.”

The report concluded with recommendations for university administrators:

• Equity: Establish uni-form standards of behavior for all students. Israel-related anti-Semitism is often viewed by university administrators

as politically-motivated and is left unaddressed. However, harassment is harassment, re-gardless of the motivation of the perpetrator or the identity of the victim. While anti-Zion-ist speech is protected under the First Amendment, the in-tolerant behavior such rheto-ric incites must be addressed. Jewish and pro-Israel students must be afforded the same pro-tection as all other students.

• Guarantee No Harm: Affirm publicly that academic BDS will not be permitted to harm students.

• Professionalism: Make

clear faculty must never privi-lege politics over their profes-sional responsibility to the educational welfare of their students.

AMCHA monitors more than 400 college campuses across the U.S. for anti-Semitic activity. The organization has recorded more than 2,500 an-ti-Semitic incidents on college campuses since 2015. AMCHA Initiative is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedi-cated to combating anti-Sem-itism at colleges and universi-ties in the United States.

Campus BDS Efforts Expanded Beyond Israel to Direct Attacks on Jewish Studentscontinued from page 4

The Bronfman Fellowship Announces 34th Application Season

The Bronfman Fellowship has announced that applica-tions are now being accepted for the 34th year of this presti-gious program. The Bronfman Fellowship selects twenty-six outstanding North American teenagers for an intellectually challenging year of seminars beginning with a free, five-week trip to Israel in the summer be-tween the Fellows’ junior and senior years of high school. The program educates and inspires exceptional young Jews from diverse backgrounds to have a significant impact on the world as community builders, deep thinkers, moral voices, and cultural creators. The program was founded by Edgar M. Bron-fman, z”l, formerly CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd. and a visionary Jewish philanthro-pist.

During the program’s seminars, the Fellows meet with leading intellectuals, re-ligious and political leaders, and educators, such as Israeli writer Etgar Keret, journalist and author Matti Friedman, and biblical scholar Avivah Zornberg. With the guidance of a diverse faculty of Rabbis and educators, the pluralistic

group of Fellows have the op-portunity to explore a wide range of Jewish texts, from classic religious works to con-temporary Israeli and Ameri-can voices, using them to spark conversations, engage with stimulating existential ques-tions, and achieve a deeper un-derstanding of themselves and one another.

Fellows also interact with a group of Israeli peers who were chosen through a parallel selection process by the Israeli branch of the Fel-lowship, Amitei Bronfman. Upon returning home from the summer in Israel, Fellows continue their Fellowship year experience with monthly vir-tual experiences and a Spring seminar in the United States focusing on major themes in North American Jewish life.

“My father, Edgar M. Bronfman, placed enormous faith in young people’s ability to see the world not just as it is, but as it ought to be,” said Adam R. Bronfman, Presi-dent of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation. “He believed that young people energized by their Judaism were best equipped to both shape a Jew-

ish ‘Renaissance’ and improve the world.”

“The Fellowship is an opportunity for dynamic per-sonal and intellectual growth in a group of carefully chosen peers,” said Becky Voorwinde, Executive Director. “We seek to increase communication between young people across the Jewish spectrum includ-ing fostering bonds between Jews in North America and Is-rael. This program serves as a creative force that has inspired some of our best Jewish young adults to become creative lead-ers in their communities.”

Applications for the 2020 Fellowship are due December 1, 2019, and are available online at bronfman.org. High school students in the United States and Canada who self-identify as Jewish and who will be in the twelfth grade in the fall of 2020 are eligible to apply. The Fellowship is a pluralistic program for Jews of all back-grounds; prior Jewish educa-tion is not required. Students are chosen on merit alone.

For more information about The Bronfman Fellow-ship, including how to apply, visit www.bronfman.org.

Westchester County School Safety Commission Releases ReportOn September 18, The West-

chester County School Safety Com-mission released its recommen-dations to create safer schools in the County, schools of all levels, by following a core set of data-driven best practices and blue prints for

success. The report called: “Creating Safer Schools: Recommendations to Strengthen and Enhance Pre-vention, Planning and Response to School Violence,” is a foundational document. It combines best prac-tices being used at the state level

and across the country to create a proactive climate to prevent school violence of any kind and to plan for action and response if a threat or incident takes place in one of the 400-plus school facilities here in Westchester.

The Commission was launched in August 2018, with a first meeting held just as the 2018-2019 school year got underway. Over the course of the year, the committees focused on distinct issues. On Feb. 27, 2019, the two committees met jointly to share their preliminary findings with the full Commission.

Committee recommenda-tions were delivered by Michael Orth, Commissioner, Westchester County Dept. of Community Men-tal Health, serving as co-chair of the Threat Assessment Committee, and Chris T. McNerney, Chief Criminal Investigator, Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, speaking as the new chair of the Crisis Man-agement/Law Enforcement Com-mittee (as of September, 2019).

Key recommendations in-clude:� Outline a comprehensive school

violence prevention, planning and response for each school based on NYS Emergency Re-sponse Plans guidelines;

� Create circles of communication among stakeholders, including school building administration, school districts, mental health professionals, law enforcement and other first responders, par-ents, students and community

members–including systems for anonymous tips, alerts, contacts for all emergency teams, teacher and staff training, and commu-nity meetings;

� Adopt a schoolwide systems ap-proach to threat prevention in all schools;

� Follow models for building Threat Assessment Teams and Emergency Response Teams;

� Enhance relationships between local police and schools; and set guidelines for law enforcement to follow concerning commit-ment, planning and response;

� Utilize specialized training for law enforcement involved in school safety;

� Mandate regularly scheduled districtwide emergency and crisis response drills, such as disaster drills and active shooter drills, including school person-nel, local law enforcement and first responders, and mutual aid responders.

“We could not be more proud of the work of this Commission and we thank all of the members who worked throughout the year to bring their knowledge and experi-ence to this important initiative. To-gether they have lain the foundation of a comprehensive plan for West-

chester County to help keep our children safer and more secure,” said Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino, Jr. ”Working together across jurisdic-tions and districts, across organiza-tions and communities strength-ens all of us.”

Westchester County Ex-ecutive George Latimer also com-mended the Commission’s work. “County officials are continually working to ensure the safety of all of our schools. This Commission, a joint effort between my Adminis-tration and DA Scarpino, is tasked with finding solutions which meet the needs of all parties involved by both keeping our children safe while also making sure schools are places where our kids feel at ease and can focus on learning. That is why these efforts and those undertaken by our County Police, including constantly working to be prepared through communication and training for any type of horrific incident, are so important.”

Other information in the report includes NY’s Red Flag Law, which is now in effect. New York educators, families and law en-forcement can take legal action to potentially prevent violence when they spot so-called red flags in a per-son’s behavior, which may indicate future violence.

The report also includes a list of resources and references. It will be distributed to all school districts, police agencies, libraries, elected officials and other stakeholders throughout the County, encouraging adoption of these recommendations. The Commission is planning seminars for stakeholders to better understand how to collabora-tively implement them.


Bruce Museum to Host 38th Annual Outdoor Arts FestivalMore than 80 new and re-

turning artists will showcase their work on the grounds of the Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 - 6, 2019, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Celebrat-ing its 38th edition this fall, the Bruce Museum Outdoor Arts Festival is treasured by local arts enthusiasts and recognized as one of the top 25 fine arts festi-vals nationally.

The juried works include painting on canvas, board and paper, mixed media in 2D and 3D, drawings and graphics, in-cluding digital media, sculpture, and photography.

“The Arts Festival attracts exhibitors from all over the country,” says Festival Director Sue Brown Gordon. “This year, Festival visitors will see bronze sculpture by Onyx V. Crimbil of Berkeley, CA; abstract acrylics by Phillip Michaels of Miami, FL; color woodblock prints by

Old Man Take a Look at My LifeBY BERNARD A. KROOKS, CERTIFIED

ELDER LAW ATTORNEY

Those of you who are in my generation and enjoy rock-n-roll music might remember the song written by Neil Young titled “Old Man.” Neil wrote the song when he was 24 years old and the song is about life’s similarities between Neil and the old man (someone who was about 70 years old). Well, how quickly time flies. Life expec-tancies today are much greater than they were even a few decades ago. While this may seem like good news to many of us, it may actually create some additional “headaches” if we don’t plan properly for our golden years.

In the current economic climate and the increased vola-tility on Wall Street, many are concerned that they will out-live their retirement nest egg. However, the greatest threat to the nest egg of seniors is not the estate tax, but rather the cost of long-term care. The federal estate tax will affect well less than 1% of all Ameri-cans. However, the possibility of losing our entire life savings to the cost of long-term care could affect each one of us. One consequence of our in-creased longevity is that we are more susceptible to chronic illnesses during our lifetimes.

In fact, over two-thirds of

Americans 65 years of age and over will eventually require some form of long-term care. This care can be nursing home care, assisted living care, or in-home care. Whatever the setting, the care is extremely expensive and can deplete a family’s hard-earned savings. In the New York metropolitan area, long-term care costs in a nursing home can exceed $15,000-$20,000 a month. Care at home or in assisted liv-ing is also very expensive.

Medicare coverage of long-term care is extremely limited and subject to signifi-cant restrictions. Thus, if one of us or a loved one gets sick and requires long-term care we must either pay out-of-pocket or rely on Medicaid. Medicaid is a jointly-funded federal and state program that pays for nursing home care for seniors. However, unlike Medicare, there are strict income and as-set guidelines which must be met in order to become eligible for benefits.

One way to minimize the burden of paying out-of-pock-et is to purchase long-term care insurance. Here are a few thoughts to consider when re-viewing long-term care insur-ance options:

Make sure you purchase a sufficient daily benefit. In Westchester County, the cost

of a semi-private room in a nursing home can exceed $500 per day. A policy with inad-equate benefits will require using personal funds to fill in the gaps.

Understand the "waiver of premium" feature. Typically, once the insured is receiving benefits from the insurance company, the premiums on the policy are "waived." If the insured's health improves and he or she is no longer eligible for benefits, then the premi-ums will resume.

Consider policies with an inflation rider. The cost of long-term care continues to increase faster than the overall rate of inflation. With the most recent studies showing the cost of care rising about 10% annually, insurance compa-nies are offering policies with riders that provide inflation protection.

Consider purchasing a "paid up" policy. Because a pol-icy's premiums may rise, con-sider purchasing a policy that no longer requires a premium once the insured reaches a cer-tain age or after a given num-ber of years.

These are just some of the things to consider when re-viewing long-term care insur-ance policies. There are many more policy options and riders which may or may not suit your

needs. Given the complexity of long-term care insurance poli-cies and frequent regulatory changes, it's best to work with an insurance professional ex-perienced in the field. It also is helpful to have the policy re-viewed by a certified elder law attorney.

Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., is a founding partner of Littman Krooks LLP and has been hon-ored as one of the “Best Law-yers” in America for each of the last seven years. He is past President of the National Acad-emy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and past President of the New York Chapter of NAE-LA. Mr. Krooks has also served as chair of the Elder Law Sec-tion of the New York State Bar Association. He has been select-ed as a “New York Super Law-yer” since 2006. Mr. Krooks may be reached at (914-684-2100) or by visiting the firm’s website at www.elderlawnewyork.com.

Linda Mahoney of Northfield, MA; and still-life oil paintings by David Oleski of West Chester, PA, among dozens of other artists.”

All works are available for purchase, and artists are on hand to discuss their pieces and process. In addition, this family-friendly event features delicious food-truck offerings for lunch and free art activities for chil-

dren. Free Festival parking is in all municipal parking areas sur-rounding the Museum.

Festival admission is free to Bruce Museum members and children less than 5 years old; entry is $10 for non-members. Admission to the Festival—held one week before its traditional occurrence over Columbus Day weekend—is also free this year for all Bank of America cardhold-ers, courtesy of the Bank’s Muse-ums on Us program, which en-ables cardholders to receive one free admission to the Museum on the first full weekend of the month.

Festival-goers can tour the new exhibition, Contemporary Artists/Traditional Forms: Chi-nese Brushwork, on view in the Bantle Lecture Gallery, take in the varied exhibits of minerals, geology, and natural history in the Permanent Science Gallery, and shop in the popular Museum Store.

The Museum’s main gallery spaces are being renovated as part of the transformative Cam-paign for the New Bruce expan-sion project. The galleries will re-open on February 1, 2020, with the installation of major new art and science exhibitions.

Festival visitors will be able to join the Bruce Museum at the entrance to receive in-stant free admission and other benefits available to Museum members, including discounts at the Museum Store, reciprocal admission at many other art and science museums in the area, and invitations to Bruce Expe-riences members-only events held monthly throughout the year. What’s more, many exhibi-tors offer discounts to Museum members interested in purchas-ing artwork at the Festival. Visit brucemuseum.org for more in-formation, including a complete listing of this year's exhibits.

demic and news publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Harvard Law Review.

From his earliest childhood, Rabbi Saperstein has had deep personal ties to the WUPJ. His father, Rabbi Harold Saperstein, was a North American Chair of the World Union, served stints for rabbis on sabbatical at congregations in Great Britain and in South Africa, and, with his wife, Marcia, visited with many of the WUPJ congregations in their travels to more than 80 countries. His brother, Marc Saperstein, is a distinguished Jewish historian who has served as the Principal of WUPJ’s partner institution, Leo Baeck College in London.

Throughout his own career, Rabbi Saperstein has worked closely with the World Union: serving as a plenum speaker at numerous WUPJ events and conventions; speaking at, and con-sulting with, many WUPJ congregations; visiting many others, particularly during his recent tenure as U.S. Ambassador. Rabbi Saperstein also has deep ties with the Israel Movement for Pro-gressive and Reform Judaism (IMPJ), working closely with the Israel Religious Action Center since its inception.

Rabbi Saperstein will continue with some of his responsi-bilities as the Senior Advisor for Strategy and Policy to the URJ and the RAC.

Ambassador (Rabbi) David Saperstein to Serve as President of the WUPJcontinued from page 10

Justice: Defends women’s rights to equality, dignity, and justice; ensures reli-gions freedom, and limits the authority of religious institutions over women’s bodies and lives. Funds un-derwrite public education for hundreds of thousands of Israelis, aimed at refram-ing the public discourse around the State-prescribed Jewish marriage and pro-moting solutions to situa-tions of get refusal, or refus-al of a Jewish divorce, which keeps individuals in marital captivity.

• Israel Women’s Network: Promotes a better Israeli society by focusing on women’s equality and cre-ating the social, physical, economic, and judicial con-ditions for their prosperity. Funds will be used to raise public awareness and advo-cate for the elimination of gender segregation and the exclusion of women in the IDF, workforce, educational system, and civil service arena.

• Itach Maaki: Promotes so-cial change, justice, and activism for and by women from marginalized groups. The funded program will better integrate women from diverse populations

into Israeli government, with an emphasis in the male dominated field of peace and security. The initiative also ensures that governments uphold previ-ous mandates that require ample representation of di-verse women on policymak-ing committees.

• Jewish Women’s Fund-ing Network Collaborative Grant: Twenty-five founda-tions in North America have come together to fund the Israel enterprise The Coali-tion for Direct Employment. The Coalition is comprised of 30 organizations work-ing to establish policies and practices to improve the working conditions and rights of contracted work-ers.

• SHIN – The Israeli Move-ment for Equal Representa-tion of Women: Facilitates equal representation of women in politics and in the public sphere. The sup-ported program brings to-gether over 250 Jewish and Arab high school girls to involve them in discussions, activities, and projects that increase their knowledge of women’s rights. The girls re-ceive the skills and direction to address social and politi-cal feminist issues.

The Hadassah Foundation Awards $500,000 to Organizations Changing What is Possible for Women and Girlscontinued from page 5

Tax AdvantagesEven if you close on the

last day of the year, you can ap-ply the property taxes paid and any interest or points (prepaid interest to lower interest rates) on a home purchase to offset your income for that entire calendar year. This could be a significant advantage when April rolls around.

John E. Baer, SRES, SRS is a NYS licensed real estate salesper-son associated with Berkshire Ha-thaway HomeServices Westches-ter Properties of Scarsdale and Larchmont. In the last two years he earned the “Top Selling Award” seven times in the Scarsdale office. He can be reached for questions at 914/844-2059. His website is www.WestchesterHomes.info.


Real Estate Matters by John E Baer, SRES, SRSThe Best Time to Buy a Home is the Fall and Winter

Traditionally, spring is considered peak season in the real estate market. Families with school-aged children find it less disruptive to move over the summer. However, there are a number of good reasons for home buyers to hold off un-til fall or winter.

Sellers are MotivatedIf they weren’t, they’d

probably hold off until spring, since April is the best month to sell a home. By fall, sellers who were “testing the waters”

with a listing in prime selling season are either eliminated or are now serious sellers who often want to get things settled before the end of the year.

The longer a house has been on the market, the more likely a seller is willing to nego-tiate on everything from price, to closing costs, to move in dates.

There are Fewer BuyersPotential buyers with

children are less likely to be in the market once school starts.

Competition drops tremen-dously during the fall/winter months because there are few-er buyers looking for homes at that time. With demand for homes so low in the fall/win-ter, it is the perfect time for you to take advantage of the market!

Lower Home PricesPrices may also be lower

in the fall and winter. In Janu-ary and February, houses typi-cally cost 8.45% less than they do in June and August, accord-

ing to a study from NerdWallet. Sellers who keep their proper-ties on the market through fall and winter may be more willing to negotiate a deal. However, the Christmas holi-day season is the absolute best time to buy a home. If a person has their home on the market over Christmas, that person is definitely serious about nego-tiating and selling that home. You can bet on it.

Focus Is On YouDuring prime selling

months, everyone involved in real estate transactions tend to be swamped. In the fall and winter, however, real estate agents, lenders, inspec-tors, title companies, moving companies, etc. experience a lighter schedule, giving them more time and energy to focus on helping you.

Identifying Potential Water Issues

Autumn rains mean your home inspector might spot problematic leaks. It’s nice when we see rain, because we know what’s going on with the house.

Needed Changes and Upgrades May be Cheaper

If you are purchasing a house that needs new carpet, paint, appliances or other up-grades, buying in the fall or winter may save you money be-yond the purchase price of the home. Many of these items are at their lowest prices in the fall and winter.

This Year Mortgage Rates are Super Low

Current mortgage rates are historically very low. Con-sequently, this fall/winter will cost you less to take out a mortgage than may be the case next year.

Self-Compassion: Why We and Our Children Need It

BY BRENDA P. HAAS, LMSW, ED.M.

What if the most pow-erful lesson we could teach our children is to be kind to themselves? What if our children learned they can fall down, make mistakes, and are still worthy with their imperfections?

So many of us and, in turn, our children struggle with being tough on our-selves, harshly judging our professional and academic achievements, physical appearance, and artistic and athletic ability. As the school year unfolds, chil-dren experience increased stress and performance pressures. Families, chil-dren, and teens feel the pull to try to “do it all” and do it well. Somehow as these external stressors mount, the internal pressure grows exponentially. Yes, it’s im-portant to be motivated to learn and succeed but when that motivation is overtaken by perfectionism, we can be-come our own worst critic.

While we learn to be compassionate to others, we rarely learn to practice com-passion to ourselves during challenging and frustrating moments. New research by psychologist Kristin Neff, Ph.D., the foremost expert on self-compassion, has empirically shown that practicing self-compassion is a powerful tool, vital for adults and youth. It is linked to reducing feelings

of anxiety and depression, improved physical and men-tal health, greater emotional coping, and overall content-ment. Self-compassion can calm the sympathetic ner-vous system, reduce stress hormones, and activate the release of oxytocin and en-dorphins, increasing feel-ings of safety and security.

Self-compassion con-sists of three core compo-nents, according to Dr. Neff: Self-kindness over self-judg-ment: Self-compassion re-quires that, when we make mistakes, we treat ourselves as we would a good friend in the same situation--with en-couragement, patience, and gentleness.

Common humanity: Self-compassion emphasiz-es our connectedness with others rather than our isola-tion or alienation. It entails recognizing that everyone struggles and we are all im-perfect.

Being mindful: Self-compassion requires that we pay attention to our suffering, including our thoughts and words, rath-er than ignoring our pain. With mindfulness, we can notice the thought “I am just not good enough to get that promotion,” or “I never have as many ‘likes ‘on my Insta-gram feed as so-and-so” as just that, a thought. In this way, we give the negative thought less power.

How can we foster self-compassion in our

children? We must begin with ourselves and talk the talk: the words we use mat-ter. Children are quick to pick up our behavior and habits, including negative self-talk. Are we speaking kindly to ourselves or judg-ing ourselves on our short-comings or appearance? We can notice when a dose of self-compassion is needed for ourselves and other fam-ily members. We can help our children slow down and breathe when they go into negative thought mode. We can support our children in shifting their perspective. When they are struggling, ask them what they would say to their friend to offer help and comfort in this sit-uation, and then encourage them to repeat these things to themselves.

When we cultivate the powerful experience of self-compassion, we encourage our children to focus on the present over perfect and build healthy resilience. As we model being fallible and patient with ourselves, we embrace the uniqueness of our humanness…and give ourselves a welcome hug and a break.

Brenda P. Haas, LMSW, ED.M. is the Coordinator of WJCS GPS (Guiding Parents Through Services), a service of Partners in Caring and a Partners in Schools Con-sultant at The Leffell School ( formerly Schechter West-chester). [email protected].


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BOOK FOR SALEThe Tragedy of the Greek Jews in WWII: The Greek Jewish Resistance in WWII. Each Book: $18.00; 2 for $30.00. Free Delivery. Tilemachos Pateris, 301 Drew Street, Baltimore, MD 21224-2715. 215-796-5030.

Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont & Emanu-Elwww.sstte.orgReform2 Ogden Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583Reservation Contact: Fawn Mendel, 914.725.5175, [email protected]

Sinai Free Synagoguewww.sinaifreesynagogue.orgReform550 North Columbus Avenue, Mount Vernon, NY 10552Reservation Contact: Ellen

Cohen, 914.664.1727, [email protected]

Temple Beth Abraham www.tba-ny.orgReform and Conservative Services 25 Leroy Avenue, Tarrytown, NY 10591Reservation Contact: Stuart Skolnick, 914.631.1770, [email protected]

Temple Beth Amwww.templebetham-ny.orgReform

Yorktown Community & Cultural Center, 1974 Commerce Street, Yorktown Heights, NY 10598Reservation Contact: Julie Woogen, 914.962.7500 x1, [email protected]

Temple Beth El of Northern Westchesterwww.bethelnw.orgReform220 South Bedford Road, Chappaqua, NY 10514Reservation Contact: 914.238.3928, [email protected]

Temple Israel of New Rochelle www.tinr.orgReform 1000 Pinebrook Boulevard, New Rochelle, NY 10804Reservation Contact: Anita Aronoff, 914.235.1800, [email protected]

Temple Israel of Northern Westchesterwww.tinw.orgReform 31 Glengary Road, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520

Reservation Contact: Robin Safarowic, 914.271.4705, [email protected]

Temple Shaaray Tefilawww.shaaraytefila.orgReform149 Girdle Ridge Road, Kato-nah, NY 10536Reservation Contact: Cheryl Riina, 914.307.0473, [email protected]: Services are held at Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts.

Westchester Reform Templewww.wrtemple.orgReform255 Mamaroneck Road, Scars-dale, NY 10583Reservation Contact: Hillary Fontana, 914.468.0523, [email protected]

Woodlands Community Templewww.wct.orgReform50 Worthington Road, White Plains, NY 10607Reservation Contact: Andrew Farber, 914.592.7070, [email protected]

Westchester Synagogues Open to the Community continued from page 8


Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in NYC Reveals Shofar from Auschwitz

On September 23, The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust revealed a historic artifact—a shofar, a ram’s horn that is made into a special wind instru-ment used during Jewish High Holiday religious services and that was hidden and clandestinely used in the Auschwitz concentration camp—as part of its acclaimed exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. The exhibition is co-produced by the international exhibition firm Musealia and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Mu-seum in Poland.

The artifact was blown in Auschwitz 75 years ago and has never before been on display anywhere. It will join the more than 700 origi-nal objects and 400 photographs in the ground-breaking exhibition, which has been visited by more than 100,000 people since opening in early May and is on view until January 3, 2020.

The shofar, a Jewish ritual object made out of a ram’s horn, is an integral part of the Jewish High Holidays, sounded on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and at the final moment of Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Until now, this artifact has only been used privately.

The Museum has arranged for the shofar to be temporarily transported to two Upper East Side synagogues—Edmond J. Safra Synagogue (Congregation Beit Edmond) and Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun—during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to be sounded during religious ser-vices over the next few weeks.

“For more than two decades, the Museum of Jewish Heritage has sought to educate, in-form, and illuminate, motivating all of us to re-flect on the atrocities of the past and the world around us today,” said Bruce C. Ratner, Chair-man of the Museum’s Board of Trustees. “Ev-ery artifact in this exhibition tells a story—of pain, of potential cut short, or of spiritual resis-tance—and presenting this shofar on the cusp of our High Holy Days illustrates that signs of hope can exist during even the darkest of times.”

“We are extremely honored to be the first public site that will display this shofar that was used during the Holocaust and to share its story of resistance and spiritual freedom,” said Jack Kliger, President and CEO, Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.

Chaskel Tydor, an Auschwitz and Buch-enwald survivor, passed the shofar down to his daughter, Professor Judith Tydor Baumel-Schwartz. She is Director of The Arnold and Le-ona Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research and Professor in the Israel and Golda Koschitzky De-partment of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at Bar-Ilan University, Israel.

“My modest five-foot-two father was a giant of a man who, because of his position as work dispatcher, managed to save hundreds of lives, and possibly more, in Auschwitz III-Monowitz during his years in Nazi camps,” said Prof. Bau-mel-Schwartz. “The shofar was a symbol of his

powerful belief which he never lost throughout his years in Buchenwald and Auschwitz, and his spiritual resistance. He always looked forward, never backward. He helped, encouraged and supported everyone he could, giving them hope for the future.”

The shofar was ostensibly unavailable in any Nazi concentration camp, and possession of a religious artifact could be punished by death. That did not deter a group of observant Jews in the Auschwitz III-Monowitz camp from trying to obtain one to use during High Holiday prayer services. Tydor was one of the prisoners respon-sible for organizing the camp’s work details; and during Rosh Hashanah, he arranged for many of his comrades to be transferred to a work de-tail that was far removed from the center of the camp, where the sound of the shofar could be heard without attracting undue attention. He could not attend the clandestine service they were planning as he had to remain at his posi-tion or risk arousing suspicion.

He later told his daughter, “When I ap-proached the Jewish prisoner who was sup-posed to have the shofar, he denied it. He was probably afraid to tell anyone as having it in his possession meant death.”

Tydor only saw the shofar four months lat-er, in late January 1945, as he and thousands of other prisoners were forced by the SS guards to set out from Auschwitz on the infamous Death March. An emaciated prisoner approached him, handed him an object wrapped in a rag, and said,

“Take it… I’m too sick to survive. Maybe you will make it. Take the shofar. Show them that we had a shofar in Auschwitz,” Judith Tydor Baumel-Schwartz recalled her father saying.

Tydor survived the Death March through the snow to the town of Gleiwitz, which con-tained sub-camps of Auschwitz. From there, the shofar accompanied him to Buchenwald. Realizing that they were losing the war, the Nazi administrators of the camp became more lax, leaving much of the inner organization to the prisoners. Consequently, it was possible for Tydor to hide the shofar in the small rag bag he carried, with his tin cup and spoon. It remained with him until he was liberated on April 11, 1945 by the U.S. Army.

After liberation, Tydor was able to forge a new life. On Rosh Hashanah 1945, he was on a boat to Palestine. In view of the Carmel mountain range, Tydor blew the shofar for a group of young survivors—many, like him, from Auschwitz. They were about to reach the Promised Land.

Chaskel Tydor passed away in 1993. He is survived by three children, nine grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, and a great-great- grandson (named after him).

The shofar has remained with the fam-ily since the Holocaust and has never been dis-played in a museum or institution. Prof. Bau-mel-Schwartz visited the Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage this past spring, and she men-tioned having a shofar from Auschwitz to the ex-

hibition’s chief curator, Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt. He asked if she would be willing to have it exhib-ited in the Auschwitz exhibition on long-term loan. She immediately agreed that her family’s treasured shofar with its powerful story should be part of the exhibition.

“Since the exhibition Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away. opened, Holocaust survivors and their children have come forward with amazing Auschwitz-related artifacts and the stories that accompany them,” said Dr. Robert Jan van Pelt, a historian and chief curator of the exhibition. “Their enthusiasm and willingness to share what have become treasured family heirlooms show that the exhibition is not only the result of decades of research, but also a cata-lyst for exciting new discoveries and insights, and an occasion to strengthen and enlarge the community of people dedicated to the future of Auschwitz as memory, as knowledge, and as les-son.”

“This shofar is a powerful example of spiri-tual resistance, defying the oppressor by insist-ing on preserving religious integrity,” said Dr. Michael Berenbaum, a scholar and part of the curatorial team for the Auschwitz exhibition. “By tradition, the shofar blasts are intended to storm the heavens and plead for mercy. The sho-far is blown: one whole blast is followed by three shattered blasts, and then by nine, short stac-cato blasts. The final blast, the Tekiyah Gedo-lah, restores and expands the original shattered wholeness. One must imagine how the prison-ers of Auschwitz felt on that most sacred of days, the New Year when life and death hang in the balance. Their world had begun in wholeness, but was shattered, utterly broken apart. If they survived—and that was a big if—they could only dream of wholeness, of restoration.”

Featuring more than 700 original objects and 400 photographs, mainly from the Aus-chwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the New York presentation of the exhibition allows visitors to experience artifacts from more than 20 inter-national museums and institutions on view for the first time in the North America, including hundreds of personal items—such as suitcases, eyeglasses, and shoes—that belonged to survi-vors and victims of Auschwitz. The Museum of Jewish Heritage has incorporated into the exhi-bition nearly 100 rare artifacts from its collec-tion that relay the experience of survivors and liberators who found refuge in the greater New York area.

Following the New York presentation, the exhibition is intended to tour other cities around the world. Future destinations will be announced by Musealia and the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is located at 36 Bat-tery Place, New York City . Call 646.437.4202 for more information.

visit www.westchesterjewishlife.com

Photo credit: Museum of Jewish Heritage/John Halpern

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