WESTCHESTER COUNTY’S ONLY MONTHLY JEWISH NEWSPAPER Kol … · 2020. 4. 13. · JewishWESTCHESTER Life WESTCHESTER COUNTY’S ONLY MONTHLY JEWISH NEWSPAPER April 2020 -- Nisan-Iyar

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JewishLifeWESTCHESTER COUNTY’S ONLY MONTHLY JEWISH NEWSPAPER

April 2020 -- Nisan-Iyar 5780, Volume 26, Issue 4

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Kol Ami Food Pantry Serves Beleaguered CommunityBY STEPHEN E. LIPKEN

Congregation Kol Ami, White Plains has organized a Food Pantry, partnering with Feeding Westchester to provide nourishment to those in the community who may be isolated by the COVID-19/Coronavirus who have no ready access to sustenance.

“We’re all feeling the fear and un-certainty that come with a new threat and so many unanswered questions,” according to Kol Ami Member Relations Co-Chair Alison Adler. “This is when our shared community is at its best. So many of our congregation are eager to provide support. So many members of our community need our assistance. As we continue to look out for and care for one another, sometimes taking action is the best path towards finding calm in

the midst of a storm…“While many of us are hunkering

down these days, with refrigerators and pantries pretty well stocked, there are many people in our community who are hunkering down as well-but without provisions.

“Kol Ami is already positioned to help through our Food Pantry. There are several ways you can safely participate…

1. Drop off bags of designated food in White Plains.

2. Deliver food to congregants.3. Write a check to the Congrega-

tion Kol Ami Food Pantry, make an on-line credit card donation or go to www.NYKolAmi.org/FoodPantry.

“All adults are encouraged to vol-unteer to assist congregants in need or indicate ways our Temple members may assist you. This may be acts as simple as providing grocery runs, medication pick-ups, pet supply deliveries or fulfill-ing other requests for basic necessities or just making calls to check in…” E-mail: nykolami.org.

“G-d has no hands but ours,” Rabbi Shira Milgrom stressed.

In a “Zoom Gali Gali” conference call initiated by Rabbi Milgrom regard-ing the effects of COVID-19, some con-gregants expressed missing human interaction, but others determined the isolation to be “a Shabbat” and chance to walk through White Plains “and explore new neighborhoods.”

Milgrom noted that just before they left Egypt, the Jews were com-manded to smear lamb’s blood on their lintels and stay indoors.

Rabbi Shira Milgrom

Westchester Jewish Life • April 2020 • Nisan-Iyar 5780 • Page 2 • www.westchesterjewishlife.com

JDC Responds to Coronavirus Pandemic, Addressing Humani-tarian Crisis and Jewish Community Needs

In response to the acute humanitarian needs emerg-ing from COVID-19 pandemic, JDC, the global Jewish hu-manitarian organization, is responding worldwide by pro-viding life-saving aid for the most vulnerable, including the poor and elderly, who’ve been hardest hit by this crisis. JDC is ensuring the safe provision of supplemental food, medi-cines, medical care, hygiene supplies and training, as well as the deployment of programs to battle loneliness and retrain the unemployed. Given the in-creasing and widespread toll of social-isolation on Jewish communities, JDC is also cre-

ating virtual spaces for com-munity resilience-building, Jewish education, culture, and leadership training to provide the resources needed to sus-

tain Jewish life. To support JDC’s Coronavirus Response effort, visit: https://www.jdc.org/coronavirusupdates/

“The formidable scope of this pandemic is profound, as are the heartbreaking human needs escalating in its wake. We in the Jewish community have been especially touched by this crisis and are harness-ing our institutions and global support network to deploy a wide-ranging response that focuses on saving lives, caring for those desperately in need, and strengthening connec-tions and Jewish community at a time when we must remain apart from those we love most.

Through these actions, we ask others to join us in affirming life even in the face of despair,” said JDC President Mark Sisis-ky and JDC Interim CEO Asher Ostrin.

JDC’s global coronavirus intervention – being carried in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America as well as funding partners, foundations, and individual donors – includes:

• In the former Soviet Union, response options will include distribution of supple-mental emergency medicine, medical care, and food for the poorest elderly and children as well as the provision of personal hygiene gear, private transportation, and communi-cations equipment for homec-are workers and staff to be able to safely aid clients in remote locations. The organization is also deploying professional support to Jewish institutions for managing an emergency routine, and rolling-out online programming and materials for Jewish activities, including virtual Passover seders, Shab-bat meals, and JCC events. Small grants are being award-ed to community-run initia-tives that mobilize volunteers to stem loneliness among the elderly, and for local commu-nity engagement. JDC’s Ac-tive Jewish Teens, the region’s largest Jewish teen network connecting more than 3,200 Jewish teens in 60 cities, has created an online platform for participants to continue their annual calendar of events, in-cluding lectures and holiday celebrations. AJT is a partner-ship with the Genesis Philan-thropy Group and BBYO.

• In Israel, transform-ing services in partnership with the Israeli government and NGO sector, to address the growing needs of the most vulnerable groups, including: the elderly, people with dis-abilities, youth and families at risk, and underserved popula-tions. This includes deliver-ing essential care services and meals in 180 locations for two months for quarantined and homebound elderly; training and coordinating volunteers in over 50 locations to provide vital services, including ad-

dressing loneliness, to vulner-able homebound populations. Creating and disseminating online services, videos, and in-fographics in Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, and Amharic provid-ing guidelines, best-practices, and other vital information for over 1 million beneficiaries; and producing skill-building content, highlighting alterna-tive employment opportuni-ties and adapting materials for distance learning for people who have lost, or are about to lose, their jobs.

• In Europe, Asia, and North Africa, JDC is work-ing through our community partners to provide special precautions for services to the elderly, and throughout the entire region, volunteers are being recruited, hotlines are being launched, and services are being adapted for the new reality. From JDC’s coronavi-rus response appeal, JDC will assist Jewish communities to provide basic food packages for families in need as well as supplementary medicine for the elderly as the economic toll of the crisis develops and, community members are turn-ing to welfare organizations as they face the looming threat of poverty. In addition, JDC is focusing on leveraging the re-silience capacities of commu-nities, supporting their leader-ship and focusing on assessing emerging needs.

• In Latin America, JDC is working in Argentina to provide food, medicine and monetary assistance to the neediest elderly Jews, people with chronic diseases, and families with children at risk.

In Cuba, where the regular communal Shabbat dinner has been suspended, Shabbat food has safely been distributed to local community members at home. Additionally, JDC convened a Zoom call with an expert on nursing homes in which 47 representatives from Jewish nursing homes across Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uru-guay, Peru, Colombia, Venezu-ela and Mexico participated. They are already engaged on a very active JDC-created What-sapp group to share elder care best practices in the face of the pandemic.

• In place of in-person gatherings, trips and events, JDC Entwine, the organiza-tion’s young adult platform has quickly mobilized virtual programming including: glob-al briefings with JDC experts on responses to global crises, spotlights on how young pro-fessionals in global communi-ties are building community abroad, and virtual gatherings, such as book clubs and giving circles to help bring partici-pants together to engage with global Jewish issues.

• In Ethiopia, JDC is training key organizations and institutions in the life-saving practices of hand washing, proper hygiene, and social dis-tancing while establishing hand washing and hand sanitizer sta-tions in areas with limited or no access to clean water and soap. JDC is equipping two central health facilities in Addis Ababa with basic materials for ensur-ing the safety of its medical per-sonnel in dealing with the virus.

JDC is the leading global Jewish humanitarian organiza-tion, working in 70 countries to lift lives and strengthen com-munities. They rescue Jews in danger, provide aid to vulner-able Jews, develop innovative solutions to Israel’s most com-plex social challenges, cultivate a Jewish future, and lead the Jewish community’s response to crises. For over 100 years, their work has put the time-less Jewish value of mutual re-sponsibility into action, making JDC essential to the survival of millions of people and the ad-vancement of Jewish life across the globe. For more informa-tion, visit www.jdc.org

Mark Sisisky

Asher Ostrin

OP-ED

Coronavirus – The Moral AspectBY RABBI DR. RAYMOND APPLE,

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

Job spoke for all of us when he said, “You see a calamity and are afraid” (Job 6:21).

We all see a calamity un-folding before us and we are all afraid. Some call it an epidemic, others a pandemic. It is a panic-demic.

The travel industry is col-lapsing, schools and universi-ties are closing, there are ghost towns everywhere, life is in lock-down.

The first instinct of some people is to find a scapegoat. Iran is characteristically blam-ing it on America. Westerners think Asiatics are the ones who are guilty. What ridiculous preju-dices!

Those who prefer Biblical thinking recall that scriptural texts constantly link suffering with sin.

It must be G-d punishing a sinful generation! That was the approach of Job’s friends: “Is not your wickedness great? Are not your iniquities without end?” (Job 22:5).

That’s G-d’s policemen speaking – and their thinking is skewed.

Why the virus started is a complicated issue. There are many constellations behind the history of Covid-19. Even climatic factors might be involved since this is all happening in a be-

tween-seasons period. We can’t cast blame unless we have the in-formation to back it up and even then we have to recognize that it is not a mere academic issue; real people are suffering real pain. Facile stereotypes won’t make anyone feel better.What we need is a response.

Here are six things to do:- The first thing can be

framed in Biblical language – “venishmar’tem me’od lenafsho-techem”, “Look after your life carefully” (Deut. 4:15). Follow the advice of the experts even if it means not kissing the mezuzah and not shaking hands. If you need to be quarantined, endure it stoically and keep away from crowds, not only at sport match-es but maybe even in shul.

- Support and appreciate the medical profession. Not only in the medical research and de-

velopment areas. They are in every sense a real line of defense against the enemies that assail every human being’s body and mind.

- Don’t put up with fake information that blames the or-dinary individual or groups of them even though they have dif-ferent looks and likes.

- Pray that G-d’s wisdom will guide those who seek ways to contain and control the trans-mission of the virus, and that His Providence will protect His world and its inhabitants. Psalm 91 is a good prayer to say.

- Accept a pastoral respon-sibility for those who are suffer-ing, and their families.

- Mold societies in which love, loyalty, support and help-fulness will be the guiding notes, helping the world towards ethi-cal climate change.

Rabbi Dr. Raymond Apple


Orthodox Union Launches Programs to Combat Food Insecurity As COVID-19 spreads

throughout the country, Ko-sher Food Lifeline (KFL), a program of the Orthodox Union – the nation’s oldest and largest umbrella organi-zation for the North Ameri-can Orthodox Jewish com-munity, launched programs to combat the anticipated significant increase in food insecurity, especially for the Passover holiday.

With many airlines can-celling flights – especially flights to Israel – for the fore-seeable future, there exists an abundance of available kosher meals. To avoid their going to waste, KFL arranged for Mas-bia, a nonprofit soup kitchen network and food pantry, to deliver these meals to those who need them.

Second, the organization launched a web resource on the KFL website (www.ou.org/kfl) to help match excess food with those who are in need. The online portal allows for

people all over the country to submit information about available kosher food (both chametz for before Passover or kosher for Passover food) in different communities. Those in need can access the website and search by city and state to find food which is free or low-cost so that they can properly nourish themselves during this difficult time.

Third, the OU and Ko-sher Food Lifeline launched an emergency Passover food cam-paign to help the unprecedent-ed number of families within the community who are ex-periencing financial strains that they never imagined they would suffer. For more infor-mation, visit: https://www.ou.org/giving/hunger/.

Even in normal economic times, more than 10-percent of the Jewish community faces food insecurity issues. But with businesses contracting and the stock market in de-cline, the current crisis will

impact far more fami-lies that usual.

“The OU and all of our individual depart-ments are working around the clock to as-sist the community in a variety of ways as the COVID-19 pandemic impacts us,” said Or-thodox Union Presi-dent Moishe Bane. “As Passover quickly approaches, the issue of putting food on the table becomes a real concern for many in our community. These new programs will help fill that gap.”

“The COVID-19 crisis has deprived many families of in-come and others are confronting wholly unanticipated, non-discre-tionary expenses; all the more devastating during this period leading to Passover,” said Or-thodox Union Executive Vice

President Allen Fagin. “The OU is devoting significant resourc-es to help with food insecurity issues our community is facing

due to the COVID-19 outbreak.” “Kosher Food Lifeline’s

mission is to help exist-ing food pantries, Tomchei

Shabbos programs and re-lated social service agencies throughout the United States to provide nutritious kosher food to Jews in need,” said Kosher Food Lifeline Found-ing Director Allison Deal. “We have received calls from all over the country this past week as there is a tremen-dous need which we are look-ing to help alleviate.”

Founded in 1898, the Or-thodox Union, (OU), serves as the voice of American Or-thodox Jewry, with over 400 congregations in its synagogue network. As the umbrella or-ganization for American Or-thodox Jewry, the OU is at the forefront of advocacy work on both state and federal levels, outreach to Jewish teens and young professionals through NCSY, Israel Free Spirit Birth-right, Yachad and OU Press, among many other divisions and programs. For more in-formation, visit https://www.ou.org/.

Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane


Millie Jasper

continued on page 8

Yonkers Businessman Comes to Rescue in New Rochelle

BY JACK SCHWEIZER

As the effects of the Co-rona Virus loomed in New Ro-chelle, Yonkers Businessman Brent Delman, owner of the kosher cheese company called “The Cheese Guy”, along with his wife Dr. Patricia Vuguin-Delman participated in a Zoom virtual meeting between parents and staff from their son Daniels’s school, (WTA-Westchester Torah Academy) and Dept. of Health officials. Brent, Patricia and Daniel are long time members of Lincoln Park Jewish Center for over 10 years and their generosity and participation in the shul is well chronicled throughout the Lincoln Park Community and elsewhere in Ny Metro Area.

The largest group of stu-dents from the WTA school come from New Rochelle which is at the center of the

virus outbreak. The school is closed because there were sev-eral students who contracted the virus, and the rest of the school who had come in con-tact with them were ordered to be in quarantine. During the virtual meeting Brent and Patricia realized how many whole families (not just the students) were affected and not able to leave their homes.

As a producer and pur-veyor of kosher dairy prod-ucts, Brent was fortunate to be in a position to help out. During the Zoom meeting, he texted a message to the group and asked if anyone could use free goods delivered to their homes during the crisis. Many accepted the offer. The word spread on Facebook, to oth-ers in the area. On Thursday March 12, Friday March 13 and Sunday, March 15 he drove from home to home in New

Rochelle, Riverdale, Yonkers and White Plains dropping off boxes of “The Cheese Guy” specialty cheeses, and other kosher dairy products donated by Chabad of Yonkers, to fami-lies in quarantine and elderly folks that are home bound. While dropping off packages and walking out to the street, his mitzvah was rewarded by the happy faces he observed of those who haven’t had any human contact (other than virtual) for a couple of weeks. His personal outreach with the support of his wife Patricia, only demonstrates his char-acter as an altruistic and car-ing entrepreneur that enable him to give something back to a community that has been supportive of his business for many years. During this period crisis, we need more families like the Delmans to set an ex-ample for philanthropy.

Afya Foundation Delivers COVID-19 Health Supplies Locally

Afya, a Yonkers-based nonprofit which delivers medi-cal supplies to underserved lo-cations globally, has formed a partnership to assist New York Federally Qualified Health Centers in Westchester Coun-ty and New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is about AFYA’s ability to respond to any need, anywhere,” according to Dani-elle Butin, founder and CEO of The Afya Foundation, which recovers medical supplies and diverts them from local land-fills Afya sorts and prepares the supplies for shipment to many countries, from Wuhan, China to Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Now Afya has joined in the domestic effort in New York.

“We are helping locally where help is needed,” Butin said. “Our shipments are pos-sible because of our remark-able partners, UJA- Federation of New York and Regeneron. They are helping us to pack and send truckloads of sup-plies from our warehouse to lo-cal sites in need of supplies as rapidly as possible.”

There is a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers in New York City and Westchester County who have submitted lists of essential and necessary health items that are needed to provide safe healthcare. The Hudson River Health Care Center in Peekskill has agreed to serve as the key donation site, and will coordinate distribution and sharing of supplies with

other FQHCs in the region. Harlem United, a long-term partner of Afya, will receive pallets of supplies to support their ability to deliver primary and diagnostic care to their lo-cal catchment area.

“This is a call to action,” Butin continued. “We have ex-perienced health emergencies in many places near and far. Now it is our time, in New York, to respond.”

The Afya Foundation is a non-profit organization dedi-cated to improving the health of individuals throughout the world who suffer needlessly due to a lack of access to basic medical supplies and equip-

ment. Afya collects surplus medical supplies, hospital equipment and humanitarian provisions from health care facilities, businesses and pri-vate donors to support both on-going and disaster-related initiatives. Since its founding in 2008, Afya has recovered and shipped more than seven and half million pounds of do-nated supplies to more than 72 countries. The organization has been recognized by the Greater New York Hospital As-sociation, Eli Lilly, GreatNon-profits and the United Nations.

For more information on Afya Foundation, go to www.afyafoundation.org.

Department of Mental Health Offers Support to ResidentsThe Westchester County De-

partment of Community Mental Health (DCMH), together with its partner agencies, will be offering guidance and support to West-chester County’s residents as they cope with the impact of the Coro-navirus (COVID-19). It is projected that the health crisis precipitated by COVID-19 could have a lasting impact on the mental health of the citizens of Westchester. People may experience stress, fear, grief, depression and anxiety. DCMH will be implementing educational and supportive services through various forms of communication, including a dedicated telephone resource line, social media, taped video recordings, chat lines,

printed materials and linkage to counseling.

DCMH will partner with dif-ferent organizations and private clinicians to provide the following supports:• DCMH Information, Support

and Referral line at (914) 995-1900 8 a.m. to 8 p.m./Text #914-461-7281.

• Behavioral Health Crisis Pre-vention and Response Team (Available for psychiatric emer-gencies).

• On-going educational and sup-portive services on such topics as coping, addressing anxiety, parenting through this dif-ficult time, and mindfulness exercises through various tele-

communication.• Psychological response to tar-

geted groups as needed. • Peer-to-Peer Support through

DCMH provider network.• Access to counseling and other

supportive services through provider network and pro bono clinicians.

• Services and supports to tar-geted populations such as parents, teens, seniors, health care workers, first respond-ers, LBGTQ communities and those with pre-existing mental health or substance use condi-tions.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for all County employees

Lone Soldier Dalia from Westchester


continued on page 6

The Music Business Taught Locally by Larchmont AuthorSTAFF REPORT

In these unprecedented times, by pivoting to new technologies and teaching methods, Harvey Rachlin, who runs the Music Business and Music Internship Program at Manhattanville College in Pur-chase, is getting use to the new normal.

“It’s a big adjustment to

teach online nowadays. My lectures on the Music Busi-ness are the same as what they were in front of a room full of students. Your mind-set goes from a classroom to a screen,” he explains.” Man-hattanville is so great. They send alternatives to what the best approach of teaching online is and they are very supportive. All students can

choose between getting pass/fail or letter grades.”

The Larchmont resident started teaching full time at Manhattanville in 2008, though his career began as a writer after he graduated college. He wrote his first book in 1977, called The Songwriters Handbook. “ I had a street education by working for a music publisher and record producer back then,” he says.

From the music busi-ness and his love of writing, he branched out and is now the author of 13 books in-cluding the newly published Song and System-The Mak-ing of American Pop Music, published by Rowman and Littlefield and available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. “The book weaves the evolution of popular music with the Music business and it has been endorsed by nu-merous luminaries from the

music world.”The award wining

author has also written for various magazines and newspapers. “It took 2 years of research and writing to complete my new book, “ Rachlin mentions. “ Tony Orlan-do, Bobby Rydell and Ja-nis Ian all gave wonder-ful back cover reviews. I have been very fortu-nate to have gotten some great endorsements over the years.”

Rachlin has even produced a syndicated

cartoon, drawn by Steven Du-quette, called The Menschkins, which dealt with a normal Jew-ish family and ran for 4 years.

Now his agenda includes the writing of 2 new books. First, a non fiction love story based in the 1700’s. As a long time member of Chabad of Larchmont and Mama-roneck, the other book will be a young adult story with a Jewish theme. “ It’s a real coming of age story of a boy who will soon be having his Bar Mitzvah, “ Rachlin re-

veals.“I get a lot of satisfaction

from writing. To compose a book, it takes a long time. I be-come so consumed as I get fur-ther into the writing,” he adds.

“I am also proud that many of my Music Business majors who graduated from Manhattanville College, have gone on to careers in the Music Business including entertain-ment attorneys and executives at record labels and licensing organizations.”

The varied books by Harvey Rachlin include: Song and System-The Making of American Pop Music; The Songwriter’s Handbook; The Encyclopedia of the Music Business; Scandals, Vandals and DaVinci’s; Jumbo’s Hide, Elvis’s Ride and the Tooth of Budda; Lucy’s Bones, Sacred Stones and Einstein’s Brain; The Making of a Detective; The Songwriter’s and Musi-cian’s Guide to Making Great Demos; The Money Ency-clopedia; The Kennedy’s: A Chronological History; The TV and Movie Business; and The Making of a Cop.

Harvey Rachlin

NY Natives Who Serve in the IDF will not be Home with their Families for Passover

Some 208 New York na-tives are currently serving as Lone Soldiers, those who join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with no immediate family in Israel. In light of the corona-virus pandemic, thousands of IDF soldiers have been ordered to remain on base for an in-definite period of time to mini-mize their exposure to the vi-rus. The current crisis means that many IDF soldiers, among them some 1,000 Lone Soldiers from the US, including the 208 from New York and 16 from Westchester County, will not be home with their families for the Passover holiday.

The IDF is taking these necessary measures to remain vigilant against COVID-19 and maintain operational pre-paredness. The IDF under-takes the responsibility of not only fighting against foreign armies but also assisting with national civilian missions. While quarantined on their bases, IDF soldiers are help-ing the Israeli national effort through blood drives and by managing two—and soon to be four—hotels that have been converted into quarantine and rehabilitation centers for the civilian population.

Friends of the Israel De-fense Forces (FIDF) has imple-mented programs to address the emergency needs of sol-diers quarantined on bases, and at home. FIDF staff in Isra-el is distributing tens of thou-sands of hygiene kits; gym sup-plies, which consist of various weights and equipment; yoga mats; snack and sweet pack-ages; Sony PlayStations; and more to the IDF soldiers.

“This will be my first Pass-over without my family and I know that it will be hard. Passover has always been an amazing time that we are all to-gether. Like most of my experiences so far in the IDF, it will obviously be different, but I’m hoping for it to be as meaningful as it can be, no mat-ter where I end up celebrating,” said Lone Soldier Dalia from West-chester. “I am so thankful for the support we have received from or-ganizations such as FIDF. A support system is something that is very im-portant in every soldier’s life, Lone Soldier or not.”

FIDF continues to work closely with the IDF to sup-port the soldiers’ increasing well-being needs as the situ-ation progresses. In addition, FIDF has established a dedi-cated information center for Lone Soldiers and their loved ones, as well as a spe-cial quarantine facility in the Givat Olga recreation center to provide the best care and attention for their needs.

“We found out last week that our daughter, Tara, with support from her brother Russell, had booked a flight home to surprise us for Pesach. We are certainly dis-appointed that it can’t hap-

pen,” said Mindy and Andrew, parents of Lone Soldier Tara from Westchester.

“Tara’s decision to serve in a combat unit in the IDF was a big commitment - she and we ex-pected there would be sacrifices. Her inability to travel home to be with us for the Seders is cer-tainly disappointing and not one we anticipated. Of course, the Seder this year is not going to be the typical large gathering of (30+) family members. It is a comfort to know she is not alone in Israel and we look forward to celebrating together next year,” they added.

There is still an urgent need for more hygiene kits to be sent to the soldiers, and this is one of FIDF’s top priorities at this time. On top of this aid be-


ing provided to soldiers across Israel, FIDF is also prioritizing the FIDF DIGNITY Program, which helps ease the burden on soldiers and their families, who struggle to cover their dai-ly expenses. Soldiers and their families with financial difficul-ties are challenged even more because of the coronavirus pandemic and are in immedi-ate need of financial relief.

“The IDF has always been the protector of the State of Is-rael, and today more than ever, as we battle the Coronavirus around the world. The IDF can never take a break – not for an hour, not for a minute, not for a second,” said FIDF National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir. “The IDF’s supreme duty is to keep Israel’s borders secure and its civilians safe. To that end, the IDF needs to remain in full readiness, and be prepared for

any challenge. The IDF cannot take any risk that its soldiers or entire mili-tary units will be incapacitat-ed. For this rea-son, the military made tough de-cisions, includ-ing the separa-tion of civilians from soldiers so that soldiers must stay on bases for at least a month.”

According to Klifi-Amir, this creates considerable chal-lenges – for all soldiers, includ-ing Lone Soldiers. “FIDF is in daily communication with the IDF to follow their directives and understand the soldiers’ on-going needs, in order to ad-just our support and activities,

and guarantee that, even dur-ing these difficult times, we continue to fulfill the needs of our sons and daughters in uni-form,” he added.

Anyone wishing to con-tribute to FIDF can do so by visiting www.fidf.org, or con-tacting your local FIDF chap-ter.

Mindy & Andrew, parents of Lone Soldier Tara from Westchester

NY Natives Who Serve in the IDF will not be Home with their Families for Passovercontinued from page 5

Blow the Shofar on Earth DayBY NIGEL SAVAGE, HAZON

With social distancing now the norm, Hazon invites you to join together, in a differ-ent way, in April.

If you have a shofar, a ram’s horn, we’re going to ask you to blow it at noon EDT, on Wednesday, April 22nd. (That’s 9am on the West Coast, and 2pm in London, and 7pm in Israel.) (And if you don’t have a shofar, now’s the time to try to buy one and learn to blow or, between now and then, you’ll figure out some other instru-ment to blow or bang…)

April 22nd is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and in hon-or of this momentous event we invite you to come together, online. (Originally we were going to ask 50 rabbis and leaders to come to Times Square, to blow shofar-ot together, at noon on Earth Day…) Here’s why:

First: we blow shofar be-cause it’s a ram’s horn. It comes from an animal. You can see that it comes from an animal. It’s a reminder that every-thing we “have,” everything

we depend upon, comes from the natural world. Our food, our soil, the air, the water. We live amidst concrete and metal and plastic and glass – but each of those things is itself from

the natural world. It has been too easy, since modernity, to forget this fundamental fact. And with it the concomitant understanding that – this cli-chéd word, but true – we are stewards of the natural world. And that when we abuse it, animals pay the price, and the

oceans do, and so do we. This is what Earth Day comes to re-mind us of.

Second, we blow the shofar because it is a remind-er of ancient wisdom. People

have been blowing shofarot – ram’s horns – since the beginning of human civilization. And ancient wisdom is encoded, and passed on, within Jewish tradi-tion, and amidst all the world’s ancient wisdom traditions. We are reap-ing, right now, some of the consequences of the arrogance of moder-nity. I don’t reject mo-dernity. If, G-d forbid, something were to hap-pen suddenly to me to-day I’d want 911 and the best of modern medi-cine. But the postmod-ern move, rightly so, is not to reject modernity, but to reach back to the earlier wisdoms that are wiser and differ-

ently shaped. Shabbat. Shmita. Kashrut, as the practice of con-sidering whether something is fit for me to eat. Connection. Obligation. And so on.

Third, we blow the sho-far at times of celebration. Earth Day is a celebration of this beautiful fragile planet,

Nigel Savage

and all the beautiful fragile living creatures, we amongst them, who live on it, and in it, and over it, and in its waters. Amidst everything, amidst this contemporary plague, it is absolutely right that we blow shofar to celebrate the world.

The fourth reason we blow shofar is because we blow it at a time of alarm. No question about that, this April 22nd. If the epidemiologists are right, by that date New York City may well be at close to the peak of this epidemic. The numbers of people infect-ed and people in hospital and people dying will have shot up, possibly very high indeed. As I write these words, none of us knows if we ourselves will be amongst them – either with the virus and ok, or with the virus and very sick, or with the virus and dead, or on death’s door. So it will indeed be the shofar blast of alarm.

And the fifth and final reason we blow the shofar is to call us to teshuva – to repentance, and to a return to our best selves. This too is both self-evident, and vitally necessary. The shofar that we blow on Rosh Hashanah; the shofar we blow at the very end of Yom Kippur; these call us to action. They call us to change. They are a cry of pain and of

fear; they cry out from deep within us, a cry in which we say, please, ok, please let me be better this year. Please let me be my best self. Please let me be kinder, more generous, more honest, more brave.

And right now, it’s a little too soon for us to fully en-gage with the world after this plague; most of us are simply coping, day-to-day, with a huge range of challenges and change in our lives.

People are focused, and rightly, on social distancing, slowing the path of progres-sion, helping people who are sick, providing extra support to the vulnerable, and (rather too late, but better late than never) taking material steps to strengthen social safety networks for people who lose their jobs or don’t have health-care or are homeless or sick or old or in any other way, addi-tionally vulnerable.

But – but – this year’s Earth Day, by this weird quirk of fate, is a week before lag b’omer. Why do we celebrate on lag b’omer, why do we build bonfires and drink and have parties? The midrash has it that it was a time of plague. Thousands had died. And lag b’omer was when the deaths began to abate.

I suspect that the number

of people infected and ill will continue to rise in the coming weeks, maybe all the way to April 22nd. But, underneath the published numbers, by April 22nd the actual num-ber of new infections will be shrinking. By April 29th we may indeed be through the worst, or close to it. And lag b’omer is a way station on the road to Shavuot, to receiving the Torah, to accepting upon ourselves, each year, new and fresh obligations.

So blowing the shofar – and Earth Day, and Lag b’Omer – will be steps towards the new world, after the plague. We will be moving towards a new brit hazon, a new covenant of vi-sion.

A new commitment to change our behaviors, to live more sustainably and more equitably.

A new commitment to change our institutions, so that in every school, in every synagogue – in every church, every mosque, every gurdwara – in every summer camp, in every place of work, we make a commitment to living more sustainably on this planet central to what we do, not in-cidental to it.

So. Please put noon, EDT, on April 22nd, in your calendar.

United Way Provides Coronavirus Relief with up to $50,000 in Grants to Westchester Nonprofits

The United Way of West-chester and Putnam announced that in response to the hard-ships created by the Coronavi-rus it is releasing funds totaling up to $50,000 through grants to nonprofits in Westchester. The organization is looking to tar-get nonprofits directly helping the underprivileged or ALICE populations, those who are em-ployed by are living paycheck-to-paycheck, that are displaced or actively impacted by the Corona-virus (COVID-19) in Westchester County. Individual grants up to $5,000 will be awarded.

“Westchester is firmly en-sconced at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and we have asked the nonprofit com-munity responding to the needs in the community what they are seeing during this unprec-edented time,” said United Way of Westchester and Putnam CEO Tom Gabriel. “This grant initia-

tive is the first of several rounds of funding that we anticipate be-ing able to distribute in support of the communities affected by the coronavirus.”

The initial round of fund-ing is coming from The John M. Bendheim Community Disaster Response Fund, which is admin-

istered by UWWP. Its purpose is to provide direct disaster recov-ery assistance to families as well as local nonprofits affected by colossal natural and man-made disasters.

The late Mr. John M. Bend-heim Sr. and family through the

continued on page 8


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Leon Lowenstein Foundation established The Bendheim Com-munity Disaster Response En-dowment Fund for United Way of Westchester and Putnam in 2012. Mr. Bendheim was a long-time resident of Scarsdale and a sup-porter of United Way as a member of the Tocqueville Society, United Way’s national major donor asso-ciation. Additionally he held many key positions with the local United Way committee in Scarsdale-Edgemont, including the chair-manship, in his early years.

The application is available online at uwwp.org/coronavirus-response-grant

The application deadline is Wednesday, April 15th. United

Way of Westchester and Putnam will disperse the grants in May 2020.

United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) provides strategic resources and tools to residents in crisis or who are mar-ginalized due to personal or life’s circumstances. These include the 2-1-1 helpline, early literacy programming for preschoolers, job skills training and financial empowerment for adults, as well as access to health services.

UWWP is located at 336 Central Park Ave., White Plains, NY 10606. Phone: 914-997-6700 Website: www.uwwp.org. Face-book: (www.facebook.com/Unit-edWayWP)

United Way Provides Coronavirus Reliefcontinued from page 6

and contracted municipalities 995-6070 or email [email protected].

The following organizations will be partnering with DCMH to provide these services. DCMH anticipates additional providers to join to support the collective effort. American Foundation Sui-cide Prevention – Mid-Hudson Chapter, JED Foundation, Mental Health Association of Westches-ter, Mental Health Empower-

ment Project Mind, Body & Spirit Coalition of Westchester, My Sis-ters’ Place, National Association of Social Workers - Westchester Division, Nonprofit Westchester, Putnam/Northern Westches-ter BOCES, St. Vincent’s Crisis Prevention and Response Team, Southern Westchester BOCES Westchester Citizen Therapists Westchester Jewish Community Services, and the Westchester Putnam Peer Support Team.

Department of Mental Health Offers Support to Residentscontinued from page 4

UJA Federation of New York Announces Grants to Meet Needs

On March 23, 2020, UJA-Federation of New York (UJA) announced more than $23 mil-lion in immediate financial aid to help meet the ever-growing needs of vulnerable New York-ers affected by coronavirus (COVID-19). The grants and loans are intended to offer im-mediate relief to New Yorkers facing food insecurity and to provide financial relief to UJA partner organizations so they can continue to provide essen-tial health and human services to their communities.“This first round of grants is a criti-cal part of UJA’s broad effort to support the most vulnerable New Yorkers during this cri-sis. We’re deeply grateful to all our nonprofit partners on the front lines who work tirelessly – day in and day out, and in times of crisis – to sustain our community,” said Eric S. Gold-stein, CEO, UJA-Federation of New York.

$1,750,000 granted to Metropolitan Council on Jew-ish Poverty Met Council will receive $1 million to help its critical work with operations and supplying food pantries across New York. This grant reflects particular concern about food insufficiency among homebound seniors, children who are not receiv-

ing city-funded hot meals, and the unemployed. An additional $750,000 will provide emer-gency Passover meals to more than 180,000 members of New York’s Jewish community in need.

Passover Meals-to-Go Many Jewish New York-

ers will face unprecedented hardship this Passover, which begins on April 8. UJA is mak-ing $250,000 available for Passover meals to-go that will be distributed to those who are newly isolated or quarantined, have relied on free or subsi-dized communal seders, or are newly financially vulnerable.

$21 Million Loan Fund at He-brew Free Loan Society (HFLS)

UJA will establish a $20 million loan fund at HFLS to offer zero-interest loans to UJA

partner agencies that are un-der financial stress. This loan fund is intended to stabilize at-risk organizations that provide essential health and human services for millions of New Yorkers. An additional $1 mil-lion loan will ensure that HFLS can continue to provide loans to small businesses.

New York City COVID-19 Re-sponse & Impact Fund

UJA provided a grant and will serve on the steering committee of New York City COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund, a consortium of leading philanthropic organizations that support New York City-based social services and cul-tural organizations that have been affected by coronavirus. The new $75 million fund will provide grants and zero-in-terest loans to small and mid-size nonprofits to help them respond to emerging needs, cover losses associated with the disruption of their opera-tions, and help them continue their critical work.

“Met Council is on the front lines with UJA-Federa-tion dealing with an unprec-edented crisis unfolding in our city. After healthcare, the number one concern that we should have is feeding strug-

gling, homebound and elderly New Yorkers. The emergency food pantry system is strained in a way that we have never seen before. This emergency funding from UJA will allow us to serve hundreds of thou-sands of New Yorkers who are now in crisis. We are grateful for the partnership that we have with UJA-Federation and their incredible leadership during these times,” said David G. Greenfield, CEO, Met Coun-cil.

“This is a fast, bold re-sponse by the UJA-Federation of New York. There is already tremendous need, and it will deepen as we move forward. The Hebrew Free Loan Society and all nonprofits must work hand-in-hand with funders, employers and government to ensure people have ac-cess to basic needs as income disappears or payments are delayed,” said Rabbi David Ro-senn, Executive Director of He-brew Free Loan Society. “HFLS was founded in 1892. We have helped New Yorkers survive the Spanish Flu, two World Wars and the Great Depres-sion. We’ll get through this lat-est challenge in the same way: By serving as a way for people to help each other when we all need it most.”

Eric S. Goldstein

Orthodox Groups Issue Joint Statement Telling Community to Stay Home & Save Lives

A joint statement was announced recently, regard-ing COVID-19 from the Ortho-dox Union, Agudath Israel of America, Rabbinical Council of America, the Lakewood Vaad, National Council of Young Isra-el and Igud HaRabbonim – Rab-binical Alliance of America.

For the latest updates and guidance from the OU regard-ing the COVID-19 outbreak visit the special page on their web-site dedicated to this: https://www.ou.org/covid19/.

STATEMENT:

Rabbinic leaders and or-ganizations across the Ortho-dox spectrum have, individu-ally, declared the health threat presented by COVID-19 a mor-tal threat (sakanas nefashos).

Today, we, leaders of ma-jor American Orthodox Jewish organizations, join together to reiterate, as clearly and force-fully as we can, our collective view. We have heretofore urged not only full compliance with all health guidelines issued by federal, state, and local gov-ernments, but have gone be-yond those pronouncements in urging our communities to remain at home and avoid, to the maximum extent feasible, any outside interactions. In keeping with those guidelines, we have mandated scrupulous hygiene and social distancing, and urged everyone to stay home and minimize physical interaction.

We have taken the unprec-edented and deeply distressing

step of shuttering the central fixtures of our lives – our shuls, yeshivos and schools – and cer-tainly to eliminate other gath-erings.

We have done so because as observant Jews we have an obligation to place supreme value on protecting human life (pikuach nefesh).

The undersigned, repre-senting the broad spectrum of organized Orthodox Jewry in the United States, wish to un-derscore collectively that which each of our organizations has already stated unequivocally.

Stay home; save lives.May Hashem swiftly re-

move this plague from the world and bless us all with health, peace and tranquility.

Rabbi Chaim Dovid

Zwiebel, Executive Vice Presi-dent, Agudath Israel of America

Rabbi Daniel Korobkin, President, Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Vice President, Rab-binical Council of America

Rabbi Shmuel Blech, Chairman, Rabbi Moshe Weis-berg, Co-Chair, the Lakewood Vaad

Farley Weiss, President, National Council of Young Is-rael

Moishe Bane, President, Allen Fagin, Executive Vice President, the Orthodox Union

Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, Executive Vice-President, Igud HaRabbonim – Rabbinical Alli-ance of America

Additional signatories are forthcoming and will be fea-tured in updated statements.

Board Takes Up Covid 19 Property Tax Relief Measure

On April 3, the Board of Leg-islators began the process of ap-proving tax relief for Westchester property owners this year because of the coronavirus epidemic.

The measure under consid-eration by the Board represents a modification of proposed leg-islation introduced by County Executive George Latimer. The modifications came at the request of a consortium of Westchester’s Town Supervisors.

The proposed legislation would give Westchester’s towns the authority to reduce penalties for late payments of County and Town property taxes, as well as County district taxes, through July 15, 2020.

Town and County property taxes and assessments are due April 30.

Under the proposed mea-sure, penalties for late payments from May 1-May 31 would be half a percent, instead of the current two percent. If taxes are paid in June or in July through July 15, penal-ties would be one percent, instead

of the current five percent rate. The measure would give

towns a tool they can fairly and uniformly apply to all taxpayers immediately, without creating the need for new paperwork or proce-dures for taxpayers seeking relief. Towns will have the ability to opt out of the program if they choose.

The County law does not ap-ply to Westchester’s cities which have their own authority to set rates and do not need a change in County law to adjust penalties.

The measure was passed out of the Board’s Legislation and Budget and Appropriations Com-mittees and a public hearing will be opened on April 14 with writ-ten comments accepted by April 17 at 5pm.

Board Chair Ben Boykin, (D- White Plains, Scarsdale, Harrison), said, “We will be deal-ing with the public health and the economic toll of this pan-demic for a long time, but with tax deadlines approaching, we need to act quickly to help prop-erty owners now.”


Turning Lemon into LemonadeBY BERNARD A. KROOKS, CERTIFIED

ELDER LAW ATTORNEY

While the outbreak of the Corona virus has presented many challenges for all of us, both personally and profes-sionally, we thought we would try to find some good in all this chaos.

The recent pandemic concerning the Corona virus reminds us how important it is to be prepared. After all, while many of us think we might have some control over the future, the reality is that this is just an illusion of control. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, whether you like it or not. However, one thing you do have control over is whether you plan for the future. Advance planning not only applies to having enough

food in your pantry and hand sanitizer available, it also ap-plies to your estate planning.

While many of us feel im-mortal and put off doing our estate planning, recent events have highlighted the fact you may not have as much time as you think to get your affairs in order. While you may not be quarantined on a cruise ship, in a hotel or at home; the real-ity is that you are likely to be-come incapacitated before you die and planning in advance can make things much easier for your family. If something were to happen to you, are your affairs set up to run smoothly?

If you have done your estate planning already, the most important documents to review are your advance health care and financial directives, such as health care proxy and

durable power of attorney. These documents will allow others to step in for you if you are unable to make your own decisions. The health care proxy allows someone to make medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated. It is impor-tant to note that even though you have signed a health care proxy, you still retain the right to make your own medical de-cisions for as long as you are able. The health care proxy is often accompanied by a living will. A living will is a written expression of your wishes and desires in the event you are terminally ill or in a persistent vegetative state. Do you want to receive treatment that may prolong your life even if there is no quality of life? Or, do you want to receive palliative care during this time even if your

life may end sooner than if you had received more traditional curative care designed to cure you instead of reducing pain? Palliative care often refers to care that will improve your quality of life while minimiz-ing pain and discomfort. If you don’t discuss these issues with your health care agent, it often results in placing a great amount of stress and anxiety on your loved ones as they struggle with these difficult issues without the benefit of knowing your wishes.

The durable power of at-torney will allow someone to step in for you to make finan-cial decisions for you. Unlike the health care proxy, the du-rable power of attorney can take effect once you become incapacitated or it can take effect immediately upon sign-ing by the principal and agent. Without proper financial man-agement, bills may not be paid timely and assets may not be managed properly, among oth-er things. Be careful with the

power of attorney as this docu-ment has become extremely complex over the past several years. We often meet with clients who have attempted to complete this document on their own without the benefit of an estate planning or elder law attorney and it is not un-common for us to find a num-ber of errors. Fortunately, if the client comes to us before they lose capacity, we can fix the problem. However, some-times a family member con-tacts us, and it is already too late since the person is already incapacitated and the power of attorney can no longer be fixed. The family is now con-fronted with the unpleasant choice of having to pursue a guardianship for their loved one. A guardianship proceed-ing involves going to court and is a time-consuming process which can cost thousands of dollars.

In summary, there’s never a bad time to review and revisit your estate planning, but a

world-wide medical scare is a particularly good reason to do it. So, if there’s a silver lin-ing to the Corona virus crisis, perhaps it will motivate more people to review their estate plans. If it does, then perhaps we have made lemonade out of a lemon!

Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., is a found-ing partner of Lit-tman Krooks LLP and has been hon-ored as one of the “Best Lawyers”

in America for each of the last seven years. He is past Presi-dent of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAE-LA) and past President of the New York Chapter of NAELA. Mr. Krooks has also served as chair of the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar As-sociation. He has been selected as a “New York Super Lawyer” since 2006. Mr. Krooks may be reached at (914-684-2100) or by visiting the firm’s website at www.elderlawnewyork.com.

Real Estate Matters by John E. Baer, SRES, SRSState Clarifies Position on Property Showings—Can Only be Performed Online

On April 2, after the real estate industry was led to believe that in-person real estate show-ings were permitted by New York State comes a statement from Empire State Development that only virtual/online showings are permissible.

On the evening of April 2, an official with Empire State Development Corp. in a clarifi-cation of the designation of real estate as an “essential” industry, stated that all showings must be conducted virtually or online in order to prevent the spread of the Novel Coronavirus.

ESD, stated, “Being an ‘es-sential’ industry does not mean business as usual—business can only be conducted if social dis-tancing and other public health protocols are followed and all must be doing everything they can to help stop the spread. For real estate, that means brokers can only transact business in their offices or show properties virtually, and anything else is off limits.”

ESD added that appraisers/inspectors are able to visit prop-erties for inspection. Brokers can oversee transactions/sign-ings at their offices while follow-ing social distancing protocols.

The confusion concerning what was allowed and what was impermissible in terms of real estate showings arose when a day earlier commercial and resi-

dential real estate brokers and agents received some welcome if not surprising news when the Empire State Development Corp. clarified existing regula-tions, put in place in response to the Novel Coronavirus Pan-demic, and deemed residential and commercial showings and back office real estate work as “essential.”

The ESD’s clarifications released by the New York State Association of Realtors on April 1 also deemed appraisal services and home inspections as essen-tial.

NYSAR officials stated that the clarification of the designa-tions is a recognition by the state that real estate licensees, real estate home inspectors and real estate appraisers “provide a criti-cal service to New York, which is vital to the wellbeing not only of New Yorkers but also for New York’s local and state economy.”

NYSAR sent an e-mail to its members on April 3 noting the latest clarification by the state and noted, “NYSAR interprets ‘virtual’ to mean no in-person contact when conducting a showing. Licensees should con-duct the showing alone and use a tool such as video conferenc-ing with the buyer or tenant. The goal of the new standard is to further limit the possibility of one on one contact which NYSAR strongly supports.”

Consequently, several days ago I was able to arrange for a professional photogra-pher to photograph a two-bedroom rental I just listed. In order to help prospective tenants get a much better feel for the apartment, I attached a five minute video tour of the unit to the listing sheet. Within a day and a half I was contacted about this two-bedroom rental by three different prospective tenants. With a little bit of in-genuity and imagination, I, as well as other real estate agents, can still perform services for buyers, renters, sellers and landlords. The most important lesson for all of us, however, is to practice risk management over financial reward. Con-tinue to stay safe and follow the scientist’s and medical com-munity’s guidelines.

John E. Baer, SRES, SRS is a NYS licensed real estate sales-person associ-ated with Berk-shire Hathaway

HomeServices Westchester Prop-erties of Scarsdale and Larch-mont. In the last two years he earned the “Top Selling Award” seven times in the Scarsdale of-fice. He can be reached for ques-tions at 914/844-2059. His website is www.WestchesterHomes.info.


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Compensation and Support Programs for Holocaust Survivors in Westchester

BY DEBBIE B. SCHRAG

Today I called one of my clients, a Holo-caust Survivor who is under a precautionary two- week quarantine for the coronavirus in

New Rochelle. She had attended events in her synagogue where individuals had tested positive for the virus. Thankfully, she is fine and has no symptoms. She quickly pointed out to me that she has gone through much worse than a quar-antine in her lifetime.

Westchester is home to thousands of Ho-locaust Survivors. Unlike Brooklyn or Queens, Westchester’s Survivors are spread out through-out the region, with the majority in southern Westchester. As with all older adults, Survivors are faced with multiple challenges as they age, including mobility and transportation to neigh-borhood stores, medical appointments, and so-cial activities. For Survivors, the isolation that often accompanies older age is particularly trou-

bling. Feeling weak and vulnerable can bring back many early memories of persecution. Fi-nancial insecurity is also a major concern.

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) is fortunate to be a partner organiza-tion with the Claims Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The Claims Conference has continuously negotiated over the last 67 years with the German Government for compensation for crimes committed during the Holocaust. The compensation they secure represents a small measure of justice for Jew-ish victims of Nazi persecution in 47 countries around the world. There are multiple compen-sation programs, including monthly pension funds, one-time payment funds, and Child Sur-vivor funds for which you can apply. The full list can be found on the Claims Conference website: www.claimscon.org.

The WJCS Grant allows us to provide fund-ing for cleaning services and home care services for aging survivors in need. Home care aides provide help with activities of daily living like bathing, dressing, preparing meals, administer-ing medications, light housekeeping, and shop-ping. In most cases, it is the companionship of the other person that is most valuable to those who are often home alone. To receive home care benefits, a Survivor has to be approved by the Claims Conference. This process includes veri-fication of Jewish Nazi victim status as well as income verification. The income guidelines to receive home help have recently increased and should be revisited by Survivors who might not have qualified in the past. Once the individual is

approved by the Claims Conference, WJCS so-cial workers will do a diagnostic assessment to determine the hours of help needed.

WJCS provides monthly support groups, led by longtime group facilitator Halina Rosen-kranz, for Survivors, Child Survivors and mem-bers of the Second Generation. Participants share their experiences and concerns in an understanding and supportive environment. A number of “Cafe Europa “ programs are held throughout the year for Survivors to come to-gether as a community to celebrate holidays. (Café Europe was a cafe in Stockholm, Sweden where Survivors would meet after the war to lo-cate family and friends.)

Case management services and trauma informed support and training for caretaker of Survivors are also provided by WJCS, through a UJA-supported grant. There are additional pro-grams available through the WJCS Geriatric and Jewish departments.

Yom Hashoah, the Day of Remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, will be commemo-rated this year from sundown on Monday April 20th through Tuesday April 21st. It is a good time to reach out to Survivors we are blessed to know in Westchester and offer our assistance and friendship. Ask them if they are receiving any services from WJCS and encourage them to do so.

For further information, contact Debbie Schrag, Coordinator of Holocaust Services at WJCS, at 914-761-0600 ext. 2232..Let us handle the creative side of your business.

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USGA Members Volunteer for Feeding Westchester and Display U.S. Open Trophy

BY STEPHEN E. LIPKEN

In line with the coming U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, June 15-21, twenty-seven United States Golf Association (USGA) volunteers converged on Feeding West-chester (FW) headquarters, 600 Clearview Drive, Elmsford on Wednesday, March 4th prepar-ing food for shipment to County soup kitchens, pantries, schools, day care centers and needy West-chester families.

Besides volunteering to ship food for community distribution, the USGA displayed their U.S. Open Trophy.

“U.S. Open travels to loca-tions throughout the country on a yearly basis,” Jeff Altstadter, USGA Director of Open Champi-onship Communications stated. “As a member of the community for a full year it is part of our goal to be good neighbors and friends to the community that has been so helpful to us. This is an oppor-tunity for the USGA to give back to the folks in the community that has been so good to us.”

“Feeding Westchester was founded in 1988, starting out in Hawthorne with a man in a van,” Judy Campisi, FW Senior Direc-tor of Development added. “Last year we delivered over 10 mil-lion pounds of food through our network and direct distribution programs. We used to be the Food Bank for Westchester and re-branded…to better reflect what we do.

“When we say food bank, we think of soup kitchens, food pan-tries, brick-and-mortar agencies.

We really are a resource for those organizations, delivering food through 300 agency part-ners and programs.”

According to www.usgol-fandcourse.com, the first U.S. Open Trophy was awarded in 1895 at Newport Country Club, Rhode Island, won by Horace Rawlins from Britain; first American re-ceiving the award was 19-year-old John McDermott in 1911.

In 1946 the original trophy was destroyed in a fire while on dis-play at the Tam O’Shanter Country Club near Chicago. In 1986 the U.S. Open Trophy was ‘retired’ and is

currently housed permanently at the USGA Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History in Far Hills, NJ. It is brought out for promotional events and displayed at the U.S. Open.

Winners get possession of the trophy for a year.

WJCS Awarded a $100,000 Grant from Mother Cabrini Health FoundationThe Mother Cabrini

Health Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to WJCS-Westchester Jewish Community Services for its Dementia Palliative Care Pro-gram (DPCP), for which it part-ners with Montefiore Health System’s Center for the Aging Brain. The program is dedicat-ed to easing access to afford-able, quality healthcare and healthcare-related services for Westchester’s poor, frail, un-derserved, and homebound el-derly with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders.

DPCP is a new and inno-vative approach to providing homebound elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease and

related disorders and their caregiv-ers comprehen-sive palliative care to address critical issues, including: medical manage-ment of complex health problems, medication man-agement, behav-ioral and psycho-logical symptoms of dementia, so-cial work assessment for con-crete needs, entitlements, and psychosocial support, referral to community-based organiza-tions, and long-term advanced care planning.

DPCP was launched in

2018 as a first-of-its-kind pilot program, led by a Montefiore geri-atrician and nurs-ing coordinator, who deliver home-based medical care to disadvan-taged older adults with dementia throughout West-chester. They work in tandem

with WJCS social workers who are responsible for follow-up home visits to attend to social needs that include connect-ing patients and caregivers to community-based support services, advanced care plan-

ning, supportive counseling, and caregiver support.

Mother Cabrini Health Foundation’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of New York’s poor, dis-advantaged, and underserved population. The Cabrini Foun-dation’s $100,000 grant will help sustain and expand the successfully piloted Demen-

tia Palliative Care Program. It will also provide funds for social workers who are not re-imbursed for home-delivered support through Medicaid, Medicare, or private insur-ance.

“We are honored the Mother Cabrini Foundation has recognized the outstand-ing work we have done in serv-

ing Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers,” says WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “We look forward to using the support from the Foundation to pro-vide critical resources to even more individuals and their caregivers.”

Founded in 1943, WJCS is one of the largest non-sec-tarian, not-for-profit, trauma-

Seth Diamond

A Gala with a Virtual Success!

The WJCS-Westchester Jewish Community Services’ Gala on March 31st, which piv-oted from an in-person Gala at Brae Burn Country Club, to an online event, due to the coronavi-rus and need for social isolation, was an overwhelming success. Almost 1,200 people visited the non-profit organization’s web-site WJCS.com to take part in the WJCS Virtual but Vital Gala.

“The coronavirus pan-demic made us rethink how we would host our Gala. Given the vital needs of our clients, we didn’t have the luxury of cancelling our only major fundraiser of the year,” said WJCS CEO Seth Dia-mond. “People depend on us. These are vital funds. Using our website to “hold” the Gala

was a creative and novel solu-tion. There is always a great need for our mental health, trauma, Alzheimer’s, LGBTQ, autism, and other services and, with COVID-19, the need is even greater. The West-chester community showed its commitment to caring for their Westchester neigh-bors in need by signing on to WJCS.com in droves and gen-erously donating to our Give for Good Auction.”

The WJCS Virtual but Vital Gala had all of the ele-ments of an in-person Gala (except food and drink). Vid-eos included “The Faces of WJCS,” words of welcome by Diamond and WJCS Board member Mariquita Blum-berg, and speeches by honor-

ees Ellen Gelboim from New Rochelle and Bob Mensch from Harrison. Four of WJCS’ 80+ programs were featured in the Give for Good Auc-tion with individuals sharing on video their personal and moving stories of overcom-ing mental health problems, dealing with the emotional repercussions of being a Sec-ond Generation Holocaust Survivor, needing a safe space as an LGBTQ youth, and expe-riencing relief and gratitude as the parent of a young adult with developmental disabili-ties who has gained fulfill-ment and more independent living in a WJCS group home. Donors also gave generously to WJCS’s COVID-19 emergen-cy initiative.

Mariquita Blumberg (left) and Seth Diamond

Documents

WESTCHESTER COUNTY’S ONLY MONTHLY JEWISH NEWSPAPER Kol … · 2020. 4. 13. · JewishWESTCHESTER Life WESTCHESTER COUNTY’S ONLY MONTHLY JEWISH NEWSPAPER April 2020 -- Nisan-Iyar