The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Press

Take Action! A Wish List for Separated Kids and Families

by

Michael Blum, who is on the Board of Temple Emanuel in McAllen, Texas, and  Chair of their Social Action Committee, has begun collecting toiletries and toys for the detainees and separated families from the border. 

Michele Gregson

“His Temple is right near the border and I have spoken with them this morning,” said Michel Gregson, chair of the Westchester Women, UJA-Federation of New York and the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center.

“If you are frustrated as I am about what is happening at our border, there is something tangible that we can do collectively,” said Gregson.

Gregson has set up a public Wish List at Amazon based on Michael Blum’s suggestions. If you click on the link and select the item(s) you would like to purchase and they will be sent to Blum. 

“We can all feel that we are part of the solution and not just screaming at the wind,” said Gregson.  “Thank you, in advance, for your generosity, and please share with your friend group.”

WISH LIST link:

https://amzn.to/2K5c4PH

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I Had a Little Suspicion”

by

Pre war, my uncle Wolf, with my grandmother and grandfather, before the Nazis separated he and my dad first from their parents. In time, Mengele separated him from my father too.

By Grace Bennett

As  I read of children and babies held hostage in cages–as little more than bargaining chips–my dad’s singularly monstrous experiences of separation and loss during the Holocaust have come back to haunt me.

 Whether you agree that the Holocaust comparisons to the current day madness are fair or not (I admit that I find the comparisons troublesome sometimes), I think when you read this, you might at least agree there are powerful lessons to be learned and that our despair over the abuse and indignities being inflicted on migrant families and especially to the children at our border is entirely warranted.
 
When any category of people are treated so callously, and our President lies so brazenly about ‘who created the situation,’  as the situation persists, yes, you damn well better question authority to the max, and do not stop.
 
To protect helpless children, I do beg you: please lose any moral qualms about assuming the worst.
 
We know full well that the worst is possible. It is all our jobs now to guard against the worst. The worst, the Holocaust taught us, also comes incrementally.
 
But I digress because my dad’s story as a victim of rock bottom evil speaks for itself…
 
After being separated from the rest of his family (all of whom–except for my dad and grandfather–were killed at Auschwitz), my father and Wolf (who was two years younger) had managed to stay alive during the Holocaust after being dragged away for ‘work details,’ i.e.,  slave labor. Together, they suffered and together they survived a series of smaller ‘labor’, i.e., concentration, camps. 
 
Through it all, what meant absolutely the most, what time and again would trigger their survival instinct and help the other through, was that they had each other. They looked out for each other, my dad told me. Being together meant everything.
 
But then they were sent to Auschwitz, too.
 
An excerpt (lightly edited) from my Poppy’s memoir.
 
“The Germans decided to send us to the concentration camp Auschwitz. Arriving there we were greeted by the S.S with the infamous Dr. Mengele. They lined us up and the Dr. was telling us that all injured or too young to do hard work will go to a special location for the injured and children, and will be taken care of.
 
I had a little suspicion.
 
He (Mengele) got in front of me, and for some reason, he asked my age.  I said 16, and added that we are very good workers.
 
My brother (Wolf) said nothing; he was younger than me but taller and a fiery red head.
 
He (Mengele) told my brother to step forward and told him that he will be better off being with children.
 
Our (Jewish) camp leader was a 6’ tall guy. He showed the S.S. officer his damaged finger, so he told him to also go with the children and take care of them.
 
In the meantime my brother came running back asking for half of the bread we still had.
 
I begged him to stay with me, but he argued I should go with him.
 
One of the soldiers noticed the commotion and asked what was going on.
 
I said that I have the whole bread, so he said to break the bread in half and give that to him.
 
They went one way, and we vent to shower, change our civilian clothing into striped uniform and we all got tattoos injected into our forearms.
 
My # was 141940 with an upside triangle underneath.
 
After arriving in the quarters assigned to us, we went outside of our building, meeting people from other buildings, telling them where we came from,
 
I mentioned that I came here with my brother who was transferred to a camp for children.
 
He told me to look at the smoke in the background, and said, “That’s were your brother and all the others are, being incinerated…”
 
 In Wolf’s memory, may the gross mistreatment, abuse, and human rights violations of children at America’s border–AMERICA’S border–STOP. We are better than this.
 
Grace Bennett is Publisher and Editor of the Inside Press.  She has been on the board and advisory board of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center since 2007 and is a member of Women’s March for All. Her father (‘Poppy’) Jacob Breitstein is a 96-year old Holocaust survivor.
 
 

Get On Your Mat for Mental Health: TODAY at 5:30!

by

 

 

 

Court Street between Main Street and Martine Avenue, White Plains, NY

Tell the world you believe #MentalHealthMatters and welcome summer under the open sky on Wednesday, June 20th at Get On Your Mat For Mental Health, an outdoor mega-yoga event benefiting MHA!

Participate in the open-level yoga flow class led by Sarah Platt-Finger. The fun-filled night also includes other activities that will leave you energized and focused:

  • Live music by guitarist and composer David Robles
  • Raffles with some great prizes
  • Our Photobooth and, new this year, our Message of Hope display
  • Chair massage/chair reiki from Bronxville Wellness Sanctuary
  • Karla McGuire’s Namaste Bus filled with goodies for yogis to purchase
  • A Peloton workout bike
  • And many more exhibitors…

Let’s come together as a community in support of mental health!

To register:

https://www.picatic.com/GetOnYourMatForMentalHealth

 

 
 

Hillary Clinton’s Call for Donations to Help Families at the Border

by

Calls Border Abuse “Horrific” and States Sessions’ Biblical Reference “Contrary to Everything I was Every Taught”

Via Onward Together, Secretary Hillary Clinton sent the following urgent message this morning:

“What’s happening to families at the border right now is horrific: Nursing infants ripped away from their mothers. Parents told their toddlers are being taken to bathe or play, only to realize hours later that they aren’t coming back. Children incarcerated in warehouses and, according to more than one account, kept in cages. This is a moral and humanitarian crisis. Everyone of us who has ever held a child in their arms, and every human being with a sense of compassion and decency should be outraged.

Even as I warned this could happen on the campaign trail–that Trump’s immigration policies would result in families being separated, parents being sent away from their children, people rounded up on trains and buses–I hoped it would never come to be. But now, as we watch with broken hearts, that’s exactly what’s happening.

We can be heartbroken, but we shouldn’t be hopeless. There’s something you can do to help.

Today, I’m asking you to take a stand on behalf of immigrant families by making a direct donation to the groups working to protect kids separated from their families by ICE.

The test of any nation is how we treat the most vulnerable among us. First Lady Laura Bush made that case eloquently in the Washington Post this weekend, writing: “This zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart.” She’s absolutely right. We should be a better country than one that tears families apart, turns a blind eye to women fleeing domestic violence, and treats frightened children as a means to a political end.

Meanwhile, Jeff Sessions is trying to use the Bible to justify this cruelty. Let me say this: I went to a lot of years of Sunday school and even taught it from time to time, and what is being done using the name of religion is contrary to everything I was ever taught.

I still believe in the vision we share for our country, and I won’t let scared children become victims of partisan politics. Alongside the organizations that Onward Together partners with, we can and will elect politicians and enact legislation to protect the most vulnerable among us — but first, we have to address the urgent needs of families at the center of this crisis.

Make a contribution today, and your donation will go directly to the groups doing this work right now:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/families-border?refcode=email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=onward&utm_content=3+-+Donate+now&utm_campaign=20180618_hrc_full&source=20180618_hrc_full

 

Dear Men: We Know You Are Walking on Eggshells. Take Note: We are, too.

by

Wise Words at  Manhattanville College School of Business| Women’s Leadership Institute’s 4th Annual Women’s Leadership Summit

‘Dare to be Bold’…was ‘Dare to Evolve’ 

By Michel Gunn

June 8, 2018, Purchase, NY — So, the 800-pound elephant in the room is how we go forward after #Metoo, the Women’s March, and all the other movements that are happening. This was addressed head on with the opening statements from Kathy Meany, the WLI Director, Laura Persky the Director and The Honorable George Latimer.

At the Manhattanville College Women’s Leadership Summit: (L-R0: Jean Mann, Hon. George Latimer; Westchester County Executive, Nancy Barr; Westchester County Legislator | 6th District, Laura Persky , Gilda Bonanno, and Kathy Meany

As professionals, we had to admit there are tensions in our offices. When I mentioned that I was going to The Summit to my male colleagues, we could have heard a pin drop with the silence. I found myself backpedaling for words to make them understand that that didn’t mean they should be worried.

The Summit’s address for this was synonymous with mine. They gave me words like “as women, we aren’t here to analyze every action and word that comes out of a man’s mouth.  There will still be pockets of outrage when the situations are just unduly repressive and harassing.  But, we are past most of the ugly part.  Now, it is time for the moving forward.  And this moving forward with us—at your side as equals—will be AMAZING—because we can finally give all of ourselves.”

The goal of the summit to me were the answers to two vital questions:

  • How do we move forward and do great work with men, now?
  • How do we use this opportunity to be the BEST LEADERS for the advancement we envision and beyond?

HIGHLIGHTS

She called herself the Warm-up Band, 30- year Army Colonel, Col. (Ret.) Donna Brazil, was funny, knowledgeable and seasoned in successful leadership strategies.  She made us define ourselves, by defining the characteristics we gravitate to in our mentors and influencers.  She showed us that we too, have those qualities, that we probably weren’t using. 

My take-away quote from her:  “If you’re leading no one but yourself, you’re still LEADING.”  (This gives me chills.)

Kathy Meany, in her quirky and funny way, she makes networking tactics reminders fun. Always important to review.

Vanessa Wakemen, Business Owner and Seasoned Speaker told us a story of DIVERSITY.  Basically, she was in a situation of being a diversity hire in the 1990’s, as a 29 -year-old woman, and a woman of color.  Her story of what she did with it was amazing.  If you every get to speak with her, ask her about what her mother told her to do.

Lunch consisted of our Honorable Catherine Borgia, Westchester County Legislator, 9th District.  In the fashion of the day, Ms. Borgia was a perfect addition, with her down-to-Earth manner and ability to relate to most in the room, as a mother and career woman. I was proud to have someone from my home town, and also with whom I have had the pleasure of working.*

We also heard from Manhattanville’s President,  Michael Geisler, Keia Clark and Adriana Kierszenbaum, Esq. as Food for thought to help us in our business with legal information and inspirational examples of success.

After lunch was really fun.  We played GAMES—With Gilda Bonanno—which got us ALL communicating on a higher level.

I know that sounds all hokey, but it was true, we had full bellies and brains, and were ready to LAUGH and exercise are qualities on each other.  The Games consisted mainly of how to improvise.  Which improvising is what good leaders do with suggestions from talent in meetings to nurture, along with when confronted with situations.

The games were also great to take back to our teams. Gilda was funny and really lightened the intensity of our learning.

MICRO-RESILIENCE –  OLYMPIC Medalist and Bestselling Author, BONNIE ST. JOHN graced us with multiple stories of triumph through adversity…and simple tactics to build RESILIENCE.

We heard of through odds of not just losing a leg as a child and growing up in a less-than wealthy family but suffering sexual abuse and the obvious obstacle of being a woman and a woman of color, she triumphed… all the way to a silver and two bronze medals in downhill events at the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

From Bonnie, we got inspired and listened to the concept of resilience.  She put it best when she said change isn’t slowing down, if anything it’s getting faster.  So, there won’t be that break time in the future, so learning resilience is how you strive and play to win.

More take-aways I got from Bonnie St. John to keep us in a direction of success:

  1. The Paralympics is the epitome of “not quite perfect” of Olympians. Use this as an example of just because something isn’t perfect looking, doesn’t mean that it won’t work. So, don’t wait to reach out to people, just because your elements aren’t ‘perfect’. Take a risk and do it.
  2. Designate a Zone for you to focus when you need to
  3. Working in teams works. When multiple people share a responsibility, your alliance to the team is better motivating than doing it alone.
  4. Define the REAL BOSS of your jobs. Put a picture of your end customer on your wall as the boss of your job(s), and every time you are deciding on a project, moving the company in a direction, ask yourself if this is the right move for the Boss. 

In was an inspiring day that I know the women I met with make every effort to keep the afterglow alive until we meet again… or implement one to the techniques and reap the benefits.

The Women in the room gave me chills in terms of how open they were to learn for the betterment of, not only themselves, but of the environments and work cultures they want to cultivate.

I’m looking forward to next year’s Summit.  Thank you to The School of Business at Manhattanville College, and the Women’s Leadership Institute for the lessons and insights…and the cupcakes.

So, guys.  We’re in this together.

Michel Gunn is CEO of Gunn Multimedia Partners, Inc.. Gunn describes herself as the ‘easy to talk to’ woman owner of a 15-year-old marketing agency specializing in ‘Small Business Lead Generation Tools’ such as Interactive Websites, Social Media Blogging and Advertising, and Copy/Content Creation which historically has enabled growth for $5Mm – $10M volume Businesses in the amount of 20%+ annually. She is also an animal lover.