The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Inside Press

Coming to Philipsburg Manor on May 25th: A Festival Filled with Music, Art, and Storytelling Celebrating African American Holiday

by

Live Performances, Food Trucks, Hands-on Activities Coming to “The Pinkster Festival” in Sleepy Hollow

Storytelling, music, dance, drumming, crafts and food inspired by Black culture will highlight “The Pinkster Festival: Remembering the Past, Reimagining the Future” on Saturday, May 25, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m at Philipsburg Manor. The festivities will commemorate the region’s African American history and culture and look forward into a vibrant future with live performances, storytelling, and hands-on art activities.

Some of the day’s highlights include immersive spoken word and music performances from Malik Work, master kora player Yacouba Sissoko, DJ GoodWill, the Mount Vernon Denzel Washington School of the Arts youth gospel choir, and drummer Kazi Oliver, as well as dance performances from Threads of Truth and Hallow Dreamz. Multimedia artist Nichole Washington will be creating art inspired by Pinkster and Adinkra symbols throughout the day, and Chef Apa will be demonstrating open hearth cooking.

Visitors can also get hands-on making Adinkra stamps, drums, and flower crowns, and enjoy tasty treats from local food trucks, including Ambrosia Juicery, Bazodee Street Foods, and Kinwich. Pinkster, originally a Dutch observance of the Pentecost, was by the 1800s in New York recognized as a joyous, festive African American holiday celebrating the arrival of spring. Philipsburg Manor, a National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the educational non-profit organization Historic Hudson Valley, began celebrating Pinkster in 1977, making this event the longest-running Pinkster Festival in North America.

Malik Work, an accomplished poet, playwright, and actor and a founding member of the groundbreaking jazz/hip hop group The Real Live Show, is curating The Pinkster Festival’s performances for the second year in a row. He previously collaborated with Historic Hudson Valley on an original piece of poetry for the award-winning interactive documentary, People Not Property.

Admission is $14 for adults; $12 for seniors and young adults 18-25; free for children 17 and under and for Historic Hudson Valley members.

The Pinkster Festival is supported by Insperity.

About Philipsburg Manor

In 1750, Philipsburg Manor was home to 23 enslaved individuals known to have lived and labored there. It is the country’s first living history museum that focuses on the history of northern slavery. Philipsburg Manor is at 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., two miles north of the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. Information: 914-366-6900, www.hudsonvalley.org. About Historic Hudson Valley Historic Hudson Valley, Westchester County’s largest cultural organization, educates and entertains more than 325,000 visitors a year through school programs, tours of five National Historic Landmarks, digital content, and large-scale popular entertainment events like The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze and The Spirits of Sleepy Hollow Country.

Countywide Yom HaShoah Commemoration to be Held May 6th at Garden of Remembrance in White Plains

by

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC), Westchester Jewish Council (WJC), and UJA-Federation of New York will host the annual Countywide Yom HaShoah Commemoration Keeping the Memory Alive on Monday, May 6 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Garden of Remembrance on 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains, New York.

The program will feature a keynote presentation by Holocaust Survivor Annie Kleinhaus and a procession of Westchester’s rescued Holocaust Torahs, remarks from County Executive George Latimer. and a lighting of candles by college students who are members of Hillels of Westchester.

The event is held to remember the 6 million innocent Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, and to reflect on the powerful lessons of this genocide that will hopefully resonate today, as reporting of antisemitic incidences are at an all-time high.

In addition to this annual event on Monday, HHREC has a number of other major developments coming up in the weeks ahead, including a dedication ceremony for the planting of a sapling grown from a tree referenced in Anne Frank’s Diary on June 11th at the Garden of Remembrance. This tree is one of six in the U.S. awarded by the Anne Frank Center USA in 2024 in recognition of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center’s commitment to education and sharing Anne Frank’s message of hope.

The HHREC has also received a significant increase in requests for Holocaust Survivors and Second-Generation Survivors from the HHREC Speakers Bureau to appear at area schools throughout the Hudson Valley and around the tri-state area, and 34 schools from the Hudson Valley participated in our Annual HHREC High School Institute this spring.

This event will be held rain or shine, and admission is free and open to all. For more information contact Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrency.org or Pam Goldstein pam@wjcouncil.org.  

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

Facts and Figures www.hhrecny.org

  • HHREC works with over 35 Hudson Valley area teachers and students to help schools fulfill the New York State mandate that the Holocaust and other human rights abuses be included in their curriculum.
  • Since 1994, HHREC has brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights crimes to more than 3,000 teachers, and through them to thousands of middle and high school students in the Hudson Valley.
  • The HHREC Speakers Bureau offers a unique resource for educators. Speakers include Holocaust Survivors and GenerationsForward second and third generation speakers. In the past academic year 29 speakers appeared at area schools (approximately 13,000 students).
  • The HHREC Anna & Nicholas Elefant Library in White Plains offers a unique education resource about the Holocaust and human rights for area teachers and includes over 4,400 volumes of books curated by HHREC.
  • The HHREC, Westchester Jewish Council, and UJA-Federation of New York present the Annual Westchester Countywide Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration each year at the Garden of Remembrance at 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains. In 2023, a crowd estimated at close to 350 people attended the event that featured a keynote presentation by Holocaust Survivor Dr. Aliza Erber.
  • In 2023, over 1,000 people from around the world attended HHREC Memory Keepers Story Hours on Zoom that featured HHREC GenerationsForward Speakers.

HHREC also works with community partners throughout the Hudson Valley area schools, synagogues, colleges, churches and civic centers in Westchester and the greater Hudson Valley area to fulfill their mission: to “enhance the teaching and learning of the lessons of the Holocaust and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect. “ Their community partners include among others the Clark Center at Manhattanville College, Community of Holocaust Education Centers (USHMM), Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center at Yeshiva University, Iona University, Purchase College, SUNY, Westchester Business Council, Westchester Jewish Community Services, and the Westchester Jewish Council.

HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper has been an invited guest speaker of Governor Hochul, County Executive Latimer, and many others, and chaired a session in Washington D.C. at the Association of Holocaust Organizations Conference in 2023.

 

Passionate Advocates Helping Those in Need Honored at 2024 Westchester Jewish Community Services Gala

by

Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) held a hugely successful Gala at Brae Burn Country Club on Tuesday April 16th with hundreds of Westchester community and business leaders, government officials, and Westchester residents, all passionate advocates for helping those in need in Westchester County.

The event honorees were Meira Fleisch of Larchmont, a child and family advocate and longtime WJCS Board member who was an Early Learning Specialist in the WJCS ParentChild+ program for many years, and Stephanie Marquesano of Ardsley, founder of the harris project. Marquesano is a partner with WJCS in promoting the importance of identifying and treating the co-occurring disorders of substance use and mental health.

(From left) Seth Diamond, CEO; Meira Fleisch, Honoree; Stephanie Marquesano, Honoree; Lauren Candela-Katz, Chief Advancement Office; Shannon Van Loon, Chief Program Officer

The evening was filled with inspiring words and stories shared by WJCS clients who shared their struggles before coming to the agency and how the organization transformed their lives.

“Since 1943, WJCS has been here for the people of Westchester. Today we provide programs and services for 20,000 Westchester residents of all ages and backgrounds. This year’s Gala theme was “Support. Resiliency. Well-Being.” That captures the transformative impact that WJCS supporters make possible,” said WJCS CEO Seth Diamond. “With the support of our partners in government, philanthropic foundations, community organizations, and donors, we look forward to continuing to fulfill our mission of helping individuals in Westchester address mental health, educational, cognitive, social, aging, and financial challenges and shape positive futures.”

Chairman of the Westchester Legislature Vedat Gashi, Publisher of Inside Press Magazines Grace Bennett, and Westchester Commissioner of Mental Health Michael Orth   INSIDE PRESS PHOTO

Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) Chairperson Emeritus Joseph Kaidanow (left) & HHREC’s Treasurer Andrew R. Benerofe INSIDE PRESS PHOTO
ABOUT WJCS
WJCS-Westchester Jewish Community Services has been serving those most vulnerable in Westchester county since its founding in 1943. It is a non-sectarian, not-for-profit, trauma-informed human service agency and its mission is to help people of all ages and backgrounds cope with emotional, cognitive, environmental, physical, interpersonal, social, and educational challenges. Agency experts, using evidence-based practices, provide youth, mental health, trauma, disabilities, and senior services to approximately 20,000 people each year. It also offers privately-funded educational and spiritual programs for the Jewish community. For more information, please visit https://www.wjcs.com. 

The Chabad Center Invites You to a Community Passover Seder that Feels Like Family

by

Come Experience the Festival of Freedom

The Chabad Center serving Armonk, Chappaqua and Pleasantville, invites you to join the annual Community Passover Seder.

Two Chabad led Seders are being held on Monday and Tuesday evening, April 22nd and April 23, where Chabad’s Rabbi Butman says you can expect to experience the liberation and freedom of Passover and a delicious Seder in a beautiful setting and atmosphere. The Seders will take place at The American Legion Hall at 35 Bedford Road in Armonk, NY.

The Seder will be easy to follow and many parts will be said in English, Rabbit Butman said, and will not go for too long. “Together we will explore and discover the eternal meaning of the Haggadah, and enjoy a Seder in a family-like atmosphere, complete with hand-baked Shmurah Matzah, Fine Wine, and a wonderful dinner with unique traditional customs.”

What is Pesach?

The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan. Passover (Pesach) commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Pesach is observed by avoiding leaven, and highlighted by the Seder meals that include four cups of wine, eating matzah and bitter herbs, and retelling the story of the Exodus. 

If you have any questions or to reserve your seats, write to: chabadacp@gmail.com

 

Westchester Area Authors to Appear Live to Discuss New Book on the Holocaust

by

 April 10, 2024 — A group of Westchester County area second-generation Holocaust survivors will appear live today on Zoom starting at 7 p.m. to discuss a book they have written and published documenting their families’ experiences during the Holocaust. Testaments of Courage in the Holocaust is a compilation of true stories told by the authors that describes the courage and resilience of their family members who escaped the Nazis’ final solution.

“Putting this book together was a labor of love for me – a gift to the dear friends I met when I joined a Storykeeping Workshop sponsored by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center.” said Melanie Roher, one of the authors of the book. “When I listened to everyone’s stories during the class, I wanted to remember them, and not lose them over time. It has been a joy to work with each of my classmates, whose parents’ stories now live on these pages. “

Top row, from L to R: Debby Ziering, Gloria Lazar, Melanie Roher, Dennis Schoen, Michelle Griffenberg, Ziporah Janowski, Pat Gaston, Joan Poulin. Bottom row from L to R: Helen Rubel, Vivian Pronin, Tina Goldman,* Julie Lowy,* Mónica Mandell. *These two participants continue to research and develop their stories. Their narratives do not appear in the book.

Roher lives in White Plains, NY, and she is a member of the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) GenerationsForward Speakers Bureau, a second and third generation group that includes children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who appear at area schools, synagogues, churches and other community events. HHREC Memory Keepers are trained speakers who tell their family’s story from their next generation perspective, adding new meaning to the survivors’ powerful stories of witness. Other local authors whose stories appear in the book include Pat Gaston (Irvington), Tina Goldman (Ossining), Michelle Griffenberg (Tarrytown), Ziporah Janowski (Croton on the Hudson), Gloria Lazar (Tarrytown), Joan Poulin (Somers), Vivian Pronin (Hastings-on-Hudson) Helen Rubel (Irvington), Dennis Schoen (Fairlawn, NJ), and Debby Ziering (Greenwich, CT.)

In the book Forward written by Lazar, she describes her experience working with fellow authors. “The personal histories in this book reflect months and years of research and reflection by a group of second and third generation descendants of Holocaust survivors, and in one case, a child Holocaust survivor. During the winter and spring of 2019, we met in a workshop each week and engaged in the arduous process of dissecting and writing our family histories. We searched through letters, diaries, photographs, audio and video tapes – every form of record – to uncover the struggle, displacement and survival of our family members who emigrated to the United States from almost every country in Europe where Jews were hunted by the Nazis. They are remembered by daughters, sons and grandchildren determined to document the courage of these brave individuals who escaped the Nazis’ final solution. The difficult journeys taken by our families reflect the ultimate triumph of the human spirit against the inhumane efforts by the Nazis to eliminate the Jews of Europe. We honor these brave men and women whose DNA we possess and whose spirit we hope to illuminate in our stories.“

The book is available for sale on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Testaments-Courage-Holocaust-Children-Survivors/dp/B0C87SSX3L and is available for teachers to utilize in their classrooms from the HHREC Anna & Nicholas Elefant Library in White Plains.

To register for this event visit HHRECNY.org.