See What’s Happening Around Town
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Excusive One Night Only: “Stories from the Fringe…”
On Sunday, June 10, at 7 p.m, Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester is proud to present, direct from the Jewish Women’s Theatre in Los Angeles, an exclusive one-night-only performance of Stories from the Fringe: Women Rabbis, Revealed! Finding holy moments, in love, God and a fabulous pair of shoes. The benefit performance will be held at the Temple on 220 South Bedford Road.
Provocative, heartfelt and humorous, the play draws from interviews of 18 Los Angeles women rabbis revealing the unique journeys that brought them to the rabbinate. The play celebrates and marks an historic moment in Jewish history, the ordination of the first woman rabbi, Sally Preisand, in America forty years ago.
Stories from the Fringe, was written by Ronda Spinak and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Rabbi Lynne A. Kern. It is based on oral interviews with the rabbis whose stories all speak of their pioneering work to break the glass ceiling of an all male-led Jewish tradition. Some of the proceeds from this performance will support Jewish Women’s Theatre and the newly created Story Archive of Women Rabbis. Tickets for this event are $36 adults, $28 seniors 65+, $28 for students under 18. For more info and tickets, please go to communications@bethelnw.org.
Chappaqua’s 75th Strawberry Festival
Saturday, June 9, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.–rain or shine, Chappaqua’s Church of St. Mary the Virgin, located at 191 S. Greeley Avenue, will hold its 75th annual Strawberry Festival. Dating back to 1938, the perennially popular Festival has the distinction of being the longest continually-running event in Westchester, providing a fun day of food, games and prizes, crafts, Attic Treasures, and music for the entire community. St. Mary’s has a very strong tradition of giving back to the local and the global community. Profits from the Festival help to fund the church’s Outreach Program, provid- ing financial support to programs such as food pantries in Pleasantville and Elmsford, Neighbors Link in Mt. Kisco, the Bedford Hill Correctional Facility’s Nursery, to name a few.
Food is always a big attraction, starting with St. Mary’s famous strawberry shortcake luscious strawberries piled atop shortcake. The indoor Strawberry Patch Café offers a cool place to sit down and enjoy tuna or tabouleh wraps, plus an assortment of strawberry-themed delights. Performing groups include the bluegrass Stump Jumpers with keyboard, guitar, fiddle, and vocals; the Blues Dogs on sax, harmonica, flute, drums, and vocals; Faith, Hope, and Charity playing show tunes and classical music; and the all-female Scarborough Singers. For more info, call Mary Dierdorff at 914 471-1762
Photo © Marianne A. Campolongo
Dr. Alyssa Dweck, Author of V is for Vagina, Visits Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester (Video)
Pleasantville Family Commemorates Son With Tennis Benefit
on May 19th, from 3pm to 6pm, Pleasantville residents, Stacey and Barry Follman, along with their daughters, Cecelia and Miryam Follman, will host “Aces for Aaron,” at Chestnut Ridge Racquet Club, 30 Snyders Hill Road, Mount Kisco, New York – 914.666.2898.
This event will commemorate the life of Aaron Ross Follman on what would have been his 10th birthday. “We want to celebrate Aaron’s life. And we want the day to reflect our family,” states Barry Follman. “Supporting Kennedy Krieger is an important part of our lives. Playing tennis is a huge part of our lifestyle. We combined these things to create a day that celebrates our son.”
The day will include tennis for players at all levels, face painting, food, music and dancing, giveaways, raffles and a silent auction through the website www.biddingforgood.com. A suggested donation of $50 (single) to $75 (family) will go directly to the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, as will all proceeds from the event, and will be used for research dedicated to newborn screenings and ensuring that parents have knowledgeable health care professionals to discuss and assist with their child’s treatment.
Aaron Ross Folman died at eight months of age from Zellweger Syndrome (ZS), a genetic disorder that is typically diagnosed at birth. Signs and symptoms can include poor muscle tone, poor feeding, seizures, hearing loss, vision loss, distinctive facial features, and skeletal abnormalities. Infants with ZS also develop life-threatening problems in other organs including the liver, heart, and kidneys. ZS is caused by mutations in any one of at least 12 genes. Infants with ZS rarely survive more than one year of life. “When our son was born on May 21, 2002, he was immediately diagnosed with Zellweger’s Syndrome. We were blessed to have Aaron in our lives for eight months, and he taught us what it meant to be parents,” states Stacey Follman. “With the support and advice of Drs. Gerald Raymond and Steven Steinberg of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, we gave Aaron the best life possible. Since that time, Kennedy Krieger has been our dedicated charity. We are hoping that our community will come together to honor Aaron’s life and support the Kennedy Krieger Institute.” The Kennedy Krieger Institute has earned international recognition as a premier treatment center for children with disabilities— from the rarest of genetic disorders to the most common learning problems. In one year, Kennedy Krieger Institute treats more than 16,000 patients and provides over 100,000 visits. The institute is affiliated with Johns Hopkins and supports research dedicated to many projects associated with the complex terminal genetic disorder ZS.
There is no cure for ZS, nor is there a standard course of treatment. At this time, most treatments are symptomatic and supportive. To register for the event, visit www.kennedykrieger.org/acesforaaron To bid on the silent auction, goto acesforaaron10.com. For more information about Zellweger Syndrome or the Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org
