The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

Happenings

HHREC Honors Westchester Business Leader, Features Pulitzer Prize-Winning Speaker at Annual Fall Benefit

by

HHREC Benefit Honoree Dennis Mehiel   Photos by Julie Rothschild

November 1st 2022– The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) honored Westchester County Business Executive Dennis Mehiel at their annual Benefit at Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York on October 27th.  HHREC Board of Directors Chairperson President Michael Gyory introduced Mehiel, who spoke about the importance of standing up against antisemitism and expressed his gratitude for the work of HHREC in offering programs that teach the lessons learned from the Holocaust. Mr. Mehiel was the first person not of the Jewish faith elected to the Board of Governors of Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work where he served from 1989 until 1996.

Bret Stephens, New York Times Columnist and Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalis, was the HHREC 2023 keynote speaker.

The program also featured a talk and Q&A with Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist, Author, and New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, who appeared as the event Keynote Speaker. Stephen’s talk centered on drawing parallels between 2022 and 1922 and the dangers of overlooking signs of hatred and discrimination, and the possibility that they could reoccur in the U.S. in the years ahead.

HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper recognized Holocaust survivors who were in the audience and introduced a film about the HHREC Educator’s Study Tour of Germany and Poland. She also thanked the audience for their continued support for HHREC programs and announced a new endowment campaign.

“We are so grateful for the support from our growing community, especially those who came out to be with us for this year’s HHREC Benefit.” said Jasper. “ Our staff, board of directors, and education program partners are reenergized as we continue in our efforts to teach the lessons of the Holocaust, and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Additional Photos by Julie Rothschild

(L-R) Iris Weintraub Lachaud; Michael Gyory, chairperson, HHREC; and State Senator Shelley B. Mayer
Holocaust survivors Agnes Vertes and Nick Friedman
(L-R) Rena Hecht, New York State Assemblyman Chris Burdick, and Bob Piliero
David A. Alpert, Board Member, HHREC, with Honoree Dennis Mehiel
(L-R): Rachel Greenspan, Member, HHREC Board of Directors; Grace Bennett, HHREC Advisory Board; and Lisa Salko, HHREC Speakers Bureau

 

Annie Kleinhaus (Holocaust Survivor) and Millie Jasper, Executive Director, HHREC
Board of Directors, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center
Steve Goldberg, Co-Director of Education, HHREC (second on left) with Karin Kast-Meinhrad (left) and to his right, Karen Kruis and Julia Collins 
(L-R): Brian Lombardo, Dr. Joyce Brown, former New York State Comptroller Carl McCall, who also addressed attendees of the HHREC benefit, and Kelly Mehiel
Michael Brown, Catherine Borgia, Chairperson, Westchester County Board of Legislators, and Pamela Stern
Andrew R. Benerofe, board member, HHREC, and Rabbi Daniel Gropper, Community Synagogue of Rye

About The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center is a not-for-profit organization based in White Plains New York that serves Westchester, Fairfield, and neighboring counties. Their Mission is 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. We encourage students to speak up and act against all forms of bigotry and prejudice. Their work with students and teachers helps schools fulfill the New York State mandate that the Holocaust and other human rights abuses be included in their curriculum. Since 1994, they have brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights crimes to more than 1,500 teachers, and through them to thousands of middle and high school students. Through their volunteer Educators Program Committee, the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center gives teachers the unique opportunity to develop programs for themselves and others. These programs not only enrich teachers’ knowledge about the Holocaust and related issues, but they also provide the lens through which to view all other human rights violations. For more information call 914.696.0738 email info@hhrecny.org 

SunriseWALKS Pearl River Celebrates its 10th Anniversary at Annual Walk on Sunday, October 16

by

The annual event raises funds to provide summer day camp for children with cancer and their siblings in the local tri-state area. SunriseWALKS Pearl River will take place on Sunday, October 16 at Camp Ramaquois, 30 Mountain Road, Pomona, NY 10970

Timeline
9:00 – 9:45 AM: Registration/Check In • Pre-Walk Activities • Complimentary Light Breakfast

10:00 AM Opening Ceremony, Followed by Walk, Finish Line Celebration, and Carnival

Registration Fees
Children 12 & Under-$10; Adults-$20

Additional Information

SunriseWALKS Pearl River, organized by the Sunrise Association, gives participants the power to provide children with cancer a gift that will change their lives forever: the magic of summer. The walk and fall festival is the largest community fundraising event for the camp in Pearl River which hosted close to 300 children this past summer at no charge to the families. This year marks the 10th annual SunriseWALKS and our 10th summer at our camp at Sunrise–Pearl River. Camp Ramaquois will host this event again on their spectacular campgrounds.

The Sunrise Association brings the magic of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings at 11 Summer Day Camps around the world, Year-Round Programs, and In-Hospital Recreational Activities, all offered free of charge. SunriseWALKS raises money for the Sunrise Day Camps, which are located in New York (3 locations), Baltimore, Metro DC, Atlanta, Israel (3 locations), Greater Philadelphia, and online (SunriseVX Virtual eXperience). There are eight SunriseWALKS events that span from June to October.

Visit the Sunrise Association at www.sunriseassociation.org, SunriseWALKS Pearl River at www.sunrise-walks.org/pearlriver, or contact Michelle Warsoff at 845-288-3796.

News courtesy of the Sunrise Association

Rising Senior at Horace Greeley Completes Westchester County Executive’s 2022 Summer Fellowship Program

by

Top row (L to R): Isabelle Lahiri (McGill University), Sofia De Chiara (The College of William and Mary), Michael Waxman (Harvard University), Christopher Borst (George Washington University), Brandon Beame (Binghamton University) Devon Seixas (Vassar College) Bottom row (L to R): Ashley Dallos (New Rochelle High School), Stephanie Brooke Kornberg (Temple University), Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Bryan Goodman (Binghamton University), Netra Easwaran (Horace Greeley High School)

 

Netra Easwaran, a rising Senior at Horace Greeley High School, recently completed the 2022 Summer Fellowship Program with Westchester County Executive George Latimer. She and nine other college and high school students interned at the Intergovernmental Relations Department at the Office of the County Executive in White Plains.

Over the course of three months, they had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the daily workings of the office and gain an appreciation for the role played by the county government. The Interns engaged in various research opportunities, authoring briefs on various topics such as infrastructure development, employment trends, gun violence, and clean energy. They were also given the opportunity to tour establishments, such as the Westchester County Records and Archives and the Westchester County Department of Emergency Services. 

The Interns also had a chance to meet with County Executive Latimer in small groups and discuss the responsibilities, challenges, and rewards of the County Executive post. 

In addition to the political aspects, the Interns were also given an overview of how media is utilized in local government. They attended press conferences by County Executive Latimer and inaugural events to announce new initiatives, such as the construction of the Overture at Brookfield Commons, an affordable housing development. As an aside, the Interns were introduced to political campaigning and witnessed canvassing efforts for Legislator MaryJane Shimsky. 

Netra’s most poignant experience came from being able to attend a Board of Legislators Meeting on June 27th, in which the Board passed the Reproductive Health Care Facilities Access Act. She reflects on the experience: “As a young woman myself, it was incredibly empowering to watch, as a bill protecting safe access to reproductive healthcare facilities, was signed into law.” 

The Fellowship Program was led by Copernicus Crane, Assistant Director of Intergovernmental Relations, who mentored the Interns throughout the experience and coordinated the various opportunities described above. 

 

Bret Stephens to Offer Keynote on October 27 at the HHREC Annual Benefit Honoring Dennis Mehiel

by

Survivor Hannah Deutsch, Millie Jasper, Survivor Alan Moskin, Christa Moskin

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) will honor Westchester County Business Executive Dennis Mehiel and feature Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist Bret Stephens as Keynote Speaker at their annual Benefit on Thursday, October 27th starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York.

Dennis Mehiel

Dennis Mehiel, formerly a twenty-year Westchester County resident, is the Managing Member of Four M Investments, LLC, headquartered in White Plains.  Four M is a Private Investment Firm that manages only family funds, focused on early-stage technology, food service and corrugated packaging.  He is the Chairman and CEO of Delmarva Corrugated Packaging, Inc. 

Mr. Mehiel is the former Chairman, CEO and Principal Shareholder of Box USA, which he founded in 1966. When sold to International Paper Box USA was then the Nation’s largest independent producer of corrugated shipping containers operating 22 corrugated packaging facilities and two containerboard mills, all located within the continental United States.   Mr. Mehiel is also the former Chairman, CEO, and Principal Shareholder of Sweetheart Cup Company, which was then North America’s largest producer of disposable tabletop products for the away-from-home dining market.  Sweetheart was rescued from insolvency when acquired by Mr. Mehiel in 1998, and was divested to its principal competitor, Solo Cup Company in 2004.  More recently, Mr. Mehiel has begun development of a small number of large capacity capital intensive “Alpha” Corrugated Manufacturing Facilities, the first of which began operations in late 2021 at Dover, Delaware.  

Mr. Mehiel has long been active in New York State political and civic life.  He served for 12 years as a member of the Democratic National Committee, is a former Chairman of the Westchester County Democratic Committee, was an Officer and Director of the New York League of Conservation Voters. He was the Democratic Nominee for Lt. Governor in 2002 and was the New York State Chair of the Kerry Presidential Campaign in 2004.  From 2012 until 2017 Mr. Mehiel served as Chairman and C.E.O. of The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA), which operates a 92 Acre property at the south end of Manhattan created when the World Trade Center was constructed 40 years ago.  

Mr. Mehiel is a former Member of the Board of The Milano School for Management and Urban Policy at the New School, a Member of Business Executives for National Security and a former Trustee of the Westchester Medical Center.   From 1989 until 1993 he was a Trustee of the Windward School in White Plains, one of the region’s premier providers of education for learning disabled children.  He also served for ten years as a Trustee of the Purnell School in Pottersville, N.J., an independent high school for girls who have not succeeded in a traditional competitive academic setting.  Mr. Mehiel was the first person not of the Jewish faith ever elected to the Board of Governors of Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work where he served from 1989 until 1996. 

Mr. Mehiel is a member of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in New York City.  Until recently he served as the Chairman of Friends of St. Nicholas, charged with managing the construction of The Saint Nicholas National Shrine, which replaces the only House of Worship lost during the attack on September 11, 2001.  The Shrine was Consecrated July 4, 2022.   He is a former member of the Archdiocesan Council, the Lay Leadership of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Americas.  He is an Archon of The Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, the world’s oldest Lay Religious Organization and a recipient of the Medal of St. Paul, the Highest Honor a lay person may receive from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. 

Mr. Mehiel Resides in New York City with his wife Karen.

Bret Stephens is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and columnist with the New York Times, and the honoree is Dennis Mehiel, Principal Shareholder and Chairman of U.S. Corrugated, Inc.  Stephens joined The New York Times as an Op-Ed columnist in April 2017. Mr. Stephens came to The Times after a long career with The Wall Street Journal, where he was most recently deputy editorial page editor in charge of international opinion and, for 11 years, the paper’s principal foreign-affairs columnist. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. At The Post he oversaw the paper’s news, editorial, digital and international operations, and also wrote a weekly column. He has reported from around the world and interviewed scores of world leaders.

Bret Stephens

Mr. Stephens is the author of “America in Retreat: The New Isolationism and the Coming Global Disorder,” released in November 2014. He is the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions, including three honorary doctorates, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for commentary. In 2022, the government of Russia banned him for life from visiting that country. He was raised in Mexico City and holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago and an MSc. from the London School of Economics. He and his wife, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, a music critic and entrepreneur, live near New York City and have three children.

To register for this event, or for more information including sponsorship opportunities visit the HHREC website hhrecny.org, email benefit@hhrecny.org or call 914.696.0738.

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) will hold their annual Benefit on Thursday evening, October 27 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York. The Keynote Speaker is Bret Stephens, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and columnist with the New York Times, and the honoree is Dennis Mehiel, Principal Shareholder and Chairman of U.S. Corrugated, Inc.

To reserve your place or for more information, including sponsorship opportunities visit the events page at hhrecny.org, or email benefit@hhrecny.org or call 914.696.0738.

Survivor Betty Knoop with Ruth Nyavira
Liberator Alan Moskin and Survivor Sami Steigmann

A Summer Celebration for Holocaust Survivors at Young Israel of White Plains

by

Approximately 70 Holocaust survivors enjoyed a summer celebration on Wednesday July 13 featuring lunch, live music, socializing, and a special address by State Senator Shelley Mayer on July 13, 2022, at Young Israel of White Plains. The event was hosted by Westchester Jewish Community Services, in partnership with UJA-Federation of New York.  The joyous and meaningful event  was a tribute to the hope, strength, and resilience of the survivors and the courage and determination with which they build constructive lives and families after experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust. 

Allison Danzig, Coordinator of Holocaust Services at WJCS, welcomed everyone to the event and shared how honored she is to know the survivors, have them share their past experiences with her, and trust her to be a “memory keeper of their stories.” (Click here to hear Allison’s welcome speech.)

New York State Senator Shelley B. Mayer told the survivors how inspired she is by them and of her commitment to ensure that Holocaust education is a mandated part of New York State public school curriculum. Rabbi Michael Goldman, Director of the Spiritual Healing Center at WJCS, led the guests in saying Kaddish for loved ones who were lost in the Holocaust as well as a prayer of thanksgiving for reaching this day. The festivities included joyous music, played by fiddler Ted Kessler, a second generation Holocaust survivor, beautiful singing by Cantor Daniel Mendelson from Congregation Kol Ami,
 a delicious lunch catered by Seasons, and words of warmth and passion by Halina Rosenkranz, who leads WJCS support groups for Holocaust survivors and members of the Second Generation. 
 
We are so grateful to UJA-Federation of New York and the Claims Conference for partnering with us on this wonderful event. As WJCS CEO Seth Diamond  said, “All of us in the county are tremendously inspired by all you have lived through, all you have taught us, and what you have done for all of our communities. The life you have lived and what you bore witness to inspires us to remain resilient and strong in the face of life’s challenges. You are a gift to all of us.”

The event was a huge success. Survivors, many of them accompanied by aides or family members, were thrilled to be together, especially because many have felt so isolated since the pandemic began. Here’s what one attendee wrote:

“Everything at today’s luncheon was just perfect. The food  was delicious. The chance for all of the survivors to get out and interact with each other was priceless. I can’t thank you enough for putting it all together. Bravo! My uncle has been raving all day long about how thankful he is for all the support and help that WJCS offers.”

State Senator Shelley Mayor speaks during a summer celebration for Holocaust survivors at Young Israel of White Plains.
A fiddler performs for Holocaust survivors at the summer celebration.
Holocaust survivors Eliezar (center) and Gesya Raninobich (right) enjoying the summer celebration.