Annual Benefit

Northern Westchester Hospital 2018 Annual Benefit Raises over $1.5 Million

December 18, 2018 by The Inside Press

More than 750 supporters of Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) attended the 2018 Annual Benefit Gala, raising over $1.5 million, which will support the Bruce and Andrea Yablon Cancer Health & Wellness Program, the hospital’s music therapy program, and professional development for clinicians and nurses. The event honored philanthropists Ellen and Kamran Hakim, and physicians Drs. Adina and Jeffrey Keller, and was co-chaired by Jennifer and Jon Klein, Luba and Steve Seidman and Cathy and Adam Brodsky.

“Thanks to the generosity of our community, NWH is able to offer innovative practices, treatments and therapies that move us all toward a healthier future,” said NWH President and CEO Joel Seligman. “We are delighted to honor the Hakims for their long-term, generous support of Northern Westchester Hospital, and the Kellers for their clinical excellence and leadership roles. These couples exemplify the community support, commitment and dedication that enables NWH to provide high quality, patient-centered care to all members of our community.”

The gala’s underwriter was longtime NWH supporter and philanthropist Seema Boesky and the event was sponsored by The Durst Organization, Diamond Properties, Polaner Selections and Intuitive^®, maker of the da Vinci^® Surgical System.

Longtime supporters of NWH, the Hakims have hosted two fundraising galas for the hospital at their Old Salem Farm. The couple are married for 53 years and have lived in Westchester for just as long. They have four children, 12 grandchildren and reside in Chappaqua.

Adina Keller, MD, FACOG, a community-based physician, has dedicated her professional life to women’s health and cancer prevention. Jeffrey Keller, MD, FACS, FAAP, is board certified in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and a Pediatric Otolaryngologist who has devoted his career to taking care of children. The Kellers live in Chappaqua with their two teenage sons.

The Hakim Family: Ellen and Kamran Hakim with 3 of their 12 grandchildren

The Keller Family: Tyler Keller, Dr. Jeffrey Keller, Dr. Adina Keller and Justin Keller

About Northern Westchester Hospital:

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit www.nwhc.net and connect with us on Facebook

About Northwell Health:
Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, nearly 700 outpatient facilities and more than 18,500 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 68,000 employees – 16,000-plus nurses and 4,000 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research. We’re training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

Elisha Wiesel to Deliver Keynote Address at the 2018 Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Benefit

August 22, 2018 by Inside Press

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center proudly honors Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D., President of Iona College and Mitchell Wm. Ostrove, Founder and CEO of The Ostrove Group at their annual dinner. Elisha Wiesel, son of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, will be the keynote speaker.

Joseph E. Nyre, Ph.D. serves as the eighth president of Iona College, a vital economic, educational, religious, and cultural institution in New Rochelle. Pres. Nyre is a U.S. Naval Veteran and a first-generation college graduate who obtained three advanced degrees and completed pre and postdoctoral studies at the University of Missouri, University of Kansas, and Harvard Medical School. He has been nationally recognized for this program of research, for attaining a stunning $44 million in academic and service grants, and for authoring vital state and national legislation. Under his leadership over the past seven years, Iona College has realized remarkable successes, including record levels of scholarships, launching new academic programs, centers and institutes, tripling the College endowment to $150 million, and launching Iona Forever, the largest campaign in Iona’s history.

Mitchell Wm. Ostrove is a 50 year member of the Million Dollar Round Table and has served as its Foundation President from 2002-2003. Long active in this community, Mitch served as Chairman of the Men’s Division of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a Trustee of Temple Israel of New Rochelle, Commissioner of the New Rochelle Youth Bureau, director of the New Rochelle Police Foundation, and past Co-chair of the Westchester Business & Professional Division of UJA-Federation. He also serves on the boards of Hillel’s of Westchester, the Westchester Jewish Council, and the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center. He has received Humanitarian Awards from Einstein College of Medicine, the Ameritas prestigious Lester Rosen Award, the Spencer McCarty Award, and the UJA-Federation Insurance Man of the Year Award, among others.

Elisha Wiesel is the Chief Information Officer at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Wiesel has been active in local non-profits serving at-risk youth in New York City since 2002 when he joined the board of Groundwork, and continued on to Good Shepherd Services in 2010. He stepped down from the board in 2016 after having rebooted the Midnight Madness all-night urban puzzle-solving experience into a multi-million dollar fundraising platform for local communities and a signature creative experience for the broader financial community. Since Elie Wiesel’s passing in 2016, Elisha speaks at events and for causes where he feels he can be helpful in remembering his father’s messages and values.

This annual dinner will take place on Thursday, October 25 at 6:30 p.m, at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club, 555 South Barry Avenue, Mamaroneck, NY 10543.

For more information, please contact Millie Jasper (914)696-0738 or benefit@hhrecny.org

Tickets:

https://hhrecny.z2systems.com/np/clients/hhrecny/event.jsp?event=95

Grace Bennett and Paul Elliot Honored at HHREC Gala

December 1, 2017 by Stacey Pfeffer

(Left to right): HHREC chair Valerie O’Keeffe; Kevin Plunkett, Deputy County Executive; HHREC honoree Paul Elliot; Mitch Ostrove; Grace; County Legislator Mike Kaplowitz; and HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper

The White Plains-based Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) held their annual gala on October 26th. The room at the Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club was packed with supporters dedicated to the HHREC’s mission of “learning from the past, protecting the future.” Grace Bennett, publisher of both Inside Chappaqua and Inside Armonk magazines and Paul Elliot, the Founder & CEO of ELCO Management, a portfolio management company were the evening’s honorees. Also in attendance at the event were Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Westchester County Legislator Michael B. Kaplowitz, Deputy County Executive Kevin J. Plunkett, County Clerk Tim Idoni and New Castle Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein.

Bennett first became involved with HHREC after writing about her father, Jacob Breitstein, a Holocaust survivor in her “Just Between Us” editor’s column in Inside Chappaqua. A reader of the magazine introduced her to the non-profit and she has been an active leader in the organization ever since.

Grace received the Bernard J. Rosenshein Courage to Care Award. She joined HHREC’s Advisory Board in 2004. For the past 13 years, she has made innumerable contributions in her roles on the Board of Directors, the Advisory Board and GenerationsForward. As the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, Grace has a passion for Holocaust remembrance and has been instrumental in guiding our educational programs,” noted Millie Jasper, HHREC’s Executive Director. She has frequently profiled and highlighted HHREC’s achievements and programming through her magazines and via social media.

Elliot, who is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) has used his business acumen to help several non-profits including the Rabbinical Pension Fund, the Community Synagogue in Rye and the Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase. He joined the Board of HHREC almost two decades ago.

“Paul was awarded the Eugene M. & Emily Grant Spirit of Humanity Award. He has been an active member of the Board of Directors for 19 years and has shown unwavering support for our programs and events. Most recently he spearheaded the creation of the Endowment Fund, which has seen considerable growth since its inception,” commented Japser.

The HHREC offers several workshops, traveling exhibits and subsidized trips for educators. The Holocaust Survivor Legacy Education Project, an interactive database of the oral history of Westchester survivors is used by teachers to educate their students about the Holocaust. The organization also created a Human Rights Institute (involving approximately 30 schools each year), which helps shape student leaders to fight hate and bigotry in all its forms by introducing the concept of being an ‘upstander’. In addition, the HHREC’s Speakers Bureau helps put a human face on the Holocaust by having survivors and/or liberators tell their stories. Each year the speakers reach more than 25,000 students and adults.

The evening concluded with a moving speech by Ellen Kaidanow, a GenerationsForward member who told the story of her mother-in-law also named Ellen Kaidanow, who was only 5-years-old when her mother, father and two sisters were all forced to move from their beautiful home in the Ukraine to a walled Jewish ghetto. Ellen tells the story of her mother-in-law’s life as a young girl in the ghetto and her miraculous tale of becoming the sole survivor of her family at age six. The GenerationsForward program consists of children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors recounting their family’s stories as the number of Holocaust survivors is dwindling every day.