A must see this holiday season, particularly as Hanukkah approaches, and with many of us still praying for a miracle for the hostages in Gaza (at the time of this writing, October 16, 2024, 101 still trapped after over a year of captivity), is the movie White Bird.
Helen Mirren, playing the grandmother of a teenage boy named Julian, sets out to share some profound lessons about bullying and exclusion – but ultimately also about the power of kindness – by finally relaying ‘her story’.
In so doing, Mirren transports us all to the terror-filled period of Jews running and hiding and being subject to humiliation, round ups, deportation and genocide in Nazi-occupied France.
The portraits of characters you may well retain the most, however, are those of the courageous ‘righteous’ gentiles (Gillian Anderson offers a particularly poignant performance) who risked their own lives to save Jews. Stellar portrayals by newcomers Ariella Glaser and Orlando Schwerdt depict teenagers around whom the story of survival revolves.
The terrible hate and meanness depicted in the movie would leave anyone despondent. But it’s the acts of kindness that leave you breathless and hopeful for humankind.
White Bird, an amalgam of several stories, according to one of its executive producers and its screenplay writer Mark Bomback, was born from the graphic and groundbreaking best-selling novel Wonder by R.J. Palacio.
The book’s message was ultimately about the value of being kind to other people, said Bomback, a father of four in Chappaqua. “It’s a miracle that the book became so popular with such an uncynical message,” he said.
“There’s a tendency, not just among groups, but even among individuals, to be callous to one another, to close yourself off, whether through social media, or because you are aligned with one group,” Bomback continued, “and to decide that you can’t possibly interact with the other group, yet it’s kindness that is ultimately more powerful than any other action that people can take.”
Consider Orlando who plays the original Julian with polio who is mocked by his classmates prior to the Nazis arriving. “There’s a primal impulse to belittle or marginalize someone else to make ourselves feel more secure,” noted Bomback. His evolving relationship with Arielle proves how erroneous that impulse can be. Later, we observe how the Nazi extermination plans include anyone who they considered genetically inferior.
Bomback explained that the movie’s agenda “isn’t to traumatize the audience. It is to put them in a head space in which they are very aware of the amount of pain and cruelty human beings are capable of but ultimately you can still celebrate the power that kindness has,” he said, adding that kindness is in fact one of the most useful weapons we have at our disposal to combat hatred.
I asked Bomback if he anticipates success for the film at the Box Office. He said after producing such a movie, “success becomes secondary… everything that comes after creating it is a bonus”. Bomback’s father-in-law, notably, was a Holocaust survivor who recently passed away. “I felt some degree of authority and accountability in trying to tell this story.”
I have a little announcement to make. After 25 years of Chappaqua living, I’m downsizing and moving this month to Pleasantville! I look forward to discovering the joy of a Mount Pleasant residency and all its treasures, to meeting new neighbors, and making new friends. I’m also viewing it as a boon to getting more fit as I’ll be just that much closer to two favorite walking destinations, the Rockefeller Preserve and Rockwood, and also to Club Fit in Briarcliff (where, note to self, I really MUST start reserving class time). I’ll also be closer to the upper West Side where my son lives, not to mention dear friends. Life is good.
Linda Zhang was a determined young woman with a passion to save the world. She lived the statement – “be that one person” – knowing the power of one’s voice and actions to enact environmental change. Through her zero waste lifestyle, her influential writing, and insightful YouTube videos on sustainability, Linda inspired others to join her in protecting and preserving the planet for future generations. 
To strengthen the connection between Linda’s talent in writing and commitment to the environment, the first inaugural Linda J. Zhang Award for Writing Achievement was presented this summer to Horace Greeley High School senior Erica Dunne. “Linda was very creative, and we encouraged and supported her writing,” said her parents, noting Linda was a gifted writer, an honor student at the Hoff Barthelson music school, and was the recipient of numerous honors and regional and national awards for her writing, including a Scholastic gold medal in poetry in 2018 and a Claudia Ann Seaman Award for Fiction in 2019. 
There’s Elf on a Shelf and there’s Mensch on a Bench, but we have a “Mystery Mensch” in our midst. Mensch is the Yiddish word for a good person. Our Mystery Mensch got busy crocheting colorful throws to keep her busy since March and quarantine set in. More than a dozen of these handcrafted gifts were sent by the Mystery Mensch who had lived in Chappaqua for 20 years before relocating to Virginia.
“I was very grateful to be chosen,” said Cristina Lee, a founder of the Tri-State Mask Making Group. “It’s a very special gift, especially because she made it with so much love during COVID. She did it for special people and I’m honored.”
Two years ago, she got involved with another project. She joined a small group of people who would meet immigrants at the Richmond bus station coming from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala who were on their way north from Immigration camps in Texas.
