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Think you know the nooks and crannies of your town? See how many of these images you can identify. Joseph Fleisher, a rising sophomore at Horace Greeley High School, who has a passion for photography, set out to find interesting objects and places unique to New Castle. Please download our November Inside Chappaqua edition where you will find the answer key on page 47.
Overwhelmed by the unfathomable loss of September 11, 2001, Mindy Kombert began to sketch boxes to represent each life lost. The sketch became a blueprint for the Flag of Remembrance that has found a permanent home at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, where it is currently on exhibit. The 20-foot-by-27-foot masterpiece created by Kombert and Sherry Kronenfeld, both Chappaqua residents was a labor of love that gave these women a way to process the events of that fateful day.
“I really felt the need, being a visual person, to visualize the scale of the loss,” says Kombert, a multi-talented artist. She had 12 pages and went to Kronenfeld with her first sketch. “I wanted to learn all about them and what had brought them all together on that day.”
Since the two women had been working together at a local design firm before they started this project, Kronenfeld knew it would be seamless. “Mindy and I have perfectly matched–that is, complementary– skills and talents, so our roles easily fell into place. She came up with the concept and handled the visuals, the graphics, the materials–ink and fabric, etc., and I did more of the organization and the communication.”
They suspended their business and formed a committee that grew into a not-for-profit. “It was very difficult initially, we met at my kitchen table,” says Kombert. “We had no idea what it would cost. “They found an anonymous donor to fund the project and received donations of materials and printing services.
“I took the skills I had, quilting and graphic design, and it evolved into a monument two stories high,” says Kombert. Kronenfeld did the press releases, the media outreach, the contacts and relationships with companies. She contacted all the World Trade Center companies who lost large numbers of employees and the city agencies (FDNY, NYPD, etc.) who lost first responders–to make sure as many people as possible knew about the project.
For ten years I photographed memorials and artwork–large and small–across the country made in response to the 9/11 attacks. The Flag of Remembrance is one of only a handful of objects or artworks I consider to be truly remarkable. Staggering in its scale, detail, and craftsmanship, this flag speaks powerfully to the zeal, compassion, and need to memorialize and speak publicly that was evident across the culture in the aftermath of the attacks. Though generically resembling an American flag, I stood before it the day it was hung the first time, humbled by its ability to be both deeply personal and speak viscerally about our nation’s grief. Indeed, it is a monument unto itself. – JONATHAN C. HYMAN
CNN correspondent Jeanne Moos caught wind of the project and highlighted it in one of her segments on 9/11 victims. Following that special, Kombert and Kronenfeld set up an 800 number to provide a convenient and quick way for people to contact them if they had any questions about the Flag or to send in photos for inclusion. However it also turned out to be a way for family members to tell them about the person they lost. “I had one woman, a widow, who called me several times just to talk about her daughter, who was living with her at the time of the attacks. She talked about what a wonderful daughter she was, how dedicated to her mother and to her job, and how much she was going to miss her,” says Kronenfeld. “In this and many other cases, it seemed to be therapeutic for the family members to talk, for them to communicate everything they could about the special person they had lost. Others were just as heart-wrenching, including several who asked if instead of one close-up photo–as we had indicated was optimum–they could have two in a photo, because they had lost two or more family members.”
The Flag was made by transferring victims’ photographs to individual pieces of fabric. The blue field with white stars was dedicated to uniformed first responders while the stripes of white and red were reserved for civilians. Each victim’s name and age were included. An image of a memorial candle accounted for those whom photographs were unavailable.
Deeded to the Museum in 2007, the Flag is now part of the museum’s permanent collection. Kombert kept it folded under her bed in Chappaqua for many years until it was transferred to the Museum’s conservation facility to ready it for the Museum. The Flag will hang for one year and then fall into a rotation schedule with other large works in the collection. “My hope is that it will be loaned or travel,” says Kombert. In addition to its debut at the Chappaqua Library in 2004, the red, white and blue muted-toned flag has been on display at the Kensico Dam memorial The Rising, the Liberty Plaza Marriott, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Doral Arrowwood Westchester.
“The project itself was gratifying, as we felt all along that we were doing everything we could to pay tribute and forever remember the victims of 9/11,” says Kronenfeld.
“The Flag is a reminder of the scale of the loss we suffered,” says Kombert. “I am so happy that it is where it belongs.”
For more information, please visit www.911memorial.org.
Editor’s Note: Can you name this picture? Joseph Fleisher, a rising sophomore at Horace Greeley High School, who has a passion for photography, set out to find interesting objects and places unique to North Castle. The answer key is on page 35 on the September/October 2017 downloadable edition of Inside Armonk found on the home page.
Editor’s Note: Think you know the nooks and crannies of your town? See how many of these images you can identify. Joseph Fleisher, a rising sophomore at Horace Greeley High School, who has a passion for photography, set out to find interesting objects and places unique to New Castle. The answers and descriptions can be found on page 44 in our downloadable Inside Chappaqua edition on our home page.
Three years ago, Julia Rozenfeld found her calling. The Juilliard graduate and classically-trained pianist turned Wall Street powerhouse took over LOL Kids in Armonk. She quickly revamped the small clothing store and turned it into one of Westchester and Connecticut’s premier shopping destinations for the under-14 set.
Rozenfeld, a Chappaqua resident, has a four-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. An avid shopper at LOL Kids, she told her husband that she wanted to take it over when the previous owner decided to move to the West Coast. “It was the only shop in Westchester that I liked for clothes for my kids,” she remembers. Her husband initially thought she was joking.
Yet Rozenfeld was completely serious. She moved the store next door to a larger space with an additional floor and added more than 30 new clothing lines. She transformed LOL Kids into a high-end, hand-picked, unique boutique with over 35 hard-to-find children’s clothing brands for girls and boys. From Stella McCartney’s children’s line, Kenzo, Gautier, and Chloe to cult labels from Australia, Bulgaria, and Lithuania, Rozenfeld is introducing Westchester’s littlest fashionistas to her curated collection of clothing. “We offer a unique niche because everything is fashionably fine and hand-picked, and we try to keep the price point competitive.”
For the holiday season, Rozenfeld has chosen several one-of-a-kind items, including unique necklaces for young girls, exquisite newborn outfits, special dresses from Tutu du Monde, and this year’s favorite–giant pompom hats. She hopes people will come in for that special something, whether it be a small stocking stuffer or a more elaborate gift.
“We want to sell things that will make children look and feel very special,” says Rozenfeld. Rozenfeld, who also added photographer to her list of talents, has her daughter Sophie test out many of the girls’ clothing lines and serve as the fashion model for the store.
“We would feel very special to be able to help people out, to meet more people, and to share our vision of beautiful things with them,” says Rozenfeld.
Her favorite part of owning the store is meeting so many new people and connecting with clients. While she has lived in Chappaqua for over 12 years, opening LOL Kids enabled her to meet many more members of the community. And she says that “the most exciting part of my day is when clients text me pictures of their kids wearing my outfits. It really warms my heart.”
Stop in and introduce yourself to Rozenfeld. Experience the latest fashion trends for children, right here in Armonk. Whether you’re searching for French children’s brands like Catimini and Petit Bateau, niche Italian brands like Fun&Fun and Mi Mi Sol, or super-fashionable, reasonably priced European brands like Nikolia, Rozenfeld has them. And she will make sure you can find that perfect, one-of-a-kind outfit for your child.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIE ROZENFELD
Deborah Notis is a writer and co-owner of gamechangernow.com, a free referral service connecting Westchester families to highly qualified instructors. Deborah’s writing can be found in the Inside Press publications as well as on suburbanmisfitmom.com.