The Inside Press

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Town of New Castle

Attendees Bear Witness at New Castle Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony

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Eva Wyner, deputy director of Jewish Affairs for Governor Kathy Hochul, delivering remarks on behalf of Gov. Hochul to those gathered at the site of the Holocaust Memorial in Chappaqua to remember the six million who perished and to hear Holocaust survivor Arlette Levy Baker’s testimony at the Town of New Castle Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony on April 24. 

“Remembering is no passive act.”  Governor Kathy Hochul

Chappaqua, NY – At the Town of New Castle’s annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Ceremony on April 24, 2023, everyone in attendance at the bucolic site of the Holocaust Memorial, and in proximity to sacred stone benches memorializing Holocaust survivors Jacob Breitstein and Jack Feldman, had the opportunity to bear witness by listening to an elegant and determined keynote speaker: Holocaust Survivor Arlette Levy Baker. That opportunity is growing increasingly precious as the survivors age and pass on.

Baker, who taught French and classical Latin for 21 years at the Robert E. Bell Middle School in Chappaqua, offered a devastating account of her parents being arrested in front of her at her home in Paris when she was just four years old, how she cried Mama and Papa until the very moment of separation, of how her father bribed a Nazi, saving her from her parents’ own cruel fate first at Drancy concentration camp and later in Auschwitz, where they perished.

Holocaust survivor Arlette Levy Baker with Stacey Saiontz (left) and Ali Rosenberg, co chairs of the Town of New Castle Holocaust and Human Rights Committee

She described a life shattered by these events which haunt her to this day.

Prior to her testimony, and near the start of the ceremony, New Castle received a proclamation from Governor Hochul recognizing the town’s Holocaust and Human Rights Committee and students of E.N.O.U.G.H. for its solemn observance and for the town’s and people’s “strength and perseverance.”

The full proclamation was read by Eva Wyner, Deputy Director of Jewish Affairs for Governor Kathy Hochul, who also read Hochul’s statement “to help honor the memory of six million lives taken during the  darkest chapter of human history… to reflect on the atrocities of the past… to reaffirm our commitment to never forget… to take our righteous anger and sadness and turn it into action… to not only listen to the stories of those who survived but to heed their warnings of the devastation that can be wrought when hate is allowed to fester… to continue the legacy of courage of standing up to evil. Remembering is no passive act.”

Wyner, a daughter and granddaughter of survivors, reminded that in the last two years antisemitic incidents in NYC have more than doubled, and also hit an all time high in New York State. In response, she said, Hochul earmarked millions of dollars toward a state hate and bias prevention unit. She also signed a Holocaust education bill into law “so that every child who grows up in New York will know what ‘Never Forget’ truly means.”  The service included a statement read by Ally Chemtob on behalf of New Castle Town Supervisor Lisa Katz; remarks by Deputy County executive Ken Jenkins; a representative from Congressman Lawler’s office who issued a Congressional Proclamation; remarks by Stacey Saiontz and Ali Rosenberg, co-chairs, Holocaust and Human Rights Committee and by Jack Rosenberg and Elliott Saiontz, co-presidents of E.N.O.U.G.H. Writing and art contest awards to middle and high school students were presented by committee members Rhonda Regan and Pat Pollock and E.N.O.U.G.H. students Eva Millerman and Robyn Keiles.

Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins delivering his remarks and  on behalf of County Executive George Latimer

A beautiful Memorial Candle Lighting took place which included a gathering of middle school and high school students, and Arlette Levy Baker lighting one of the candles with the E.N.O.U.G.H. Club students.

Included in and concluding the service was a Mourners Kaddish reading and songs and additional remarks by local clergy who included: Rabbi Aaron Brusso of Bet Torah Synagogue, Cantor Ines Kapustiansky of Temple Shaaray Tefilla and the Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs of the First Congregational Church speaking also on behalf of Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe of Temple Beth El and the Interfaith Council. Also attending were the Rev. Alan Christopher Lee of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin and Rev. Merle D. McJunkin of the Antioch Baptist Church. Gratitude was also expressed to the New Castle Parks & Recreation staff for their help maintaining the New Castle Holocaust Memorial.

Holocaust survivor Arlette Levy Baker lighting a candle together with Co-Presidents of Horace Greeley High School’s Club E.N.O.U.G.H Jack Rosenberg (left) and Elliott Saiontz 

 

 

Victoria Bayard Tipp’s Inspiring Journey to Public Service

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A Passionate Voice for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Town of New Castle

PHOTO BY CAROLYN SIMPSON

Town of New Castle Deputy Supervisor Victoria Bayard Tipp is the first person of color to be elected and to serve on the town board. Tipp has lived in Chappaqua with her husband Robert for 22 years. They have four grown children. Tipp shares her thoughts on diversity, equity and inclusion, her aspirations for the town, and her inspiring personal journey.

Born in Port au Prince, Haiti, Vicky Tipp immigrated to the United States in 1963 when she was almost two years old. As she and her mother were boarding the plane, Haitian military police pointed guns at them. Tipp was terrified and did not want to walk. Fortunately, an American flight attendant saw this and took the toddler from her mother. She carried Tipp onto the plane preventing the police from shooting the child and her mother because an American was present. When they arrived in the states they first lived in New York with her grandmother, an award-winning educational leader in Haiti, who had fled the country earlier. They were later joined by her father who was an attorney.

Tipp, whose first language was French, entered Kindergarten in a public school in Jackson Heights, Queens where they had no program for non-English speakers. When her mother took a job at the United Nations, they moved to Manhattan and Tipp was enrolled in first grade at the United Nations International School, a multicultural school with students from over 100 countries. She then went on to earn degrees from Barnard College and Harvard Law School.

Education was very important to Tipp and her family, so it is no surprise that she began her public service work on the Chappaqua Board of Education. “The most important aspect of education was my family’s attitude about it as the way to live a fulfilling life and gain independence and stability,” says Tipp. “That was a big influence for my running for the Board of Ed.”

Equity, diversity, and inclusion have been important issues for Tipp. When she was elected to the Chappaqua Board of Education in 2011, she had discussions with the then superintendent about equity and inclusion and what they could do in Chappaqua to expose students to more diversity. “At the time people were not focused on issues of equity like they are now,” says Tipp. “However, when Christine Ackerman became superintendent, she was very responsive to those concerns and willing to open up our professional development to work with Ossining and other school districts, which provided a good perspective for our faculty.”

Then with the Black Lives Matter movement, the school board started to hear from alumni whom they then invited to a meeting to share their stories as they began an equity audit. “We wanted to open that up to our alumni and our community, so people could understand the extent of the inequities that had taken place,” says Tipp. Christine Ackerman, Superintendent of Schools, acknowledges Tipp’s significant role in this work. “As a member of the Board of Education and past president, Vicky’s leadership, insights, and advocacy for action were instrumental in shifting our practices to respond to the needs identified by our students and community in our equity audit,” says Ackerman. “Her unwavering commitment to ensuring all students are seen and valued for who they are in our school community resulted in revising several Board of Education policies, forming the CARES committee, and selecting Insight to support professional learning for all staff.”

Tipp did a considerable amount of equity advocacy work on the Westchester Putnam School Boards Association where she was chair of the advocacy committee for three years and president for three years. She also served on the steering committee for the Lower Hudson Education Coalition, an organization that does legislative advocacy. “I was able to do a lot more equity work through those regional organizations than I was able to do just being on the local board level,” says Tipp. “That made school board work for me a very rich and rewarding experience. It gave me a perspective into what other school districts were experiencing including children who are not as fortunate as children in Chappaqua.”

New Castle Supervisor Lisa Katz says that Tipp’s diverse background gives her the perfect perspective to address diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in the town as the board liaison to the Committee on Race, Equity and Inclusion (CREI.) “Vicky is an incredibly thoughtful and intelligent woman who is singularly focused on doing what’s right for our community. Having served as the non-partisan president of the school board, she understands the importance of listening to all viewpoints and treating our neighbors with genuine respect.”

Tipp has a vision for how she hopes the CREI will do their work with the community. “In my experience, both on the school board and on the town board, when people think about these entities–schools, or governments or organizations–it’s important to understand that these are not static and impersonal, they’re made of people, and they’re living and breathing systems. They are made up of relationships and interactions,” says Tipp who thinks that good communication is key and ground rules should be set. “It’s important to establish environments where there is trust, where we can create safe spaces to have real conversations. People need to feel that they can come forward with their ideas without fear of being stigmatized,” says Tipp. She would like the focus to be on understanding, rather than having to agree, and for people to be willing to talk through differences. “I think that the hardest thing to do is to create common understandings to have constructive conversations to move forward together in a productive way. These are the things we need to do as a community.”

Collaboration is a word that resonates with Tipp. “Diversity, equity and inclusion are paramount to the growth and health of a community,” says Tipp. “There are nine of these committees doing this work in the town.” In addition to the CREI that was appointed in May, the Chappaqua School district has the Board’s CARES committee, plus seven PTA committees–one district-wide and one at each of the six schools. And there is also the DEI work being done by the four other school districts within the Town of New Castle. “It’s important to form partnerships so that we have a community that’s racially, culturally, and socially inclusive and it gets hard to do that if you’re working in different silos.”

In addition to serving as the liaison to the CREI, she is also the liaison to the Beautification Advisory Board. The Town expects to form an LGBTQ committee to which Tipp will be the liaison as well.

Like Supervisor Katz, Tipp would like to see more cultural celebrations in town. “This is something we can do by working with our different town committees, the CREI committee, EPIC, and Holocaust and Human Rights Committee. We have these committees to provide a more inclusive process and to have more input from residents in town. It’s important for all the committees to work together to bring programs, events, presentations and get togethers–formal and informal,” says Tipp.

Tipp sees a way to bring the town together. “In order to do anything from equity work, zoning, revitalization, and bringing vibrancy to the hamlets, we would want to be inclusive with that work as well. There’s so much we can do together. I really believe in the power of collaboration of groups, and I think if we do that, we will create a sense of belonging because we’ll be creating more connections between groups and people.”

Tipp’s experience on the town board has surpassed her expectations. “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. What’s been wonderful is peoples’ willingness to take on challenging tasks that are important to our community to move the community forward. It’s an honor to serve.” She finds the challenges motivating, and likes that she can help people, and listen to their stories and perspectives. “That’s what makes us a community. We learn about each other, and we learn from each other.”

A Boost to Food Allergy Awareness in New Castle with New Playground Signs

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Following the unveiling of a Town of New Castle sign promoting food allergy awareness: (L-R) Vicki Tipp, Stacey Saiontz, Jared Saiontz, Lisa Katz, and Heather Orenstein Brown  PHOTOS by Grace Bennett/Inside Press

Chappaqua, NY–Food allergy awareness received a welcome boost in New Castle last week with the unveiling of a sign–offering key reminders to visitors. Ten are now in place in playgrounds throughout the area. In addition, a proclamation  designating May 8-14 Food Allergy Awareness Week in New Castle was announced by Town Supervisor Lisa Katz. See below for the full text of the proclamation.

To announce the development, Katz appeared at the playground outside Town Hall together with town board member Vicky Tipp along with three community food allergy awareness advocates–Stacey Saiontz, her son Jared, 14, and Heather Orenstein Brown–to unveil the sign and offer comments that convey the importance of these measures.

The board and citizen gathering conveyed that 1 in 13 children are being diagnosed with food allergies, and that with the numbers increasing,  it’s vital that every community take simple steps to help keep kids with food allergies safe.

“This is exactly what the Town of New Castle is doing,” said Saiontz.

Thanks to advocacy by 14 year old Jared Saiontz, the Town of New Castle decided to put up signs in all ten town parks advising our community on how to keep food allergic children safe–wash your hands before going on the playground equipment and don’t eat while on the playground equipment.

From Town Supervisor Lisa Katz writing in the Town of New Castle Supervisor’s Report:

“These signs provide education and awareness about allergies and teach community members how they can help play a part to help food allergic children.  They are also helpful as many who do not live with food allergies may not understand that food residue can lead to a reaction. There is no cure for food allergies.  Allergic reactions to food can range from mild symptoms to anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that can occur rapidly and is potentially life-threatening. We are proud to help educate the citizens of New Castle on the serious nature of food allergies.  Thank you to Jared Saiontz for bring this to the attention of the Town Board, and to our Recreation and Parks Department, Recreation Commission, and our Town Administrator for helping us to get it done!”

TOWN OF NEW CASTLE FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, Food Allergy Awareness Week was established as a national week of encouraging food allergy awareness and supporting those who are impacted by food allergies and anaphylaxis; and

WHEREAS, a food allergy is an immune system response to a food the body mistakenly believes is harmful. When a person with food allergy eats the food, his or her immune system releases massive amounts of chemicals, including histamine, that trigger a cascade of symptoms that can affect the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal tract, the skin, and/or the cardiovascular system; and

WHEREAS, food allergies affect approximately 32 million Americans, including 6 million children; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of food allergies is significantly increasing among children under the age of 18; and

WHEREAS, nine foods account for 90 percent of all food allergy reactions: Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Milk, Egg, Wheat, Soy, Fish, Shellfish, and Sesame; and

WHEREAS, there is no cure for food allergies, strict avoidance is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction; and

WHEREAS, anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that comes on quickly and has the potential to become life-threatening; and

WHEREAS, each year an estimated 3.3 million Americans require emergency room treatment for symptoms of a serious allergic reaction to food. Reactions typically occur when an individual unknowingly eats a food containing an ingredient to which they are allergic; and

WHEREAS, emergency medical treatment for severe allergic reactions to food has increased by 377 percent in only a decade; and

WHEREAS, managing a food allergy on a daily basis involves constant vigilance and even trace amounts of an allergen can trigger an allergic reaction in some individuals.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Lisa Katz, Supervisor for the Town of New Castle, do hereby proclaim May 8-14, 2022, as Food Allergy Awareness Week in the Town of New Castle, New York, and encourage the residents of New Castle to increase their understanding and awareness of food allergies and anaphylaxis.

New Castle Dedicates a New Bench in Memory of “Great Poppy” Jack Feldman, Survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau

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Last Tuesday night, over 220 community members came together in commemoration of Yom Hashoah- Holocaust Remembrance Day.  The students of Horace Greeley High School club ENOUGH (Educate Now on Understanding Genocide and Hate) co-sponsored the event with the Town of New Castle Holocaust and Human Rights Committee. 

During the ceremony community members heard remarks from Chappaqua resident and Second Generation Survivor Betinna Prober, Holocaust Survivor Trudy Elbaum, County Executive George Latimer, Town Supervisor Lisa Katz, ENOUGH Presidents Jack Rosenberg and Gabe Adams. 

The community heard songs, prayers and poems by the local clergy, Rabbi Brusso, Rabbi Greenberg, Rabbi Jaffe, Rabbi Sacks, Cantor Ezring and Reverend McJunkin. 

The Daffodil Project is a worldwide project to commemorate the lives of the children lost during the Holocaust.  The goal is to plant 1.5 million flowers across the world – one daffodil for every child killed. https://www.daffodilproject.net.  In October of 2019, the community planted 750 daffodil bulbs at the New Castle Holocaust Memorial as part of the Daffodil Project.

The community was also inspired by the middle school and high school winners of the Third Annual Writing and Arts Contest for Holocaust Remembrance.  The first place winners in each category shared their essay and/or artwork.  The art is currently on display at the New Castle Town Hall. 

The essays can be read here: https://mynewcastle.org/602/Holocaust-Human-Rights-Art-Writing-Winne 

The town dedicated a bench at the New Castle Holocaust Memorial in memory of Jack Feldman, Survivor of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Jack was the beloved grandfather of Co Chair of the Town of New Castle Holocaust and Human Rights Committee Stacey Saiontz and great grandfather of ENOUGH Vice President Elliott Saiontz.

 

 

Getting to Know Lisa Katz

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New Castle Town Supervisor Lisa Katz   PHOTO BY Chad David Kraus

When Town of New Castle Supervisor Lisa Katz was growing up she always knew she wanted to be a lawyer, but she never thought politics was in her future. As a student at White Plains High School she was very involved in the school community as a managing editor of the newspaper, a cheerleader and on the tennis team, so it isn’t surprising that she got involved in New Castle first joining the Town Board in 2014, and then elected Town Supervisor last fall. 

“I started speaking out about Chappaqua Crossing. I thought it was too big. The project was changed, and it’s much better now. I met a lot of people at that time and Rob Greenstein approached me about running for office. I could either keep complaining or I could do something about it, and that’s what I did. The rest is history.” 

Katz has lived in Chappaqua since 2006 with her husband Steven, her daughter Arden, a sophomore at Rice University and her son Spencer, a senior at Horace Greeley High School. 

In 2008 Katz was diagnosed with Lymphoma. Her children were four and six years old when she began treatment. “We were too young to know how serious it was. To try to make it more fun for us our mother let us decorate her wig stand and put makeup on it,” says her daughter Arden. 

“Lymphoma made me realize what was important in life.” Katz is an honored hero of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and an Advocate who has given motivational speeches for the organization. 

Initially a corporate attorney, Katz made a switch to Estate Planning, Trusts and Elder Law after her bout with Lymphoma.  “When I had cancer sitting in the room with other chemo patients, people would say, ‘My doctor said I have to get my will together and get a health care proxy. And the lawyers are so matter of fact.’” She saw this as another opportunity to help people and opened her own practice in 2011. Katz loves this work, “I get to know my clients and to know about their families, their children, and their wishes for the future.”

The Pandemic has impacted her practice. “It has made my practice busier with healthcare proxies and wills.  People don’t want to think about it, but the Pandemic prompted people to start thinking about it.”

Katz developed a love of travel from her parents, and she has continued her passion for travel with her family. In December the family went to Alaska and two years before, prior to the Pandemic they visited Amsterdam and Munich. “I like to eat and travel, experiencing life.” Katz is quite adventurous and once ate a tarantula when she was on a food tour in Cambodia.

Theater is another one of Katz’s many interests and her daughter is her frequent companion on Broadway. “I’ve always been into theater, so I love seeing the shows with her. It’s a day in the city,” says her daughter Arden. 

Katz loves to cook and according to her family she’s quite good at it.  “I eat a lot of meals with my mom. She’s a good cook. I like breakfast food and she creates weird egg dishes.” says her son Spencer. 

Katz’s legal practice and the town keep her very busy but when she does have some spare time, she likes to read. “I’ll read everything.” Lately she is escaping into a book of poetry by Kahlil Gibran, and she has been listening to Audiobooks. The most recent was Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil which she was inspired to read after a brief trip to Savannah. 

In 2021 in her role as Town Board member, Katz organized a rally in the town to bring awareness to anti-Semitism.  This rally was personal for Katz. “I always want to fight against injustice, and anti-Semitism is on the rise. And it’s my past, my history.”

Katz has lots of ideas as to how to make the Town of New Castle even better than it is. She wants to figure out how to revitalize the hamlets and make New Castle a destination while keeping the charming feel. 

“There’s a way to accomplish both. To be a welcoming, vibrant, and exciting place to live while maintaining the feel we moved here for.” And she adds, “I’m looking forward to figuring out how we’re going to sort out the puzzle in a way that makes everyone feel included.” One of the first things she did when she assumed office in January was to initiate the Community Corner as part of the town’s e-Newsletter. She wishes to encourage people to share milestones in their lives.  “I think that we have the opportunity to connect with each other, open our hearts to each other. It fosters a sense of happiness.” And she adds, “Life is too short not to be joyful and spread joy.”

Katz is looking forward to the Memorial Day Parade in May, the first since the Pandemic. She also wants to have more community events. “We’re an amazing town with phenomenal people. I want to have events that bring our children in, bring our seniors in, bring everyone in, and get to enjoy each other, and everyone leaves happy.”

“We had the bonfire around Christmas time. We should have a Diwali festival and one for the Lunar New Year. We should have all different celebrations where we get to learn about our differences and the unique things we bring to the community.”

Her son Spencer is very proud of his mother’s role in town government. “I think it’s cool that she puts so much time helping the town. Her working for the town inspired me to join the Recreation Department too.” He serves on the Master Plan Subcommittee.

Katz just calls herself a “normal person” who fell into this. “I love it so much because I can see that we can do great things for our town, and it makes me happy to be able to help be a part of it.”

“I am a Democrat, but I believe that people aren’t defined by silos. People are people and I don’t care what party they are. It doesn’t matter to me. Politics aside, I just want to do what’s right for people,” says Katz.

Reflecting on her life, Katz gets inspiration from this quote attributed to Maya Angelou, “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” She wears it on a necklace that she had made. “I try to make memories, and maybe it’s after the cancer, that quote speaks for itself and it’s very important to me.”