Monday, May 20th

The Girl Scouts of Scarsdale and Edgemont have begun forming new first and second grade troops to begin meeting in Fall, 2010. This scouting community encompasses the seven Scarsdale schools, the three Edgemont schools and the IHM School. More than 800 girls participate in 65 troops. In addition 30 leader volunteers work at the community level to provide programming and support for the troops and their leaders.

All parents whose girls are interested in being a Daisy (in the first grade) or Brownie ( in the 2nd grade) can learn more and register on the website segirlscouts.org.

In order for a troop to form at least two adult volunteers must be certified as leaders. To learn more about being a troop leader refer to the group’s website. Leadership training is free, easy to complete and very useful.

The organization asks that registrations be submitted by April 24th so that new leaders may train this spring. In addition, girls of any age ( 1st-12th grade) are welcomed to join an existing troop and can register their interest also on the website. For further questions please contact Marylou Green at 725-4683 or email coopergree@aol.com, or Carmela Crawford , Administrative Director, Scarsdale/Edgemont Girl Scouts (914) 472-7842, ccrawford@tia-cref.org

U.S. District court Judge Jed. S. Rakoff will step away from his usual courtroom in the Southern District of New York, to preside over the Trial of the Centuries—People v. Abraham at Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains on Friday, April 16 at 8 p.m. Judge Rakoff was appointed to the federal bench in 1966 by President Bill Clinton. His earlier career includes practice as a federal prosecutor and as a defense attorney in white-collar crime cases.

The mock trial of the Biblical patriarch for the attempted murder of his son, Isaac, more than 4,000 years ago, will be a highlight of Synaplex, a series of monthly Friday night events that explore the Jewish experience. “People think the Bible is too holy to wrestle with, but Jews have always wrestled with the text of the Torah,” said Rabbi Shira Milgrom of Congregation Kol Ami. “Sometimes it can be hard to reconcile our beliefs with the texts, so we jump into the ring and wrestle with them.” The Synaplex mock trial is very much in that tradition, she noted.

"We are honored to have as our presiding judge the Hon. Jed Rakoff, who has served with distinction since 1996 as a federal court judge in the Southern District of New York A graduate of Swarthmore College, Oxford University (M. Philosophy) and Harvard Law School, Judge Rakoff has experienced both public service-- as a federal prosecutor in New York, where he was the Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Unit-- and private practice-- as a partner in two prominent Wall street law firms, specializing in white collar criminal defense. Judge Rakoff has been featured prominently in the news, most recently for his role in the SEC/Bank of America case involving the public disclosures made and not made concerning the Merrill Lunch bonuses in 2008, and for his decision in 2002 (later overturned) declaring the federal death penalty stature unconstitutional".

Representing Abraham will be Michael P. Zweig, litigation partner at Loeb & Loeb, and Ami G. Zweig, an attorney extern at the New York Legal Aid Society. The prosecution team includes Scott D. Musoff, litigation partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flom, and Leslye B. Davidson, a partner at Davidson, Davidson and Kappel. The witnesses (as Sarah, Abraham, the servant, and Isaac respectively) will be Dr. Ellen Umansky, professor of Judaic Studies at Fairfield University, attorney Richard L. Veron, Ron Cole, a businessman and amateur actor, and David Bach, a junior at Ardsley High School. A six-person jury will hear arguments. A 1-hour New York Continuing Legal Education Credit will be offered.

Synaplex’s flexible format includes music, dance, spiritual exploration, children's programming, films, and other activities. The evening’s schedule opens at 5:00 pm with a choice of events. Explorations in Music with Cantor Mo Glazman and special guest Galit Dadoun will take place in the Main Sanctuary. A children’s crafts program will be held in the synagogue’s main building. In addition, there also will be a Shabbat service for families with young children at 5:30 pm., and a wine-and-cheese get together in Kol Ami’s main building following these activities.

At the heart of Synaplex™ at Kol Ami are the Friday night religious services ushering in the Sabbath. They will be in the main sanctuary are at 6:15 pm. Religious services are followed by teen, family, young-professional, and adults-only dinners at 7:30 p.m. After dinner, while adults attend the trial, young children have a choice of making sandwiches and snacks for a local homeless shelter, Supervised Sports and Games with Coach Stone, and/or attending the evenings Main Event, if age appropriate.

Synaplex™ events are open to both temple members and non-members. All events are free with the exception of the dinner, which costs $25 for adults and $15 for teens and $10 for children. Reservations are necessary for dinner. For more information or to make a dinner reservation, please call Ilene Miller at 949-4717 ext. 111.

Dealing with clutter gets easier with Home Organization for Your Busy Life, taught by certified professional organizer Bonnie Joy Dewkett. In this course there will be discussions on ways to deal with life's clutter. Students will be introduced to low-effort high-impact ways to make their daily life more organized and less stressful. Whether your home is well organized or a disaster, the tips in this course will prove to be useful. This interactive class will outline efficient ways to organize living spaces, including kids' rooms, closets, basements and garages.  This series of workshops will be held at Scarsdale High School for three Mondays, starting April 19 from 7 - 8:30 pm.

To learn how to get off the lose-and-gain weight seesaw with a unified plan for lifelong weight-management, the Scarsdale Adult School is offering Winning the Weight Loss Game, a four session workshop meeting on Tuesdays, starting April 6th from 7 - 8:30 pm at Scarsdale High School. Based on the latest research, the strategy presented by Karen Reznik Dolins EdD, RD, CSSD, CD-N, and a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics specializing in health promotion, sports nutrition and clinical dietetics will teach you how to balance diet and exercise. Discussion will focus on the effect of exercise on metabolic rate, how much exercise is needed to promote healthy weight loss, exercise intensity and fat loss, the role of strength vs. aerobic training, the number of calories to eat in a day and where to get those calories. In addition you will create individualized practical exercise and menu plans.

Over the Rainbeau: Living the Dreams of Sustainable Farming will be presented by the Scarsdale Adult School Tuesday, April 6th from7 - 9 pm at Scarsdale High School.Over The Rainbeau: Living The Dream Of Sustainable Farming is a book which conveys the romance and challenges of one woman's journey from tending a pair of goats to building Rainbeau Ridge, a multifaceted, sustainable farm in nearby Bedford Hills, NY, to then becoming an award-winning cheese maker. This inspirational memoir comes to life with tantalizing original and chef-created recipes, inspirational how-to's and captivating photographs. Authors Lisa Schwartz, a farmer and cheese maker, Karen Sabath, a farmer and photographer, and food writer Judith Hausman will share stories and photographs from their book. Students will also enjoy a sampling of cheese from the Rainbeau Ridge farm. 

The first 10 registrants will receive a free copy of Over The Rainbeau: Living The Dream Of Sustainable Farming

Why Does That Building Look Like That?  A Contemporary Architecture Class at SAS -Diverse and dynamic architecture erected in the last fifteen years is the focus of a new Scarsdale Adult School offering. Why Does That Building Look Like That? Contemporary Architecture in New York City, will be presented by Brent Stringfellow, an architect with Polshek Partnership Architects, NYC.  In addition to lectures that will help students reach a better understanding of the forms, origins and attitudes of contemporary architecture, walking tours are planned of recent developments. Possible tours include the Columbus Circle area including Alice Tully Hall, the Museum of Arts and Design, the Hearst Building, MOMA and the American Folk Art Museum and the West Village / Chelsea area, with highlights including the High Line, the Gehry Headquarters, the Standard Hotel, and some residential developments in the area.Lectures will be held at Scarsdale High School two consecutive Thursdays, starting April 8th form 7:30 - 9 pm.  Two walking tours will be scheduled in NYC on Friday April 16th and Tuesday April 27th from 1 - 2 pm.

To register, or for information on all course offerings, visit www.ScarsdaleAdultSchool.org. Questions? Call 723-2325. Catalogs are available at the Scarsdale Public Library and Village Hall.

 

Now that the trees have been cleared, wires put back into place and we’re all taking our electricity for granted, make a guess… how much do you think Scarsdale Village spent to clean up the storm? $50,000? $500,000? In fact, according to Village Manager Al Gatta, the answer lies somewhere in between. And in a year when village finances are severely strained and there is already an estimated shortfall in revenues of $90,000, where will this money come from?

At the March 23rd meeting of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, Mayor Carolyn Stevens asked Gatta to give an accounting of the cost for the extra work done by fire, police, public works and parks personnel. The Village incurred costs for overtime, vehicles, supplies, and equipment for emergency services, property damage repairs, and tree and debris removal. In total, the Village answered 7,200 calls from Village residents in need of assistance. Gatta estimates that the total cost of the storm to Scarsdale was $358,000. If a state of emergency is declared for the area, Scarsdale will apply for federal aid to close the gap.

In other news from the Village Board of Trustees, Board members and the community said their goodbyes to Trustees Sharon Lindsay and Dan Hochvert, both who have completed four years as Village Trustee. Kind words were exchanged by all about the enormous contributions both have made to the Board and to the Village. They will clearly be missed. Speaking for the Scarsdale Forum, V.P. Bruce Wells expressed his thanks for their dedication to Scarsdale and Jane Veron thanked both on behalf of the League of Women Voters. Kay Eisenman and Jonathan Mark have been elected to serve in their place and will begin at the first scheduled meeting in April.

Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey will join with Jewish communities nationwide to observe a Global Hunger Shabbat at Westchester Refrom Temple on Friday March 19. The service, beginning at 7:45 p.m., is open to the community and will be a source of solidarity, education, reflection and advocacy to raise awareness about global hunger.

Global Hunger Shabbat is part of the American Jewish World Service’s (AJWS) campaign Fighting Hunger from the Ground Up created to build awareness about the political roots of hunger. Scheduled to coincide with the Shabbat just prior to Passover, Global Hunger Shabbat will evoke the Passover message of all who are hungry, let them come and eat, on behalf of the more than a billion people suffering from hunger worldwide.

The speaker for the evening, Congresswoman Lowey, represents New York’s 18th District, including parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties. As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, where she chairs the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee and is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Subcommittees, Lowey is an extremely effective, committed legislator with a substantial record of accomplishment.

This event is free and open to the public at Westchester Reform Temple, located at 255 Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale, NY. For directions or information, call the Temple at 914-723-7727, email to office@wrtemple.org, or visit the web at www.wrtemple.org.

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