Portraits of the Women of Scarsdale
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To mark their transition from SHS Seniors to college freshmen, Jennifer Eisler and Caroline Rodman have created a meaningful final project for their senior options. Jennifer and Caroline met with a diverse array of women who live and work in the community and interviewed them to learn about their experiences in Scarsdale. They photographed each woman in her element to represent a variety of female lifestyles in Scarsdale's close-knit neighborhood. Their senior options project has proved unique and valuable because it taught them how to ask people the right questions and how to make them feel comfortable in an interview. For Jennifer and Caroline, "It has been a pleasure to meet so many wonderful women of Scarsdale before we leave the community we love."
Here is part 1 of the Women of Scarsdale Senior Options Project. Part 2 will be posted next week.
The Wonderful Women of Scarsdale
What does it feel like to be a woman in Scarsdale?
Joanne Fiedler, owner of Jewels By Joanne
How does it feel to be a working woman in Scarsdale?
"It feels very good, very satisfying. Great clientele and I love working so close to home. It allows me to be both a mother and a professional businesswoman. I have been working here for 13 years. My mother-in-law was a jeweler in the Scarsdale village for close to 30 years. She taught me the business but then she passed away. I decided that it was my passion to buy and sell jewelry.
Cantor Jill Abramson, Westchester Reform Temple
"I love being a part of a close knit community where I get to wear multiple hats. One as a professional workingwoman and also as a mom and a member of a dynamic community. I feel very proud to be part of a profession where women have only been being ordained as cantors since the early 70s, so I still feel very proud to be a pioneer. I find that I am met really unanimously with people who are excited and supportive of my work as a woman. I feel honored to be modeling it for generations to come of both young girls and young boys."
Iris Cohen, owner of Be True Yoga
My inspiration for opening the [yoga] studio was really to get to know my community better because my children go to Solomon Schechter. It was a little bit more challenging to meet people in the community, so I wanted a place that would bring people together, men and women, and on that scale it has really been a great joy. I've met a lot of people and I will say that yoga is a little self-selecting in some ways because you get people who are interested in their own healing and they're pretty aware. So I've met some amazing people that I wouldn't have met otherwise.
Victoria, Tsevis Furs of Scarsdale
"I've been here since I was 14. My parents moved here with my sisters and we love it. I have a bunch of sisters that live here also and my family is here. I have a little 11-year-old boy. I've worked here for about 20 years on and off I took breaks in between. Being a woman in Scarsdale...yeah I don't have the attitude but I'm still you know...(laughs)."
Amy Paulin, New York State Assemblywoman
I've lived in Scarsdale for 33 years so it's home and everyone in the community feels like home to me. It's extraordinarily easy to represent Scarsdale because I understand what the community's needs and concerns are, and of course many of the people are my friends. My kids grew up here so I know a lot of the families. Everyone feels really comfortable reaching out to me and telling me what they think so it's a very easy relationship."
Kaylee Waterhouse, Scarsdale Freshmen Baseball Team Player
"I've been playing with these guys all my life. They are really close and so much fun to be with. It's a lot of fun being on the team and being accepted as a girl...it's awesome. I've always played baseball. The boys tease me a little bit, but in a good way. True friendship."
Carol Kushnick, playing bridge with friends
"It's a great community and I love raising my kids here. I feel like everyone is warm, friendly, and the women here are motivated to make themselves better and their kids."
Malvina Guretsky, founder of MAG Tricotes
"It feels like I'm immediately part of the community. It's a very close-knit community, which is both good and bad. The good thing is you feel like it's home, but the bad thing is everybody knows everything. Everyone knows each other's business, etcetera. But I like it...I've only been here for about 10 months and I'm very pleasantly surprised that I have a lot of clients and they're very loyal to me. They're very appreciative, and they send me pictures of themselves in my dresses. Again, it feels like family."
Joanne Wallenstein, founder of Scarsdale10583
"I feel like I'm at the center of the community and I feel so lucky to live here and to have the opportunity to manage Scarsdale10583. For the website I draw on many of my friends for information and people I worked with on a lot of village committees. Many of them are women, so perhaps yes, being a woman might be an advantage in the position I'm in now. This is the most involved, interactive community, and people are very passionate about what they do."
Lena, Peter's Tailoring
"My name is Lena, and this is Nancy and Mima. The people here are very generous and kind and we love to deal with people in Scarsdale, they are very nice people. We have had no problems in 23 years!"
Mayor Levitt Flisser
"Scarsdale is a very unusual community because of the educational level of the residences. The residents are able to comprehend the complex problems and issues that they are interested in and so if we have to make a compromise they can understand that and absorb it. Although we can't do everything the way that everyone wants, we put a lot of time and effort into making the decisions that we have to make...It's quite a positive experience."
Do you think your job would have been any different if you were a male?
"Yes I think that in general working as a female is different than as a male. It's not what you do, but what is done for you. This is true in my real job, which is a pediatrician; I'm a doctor, and all the other positions I have always been in. Women do not get the same support with various procedures. Men definitely get more support from people in the work place than women do. Also, there are higher standards for their achievement where as men can get away with more than women can, but all that being said, it is easy for us to do that so it's alright!"
Scarsdale Pool Director Says Thank You and Goodbye
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This letter was sent to Scarsdale10583 from Kathy Laoutaris who worked at the Scarsdale Pool for the past 17 years and learned in January that her position had been cut: They say all good things must come to an end. For 17 years the Scarsdale pool has been my home. On January 24th I was informed by the Recreation Department that my position was eliminated by the Village. The shock and heartache was overwhelming.
I want to thank all of you for allowing me to enter your lives, on a daily basis, for all of these years. I hope you all know how much it has meant to me to get to know each of you and to have managed the best facility in Westchester. It was a job that never felt like work. I truly enjoyed every minute. I will fondly look back on all the memories we have shared.
As this door closes, I pray another one opens and I am able to continue to do what I love. I will miss sitting in front of the pool office watching over the complex and having the opportunity to chat with you all. As I move onto the next chapter of my life, my Heart will always be with the Scarsdale Pool.
In the meantime, please accept my well wishes. May you all be healthy and happy and be prosperous in all your endeavors. And, once in a while, when you look up the hill, remember that I will be thinking of you.
Thanks again!
Kathy Laoutaris
Residents Voice Support for Proposed Scarsdale School Budget
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We are residents of Scarsdale and the Mamaroneck Strip -- young and old, community volunteers and leaders, families and empty-nesters, and all points in between -- who will vote "YES" to support the Scarsdale School Budget.
We urge you to Vote "Yes" because:
- The Budget maintains class size practices at all levels, K-12, and foreign language studies and instrumental music at the elementary schools.
- The proposed Fitness, health and learning center and plant upgrade will serve all SHS students -- male and female, athletes and non-athletes -- for years to come.
- The renovation is an essential first step to accommodate future growth needs and flexible/collaborative learning opportunities.
- The Budget proposes among the lowest year-over-year budget growth rates in years, and the non-personnel budget is reduced from what it was five years ago.
- Draining reserve balances further to fill some of the gap would leave an even larger revenue hole next year and in future years, leading to further program cuts or large tax spikes.
- A defeat of the budget would likely lead to over $700,000 in cuts (with High School teacher and librarian positions among the first cuts likely to be considered).
Please take the ten minutes to drive to the Middle School between 7am and 9 pm and vote in favor of the 2013-14 budget.
Help achieve the required 60% supermajority 'Yes' vote.
Help preserve the national-landmark Scarsdale public education system that makes Scarsdale the special place it is.
YOUR VOTE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, THIS YEAR MORE THAN EVER!!
Thank you.
Amy Paulin and Ira Schuman
Carolyn and Michael Stevens
Tom and Harriet Sobol
Stephie and Bill Miller
Rita Golden
Carl and Betty Pforzheimer
Ed Morgan
Norman Alterman
Barbara Jaffe
Arthur and Erika Rublin
Moira Crouch Bandsma
David M. Brodsky
Nell Brodsky
James Dugan
Peter and Miriam Popp Seeley
Leah and David Dembitzer
Jeff Spiegel
Susan Kessler Ross and Seth Ross
Lisa Messinger and Aaron Panken
Charlotte Carr
Liz Whitney
Suzanne Glaser
Pamela Fuehrer
Mary Beth Evans and Dan Moretti
Barbara Jaffe
Gayle and Andrew Hutcher
Rippy Phillips
Michelle and Frank Lichtenberg
Lynne and Merrell Clark Stephanie Glaser
Pam Rubin
Lisa and Jordan Copeland
Kristin and Gary Friedman
Mitchell Seider
Eli and Elaine Mattioli
Jennifer Constantin
John and Erika McCann
Vincent and Debra Franco
Jonathan Tamir
Mike and Melissa Barletta
Melissa Cates and Roger Claman
Jennifer and Mark Rossano
Denise Josephs
Lauren Mintzer
Dalit Stern
Lisa Rodman
Eileen Donovan
Karen and Rob Ceske
Jane and Jay Cohen
Shirley and Hyman Shwiel
Maura Wogan and Ken Schacter
Emily and Ira Kirschenbaum
Jeffrey and Melanie Spivak
Ruth Raisfeld and Len Benowich
Victoria C. Silver
Jon Leslie
Kathryn and James Brandt
Ottilie Jarmel and R. Craig Tracy
Nancy and Bruce Frank
Debbie and David Rapaport
Carmen Hall
Beth Cukier
Samantha Shabman
Ruth and Andrew Suzman
Felisa DiSanto
Melissa and Eric Berridge
Bill and Liz McInerney
Lee and Nan Berke
Nancy and David Michaels
Nancy and John Alderman
Allison Beitler
Leslie and Campbell Anderson
Lucy D'Ambrosio
Diane and Marc Greenwald
Margie and Morgan Miller
Xue Shi
Jocelyn and Scott Sontag
Dan and Margot Milberg
Jeri and Andy Casden
Valerie and Steven Abrahams
Susan Freedman
Brett and Jennifer Fischer
Denise and Jeff Rothberg
Lynn and Michael Pollack
Beth and Jeff Gelles
Caren and Jonathan Greenhouse
Liz and Steve Gruber
Alice Singer Gorelick
Sybil and Harvey Barten
Amanda and Baboo Rangaiah
Jeff and Susie Stern
William Rosenstadt
Suzanne and Sean Kelly
Mary Goldblatt
Marie and Nick Girardi
Kristin Krohn
Peter and Alice Herman
Jennifer Schmelkin
Terry Singer
Leora Rub
Ed and Alice Howard
Andrea and John Brandt Dana Matsushita
Leesa Chalk Suzman
Linda Plattus
Isabel and Jonathan Finegold
Jennifer Gross
Denise B. Koslowsky
Cynthia and Marc Samwick
Heather Gilchriest Meili and Stephan Meili
Amy Frank
Kim Burnham
Anne and Michael Moretti
Christine Sloben and Mike Lewis
Michelle Sterling and David Fenigstein
Jane and Jim Buck
Charlotte and Rick Carr
Liz and Ken Whitney
Dr. Harry Fisch and Karen Fisch
Debra Lagapa and Bill Squadron
Dr. Monica Rieckhoff and John Spiro
Sara and David Kober
Linda and Sal Oliverio
Theresa and Keith Goldberg
Erica and Peter Zurkow
Dr. Stephen Nicholas and Eileen Nicholas
Kathy and Ed Coleman
Mitch and Rachel Katz
Tracey and Bob Lee
Kathy and Michael Cutlip
June and Neil Winward
Tricia and Bill McFarland
Carrie and Howard Belk
Rusty and Angela Varlotta
Jane and Jim Felix
Anne and Mark Ellman
Penny and Paul Bauersfeld
Beth and Peter Dell'Orto
Geoff and Carol Fitzgerald
Lisa and Warren Dodge
Rick Knief
Geralyn and Ralph DellaCava
Catherine and Tom Souther
Margeret and Larry Smith
Monica and Henry Aboodi
Karen Brew
Kim and David Goldban
Laurie and Larry Medvinsky
Joan Taback Frankle
Judy and Peter Hamra
Monica Fried
Claudine Gecel and Stephen Sabba
Felisa DiSanto
Susan and John Gevertz
Jenny Glucksman
Debbie and Steven Singer
John and Jacquie Walter
Jon and Nicole Ungar
Howard Nadel
Anna Decker and Alan Lowenfels
Linda Blair and Bill Doescher
Betsy and Peter Evans
Viveca Teuber
Lauren Kessler
Dr. Nancy and Steven L. Kirshenbaum
Joy Henshel
Vic Goldberg
Harvey Ashman and Linda Doucette-Ashman
Olga and Simon Eligulashvili
Jill Scheuer and Keith Pattiz
Kelly and Alan Ware
Jennifer Barrett
Beth and Danny Bernstein
and the
Coalition for Scarsdale Schools
Arthur S. Rublin, Chair
Jeff Spiegel, Treasurer
Moira Crouch Bandsma (Edgewood);
Jim Dugan (Fox Meadow);
Miriam Popp Seeley (Greenacres);
David M. Brodsky (Heathcote);
Leah Dembitzer (Quaker Ridge)
Acclaimed Children's Book Author to Visit Scarsdale Public Library
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Maryrose Wood, acclaimed author of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, will visit the Scarsdale Public Library on Tuesday, May 28th at 7 pm for the Grade 5-6 Bookclub.
The first two books in Wood's continuing series about the "incorrigible" children and their governess, The Mysterious Howling (Book I) and The Hidden Gallery (Book II), are very popular with library patrons and have been reviewed by the School Library Journal, which described Book I as, "Jane Eyre meets Lemony Snicket in this smart, surprising satire. Humorous antics and a climactic cliff-hanger ending will keep children turning pages and clamoring for the next volume, while more sophisticated readers will take away much more." Book II has been described as, "Another series of uproarious escapades."
"We are so excited to welcome Maryrose Wood to our children's book club this month!" said Scarsdale Public Library Executive Director Elizabeth Bermel. "We have seen how popular The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series is, especially with our 5th and 6th-graders, so we know that all of the kids will be looking forward to meeting the author and asking her questions about what to expect in the storyline."
Helene Gray to Serve as WRT's New President
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Westchester Reform Temple has a new president. On May 7th 2013, congregants elected Helene Gray, the current Vice-President of WRT's Board of Trustees to serve as the synagogue's next President.
Helene and her family have been Scarsdale residents and members of WRT for the past twelve years. During that time, Helene has been involved in a wide-array of activities at the synagogue. She served as a co-chair of the Religious School Board and the Raising the Bar Committee, and as a member of the Early Childhood Center (ECC) Task Force, the Nominating Committee, the Rabbinic Search Committee, and the Shoah Awareness Committee. Helene also proudly taught a Yiddish class alongside Cantor Stephen Merkel, of blessed memory. Helene joined the WRT Board of Trustees in 2011 and currently serves as a Vice-President.
Outside of WRT, Helene sits on the Board of Overseers of the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust and is a Co-Chair of the Museum's Associates Division. Through her work with the Museum, she has been dedicated to Holocaust remembrance and education for the past 25 years. Locally, Helene has served as an area chair for UJA's Scarsdale Women's Campaign. She has previously served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of the Alumnae Association of Barnard College, from which she graduated in 1988. Helene's professional background is in public relations and marketing communications.
She is married to Dr. Richard Gray, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practicing in New York City. They have three sons, Samuel (15), Jonah (13) and Daniel (7) who are all graduates of the temple's Early Childhood Center program and are currently enrolled in the religious school.
WRT will celebrate its 60th anniversary with events and activities beginning in the fall of 2013. Helene and the Gray family are honored that she will serve as the next President of WRT and they are excited to be a part of the history of this synagogue during this landmark year.
