Scarsdale Forum to Host Panel on Development in Scarsdale
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The Scarsdale Forum invites the community to participate in a discussion of "managing development in Scarsdale" at its first Public Forum of the year at 7:30pm on Thursday, October 15, 2015, at the Scott Room of the Scarsdale Public Library, 50 Olmsted Rd. An informal opportunity to enjoy light refreshments and talk to Scarsdale Mayor Jonathan Mark will take place at 7:30pm. The program will commence promptly at 8pm.
What would you like to know about development in Scarsdale? Should the gravel driveway "loophole" remain open? [What is it, anyway?] What's the latest recommendation for trees on your property? Panel participants include Elizabeth Marrinan, Scarsdale Village Planner; Steven Rakoff, developer; Lewis Arlt, Brokerage Manager of the Scarsdale branch of Houlihan Lawrence, Inc.; Joanne Wallenstein, founder of Scarsdale10583; and Ron Schulhof, member of the Village of Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council. Seth Ross, former Chair of the Planning Board, will moderate the discussion.
The Forum is also honoring past Editor-in-Chief of the Scarsdale Inquirer Linda Leavitt with its rarely bestowed Public Service Award. Mayor Mark will present the annual "State of the Village" report and entertain questions from the audience.
Don't miss this opportunity to honor Scarsdale's finest, learn more about village government, and hear diverse points of view on land use in our community. See www.scarsdaleforum.com for a listing of future events, membership information and SF committee reports on a variety of topics.
Literary Salon at the Scarsdale Library
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The Scarsdale Salon will host its first literary event at The Scarsdale Library on October 8th, 2015. The Salon aims to bring stories and their writers to an audience of readers and listeners. Some of these writers have published their works and others might have work-in-progress stories. The selection at each Salon is carefully curated to cover fiction, poetry, personal essays, and non-fiction genres like travel, memoirs, cooking, and other that might appeal to readers.
The Theme for the first Scarsdale Salon is Journeys. Journeys, inside ourselves and without, help us discover our purpose in life, and our space in the world that we inhabit. No two journeys are ever alike and in our selection of books for this Scarsdale Salon, we go on different journeys with our authors and their books.
Girl in the Woods , by Aspen Matis is a beautiful story of emotional and physical boundaries eroding to reveal the truths that lie beyond the edges of the map.
Love and Miss Communication , by Elyssa Friedland, 
asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world . . . and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts!
We journey into the realm of mythic fantasy with Soul Warrior by Falguni Kothari, where a trick of fate appoints the legendary Karna as the guru to a motley crew of gods and he agrees to train them as demon hunters against his better judgment.
In With the Children by Henry Webb, Neil Riley dodges the Vietnam draft in 1969, but his journey as a teacher of 6th grade in a South Harlem school takes him into an even more difficult journey.
And from personal journeys, we move to the journey of a whole community in Sara Aharon's From Kabul to Queens: The Jews of Afghanistan and Their Move to the United States – and discover the story of a small Jewish community that lived in relative peace with its Sunni Muslim neighbors.
The Scarsdale Salon is an initiative by Preeti Singh, author of Unravel, and manager of thegoodbookcorner.com, and author Ines Rodrigues, who has just completed her book Days of Bossa Nova.
Find more information on the Scarsdale Salon here:
Where to Worship for the High Holidays- if you're NOT a member.
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The High Holidays come early this year, with erev Rosh Hashanah on Sunday night September 13. If you belong to a synagogue, you probably already have your tickets and plans for worship in place. However, if you are not a member, many local synagogues welcome visitors at this time of year. Attending a service is a good way to become familiar with a synagogue you might consider joining in the future. We checked with a few and here are their hours and policies for services that are open to the public.
Bet Am Shalom High Holy Day services are open to the community. The synagogue is located at 295 Soundview Avenue in White Plains. There are no tickets and no assigned seating, but guests are asked to register in advance. (A suggested contribution is encouraged). Please click here for the guest registration form: You may also contact the synagogue office for further information on attending High Holy Day services as a guest at 914-946-8851, or betamshalom@betamshalom.org
Their main service is conducted in a large tent, so please dress accordingly.
Erev Rosh Hashanah - Sunday, September 13
6:15 pm - Tent - Service
Rosh Hashanah, First Day - Monday, September 14
9:30 am - Tent - Main Service
9:30 am to 10:30 am - Sanctuary - Family Service*
Rosh Hashanah, Second Day - Tuesday, September 15
9:30 am - Tent - Main Service
9:30 am to 10:30 am - Sanctuary - Family Service*
Kol Nidrey - Tuesday, September 22
6:30pm - Tent - Service
Yom Kippur - Wednesday, September 23
9:30 am - Tent - Main Service (includes Yizkor service)
9:30 am to 10:30am - Sanctuary - Family Service*
3:30 - 5:00 pm - Beit Midrash - Study Session
5:00 pm - Tent - Mincha
6:30 pm - Tent - Ne'ila
7:35 pm - Tent - Final Shofar/Havdallah
*Family Services: The Family Services are well attended. Please come early if your family would like to sit together. Leave all strollers outside the sanctuary. Please accompany your children if they leave the service.
Chabad of Scarsdale will be holding High Holiday services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The services are free of charge, no affiliation necessary.
Rosh Hashanah services will be at Wayside Cottage, 1039 Post Rd. Sunday, September 13, Light Candles - 6:51 pm, Services - 7:00 pm. Monday, September 14 Services - 9:30 am, Children's Program - 10:30 am, Shofar - 11:00 am. Tuesday, September 15 Services - 9:30 am, Children's Program - 10:30 am, Shofar - 11:00 am.
Yom Kippur services will be at the Scarsdale Woman's Club at 37 Drake Rd. The schedule will be: Tuesday, September 22 Light Candles - 6:36 pm, Kol Nidrei 6:00 pm. Wednesday, September 23 Morning Services - 9:30 am, Children's Program 10:30 am, Yizkor - 11:30 am, Neilah - 5:00 pm, Fast Ends -7:32 pm.
Walk-Ins Welcome! RSVP Appreciated, Services are Free of Charge
To RSVP or for more information please contact Rabbi Avrohom Butman at 914-527-2077, by email at ChabadofScarsdale@gmail.com or visit ChabadofScarsdale.com
High Holidays at Congregation Kol Ami: In Jewish communities worldwide, The High Holy Days begin the new year with a mixture of joy and reflection. Over 90 years old, Congregation Kol Ami is a White Plains Reform synagogue that welcomes a broad spectrum of backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles.
Kol Ami worship services integrate both traditional and contemporary practices. Services are led by Rabbi Shira Milgrom, Rabbi Tom Weiner and Cantor David Rosen.
You are invited to join the following services which are open to the public:
Rosh Hashanah Family Service: September 14, 3:15- 4:00 PM, Reception following
Second Day Rosh Hashanah: September 15, 10:00AM –Noon, Reception following
Yom Kippur Afternoon (Shulman Chapel), September 23, 3:00 -4:30 PM
Yom Kippur Family Service, September 23, 3:15 – 4:00 PM
Yom Kippur Memorial and Concluding Service: September 23, 5 – 7:00 PM
There are a limited number of High Holy Days tickets available for purchase for other services. For more information call Jess Lorden, Executive Director at 914-949-4717 x 101. Visit www.nykolami.org, or 252 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, New York 10606.
Did you know that Scarsdale Synagogue on Ogden Road in Scarsdale has a new member program that requires a gift from the heart? For more information, please click here.
The following services are open to the public:
Erev Rosh Hashanah Services, Sunday September 13, 8 p.m. - Erev Rosh Hashanah Evening Service
First Day Rosh Hashanah Services at Scarsdale Synagogue, Monday September 14, 2:30 pm, High Holy Day Family Experience • Blessing for new babies
Second Day Rosh Hashanah Services at Scarsdale Synagogue, Tuesday September 15. 10 a.m. - Morning Service, Main Sanctuary, 11 a.m. - Religious School Family Service in outdoor tent (childcare available)
Yom Kippur Services at Scarsdale Synagogue, Wednesday September 23,
1 p.m. - Adult Discussion
1:30 p.m. - High Holy Day Family Experience
3 p.m. - Afternoon Service
4:45 pm - Yizkor followed by Neilah and Break Fast
Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont & Emanu-El is located at 2 Ogden Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583. Visit our website here. For questions, please contact Executive Director, Roberta Aronovitch at 914-725-5175.
Westchester Reform Temple at 255 Mamaroneck Road in Scarsdale welcomes individuals and families from the community to join Temple Members at the following selected services for the High Holidays. Entrance Cards and Photo ID are required for entrance into the building; Complimentary Entrance Cards may be obtained at the Temple Office, or on our website and click the top middle button.
Rosh Hashanah
Evening: Sunday, September 13
Family & Community Service in Beit Midrash, 6:15pm
This service features a family-friendly prayer service, a story/sermonette geared for all ages, and the sounding of the shofar to usher in the year 5776. The Family & Community Service will also incorporate "visual worship" using a large digital display. Our service will be enhanced by WRT's beloved Israeli musicians. We expect this service to run about 60-75 minutes.
First Day: Monday, September 14
Children's Service, 3:00pm
A fun and short service for the youngest among us to welcome the New Year.
Second Day: Tuesday, September 15
Meditative Service in the CJL, 9:30am
Begin your worship on the Second Day with a quiet meditative service that will include song, the traditional shofar, simple High Holy Day melodies, and guided meditations, all of which aim to create an engaging and intimate prayer space. In order to nurture our sacred space, please be on time for the day.
Morning Services, 10:00am
Yom Kippur
Kol Nidre: Tuesday, September 22
Family & Community Service in Beit Midrash, 6:15pm
This Kol Nidre Service is held in our Beit Midrash, is open to members of the community who would like to learn more about our congregation. We will feature a family-friendly prayer service, a story/sermonette geared for all ages.
Day: Wednesday, September 23
Musical Meditation, 1:30pm
Music to inspire and augment our worship.
Alternate Yizkor, 2:15pm
WRT invites members and guests from the community to join in a service of remembrance.
Children's Service, 2:15pm
Forgiveness Meditation, 3:15
Some believe that forgiveness happens in the head and others believe it happens in the heart. In this guided meditation we will seek to unite head and heart to uncover Yom Kippur's potent teaching on the necessity of forgiveness in our lives. No meditation experience is necessary.
Advocate Brokerage Celebrates New Look at Chat in Scarsdale
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After 47 years, Advocate Brokerage has new branding. Customers, executives, employees and friends of Advocate Brokerage gathered with representatives from Chubb Insurance to celebrate a new color scheme, logo and brand identity designed especially for Advocate on Wednesday September 16th, 2015 at Chat in Scarsdale
Audrey Brenya, Personal Lines Marketing Specialist for Chubb described the event "It was a fantastic evening. We were thrilled to be involved in celebrating Advocate's new brand launch. We value their partnership and are so proud of their achievements. We had a great crowd Wednesday evening of local Scarsdale residents, local business professionals and Chubb clients."
Many locals were invited to attend for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Among the celebrants were local realtors, bankers and former and current Village Trustees.
Advocate Brokerage Corp is an integral part of the Scarsdale community. For four decades Advocate has shown that buying insurance doesn't have to be painful; in the hands of a friendly and knowledgeable agent it can be a pleasurable experience. The company, founded by Roz & Ron Binday, has grown by word of mouth and customer referrals over the years into a well respected thriving business. 
A family business, the Binday's children Denise Koslowsky and Glenn Binday are now principals in the company handling the day to day operation and overseeing the Personal Lines Division and Business Lines Division respectively. As she discussed Advocate's new brand, Denise shared, "After 47 years, we decided it was time to make some big changes in our look starting with our color and leading to our logo which pays homage to Scarsdale. Scarsdale is our home; the logo pays tribute to the Tudor style homes that dominate its landscape."
The event was co-hosted by Chubb Insurance, longtime partners of Advocate Brokerage. Chubb Insurance provides both personal and business insurance and was listed as one of America's 100 Most Trustworthy Companies by Forbes. Chubb specializes in high net worth clients, and offers them a full range of personal lines products.
To end the ribbon cutting ceremony, Denise said, "Together with these great people, we have built a strong insurance agency. Advocate Brokerage offers their customers the ability to live and let us take care of the details."
Property Reassessment for 2016 Begins in Scarsdale
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(This notice was posted by the Village of Scarsdale)
PRESS RELEASE – THE 2016 PROPERTY REASSESSMENT COMMENCEMENT
In accordance with a January 27, 2015 resolution of the Scarsdale Board of Trustees, please be advised that the 2016 reassessment has recently commenced. This effort is intended to update property values on a parcel specific basis.
The 2016 reassessment will consist primarily of a statistical analysis of all sales that will support the development of market models for estimating the value of all properties. Valuation processes and procedures are in the early stages and will result in new assessments that will be implemented on the June 1, 2016 tentative assessment roll for all property valued as of the July 1, 2015 valuation date.
Except those properties that are, or have recently been under construction, a full on-site data collection of each property will NOT occur, which means that data collectors will not be asking to enter residents' premises. The reassessment consulting firm of J.F. Ryan Associates, Inc., an experienced and respected industry leader, will work in conjunction with the Assessor to perform the valuation analyses used to value and reassess ALL Scarsdale properties.
Building on the foundation of the 2014 Village-wide reassessment and in order to maintain assessments as close to 100% as possible, periodic reassessments, which are considered to be an industry "best practice," will be performed at intervals determined in the future based on changing market conditions.
Attached is a list of important information regarding the 2016 reassessment. As the project progresses, additional information will be available through local newspaper articles and on-line news media, village webpage postings and a public information meeting (s). Additional questions should be directed to the Town/Village Assessor's Office @ #722-1133. Thank you.
Nanette J. Albanese, SRA, IAO
Scarsdale Town/Village Assessor
NYS Certified General Real Estate Appraiser
John F. Ryan, CAE
Revaluation Consultant
J.F. Ryan Associates, Inc.
Important things to know about the 2016 reassessment:
• J.F. Ryan Associates, Inc. will complete the 2016 reassessment in conjunction with the Assessor, utilizing the property characteristics collected during the 2014 reassessment, as continually updated;
• A full on-site data collection of each property will NOT occur, as this major effort was completed as part of the 2014 reassessment; however, the data collection of all new construction, renovations of existing homes and the correction of existing inventory is on-going;
• The sales used to value all properties for the June 1, 2016 tentative assessment roll will include valid transactions that transpired over the prior 2 year period, July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2015; if necessary the sales base will be expanded to include valid sales occurring before and after this period;
• Recent sales prices of properties, while typically very strong indicators of value, WILL NOT automatically become the 2016 assessment;
• Properties will be valued using market models that consider all valid sales occurring during the sales base period;
• To ensure the greatest degree of accuracy and equity of the final valuation estimates, appraisers from J.F. Ryan Associates, Inc. will perform curb-side valuation reviews of all properties. The Assessor and her staff will participate in these reviews;
• Once the 2016 assessments have been calculated and finalized, on or about June 1, 2016, all taxpayers will be mailed a notice of the 2016 tentative assessment;
• ALL valuations resulting from the 2016 reassessment are subject to the normal appeal process by the submission of a completed grievance application form to the Board of Assessment Review filed during the statutory grievance period, June 1, 2016 – June 21, 2016 (Grievance Day);
• However, there will be no informal review process in conjunction with the 2016 reassessment. An informal valuation review process prior to setting a tentative assessment roll is typically only undertaken when many years have passed since the last full-scale reassessment.
