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.
Former Scarsdale Dean Mendelowitz Receives Light Sentence
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Former Scarsdale High School Dean David Mendelowitz was sentenced to 5 years' probation on Monday for his part in a federal prostitution and drug ring. Mendelowitz pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and drug possession, only two among the several charges he faced. Late last fall, Mendelowitz was arrested and named in a 180-count federal, state and local indictment that charged 19 people in a prostitution ring. Authorities say Mendelowitz confessed to arranging for drugs and for the services of prostitutes named Yoyo and Suji through one of the men accused in the ring. He was also accused of tipping off one of his contacts to the government's investigation.
Mendelowitz could have faced up to four years in prison. As part of his probation conditions, he will have to undergo random, weekly drug tests and continue attending AA meetings.
While at Scarsdale High School, Mendelowitz was involved with the schools' Drug and Alcohol Task Force and Signifer Honors Society. News of his indictment shocked the Scarsdale community on November 20th due to his role as a community leader and role model and because he abused the same laws he upheld as a member of the Drug and Alcohol Task Force in Scarsdale.
Did the former Dean get off easy? Not according to experts. We spoke to Kerry Lawrence, a former federal prosecutor and now a criminal defense lawyer with Calhoun and Lawrence in White Plains about Mendelowitz's sentence and he said the felony conviction and five years probation was a "typical, appropriate sentence for the offence of conviction which were hindering prosecution and possession of controlled substances." According to Lawrence, "the felony conviction is disabling for Mendelowitz's future and his professional career," and he added "being on probation is punitive and a serious consequence. This is not just a slap on the wrist."
Pictured above – Mendelowitz was recently spotted shopping at CVS.
This article was contributed by Brian Shabto, a senior at Scarsdale High School.
Stomach Virus Sickens Attendees at Hilton Westchester
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The Westchester County Health Department has reported an outbreak of what is believed to be Norovirus among those attending events at the Hilton Westchester, a.k.a the Rye Town Hilton during the weekend of April 20 and 21. Symptoms of the stomach bug are vomiting and diarrhea and an unconfirmed number of guests fell ill after leaving the Hilton. The Health Department first sent out an alert on April 26 to report the outbreak and followed up with another release on April 30th reporting that they are continuing to investigate the cause of the virus and put a stop to it.
Among the steps currently being taken are:
1. Arranging for an outside contractor to provide an industrial cleaning of all hotel surfaces, with a special focus on the banquet halls;
2. Contracting for corporate health staff and corporate sanitarians to be present and to assist in assuring that all health department recommendations are being carried out by staffers;
3. Discontinuing service of uncooked foods that are prepared on site, and substituting commercially prepared salads and uncooked fruits; and
4. Providing a 72-hour paid furlough to all banquet service and kitchen staff starting now through Friday night.
According to the Rye Patch, attendees at the Pelham Picture House Big Night Spring Gala held on April 20 were victims as well as attendees of other events that weekend.
Visit www.westchestergov.com/health for more information about Norovirus.
Vinnie Emilio Remembered at Lange's
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Lange's Deli in Scarsdale lost a member of their family when owner and chef Vinnie Emilio passed away at age 57 on April 6, 2013. Vinnie and his business partner Tony Domini have owned this Scarsdale mainstay since 1999 when the two paired up and purchased Lange's from former owner Charles Dolan. Tony and Vinnie met in Florida and both moved north to work together with Vinnie heading the kitchen, and Toni, a veteran of the finance industry, handling the business. When they took over Lange's in 1999 they inherited a loyal staff and many of these same men have stayed on board for years.
Vinnie was an accomplished chef who "got crazy in the kitchen" and could turn out meals in voluminous quantities. In addition to his expertise with standard deli fare like roast turkey and pot roast, he was a talented baker and dessert chef, known for his apple bread pudding and rice pudding. According to Tony, Vinnie lived alone and Lange's and the people who worked there were his life.
Lange's employees were eager to share memories of Vinnie who some looked to as a father or even grandfather. They all said that he was "always there for them" – and would do everything he could do for his team. He was remembered as a tough boss who constantly reminded the men behind the counter to be attentive to the customers. But his bark was worse than his bite and he was clearly loved by all.
When asked to describe him, Sal called Vinnie "nice, hard-working and sweet," while Francisco called him "my Dad and my friend." Thirteen-year Lange's veteran Carlos said "Vinnie had an attitude and like to play around," but was serious about the work. Lenin, who also has worked at Lange's for 13 years said that Vinnie "had the human touch" and "he cared about us." The team remembered parties at Vinnie's small apartment in Mahopac, and his birthday barbeques as well.
Everyone was surprised at his passing. When Vinnie started experiencing pain in his neck he initially thought he had pinched a nerve and went to an 
acupuncturist and then a chiropractor. But after he fell and was not able to get up he was taken to the doctor who scanned his neck and found a shadow on the xray that was later identified as a tumor. He underwent surgery and everyone thought he would be fine until he developed an infection that caused him to fail and eventually pass away soon after the operation.
Lange's is poised to expand and will now include a family-style pizza restaurant in the space formerly occupied by the furrier. Amidst the construction at the deli is a large television screen bearing a black ribbon showing slides of Vinnie and his team. He will clearly be missed.
The Ins and Outs of Applying to College
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The JCC of Mid-Westchester will host a special program for high school freshmen, sophomores and juniors, and their parents titled "The Ins and Outs of Applying to College" on Sunday, April 28 at 7:00pm at the JCC of Mid-Westchester, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale. Earlier in the day, the 2013 session of JCC Academic Center Regents Prep classes will begin.
The Ins and Outs of Applying to College will be presented by Jacques Steinberg and Steve Singer, two professionals with extensive experience in and knowledge of the college admissions process. Jacques Steinberg is the best-selling author of The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, and creator of The New York Times college admissions blog, The Choice. Steve Singer is a retired Director of College Counseling at a top independent school in New York. Previously, he was Assistant Athletic Director, Columbia University where he was an admissions liaison, as well as provided academic, pre-professional and career counseling. Mr. Singer is also a Distinguished Visiting Faculty at Harvard Summer Institute for College Admissions. The evening will include a discussion of the college admissions process including:
- How to start to compose a list and learn about colleges applications including extracurricular activities, essays,
transcripts, test scores, interviews and more - How an application is read in the admissions office
- Financing your education
The evening will conclude with a question and answer session. Tickets for the event are $10/person and may be purchased online at www.jccmw.org.
The JCC Academic Center provides test prep and college admissions programs for middle school and high school students, including PSAT, SAT, ACT, and Regents test prep, as well as College Application Essay Workshops and Writing and Time Management Skills Workshops. Regents Prep classes for June 2013 exams in Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2/Trig, Global History, and US History are registering now.
