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Published: 12 December 2012

Created: 12 December 2012

Last Updated: 12 December 2012

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The Hanukah lights will burn with a very powerful and special glow at Congregation Kol Ami this year as the synagogue, located in White Plains, celebrates the completion of its newly renovated sanctuary. The sanctuary will be dedicated at a Shabbat service on the seventh night of Hanukah, Friday, December 14th at 6:15 pm.

"We are incredibly excited about the re-visioning of our new sanctuary. This marks a great day in the history of our dynamic congregation, where we will worship in a magnificent newly renovated space" said Andrea Seiden of Scarsdale, the chairperson of the capital campaign.

"Our goal was to provide a warm, welcoming and functional environment that respects our past and embraces our future. We succeeded in creating a worship space that is both visually and spiritually beautiful." Said Shira Milgrom, Co-Rabbi of Kol Ami with Rabbi Tom Wiener.

The sanctuary has a number of innovative and state-of-the-art features. The soaring 30-foot ceiling gives the space an open, modern and expansive feel. The Bimah or platform area was lowered for more inclusive and embracing services which will also accommodate members and guests with special needs. The side windows were replaced with a clear curtain wall of glass to connect the outside and the inside.

The stained glass windows from the original sanctuary on Sterling Avenue in White Plains have been included in the design blending the history of the old and new. Of great use are the 300 movable chairs, which allow for flexibility so that configurations can change depending on the programs, practices and life cycle events of that day.

Kol Ami's capital campaign, called "L'dor Va'Dor" , means from generation to generation. It has raised over 4 million dollars. The sanctuary was the first phase of a project to modernize the Kol Ami campus and infrastructure. The firm of Levin/Brown & Associates, Inc. of Owings Mills, Maryland was retained as architects for the project. The construction company for the project was Kohl Construction Group who have extensive experience in religious projects in the tri-state area. Maura Smolover of Arts in Architecture was commissioned to design the Torah Ark and the Ner Tamid, the most sacred aspect of the sanctuary space.

Congregation Kol Ami, has been serving the area reform Jewish community since 1923. The congregation, which has grown to over 800 families, offers a unique blend of Jewish worship with an array of programs both spiritually uplifting and educational. The main building includes not only the new sanctuary but also cross-functional spaces for meetings and receptions; a nursery school and a Hebrew school. There is an alternate sanctuary, the Schulman Chapel in the Woods as well.

"I am deeply proud and thrilled to be a member of Congregation Kol Ami. This new sanctuary space will enhance all aspects of our current Temple life and for the future generations to come," said David Lee of Scarsdale.

For more information, please contact Janet Hershey, Director of Membership and Development at Congregation Kol Ami at 914.949-4717 ext. 115 or email janethershey@nykolami.

(Photo Credit: Mariela Melamed)

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Published: 18 December 2012

Created: 18 December 2012

Last Updated: 18 December 2012

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Scarsdale Police met with Scarsdale School District administrators on Monday 12-17 to review school safety plans and protocols, including lockdown and lockout procedures. According to Lt. Thomas Altizio, police will step up their efforts to monitor the Scarsdale Schools, saying, "The Scarsdale Police Department will continue periodic patrols of all school grounds to enhance law enforcement visibility and presence and police officers will continue the random walk-through visitation programs established in certain schools."

School Superintendent McGill also emailed district parents and said that safety protocols would be reviewed and that doors to the elementary schools would be locked when they should be. Visitors will only be admitted after they have been identified on a camera.

Other security measures are in place:

• The High School had already scheduled a "lockdown drill for the spring, as well as a related rapid response drill involving a police tactical force.... lockdowns involve students and teachers; rapid response drills take place after school and involve police and sometimes teachers.... a series of transportation/evacuation drills had already been scheduled for the spring."
• Randomly scheduled police visits are already made to the Middle and High Schools. In January, police will extend these "meet and greets" to the elementary schools.
• The District Safety Team will meet after the New Year to consider existing practices and ways they might reasonably strengthen them. They "will involve the police and parent leadership in this process.... and use the services of a security consulting firm."

However, McGill cautions that, "Schools across the country can lock their doors and put guards in the halls, but until this nation takes gun control seriously and until we address the scourge of mental illness a lot more effectively than we do today, more tragedies will occur. " He encourages parents to do what they can to advocate for gun control legislation.

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Published: 05 December 2012

Created: 05 December 2012

Last Updated: 05 December 2012

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Police Chief John Brogan reported to the Village Board on 11/20 on what happened during Hurricane Sandy and the aftermath from the perspective of the police. Below please find excerpts from his remarks regarding the police response to the crisis.

The Police spent the days prior to the storm preparing for its arrival. In anticipation of Sandy, all vehicles were fueled up, and loaded with caution tape, emergency flares and barricades. Staffing was scheduled to allow for maximum coverage and no time off was permitted.

During the storm itself, serious injuries were prevented by measures taken to encourage everyone to stay home. School was cancelled, the MTA suspended train service, Bee Line Bus Service was cancelled, the County Airport was shut down and highways were closed.

After the State of Emergency was declared in Scarsdale at noon on 10/29 police were at the Emergency Operations Center 24 hours a day until November 2.

When the storm hit at 3:00 pm on October 29, double the normal staff were out in the field in response to toppled trees and wires. Three people were staffing the emergency phones.

At 6 pm, Lightpath phones, internet and the radio system at Police Headquarters all went down and cell phone coverage deteriorated. Calls were then forwarded to one of the two available copper Verizon phone lines. One of the officers was able to repurpose two POTS (Plain Old Telephone System) lines, and hook them up. These were used for incoming calls and for outgoing service to participate in the Con Ed conference calls and for the robo calls to residents.

By 9 pm on 10/29, most of the major north/south and east/west roads were partially or completely closed. The Ambulance Corps had to travel to Central Avenue to reach White Plains Hospital from Scarsdale.

Other facts:

Between 10/29 and 11/5, Police answered 3,300 phone calls from residents seeking assistance. They also dealt with traffic at intersections where the traffic lights were out, long lines at gas stations, the Popham Road Bridge project and the election.

Police made a daily map of open and closed streets

On November 7, the snowstorm caused extensive traffic jams as cars skidded and blocked roadways.

The good news:

Redundant communications systems allowed for continuous service throughout the storm. The 911 system was live and the back-up radio system worked as well.

The Public Safety building had power.

There were no serious injuries or deaths as a result of the storm.

All police officers reported to work during the storm – even those whose families were affected. Some drove 4-5 hours to reach Scarsdale and took dangerous and circuitous routes to get here. Some stayed at headquarters for several nights.

For the future:

We should look into more back-up communications systems or "redundancies."

According to Brogan, "We heard complaints that police were absent on darkened streets." He explained, "There are 90 linear miles of roadway... at a time when travel was slowed by numerous obstructions and officers had to adjust to new routes, we were not able to exhibit the type of police presence that people were accustomed to."

He also added, in regard to the complaints they received about the power outage, "We had no voice in the timing of the restoration and not much more information than the general public about the outages."

He ended by praising the force, saying, "We ran a 24/7 operation and responded to every emergency call in a reasonable period of time. Our police officers were vested in their mission and showed dedication and perseverance throughout, as did the members of the DPW, the Fire Department, the Village Manager's office and every other department of the Village. I was proud to be associated with the effort."