Westchester Jewish Democrats to Host Congressman Richie Torres at Scarsdale Event

Westchester Jewish Democrats (WJD) will host Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) in Scarsdale for an exclusive event on Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 4 pm. The event, titled “Allyship in Action: Rep. Torres’s Leadership Journey,” will focus on the implications of the 2025 Congress for Israel and efforts to combat antisemitism.

Westchester Jewish Democrats, a recently formed organization, describes its mission as “engaging and empowering Jewish Democrats and their allies across Westchester County”. The organization focuses on voter education, participation, and ensuring robust representation at all levels of government.

According to the event announcement, “this is a special opportunity to hear directly from Congressman Torres, one of the most dynamic and outspoken voices in Congress...”

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Join us at the Scarsdale Library as landscape designer Jennifer Yates presents "The Magical Gardens of Bunny Mellon" on Friday March 14 at 2 pm. This fascinating program will cover much of Bunny Mellon's life and focuses on her emergence as an important landscape designer. The talk will highlight key moments in Bunny Mellon's life and career ranging from the redesign of the White House Rose Garden to her establishment of the Oak Spring Foundation along with her enduring legacy, which focused on the importance of ecology and design.

Jennifer Yates is an experienced, award-winning Landscape Designer. Her expertise in the complementary fields of architecture, horticulture and the environment enable her to design layered, sustainable, native infused gardens. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Interior Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design and a certification in organic farming from N.O.F.A. (Northeast Organic Farming Association.) She also studied landscape architecture at the New York Botanical Gardens. Jennifer has lectured at botanical gardens around the country on topics like notable garden designers, sustainable garden design, and rain gardens.

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Please join librarian David Sadoff (filling in for Nancy until she gets back in April) in the Scott Room to discuss Leaving by Roxana Robinson on Wednesday March 19 at 2 pm.

"Forty years after their breakup, lovers run into each other at intermission in the opera house, and nothing will ever be the same.

"Warren Jennings and Sarah Watson dated in their youth, but between the miles separating their colleges, a silly but fatal misunderstanding, and a new face on the horizon, she chose to end the relationship. By the time they reconnect, he is long married, living near Boston, a successful architect. She is divorced, a grandmother, on her own in Westchester County. After they serendipitously meet at a performance of Tosca in New York City, the error of their separation is quickly evident and they begin an affair. To them, it feels less like adultery than a course correction, likely to lead to the greater happiness of all. But as Warren will one day explain to his wife, Janet, “In an opera, the tragedy involves passion and honor,” and so it is here, with passion and honor at odds, and the irrevocable responsibilities and emotions of parenthood complicating the situation in unforeseen ways....

"Elegantly structured and written, shimmering with feeling and truth. A triumph" - Kirkus.

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As an artistic subject, very few things can compare to flowers for their sheer versatility and symbolic depth - or their historic importance. From the very beginning of painting as a formal discipline, flowers have provided inspiration with their vibrant colors, delicate shapes, and representational meaning. Beverly Shipko, a contemporary realist artist and avid art historian, will join us in the Scott Room to discuss the age-old tradition of incorporating flowers into art. From still life to unobtrusive background detail to the rich symbolism behind different blooms, Ms. Shipko will lecture on and explore the many guises of flowers and plants in art.

The program will be held on Tuesday March 25 at 4:30 pm. We hope you come to this program hungry! There will be refreshments and a brief reception afterward.

About the Presenter

Beverly Shipko is a professional artist and art historian with more than 20 years of exhibitions. Her personal focus is on food in art, especially desserts. Her confection obsession started as a child when she worked in her grandfather’s gourmet grocery store, with shelves packed full of delectable treats. Ms. Shipko's artistic work draws on iconic food brands in a variety of positions and stages of preparation. Her work has been displayed and featured around Westchester and across the country, including the Katonah Museum, the Hudson River Museum, Cavalier Galleries, One Martine Gallery, and many more. Her commissioned works also hang in select diners and cafes.

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