Scarsdale Bar-Mitzvah Boy Uses Gift Money to Help Establish Basketball Team for Ethiopian Children in Israel
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The northern Israeli city of Safed, known for its beauty and as an historic center of Jewish mysticism, has welcomed a new basketball team to town care of a bar-mitzvah boy from New York. Basketball fan Josh Wasserman of Scarsdale decided to donate his bar-mitzvah gifts to establish the team and renovate a new court for children who live in a center for new Ethiopian immigrants in Safed.
Josh decided he wanted to do something to help economically disadvantaged children in Israel after hearing stories about how little some kids there have from his father David Wasserman, who had just returned from a UJA-Federation of New York mission to the country.
Together with UJA-Federation's "Give a Mitzvah-Do a Mitzvah" program, Josh and his family — also big lovers of basketball — thought it would be a great idea to bring something they are passionate about to the Ethiopian children in Safed. He decided to donate gifts from his bar mitzvah to make the new team a reality. Josh's siblings also wanted to take part in the project and donated from their own savings as well.
Josh's bar mitzvah gift covers the renovation of the court, the hiring of a new coach for a year-long training program, and buying special uniforms with the name "Team Wasserman" printed in both English and Hebrew.
Josh plays on several basketball teams in New York, including an American Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team called the Riverhawks, the Temple Israel Center of White Plains team, and beginning this fall he will play for the Scarsdale High School team. His older brother, Daniel, 16, also plays basketball for Temple Israel in White Plains (he represented the United States on the Juniors soccer team in the 19th Maccabiah Games in Israel last month), and younger brother Adam, 10, is also on an AAU basketball team. His sister Hannah, 6, is just starting to play sports. David, their father, played basketball at Amherst College, and their mother, Carolyn, participated on the Maccabiah Track and Field team several times.
"I was looking for a way to do something special and meaningful in connection with my bar mitzvah. Since my family and I are passionate about the sport of basketball, we were thrilled to find a way to allow Israeli kids to experience the sport that we love so much. I'm so fortunate that I'm able to give the kids in Safed the chance to play competitive basketball on a real team with their own coach and new court," said Josh Wasserman.
"Give a Mitzvah–Do a Mitzvah program of the UJA-Federation of New York enables bar and bat mitzvah students to create their own unique mitzvah project that connects their interests and hobbies," said Brittany Wayne of UJA-Federation of New York. "Josh's project is truly amazing. Not only does it provide other young kids with a great example of how to become more involved in philanthropy, it also helps to strengthen the relationship between the Jewish community in New York and in Israel."
A special dedication ceremony took place today at the Ethiopian Absorption Center in Safed. Josh Wasserman and his family joined the kids there to officially open the new basketball court. Speakers at the ceremony included Ilan Halperin, representative of UJA-Federation in Israel.
Photos from Ceremony:
Top Photo: The Wasserman family with the new team.
Photo credit: Ilan Halperin
Scarsdale Swimmers Make Waves at The Counties
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Scarsdale swimmers are making waves at "The Counties," the Westchester County Swimming Association 88th Annual Championship swim meet, at the Rye Playland Pool from July 29 to August 1. Scarsdale swimmers representing teams at Wykagyl Country Club and the Scarsdale Municipal Pool are excelling in the meet. Five Scarsdale families are swimming for Wykagyl Country Club and many of these swimmers are qualifying for finals each night – a great accomplishment for these young athletes.
The Scarsdale children who swim for Wykagyl are: Michael and Justin DiSanto; Emmeline and Scotty Berridge; Aidan, Megan, Brendan and Ryan Lee; Sophie and Mia Carroll; Claire, Joseph and Elizabeth Scarcella.
On Monday July 29, the first night of The Counties, the relay team of Ryan and Brendan Lee (Scarsdale) along with Austin Graham (Larchmont) and Steven Amato (Eastchester) won the boys 13u 200 medley relay breaking a record that had been set in 2002. Megan Lee placed 6th in the girls 10u 50 breast, Justin DiSanto placed 1st in the boys 10u 50 breast and Brendan Lee placed seventh in the boys 12u 50 backstroke.
On Tuesday, July 30 the relay team of Justin DiSanto and Aidan Lee (Scarsdale) along with Jason Amato (Eastchester) and Ian Steffensen (New Rochelle) placed first in the 10u boys 200 medley relay; Megan Lee placed sixth in the girls 10u 50 free, Justin DiSanto placed first in the 10u boys 50 free; Ryan Lee placed first in the boys 13u 200 IM and Brendan Lee placed seventh in the boys 12u 50 butterfly.
On Wednesday July 31, the Wykagyl 10u boys relay team of Justin DiSanto, Aidan Lee, Jason Amato and Ian Steffensen again took first place – this time in the 200 freestyle relay. Additionally, Justin DiSanto finished second in the 10u boys 50 back and Brendan Lee finished fifth in the boys 12u 50 breast. The 17u girls 200 medley relay team consisting of Scottie Berridge (Scarsdale), Madeline Simone (Larchmont), Dulcie DelPriore and Ellie Provenzano (New Rochelle) placed fourth. The meet continues Thursday at Playland Pool. All results can be found on www.wcsa.usswim.net.
Swimmers from the Scarsdale Municipal Pool also placed in many of the races this week. Here are their results:
- On Monday, Joy Jiang came in fourth in the girls 10u 50 breaststroke race. Daniel Needham came in eighth in the Boys 17u 100 fly.
- On Tuesday, the Scarsdale girls 10u relay team took fifth place in the 200 medley relay with Danielle Eforo, Joy Jiang, Arden Costello and Helena Leroy. The boys 10u relay team placed sixth with Rowan Haffner, Thomas Peckett, Ivan Sinyarin and Sam Denison. Also, Graham Novitch placed seventh in the boys 14u 50 back.
- On Wednesday, Joy Jiang took first in the girls 10u 50 back, breaking a record set in 1994. Graham Novitch took fifth in the boys 14u 100 fly and the 10u boys 200 freestyle relay team of Ivan Sinyavin, Dylan Jansky, Rowan Haffner and Thomas Peckett placed fifth.
Next week is the Westchester Conference Championship meet with prelims Monday through Wednesday at various pools and the finals on Thursday at Westchester Country Club.
What's Eating You?
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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I was at first surprised and now dismayed at the increasingly hostile comments we are receiving at Scarsdale10583 in response to opinion pieces, news and profiles published on the site. Though we are an educated and opinionated community, we are also among the most fortunate. Our median income outstrips most villages in the state and the country, we have a fine school system, wonderful community resources like the Scarsdale Pool, recreation camp and sports facilities and a Village government and emergency response teams that are at-the-ready to answer any of our needs.
By any measure we are lucky to live here. Yet, reading the comments we receive there is little acknowledgement of what's good and abusive condemnation of what's perceived as bad. Whether it's teachers' salaries, real estate taxes, electric service, or even a new dog store, some of our readers don't mince words when crafting their comments and usually do not add their names to their posts either.
In the past few months, comments have become increasingly bitter – and often include attacks on our contributors, neighbors, those who work in the Scarsdale community and Scarsdale10583.com itself.
While we value your opinions we are concerned about the overall tone of your comments and ask you to keep the following in mind:
- The site is offered to you, our readers, at no cost to you. You are free to read it and free to read selectively. If you don't care for an article, there's no obligation to give it your time.
- To the commenter who recently wrote, "This publisher has come up with a great cash cow," we can assure you that four years since we began publication, we are still looking for that cow. We are creating this community forum for you and hope you can do your part to keep it civil.
- We are a community website, covering items of interest to the Scarsdale community. If someone from Scarsdale is in the national news we will cover it as well. In order to be relevant, we need to publish information about the town and local residents.
- The articles that are most controversial are naturally the most widely read, often receiving ten times the attention given to articles on Village meetings and charitable events. Therefore, those of you who have asked us to refrain from publishing news about people like the "marijuana mom," have been outvoted by your peers who gave this story 5,700 hits.
- To answer this comment that was received recently: "Dear Editor of this Site, Just an observation...the types of stories which do NOT work well on this site are OPINION pieces. Your opinion on Sanderlin or the school budget isn't any more relevant than anyone else's and you are seeing that many residents are clearly expressing that they share a different opinion. As a "journalist" you probably should stick to reporting the facts and let the reader form their own varying opinions, which could be expressed in the comments if a reader so chose. Very hard to be a commentator and a reporter of news." Again, the opinion pieces are among the most read articles on the site. And, why would we publish this site if we could not voice our views? We are interested in your views as well. Next time you have a comment, rather than dash off a flip, anonymous comment, please draft a letter and send it to us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com for publication. Please stand by what you have to say by including your name and street address.
Rest assured that all comments are reviewed before publication and we will be judicious about omitting comments that are insulting or damaging to our contributors, neighbors and community. Our goal is to foster an environment for a constructive and healthy exchange of ideas and we are asking you to do your part to maintain the tenor of Scarsdale10583.
Reduce Your Energy Usage During the Heat Wave
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Scarsdale resident and volunteer firefighter Jon Thaler is asking residents to monitor their power usage during the heat wave. He reports that the Scarsdale Fire and Police Departments are "responding to electrical problems related to high usage – including power wires in flames, exploding transformers and downed power lines. "
He are his suggestions for how you can be more "green" and reduce your energy usage:
- Lower usage of air conditioners – especially when you are not at home
- Usw fans rather than air conditioners
- Unplug chargers when they are not in use
- Shut off lights and appliances
- Use large appliances at night rather than during the day
- Run the dishwasher only when it is full
- Using LED or fluorescent light bulbs
These measures will decrease the burden on the power grid and hopefully diminish the risk of additional power outages.
WRT and Scarsdale Synagogue Welcome New Leaders
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Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) welcomes two new members to the administrative and clergy teams this summer. Alan Halpern is the new Executive Director and Sara Abrams will assume the role of Assistant Rabbi working alongside Senior Rabbi Jonathan E. Blake, Assistant Rabbi David E. Levy, Senior Cantor Jill Abramson and Associate Cantor Mia Fram Davidson.
"Westchester Reform Temple is now entering its 60th year, and continues to embrace innovation and tradition side-by-side. I am thrilled to welcome two outstanding new members of our staff who will strengthen our synagogue and extend our reach within our congregational membership and wider community."" said Rabbi Blake.
The community will have their first opportunity to meet the new WRT team members during Shabbat Evening Services this Friday, July 12, at 6:15 pm. Rabbi Abrams will deliver the sermon for the evening and Alan Halpern will be on hand during our reception following the service. "This is a wonderful and informal way to meet Rabbi Abrams and Alan," said temple president, Helene Gray. "They bring experience, energy and warmth to WRT. We are excited to have them be part of our community."
Sara Abrams comes to WRT from Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles where she has served as a rabbinic intern at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills and as a chaplain at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica. Rabbi Abrams's educational background encompasses her passion for teaching, learning, inquiry, and spirituality. In addition to her rabbinical ordination, Rabbi Abrams holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Hebrew (University of Wisconsin-Madison), a Master of Science in Education (Hunter College) and a Master of Arts in Religious Studies (University of Colorado) and is also a certified yoga teacher. Through Judaism, a love of God, Torah, and Israel, Rabbi Abrams seeks to assist others in nurturing a clearer and calmer approach to daily life and in fostering a deeper connection to the Divine. She is thrilled to be a part of the WRT community.
Alan comes to WRT from Temple Israel in Dayton, Ohio where he served for 11 years as executive director and sh'liach tzibbur (prayer leader and cantorial soloist), providing both administrative and musical leadership for the congregation. Alan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Masters in Business Administration from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He has worked as a management consultant in strategy, marketing and operations and led the business development and marketing functions of for-profit companies. Alan's wife, Julie, will join him here in New York in 2014 after their younger son graduates from high school. Their older son is a sophomore cello performance major at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University.
Westchester Reform Temple is located at 255 Mamaroneck Road, in Scarsdale, N.Y. For more information: call 914-723-7727, email office@wrtemple.org, or visit www.wrtemple.org.
Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El (SSTTE) has appointed Rabbi Wendy D. Pein as its first Director of Congregational Learning. In this newly created position, Rabbi Pein's responsibilities will encompass both managerial and hands-on leadership of the synagogue's religious school, and also work closely with Senior Rabbi Jeffrey C. Brown on programs designed to educate congregants of all ages on the Torah, and the rituals, history and traditions of Reform Judaism. As head of the synagogue's religious school, Rabbi Pein succeeds Rebecca Schubert, who recently retired after 27 years.
"We are fortunate to have someone of Rabbi Pein's stature and background become part of our synagogue's outstanding professional staff, and we are grateful to Debbie Finn and Ellen Miller-Wachtel, who chaired our search task force, for attracting her to our congregation," said Ellen Baken, SSTTE's president. "Her deep experience, along with her energetic and passionate approach to teaching, is focused on communicating the relevance of Jewish thought and practices, providing our community with a valuable perspective as we meet the challenges of life in the 21st century."
In welcoming Rabbi Pein, Rabbi Brown said: "The overriding goal of our synagogue is to help ensure that our congregants, their children and our wider Jewish community are able to learn about and practice the customs, ideas and insights of our faith in ways that are exciting and enduring. Given her background and capabilities, I am confident Rabbi Pein will prove a great colleague for Cantor Becker and me, and to the rest of the synagogue's professional staff. Working together, our team will be better able to foster the innovation and continuity necessary to teach our children well, and better engage their parents and other adults in our community."
Immediately prior to joining SSTTE's professional staff, Rabbi Pein served as the Westchester coordinator and educator for Chai Mitzvah, a countywide initiative that re-engages Jews in synagogue and Jewish communal life. As a member of the Westchester Board of Rabbis, she also helped develop five "Introduction to Judaism" courses now offered throughout the area by rabbis from Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist congregations.
Rabbi Pein – who holds a bachelor of arts degree from Stanford University and was ordained a rabbi by Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in New York – began her career in 1997 as an assistant rabbi at Temple Israel of New Rochelle. Following that, she became an instructor at the headquarters of the Union for Reform Judaism and simultaneously served as visiting rabbi at Temple Beth Israel in her hometown of Scottsdale, AZ. For the following five years she served as associate rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester in Rye, NY, before moving to Texas to become senior rabbi of Congregation Adat Chaverim, a 150-family synagogue in Plano. Married with two children, Rabbi Pein now lives in Harrison, NY.
Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El is a Reform Jewish congregation committed to creating, with and for its 500 member families, a covenant community of shared lives and real relationships. For further information, contact: Gary Katz, Executive Director, at (914) 725-5175 or by email at GaryKatz@sstte.org.
