The Westchester Jewish Council's

WE-stchester

Comm-UNITY

Connection

April 16, 2026 29 Nisan 5786

ABOUT US COUNCIL EVENTS CALENDAR CONNECT-ORY MEMBERS & PARTNERS NEWS

Greetings!

The Westchester Jewish Council mourns the loss of our esteemed former Congressman Eliot Engel z"l, a cherished friend of our community. His unwavering commitment to public service and strong support for the Jewish community and Israel left a lasting impact on Westchester and beyond. Congressman Engel served as an honorary board member of the Westchester Jewish Council where his support for the needs of all his constituents was well known and of course, his support for the Jewish homeland of Israel. We are grateful for his partnership and will remember him fondly, and we will schedule a more formal honoring in the coming weeks. A fuller obituary may be found at the end of this newsletter.

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Monday is Yom Hazikaron/Israel Memorial Day and the Westchester Mishlachat/Israel Emissaries will honor fallen soldiers and victims of terror at a special community event. Please register in advance and join us for this very meaningful commemoration on Monday night. Free and open to all, but please sign up in advance.

Don't miss the opportunity to hear Rachel Goldberg-Polin at her book launch next Thursday, where she will discuss major themes from her book, including intense grief, love, loss, devotion, and faith. Details about this event produced by UJA-Federation and in cooperation with the Council may be found below.

Thanks for reading!

Shabbat Shalom.

Michael Mittelman, President

Elliot Forchheimer, CEO

Lori Kurlander, Communications Manager

WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL

HERE WHEN YOU NEED US - YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW:

Since 1975, the Council has connected our Jewish community to:

Each other, to Israel, to our elected officials and

to our brothers and sisters from other faiths and ethnic groups

Please support the work of the Westchester Jewish Council. Your donation makes a difference each and every day. Click here to donate.

(The Council is financially supported by donations from individuals,

dues from 120 member organizations and generous financial support from UJA-Federation.)

COUNCIL REWIND

Y0m HaShoa

Thank you to the hundreds who joined us for this past Tuesday's annual Westchester-Wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration, presented in partnership with the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center and the Westchester Jewish Council.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all who contributed to this meaningful event. Special thanks to Council Board Member Mitchell Ostrove and the community members who participated in this year's first group shofar blowing gathering; to the 32 people from among our Council member organizations that held 32 Holocaust rescued Torahs during the ceremony, to the clergy of many faiths, to our distinguished speakers, including Holocaust survivor Joseph Gosler, who powerfully shared the impact of these events on his life; to the White Plains Police Department for their support; and to the more than 45 many elected and public officials who honored us with their presence.

If you would like to learn more about the histories of each rescued Torah, please click here.

Click here to view News 12 coverage of the event and click here for The Journal News|lohud.com coverage.

UPCOMING COUNCIL PROGRAMS

Rachel Goldberg-Polin Book Launch

Thursday, April 23, 2026 • Doors open at 6:30 pm

Our greater community stood in solidarity as Rachel Goldberg-Polin turned unimaginable pain into fierce advocacy for the return of her beloved son, Hersh, who was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, and later murdered by Hamas.

Join UJA Westchester and the Westchester Jewish Council to hear from Rachel about her new book, When We See You Again. Rachel will discuss some of her book's major themes, including intense grief, love, loss, devotion, and faith.

Next Monday's Jewish Literacy Initiative with Purchase College program concludes the season. Professor Lisa Leff, a historian of modern European and modern Jewish history, will discuss her award-winning book The Archive Thief. More details can be found below.

RSVP for This JLI Event Here

Get Ready: Our Annual Julian Y. Bernstein

Distinguished Service Awards Ceremony Is on April 28

We invite you to join us on Tuesday, April 28th to celebrate this year's Distinguished Service Awards honorees, each of whom has an amazing story to share. Details can be found below and on our website.

Congratulatory messages received going forward will not be printed in the program, but honorees will be notified at a later date.

Donate Here

Spotlight on the Julian Y. Bernstein

Distinguished Service Awards Honorees

Valeriya Greene

Since joining Temple Israel Center (TIC) in 2021, Valeriya Greene has become deeply involved in the shul’s thriving young family community. Valeriya serves on the TIC Board of Trustees and the Membership Committee and is a dedicated supporter of the Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS). Valeriya lives in White Plains with Asaf and their two children, Maayan and Nadav. Valeriya is a Vice President at Mastercard and holds both a BS and MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Wendy Hollander

For over 50 years, Hadassah has been an important part of Wendy Hollander’s life. She first developed the sisterhood she maintains today in Rena Hadassah of Mt. Vernon. An active member, Wendy served in various positions on their board. When she was a young mother, her involvement was with the annual bowl-a-thon and a successful Camp Fair. When her stepmother, Ruth Rice, made her a Life Member at the membership dinner, Wendy’s love of and involvement in Hadassah solidified. Wendy is a retired teacher in the Yonkers Public schools. She was recognized as Teacher of the Year by the Jewish Council of Yonkers and served on the board of her synagogue, Emanuel Jewish Center, as well as Shaarei Tikvah when they merged. She received the prestigious Hadassah Myrtle Wreath Award for her volunteerism.

Ann Silver

Ann Silver has lived in White Plains for 35 years with her husband, Martin Katz. Born and raised in a small Pennsylvania town, her Jewish roots were shaped by her tiny, close-knit synagogue community. Temple Israel Center and UJA-Federation of New York have been central to her life. She has served on the Board of Westchester Residential Opportunities and participated in various business groups. Much of her volunteer work has focused on the Westchester Business and Professional Division of UJA-Federation, where she was the first woman co-chair, following leadership roles in Women’s Business and Professional UJA of Westchester. She also served seven years on the Allocations Committee for UJA-Federation of New York.

Sondra Levy

Sondra began her career with the Jewish National Fund, supporting Jewish communities both locally and in Israel. These early experiences strengthened her lifelong connection to service and reinforced her belief in the power of community. While raising her family, Sondra remained deeply engaged in volunteer service. She became actively involved in her children’s schools, the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force and the Westchester Jewish Center (WJC). At WJC, she found a natural home in the Social Justice Action Committee (SOJAC), where she combined her organizational skills with her passion for helping others. She played a key role in planning food drives and coordinating donations for partner organizations, always with care and attention to real community needs.

ISRAEL CORNER

Visit Council Member Israel Resources

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AND HELPING ISRAEL

RSVP Here

WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL'S

SECURITY AND SAFETY UPDATE

“Repetition Reinforces Retention and Recall”

For more information about the Westchester Jewish Council's Security Roundtable initiative, contact security@wjcouncil.org. Working together we are all safer.

WESTCHESTER JEWISH COUNCIL ROUNDTABLES

Westchester Jewish Council

Upcoming Community Roundtables

(The Council thanks the hundreds of people who dedicate time to attend our Roundtables - a signature initiative of the Council, often sponsored with wonderful partners from among our member organizations)

Synagogue Presidents - Wednesday, May 6

Security - Thursday, May 14

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

The Westchester Jewish Council congratulates Deputy Mayor Nelson Lopez in his Re-Election and Re-Swearing in to the Elmsford Village Board. Also, we congratulate Trustee David Signor on his Election and Swearing in to the Elmsford Village Board.

Pictured left to right:

Administrator Douglas Finch, Trustee Robert Caralyus, Trustee David Signor, Mayor Robert Williams, Deputy Mayor Nelson Lopez, Trustee Marlies Dorio

Congratulations to Scarsdale Village's newly elected trustees Tim Foley, Ron Schulhof and Scott Silberfein who join Jason Kofman, David Goldschmidt, Deputy Mayor Dara Gruenberg and Mayor Justin Arest to form the seven-member 2026-27 Scarsdale Board of Trustees.

Left to Right: Jason Kofman, Scott Silberfein, Dara Gruenberg, Justin Arest, Ron Schulhof, Tim Foley and Alexandra Marshall

UJA-FEDERATION OF NY

J-Serve 2026

Sunday, April 19: Sunday International Day of Jewish Teen Service- Join J-Teen Leadership and over 10,000 students worldwide for a Global Day of Action. We’re partnering with Latet, Bet Torah, BBYO, and the Westchester Shinshinim for a hands-on project tackling food insecurity both in Israel and right here at home.

JTL Service Trip

Sunday, April 26: 20th Annual Brooklyn Mitzvah Day- Spend a day making a difference in the heart of Brooklyn! From supporting seniors and animal rescues to food distribution, there’s a project for everyone.

A SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING...

Community Calendar of Learning, Engagement &

Connecting Opportunities

April 19, 2026

Shorashim: Israel

Bet Am Shalom Synagogue

BAS member and Non-member families: please join us with your young children.

Theme this Month: Israel

Shorashim is a free, monthly, Sunday morning program for young children ages 0-5, and their parents, grandparents and caregivers. The program brings to life a different Jewish holiday or theme with age-appropriate cooking projects, arts & crafts, stories, songs and other activities.

Feel free to invite your extended family, friends, neighbors, your friends’ neighbors, etc…

Contact Lisa Jacobs, Director of Family Education & Engagement with any questions.

Faith in Motion: How Mecca, Rome, and Jerusalem Continue to Shape Our Stories

Shared Roots, Divergent Paths Series

In Partnership with Iona University

Thursday, April 23

7:00 p.m.

Location Upon RSVP

For additional information, please contact westchester@ajc.org.

Learn More and Register Here

Buy Tickets Here

ODDS AND ENDS

Local Author Spotlight

Purchase Your Copy Here

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

CONDOLENCES:

Eliot Engel, longtime NY congressman and a great friend to the Westchester Jewish Council, dies at 79. We share his obituary from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.