Our Town - May 28, 2020 by Our Town

The local paper for the Upper East Side SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ◄ P.7

ERIC RIPERT’S RECIPE FOR CRISIS

RESTAURANTS

The celebrated chef of Le Bernardin talks about feeding visiting health care workers, his plans to open for business again — and the future of dining BY MARK WHITAKER

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright. Photo: Andre Beckles

SEAWRIGHT KICKED OFF BALLOT AGAIN

POLITICS

The three-term UES Assembly Member now plans to run as an independent in her bid for re-election BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

After a back-and-forth battle in the courts, threeterm Upper East Side Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright has been knocked

It was on Thursday, March 12, that Eric Ripert realized that the time had come to close the doors of Le Bernar-

din, widely considered the finest restaurant in New York City. The celebrated chef had been following the alarming news about COVID-19 not only in the United States but around the world, including his native France. “The situation was evolving very quickly, hour by hour,” Ripert recalls. “I talked to my staff that Thursday and said, ‘It doesn’t look good outside. I will to talk to you again tomorrow.’” The next day, Friday the 13th, he shut down the famed

dining room and kitchen on West 51st Street immediately after the dinner service — a full week before Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered the closing of all other restaurants and non-essential businesses across the state. “I didn’t feel comfortable about the safety of our workers or our customers,” Ripert says, “so I decided to be proactive.” Long a leader in the restaurant industry, Ripert wasn’t

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2020

INSIDE

‘A PASSION TO SERVE’ Facing a primary challenge, Assembly Member Dan Quart says one pressing issue affects all others: the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. p.2

DELIVERY DATE

A NEW NYC’S NEIGHBORS, ART, BALLOTS One man's COVID experience, art in empty storefronts. p. 6

Chef Eric Ripert at Le Bernardin for World Central Kitchen. Photo: Lori Cannava

OurTownEastSide

OURTOWNNY.COM

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The Instacart adventure: the surprise of shopping for groceries during the pandemic. p. 6

off the 2020 ballot after her campaign made a filing error. Seawright’s disqualification would leave an absence on the Democratic and Working Families Party lines, making Republican Louis Puliafito, who currently works as a residential doorman, the only candidate currently on the ballot to represent the 76th Assembly District — which represents part of the Upper

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WEEK OF MAY-JUNE MAY

Voices City Arts

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15 Minutes Real Estate

11 14

Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, May 29 – 8:01 pm. For more information visit www.chabbaduppereastside.com.

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‘A PASSION TO SERVE’ POLITICS

Facing a primary challenge, Assembly Member Dan Quart says one pressing issue affects all others: the ongoing coronavirus pandemic BY EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM

Assembly Member Dan Quart will have primary challenger this June. A Court of Appeals declined to take up Quart’s case against the city Board of Elections, which argued that his opponent, 22-year-old Cameron Koffman, did not satisfy the residency requirements to run for office in New York State — cementing Koffman’s place on the Democratic Primary ballot to represent the 73rd District. Even with a challenger, Quart, who was first elected in 2011, has the backing of prominent elected officials, including city Comptroller Scott

Stringer, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney. He’s also received endorsements from Planned Parenthood, NYS Laborers Union, the Working Families Party and the New York League of Conservation Voters, among others. In his bid for re-election, Quart says there is one issue that affects all others: the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “That is the singular issue that all of us should be focusing on,” Quart said in a recent interview with Our Town. “We need to think about how to make state government more responsive to our community, especially on the East Side and East Midtown, as we try and dig out of this terrible virus and get back to something more normal.”

Four Key Issues Quart outlined four main issues that he will be focused on

in his continued service of the district, and that he will continue to prioritize if his constituents send him back to Albany, and they include: government oversight, helping small businesses, transportation and making voting easier. Quart said the first priority would be to hold public hearings into the state government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis, specifically into the failure of the unemployment system, which has a backlog of unpaid benefits to thousands of New Yorkers. “My office and myself, we’ve all been actively involved with the Department of Labor in trying to push a greater sense of responsiveness by the Department of Labor to both access and provide payment to people for unemployment claims,” said Quart. “And it hasn’t worked as quickly or seamlessly as it could have.” Second, Quart said he was

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Assembly Member Dan Quart with his son Sam. Photo courtesy of Dan Quart

looking into different state programs that could go to help small businesses, where that be through federal stimulus dollars or abatements of the property tax system. “When state government and city government allows them to reopen — whether on a partial basis or whatever basis they are — and that is [going to be] such a critical thing,” said Quart. Additionally, Quart said that usage of the city’s transportation system is down, with reduced ridership and fewer people buying monthly Metro

cards, which means less money to fund the MTA. He said he would work to secure funding for continued construction of the Second Ave. subway and East Side access. In the last few months, Quart said he has been pushing the Board of Elections to make it easier to people to file absentee ballots so that voters do not have to risk their health to vote this June. “Hopefully we can build on ... no excuse absentee ballots as well as making voting easier on all levels, and especially expanding voting by mail.”

Much has been made of the fact that Quart has stated his intention to run for Manhattan District Attorney when Cyrus Vance is up for re-election in 2021, with the tabloids calling Quart a “double-office seeker” and Koffman calling him to drop out of the DA contest. Quart said he has always been transparent with his constituents about his plans. “I did announce publicly last September, that I intend to challenge for district attorney because of my deep dissatisfaction with how [Vance] operated the office. And I’ve always been open and honest about my desire to continue representing them, but that in the future, I would hope to have their confidence to become their district attorney.” Quart said he wants constituents to know that after nine years he is still energized by his work in Albany. “There’s been no waning in my passion to serve and my commitment to my constituents,” said Quart. “I wake up each day thankful for the opportunity to go to work on their behalf.”

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SEAWRIGHT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 East Side, Yorkville and Roosevelt Island. In a 5 to 2 decision released Thursday, the Court of Appeals reversed two lower court rulings that had restored Seawright to the ballot after the Board of Elections disqualified her candidacy because she had failed to provide cover pages with her petition signatures. The lower courts noted that Seawright’s mistakes occurred at an unprecedented time amid the coronavirus pandemic — especially as Seawright was sick with what she described as ‘”COVID-like symptoms at the time — and thus they granted an exception in her case. The state’s highest court, however, was not as forgiving. “Applying the Election Law, we have repeatedly held that the failure to timely file required papers in connection with a designating petition, including a cover sheet or certificate of acceptance, is a ‘fatal defect’ that cannot be

The Republican Party has thus far forced a Soviet Union-style election with a sole hand-picked candidate.We will continue to fight for ballot access so that the voters will have a choice this November.” Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright

Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright (right) and David Goodkind of Beach Cafe donating and delivering food to health care workers. Photo courtesy of Betty Cooper Wallerstein

excused,” read the majority opinion. “The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly presented uniquely challenging circumstances for Seawright … among countless other candidates for public office. Nonetheless, as in our prior cases, we remain constrained by the express directive of the Election Law: the complete failure to file, by the applicable deadline, either a cover sheet with a designating petition or a certificate of acceptance constitutes a ‘fatal defect.’” Puliafito’s lawyer, Lawrence Mandelker, told the New York Post that he was pleased with the court’s ruling, saying the law should apply to all candidates.

“Freedom of Choice” Still, Seawright is not giv-

ing up the fight. The assembly member said the Court of Appeals ruling “will not be the last word.” “We are taking all necessary steps to avail ourselves of our legal right to run for reelection on an independent line,” Seawright said in a statement. “We must assure freedom of choice for the voters of the Upper East Side, Yorkville, and Roosevelt Island.” She also emphasized the importance of giving voters a choice of more than one candidate. “The Republican Party has thus far forced a Soviet Union-style election with a sole hand-picked candidate,” she said. “We will continue to fight for ballot access so that the voters will have a choice this November.”

GET HELP. GIVE HELP. Join a community of neighbors helping neighbors here in New York. With AARP Community Connections, you can find online mutual aid groups to stay connected, share ideas and help those in need. Just need to talk? Ask for a friendly phone call from a trained volunteer if you or a loved one is feeling anxious or overwhelmed. AARP and your community are here for you. Request a friendly phone call at 1-888-281-0145 or get connected at aarp.org/coronavirus

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STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19! LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS AT HOME. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19? • The most common symptoms are fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. Other symptoms include feeling achy, loss of taste or smell, headache, and diarrhea. • Most people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will have mild or moderate symptoms and can get better on their own.

WHO IS MOST AT RISK FOR SERIOUS ILLNESS? • People age 50 or older (people age 65 or older are at the highest risk) • People who have other health conditions, such as: Lung disease Kidney disease Asthma Liver disease Heart disease Cancer Obesity A weakened immune system Diabetes

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I GET SICK WITH COVID-19 SYMPTOMS? If you are sick with COVID-19 symptoms, assume you have it. When you are sick: • If you have trouble breathing, pain or pressure in your chest, are confused or cannot stay awake, or have bluish lips or face, call 911 immediately. • Call your doctor if you are age 50 or older or have a health condition that puts you at increased risk, or if you do not feel better after three days. • Always contact a doctor or go to the hospital if you have severe symptoms of COVID-19 or another serious health issue. • Do not leave your home except to get necessary medical care or essential food or supplies (if someone cannot get them for you). • If you must leave your home: Avoid crowded places. Stay at least 6 feet from others. Cover your nose and mouth with a bandana, scarf or other face covering. Wash your hands before you go out, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizer while outside. • Household members can go out for essential work and needs but should monitor their health closely. If you or someone in your home is sick: • Create physical distance: Do not have visitors.

Stay at least 6 feet from others. Sleep head-to-toe if you share a bed with someone who is sick, or sleep on the couch. Keep people who are sick separate from those at risk for serious illness. • Cover up: Cover your nose and mouth with a bandana, scarf or other face covering when you are within 6 feet of others. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your inner elbow. • Keep it clean: Throw tissues into the garbage immediately after use. Wash your hands often with soap for 20 seconds, especially after you cough or sneeze. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if you are unable to wash your hands. Frequently clean surfaces you touch, such as doorknobs, light switches, faucets, phones, keys and remote controls. Wash towels, sheets and clothes at the warmest possible setting with your usual detergent, and dry completely. Do not share eating utensils with others, and wash them after every use.

WHEN CAN I LEAVE MY HOME AFTER BEING SICK? • If you have been sick, stay home until: You are fever-free for three days without Tylenol or other medication and It has been at least seven days since your symptoms started and Your symptoms have improved • Reminder: New York is on PAUSE. This means that even if you have been sick, you should only leave your home for essential work or errands, or to exercise, while staying at least 6 feet from others.

NEED HELP? • If you are having a medical emergency, call 911. • If you do not have a doctor but need one, call 844-NYC-4NYC (844-692-4692). New York City provides care, regardless of immigration status, insurance status or ability to pay. • For more information, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/coronavirus. The NYC Health Department may change recommendations as the situation evolves. 4.20

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Voices

Write to us: To share your thoughts and comments, go to our website and click on submit a letter to the editor.

A NEW NYC’S NEIGHBORS, ART, BALLOTS EAST SIDE OBSERVER

BY ARLENE KAYATT

Far and away neighbors Some stay, some flee, some send packages. And that’s been the NYC experience for most, if not many, of us in these pandemic days. Me, I’ve stayed. The family across the hall is out of state. Maybe they’ll tell me where if and when they return. Maybe not. Other neighbors have taken to the building’s online directory to find renters for their apartments. One was offering a “2 Bed Flexed/1 Bath - Rental Available Immediately.” Another described a “Spacious, High floor 2 Bedroom,“ that could be converted to a jr 3. Nobody’s talks AirBnb any-

more. And never on the building billboard. All of which brings me to a friend’s COVID neighbor experience, the particulars of which have been changed for privacy reasons. I’ll call my friend Dan, who in responding to a query in a national publication about living alone during COVID said he was single, in his 60’s, never married, had no kids and lived in a high-rise in mid-Manhattan. He told how, in the first days of staying home, he was coughing and sneezing, and didn’t leave home. He was running low on oatmeal and absolutely had to get some. A neighbor knocked on his door and offered to bring him a few things from a nearby supermarket. He happily emailed pictures of what he needed. The neighbor re-

turned. At last, oatmeal and his favorite doughnuts. He was hoping the neighbor would offer again, but she never did. Although Dan lived in the building for 20 years and exchanges hellos with people and rides in the elevators with them, he’s not really friends with anyone. He got up the courage to email the neighbor to ask how she was doing and that if she was making another trip to the supermarket he was out of oatmeal. Shortly, he got her email saying that she wasn’t planning to leave her apartment but she’d be happy to order from Fresh Direct. Thanks, but no, he’ll shop when he gets better, he replied. Enter the immediate world. Having read Dan’s story and his oatmeal-less plight, read-

DELIVERY DATE VIEWPOINT

BY MONA FINSTON

It was early Saturday morning and I woke up with an excitement usually reserved for an outing with friends or a party in my honor. Today was grocery delivery day. I felt like the folks in the Music Man when the “Wells Fargo wagon is a-comin” or visits to my Grandma Sadie’s house when I heard the Good Humor Truck approaching. I’ve never before been such a fan of groceries, except for

basic survival, but this is far different. This is food shopping during the pandemic. This is the adventure known as Instacart. Since I no longer want to venture into actual stores to do my shopping because I’m scared of veering within six feet of people, I’ve opted instead to have my groceries delivered. This, and the fact that the last time I went shopping a man cursed me out for asking him to keep his distance. The excitement factor is that, unlike when you do your own shopping in the brick and mortar stores, you’re never quite sure what items will ul-

Photo courtesy of Mona Finston.

timately be delivered to your door. Often, they’re brands you’ve never seen on any store shelves before, ever. As

ers inundated him with containers of oatmeal, boxes of doughnuts, and several containers of hand sanitizer. People were calling and offering to shop for him. One woman offered to shop for him until “it’s all over.” The building management hand-delivered a fancy bottle of cinnamon for sprinkling on Dan’s oatmeal and left it at his door. Dan’s local representative called him offering to stop by to get him anything he wanted. Dan was appreciative of the kindness and generosity but had a hard time reaching out. He also got phone calls from neighbors who had since moved elsewhere to say hi. He sounds like a NYC kind of guy. And why all the cloak and dagger in writing about “Dan”? Because the article included such personal

many of you likely know by now, the online order experience is like a race to the finish line when a complete stranger is riding your horse. You place your order and anxiously await the delivery date, which could be hours or weeks away. Up to the final hour before your shopper begins filling your order, you still have the option to add items to your list. I confess, I obsess. Do I really need that Paul Newman thin crust pizza with uncured pepperoni? Of course, I do. Unless it’s replaced like the last time with a product that clearly says pizza on the package but is actually a frozen, doughy white roll with some spaghetti sauce and cheese flakes plopped on top. An hour or so before your delivery time, you get a text

details as name and Manhattan building location, and “Dan” who started getting unwanted calls, packages and letters agreed to talk to me if his real name wasn’t used. For art’s sake - Back in 2018 Anton Russev’s pop-up art displays occupied empty storefronts on the UES, notably in front of the bus stop on 79th and Second, and on Third Avenue in the 90’s. Now, with the onslaught of COVID closedowns, Anton Russev’s art survives in some of the very same empty storefronts as well as in dozens and dozens of other empties. I’ve never found out if Anton’s the artist or the gallerist. Could be he’s either or neither or both. What I do know is that he’s cleaned up the storefronts - some were eyesores - and the artwork is

saying that your order is about to be filled, your needs addressed. Then you wait, with a fully charged phone at your side. The next text arrives and it’s from your shopper. Oh no. The Lactaid cottage cheese you ordered is out of stock. Can he replace it with another lactose laden brand? NO! The next text informs me that there’s no frozen broccoli. He sends a photo of frozen pearl onions as an alternate. My chicken breasts are already gone. There’s no brownie mix of any description. No walnuts, no bananas, no lettuce this week. Really? Over half the items I’ve ordered are canceled or replaced. Despite this, when the final series of texts arrive congratulating me for a completed order and alerting me

a welcome distraction from the boarded up, shutdown storefronts that have become the face of NY. Ballot call - As the June 23rd Primary nears, voters are encouraged to get their vote-bymail applications to the Board of Elections. Federal presidential candidates and candidates in local races will be on the ballot. If you’ve sent for but not received your ballot, the BOE has assured that they’ll soon be coming. The reason for the delay probably results from court challenges to who stays or doesn’t stay on the ballot in the federal and local races. If you sent in an application to vote by mail and don’t receive it by election day, you can still vote in-person. There would be a check at the polling place to make sure there wasn’t an absentee vote on file for you. P.S. Let’s not forget to give a shout-out to the USPS for their pledge to deliver vote-by-mail ballots even without postage.

to the delivery person’s imminent arrival at my building, I’m excited to don my mask and race downstairs to retrieve my goodies. I’m giddy as I disinfect the items (possibly due to the Lysol fumes), dry them and put them away. I’ll be trying many new foods this week, by default. Ah well, it’s my excitement for the day, or to be honest, for the week. And, borrowing a phrase from Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” Except that it probably won’t be the chocolate you ordered. Mona Finston is a partner at MoJJo Collaborative Communications, a virtual PR ﬁrm in NYC. She is currently working on a book of essays about her mother and a screenplay about the fantasies of an older woman.

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Ruth Finkelstein and Christian González-Rivera. Photo: Julia Xanthos Liddy

SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

AGING

How to protect against the social isolation of older adults while practicing physical distancing BY RUTH FINKELSTEIN AND CHRISTIAN GONZÁLEZ-RIVERA

I (Ruth) am 65 and I look it. I’ve noticed people darting away from me as I run errands to start social distancing at home: shopping for groceries, refilling my prescriptions, buying books. I saw an anxious mother shoo her toddlers away from “an elderly” as I walked by. I understand the anxious mother’s reaction. After all, most people know by now that older adults — especially those over age 80 — and others with compromised immune systems are more likely to get sicker from COVID-19. People also know that one of the intended effects of social distancing is to prevent transmission of the infection to

these high-risk people, both to keep them healthy and to prevent a meltdown of the health system due to mass hospitalizations. But social distancing, like so many other actions in life, can be helpful or harmful depending on the intentions of those who practice it. Acting out of fear and anxiety, some people adopt a bunker-type mentality, hoarding supplies and sealing themselves off from others. Fear is leading to anti-Asian xenophobia and the stigmatization of older adults and people with chronic illnesses like cancer, HIV, and other immune-suppressing diseases. On the other hand, social distancing with the intent to protect those at greatest risk from getting sick is socially responsible and benefits communities. So what does socially responsible social distancing look like? It begins with recognizing that social distancing affects people differently. More fortunate New Yorkers

can ride out the epidemic in their homes with the support of their spouse, family, and friends, or at least with robust networks accessible through social media. But for more vulnerable people, especially older adults, isolation from friends, relatives, and neighbors can be deadly. Social distancing becomes harmful when it turns into social isolation.

Health Effects of Loneliness Cutting people off from other people can also deprive them of crucial information. Some of us can go straight to the CDC’s website for trusted information on the ongoing epidemic. But most people get their information through word of mouth. Electronic communications don’t always get through to isolated older adults: New Yorkers age 65 and older are three times as likely as younger residents to be without internet access at home. But a second reason is more

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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SOCIAL DISTANCING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 insidious. Numerous studies indicate that the feelings of loneliness that social isolation fosters depression, high blood pressure, and early onset of dementia. A widely cited study estimates that the harmful health effects of chronic loneliness are roughly equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. For the more than half a million New Yorkers age 60 and older who live alone, the risk of becoming isolated is especially high. The threat is even more dire for the tens of thousands of homebound

older adults who are physically unable to leave their homes due to illness or disability. Older immigrants who are cut off from their communities are also at high risk of becoming isolated. Half of older New Yorkers are immigrants, and of those, two out of every three do not speak English very well. And one third of older immigrants are linguistically isolated, meaning that nobody over the age of 14 in their household speaks English. For this reason, older immigrants are especially dependent on remaining in contact with their communities for access to information and resources. The good news is that all

New Yorkers have the power to protect their older neighbors from the dangers of social isolation. But doing social distancing responsibly will involve making social connections. The easiest way to get started is to pick up the phone and call the older adults in your life to chat and check in on them, especially if you know they live alone. Next, when you pass an older neighbor in the hallways of your apartment building or on the street, ask them how they are doing. Tell them that if they need anything, they can count on you. And then stick to your promise: you could turn out to be someone’s actual lifeline. Looking out for older

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adults is especially important now that the city has shut down its vast network of 287 senior centers. Senior centers provide a crucial lifeline to the more than 30,000 older adults per day from across the five boroughs who depend on them for meals, art or exercise classes, and an opportunity to get out of their apartments and get together with friends. Senior centers are currently scrambling to ensure that their members are not going hungry and to call them once or twice a week to stave off debilitating loneliness. Senior centers need your help. In addition to the phone calls and offers of assistance that you can extend to the

older adults in your life, consider calling your local senior center and asking if they need help making phone calls to their members. People — of any age — often don’t reach out for help even when they really need it. But by looking out for one another early and often, we can help people avoid getting into crisis. Social distancing should not just be about protecting yourself and your family from the epidemic or avoid passing contagion to others. It should be an opportunity for those of us who have access to social networks, information, and resources to help those who do not. It should be an opportunity to combat ageism and

xenophobia by doing something for those that are disadvantaged and marginalized during this crisis. Importantly, it’s something that every New Yorker can do to protect the oldest and most vulnerable members of our communities. We are always stronger together, even if we need to be six feet apart. Dr. Ruth Finkelstein is the director of the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, CUNY. Christian González-Rivera is the director of strategic policy initiatives at the Brookdale Center. This piece originally ran in City Limits.org and is reprinted with permission from City Limits.

Eastview

is a nonproﬁt independent living residence for those 55+

Completed applications will only be accepted online at nyc.gov/housingconnect or by mail. 150 randomly selected app will be placed on a waiting list for future vacancies. This waitlist will expire on July 1, 2020, at which point new applications will be accepted through the updated Housing Connect 2.0 application system.

AVAILABLE UNITS AND INCOME REQUIREMENTS Rents and Household Earning Limits advertised are based on current 2020 HUD AMI limits and may be adjusted when new annual guidelines are published by HUD. The minimum household income is determined by the current lowest monthly rent charged for an available unit. Depending on the actual rent for a designated unit the minimum income requirement my change. Monthly Rent1

Studio 1 bedroom

2 bedroom 1 2 3 4

60% AREA MEDIAN INCOME (AMI) UNITS

Unit Size

Household Size2

$888 - $1,121

$942 - $1,196

$1,151 - $1,427

1 person 2 people 1 person 2 people 3 people 2 people 3 people 4 people 5 people

Annual Household Income3 Minimum – Maximum4 $30,446 - $47,760 $30,446 - $54,600 $32,298 $32,298 $32,298 $39,463 $39,463 $39,463 $39,463

$47,760 $54,600 $61,440 $54,600 $61,440 $68,220 $73,680

Tenant responsible for electricity, all electric building. Household size includes everyone who will live with you, including parents and children. Subject to occupancy criteria. Household earnings includes salary, hourly wages, tips, Social Security, child support, and other income for household members. Income guidelines subject to change. Minimum income for each available unit will be determined by the actual rent of that unit. Asset limits also apply.

How Do You Apply? Apply online or through mail. To apply online, please go to nyc.gov/housingconnect. To request an application addressed envelope to: . . . . Only send one application per development. Do not submit duplicate applications. Do not apply online and also send in a paper application. Applicants who submit more than one application may be disqualified. When is the Deadline? Applications must be postmarked or submitted online no later than June 22, 2020. Late applications will not be considered. Applications are selected for review through a lottery process. If yours is selected and you appear to qualify, you will be invited to an appointments to continue the process of determining your eligibility. Appointments are usually scheduled from 2 to 10 months after the application deadline. You will be asked to bring documents that verify your household size, identity of members of your household, and your household income. Español

Presente una solicitud en línea en nyc.gov/housingconnect. Para recibir una traducción de español de este anuncio y la solicitud impresa, envíe un sobre con la dirección a: . . . . En el reverso del sobre, escriba en inglés la palabra “SPANISH.” Las solicitudes se deben enviar en línea o con sello postal antes de 22 de junio

䬨ỻᷕ㔯

䇯䰞 nyc.gov/housingconnect ൘㓯⭣䈧Ǆྲ㾱㧧ਆᵜᒯ੺৺Җ䶒⭣䈧㺘Ⲵㆰփѝ᮷⡸ˈ䈧ሶᛘⲴഎ䛞ؑሱᇴ䘱㠣˖ENCLAVE AT THE . . . ؑሱ㛼䶒䈧⭘㤡䈝⌘᰾ĀCHINESEāǄᗵ享൘ԕлᰕᵏѻࡽ ൘㓯ᨀӔ⭣䈧ᡆ䛞ᇴҖ䶒⭣䈧 ᒤ ᴸ ᰕ

Русский

Чтобы подать заявление через интернет, зайдите на сайт: nyc.gov/housingconnect. Для получения данного объявления и заявления на русском языке отправьте конверт с обратным адресом по адресу . . . NY 10023. На задней стороне конверта напишите слово “RUSSIAN” на английском языке. Заявки должны быть поданы онлайн или отправлены по почте (согласно дате на почтовом штемпеле) не позднее 22 июнь 2020.

䚐ạ㛨

nyc.gov/housingconnectG 㜄㉐G 㝜⢰㢬㡰⦐G 㐔㷡䚌㐡㐐㝘UG 㢨G ṅḔⱬḰG 㐔㷡㉐㜄G ␴䚐G 䚐ạ㛨G ⶼ㜡⸬㡸G ⵏ㙸⸨㐐⥘⮨G ⵌ㋕㟝G ⸽䍠⪰ . . . .㡰⦐G⸨⇨㨰㐡㐐㝘UG⸽䍠G◫⮨㜄G ˈrvylhuˉG㢨⢰ḔG㜵㛨⦐G㤵㛨㨰㐡㐐㝘UGYWYW ≸ ] 㠈 YY 㢰㢰ᾀ㫴㝜⢰㢬G㐔㷡㉐⪰G㥐㻐䚌ᶤ⇌G㋀㢬㢨G㵁䣀G㐔㷡㉐⪰G⸨⇨㚰G䚝⏼␘U

Kreyòl Ayisyien

Aplike sou entènèt sou sitwèb nyc.gov/housingconnect. Pou resevwa yon tradiksyon anons sa a nan lang Kreyòl Ayisyen ak aplikasyon an sou papye, voye anvlòp ki gen adrès pou retounen li nan: . . . NY NY 10023. Nan dèyè anvlòp la, ekri mo “HATIAN CREOLE” an Anglè. Ou dwe remèt aplikasyon yo sou entènèt oswa ou dwe tenbre yo anvan dat 22 jen 2020.

2020.

‫اﻟﻌرﺑﯾﺔ‬

‫ أرﺳل ﻣظروف ﯾﺣﻣل اﺳﻣك وﻋﻧواﻧك‬،‫ ﻟﻠﺣﺻول ﻋﻠﻰ ﺗرﺟﻣﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻟﻌرﺑﯾﺔ ﻟﮭذا اﻹﻋﻼن وﻟﻧﻣوذج اﻟطﻠب اﻟورﻗﻲ‬.nyc.gov/housingconnect ‫ﺗﻘدم ﺑطﻠب ﻋن طرﯾﻖ اﻹﻧﺗرﻧت ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻣوﻗﻊ اﻹﻟﻛﺗروﻧﻲ‬ ‫ اﻛﺗب ﺑﺎﻟﻠﻐﺔ اﻹﻧﺟﻠﯾزﯾﺔ ﻛﻠﻣﺔ‬،‫ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺟﮭﺔ اﻟﺧﻠﻔﯾﺔ ﻟﻠﻣظروف‬. . . . . :‫إﻟﻰ‬ .2020 ،‫ ﯾوﻧﯾو‬22 ‫ ﯾﺟب إرﺳﺎل ﻧﻣﺎذج اﻟطﻠﺑﺎت ﻋن طرﯾﻖ اﻹﻧﺗرﻧت أو ﺧﺗﻣﮭﺎ ﺑﺧﺗم اﻟﺑرﯾد ﻗﺑل‬. ARABIC"

Mayor Bill de Blasio • HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll

This newly constructed 12-story state-of-the-art building offers unfurnished studios and one bedrooms. • Studios ranging from 277 to 532 square feet begin at $2,800. • One bedrooms ranging from 626 to 730 square feet begin at $4,000. • Monthy fees include breakfast, dinner, weekly housekeeping and linens, a top-of-the-line ﬁtness center and numerous activities. • All units have private bathrooms and kitchenettes.

EASTVIEW INDEPENDENT SENIOR LIVING RESIDENCE 2306 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10035 | 211 units www.eastviewnyc.com | 212-316-6000 | Retta.Blaney@use.salvationarmy.org EastView is owned and operated by an organization that has demonstrated excellency and commitment for more than 150 years – The Salvation Army.

DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE US TO LOOK INTO? DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE US TO LOOK INTO? DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE US TO LOOK INTO? Email us at NEWS@STRAUSNEWS.COM

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FROM PERSONAL TRAINER TO PRIVATE CAREGIVER. ENHANCED CARE. ENHANCED LIFE. TERRA ENHANCED CARE—ONLY AT INSPĪR Determining the right care program for your loved ones is challenging. They have specific needs. And you need to ensure those needs are met—while allowing them to continue living the life they love. Terra Enhanced Care is an exclusive program at Inspīr designed for residents who require higher levels of physical assistance and care. All while offering nourishing experiences to support whole-person health and wellness. It’s more than care. It’s a way of life. Enhance theirs at inspirseniorliving.com/enhancedlife.

1802 Second Avenue | New York, NY 10128 | LEASING GALLERY: 1450 Lexington Avenue | New York, NY 10128 | 646.978.9040

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MAY 28 - JUNE 3 , 2020

VOICES LIFTED IN LOVE, COMFORT AND HOPE

The arts help us understand ourselves and one another ... This is critical here in our city and around the world.”

MUSIC

Lincoln Center’s “Memorial for Us All” has become a weekly secular service BY MARY GREGORY

Writers aren’t ordinarily at a loss for words, but these are not ordinary times. Watching Lincoln Center’s Sunday evening “Memorial For Us All” performances with my family has left us speechless. So many names, so many gifts, so much love and loss. New York’s experience of COVID19 isn’t like anyplace else’s, nor has our response been. When it became impossible to gather together to mourn the community’s losses, an interfaith collaboration with religious leaders, musicians, Lincoln Center, and the public became a weekly secular service, with music as its

Leah Johnson, Lincoln Center’s executive vice president healing homily. Wynton Marsalis, co-founder and artistic director for Jazz at Lincoln Center joined virtually with 15 other musicians to perform the inaugural “Memorial For Us All” with New Orleans style jazz that was both somber and uplifting, as names of some of those who’ve died during this pandemic appeared onscreen. “Serving a need in our city was the driving force behind ‘Memorial For Us All,‘” explained Leah Johnson, Lincoln Center’s executive vice president. “Families and friends are unable to have proper funerals during this time. It has radically altered how we’re able to process grief and honor those who have passed away. Together with our interfaith partners, led by Rev. Dr. Chloe Breyer of

Yo-Yo Ma, like all the musicians, performed from home, sharing songs of comfort.

Wynton Marsalis and friends launched Lincoln Center’s “Memorial For Us All” series on May 3. Photos courtesy of Lincoln Center

The Interfaith Center of New York, we started thinking of ways to create community around remembrance and a virtual space where those who have been lost could be remembered.” Also participating are the New York Disaster Interfaith Services, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, The Center for Faith and Community Partnerships, The New York Board of Rabbis, the Union Theological Seminary, the Mayor’s office, and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Wynton Marsalis performed on May 3rd. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who’s been sharing music with the world via social media with the hashtag #SongsOfComfort, performed on May 10th. “We’re feeling very isolated from each other, but no one is alone,“ said baritone Norm Lewis, before he sang “No One is Alone,“ “We Live on Borrowed Time,“ and “Bring Him Home,“ on May 17th. Actress/singer Kelli O’Hara performed on May 24th, and opera singer Ailyn Pérez will present the memorial on May 31st. Future memorials are planned for each Sunday at 6 p.m. They can be live streamed on Lincoln Center’s website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube pages, where they remain online to be viewed later. The public is invited to submit names they’d like to see remembered in future presentations.

Actress/singer Kelli O’Hara presented the fourth “Memorial For Us All.” Photo: Emilio Madrid

Broadway baritone Norm Lewis sang for those lost to COVID-19 on May 17. Photo courtesy of Norm Lewis.

“The arts help us understand ourselves and one another,“ said Johnson. “Now more than ever in the midst of this pandemic, the arts play a vital role in helping us build empathy, create community and connect with one another. This is critical here in our city and around the world. Regardless of belief systems, music is intertwined with so many forms of remembrance. We hope “Memorial For Us All” can provide a weekly moment of remembrance, unity, and comfort.”

The names of more than 1,400 people have been broadcast and remembered. Sadly, the list keeps getting longer, but the music will keep playing. While Wynton Marsalis and musicians sang “Oh! Didn’t He Ramble,“ the lyrics appeared on screen, so that all could join in, lifting voices in mournful, joyful, hopeful, respectful, soothing, songs of remembrance. We’re isolated, but in this together. To see the concerts: http://lincolncenter.org/lincoln-center-at-home

MAY 28 - JUNE 3 , 2020

THE JOURNEY OF ABBY STEIN RELIGION

From ultra-Orthodox rabbi to a transgender woman who’s become a recognized activist BY KHAYA HIMMELMAN

On a Thursday night in late February, onstage in the Jewish Museum’s auditorium, Abby Stein went off script. Stein, 28, was there to discuss her memoir, “Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman,” and its relation to co-panelist’s Goldie Goldbloom’s fictionalized account of a Hasidic woman dealing with similar feelings of isolation. Before moderator Stephanie Butnick of Tablet Magazine could read a question, Stein shot up from her chair. “I need a volunteer!” she said. “Someone preferably cisgender fe-

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male and comfortable identifying as very straight!” A young woman in black framed glasses stepped onto the stage, said her name was Rosie, and stood across from Stein. “Okay, Rosie, tell me, how did you know you were straight?” Rosie shrugged. “I just did.” Stein continued. “Do you plan on coming out?” She didn’t wait for Rosie’s response. “Maybe you just haven’t met the right woman yet?” she asked singsong, eyebrows raised. Finally, “Rosie, how do straight people have sex?” Stein paused and smiled, readying herself for the familiar reaction, laughter and applause. Stein sat back down and addressed the crowd: “You see, I do this to tell people what you can and can’t ask a trans person,” she explained. “Think if you would ask the same thing to a straight person.”

Abby Stein on the set of “Unorthodox.” Photo courtesy of Abby Stein

YOUR 15 MINUTES

To read about other people who have had their “15 Minutes” go to our website and submit your story

Photo courtesy of Abby Stein.

Arranged Marriage Stein, a former Hasidic rabbi from the ultra-Orthodox Satmar community in Williamsburg, came out as transgender in 2015. She’s thought to be the first openly transgender woman from a Hasidic community, a distinction she wears with pride. Until 2011, Stein didn’t know English or what transgender meant. But she had felt she was a girl for as long as she could remember. At nine, she wrote a prayer in Yiddish, her primary language, pleading with God to turn her into a girl. She repeated it nightly, a way of never accepting that she was a boy. At 19, Stein married an 18-year-old Hasidic woman, an arranged marriage. She was excited about it because she had wrongly thought marriage would rid her of gender dysmorphia, she said. Although an ordained rabbi, Stein started becoming less religious after her marriage. She learned English on YouTube, then later enrolled in a program at Rockland Community College. At about this time in 2012, when their son was born, Stein came clean to her wife about her religious questioning. Stein’s in-laws soon learned about the secular classes and religious changes and forced the couple to divorce, Stein said. She got a job at a marketing company, and with the support of Footsteps, an organization that helps people leaving ultra-Orthodox communities, earned a high school diploma. Later that year, she was accepted at Columbia, where she studied gender studies and political

science. Stein came out a few years later, saying it was easier to come out after immersing herself into a secular community. Though Stein says she doesn’t like being recognized, she also seems to embrace it. Seated at the Hungarian Pastry Shop in Morningside Heights on a Tuesday night before coronavirus changed the city, Stein put down her glass of orange juice and finished an apricot pastry. She was eavesdropping on two young rabbinical students sitting next to her, discussing biblical sources. “I couldn’t help myself,” she told them, “I was listening to you study.” The students said they recognized her and would be attending her event at the Jewish Museum. “Amazing!” she said.

Helping Producers of “Unorthodox” Stein wants to create more trans awareness in Hasidic communities so that families like hers don’t abandon their trans members. She regularly gets messages on social media from Hasidim struggling with gender dysphoria, but finds herself at a loss when they ask how to be trans and remain in their community. Stein knows there is no solution; acceptance as a transgender Hasid is simply not an option. According to Maya Balakirsky Katz, professor of Jewish art and history at Bar Ilan University, 18th-century Hasidism defined itself in reaction to preexisting models, and offered refuge to those who did not fit the mainstream. However, she said, Hasidism today is a mainstream

religious movement that grapples with what it sees as threats from the outside. Balakirsky Katz says that Stein is actually in touch with earlier iterations of Hasidism. Last summer while in Berlin for speaking engagements, Stein met the producers of the popular Netflix miniseries, “Unorthodox,” about a young woman leaving a Hasidic community. Stein was helping the cast with Yiddish expressions and pronunciations and then was asked to be an extra in an episode. The role required her to dress up as an ultra-Orthodox woman with a hair covering. The last time Stein dressed like a Hasidic woman, as part of a costume, she felt traumatized. She said it made her think of how degrading the experience of being forced to cover your hair must feel. This time, though, she found the experience liberating. This was finally her choice, she said. “It was so freeing because I was doing it for a project I loved. I had come full circle.” Stein’s bedroom in a shared uptown apartment is a testament to her achievements as a trans activist and deeply felt Jewish identity. At least 25 lanyards from events where she’s spoken hang on a hook over her door: Footsteps, The Jewish Week, Limmud Toronto, the Victory Institute. She’s still trying to figure out how to frame the articles about her from Vogue, InStyle and Glamour. Stein readies herself for another public appearance: a podcast interview from a desk in her bedroom. Before joining the video call, Stein mists herself with perfume from a large plastic spray bottle. She shakes out her freshly blow-dried hair, tops it off with a generous spritz of hairspray. Since coming out, Stein has had one goal. She actually wants the Hasidic community to be transphobic. If the community is transphobic, she said, that means there is a real understanding that trans people exist. Thinking about her many public appearances, the support group she’s started for trans people from Orthodox backgrounds, her memoir, and the countless messages she gets from Hasidic people looking for guidance, Stein said, mission accomplished. When she came out, she hadn’t heard of anyone else in the community being trans. Transphobia at least acknowledges that trans people exist at all, even among Hasidism, she said. And, that, for Stein, represents a big accomplishment.

Know somebody who deserves their 15 Minutes of fame? Go to our website and click on submit a press release or announcement.

MAY 28 - JUNE 3 , 2020

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ERIC RIPERT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 prepared to wait out the pandemic at his homes in Manhattan and eastern Long Island. As vice chairman of City Harvest, he was already involved in a charity that collects 70 million pounds of food a year for soup kitchens and food pantries. He is also a close friend of Jose Andres, the Spanish chef who founded World Central Kitchen to bring food to victims of natural disasters in Haiti and Puerto Rico, and who was setting up shop in Harlem to respond to the COVID crisis. Consulting with those two groups, Ripert decided to do his part by feeding the 400 doctors and nurses who had come to New York City from out of state and were lodging in midtown hotels. So in early May, he reopened Le Bernardin with four employees to prepare and package 400 meals a day, using City Harvest ingredients and relying on World Central Kitchen trucks for delivery. “Every meal is about a pound of food, and we try to make them not too similar day by day,” Ripert explains. Most offerings consist of meat or eggs along with a vegetable and a starch, but Ripert also accommodates several dozen vegetarians among the first responders and makes sure that fish — Le Bernardin’s specialty — is on the menu twice a week. In the absence of eating out, meanwhile, Ripert has been helping out home cooks by posting recipes on Instagram and Facebook, complete with short instructional videos. Instead of the fancy dishes that he has perfected for Le Bernardin, his social media is full of classic French standbys that

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The future of fine dining will be less about refinement in the details, and much more about conviviality. People will want to feel part of a community when they go to a restaurant, to feel the warmth. That will be the trend.” Eric Ripert

Eric Ripert (right) with City Harvest staffer and truck. Photo: Eric Vitale

he learned from his mother and grandmother as a boy in France, from potato-leek soup to coq au vin, which Ripert demystifies by calling “quick chicken-and-red-wine stew.” “I show recipes with ingredients that are readily available, and with techniques that aren’t very hard,” Ripert explains. “I don’t want to intimidate people, but to encourage them.” Sharing a recipe for vegetarian lasagna made with leftover pasta sauce and frozen vegetables, for example, he warns followers that “if you are a lasagna purist, do not look at this post.”

A “Smaller Team” Ripert is also planning for the day when Le Bernardin will be back in business, but he is realistic about what that will mean. Even if the shutdown is lifted, he doesn’t think it will make sense to reopen during the slow summer months, particularly with no tourists in town and so many New Yorkers sheltering elsewhere. If the coast is clear by September or October, Ripert anticipates restrictions on how many diners he can serve — perhaps as few as fifty “covers,” or tables, per night — as well as on the size of parties. Under those circumstances, he says Le Bernardin can still operate, but it will have to do so with a “smaller team” than its current 180 employees, and perhaps with pay cuts for a while. For those employees who are kept on, it will be a new world of masks, gloves — and no more wine lists. “Maybe we will have the wine list on an iPad that we will clean after every use,” Ripert imagines. For the restaurant industry as a whole, Ripert laments that

the Paycheck Protection Program, the hastily-passed government loan program meant to tide over small businesses, hasn’t provided more help. Under the current terms, PPP loans are forgivable only for businesses that retain or rehire three-quarters of their employees by June, which is unrealistic for most restaurants that are still closed and may only be able to bring in half of their previous revenue when they reopen. Ripert hopes to see those PPP benchmarks revised, but otherwise he says the key to survival for individual restaurants will be their ability to renegotiate payment arrangements with suppliers, realtors and banks. “Cash flow is king for all restaurants,” he says. Even in the rarified world of famous four-star restaurants, Ripert expects to see permanent changes once the COVID crisis has passed. “The future of fine dining will be less about refinement in the details, and much more about conviviality,” he predicts. “People will want to feel part of a community when they go to a restaurant, to feel the warmth. That will be the trend.” Ripert points out that the modern era of haute cuisine started more than fifty years ago with the French chef Paul Bocuse, one of his boyhood idols, cooking in a modest but welcoming restaurant in a small inn outside Lyon. So when Le Bernardin does open its doors again, diners can expect to see fish still be on the menu, wine listed on an iPad — and Chef Eric Ripert coming out of the kitchen to welcome guests back and make them feel at home.

T G R Q W E F S O N L A N U T

X W H A L E S I B E P V X A Y

B G B L U N S K S L N X N K Z

Y V R H J E F S V M A B M A R

A Z N B T S C R W O R M B R A

C O T F C C L E A R A O C I K

H Y F R K E V T D N M R A C M

T Y K T H D H A N W A V E S Y

A T N A M B S W D J T E M I S

S D O L P H I N U W A G C W O

15 words are listed below. They may go across, up and down or diagonally in the puzzle. Circle each one as you ﬁnd it.

B F C F I S H I N G C B Q O D

Catamaran Clear Dolphin Fishing Manta Ocean Porpoise Reefs Swell Tuna Turtles Waterskis Waves Whales Yacht

ANSWERS R

G O

A I

38 33

S W A

D O

15 12 1

L A

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D E

E 5

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G L 6

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E O N 44

S A

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22 18

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14 9

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T G R Q W E F S O N L A N U T

X W H A L E S I B E P V X A Y

B G B L U N S K S L N X N K Z

Y V R H J E F S V M A B M A R

A Z N B T S C R W O R M B R A

C O T F C C L E A R A O C I K

H Y F R K E V T D N M R A C M

T Y K T H D H A N W A V E S Y

A T N A M B S W D J T E M I S

S D O L P H I N U W A G C W O

B F C F I S H I N G C B Q O D

6 8

2 4

5 9

1 8

3 4

5 9 7

9 5 1 3 7 4 8 2 6

4 9 8 6 3 7 1 5 2

7 3 5 4 2 1 6 8 9

1 2 6 8 5 9 7 3 4

3 7 4 9 6 8 2 1 5

5 6 9 2 1 3 4 7 8

8 1 2 7 4 5 9 6 3

Down 1. Ukraine city 2. It comes to mind 3. Unable to decide 4. Harangue 5. Chewed out 6. Bird-to-be 7. Evoke 8. Charm 9. “Like, no way!” 10. The only one 11. Be familiar with 19. Economic condition where power is held by two people 21. Let go

24. Pressure unit: Abbr. 25. Have legal possession of 26. Muzzle 28. Not be up-to-date 29. Miss the mark 30. H.S. biology topic 34. Head adornments 35. Nero’s tutor 36. Snakes 37. Bologna home 40. Low quality diamond 41. Part of Yemen 42. Snug retreat 44. Unctuous 45. Honker 46. Washing up water 49. Sidekick

E Y F E S I W Y W P O T K X A

I V E K E P V S Y T R O R H O

48. Drive back 50. Promise of a payback 51. __ publica 52. Arachnids 53. Drug used in “The Good Shepherd” 54. Explosive 55. Hot dance 56. Okay!

I V E K E P V S Y T R O R H O

A T H G C F I Z D Q U O V U K

A E D K S C S L T X B L P O T

Across 1. Hobby shop buy 4. Saints QB 9. Plead for 12. Wedding vow 13. Colonel’s insignia 14. Junior, e.g. 15. Poetic contraction 16. Inﬂexible 17. Venus de M____ 18. Property wrecker 20. Time to be home 22. Native Americans 23. Martini addition 24. Used a spring stick 27. Bank worker 31. Trade 32. Bring home 33. Metal bars 36. Virility pill 38. Commit perjury 39. ___ a good plan! 40. Broad spreading tree 43. Poetic syllable arrangements 47. Song

WORD SEARCH by Myles Mellor

6 8

Level: Medium

O D

3 4

5 9

Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9X9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3X3 squares. To solve the puzzle each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. Puzzles come in three grades: easy, medium and difficult.

SUDOKU by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

by Myles Mellor

CROSSWORD

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