________________ LONG BEACH _______________
HERALD Also serving Point Lookout & East Atlantic Beach
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The ‘Picasso’ of long Beach
Coaches receive awards
Riding for a cause
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Vol. 32 No. 35
AUGUST 26 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2021
Torahs stolen from local synagogue By jAMES BERNSTEiN jbernstein@liherald.com
Courtesy Town of Hempstead
loCAl offiCiAlS joiNED residents in searching for religious items stolen from the Chabad of the Beaches on Saturday.
The upcoming Jewish holiday season was expected to be particularly joyous for the Chabad of the Beaches, an Orthodox synagogue in Long Beach: The congregation was looking forward to moving into its first permanent home, on Walnut Street, a spacious, welllit place with play areas for the children and plenty of room for prayer. There will certainly be holiday services at the synagogue, beginning with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, Sept. 6.
But an act of vandalism two weeks before the holidays begin will leave an imprint on the congregation’s collective memory. As Rabbi Eli Goodman, the synagogue’s spiritual leader, said at a news conference at Lindell Boulevard and the boardwalk on Monday, the holiday season will be tinged “with a little bit of darkness.” Last Saturday afternoon, the new synagogue, where carpets were still being laid in preparation for the holidays, was attacked. Two torahs were stolen, and two others tossed to the floor. The ark where the Continued on page 12
Long Beach school board votes to follow mask mandate By DARwiN YANES Dyanes@liherald.com
By a vote of 4-1 on Tuesday night, the Long Beach Board of Education affirmed a statewide mandate issued by Gov. Kathy Hochul that all school students must wear masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus when classes start next month. Many of the approximately 50 people in attendance at the Lindell school auditorium appeared to strongly disagree with the board’s action. The board’s vote came only hours after Hochul was sworn in as governor, and announced the mandate.
Trustee Sam Pinto, who cast the lone dissenting vote, declined to explain his decision after the meeting. The vote came as the Covid-19 positivity rate in Nassau County has risen to 4 percent, and the positivity rate in Long Beach among children ages 5 to 17 has climbed to 9 percent. Schools Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Gallagher presented the plan, and noted that community stakeholders and health experts had been consulted, and surveys and studies were taken into consideration. Parents also weighed in at a prior board meeting, and responded to a survey. “Our goal is to provide a joyful, exciting, as normal of a year
A
t this point, we’re making a decision on the information we have. AlExiS PACE
Board of Education trustee as possible, but also following the state guidelines,” Gallagher said. She added that the plan would be re-evaluated periodically as positivity rates change and vaccines become available for younger students.
Besides masks, the plan mandates three feet of space between desks in classrooms. The district will provide clear masks for speech and literacy classes, there will be frequent outdoor breaks, and field trips, PTA events and sports will return. Sean Hayden was the first, and most vocal, parent to voice his disapproval of the proposed
mandate before the board voted. “Our kids should not be wearing masks in schools,” Hayden said. “It’s our choice. Not yours or the CDC’s. It’s ridiculous.” His comments were followed by the first of many bursts of applause from some members of the audience, although board President Dr. Dennis Ryan tried to maintain Continued on page 5