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Young neighbors in the news
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VOL. 25 NO. 3
JANUARY 13 - 19, 2022
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Locals react to Blakeman’s mask order however, were quick to voice their support for Blakeman’s decision. Carmella Ciancarelli, a mother of three boys in the carroyo@liherald.com, sbrinton@liherald.com, North Bellmore district, wrote in jvallone@liherald.com an email to the Herald, “I supNassau County Executive port Bruce Blakeman allowing Bruce Blakeman signed execu- local control again and advocattive orders on Jan. 6 directing ing for mask choice. Vaccines local boards of education to vote and boosters are available for all this month on whether their dis- those in a K-12 building. If extra tricts should manprotection is still d a t e m a s k u s e, wanted by those while also lifting individuals, they the mask mandate have the right to for all county agenwear extra proteccies. tion like an N95 Bellmore-Mermask, as Blakeman rick Central High said he would make School District offisure was available cials said they were for them.” unsure of the legaliThe orders read ty of Blakeman’s in part, “[G]iven the action. Superintenhistorical data on d e n t M i ke H a rCovid-19 and the rington said that he CARSON ongoing debate over and the superinten- TERmOTTO whether masks are dents of the North North Merrick more harmful than Bellmore School beneficial to chilDistrict, Bellmore dren and to school Public Schools, the environments in North Merrick Union Free general, we should protect the School District and the Merrick freedoms and statutory rights of Union Free School District were students and parents by resting in touch and working with their with the parents the decision legal counsels to interpret the whether their children should executive order. Some community members, Continued on page 4
By CRISTINA ARROYO-RODRIGUEZ, SCOTT BRINTON and JORDAN VALLONE
Andrew Garcia/Herald
RABBI ShImON KRAmER and his wife, Chanie, at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life’s Jewish Early Learning Center preschool.
Chabad prepares to expand school, early learning center By JORDAN VALLONE jvallone@liherald.com
The Chabad Center for Jewish Life, also known as the Chabad of Merrick-Bellmore-Wanta gh, recently raised over $500,000 in five days. The donated funds will be used to expand the chabad’s school building, which serves its Jewish Early Learning Center preschool, a Hebrew school and a summer camp. The campaign — “Building
a Dream: Investing in the Future” — went live online at www.chabadjewishlife.org, on the morning of Dec. 9. Five days later, the community had raised $518,888. Expanding the preschool had been under discussed for a while, but because the chabad operates as a nonprofit, the funding had to be donation-based. With over 100 children on a waiting list for the school, a handful of donors approached Rabbi Shimon Kramer and his wife, Chanie,
the JELC director, and offered to triple any donations received from the community. “The directors and teachers of the preschool are all on the front lines, doing a fantastic job,” Rabbi Kramer said. “The only way we could expand was if the community could contribute and help. Some donors came forward and wanted this to be a community event.” The names of the donors and matchers were kept confiContinued on page 15
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t is imperative that our districts take every measure to ensure the safety of our children.