__________________ merrICk _________________ your HEALTH body / mind / fitness
and JUNE 29, 2023
with a focus on:
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Men’s Health
Vol. 26 No. 27
Chabad’s pre-K graduates
library kicks off summer
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JUNE 29 - JUlY 5, 2023
A new relationship, driven by nature Mepham grad helps St. Francis garden connect with Bellmore-Merrick schools By JoRdAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Courtesy Allyson Alciviades
lIlY YEpEz, CENTER, with the Rev. Grace Flint, left, and garden manager Kristin Talbot, at St. Francis Episcopal Church. Yepez completed her internship at the church as part of her senior experience class at Mepham High School.
This past school year, the Garden at St. Francis, in North Bellmore, bridged the gap between Bellmore-Merrick’s high schools and the nature sanctuary, thanks to the efforts of Lily Yepez, a recent graduate of Wellington C. Mepham High School. Taking part in the school’s senior experience internship program, Yepez worked alongside Kristin Talbot, the garden’s manager, learning about holistic nutrition, farming and
biology, which is something she’s long been interested in. On Sundays in the summer, the garden hosts a farm stand, selling fresh produce grown throughout the season. Yepez, who lives nearby, said she had visited the stand in the past. Her friend Julia Amon, who is completing her Girl Scout Gold Award project at the garden, suggested she get in touch with Talbot about completing her internship there. “I knew I wanted to do something with herbology and gardening,” Yepez, 18, said. “I was Continued on page 2
Synangogues come together to combat antisemitism By MAlloRY WIlsoN mwilson@liherald.com
Eleven people were murdered October 27, 2018 in the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh just for being Jewish. It was the event that changed synagogue life forever, according to Ian Brecher, executive vice president of the Oceanside Jewish Center. With Jewish communities on the South Shore and beyond seeing an uptick in antisemitism, seven local synagogues came together to host a seminar on how to properly handle and address any antisemitic acts and comments that people may be experiencing and to hopefully
stop any events like the mass murder at Tree of Life from happening again. East Meadow Beth-El Jewish Center, Oceanside Jewish Center, Merrick Jewish Centre, South Baldwin Jewish Center, Congregation Beth Tikvah in Wantagh, Congregation B’Nai Sholom-Beth David in Rockville Centre, and Congregation Beth Ohr in Bellmore have always worked together on the issues that each congregation was facing — and antisemitism is no different, Howard Tiegel, president of the Merrick Jewish Centre, said. “Jews are a group of people that have always dared to be dif-
ferent,” Scott Richman, the regional director of the New York/New Jersey Anti-Defamation League, said. “A series of conspiracy theories or tropes began to develop around us, and those conspiracy theories are what we still live with today. “When you talk about why there is antisemitism,” Richman added, “antisemitism is essentially just those conspiracy theories.” Anybody can report incidents of antisemitism to the anti-defamation league, and someone from the office will respond and record the event. Richman said that 2022 was the worst year of recorded incidents, and each
year appears to be getting worse. New York has the most recorded antisemitic acts, and 72 of 111 assaults across the nation in 2022 took place in New York. Attendees were invited to listen and ask questions at three breakout sessions — rabbinic responses to antisemitism, preparing for antisemitism on the college campus, and antisemitism in public schools.
Sofie Glassman, an incoming junior at East Meadow High School, shared her in-school experiences with antisemitism. “Antisemitism is something that I have faced since the start of elementary school when a girl on the playground told me that she didn’t want to play with me because I was Jewish,” GlassContinued on page 4