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Anti-Semitic vandalism in local park By J.D. FREDA jfreda@liherald.com
Courtesy Town of Hempstead
HEMPSTEAD TOWN SUPERVISOR Donald Clavin, at microphones, condemned acts of anti-Semitism after swastikas were found etched on a playground wall at Seamans Neck Park in Seaford last week.
Town of Hempstead official confirmed a number of instances of vandalism, including anti-Semitic symbols etched into playground equipment at Seamans Neck Park last week. Swastikas could be seen where children and family members congregate in the park. On Oct. 1, Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin, the e n t i r e To w n B o a r d a n d Receiver of Taxes Jeanine
Driscoll gathered in the park to examine and condemn what they saw. “There is zero tolerance for anti-Semitism in Hempstead Town, and there is no place for these symbols of hatred and intolerance,” Clavin said. “It is especially disturbing to discover such vitriol and hatred during the highest holidays on the Jewish calendar, and in a space where children and families gather regularly. It’s critical that we band together to call for unity and take steps to prevent this from CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Fundraisers falter in the face of cancellations By TIMOTHY DENTON tdenton@liherald.com
In most years, the beginning of school represents the starter’s pistol for a long list of events. School sports teams begin competing, high schools prepare for Homecomings and local charities raise money for causes as varied as pancreatic cancer research and potable water in the Third World. This year, though, dozens of annual activities have been canceled or postponed. “Usually, there’s a lot going on this time of year,” Seaford community activist Donna Jebaily wrote in an email last
week. “If Covid didn’t exist, we’d be finalizing our plans for Oktoberfest [this] weekend. But that’s not happening. It’s quiet.” More than two dozen events that normally take place in Seaford and Wantagh from Labor Day through Columbus Day are in some form of abeyance. And in some cases, the postponements or cancellations mean the loss of significant revenue for their sponsors and the local charities they support. At Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, the annual festival normally scheduled for Labor Day weekend was taken off the books three months ago. The
parish, which serves the entire South Shore, depends on the income from the event not only to help pay its expenses and support its food ministry. The festival is an important part of the church’s local outreach efforts to the surrounding communities, Parish Council President Loraine Babaian said. “We were able to get a PPP loan to cover the lost revenue,” Babaian said, referring to the federal Payroll Protection Program. “That should eventually be forgiven.” But the food, music and fellowship are also a vehicle for generating interest in the Orthodox faith, and no loans can replace that.
The parish also had to cancel its annual CROP Hunger Walk. Last year the walk raised more than $14,000 to help provide food security, clean water and micro-loans to fledgling businesses, both locally and in the developing world. “Twentyfive percent of the money raised is used to support local needs,” Babaian said.
Donations can still be made online, by visiting https:// w w w. c ro p h u n g e r w a l k . o r g / Donate. Christ Lutheran Church, in Wantagh, has not given up hope that it will be able to hold some version of its fall fair, according to the Rev. Martin Nale, the church’s pastor. So far, however, CONTINUED ON PAGE 10