Van Cortlandt Park hosts a 5K race honoring the world’s oldest runner. Page 7
Asian pride
Riverdalians marched with a purpose in a historic Pride Parade in Taipei, Taiwan. Page A6
What’s On?
Enjoy birding at Wave Hill with naturalist Gabriel Willow. No experience necessary. Page 8
Dalourny
Nemorin
hopes to unseat Ritchie Torres with progressive agenda
By OLIVIA YOUNG oyoung@riverdalepress.com
Daloury Nemorin, a public defense attorney of ten years, is challenging U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres to serve the 15th Congressional District, which stretches from Riverdale, to central and southern portions of the Bronx.
Her progressive platform targets housing — including rent control, NYCHA repairs and homeownership opportunities — as well as affordability, climate justice, healthcare for all, immigrants’ rights and restoring congressional oversight.
The district is one of the poorest in the nation, with a median household income of about $44,000, and 30 percent of residents below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. But, disparities
are wide between neighborhoods, with Riverdale’s household income averaging at $75,000.
“People in Riverdale are not a monolith, and speaking about them in a monolith is misgiving,” Nemorin told The Press.
She wants residents to know middleclass issues like the rising cost of homeowners insurance, college affordability and securing a job post-graduation are a focus as well. Strengthening other neighborhoods in the district also helps Riverdale too, she added, by drawing more visitors who support small businesses in the community.
Nemorin also touched on quality-of-life concerns. She believes residents’ opposition to the men’s shelter on Broadway and West 262nd Street and the migrant shelter on West 238th Street near Waldo Avenue stems from worries about their own wellbeing, not from a refusal to address the issues these buildings aim to solve.
She wants to advocate for funding towards community-outreach programs that speak with residents, and work to address loitering, sanitation or other worries community members express.
Evers begins battle for Assembly seat held by Dinowitz for three decades
By MICHELLE MULLEN oyoung@riverdalepress.com
The basement of Connaughton’s Steak House was packed shoulder to shoulder as teacher, disability advocate and community activist Morgan Evers formally launched her campaign this week to unseat Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, setting up a June 2026 Democratic primary against a lawmaker who has held the 81st Assembly District seat since 1994.
Her campaign reported raising more than $26,000 from over 200 donors at the launch, qualifying her for the maximum in public matching funds and hinting at an unusually competitive race ahead of June 2026.
Evers opened her remarks with a sweeping critique of long-standing political leadership and a call for generational change.
Golden Dream
“I am humbled by the overwhelming response I have received across this district since I explored a run this summer,” she said. “It’s clear the people in the northwest Bronx are ready for change. While dangerous policies from Washington threaten New Yorkers every day, the 81st Assembly District has an entrenched politician who is more focused on building a political dynasty into a third decade of status quo governance rather than assuring us we have a trusted fighter who will protect us.”
Evers is not new to political life. She previously served as a New York State Committee member for the district from 2022 to 2024, later helping to found the Unity Democratic Club with progressives who broke from the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club
She pointed to a series of longstanding local issues — rising maintenance costs in cooperative housing, limited access to affordable childcare and widening gaps between wages and basic expenses — that she said have intensified, particularly in neighborhoods where working families have struggled to maintain stable footing.
“I enter this race with a clear vision for
Community action gains momentum amid ICE concerns
By MICHELLE MULLEN mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Across the city, New Yorkers are mobilizing to protect their most vulnerable neighbors amid rising anticipation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, crackdowns.
Espaillat unveils bill to protect immigrants. Page A3 Dinowitz pushes state legislation. Page A6
Residents of Riverdale, Marble Hill, Kingsbridge and Kingsbridge Heights have joined the effort with merchantoutreach initiatives, where volunteers like Lois Harr visit barbershops, restaurants, corner stores and delis with Know Your Rights materials for employees and owners. The packets include instructions on what to do if ICE enters a workplace, how to identify a lawful warrant and how to contact legal services. For immigrant workers who may not know their protections or who fear retaliation, the materials offer a bridge between practical steps.
And on Dec. 6, more than 150 Bronx residents joined a four-hour boroughwide training hosted by Hands Off NYC, a coalition of unions, grassroots groups and faith partners preparing communities for potential federal enforcement. The program is part of a series rolling out across all five boroughs, each designed to help neigh-
Continued on page A6
Cora Weiss was local, national activist for peace
By OLIVIA YOUNG and MICHELLE MULLEN oyoung@riverdalepress.com
Cora Weiss, whose Waldo Avenue home served as headquarters for her efforts to promote nuclear disarmament, protest American involvement in Vietnam and forge a world without war, died on Dec. 8. She was 91. Weiss’s dedication to human rights sparked in ninth grade at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, where she became more aware of inequalities facing women and people of color. She would go on to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Later in life she served as executive director of the African American Students Foundation, which helped fund the Airlift to America — a project from 1959 to 1963 that brought over 800 East African students to the states for education, including President Barack Obama’s father .
Cora Weiss, along with Martin Luther King Jr. and Riverdale residents such as Theodore Kheel, Frank Montero and Clarence Jones, worked tirelessly for civil rights and world peace, founding numerous national organizations.
During this period, in 1961, she moved to Riverdale with her husband Peter, an advocate as well as an attorney, and their children. Weiss became involved at the Riverdale Neighborhood House, and
soon a fellow Riverdalian told her about an activist group demonstrating against nuclear weapons testing called Women Strike for Peace.
Local members started studying strontium-90, a radioactive chemical element found in nuclear waste and fallout that causes cancers in the bone, bone marrow and surrounding soft tissue. The group sent samples from their own children to be tested, and many came back positive for containing the element.
The finding gave them credibility, and the first outlet they took it to was The Riverdale Press, run at the time by founders David and Celia Stein.
“What I’m sure most people will remember is her energy,” former editor Bernard Stein said. “She was boisterous, loud, indefatigable.”
She continued her efforts with racial Continued on page 4
Continued on page A4
Courtesy of Jaxon White and the Vineyard Gazette CORA WEISS
Photo by Gary Jean-Juste
At 67, Carol Weingrod thought she might never realize her goal of giving skydiving a try. But thanks to program at Riverspring Living, she recently found herself floating on air at a skydiving simulator in Yonkers. She used the experience to show that Parkinson’s disease doesn’t have to be an impediment to accomplishment. See story on page A 4.
$50 million grant focuses on Lehman College students
It wouldn’t be surprising if Lehman College President FernandoDelgado had a new spring in his step, even hummed a happy tune, on his way to work this week. After all, the school has just been given a $50 million gift from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation.
“This is a tremendous investment in our students by MacKenzie Scott” Delgado said in an official statement, “It recognizes how hard they work to build a better life for themselves, their families, and their entire community. We are enormously grateful to be trusted to steward this gift and help the people of The Bronx and beyond.”
“This gift will enable us to secure our mission long into the future and give us the flexibility and foundation to deliver on our promise to our students,” he added.
MacKenzie Scott’s generosity to the City University of New York, CUNY, over the last five years now totals more than $125 million across five campuses, including Lehman College.
In 2020, the foundation awarded Lehman $30 million, bringing its total investment in Lehman students to $80 million.
“This is an extraordinary affirmation that doubles down on the
decision the Scott Foundation made just five years ago,” adds President Delgado. “As higher education, in general, works to find its way in an uncertain environment, this gift is a major source of encouragement that we are on the right path.”
According to a press release, specific details will be worked out over time with money being directed to areas like scholarships, supporting career pathways under CUNY Beyond, and other areas that provide direct support to students.
The success of Lehman graduates is recognized every year across a number of media and educational platforms, naming the College a perennial national leader in various categories, including social mobility (Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report), best value (Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Washington Monthly, Niche), and best outcomes (Money, Forbes, Colleges of Distinction).
The accolades come despite Lehman educating a population often overlooked. More than half the families of Lehman students earn less than $30,000 a year. Many are the first in their families to attend college. And two-thirds come from The Bronx, the county with the lowest per capita income in New York.
Mount joins alliance of Catholic universities
Riverdale’s University of Mount Saint Vincent (UMSV) has joined three other Catholic universities to launch a partnership aimed at expanding academic pathways, enhancingstudent mobility, and strengthening mission-driven collaboration across regions. The alliance—CHARISM: Catholic Higher Education Alliance of Rising Institutions in Service and Mission—brings together UMSV in New York, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in Texas, Dominican University in Illinois, and Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico.
According to a press release, the partnership emerges at a moment of significant transformation in global higher education. In Drawing New Maps of Hope, Pope Leo XIV writes that today’s complex, fragmented educational landscape calls for renewed cooperation and innovation. He describes “educational constellations” that serve as lifelines and guiding beacons.
Inspired by this call, the four universities — each Catholic, Hispanicserving, minority-serving, foundedby-women religious leaders in major metropolitan areas — have united to form a new constellation of opportunity.
The official launch of the CHARISM alliance was commemorated during a signing ceremony featuring the presidents of all four universities. The event was held on Monday, December 8 at UIW’s Texas campus.
“This strategic partnership demonstrates the extraordinary power of mission-driven institutions working together,” said Susan R. Burns, PhD, president of the University of Mount Saint Vincent. “As Catholic, Hispanic-serving universities founded by women religious leaders, we share a deep commitment to meeting learners when, where, and how they need us.”
The alliance establishes new academic pathways and shared initiatives, including joint degree programs — coordinated pathways allowing students to earn degrees
or certificates from multiple institutions In addition, students will be offered academic mobility with opportunities to complete part of their program at one institution and transition to another for degree completion.
Faculty and staff development are also important to the alliance, including professional development, faculty exchanges, and missionaligned collaboration to strengthen innovation and student success across campuses.
Subhed: About the partners
University of Mount Saint Vincent was founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity of New York. It offers a nationally recognized liberal arts education and professional programs rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The university is a leader in affordability, access, and social mobility, serving one of the highest percentages of Pell-eligible and first-generation students in the nation.
University of the Incarnate Word was established in Texas in 1881 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, UIW is one of the largest Catholic universities in the country, enrolling more than 10,000 students across the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. It is nationally recognized for health professions preparation and humanities programs.
Since 1901, Dominican University has been Chicago, Illinois’ premier Catholic Hispanic-serving institution and a national leader in social mobility and affordable excellence. U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican among the top Midwest regional universities and number one in Illinois for “Best Value.”
Puerto Rico’s oldest continuing educational project, Universidad del Sagrado Corazón was founded in 1880 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Serving more than 5,300 students on its Santurce campus, the university offers a global learning experience through five academic schools and a vibrant residential community.
Sanitation Dept. gets ready for winter storms
The New York City Department of Sanitation announced that it has transitioned its operations to its annual winter schedule with additional employees working overnight hours to allow for quicker and more effective snow operations work.
When snow is not in the forecast, Sanitation Workers scheduled for the night shift are frequently assigned to cleaning or collection duties, and as a result, residents may notice their trash, compost, and recycling collected at a slightly different time. To ensure material is collected, residents are reminded to set material out by midnight on their scheduled day.
This winter staffing is in addition to previously schedule night work - all part of ongoing efforts to decrease the time that material sits
on the streets to create a cleaner City with fewer rats. The winter schedule generally lasts at least through mid-April, but the Department will re-evaluate in the weeks and months to come.
The Department of Sanitation has a frontline defense of more than 700 salt spreaders dispatched at the first sign of frozen precipitation. Once two inches of snow has fallen on the City’s streets and highways, the Department can deploy it’s more than 2,000 plow-equipped trucks to clear snow and ice. The Department is responsible for more than 19,000 lane-miles of roadway in the City. For further information on Sanitation services, call 311 or visit www.nyc. gov/sanitation.
Update to rates of subscription plans:
To continue providing you with high-quality hyperlocal news in the face of rising costs, as of December 1, 2025, the Riverdale Press subscription rates will be: annual subscription plan, paid by credit card - $1 per week (billed annually at $52.00); monthly subscription plan, paid by credit card - $2 per week (billed monthly at $8.67);
File photo
The Lehman College campus.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat chose the entrance to 26 Federal Plaza
of legislation aimed at protecting immigrants who are attending
Espaillat introduces legislation to protect immigrants from seizure at court hearings
By OLIVIA YOUNG oyoung@riverdalepress.com
Rep. Adriano Espaillat
— who serves Marble Hill, Kingsbridge and Kingsbridge Heights — joined Reps. Dan Goldman and Nydia Velázquez to introduce the Immigration Due Process Protection Act, legislation that would prohibit U.S. Department of Homeland officers from arresting immigrants while they attend a mandated court hearing.
The lawmakers gathered outside of 26 Federal Plaza on Dec. 8, a government building criticized by attorneys and advocacy groups for detaining immigrants in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. It also holds immigration courts and a floor where people go for regular Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, check-ins.
Espaillat, Goldman and Velázquez tried to access the court and the check-in floor as part of their congressional oversight duties, but were denied.
“This is an administrative building,” Espaillat said. “This should not be a detention center. But what has happened here is what we predicted from the very beginning [under] the Trump dictatorship.”
Espaillat cited masked agents who “roam the streets and slam people to the ground,” and ICE agents who told the officials today it “has protocol.”
“Protocol is not above the law,” Espaillat said. “These are all characteristics of a dictatorship — when there is a blatant and abrasive disregard of the law … We felt then, as we feel now, that this aggressive behavior was going to drive immigrants underground.”
According to the Data Deportation Project, ICE has arrested 3,212 people in New York City through mid-October, and over half of those people have been deported. But, the number of overnight detentions and average time spent at 26 Federal Plaza has decreased since the summer.
The new bill, Goldman said, would implement guardrails to protect immigrants who are lawfully pursuing citizenship, and curb an administration that is “failing to uphold the law” and “abusing its power.”
Protections apply to individuals that are at court for scheduled hearings, unless agents have a judicial warrant, and those with an active immigration case that has not resulted in a final order of removal.
available weekly.
He added that fewer immigrants are showing up to their court appearances because they fear being separated from their loved ones or being held in subpar conditions, often resulting in an automatic order of removal.
“These are nonviolent, noncriminal people, often escaping terrible conditions in their country and seeking refuge here,” Goldman said. “Now they are being yanked away from their families, detained and deported, even though they have a lawful application.”
The congressman noted efforts to strengthen due-process protections have stalled in Washington, in part because of a lack of support from Republicans.
Goldman said the New York delegation is going to be present at 26 Federal Plaza more often, and Espaillat pledged to return to the site once a week to monitor the situation.
be-
No cash for keeping your dog well groomed? These volunteers can help
By MICHELLE MULLEN mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Keeping a furry friend looking clean and fresh isn’t just a cosmetic exercise. Embedded nails or matted hair can hide infections or even restrict mobility. But prices for grooming services can range from $75 to $150, according to Rover.com, with some severe cases costing up to $350.
That’s just too steep for many local dog owners.
Riverdale Grooming, at 3251 Johnson Ave., in a first-time partnership with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA has stepped in to help, offering services low-income dog owners just can’t afford.
Their one-day event, held Dec. 3 by appointment only, was reserved for pets in great need of medical grooming services. Working through a list of dogs pre-screened through a QRcode survey system, groomers aboard an ASPCA bus parked along Johnson Avenue and inside the pet salon to treat about 15 pups.
Among those helping lead the collaboration was 15-yearold Riverdale Grooming intern Avi Lichtenstein, who first started contacting shelters and rescuers over the summer, eventually landing on ASPCA.
“We wanted to donate our time and our skills just to give back to the dogs and the community,” he said. “So we were able to set up grooming for people who couldn’t afford it until now.”
Inside the massive pet mobile, ASPCA case manager Lisa Kisiel told The Press many dogs dropped off that day had not been serviced in at least a year, many arriving fearful.
“The before and afters are amazing,” she said, describing dogs who “get shaved down” and then move as if a weight is lifted off of them.
Below
amounts
“Some of them are very afraid when they come in at the beginning, but once they see that we’re not going to hurt them, they’re able to sort of relax,” they said. “By the end of the process, you could see that they’re happy.”
“[Trump] wants a crisis between law enforcement and the population,” he said. “So we’re here to protect the most vulnerable, and that’s the immigrants that should be allowed to access this building to resolve their status.”
tween law enforcement and the population,” Espaillat said. “So we’re here to protect the most vulner-able, and that’s the immigrants that should be allowed to ac-cess this building to resolve their status.”
A spokesperson for the Riverdale shop noted several pets seemed almost at a point of neglect, with mats that came off “like an entire coat.” They added that the change in the animals was immediately visible once the work was done.
The partnership, the spokesperson added, allowed the small business to support families who otherwise could not afford care.
“It’s an impactful change,” they said, crediting Lichtenstein for bringing the idea forward. “Avi planted the seed and
pushed the project until the ASPCA agreed.” Lichtenstein, who also volunteers at local adoption events and runs a zoology club at school, said the day reinforced why he hopes to continue working in animal care. Both Riverdale Grooming and the ASPCA said they hope to run the clinic monthly, expanding hours as needed. Appointments for the inaugural event filled up quickly, Kisiel said, a sign of how many pet owners are likely still in need of assistance.
Fourth Advent Sunday Worship 10:30 am Christmas Eve Candlelight eServic 4:45 pm We welcome children and youth of all ages to our Sunday School. Childcare
Open doors, open hearts, open minds.
Open doors, open hearts, open minds.
December 17
December 14 • 10:30 am 3rd Sunday of Advent Worship Annual Intergenerational Christmas Pageant
December 24
Intergenerational Pageant 10:30 am followed by Cafe To Go & Christmas Music
Contact the Church Office for Zoom info
The Story told by our children and youth along with the congregation
December 20 Longest Night Service 7:30 pm • Zoom only
December 20 Longest Night Service 7:30 pm • Zoom only
December 21 • 10:30 am 4th Sunday of Advent
Contact the Church Office for Zoom info
Special reception following Worship honoring Office Manager Lucretia Djivre on her retirement after 31 years
Intergenerational Pageant 10:30 am followed by Cafe To Go & Christmas Music
December 24 Fourth Advent Sunday Worship 10:30 am Christmas Eve Candlelight
December 17
December 24 • 4:45 pm Family Friendly Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Photo by Olivia Young
to announce his sponsorship
mandated court hearings.
Photos by gary Jean-Juste Above, groomers from Riverdale Grooming on Johnson Ave. free a puppy from matted hair.
At left, volunteers from the ASPCA check out the condition of the paws and nails on a black Lab mix.
left, copious
of matted hair had a little dog entangled.
cited masked ICE Today, he added, agents told the officials ICE “has protocol.”
It’s never too late to try skydiving
By OLIVIA YOUNG oyoung@riverdalepress.com
Carol Weingrod has lived with Parkinson’s disease for the last seven years, a brain condition that disrupts balance and movement. But on Friday, as the wind tunnel wafted her up and down, arms outstretched and cheeks fluttering from the rush of air, Weingrod felt a rare sense of ease.
“It was incredible,” the 67 year old said. “I felt free.”
A few months ago, Weingrod started working with RiverSpring Living, an assistedliving facility with a program called Golden Dreams. It aims to fulfill lifelong aspirations of seniors.
Longtime goal
mmullen@riverdalepress.com
For Weingrod, skydiving had been a goal since she was in her twenties, and it took on an even greater meaning once Parkinson’s started to impact her mobility. Physical and occupational therapy help manage the symptoms, but she faced another challenge — how oth-
ers perceive her because of her disability.
“[Parkinson’s] doesn’t affect my mind,” she said. “People think I’m stupid.”
When Weingrod is in a public space and has trouble walking, people don’t treat her like a regular person, she said, as if they assume her disability defines her entirely.
“People see someone with a disability and forget there is a deep, deep person there,” Weingrod’s sister, Louise, said.
At iFLY Indoor Skydiving in Yonkers, Weingrod left her walker at the door of the wind tunnel and carefully walked towards two instructors, who stood at the edge ready to guide her in. Decked out in a red jumpsuit, blue helmet and protective eyewear, Weingrod lifted her arms, using the airflow until she was hovering on her stomach.
An instructor held onto her back, spinning her as they floated upwards. Her jumpsuit and face rippled against the blast of air, revealing an expression that was as peaceful as it was fearless. At one point, Weingrod
locked eyes with Louise to wave and blow a kiss.
The sisters were born in Pennsylvania, and they recalled traveling the country with their family in a trailer, stopping at sites like Maryland’s Assateague Island National Seashore.
After attending medical school, Weingrod spent most of her life in Florida, building a three-decade career in psychiatry. She chose mental health work so she could help people, and did so by treating each patient with care and compassion.
Cheering her on
Aside from Louise, Weingrod was cheered on by a few members from the Golden Dreams team at RiverSpring. Aliana Vandenburg, who is also the resident engagement coordinator, said the program is rewarding.
“To be there with them and see their reaction, it’s a feeling that you will not feel for anything else,” Vandenburg said. “It’s something that you have to experience”
The program began in Riverdale in March when Wendy Steinberg, chief communications officer and founder of Golden Dreams, noticed that some residents had spent their earlier years focused on making ends meet and never had the chance to realize their dreams. Now, Weingrod is the tenth resident that Golden Dreams has worked with.
Other successes
Before her, the program helped 85-year-old Shirley Johnson fulfill her hope of dancing again by providing a new prosthetic leg and enrolling her in a ballroom class. Jacqueline Kimmelstiel, a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor, had always wanted to finish college. Golden Dreams created a higher education experience for her, complete with an honorary degree. For Weingrod and the other participants, it was a chance to be seen, not for their age or diagnoses, but instead to be seen as individuals with spirit, drive and life still to live.
Activist Cora Weiss dies at 94
justice, and was active in the 1960s protests against Riverdale real estate agents who were steering minorities away from local apartments . Political reformer
Robert Rubinstein, honorary vice president of Kiwanis Club of Riverdale, was also active in this movement, and told The Press that Weiss helped him establish the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club.
He described Weiss as someone who was “doing good things and making this a better world.”
Rubinstein’s wife, Barbara, met Weiss when the two were little girls. They fell out of touch until Weiss moved to Riverdale and became involved in the neighborhood.
“She was extremely bright and very progressive,” Barbara said .”You couldn’t keep her quiet. She knew what she believed in and she was very vocal about it. I admired her for that. I think we all did.”
Weiss, along with Martin Luther King Jr. and Riverdale residents such as Theodore Kheel, Frank Montero and Clarence Jones, helped found the Gandhi Society for Human Rights, a civil rights organization.
She was also a prominent leader in the anti-Vietnam War movement throughout the later 1960s and early 1970s, and made trips to North Vietnam to carry letters from American prisoners of war, POWs, to-andfrom their families.
Outfoxing Nixon
At the time, President Richard Nixon was using uncertainty about the number of POWs in Vietnam as an excuse to delay withdrawal from the war. So, Weiss cofounded an organization called the Committee of Liaison with Families of Servicemen Detained in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and worked with journalists to compile a list of POW names.
She presented the list at a Congressional hearing in New York, later writing in an essay that appears in “Waging Peace
in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War” that “a hush went over the room as people in the audience gasped.” Not only did it show ordinary citizens were able to obtain information the government couldn’t, but it contested a justification to continue the war, she added. In 1996, Weiss founded the Hague Appeal for Peace, a coalition of human rights, disarmament and global justice organizations. As president, she led the 1999 Hague Appeal for Peace Conference in the Netherlands, marking the centenary of the First Hague Peace Conference.
It became one of the largest civil-society peace gatherings, welcoming roughly 10,000 scholars, delegates and activists from more than 100 countries. It culminated in the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century, a comprehensive plan promoting stronger international law, disarmament, conflict prevention, and a commitment to global education. Nobel nomination
What came out of the conference would set in motion her first Nobel Peace Prize nomination in 2000, with others to follow in the coming years. In 2004, the seasoned activist finally received the Golden Dove of Peace, awarded the prize for her work in peace building and human rights — particularly in women’s rights.
“It was one of my most humbling moments,” she told The Press in a 2004 article chronicling her achievement. “When you honor me, you honor the thousands of members of the International Peace Bureau and the Hague Appeal for Peace.” In her acceptance speech, she called for the addition of peace education in schools and the inclusion of women in all levels of government, urging, “If there are no women, there can be no peace.”
Weiss’s husband Peter passed away in November. She is survived by her son, Daniel, daughters Judy and Tamara, five grandchildren, and brother Reed Rubin.
Dalourny Nemorin will run for Ritchie Torres’ seat
“Nothing that I am advocating for is to harm the middle class,” Nemorin said. “It’s to hope that they can sustain the city that is becoming ever-moreexpensive for everybody, regardless of your socio-economic status. The middle class and working class are not far apart at all, and I think the best change happens in this country when those two classes work together. I hope to be that change.” Bronx-wide, Nemorin believes Torres has been overlooking constituents and prioritizing donors instead. She thinks parts of the district feel this too.
“If we have decided you are no longer a trustworthy candidate, there is nothing you can do,” Nemorin said. “If we do not think you have our best interests at heart — that you have
Morgan
a track record of neglecting us, serving yourself, serving your donors and not the 740,000 people in the district — we’re not a priest, we’re not going to forgive you. We’re going to try with someone else.”
She chose the Bronx
The 36-year-old wasn’t born in the borough, but says she chose it instead.
Originally from Miami, Florida, Nemorin grew up in Little Haiti with two immigrant parents. As a law school student at the City University of New York School in Queens — where she relied on Medicaid and food stamps for support — Nemorin rented a room in an older woman’s apartment. Her home health aid lived in the East Bronx, and started inviting Nemorin over for holidays
in 2011. Nine years later, she moved to the South Bronx.
A decade into her career, she joined Community Board 1 — representing the southern Bronx neighborhoods of Melrose, Mott Haven and Port Morris — and still serves as chair of the policy and legislation committee. She’s been with the Legal Aid Society as a defense attorney for about seven years, and worked with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem before that. She aims to take these advocacy skills and apply them to Congress. “I think there is a push for new ideas and not playing it safe,” Nemorin said.
On immigration, Nemorin pointed to Torres’ support for the Laken Riley Act — a law that allows immigrants to be detained, without bond, on some charges such as burglary, theft,
shoplifting or assaulting a police officer — as evidence he isn’t serving constituents.
She also commented on Chestnut Holdings, a Riverdalebased property management company South Bronx residents protested against in October, citing poor living conditions. According to campaign-finance data, donations affiliated with Chestnut totaled $35,000.
“We’re not holding Torres to some standard that is unfair to him,” Nemorin said. “Elected officials are doing this — they’re meeting with us, they’re standing next to us. I think [Torres] is exploiting the fact that low income communities don’t vote.”
Low voter turnout
The Bronx has some of the lowest voter turnout rates in the
city, according to the New York City Campaign Finance Board. In 2024, only 10 percent of residents voted in the June primary election, and 52 percent in the November general election.
The candidate pledged to not take any corporate Political Action Committee, PAC, funds, instead relying on donations from people — a strategy Nemorin is ready to embrace, as “the most money is not indicative of a winner,” she said.
At the core of her campaign, is a deep love for the resilience of the borough and a willingness to move it forward.
“We are strong beyond our means,” Nemorin said. “We are making it work despite all the obstacles, and we are making it work in community and family … I hope [Bronxites] know they get a changemaker and an advocate with me.”
a people-centered campaign focused on the neglected needs of working families and the local economy in this fast-changing district,” she added.
Her campaign has emphasized the precarious future of the Amalgamated Houses, the nation’s first limited-equity cooperative, as emblematic of broader pressures across the district.
Evers, who uses a mobility cane due to a degenerative retinal disease diagnosed in her thirties, wove her personal experience into a broader critique of federal policy. Disability advocates have raised alarms over the U.S. Department of Justice’s removal of nearly a dozen Americans with Disabilities Act guidance documents and the possibility of weakened enforcement of Section 504, which guarantees equal access for disabled students and families in federally funded programs.
Her campaign said she is preparing state legislative proposals aimed at protecting disabled New Yorkers should federal guarantees erode.
“Though my eyesight is vanishing, my vision for a bet-
ter Bronx is not,” she said.
“Now more than ever, we need bold leadership fighting on the front lines for New York during unprecedented attacks to our basic rights by a fascist federal government. We are done with establishment politicians guarding incumbency over the needs of constituents who are being targeted.”
Her launch also touched on anxieties surrounding federal immigration enforcement activity.
“Masked and armed men in unmarked cars are terrorizing our neighbors and any perceived foreigners in our own community,” she said. “They’re kidnapping people and in some cases, assaulting them. Our Jewish values tell us not to stand idly by.”
Before Evers addressed the room, speakers framed her candidacy as an effort to rebuild local political culture. Ellen Chapnick, former dean for Social Justice Initiatives at Columbia Law School, underscored what she described as a rare moment of collective organizing.
“I wish you all had the view that I have,” she said, “This is an amazing room to be in. The
Bronx machine will spread misinformation, but saying public servant and politician in the same sentence is not an oxymoron.” Community organizer Brent Schneider said the turnout was less a reflection of political novelty than of longtime trust.
“I know it would not be packed this way if Morgan the person wasn’t every bit as inspirational as Morgan the candidate.” District Leader Abigail Martin, drew a clear contrast between Evers and the incumbent’s decades in elected office.
“Morgan is running against one of the most powerful and entrenched members of the assembly in the entirety of New York State. Spite — that’s what we saw on the MELT Act. Our community deserves a leader who doesn’t let personal feelings get in the way of governing and protecting the people who need them most.” The last significant primary challenge Dinowitz faced came in 2022, when Jessica Altagracia Woolford ran a campaign backed by organizations including the Working Families Party and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Photo by Michelle Mullen
Morgan Evers, right, was joined at her Dec. 7 campaign launch by Danielle Herbert-Guggenheim who ran unsuccessfully for Eric Dinowitz’s City Council seat in a special election.
Photo by Gary Jean-Juste
Carol Weingrod’s cheeks flutter from the force of wind as she floats through the ‘sky.’
Vannie plays host to annual 5k ‘Running of the Bull’
Photos and text by GARY
JEAN-JUSTE
Braving cold and snow runners arrived at Van Cortland Park to participate in this year’s Running of the Bulls 5k.
Hosted by Race the Bronx and Cash Cow NYC, the race starts and ends at the statue of the Tortoise and Hare along Broadway and leads runners through the hills and wooded areas of Van Cortlandt Park.
Haramritjot Singh, owner of Cash Cow NYC, told the press that this year’s race was held in honor of Fauja Singh, who was not only the world’s oldest marathon runner but also the inspiration for the Running of the Bull 5k.
Clockwise from top:
Runners kicked off the race on the frozen tundra of the parade ground.
Four women show off the medals they won for completing the challenging five kilometer course.
From left, Richard Custodio, Konstantinos Athanasoulis and Rolando Baez were the top three finishers at this year’s race.
Konstantinos Athanasoulis was the first to cross the finish line at around 20 minutes.
Irene Kim and Naomi Oshiro are some of the many first time runners at the Running of the Bulls 5K.
Reputed to be the world’s oldest runner, Fauja Singh ,right, was the inspiration for Haramrtijot Singh, left, to host this year’s running of bull.
Riverdalian’s proudly participate in Asia’s largest Gay Pride Parade
On a humid, gray October morning in Taiwan’s capital of Taipei, a group of Riverdalians reunited in a chance encounter halfway across the world. The streets shimmered with neon fabric, flashy sequins and bold flags flapping in the wind as Asia’s largest Pride parade came to life around them.
This year marked the first time the Taiwan Counseling Association walked the parade, with the Bronxites joining the members of the organization on the route. For Dr. Stuart Chen-Hayes, Lehman College Professor of Counselor Education: School and Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the moment unfolded at the end of a monthlong sabbatical teaching sexuality, gender and family counseling in Taiwanese Universities. But his connection to the island runs far deeper than academia.
Historic moment
Two decades ago, Taiwan became the backdrop to a landmark moment in his own LGBTQ family history, when his then-partner, a Taiwanese citizen, welcomed their son, making the child the first in Taiwan to have two fathers listed on both a birth certificate and a marriage license.
Chen-Haye’s most recent trip had included lectures, research meetings and the teaching of his memoir about that journey, “Double Dads One Teen: A Queer Family’s Trailblazing Life in the USA and Taiwan,” but the Pride Parade, and the opportunity to walk in it, he said, felt like the culmination of it all. Marching beside him in the parade was his partner of twoand-a-half years, Sosimo Aparis, visiting Taiwan for the first time.
Taipei Pride, Aparis recalled, much like New York’s, spilled from sidewalks into streets with spectators quickly becoming participants and rows of publichealth and LGBTQ resource booths throughout, a vivid reminder of Taiwan’s growing role as a regional refuge for
queer and trans communities.
Locating the official staging area to meet with the Taiwan Counseling Association proved more difficult than expected for the two. Following crowds rather than maps, they drifted toward the beating center of the procession carried forward by the tide of marchers and the dense crush of spectators.
There, they ran into a familiar face – Dr. Jack Simon, an associate professor at Mercy University and a fellow Riverdale resident, who had also flown to Taiwan for work tied to LGBTQ advocacy. A longtime colleague of Chen-Hayes, Simon was in Taipei collaborating on the Transgender Resilience Project, a multi-country study focused on documenting the strengths, joy and survival strategies of transgender people. The reunion, he later said, felt like “synchronicity,” a word he prefers to coincide. Chen-Hayes had long been a
Above, Aparis, left and ChenHayes,
joined a Taiwanese participant as they braved the rain to walk in the parade.
guiding figure in his academic trajectory, especially in pushing counselor-education programs to center LGBTQ students and families. Seeing his colleague and Sosimo in the largest queer gathering in Asia reinforced both men’s work in a way that felt intimate and expansive at once.
LGBTQ hub
As the Lehman professor reminisced on walking the procession together, he noted the significance of its location, with Taipei being one of the most important LGBTQ hubs in the region, especially after legalizing same-sex marriage in 2019. Pride attracts queer and trans people from across East and Southeast Asia, many from countries where public marches remain prohibited. For Simon, witnessing that mattered. He described Taiwan as “a beacon,” a place where people come not just to celebrate but to
breathe — freely, safely, openly. The three Riverdalians walked for more than an hour, weaving through advocacy tents, drummers, families, students and activists from across the globe. At one point, a float passed, leaving a brief gap in the procession. Instead of waiting, the spectators surged forward, filling the empty space in seconds. It was, in ChenHayes’s words, a moment that captured the day’s spirit: “If you’re in, you’re gonna be in.”
Symbol of possibility
By late afternoon, the three paused beneath the slanted tiers of Taipei 101, the city’s iconic 101-story skyscraper. They took a photo together — a Bronx couple, a longtime colleague and their shared decades of LGBTQ work all converging unexpectedly in a city that has become a symbol of queer possibility in Asia.
Organizers seek response to ICE
Continued from page A1
hoods to be ready and able to respond swiftly and nonviolently should ICE raids, detentions or courthouse arrests escalate.
Whether through federal policy shifts or changes in local cooperation, the potential for enforcement actions to ramp up has grown into a network of dedicated activists prepared to act instantly.
Comprehensive class
Organizers introduced a comprehensive curriculum, touching on everything from know your rights, safely documenting are recording enforcement activity and how to safely document and record enforcement activity or how to form block-level teams capable of supporting families in real time. The goal, organizers said, is not merely awareness, but the power to spring into action when needed.
For Destiny Cruz, senior organizer of the Working Families Party and Bronx borough lead for Hands Off, the urgency stems from the speed with which political conditions can shift.
“We built this campaign in a moment where we realized, like, no one’s going to step up to the plate except us,” she said. “We know that ICE and federal agents are only making us less safe, and that we need to prepare our people in our neighborhoods and our communities and educate them about their rights.”
Heightened risk
That sense of heightened risk is driving the coalition’s focus on community-specific strategy rather than citywide messaging. What happens on one block in the Bronx, Cruz noted, cannot be replicated on a block across the borough.
“When we are thinking about developing our neighborhood rapid response networks, we know what’s going to work in Riverdale won’t work exactly the same in Hunts Point or Throggs Neck,” she said. “That’s why we’re impressing on folks the importance of doing neighborhood-specific rapid response networks and creating infrastructures with your neighbors.”
Two Riverdale residents, members of Northwest Bronx Indivisible, Sue Dodell and Lois. Harr, joined the Bronx training with that aim in mind. For Dodell, the decision to attend grew out of escalating worries about shifting norms in federal operations and the potential for aggressive enforcement to reach deeply into local communities.
“I am just concerned for the state of our country that it seems to be authoritarian and is trying to promote fear,” she said. “There are so many examples of our government being authoritarian, hurting our individual rights, ICE is doing it everyday.”
Dodell said the training offered not only practical knowledge but a sense of shared communal resistance. “It’s very affirming,” she said. “You know you’re not alone, and it kind of helps with any fears you might have that [ICE is] kind of playing outside any norm rules.”
Everyday routines
As Hands Off NYC expands, organizers stress that the infrastructure that matters most will be built not in large gatherings but in the everyday routines of neighborhood life — tenants’ associations, houses of worship, civic groups and local businesses. Those early points of connection shape how effectively communities can locate legal help, confirm credible sightings and organize support for families in distress.
Harr, who also spearheads the volunteer group supporting the Waldo Avenue migrant shelter, Friends of Waldo Sanctuary, said the outreach reflects a shift toward deeper neighborhood responsibility. Many business owners, she noted, never discussed critical steps with employees, who may be at risk — like memorizing phone numbers and having an emergency plan for their children in case of emergency. Helping them prepare, she said, is both civic duty and community safety planning.
“We just need to keep at it,” she said. “You can make change happen, and significant change, and without it being violent.” For Harr and Dodell, the training confirmed that the Bronx will not be waiting for a crisis to begin to prepare to stand up for their neighbors. The work ahead, they said, will depend on expanding the number of residents who understand their rights and on strengthening the neighborhood ties that will determine how well communities withstand whatever is to come.
“As a lifelong Bronxite, I take away this sense of pride that we will have each other’s backs in any and every moment,” Cruz told The Press. “People left feeling like they have the knowledge they need to build the systems and infrastructure to support each other. The only people who know how to protect us is us, so we need to be able to talk to our neighbors confidently and say we know what we’re going to do next.”
Dinowitz joins bandwagon to sponsor anti-ICE legislation
New York State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz has joined Senator Pete Harckham in introducing legislation aimed at protecting residents from civil arrest while going to, remaining at or returning from polling places in New York. Civil arrests supported by a judicial warrant or a court will still be allowable under this new bill, however.
that already exist regarding courts and school property. During elections polling sites are an extension of state property being used for governance, after all. However, the legislation does not pertain to law enforcement professionals acting lawfully in their duty to maintain safety and order regardless of the nature of the property or premises.
The new bill was prompted by the numerous extrajudicial arrests being made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents around the country. Those arrests, in homes, workplaces, schools, college campuses and immigration courts, along with traffic stops on roadways, have included citizens and non-citizens alike, green card holders, asylum seekers and children, some held incommunicado for days.
“To maintain lawful access to polling places during our free elections in New York, our residents need to be assured that they will be protected from civil arrest while exercising their right to vote, as guaranteed by Article II in the State Constitution,” said Harckham.
“Defending democracy means defending lawful access to polling places,” Assemblyman Dinowitz added. “Time and time again we have seen the Trump administration target citizens, legal residents and undocumented immigrants by using federal law enforcement in the name of ‘public safety.’
This includes intimidating and illegally arresting both citizens and non-citizens in the pursuit of their extremist agenda.”
In a sense, the new bill simply grants lawful, state authorized protections to residents
All New Yorkers should feel safe at polling places, whether they are U.S. citizens casting their ballot, or non-citizens accompanying a family member or friend. Recent claims by the federal government that non-citizens are voting in elections and election fraud is widespread are false. New York State Law already protects against intimidation at the polls. This legislation could further solidify those protections, as well as ensure that individuals cannot be civilly arrested while traveling to and from a polling location as well. To prevent voter disenfranchisement, the new bill notes that representatives of a law enforcement agency, when entering a polling place and acting in an official capacity, must identify themselves to polling place personnel and state their specific law enforcement purpose and proposed enforcement action to be taken; and that the representative must provide a copy of a warrant to the polling place personnel. The warrant will be reviewed by appropriate court system personnel in the election district of the polling place, and only in extraordinary circumstances can arrests be made.
Courtesy: Stuart Chen-Hayes
In photo at left, Dr. Jack Simon, left, Sossimo Aparis, center, and Dr. Stuart Chen-Hayes walked together in Taiwan’s Pride Parade.
right,
Happy Chanukah
Baron Hair Stylist 11 Knolls Crescent
718-549-9802
Burger King 6007 Broadway 718-549-9637
BK.com
Carlos & Gabby’s
Glatt Kosher Mexican Grill
5685 Riverdale Avenue
718-543-8226 / 646-361-0119
Ralphssd@aol.com
Chase Mortgages
Hector L. Rodriguez
Home Lending AdvisorNMLS #64791
1068 Morris Park Avenue
646-610-9840
Hector.L.Rodriguez@chase.com
Columbia Florist
210 West 231st Street
718-543-3753
FloristinBronxNY.com
Dino’s Pizzeria 5660 Mosholu Avenue
718-796-2339
Female Fight Club NYC 5900 Riverdale Avenue
929-243-3327
FemaleFightClubNYC.com
Fieldston Pets
3476 Bailey Avenue
718-796-4541
FieldstonPets.com
Jake’s Steakhouse 6031 Broadway 718-581-0182
JakesSteakhouse.com
Kai Fan Asian Cuisine 3717 Riverdale Avenue
347-275-8056
KaiFanCuisine.com
Kingsbridge Social Club 3625 Kingsbridge Avenue 347-346-5180
KingsbridgeSocialClub.com
Larry the Locksmith 3703 Riverdale Avenue 718-543-2095
LarryTheLocksmith.com
Le-Chic Salon 587 West 235st Street 718-548-9090
Le-Chic.com
Mathnasium of Riverdale 5919 Riverdale Avenue
929-949-6284
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Mosaic Mental Health 5676 Riverdale Avenue 718-796-5300
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New Heights Construction 800-525-5102 718-767-0044
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OceanFirst Bank 583 West 235st Street 718-601-8300
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Parkview Sports Center 5973 Broadway 718-549-4400
ParkviewSports@gmail.com
Saint Joseph’s Medical Practice 530 West 236th Street, Apt. 1D 718-548-4560
SaintJosephs.org
St. Claire Partners
Commercial Real Estate 3400 Corlear Avenue
646-705-3480 stclairepartners@gmail.com
The Riverdale Press 5676 Riverdale Avenue 718-543-6065
RiverdalePress.com
Winter birding
Smart Cities
The Organizing and Curatorial Committee of the New York Latin American Art Triennial is proud to announce the “Smart Cities” exhibition at the Lehman College Art Gallery.
Running through Jan. 17, it explores the dialogue between art, architecture and technology in shaping more sustainable urban futures.
Nutcracker Ballet
The Westchester Ballet Company celebrates its 75th anniversary with a dazzling new production of The Nutcracker, directed and choreographed by Sabrina Gail Lobner.
From Tuesday, Dec. 11 to Sunday, Dec. 14, this beloved holiday tradition comes to life in a spectacular full-length performance featuring exciting new choreography, enchanting sets, opulent costumes and thrilling special effects.
Presented at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, the production captivates thousands of audience members each season — including school groups, scout troops, seniors and families. No other Nutcracker in the region matches the scale, artistry and accessibility of Westchester Ballet Company’s extraordinary staging, making it an unmissable experience for audiences of all ages.
At Riverdale Senior Services
Women’s empowerment group
Riverdale Senior Services invites you to join its Women’s Empowerment Group, where you will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing women today. Everything can be discussed. Nothing is off the table. Come and share
life experiences that have shaped you into the person you are today in a safe, welcoming space.
The group meets every Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m., in person and on Zoom, creating an accessible community for all ages. To join the group, call Gigi Estevez at 718-884-5900.
Self-care Sundays
Join RSS for a one-hour fusion class combining Chair Yoga, Qigong & Tai Chi Easy(tm). Students will practice seated and standing yoga poses that gently strengthen and stretch the body, while using a chair for support.
Tai Chi movements modified from traditional forms and Qigong energy work will also be taught, with the option of sitting or standing. Self-massage techniques are included to increase circulation and warm up the muscles.
Gentle and seated core strengthening is included as well. Through these practices, students learn practical tools to stretch and tone the body, calm the nervous system, focus the mind, increase energy and develop balancing and fall-prevention skills.
This class runs on Sundays at 10 a.m.
At Cravings and Crafts
Farmers Market
Holiday Market
Cravings & Crafts Farmers Market presents its very first Holiday Market. It features local artisans, children’s activities and all of your favorite weekly vendors. Shop a wide selection of goods: fresh fruits and vegetables, meat and dairy, bread, cheese, juice, baked goods, coffee and specialty foods — just to name a few.
Join the holiday fun at the St. Marga-
ret of Cortona Schoolyard on Riverdale Ave. between 259th and 260th Street, Sunday, Dec. 14 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Holiday Lights
At the Bronx Zoo, a holiday tradition returns with millions of lights and hundreds of illuminated animals spread across six lantern trails. Holiday Lights is a festive night out with friends and family as we celebrate wildlife and enjoy immersive light experiences, hands-on activities, holiday entertainment and delicious food and drinks.
Beloved favorites return, including the Holiday Train and Enchanted Sea — plus new surprises including thrilling snow tube slides, an epic illuminated ice-themed throne, virtual snowball throwing and much more.
This event runs until Jan. 4. Tickets are required and must be reserved in advance.
At Wave Hill
Game Night Social
What’s a little competition between friends? Join Wave Hill for its first-ever Game Night Social for an evening of strategy, teamwork, trivia and more. On Saturday, Dec. 13, from 4 to 6:30 p.m.
Public gallery tour
Solo and group exhibitions at Wave Hill explore the dynamic relationships between nature, culture and the site.
On Thursdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m., greeters lead public exhibition tours offering an in-depth look at artwork in the Glyndor Gallery.
Each tour lasts approximately 45 minutes, providing attendees with the opportunity to engage with curators and explore various artistic expressions.
Registration is not required, and all are welcome.
At Riverdale Neighborhood House
Youth market Stop by the Riverdale Neighborhood House’s youth market every Thursday, from 1 to 6 p.m. Check out fresh, local produce straight from the garden or other nearby farms. Other local items for sale include sourdough bread from baker Arnie Adler. The Neighborhood House accepts cash, credit, FMNP checks, Venmo, Zelle, SNAP-EBT and Health Bucks, ensuring access for everyone in the community.
Pick-up basketball
Spend Mondays from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
playing in the Riverdale Neighborhood House Adult Pick-up Basketball League. Games are played indoors or outdoors, weather permitting. The league promotes friendly competition, fitness and fun, making it perfect for those looking to unwind after work.
Beginner/Intermediate Piano
Join the Riverdale Neighborhood House to learn the fundamentals of piano or strengthen existing skills. For intermediate players, classes cover short pieces and sight reading. Designed for teens and adults, this class runs on Mondays from 6:30 to 8 p.m., encouraging musicians of all levels to explore their talents.
Keyboard for kids
Join the Riverdale Neighborhood House as they teach students the basics of piano in a fun and supportive group
setting. Students will learn keyboard basics, hand position, beginning note reading, rhythm and fun tunes from 5 to 6 p.m. on Mondays. It’s an engaging introduction to music that builds creativity and confidence.
At Christ Church Riverdale Holiday concert
Join the Christ Church Riverdale, or CCR, for Christmas lessons & carols, with acclaimed organist Alcee Chriss III and the CCR Choir under the direction of Malik Jardine. On Sunday, Dec. 24, at 4 p.m., with a reception to follow. Donations welcome.
Ethics for kids
The Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture presents “Ethics for Kids” every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Facilitated by Naa Pappoe, the program introduces children to social justice, science, history, self-expression and empathy through stories, the arts and play. Designed for children aged 4 to 10, but open to all, the series helps young learners explore what it means to live ethically. Email growingethicsrysec@ gmail.com to RSVP.
At Van Cortlandt House
Museum
Cocktails and Music
On Saturday, Dec. 13 from 4 to 8 p.m., experience Van Cortlandt House Museum after dark for Van Cortlandt by Candlelight – Cocktails and Music: A Festive Winter’s Eve. This immersive seasonal program features crafted cocktails, live period music, historic games,
Professional Services Directory
G.
esq Wills, Trusts, Estates, Power of Attorney, Disability, Health Care Directives, Probate & Estate Disputes www.riverdalelegal.com 3265 Johnson Ave. #201 Tel: (646) 228 - 0976 / Tel: (888) 887 - 8886 leontsinberg@gmail.com
What’s on?
dancing and winter traditions presented throughout the house. Must be 21 and older. Ticket purchases are required. All proceeds support Van Cortlandt House Museum’s educational and public programs.
Cookies and Crafts
On Sunday, Dec. 14 from 4 to 8 p.m., enjoy crafts, historic games, winter traditions, wassail and candlelit rooms during a festive family evening at the Van Cortlandt House Museum after candlelight family event.
Try 18th-century cookies inspired by historic recipes, learn to play traditional games like Nine Men’s Morris, visit the craft station and wander the museum aglow. This event is for all ages. Ticket purchases are required.
Grand Forage 1778
On Thursday, Dec. 11, historian and author Todd W. Braisted will hold a virtual talk on the events that inspired his book, “Grand Forage 1778: The Battleground Around New York City,” which focuses on a pivotal but often overlooked campaign of the Revolutionary War.
Drawing from letters, journals, newspapers and archival sources from the United States, Canada, the UK and Germany, Braisted reconstructs the full scope of a dramatic moment in our history — where strategy and survival collided, and Washington and Sir Henry Clinton engaged in a chess match across the Hudson Valley that foreshadowed the war’s next great phase in the South.
This engaging presentation will illuminate the human stories, battlefield tactics and shifting political calculations that defined “Grand Forage 1778,” offering fresh insight into the Revolution’s northern theater.
This event is online only and starts at 6 p.m. Admission is free, but registration is required to receive a Zoom link.
At Van Cortlandt Park
Trail Work Thursdays
Join fellow residents on Thursdays until Dec. 18 from 9 a.m. to noon to help maintain the trails in Van Cortlandt Park. Tools and gloves are provided for this small-group volunteer event, limited to five participants. It’s a hands-on opportunity to give back to the community while enjoying the Bronx’s natural beauty.
Forest Friday Volunteer at Van Cortlandt Park to remove invasive species from the Northwest Forest every Friday through Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. The work helps promote biodiversity, protect young trees and improve forest health. No prior experience is needed. Tools and gloves are provided.
Riverdale Y Farmer’s Market
Every Sunday from May through December, the Riverdale Y Sunday Market transforms the parking lot of St. Gabriel’s into a vibrant community gathering. Shoppers can browse fresh produce, baked goods, cheese, flowers and crafts from local vendors while enjoying live music and family-friendly activities. The market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine.
34th Annual Holiday Train Show
The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden runs through Sunday, Jan. 11, for its 34th year of enchanting train displays and cherished seasonal traditions. Back with more magic, more memories and the best value
Family science workshop
of the season, the Holiday Train Show offers something for everyone — with two ways to experience it: day or night.
In a miniature cityscape of natural wonder brought to life, the timeless magic of rail travel fills the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with nostalgia.
More than 30 G-scale model locomotives and trolleys trundle through a showcase of nearly 200 twinkling, plant-based replicas of famed local architecture.
At the New York Public Library
Writing Circle
Join weekly meetings with the Kingsbridge Library’s Writing Circle every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon. In an intimate setting, attendees can share unpublished drafts and give and receive feedback. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Registration can be done at nypl.org to receive the Google Meet code, which will be emailed the day before.
STEAM Afternoons
Enjoy interactive STEAM activities at the Spuyten Duyvil Library, where staff guide children and their caretakers through science, technology, engineering, art and math projects. All supplies will be provided. Sessions run weekly, from 3 to 4 p.m.
Memoir Writing Workshop
Join in person at the Riverdale Library for a memoir writing workshop with
published playwright and writer-performer Frank Ingrasciotta. Through writing exercises, this memoir class explores the tools that bring personal memoir to life.
This workshop runs every Tuesday, from noon to 2 p.m., until Dec. 16. The program is for adults, but no prior experience is required. To register, please call the Riverdale Branch during open hours at 718-549-1212.
At RiverSpring Living Modern and Contemporary Torah Pointers
Derfner Judaica Museum + Art Collection is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition, “Modern and Contemporary Torah Pointers on Loan from the Barr Foundation,” which will be on view through Dec. 18.
Admission to the Museum is always free. Visitors can explore artistic interpretations of sacred symbols by leading contemporary artists. The gallery is open Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More information can be found at derfner.org/visit.
Fantastical Realities
Derfner Judaica Museum + The Art Collection at Hebrew Home at Riverdale also presents the upcoming exhibition, “Fantastical Realities: Sandra Caplan, Maya Ciarrocchi and Ray Ciarrocchi.”
This exhibition will be the first time two generations of the Ciarrocchi-Caplan family will exhibit together. The worlds they create and the realities they
express are intimately connected to the times and places in which they work. The exhibition will be on view through Jan. 11.
Free Chanukah Celebration
The Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, located at 3880 Sedgwick Ave. , invites people of all faiths to a joyful community Chanukah party on Monday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. , marking the lighting of the second candle.
The evening will feature live entertainment by well-known musician and singer Chaim Zadok, dreidel games and gifts for children, $1 raffles with a wide array of exciting prizes and traditional holiday treats including freshly made latkes and jelly donuts. Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend.
For more information, please contact the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center at 718884-6105 or info@vcjewishcenter.org.
Riverdale Art Association
Holiday Party
The Riverdale Art Association invites you to their end-of-the-year holiday party on Dec. 16, at 7 PM, at the Hudson House, 3247 Johnson Avenue. A potluck array of goodies will be offered for all to enjoy. There will be music by Walter Levis and a fun artist swap-and-share as we socialize.
All meetings are open to the public.
For more information, visit us at www. riverdaleartassociation.org
At An Beal Bocht Cafe
On Dec 22., at 7:30 p.m., the holiday classic “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” comes alive through a festive blend of storytelling and live music at An Beal Bocht Cafe, 445 West 238th St. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Narrated by Joan Lunoe, the performance brings Drylan Thomas’ nostalgic tale to life through chamber music and vocal works by Haydn, Bach, traditional 16th-century carols and more.
Featured performers include Jing Li, cello; Alex Rubinstein, piano; Marc Molomot, tenor; Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Ilana Davidson, soprano; and Peter Heiman, bass, offering an intimate celebration of the holiday spirit through words and music.
Community Board 8
Meetings
Bronx Community Board 8 is in session. All meetings held at the CB8 office are located at 5676 Riverdale Ave., Suite 100. Unless specified, all hybrid meetings will be in the office or via Zoom. To access the Zoom link for CB8 meetings, visit their website, cbbronx.cityofnewyork.us/cb8
Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. - Public Safety, at 3450 Kingsbridge Ave. No Zoom. Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. - Aging Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. - Parks
Gerald
Kung-Ming
ronald Weissman,
dylan
Hudson River Museum
Brighten the darkest days of the year at the Hudson River Museum by creating miniature, illuminated models of stellar nebulae, or the cosmic nurseries where stars are born. Design your own holiday ornament inspired by a real stellar nebula, or
Opinions
Point of view
A hard rain gonna fall
By Karl Grossman
There’s a highly threatening and new reality for hurricanes.
Unusually, many hurricanes didn’t strike the East Coast of the United States this year, those extreme cyclonic storms that first meander as minor lowpressure systems and then, in just a day or so after feeding from waters made ever warmer by climate change, can rise to the worst hurricane level, Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
But it’s just a matter of time.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service defines Category 5 as: “Winds 157 mph or higher. Catastrophic damage will occur. A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse.
“Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks…”
that hurricanes are becoming more severe as climate change accelerates. Warmer ocean water fuels stronger winds, and warmer air holds more water, which can then become rainfall. Meanwhile, rising sea levels make coastal regions more vulnerable to storm surge.”
This very much includes us on the East Coast.
Last month, State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office issued a 28-page report titled “Severe Weather Events and Resiliency in New York State.”
The report opened with a “message” from DiNapoli, “The incidence of extreme weather events is growing and impacting an increasing share of New Yorkers,” he wrote. “Some have called the more frequent incidence of damaging storms the new normal, but the scientific community and our experiences tell us that this is just the beginning if we aren’t successful in reducing emissions of greenhouse gases globally.”
Some have called the more frequent incidence of damaging storms the new normal...
That’s what just happened when Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica. It struck the island with sustained winds of 185 mph and higher gusts.
“Hurricane Melissa moved very slowly across the Caribbean, allowing the storm to gather immense destructive energy over very warm ocean waters,” World Weather Attribution, a consortium of researchers from the U.S., the United Kingdom and other nations, concluded. “When it finally made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane, the storm hit a region familiar with hurricanes but unaccustomed to one of such exceptional strength and intensity.”
The headline in The Guardian about the consortium’s report was, “Climate crisis means super-strength Hurricane Melissa is ‘dangerous new reality.’” The subhead was, “Winds of Melissa’s strength are now five times more frequent due to the climate crisis, research says.”
“Is It Time to Classify Hurricanes as Category 6?” was the headline last month in Scientific American. Its subhead: “Hurricane Melissa’s powerful winds and drenching rains devastated Jamaica. But is its wrath a sign that we need a new designation for monster storms?”
The accompanying story, by experienced science journalist Meghan Bartels, read, “Scientists are already confident that climate change contributed to the storm’s horrifying strength, which sent winds gusting far beyond the minimum required for a Category 5.” Bartels continued, “Scientists know
President Trump has a different position. He called climate change “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world” in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The U.S. government did not join nations from around the world at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or COP30, that just convened in Brazil. And, as Politico headlined after Trump’s U.N. speech: “Energy Dept. adds ‘climate change’ and ‘emissions’ to banned words list.” Said Politico of the U.S. Department of Energy move: “It is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to dispute, silence or downplay climate change.”
As for severe hurricanes, in a new book, “Category Five: Superstorms and the Warming Oceans that Feed Them,” author Porter Fox writes, “One of the most alarming trends: a sudden uptick in the violence of hurricanes. … The number of major hurricanes, including a new breed of ‘ultraintense’ Category 5 storms with winds of at least 190 miles per hour, was expected to increase by 20 percent by 2100.”
I would add: This is unless the climate crisis, caused largely by the burning of fossil fuels, is not dealt with rather than being denied.
Karl Grossman has been an investigative reporter in a variety of media for more than 50 years. He is a professor of journalism at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
Letters to the editor
Political messages on holiday displays? No way!
To the Editor: Why can’t they just leave it alone !!!
For as long as I can remember, the holiday display at the Monument was pitch perfect, the Christmas tree was set up & adorned. It was joined by the menorah with it’s tradition and lightings. Nothing more needed to be said in word or display. Faith and tradition stood at the heart of the community an spoke silently.
Unfortunately, that seems
not the case this season.
I walked past the Monument early this morning. Although the menorah had yet to be set up, the Christmas tree was up and adorned with the usual colors and a very nice topper.
Sadly, the tree was penned in by a wrap around tarp that was purely political. It wished all a happy holiday season. It had pictures of our local & Bronx elected officials displayed as though they were tree ornaments. If this was the intent,I can say that we
prefer our ornaments to be just a little prettier. I’m sorry, but this stinks! It looks stupid. They look stupid. This really is a lovely & communal time year. Can’t we for once just put the political crap behind the sofa and enjoy each other. We were able to survive all these past seasons without their “ valuable contribution “. I’m sure that have another nonpolitical way to join
JAMES DALTON
Church of the Mediator: a sanctuary for all
To the Editor:
Thank you for your recent article, “To save sanctuary, church will sell land.” As a faith-rooted Bronx advocate, I am encouraged to see that the sanctuary of the Church of the Mediator is on the path to being preserved. For the past year, the Church of the Mediator has provided a temporary home for our congregation, and through that hospitality, it has become an extension of our Christcentered family.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet with preservationist Stephen Byrns and tour the restoration work he completed at Untermyer Gardens. The transformation there was remarkable, and it is inspiring to know that he is now lending his expertise, relationships, and vision toward securing the future of the Mediator. In witnessing renewed attention and local support for this restoration effort, I became interested in better understanding how the church arrived at this pivotal moment. For many in the congregation, the energy around restoration seems like a long-awaited answer to prayer.
In a 2008 article published in The Riverdale Press, the late Rev. Diego Delgado-Miller articulated a vision for the Church of the Mediator that now feels especially relevant. He sought to bring together English-speaking and Spanishspeaking worshippers—two communities that had historically worshipped separately— and hoped to cultivate a unified spiritual family. He also understood the church to be not only a place of worship but a work of architectural and cultural significance, and he resisted proposals to demolish the building and replace it with a smaller structure. Instead, he advocated for preserving what already stood, believing that the integrity of the sanctuary was central to the community’s identity.
Rev. Delgado-Miller also believed that the church was meant to be more than a worship space; it once served as a vital community anchor—offering youth programs, support services, and spaces for education and artistic expression. Many of these initiatives are no longer active, perhaps due in part to the physical deterioration of the building. Yet his conviction was that such service was inseparable from prayer and worship, and that true restoration should lead toward spiritual renewal. In this sense, the current effort led in part by Stephen Byrns to save and restore the sanctuary offers renewed hope that these essential community services may again find life within its walls. In that vision, preservation is not only structural, but deeply communal and spiritual.
Taken together, Rev. Delga-
do-Miller envisioned a united, bilingual congregation rooted in service, revived in spirit, and strengthened by the physical preservation of its sacred space. His legacy continued through leaders such as Dr. Rufus Sadler, who held onto that hope even during difficult years and whose optimism now seems to be taking shape in reality. I also uplift the words shared by Bishop Andrew Dietsche regarding Rev. Delgado-Miller’s ministry: that the calling is to make every effort to become a church that not only ministers to the urban poor, but is also
of the poor. That vision speaks deeply to the heart of Kingsbridge and to those who have relied on this sanctuary as a source of dignity, belonging, and spiritual refuge. As this restoration unfolds, I remain grateful for the calling embraced by Stephen Byrns in helping the Kingsbridge community move toward renewal. May this hopeful work strengthen Father Luis Enrique Gomez, the vestry, the congregation, and the wider Kingsbridge neighborhood as this sanctuary enters a new chapter.
CORDONES
JOSUE
To the Editor: The Dec. 4 article about Church
File photo by Marisol Diaz
The Hudson River surged over its banks at the Riverdale Yacht Club during Superstorm Sandy.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Douglas Reed
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HOME OF THE WEEK
Brad Trebach of Trebach Realty Architect-designed home
Astriking piece of Fieldston history has come on the market, as a classic Mediterranean Revival-style home at 4560 Fieldston Road lists for $2,750,000. Built in 1928 and designed by renowned architect Dwight James Baum, the four-bedroom, 3.5-bath residence sits prominently overlooking the landscaped “circle” at West 246th Street, on nearly half an acre. Set behind a welcoming front terrace and surrounded by expansive grassy grounds, the stucco home showcases the hallmarks of Mediterranean architecture, including decorative archways, abundant French doors, wrought-iron detailing and a traditional Spanish-tile roof. A wraparound back patio provides an inviting setting for outdoor dining and entertaining. Inside, a dramatic curved staircase—finished with vibrant patterned tiles—anchors the center hall. The main level features a gracious living room with a wood-burning fireplace and wood-
