The Riverdale Press 04-30-2026

What’s inside?

Tending their futures

Meet Wave Hill’s interns Page A5

Midnight snacks any time

New noodle shop opens Page A6

Renewed push for assault loophole bill

By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com

In New York, those accused of rape and sexual assault can cite a victim’s voluntary intoxication as part of their defense. A bill that aims to put an end to that possibility — which supporters call a legal loophole — has been introduced for the seventh time. But it once again faces a narrowing window to reach a floor vote.

Since being introduced in 2019 by former state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, the bill, A101, has been championed by Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz — the bill’s sponsor — and the Justice Without Exclusion Coalition, which includes dozens of survivor advocate organizations. In the past, the bill failed to pass due to

factors such as time constraints and concern for the potential overcriminalization of men of color.

But proponents of the bill say recent incidents make its passage all the more urgent. Activists point to recent sexual misconduct accusations by several women, some of whom were willingly intoxicated, raised against former U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell. Others call upon a recently released CNN investigation, which revealed an online “rape academy” where users drugged and sexually assaulted their partners.

Coalition co-chair Chris Lake explained something like the “rape academy” could fall under the bill too. He said networks of predators, across states and countries, are conversing on drugging victims with substances that are not only easily accessible, but metabolize

in the body quickly.

“This forces the victim into a very terrible gray zone,” Lake explained. “If [an assaulter] used a drug that’s not detectable, [the victim] now falls into the very same voluntary intoxication exclusion gap.”

Dinowitz, who is also a lawyer, said a case where the victim is heavily intoxicated — such as in several of the Swalwell cases — would be “extraordinarily difficult to prosecute.”

Though the Manhattan District Attorney’s office launched an investigation into Swalwell, Dinowitz is “not confident anything is going to happen.”

But local activists believe such patterns need to change. Sue Dodell, a lawyer, longtime Riverdale resident and member of the local women’s activist group called the Ruth Mullen

Local art on display

“Emergence” opens soon Page A7

Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy showcases culture and diversity

By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com

At Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, also known as RKA, the gymnasium transformed into a global showcase April 23, where dozens of cultures were represented through student-led tables featuring vibrant foods, traditional crafts and handmade poster boards.

The school’s second annual Cultural Diversity Day built on years of multicultural programming, expanding it into a more immersive experience — a space where students not only learned about one another, but took the lead in teaching.

Matthew Rosenberg, an English as a New Language teacher and RKA’s multicultural committee chair, said the scale of diversity across the academy’s roughly 1,400 students required an approach that actively reflected students’ cultures in both the classroom and school community.

“We have 35 languages spoken at the

school and students from over 46 countries,” Rosenberg noted.

That breadth, staff said, drove a shift in how cultural programming takes shape. While the school had long marked yearly cultural observances — including Black History Month and Asian Pacific Islander American Heritage Month — students began expressing a desire for something more expansive.

Assistant Principal Miledys Prado, who also serves as the school’s cultural diversity chair, said the idea for the fair emerged directly from those conversations.

“I had a really close relationship with the students and they would tell me sometimes that they felt that their culture was never celebrated,” she shared.

In response, Prado and her colleagues sought out to create a space where RKA’s teens could take ownership of how their cultures were represented. The result was a lively student-driven event where each table reflected a different country or cultural back-

Former Riverdalian awarded Israel Prize

By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com

Former Riverdale resident Chantal Belzberg received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement, the country’s highest civilian honor, for her work supporting victims of terror and their families.

First awarded in 1953, the prize is presented annually on Israeli Independence Day. This year, Belzberg, who co-founded the Israel-based organization OneFamily with her husband, Marc Belzberg, was recognized for building a nationwide support system for bereaved families and survivors of attacks.

Chantal Belzberg, born and raised in Belgium, moved to New York in the fall of 1986, after she and Marc were married. The two

Riverdale Huddle, said predators need consequences.

“They know they’re working within gaps in the law, and if they knew they would be investigated and prosecuted for rape, they won’t do it,” Dodell said. “Word really does get out among predators.”

Throughout the country, legislation has been attempting to close such gaps. Twentyseven other states and Washington, D.C. have adopted versions of the A101 bill, Lake pointed out.

However, for the past several years, the New York State Legislature has stalled on budget negotiations, and A101 has been one of many bills crammed into the last weeks of ses-

first crossed paths in New York City the year prior, when Chantal Belzberg was in town for a friend’s wedding. Her husband would be the one to introduce her to Riverdale, having settled into an apartment in The Century Tower in the late ‘70s.

“He said Riverdale is a beautiful neighborhood, you will love it,” Chantal Belzberg told The Press. “So that’s how I found out about it. I mean, I had heard of New York, but I had not heard of Riverdale.”

Over the next five years, Chantal and Marc Belzberg welcomed three children before relocating to Israel in 1991. The family made their home in Jerusalem, where they would build their lives and begin the work that led to the

ground, often incorporating traditional dishes, clothing and personal histories.

Families were a central part of that effort, helping to bring authenticity and pride to each display.

“Parents were dying to come in to participate, to help,” Prado said. “And it turned into something really amazing where they brought in food, they brought in different traditional attire, and they participated proudly in a little mini fashion show that we did where they were able to show off their cultural attire.”

The diversity event was meant to offer more than just festivities, explained RKA Guidance Counselor Johanna Cuello-Gutierrez. It served as a platform for students to better understand themselves and one another in a way that traditional classroom settings often cannot.

“It’s an opportunity to celebrate, but it’s also a bigger opportunity to share,” she said.

By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com

At St. Margaret of Cortona Church, hundreds gathered April 25 to honor Terence Connaughton, better known as Terry, a longtime Riverdale resident whose influence in New York’s Irish community spanned decades. Connaughton, who died at 92, built a life that bridged Ireland and New York — through Gaelic sports, public service and a restaurant that became a central gathering place for generations of Irish immigrants and families finding their footing in the city.

His daughter, Eileen Connaughton Montague, described that focus as constant throughout his life.

“My dad’s life was really devoted to Gaelic sport and the Irish community, just first and foremost,” Connaughton Montague said. “We always joked that even before family, it was that.” Born in Athleague, County Roscommon, Connaughton grew up in rural Ireland during a period of economic hardship. As a young athlete, he stood out in hurling, captaining Roscommon’s minor team and helping secure a Connacht championship, a rare accomplishment for the county at the time.

In 1952, at 19, he emigrated to New York. Within days, he found his way to Gaelic Park in the Bronx, where he joined a team and began a lifelong involvement in Gaelic Games. Connaughton went on to play hurling in New York for more than two decades, primarily with the Clare club, winning championships and earning selection to the New York All-Stars. As his playing career progressed, he moved into coaching and organizing, working closely with younger players.

Much of that work took shape through the Good Shepherd Football Club in Inwood, where Connaughton coached generations of Irish American players and helped build one of the area’s most enduring Gaelic programs. His son, Terry Connaughton Jr., who delivered the eulogy at the funeral, said that connection was generational, adding that his father found purpose in developing others through sport.

“He had a real passion for training the kids,” he said. “It was really a community affair that way.”

Michelle Mullen

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Grand larceny: Purse stolen, credit card and cash inside

Around 4:25 p.m. on April 13, a 68-year-old woman was standing at the bus stop on the corner of West 231st Street and Broadway, when an unidentified man came up and grabbed her purse from her hand, according to police. The purse reportedly contained a credit card and about $20. No injuries were reported.

Police are seeking the suspect, who fled northbound towards Kingsbridge Avenue, for grand larceny. The man was in his 40s, and had a medium build and a dark complexion, police said. He was last seen wearing a long black sleeve shirt, dark vest overlay with a hood, blue jeans and black sneakers.

Burglary: Man steals tools from residential building

On April 10, around 7:08 p.m., an unidentified individual went in through the front entrance of a residential building near Corlear Avenue and West 238th Street, police reported. He reportedly

went to the basement, where he removed multiple tools. On his way out, he was confronted by a resident and left the tools on the sidewalk, according to police. No injuries were reported.

Robbery: Man slashed with knife, wallet taken

A 54-year-old man was followed into a residential building by two unidentified males near Grand Concourse and Van Cortlandt Avenue on April 5, around 4 p.m., police reported. One of the males showed a knife, and slashed the 54 year old in the arm, before taking his wallet, police said. Inside the wallet was about $40 cash, an ID and credit cards, according to police. The unidentified individuals reportedly fled

southbound on Grand Concourse. EMS took the 54 year old to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he is in stable condition.

Police said the first sought male was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black ski mask, black sunglasses, black sweatpants and dark colored sneakers. The second was last seen wearing a black headscarf, brown sweatshirt, black jeans, and black and yellow sneakers.

Teen robbed, three suspects sought

A 14-year-old boy was aboard a westbound Bx9 bus around 5:07 p.m. March 29, when three unidentified males surrounded him, police reported. One of the males reportedly showed a knife, and demanded the 14-year-old’s property. The 14-year-old was followed by the three males when he got off the bus, and one took $40 from his pocket before all unidentified males fled, police said. No injuries were reported.

Anyone with information regarding these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The

POLICE BEAT POLITICAL ARENA

Police said the first sought male was last seen wearing a red jacket, a black sweater, a black ski mask and a black hat. The second is described as having a dark complexion, and was last seen wearing a black sweater, black pants and a multicolored book bag. The third is described as having a medium complexion, and was last seen wearing a black sweater, red sweatpants, a black ski mask and a multicolored book bag.

public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https:// crimestoppers.nypdonline. org/, or on X @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.

Mayor Mamdani vetoes

Council member Dinowitz’s “buffer zone” bill

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced in a April 24 statement he was vetoing Int. 175-B, a bill introduced by Council member Dinowitz that proposed the New York Police Department set security perimeters, or “buffer zones” outside of educational facilities during protests.

The bill was previously passed by the council with 30 yes votes, according to the city council.

Mamdani said he took issue with how widely the bill defines an educational institution, and that it raises constitutional concerns regarding the right to protest. As the bill is written, educational facilities could include universities, museums and teaching hospitals, Mamdani said.

“This could impact workers protesting [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demon-

strating in support of Palestinian rights,” Mamdani said.

The mayor added that Int. 175B has alarmed much of the labor movement, reproductive rights groups and immigration advocates across the city, and that nearly a dozen unions have voiced concern that the bill would impact their ability to organize.

Dinowitz issued a statement in response, saying Mamdani’s veto signals the mayor “breaking yet another campaign promise,” of safety and police transparency.

He emphasized the importance of students’ safety while entering and exiting school buildings, and that Int. 175-B requires police to develop a clear, public plan to address harassment outside of schools.

“While the mayor turns his back on student safety, I will stand firm in my commitment to keep our students safe,” Dinowitz said.

Photos courtesy NYPD Crime Stoppers Police said the unidentified man approached a 68-year-old woman and stole her purse.

Police said the first sought male was last seen in a black sweatshirt and black sweatpants.

The second sought male was last seen in a brown sweatshirt and black jeans, according to police.

River d ale Senior Services gets awaite d kitc h

By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com

After years of patchwork repairs and aging equipment, Riverdale Senior Services completed massive kitchen updates this month, the first phase of a sweeping renovation at the center.

The project is the opening step in a four-phase plan backed by roughly $350,000 from Council member Eric Dinowitz and Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz. The initial phase focused on rebuilding the kitchen, installing new flooring and furnishing the dining room, with additional work scheduled through the coming months.

For Tina Cardoza-Izquierdo, executive director of Riverdale Senior Services, the initiative is part of a long-term vision to better meet the needs of the older adults it serves.

Prior to the renovation, the center had not seen a full overhaul in roughly 20 years, she said, aside from incremental updates over time. The result was a space that functioned, but limited what staff could provide, particularly as demand for meals and services continued to grow.

“Now that we have this new kitchen, we have just really been able to change the way we’re providing food,” CardozaIzquierdo said. “We’re able to store much more food.”

The added capacity is already evident. Although the center has offered lunch for decades, it expanded breakfast service this month from one weekday to three, drawing roughly 35 to 40 people to each morning meal.

The upgrade comes amid persistent food insecurity among older adults in New York City and broader efforts to bring seniors back into communal spaces after the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic — pressures that Cardoza-Izquierdo said underscored the need to modernize the center.

To get by, RSS has had to adapt creatively in recent years, stretching limited resources to meet rising needs.

“We’ve had to figure out different ways to provide or expand services with the same amount of money,” she said,

pointing to changes in vendors and sourcing strategies that helped make the breakfast program possible.

Inside the kitchen, new appliances and equipment have replaced outdated systems that staff had long worked around.

“We got a new refrigerator, new freezers, new kitchen equipment itself, like cooking equipment,” Cardoza-Izquierdo said. “So it’s really changed the dynamic of what we do.”

For Assistant Chef Kevin Everett, who has worked at the center for the last decade, the renovation resolves problems that once complicated even basic tasks. The previous kitchen had unreliable equipment, including an oven that heated unevenly, forcing staff to adjust cooking methods on the fly.

Now, with more space and modern tools, staff can plan menus more flexibly and expand beyond the typical offerings that once defined the program.

“We got plenty of space for all the orders that we do,” Everett said, noting that the team can now order more ingredients and experiment with new dishes.

The physical transformation extends to the dining room, where new furniture has created a brighter, more open environment. Cardoza-Izquierdo shared that the change was intended not just to improve appearance, but to make the space more welcoming and dignified for those who use it.

“Quite honestly, the older adults, they really have needed this new, renovated, renewed center,” she said. “It’s so bright and airy, it looks so much bigger, and it feels like something that they can be proud of. They’ve always been proud of the center, but now they really feel like this is a valued space.”

That shift has already begun to draw people back. Attendance has increased, and the center has seen a rise in new membership applications in the weeks following the renovation.

Rebuilding a sense of community remains a central goal. Many older adults, Cardoza-Izquierdo observed, are still hesitant to return to group settings after years of isolation.

“We want older adults to not isolate themselves in their home,” she said, describing it as an ongoing challenge that the center is working to address through expanded programming and improved facilities.

The first phase was supported by Council member Eric Dinowitz, who allocated $100,000 toward the kitchen renovation and new furnishings. Additional funding contributed to structural improvements throughout the center.

“When you have an institution like this, it’s really important that we support it,” he said, emphasizing the role of public investment in maintaining community spaces.

Upcoming phases of the project will continue to build on that foundation with $250,000 in funding secured by Assembly member Dinowitz. The next stage will focus on restoring the center’s terrace, which has been largely unusable due to deteriorating flooring. Once repaired, the space will be open to seniors during the warmer months.

All four phases are expected to be completed this summer. For Everett, the difference is already clear in day-to-day work. The kitchen is livelier, more functional and easier to navigate, a shift that has improved both morale and output.

“It’s really an opportunity for seniors to be outside in a safe environment,” Cardoza-Izquierdo said.

“It brightens up the kitchen,” he said. “Before, the kitchen was like ‘meh.’ Now it’s so bright. It’s really amazing.”

Michelle Mullen photos

Culinary and Facilities Management Director Endy Reynoso is looking

Assistant Chef Kevin Everett, who has worked at Riverdale Senior Services for 10 years, said the new kitchen equipment was desperately needed.

Advocates say A101 bill needed to promote justice

CONTINUED from page A1

sion that ultimately dies, Lake said.

Aside from time, Dinowitz and coalition members said primary opposition to the bill comes from those who fear the way the bill is written could lead to wrongful convictions that disproportionately impact Black and Latino men. Specifically, Lake said, in cases of consensual, intoxicated sex, where one party is regretful.

Lake said the bill is meant to apply to defendants who had knowledge the victim was incapacitated beyond the point of being able to consent.

Lawyer Lizzie Asher, also co-chair of the Justice Without Exclusion Coalition, said the bill aims to hold rape investigations to the same standard of other violent crimes, regardless of how a victim came to be intoxicated.

“The fact remains that if they were unable to stand, they were unable to be coherent, falling asleep, slurring their words, then a reasonable person should have known that that person could not consent,” Asher said.

For A101 to become law, it has to make it past the Codes Committee, which Dinowitz chairs. The bill has failed to pass committee three times in the past. Another three times, it was referred to the Rules Committee — which decides the bills that

are scheduled for floor votes, chaired by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie — and also failed to pass.

This year, Lake and Asher had the same question for Dinowitz they’ve raised before: How fast can he get A101 on the Codes Committee agenda?

Dinowitz told The Press it’s not that simple. Building the agenda is a collaborative process, he said, and he does not have ultimate control over it. He added at this time, he does not have an idea of when the bill may make it to the agenda.

Whether the bill makes it on the agenda is not the only concern of its proponents. Former sex crimes prosecutor Jane Manning, who extends legal expertise to the coalition, said the recently amended language of the bill does not protect victims.

Under the current language, the victim has to be “incapable of clearly expressing lack of consent” to be protected. Manning believes the way this has been interpreted previously in court is narrow, and typically refers to the victim being asleep or unconscious.

In one of Manning’s cases, a woman’s drink was spiked, she was taken to a hotel room and raped, and then abandoned in the lobby, she shared. Hotel staff found her “incoherent, screaming, yelling, climbing on furniture, agitated, clearly out

of her mind,” Manning said. She was taken to the hospital, where staff said they believed she had been drugged. By the time her blood was tested, whatever drug may have been used was no longer traceable.

“That woman is not protected,” Manning said. “She doesn’t know where she is, she doesn’t know who she is, she doesn’t know what she’s doing, she doesn’t know where she’s being taken, she doesn’t know why the people around her are strapping her down. She doesn’t know any of this — but she can say words, so this statute would not protect her.”

Manning said the coalition supports the original version of the bill, which included specific language protecting victims who are incapacitated by alcohol or another drug to the extent that they are visibly incapable of consent. Dinowitz and coalition members said they are willing to adjust language of the bill to get it passed by the Assembly session’s end in June — so long as it holds predators accountable, and protects the survivors of sexual assault who may be denied justice without it.

Cultural showcase takes center stage at RKA

CONTINUED from page A1

“They are excited to share all of the things that are part of their identity.”

The initiative was also rooted in validation, she added, giving students the space to recognize their own strengths and backgrounds as assets rather than obstacles.

The school’s curriculum has increasingly shifted to reflect that philosophy, according to Prado, through what educators describe as culturally responsive teaching, allowing students to see themselves in what they learn.

“It’s really impossible to look at American history without taking into account diverse perspectives,” Rosenberg added, pointing to lessons that highlight the contributions of groups like the Tuskegee Airmen and Japanese American soldiers during World War II.

At this year’s Cultural Diversity Day, those ideas took on a more tangible form, with students representing their heritage while answering questions, sharing food and explaining traditions — effectively becoming educators themselves.

“I love seeing students getting so ani-

mated to become teachers,” Rosenberg said. “They are informing students and opening their world.”

Among them was Lynette Gordon, a ninth-grader with roots in Japan and Trinidad, who said the fair offered a chance to share a familiar part of her daily life. Representing Japan alongside her family, she handed out homemade rice balls to passing students — turning her everyday lunch into something to share with her peers.

“I definitely like to just teach people about different cultures so that people can be more open to them and less likely to be scared by others,” Gordon shared.

For Ariana Beckford, a 16-year-old junior representing her Jamaican background, the event became a rare opportunity to express the full complexity of her identity.

“As a mixed girl, I am Jamaican and Ecuadorian,” Beckford explained. “It’s kind of a way of showing people we are very diverse as people, and not everyone is the same, so I love sharing that.”

Beckford, who also participated in last year’s event, said the atmosphere felt both

educational and communal, with students moving between tables and engaging with cultures beyond their own.

“My favorite part is probably the community, because you get to meet new people,” she added. “It’s a mini way of traveling.”

For her, the experience was also personal. Preparing to represent Jamaica

pushed her to delve into a side of her heritage she had not explored deeply before.

“This is a way for me to learn about my own culture,” she said.

Prado said that kind of self-discovery was exactly the point, creating a shared space where students can both educate others and better understand themselves.

“We always want to show them this is a safe place, a place of refuge,” she said, emphasizing the broader role schools play in fostering inclusion. “A place where you can be who you are without being judged or without being afraid.”

Inside RKA’s gymnasium, that message unfolded table by table — through flavors, dances and traditions from around the globe.

Local Irish community bids farewell to Connaughton

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That commitment expanded into leadership roles within the Gaelic Athletic Association in New York, where Connaughton served as vice president in the early 1970s and later as president. During his tenure, the organization strengthened ties with its governing body in Ireland.

He also helped grow the game in new ways. In 1991, Connaughton played a central role in launching women’s Gaelic football in New York, organizing its first leagues and helping it gain recognition. Connaughton Jr. said his father was fueled by that growth and the community it fostered.

“He loved when people felt the same way about Gaelic Games that he did,” he said.

“He got a lot of energy from that.”

Connaughton served two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and later spent 20 years with the NYPD. In 1969, he was selected to blow the ceremonial whistle marking the start of the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade along Fifth Avenue.

After retiring from the police department, he briefly returned to Ireland with his family before settling again in New York. In 1979, he took over what became the Riverdale Steak House, a restaurant that evolved into a hub for the community.

“It was really a home for the Irish,”

CONTINUED from page A1

creation of OneFamily.

The organization’s origins trace back more than two decades, after the August 9, 2001, suicide bombing at Jerusalem’s Sbarro restaurant that killed 16 people and injured more than 100 civilians. At the time, the Belzbergs were overseas visiting family in Canada, but the attack coincided with their daughter’s 12th birthday.

“We had planned the [her Bat Mitzvah] for the end of August, so her friends will be back in town from summer vacation, and everybody will be back from vacation,” Chantal Belzberg said.

The attack led them to cancel their daughter’s coming-of-age celebration, framing the moment as what Marc Belzberg described as an “educational project” — sending their daughter to visit victims and bereaved families alongside them and begin to understand, firsthand, what was needed in the aftermath.

“We just decided it wasn’t the right thing to come back to Israel to have a big party,” Marc Belzberg said. “This is something we’re going to take care of on a long-term basis. These are the families that need us.” What began as a small, immediate response grew into a long-term effort supporting families affected by violent

Connaughton Jr. said. The restaurant served a wide crosssection of the community — longtime residents, newly arrived immigrants and visitors from Ireland — many of whom used it as a meeting place tied to Gaelic Park and broader community life. In his eulogy, Connaughton Jr. described how his father often helped people behind the scenes, particularly those navigating challenges after arriving in New York. His father’s interactions with people, he said, were often brief but lasting.

“He would have a meaningful conversation, but it was a short conversation,” Connaughton Jr. said. “And then he would

incidents across Israel. The nonprofit now serves more than 20,000 individuals, providing emotional, financial and rehabilitative assistance tailored to each family’s needs.

Over the years, OneFamily has developed a wide range of programs aimed at helping families rebuild their lives. These include therapeutic retreats and support groups for widows, parents and siblings, as well as specialized programs for children, orphans and those who have been physically wounded.

The organization also provides direct financial assistance, mentorship programs pairing young people with volunteers and community-based activities such as camps, workshops and peer support networks designed to reduce isolation and foster long-term resilience.

“The fundamental underlying idea is that you need to rebuild their social and support systems with people who went through exactly what they went through,” Marc Belzberg said. The scope of that work expanded dramatically after the attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, which sharply increased the number of families requiring long-term care. Belzberg and her team mobilized quickly, scaling operations to meet the surge in need. In practice, that approach has meant

just kind of move on, but it was always meaningful.”

He said those small interactions stayed with people.

“He remembered things about people that made them feel important,” Connaughton Jr. added. At home, Connaughton and his wife, Anne, raised five children, often bringing them into the same spaces that defined his public life — games, travel and daily routines centered on community.

Family life revolved around Gaelic Park and regular trips to Ireland, maintaining close ties to Roscommon. Connaugh-

ton kept those connections throughout his life, attending All-Ireland finals and returning frequently. In 2023, he celebrated his 90th birthday in Roscommon with family and friends.

The scale of his influence was clear even after his death. More than 1,500 people attended his wake, with lines stretching for hours, according to Connaughton Jr.

At the funeral, members of the NYPD and U.S. Army were present, along with representatives of the Gaelic Athletic Association in New York and Ireland, the Roscommon team and the Ladies Gaelic

creating what the Belzbergs describe as new support networks — connecting families who share similar experiences of loss and helping them navigate the longterm effects of trauma together. Programs range from group therapy and holiday retreats to creative outlets like art workshops and community events, all designed to restore a sense of stability and belonging. Chantal Belzberg learned she would be awarded the Israel Prize just days before Passover.

“[I was] in total shock, it’s incredible,” Chantal Belzberg

Football Association of New York.

Following the service, a procession of dozens of cars, led by a police escort, moved through Riverdale and paused at Gaelic Park. In Ireland, a Roscommon match held a moment of silence in his honor, reflecting the reach of a life that connected communities across the Atlantic.

ne amily’s programming includes therapeutic retreats and support groups for survivors and their loved ones, as ell as for families of those killed in terrorist attacks.

GARY JEAN-JUSTE photos

Justice Without Exclusion Coalition co-chair Chris Lake is a longtime supporter of A101.

Parents and other family members joined students at Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy’s Cultural Diversity Day, many delivering global avors ith homemade food.

Jane Manning, a former sex crimes prosecutor, lends legal expertise to the Justice Without Exclusion Coalition.

Michelle Mullen photos

Students representing the Dominican Republic performed a dance in dresses that matched the colors of the country’s flag.

An NYPD honor guard presented a folded American flag to Terry Connaughton’s ife, Anna, follo ing his funeral.

Courtesy Eilieen Connaughton Montague Terry Connaughton as selected to open the 1969 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, blo ing the ceremonial noon histle along ifth Avenue in full NYPD uniform.

Those in favor of A101 gathered outside of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s office April 24 to urge the bill to move for ard.

Photos courtesy Chantal Belzberg

Marc and Chantal Belzberg’s nonprofit, ne amily, has helped victims of terror and their families for more than t o decades.

Michelle Mullen photos

St. Margaret of Cortona Church as filled to the last pe for the funeral of Terence Terry Connaughton, ith additional guests lining the alls or peering in from the lobby.

Cultivating t h eir passions: Meet Wave Hill’s Jo h n Nally interns

By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com

As sunlight spilled over Wave Hill’s gardens, blooming with spring foliage, three new hires of the John Nally Intern Program tended to the grounds with quiet focus.

Gloves stained with dirt, they trimmed bits of ivy winding across the stone walls, and sat with their knees in the soil, uprooting plants to make room for new growth.

David Montalvan, Allie Wornell and Jack Jacobsen have spent the last few weeks pruning, watering, pulling up weeds, laying fresh mulch and planting bright, new greenery to maintain Wave Hill’s 28acre estate.

The John Nally program is a hands-on apprenticeship that runs from early spring until late fall, intended for those who want to deepen their understanding of horticulture, according to Wave Hill. Nally, who the program was named after, was the curator of Wave Hill’s gardens until 1988.

According to Wave Hill’s 2024 newsletter, 70 percent of their current staff members are former John Nally interns. The program marked a pivotal moment in interns’ lives, and acted as a solidified pathway towards a new career, the garden said. Other alumni have taken on various roles in the horticulture field. Among the 2023 interns, one went on to work at a private firm that tends to spaces from Riverdale gardens to Manhattan rooftops, another is a seasonal gardener at Sleepy Cat Farm in Connecticut and a third is working to develop a new park in Queens.

This year’s three interns come from varied professional and academic backgrounds, yet share a common drive to build the experience needed for a position at Wave Hill, or beyond.

Former graphic designer turned novice gardener

David Montalvan

David Montalvan, 46, worked for over two decades as a corporate graphic designer before pivoting to horticul-

ture. He said it feels good to be new at something. In his past design work, Montalvan was primarily focused on children’s clothes — “a lot of teddy bears and butterflies all day,” he said. But, he described it as fast fashion, and said it started to wear on him that he was negatively impacting the environment.

His exhaustion with the industry was gradual, he said, furthered by the loss of his dad and brother after the pandemic. In his grief, he began to reevaluate how he wanted to spend his time and make a living. Just over a year ago, he started volunteering with Wave Hill, and was drawn to the internship to develop skills needed to become a garden guide.

“The tactile nature of just having my hands in the soil is therapeutic,” Montalvan said. The Brooklyn native, who moved to Independence Avenue about eight years ago, said he still does some freelance graphic design work, creates dioramas and is interested in illustrating children’s books. But, a lot of his inspiration comes from being in nature.

Removing weeds, watering plants and learning how they grow satisfied his “need for new knowledge,” Montalvan explained. “It’s nice to be square one … The ceiling is vast, and I’ll never really be able to fully know everything.”

Recent

grad Allie Wornell sees art in horticulture

Before 23-year-old Allie Wornell was an intern in the John Nally program, she was creating her own major at Smith College that let her take as many plant and landscape courses as she could. Now, the recent graduate is set on securing a full-time role at

Wave Hill.

Wornell found her love for horticulture shortly after she graduated high school, when she spent time helping manage the grounds at Camphill, a community in the Hudson Valley where individuals with developmental disabilities live and work alongside others.

She said she appreciated how tangibly gardening contributes to people’s lives, and various niches the field allows. Wornell’s background in drawing led her to hone into the creative side of horticulture, and she emphasized the value of greenery in an urban space.

“For me, gardening is very much the ability to paint with live plants and create a space that transports people,” she said.

Wornell recently moved from Massachusetts to Washington Heights for the John Nally internship. Outside of gardening-related hobbies, she enjoys reading, knitting, crocheting and baking — or “How to be a grandma 101,” she joked.

Jack Jacobsen, rock musician and aspiring landscape company owner

Jack Jacobsen, a 25-yearold from Hastings-on-Hudson, is a rock musician with a degree from the State University of New York in screenwriting. But alongside his creative pursuits, he always had a love for the outdoors, he said.

As a teenager, Jacobsen’s first job was for a gardening company in his hometown, and the interest stuck. One day, he and his brother, who is an arborist, want to open their own full-service landscaping company in Wisconsin — Jacobsen’s brother would tend

to the trees, and Jacobsen to the plants.

After graduating, Jacobsen said he swore off formal learning, but his time so far at Wave Hill has led him to rethink that viewpoint.

“It’s nice to learn,” he said. “I thought there’s a cap on how much information your brain could hold, I don’t think that’s true though.”

Jack Jacobsen

Jacobsen hopes to gain experience on the more complex parts of horticulture. He

and

a

how to lay

and dig

he

ested in the

but

GARY JEAN-JUSTE photos David Montalvan

Allie Wornell

knows

mulch

holes,

said,

is inter-

design aspect of building a garden, which he believes he can learn at Wave Hill.

Courtesy Wave Hill

From early spring until late fall, the three Wave Hill John Nally interns — David Montalvan, Jack Jacobsen and Allie Wornell — will tend to the garden grounds.

The program is

hands-on apprenticeship where interns prune, water

plant new foliage, among other things.

New Riverdale Avenue spot inspired by Korean convenience stores

By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com

Riverdale Avenue has a colorful new addition — a ramen shop that draws inspiration from a Korean 7-Eleven, according to its owner, Jacqueline Rojas.

Inside Midnight Noodle

Mart is a wall lined with v arious ramen flavors, illuminated by pink and purple LED lights. On the shelves are Cantabile pouch drinks, mochi, Pocky, onigiri and ramen toppings such as cheese, green onion and chili crisp. Rojas, a first-time business owner, said she aims to create a welcoming y et experimental space, and since its opening on April 21, the store has already caught residents’ attention.

The shop, found at 5923 Riverdale Ave., closes at 8 p.m., but Rojas said the concept is that “you can have a midnight snack at any hour of the day.”

Rojas, 30, grew up near the Bronx-Yonkers border on South Broadway and now lives in Mount Vernon. She brings to her new venture a background in business management and accounting. But now, her 2-year-old, Valerie Lopez, is the heart of Rojas’ work and her motivation for opening Midnight Noodle Mart.

“It’s for my daughter,” Roj as said. “For her to see me

and hopefully get some positive things out of watching her mom build this.”

The process of making the business a reality took about eight months, Rojas said. Securing the space was easy, as Rojas visited Riverdale often, and said the number of women business owners on the corridor made her feel safe and empowered. A few of her architect friends helped her with the store layout — which has a natural customer route from the Buldak, to the drinks and toppings, to the sitting area, she explained. The color scheme, primarily bright pink, is intentional too. Pink makes people happy and hungry, Rojas said. But, the journey wasn’t without challenges. Rojas said she intended to open a month earlier, but ran into a clerical error with the New York State Department of Health’s Bureau of Community Environmental Health and Food Protection. It wasn’t until an advocate with the New York City Department of Small Business Services stepped in that Rojas was finally able to launch Midnight Noodle Mart, she explained.

The staff, donned in pink aprons, are primarily Rojas’ family members — her brother, mother and also her husband, who picks up shifts after his full-time job at a

Bronx-based plumbing company. Hoka Caballero, the niece of a close friend, also helps Rojas run the shop.

Caballero, 20, has held several other roles in customer service, but said she enjoys the creativity she has at Midnight Noodle. Together, she and Rojas tested out recipes for Midnight Noodle Mart’s coffee bar. They whipped up various versions of the strawberry and lavender cold foams — paired with matcha — until it was perfect, Caballero said, and experimented with sweetener amounts too.

Caballero said when she proposes something new,

such as a cinnamon brown sugar foam, Rojas is always encouraging.

Rojas’ approach to food — a love language that brings people together — was instilled by her mother. She called her mom a staple of South Broadway, and said the family grew up hosting barbecues for the neighborhood, where they would encourage attendees to bring their friends.

Rojas said she wants the mart to be special to residents — a place where they can step in, and explore new flavors outside of their typical palate. She added she’s already had customers who’ve expressed they’ve never tried Korean food, and Rojas makes a point to open items together, or tailor a bowl or drink to their taste.

Some residents, such as 10-year-old Zoey Rodriguez, have already become regulars. Rodriguez, an avid enjoyer of ramen topped with corn, said she comes to the shop after school with her aunt. She’s also a fan of the ice cream.

Rojas is the oldest of six siblings, and naturally takes on a caring role. She hopes customers won’t feel intimidated, and instead will be comfortable walking into the shop with questions, and an openness to try things out of their comfort zone.

Midnight Noodle Mart is just getting started, Rojas said, explaining April 21 was a “soft opening.” It will soon serve sushi bowls and poke bowls, and Rojas is working on a batch of new, homemade sauces. She encouraged customers to tell her if there is a product they want that isn’t in stock, and she will make sure to order it.

“I’m holding myself to the community,” Rojas said. “We’re making this our favorite store, not just my favorite options.”

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

GARY JEAN-JUSTE photos

Midnight Noodle Mart owner Jacqueline Rojas, 30, said the inspiration

Upon entering, there is an illuminated ramen wall, featuring brands like Buldak, Jin and Samyang.

Olivia Young

Hoka Caballero, left, and Jacqueline Rojas, right, worked together to perfect Midnight Noodle Mart’s coffee bar flavors.

Courtesy David V. Pomeranz

Kingsbridge Historical Society set to reveal “Emergence” exhibit

By Olivia Young oyoung@riverdalepress.com

Stepping foot into Edgehill, its historic wooden walls are adorned with more than 20 vibrant, detailed paintings — one as large as 21 by seven feet — by longtime Kingsbridge Heights resident, artist and teacher Daniel Hauben.

“Emergence” holds special meaning to 69-year-old Hauben. He has lived in the same house on Fort Independence Street since he was a child, and in his years there has built a decadeslong career that led him to become recognized throughout the Bronx. But, he and his wife are set to move to a house in New Paltz, and “Emergence” marks a moment of transition. It is also a nod to Hauben’s own self-exploration as an artist, as the title work is a surrealist painting that took over six years to complete.

For most of his time as an artist, Hauben has focused on landscapes, cityscapes and portraits, often found on the borough’s streets. He would capture the view from his Riverdale studio, or sit at a bustling corner, replicating street lights and passersby. Earlier in his career, he was influenced by professors at the School of Visual Arts to stick to more traditional subject matter, as Hauben recalled them telling him his work was “all over the place.” But, as the years went on, it became more apparent that Hauben drew inspiration from the late 1960s to early ‘70s art movement.

“Slowly, more subjective elements started creeping into my work,” Hauben said. “At some point, I kind of started calling myself a closet surrealist.”

“Emergence” itself is a 9-foot painting that features swirls of blue and yellow, with mushrooms sprouting from the bottom, and dreamy figures and shapes winding throughout. Hauben started it in 2019, when he made a point to create a landscape painting that he would have free reign over. It was a different approach than he had taken to other pieces, but Hauben wanted to give himself the space to take it in any direction.

Once Covid-19 swept the globe, Hauben was stuck in-

side without access to his usual outdoor sites, or people-centered subjects. He honed in on

“Emergence,” and it kept growing in scale — adding another panel, and then an arched top, and then figures resembling jellyfish. It became a piece that he had a different relationship to, Hauben explained, as it was created with no deadline or outside pressure to complete it. He still felt a sense of passion each time he added a brushstroke, and so he kept at it for years.

“I’ve worked on it more than I’ve ever worked on any one painting,” Hauben said.

Some of the other pieces featured include “Reflecting on the Familiar,” which is a view of the neighborhood from Hauben’s Terrace, as well as other cityscapes like “Bronx Vortex,” and “There’s No Place Like Home,” a depiction of the Grand Concourse with characters from the “Wizard of Oz.” Hauben’s gravitation toward the art world started shortly after he moved to Kingsbridge Heights, when he created his first mural on his bedroom wall. It showed neighborhood staples like a person walking a dog and a squirrel climbing a tree.

“At a fairly early age, I kind of had an inkling that painting could be something that I could do forever,” Hauben said. “And that’s turned out to be absolutely true.”

He holds degrees from the School of Museum of Fine Arts in Massachusetts, as well as the School of Visual Arts, and is the recipient of numerous awards from the Bronx Council on the Arts, and residencies with the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, to name a few. Hauben also spends a large amount of his time teaching, currently at the Riverdale Y and Riverdale Senior Services.

After all this time, Hauben still isn’t tired of his craft. He teaches his students that to keep work authentic, and to keep the spark alive within yourself, it is crucial to take a chance with each piece you create. In the case of “Emergence,” Hauben pointed out he had never indulged himself to that degree, for that length of time, on any work. Still, he feels it’s time for something new.

“I’m more inclined to be next

to a babbling brook, under the shade of a tree, listening to the birds sing,” Hauben said, referencing his move to New Paltz. Hauben and the Kingsbridge Historical Society have collaborated before, in 2024, on a presentation called “Daniel Hauben in Kingsbridge and Riverdale: Artist Retrospective,” which explored the neighborhood through Hauben’s works.

Tom Carey, president of the society, said this time, Hauben’s exhibit is one more piece in the exploration to take Kingsbridge Historical Society beyond just historic lectures. Hauben is a community-based artist, Carey added, and it shows in his work.

“[Hauben] loves looking at and painting scenes that are around him,” Carey said. “He’s someone who has a very genuine curiosity about people and

things, and I think that just speaks a lot to him.”

Hauben said a common response to his work from residents is that they have walked by a street he’s captured numerous times, but never stopped to notice its details. He hopes the “Emergence” exhibit, like the thread that runs through so many of his other pieces, evokes this feeling in others.

“Painting the world, and

The Kingsbridge Historical Society will hold an exhibition opening May 1 at its Edgehill headquarters, located at 2570 Independence Ave. “Emergence” will run through the end of June.

painting the Bronx … It’s been my privilege to take the time to really look at what this world looks like,” Hauben said. “And then, through my work, share that.”

Courtesy Kingsbridge Historical Society

Daniel Hauben, 69, did his first large-scale work on his bedroom at around 9 years old, shortly after he first moved to Kingsbridge Heights.

GARY JEAN-JUSTE

“Emergence,” the 9-foot painting the exhibit is named after, took Hauben more than six years to complete.

GARY JEAN-JUSTE Edgehill will hold an exhibition opening for “Emergence” May 1, and the exhibit will run until the end of June.

What’s on?

Women Envision the Sacred

At Kingsbridge Historical Society

Emergence

The Kingsbridge Historical Society hosts artist Daniel Hauben’s exhibit, “Emergence,” May 1 to June 30, at 2570 Independence Ave. It features the Bronx painter’s monumental cityscapes, sculpted oil reliefs and landscapes, both real and imagined, including the 21-foot “Reflecting on the Familiar” and the 9-foot “Emergence.”

At Wave Hill

Atom Moore: Second Nature

Still life and product photographer Atom Moore presents “Second Nature,” an exhibit centered on the anatomy of plants in Wave Hill’s living collection. View the series at Wave Hill through July 12.

Winter Workspace drop-in

The Winter Workspace Drop-In Sunday series provides an opportunity for Wave Hill visitors to deepen their connection with both the arts and their experience of the garden by learning how artists are drawing inspiration from the site.

Wave Hill’s Winter Workspace is a program that takes place over two seven-week sessions and provides artists with free studio space, a financial stipend and access to Wave Hill’s living collection. Since its start in 2010, the workspace has supported more than

175 artists. During Winter Workspace, the artists have intimate access to the greenhouses, as well as horticultural and curatorial staff. Experimentation is encouraged, and artists expand their practices while working on site. At the core of the Winter Workspace is the recognition that creating art within the context of a garden is a unique experience.

During Drop-in Sunday, visitors can mingle with participating workspace artists in their studios, ask questions and learn about their creative practice. It runs weekly from 1 to 3 p.m., with a different group of three or more artists participating.

At the RiverdaleYonkers Society for Ethical Culture Ethics for Kids

Facilitated by Naa Pappoe, Ethics for Kids introduces children to social justice, science, history, self-expression and empathy through stories, the arts and play.

The series, held at the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture helps young learners explore what it means to live ethically. Designed for children ages 4 to 10, but open to all. Email growingethicsrysec@gmail.com to RSVP.

Sessions are held every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

At Lehman Center for the Performing Arts

Music on the Mezzanine

The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents “Music on the Mezzanine,” an intimate evening celebrating the timeless elegance of the American Songbook.

Set in the mezzanine lobby at the center, this program brings audiences up close to beloved classics made famous by legends of stage and screen. With rich vocals, sophisticated arrangements and a warm, lounge-like atmosphere, the evening offers a relaxed yet refined musical experience that highlights the enduring beauty of these iconic songs. Light refreshments to be served.

Join Thursday, May 7 from 7 to 9 p.m. Get tickets at lehmancenter.org.

At Riverdale Neighborhood House

Sing Like A Star

This singing workshop runs every Wednesday starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Riverdale Neighborhood House. It will introduce participants to vocal techniques such as breathing, posture, tone and singing on key.

Students will learn basic music theory, vocal warm-ups, expanding vocal range and developing stage presence. They will sing both acapella and accompanied by live instruments.

Taught by Mike Flanagan, a musi-

cian and singer with over 40 years of experience, the workshop is open to anyone over the age of 15, and is designed for all levels. Register at riverdaleonline.org/classes.

Creative Nonfiction

Ready to unlock the power of your words? Taught by Anna Purves, a local writer and professor, this creative nonfiction workshop will give you the tools to craft rich and impactful writing that captures your story.

Open to anyone over 18, this Riverdale Neighborhood House workshop is the perfect place to refine your voice and explore your experiences. Runs every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Register at riverdaleonline.org/classes.

Belly Dance Riverdale Neighborhood House’s new belly dance class is open for enrollment. Belly dance is a group improvised style with deep folkloric roots. This class is designed for individuals of all movement abilities and it focuses on restorative movement that will increase mobility.

The teacher’s approach focuses on cultural literacy, as well as empowering students to take the risk of trying a new experience for the first time.

Open to ages 13+, participants can sign up for one class or the whole series. Classes are Wednesdays 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., May 6 through June 10. Register online at riverdaleonline.org/ classes.

Learn Guitar The Riverdale Neighborhood House’s spring session guitar class starts Monday, May 4. Learn key guitar skills such as chords, scales, music theory, and playing songs. This weekly class runs on Monday nights at 6:30 for beginner/intermediate players ages 8+. Register online at riverdaleonline.org/ classes.

Riverdale CSA

The Riverdale CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, is accepting members for its 2026 season. Deliveries of organic and biodynamic vegetables from Hawthorne Valley Farm are made weekly on Thursdays from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. from early June to November to the Riverdale Neighborhood House.

Full shares and partial shares are available and include seven to 10 vegetables each week. Fruit shares can be purchased that include organic strawberries, blueberries, stone fruits, apples and pears.

Also available are a wide variety of local dairy products, baked goods, meats, poultry and eggs. CSAs are mutually beneficial for farmers and communities.

For more information about this and the current Winter-Spring CSA with Clatter Valley Farm, go to riverdalecsa. org or email riverdalecsa@gmail.com.

Professional Services Directory

ATTORNEYS

Leon G. Tsinberg, ESQ www.riverdalelegal.com

Yehudis Hoch, AUD, CCC-A

at Our New Location: 718.980.7700 www.advancedcareaudiology.com

Sarah Andrew-Madison, LCSW, Psychotherapy PLLC

Courtesy Derfner Judaica Museum

On Sunday, May 3, join Senior Curator Emily O’Leary at 3 p.m. at the Derfner Judaica Museum for an illustrated talk, “Women Env ision the Sacred,” focusing on seven women artists included in the current exhibition, “Envisioning the Sacred: Modern Art from the Collection.”

What’s on?

Stretch and Strengthen

Start your mornings with a light movement class at the Riverdale Neighborhood House. Classes are held on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon. A social hour with refreshments follows, offering a chance to chat with neighbors. V isit riverdaleonline.org to register.

At

Derfner Judaica

Museum

Envisioning the Sacred: Modern Art from the Collection

“Envisioning the Sacred: Modern Art from the Collection” features 49 prints, paintings and drawings from the museum’s permanent collection by 20th- and 21st-century artists working in a range of modernist styles — from figurative to abstract.

These 21 artists explore stories and characters from the Bible, represent Jewish observances and traditions, or take inspiration from language and legend. Many of the artists express their Jewish identities and relationships to Jewish communal experience through their work.

For some, mysticism and quests for spiritual connection are essential features of their art. It runs until Sunday, June 21.

At Inner Space Yoga

Beginner yoga series spring session Inner Space Yoga hosts the final session of its beginner yoga spring series on May 2, from 11:30 to 12 p.m.

Led by Kendra Jackson, this class provides a structured approach to understanding the yoga process, basic poses, the difference between good and bad tension and how to move between poses with ease.

Reserve a spot for $30 at innerspaceyoga.com.

Self Compassion Soundbath

In this 90-minute Inner Space Yoga workshop, instructors Shawna Emerick and Ben Alpern encourage you to judge yourself favorably, guiding you through movement and meditation to release stress and tension.

Runs Friday, May 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Reserve a space for $45 at innerspaceyoga.com.

Pilates Magic Circle

Learn how to use the Magic Circle to increase core connection, inner thigh work and upper body strength at Inner Space Yoga. The class is led by Kara Tatelbaum Class and runs Sunday, May 3 from 6 to 7 p.m. Book the class for $55 at innerspaceyoga.com.

Painted World

Until May 2, attend the “Painted World: Text, Gesture and Expression in Contemporary Art” exhibition at Lehman College Art Gallery.

“Painted World” brings together three dozen contemporary artists who use powerful words and push the boundaries of written language through the physical act of painting.

At the New York Public Library

Baby storytime

Join baby storytime at Kingsbridge Library on Thursdays at 11 a.m. Join for a special time to bond with your little one and meet other caregivers. The program will explore the joy of movement, books and songs in addition to

Day

building early learning skills you can practice at home. Come prepared to sit with your child on your lap. Best for children who are pre-walkers or crawlers.

Mixed media art for pre-teens

Join every Tuesday at the Riverdale branch for a session of arts and crafts using different mediums such as acrylics, watercolors, clay, beads, paper and other mediums like photograms.

You’ll be simultaneously listening to podcasts like “Stuff You Missed in History Class” and “Night Vale” or just jamming to your favorite playlists. Related books and resources will also be available for checkout to spark your creativity and help you dive deeper into techniques and other crafts. Runs every Tuesday from 3 to 4 p.m.

Writing Circle Kingsbridge Library hosts weekly writing circle meetings in an intimate setting where participants can share unpublished drafts and give and receive feedback. Attendees must be at least 18 years old.

Registration is available at nypl.org; the Google Meet code will be emailed the day before the session. The group meets every Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon.

Riverdale Art Association

Reduce, Renew and Recycle

The Riverdale Art Association invites you to its newest exhibit, “Reduce, Renew and Recycle.” Member artists used recycled materials to create unusual artworks that challenge how you see the environment, as well as mixed media, photography, acrylics, watercolor and oils.

The show opens on May 4 at the parish hall of Christ Church Riverdale, 5040 Henry Hudson Parkway, and is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to noon. It runs until the end of August.

Monthly meeting

The Riverdale Art Association’s next monthly meeting is May 5 at 7 p.m It will be held at the Hudson House, 3247 Johnson Avenue.

David Dixon will be the presenter and discuss his abstract painting using collage. All meetings are open to the public. For more information, visit riverdaleartassociation.org.

Riverdale Block Party

The Riverdale Block Party returns for its fourth annual outing on Sunday, May 17. Get ready to indulge in local eats and handmade crafts from an array of vendors, walk the doggie parade with your pup, groove to a live DJ and much more.

Takes place on Riverdale Avenue and West 259th Street from noon to 4 p.m.

At Yoga Muse

Prenatal yoga

Join Melissa Ramirez in a Yoga Muse class designed to cultivate calm, focus and resilience, preparing both body and mind for labor and delivery. Runs Saturdays at 9:45 a.m. Visit yogamuse.co to register.

Postpartum yoga series

This Yoga Muse four-class series is for moms who are at least 6 weeks postpartum, or 8 weeks for C-section recovery.

No prior yoga experience is needed. Come as you are, ready to move, breathe, and be supported. Babies up to crawlers are welcome to join you in this class. Begins Sunday, May 3 at 4 p.m. Registration required at yogamuse.co.

At the New York Public Library

Children’s STEAM: Kiddie Crafts

Join a relaxing art program at the Riverdale branch for your little ones, focused on learning the basics of the

alphabet, shapes and other concepts to prepare them for preschool. Children are encouraged to build their motor skills using various different media, while listening to themed music.

Tuesday, May 5, from 10:15 to 11 a.m.

Relax and Recharge: For Young Adults

This event will take place in person at Riverdale Library. Relax and Recharge is a restorative space for middle school and high school students to relax after a long day. We’ll be doing various activities that are proven to relieve stress such as journaling, collaging, gaming, singing, watching movies and various DIY crafts. Related books and resources on creativity and wellness will also be available for checkout.

Thursday, May 7, from 3 to 4 p.m.

At Lehman College

Spring 2026 Queer Theater and Performance Speaker Zavé Martohardjono is an interdisciplinary dance and installation artist. Their time-based works, rooted in ecological and political liberation, activate audiences’ senses to dream of more just futures. They are a 2022 Bessie/ New York Dance and Performance Award nominee for Outstanding Performer, Mertz Gilmore Foundation and Puffin Foundation awardee, and 2025 Center for Experimental Ethnography fellow. Their work has shown at the 92Y, Aljira Center for Contemporary Art, Asian Arts Initiative, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, El Museo del Barrio, Issue Project Room, The Kennedy Center, Storm King Art Center, Winslow Garage, and in Amsterdam, Berlin, Glasgow, Jakarta, Montréal, Skopje and Zurich. Tuesday, May 5, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

At Van Cortlandt Park Forest Fridays Volunteer with the Van Cortlandt

Park Alliance to remove invasive species from Van Cortlandt Park’s Northwest Forest every Friday 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.

Trail Work Thursdays

Join the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and fellow residents every Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon to help maintain trails in Van Cortlandt Park. Tools and gloves are provided for this small-group volunteer event, which is limited to five participants.

It’s a hands-on opportunity to give back to the community while enjoying the Bronx’s natural beauty.

At the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center

Group meditation over Zoom

Join this collaboration with The Temple of Enlightenment for group meditation sessions online. It’s a great way to relax and let go during this stressful and uncertain time. This class is free and runs every Monday and Wednesday, from 7 to 8 p.m. 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/c.

May 4 at 7 p.m. — Land Use May 5 at 6:30 p.m. — Economic Development

Physicians Services Directory

ColumbiaDoctors

Ava B. Anklesaria, MBBS

Jennifer Caceres, MD

David S. Lee, MD

Enad M. Dawod, MD 3050 Corlear Avenue, Suite 204 Bronx, NY 10463 For appointments, please call: 212.932.4534

OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

ColumbiaDoctors

Talitha Bruney, MD

Reyna Payero, MD

Shinelle Caldwell, DO

Doreen Kramer,

Alison Gruber, MD

ColumbiaDoctors

Gerald Neuberg, MD,

For appointments, please call: 646.317.0130

Kung-Ming Jan, MD

For appointments, please call: 718.601.4800

David I. Sahar, MD

For appointments, please call: 718.601.3700

Ronald Weissman, MD

Dylan Marshall, MD

For appointments, please call: 844.311.1234

3050 Corlear Avenue,

Bronx, NY 10463

Affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Allen

Affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital

St. John’s Medical Group

Ana Androne, MD - board certified

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Kiranprit Kaur, MD – board certified

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Accepting new patients & most insurances Call (914) 207-0004 -1088 North Broadway, Yonkers

Riverdale Eye Associates

Landzberg, MD

Rudnicki, MD - (914) 964-3300

On Sunday, May 10, spend the day in the gardens with a special Family Art Project, guided garden walks, spring birding, free community yoga and a picnic on the lawn.

Opinion

Editorial

The importance of a good book

In an age increasingly defined by fragmented attention, ideological polarization and a steady decline in deep reading habits, the act of reading a good book can feel almost countercultural. Yet it is precisely in this environment that books matter more than ever. Reading may seem like a simple task, and one that is already a hobby ingrained in the lives of many, but it remains one of the most powerful tools we have for fostering intellectual growth, empathy and social cohesion.

Concerns about literacy in the United States are not new, but they are increasingly urgent. We have all seen the headlines, the studies, the polls. Many educators report that students are struggling not just with reading comprehension, but with sustained focus on longform texts. Those shortened attention spans are not only limited to school-aged readers, however. The digital platforms we use so heavily reward brevity, speed and emotional reaction over reflection. This creates mental habits that have consequences for everyone. When we lose the habit of reading deeply, we risk losing the ability to think deeply and critically. Ideas become slogans, arguments become tribes and nuance is flattened into certainty. In this context, we have witnessed the rise of what is often referred to as “performative reading,” or the idea of reading as a social signal rather than a personal practice. This added layer of complexity makes clear that our society still views reading as important, or “cool” to some extent, but reduces books to props for curated identities in public or online. Some high-profile celebrities even have “book stylists,” who ensure their clients are seen and photographed carrying literature curated to their desired aesthetic. While there is nothing inherently wrong with sharing what we read, the danger lies in substituting appearance for engagement. Reading becomes

something we are seen doing, rather than something that changes us.

But genuine reading is transformative in ways that resist performance. A good book slows us down. It demands attention, patience and interpretation. It asks us to inhabit perspectives other than our own and to sit with ambiguity rather than rushing toward certainty. In doing so, reading builds mental habits that are increasingly rare: sustained focus, critical thinking and the ability to hold multiple ideas at once.

These habits are beneficial intellectually, but they can also have moral implications. Reading fiction, memoir or well-argued nonfiction expands our capacity for empathy. When we enter the inner world of another person, especially someone unlike ourselves, we practice the act of understanding without immediate judgement. In an increasingly polarized world, where disagreement can harden into dehumanization, this practice is not trivial. It is foundational.

Moreover, the reading habits of adults can play a profound role in shaping the reading habits of younger learners. When children and adolescents see reading as a chore, a test requirement or a performance metric, they are unlikely to carry it into adulthood with enthusiasm. But if they see reading as a source of curiosity, comfort and discovery, it can become a lifelong habit.

So, next time you pick up a novel to read over a morning coffee or before bed, realize that you are engaging in an act of resistance. By becoming engrossed in a story, you are resisting distraction and oversimplification. You are resisting the urge to reduce people and ideas into easily consumable fragments. Most importantly, you are resisting the erosion of the kind of attention that makes deep understanding possible in the first place.

By Rabbi Avi Weiss

Congressman Eliot Engel, who passed away last week, knew the heights of Washington well. Over 32 years in the House of Representatives, he rose to chair the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee while representing his Bronx district with distinction, including the synagogues of Riverdale, where our own congregation is situated.

He was widely regarded as one of the leading liberal voices in Congress. His advocacy for Kosovo and the Albanian people, and his insistence that America stand with them in their struggle against Serbia, has become part of his enduring legacy.

One of the true tests of leadership is not simply standing with the powerful; it is standing with the vulnerable. That was a defining feature of Eliot’s life. He raised his voice for the indigent, both in America and abroad, as well as for American veterans — our heroes, too often forgotten. In a word: if there was a need, you could count on Eliot to be there.

Acknowledging Eliot’s noble contributions, a major memorial will soon be held, no doubt to be attended by the who’s who of New York and even national politics.

family. After a bruising electoral defeat, he was unfairly portrayed as having strayed from his liberal ideals. Little mercy was shown, even as it became clear he was quietly struggling with his health.

Yet he carried himself with dignity, reminding us that the measure of a public servant lies not only in how one handles victory, but in how one endures defeat. As he battled Parkinson’s disease, the congressman to whom so many had turned for help was, too often, left to face his own struggles alone.

What stood out most to me, however, was that for all his universalism, Eliot never forgot where he came from. He never forgot his Jewish roots, his family’s history shaped by European pogroms, or his unwavering commitment to the State of Israel. On many occasions, he told me that one of the great privileges of serving in Congress was the opportunity to affirm the vital importance of the American-Israeli alliance.

It is, in fact, a prerequisite for it.

Like all politicians, Eliot understood the importance of being seen and heard, but he was a humble man at heart. In all the demonstrations I was involved in organizing, he never used his clout to demand the microphone upon arrival while others were speaking, as other politicians often did. Nor did he enter rooms announcing himself. He listened. And when called upon, he spoke with clarity and purpose.

I think of a High Holy Day service when Eliot chose not to move from synagogue to synagogue to be seen, but he remained seated for hours instead, praying quietly alongside our community.

The Talmud teaches that after one’s time in this world, we are asked: “Did you act faithfully?”

Eliot Engel can answer in the affirmative.

To the Editor,

I wanted to thank Olivia Young for her recent article on the 81st Assembly District primary, which provided the context for a lesser-known fact about Morgan Evers. Olivia noted that Ms. Evers “is also concerned with aggressive measures by Immigration and Cus-

toms Enforcement.” What people might not know is that she actually did something about her concern. She is perhaps the person most responsible for our having a functioning rapid response group here. Back in November of 2025, way before Minnesota popularized ICE watch, and despite a series of logistical challenges, Morgan orga-

nized an event at Riverdale Temple. She introduced the need for a coordinated community response to federal immigration excesses, invited an activist to explain rapid response, and offered the opportunity to begin recruiting for and building a local network.

HANNAH SHERAK

But standing at the entrance to the cemetery before his modest graveside service, I could not help but recall the words of Pirkei Avot, in the Book of Ethics: “Be careful in your dealings with the ruling authorities, for they do not befriend a person except for their own needs… they appear as friends when it serves their interests, but do not stand by a person in the hour of distress.”

The past six years were difficult for Eliot and his

He did so publicly, from the Well of the House, and privately, in moments witnessed by few. I recall looking up from the Western Wall during the Gulf War in the early 1990s, as scud missiles fell on Israel, and seeing Eliot approaching with his assistant. When others were leaving, he was running toward.

In more recent years, as some of his liberal colleagues distanced themselves from Israel, Eliot remained steadfast — fierce and unapologetic in his defense of the Jewish state.

He understood something that eludes many: that a strong sense of identity, and a deep connection to one’s roots, does not stand in tension with a universal mission.

He was faithful to his family, whom he often said were his highest priority. He was faithful to the America he loved. He was also deeply and enduringly faithful to the State of Israel, for which he fought day in and day out. It has been said that more important than the dates etched on a gravestone is the dash between them – the sum of a life lived.

Eliot’s dash shines brightly. It reflects a rare synthesis of action, conviction, dignity, and humility. May his memory be a blessing.

Rabbi Avi Weiss is the founding rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and Yeshivat Maharat rabbinical schools and a co-founder of the International Rabbinic Fellowship. This writing first appeared in the Jerusalem Post April 20.

To the editor,

We read with great interest your article on the recent death of Hon. Congressman Eliot L. Engel and commend you on the very well deserved coverage. However, we were most disappointed that there was not any reference to the congressman’s involvement and strong dedication to the particular interest that he took regarding the ongoing problems in Northern Ireland throughout the last several years. Congressman Engel was stalwart on

issues of Irish American concerns. A strong supporter of the Good Friday Agreement, he was also most vocal on the murder of Patrick Finucane, spoke out often on the tragedy of Bloody Sunday and the Ballymurphy Massacres along with his most strong support that he offered to the popular Malachy McAllister deportation case. He even traveled throughout the years to Northern Ireland on fact finding missions accompanied by one of our former board chairman and president of the Associa-

tion, namely Bob Stauf, now of blessed memory. Indeed Congressman Engel was a true friend of the Irish American community in the Bronx and Westchester County and the American Irish Association honored him at our annual dinner dance in 2015 for his tremendous devotion to the cause. The congressman will indeed be missed greatly and may he rest in eternal peace.

CATHY MARSHALL AND MAEVE M. SCOTT AIA of Westchester

Remembering Congressman Eliot Engel

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