CHALLENGES SANTOS

Bocci Girls

members, and not due to “inflammatory” letters, emails or phone calls the village received from people opposed to the original date.

A letter to the editor was sent to both Blank Slate Media and Newsday from Donald Panetta, a trustee on the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees since 2022, expressing his frustration with the date.

Panetta said the village is the culprit of “blatant antisemitism.”

“Holding the street fair on one of the holiest days of the Jewish year is an insult and a slap in the face,” Panetta wrote.

Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Jewish New Year, holds significant historical and cultural importance in the Jewish faith. With origins dating back thousands of years, the solemn holiday marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance, leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Since Devane was elected in 2021, New Hyde Park has held its first-ever St. Patrick’s Day parade, Columbus Day parade, All Around the World Multicultural Night and Diwali Festival of Lights celebration.

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