Riverdale Review, January 17, 2013

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Stanton strikes out with fundraising debacle

By MIAWLING LAM Local City Council candidate Andrew Cohen has raised more than $66,000 since announcing his intention to run for citywide office.

The latest campaign disclosure report shows Cohen’s fundraising total, collected in less than 80 days, already exceeds what rival Cliff Stanton has managed to rack up in an entire year.

Documents filed with the Campaign Finance Board on Monday reveal Cohen collected $66,002 from October 24 through January 11, thanks in part to contributions from family members and fellow Community Board 8 members.

In comparison, Stanton, a Van Cortlandt Village resident and leader of a boycott against the Riverdale Review, raised $13,273 over the corresponding period.

After taking into account their respective campaign expenses, Stanton’s war chest balance stands at $25,384, while Cohen has $55,177 in his coffers.

Both men are running to succeed incumbent District 11 Councilman G. Oliver Koppell in this year’s citywide elections. Koppell is currently serving his third and final term and must vacate the office due to term limit rules.

In a phone interview on Monday, Cohen said he has been humbled by the tremendous show of support he has received since jumping into the race in November.

“I couldn’t be more proud and happier of the result,”

he said.

“I hope to finish fundraising soon and will focus on getting my message out to voters, which is working together with the community to deal with problems and making the district the best in the city.”

Campaign records show Cohen received donations from nearly 200 people, with the average contribution at $335.

Some of the largest contributions came courtesy of groups affiliated with local elected officials, with the Friends of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Friends of James Vacca each donating $2,750. Dinowitz and Congressman Eliot Engel also contributed $175 from their own pockets.

Several Community Board 8 members kicked in funds for Cohen as well. Sergio Marquez and Anthony Piscitelli each gave $250, while Martin Wolpoff and Paul Ellis forked over $175 each.

Meanwhile, Stanton collected money from just 74 people in the last six months of 2012. Because he spent $13,968 on mailings and other campaign activities, he ended up with a net loss of $695 in the latest filing.

His first campaign disclosure report, filed on July 16, revealed he raised $32,930 from 151 contributors.

When reached by telephone on Monday, Stanton declined to comment and simply said, “I am going to pass.”

Cohen also declined to comment on Stanton’s latest show-

ing and said he was focused on running his own race.

“I am working on my own campaign and I am focusing on things that I can actually control and impact. If I do what I have to do, then that’s going to resonate,” he said.

“People are concerned about the meat and potatoes issues: Schools, public safety and economic development.”

The only other candidate currently registered to run for Koppell’s seat is Ari Hoffnung, a deputy comptroller for John Liu, who has more than $72,000 in his coffers from a previous campaign.

The Riverdale resident hasn’t raised any money in four years but said he is still toying with the idea of mounting a run.

“It would be an honor and a privilege to represent Riverdale in the New York City Council,” he told the Riverdale Review in a statement this week.

“I continue to be encouraged by the number of people urging me to run for office but have yet to make a decision. In the meantime, I will continue to be laser-focused on serving New Yorkers as deputy comptroller and on helping make New York City an even better place to live and do business.”

A fourth possible candidate—Community Board 8 member Daniel Padernacht—also said he remains uncommitted. “I am keeping all of my options open at this point.”

Attempt to turn Riverdale into a drug battleground thwarted by cops

By MIAWLING LAM A daring group of armed robbers allegedly masqueraded as police to steal more than 20 kilograms of heroin and cash from a narcotics distribution ring in Riverdale.

The 16-member crew, including alleged ringleader Javion “King Kong” Camacho, 26, was busted near the intersection of West 253rd Street and Post Road during a Drug Enforcement Agency sting operation around 9:45 p.m. on January 9.

Authorities said informants had roped the group into thinking they could rob the purported drug traffickers and flee with their massive heroin shipment.

The men were making their way to the local drug house in five separate cars when agents swooped in and caught the team red-handed.

“They were driving along Post Road and had stopped to discuss something, and that’s when we moved in,” DEA spokeswoman Erin McKenzie-Mulvey said.

All 16 members have since been slapped with a host of charges including robbery conspiracy, narcotics conspiracy and firearms offenses and were arraigned last week.

Police said the suspected gangsters were well prepared for the robbery mission and were armed with an impressive arsenal of guns and tactical gear.

One of the vehicles, a Ford

Police seized this impressive haul from a group of armed robbers during a sting DEA operation.

Crown Victoria, was even equipped with a mechanized device that would, at the push of a button, instantly cover its license plate with a steel plate.

Manhattan DEA Special-Agentin-Charge Brian Crowell described the group as an extremely violent, armed and sophisticated drug gang who had plotted to “rob, steal and plunder.”

“They were the drug world’s version of a James Bond-style

robbery crew, utilizing fake police equipment, law enforcement badges, replica vehicles complete with emergency lighting and outfitted with complex traps to hide illegal and loaded firearms,” he said in a statement.

Among the items seized in the raid were six loaded semiautomatic firearms, police vests, shirts emblazoned with the word “Police,” ski masks, GPS units, bolt-cutters, a fake enforcement

shield and a hydraulic ram similar to those used by law enforcement to break down doors.

The haul was reportedly the largest assortment of items ever retrieved from a gang of bogus cops.

According to a complaint filed in Manhattan Federal Court, Camacho hatched the plan to steal the heroin shipment after meeting with an informant at a Manhattan restaurant on December 17.

The document alleges that

Camacho told the source he had a “robbery crew of police impersonators who would be able to carry out the robbery.”

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the impersonators were certainly brazen.

“As alleged, this was a marauding gang of armed and violent thieves in The Bronx who masqueraded as police officers in order to trick their narcotics-dealing targets so they could steal their drugs and their cash,” he said.

Commanding officer of the 50th Precinct Deputy Inspector Kevin Burke said local officers were not involved in the sting operation, although the takedown location was within the precinct’s confines.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly vowed to pursue and prosecute the fake cops.

“The NYPD and federal partners will continue to crack down on drug dealers and guns in The Bronx and elsewhere, and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau will thoroughly investigate any instances of alleged police impersonation,” he said.

The defendants are Javion and Julio Camacho, Alex Cespedes, Gary Sanchez, Manuel Pimenteo, Domingo Vasquez, Benjamin Jiminez, Rafael Huerta, Oscar Noriega, Victor Jose Gomez, Joshua Roman, Victor E. Moral, Ramon Jiminez, Ali A. Husain, Louis Borrero, and Oliver F. Flores.

Thursday, January 17, 2013 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Neighborhood watch not sanctioned by NYPD

By MIAWLING LAM City Council candidate Cliff Stanton has yet to register his neighborhood watch program with the New York Police Department—two months after members began patrolling the streets.

Commanding officer of the 50th Precinct Deputy Inspector Kevin Burke said officials do not recognize Stanton’s 4 Wheels for Good Neighborhood Watch group because it is not officially registered with the NYPD’s Block Watcher program.

A local patrol group is sanctioned only after its volunteers complete a two-hour training course and undergo a background check. They are even given a special ID card provided by the NYPD. Official groups are also handed a radio so they can notify the local precinct before they begin their patrols and report any crimes or suspicious activities, Burke said.

“There’s nothing I can do to prevent people from just driving around, but if they want to be officially recognized by the police department, they have to be registered,” he said.

“We have offered (Stanton’s group) training to let them know what their rights are, and he said he would register.

But he has yet to do so.”

Burke said while he welcomed having extra sets of eyes and ears in the neighborhood, patrol volunteers should be registered so they know their legal rights and “don’t take the law into their own hands.”

Burke said he did not know how often Stanton’s group embarks on their neighborhood patrol or how many volunteers are part of the program.

However, Stanton, a District 11 City Council candidate touts the program in his campaign literature and said it shows his commitment to safety.

He has also previously said he provides “identifying door magnets” that members slap on their private vehicles when they patrol the area’s streets.

Stanton, who lives in Van Cortlandt Village, created the watch group in response to a string of armed iPhone robberies that were logged in Riverdale last October and November.

“Our typically safe neighborhood has been on edge over these iPhone robberies, a stabbing and multiple car break-ins,” he said in a press release at the time.

“The 4 Wheels for Good Neighborhood Watch will enable us to look out for our neighbors and feel empowered by an active response to a frightening situation.”

No neighborhood watch groups in The Bronx are currently registered with the NYPD’s Block Watchers program, according to Deputy Inspector Burke.

The Riverdale Y cordially invites you to the Rose Dialogue Series

Women, Power and Politics...

The End of Men? a dialogue with HANNA ROSIN and SALLY KOHN �������

Sunday, January 27, 2013 7:00pm-9:00pm Hanna Rosin is the author of the newly-released book The End of Men, as well as the senior editor of the Atlantic Magazine and a founder and co-editor of Double X, Slate’s women’s section Sally Kohn is a progressive Fox News Contributor and columnist for Salon

� ����

Book signing and wine reception at 7:00pm; Lecture and discusssion at 8:00pm Tickets: $18; $10 for students Reservations online at www.RiverdaleY.org or for more information, please contact Cynthia Galik-Riaz at (718) 548.8200, ext. 218 5625 Arlington Avenue Bronx, NY 10471 (718)548.8200 www.RiverdaleY.org

By MIAWLING LAM President Barack Obama has nominated Riverdale resident and longtime Washington insider Jacob “Jack” Lew to be the next treasury secretary.

Lew, who currently serves as White House chief of staff, was formally announced as Obama’s preferred pick during a press conference on January 10.

If confirmed by the Senate, Lew will succeed Timothy F. Geithner, who is stepping down from the high-pressure post at the end of January.

The promotion means some version of Lew’s well-known loopy signature, which the New York magazine described as a “Slinky that has lost its spring,” will also appear on all US currency printed during his tenure.

“Over the past year, I’ve sought Jack’s advice on virtually every decision that I’ve made, from economic policy to foreign policy,” Obama told reporters last week.

“One reason Jack has been so effective in this town is because he is a low-key guy who prefers to surround himself with policy experts rather than television cameras. And over the years, he’s built a reputation as a master of policy who can work with members of both parties and forge principled compromises.”

Lew is a veteran of budget negotiations. He worked as director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Bill Clinton and helped strike a deal that ultimately balanced the federal budget after years of deficits.

However, he will confront a much tougher task with the country now facing a $1 trillion-plus budget deficit.

Lew will also be charged with conferring with the Republican-controlled House of

Representatives in an attempt to strike an agreement over hot-button issues such as taxes and spending.

Lew, 57, is a congregant at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale who reportedly commutes from The Bronx to Washington on a regular basis.

“He is one of the most unassuming, giving and caring congregants I’ve ever been blessed to have,” HIR’s Rabbi Avi Weiss told the Riverdale Review in a statement.

“It is, I believe, rare for a person in such a powerful position to be the quintessential mentsch.”

An Orthodox Jew, Lew observes the Jewish Sabbath, reportedly leaving the office Friday afternoons in time to get home before sundown.

Congressman Eliot Engel congratulated his constituent on the nomination and said his lengthy record speaks volumes about his credentials.

“His resume is impeccable—with stints advising Speaker Tip O’Neill, as deputy secretary of state, as the director of the Office of Management and Budget and as White House chief of staff,” he said in a statement.

“Given Jack’s successful experience in the private sector, combined with his years of government service, he will provide our nation with the guidance to spur our nation’s economic growth.”

Meanwhile, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who last met Lew at the Democratic National Convention in September, said he was excited about the local resident’s promotion.

“Clearly, he is extraordinarily qualified, and I’m pleased that someone who lives in Riverdale commands one of the highest positions in the land. I’m sure he’ll do a great job,” he said.

Political club in odd early endorsement

By MIAWLING LAM One of the city’s most prominent political clubs has been accused of operating against its founding principles after announcing it would consider endorsements for the City Council District 11 race this week.

The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club (BFRDC) is scheduled to hold an endorsement meeting and will hear from candidates vying for the open Council seat on Wednesday, January 16—eight months before the scheduled Democratic Primary.

Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, who currently represents the district, is currently serving his third and final term and must vacate office due to term limit rules.

Two candidates have already officially declared their intentions: BFRDC and Community Board 8 member Andrew Cohen and Van Cortlandt Village resident Cliff Stanton.

But some political pundits have claimed that doling out the endorsement so far in advance of the crucial Democratic primary in September was a mistake.

Officials in Albany are mulling the prospect of moving the primary up three months from September to June, but no agreement has been reached.

“The endorsement meeting is much too premature. We don’t even have the full slate of candidates yet,” said one person, who wished to remain anonymous.

“Even if the primary is moved to June, the early endorsement is against the principles of political reform, which is what the club purports to be all about.”

BFRDC leader Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz discounted claims that the endorsement meeting was a sign that the process was rigged.

He said that although the club usually considers its endorsements in April or May, the process was moved forward this year because of the strong possibility of a June primary.

“We’re doing it to protect ourselves,” Dinowitz said. “People are smart enough to know that when it comes to scheduling, things happen at the last minute, and we’re not going to get caught short without an endorsed candidate.

“Anybody who questions the motives behind us having our endorsement in January should just look to our history for the recent congressional race.”

Records indicate the club last year endorsed Rep. Eliot Engel for re-election at its March 15 meeting. Members also backed state Sen. Adriano Espaillat in his ultimately failed bid to unseat Congressman Charles Rangel at its May 29 meeting—less than a month before the primary.

Prominent CB8 and BFRDC member Daniel Padernacht and city deputy comptroller Ari Hoffnung have both publicly stated they are considering their options, but neither has announced his candidacy.

“Frankly, if you haven’t jumped into the race by now, you’re not being very wise,” Dinowitz said.

Padernacht paved the way for state Senator Gustavo Rivera to defeat scandal-tarred Pedro Espada by bowing out of that race in 2010 and has long been touted as a viable candidate.

As of press time, Lew could not be reached for comment.

However, during a press conference last Thursday, Lew thanked Obama for the opportunity and for having the utmost trust and confidence in his abilities.

“If confirmed, I look forward to joining the Treasury Department, whose people are legendary for their skill and knowledge,” he said. “It’s a team that I’ve collaborated with closely over many years and have come to respect greatly.”

The usually reserved Lew also paid tribute to his parents.

“As a kid growing up in Queens, I had dreams of making a difference in the world,” he said.

“These dreams were nurtured in a home where the gifts of American free-

dom and opportunity were cherished and never taken for granted and the responsibility to engage in issues of public concern was part of daily life.

“I will always be grateful to my parents for grounding me in the values that have remained central to my personal and professional life.”

Lew graduated from Forest Hills High School in Queens in 1972. He is a graduate of Harvard University and Georgetown law schools and ran the budget for New York University before managing financial branches of Citigroup.

He was born in New York City to a Polish immigrant father and began involvement in political life at the age of 12, when he volunteered for Democratic presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy’s anti-Vietnam war campaign.

3 The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, January 17, 2013

Obama names Riverdalian Jack Lew as new Treasury Secretary

Thursday, January 17, 2013 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Around the schools...

Riverdale-Kingsbridge Academy

Five students—Jay Pinella, Mariah Fontanez-Lutsky, David Zhang, Nadia Mustefa and Tawfiq Alhamedi—have received Posse Scholarships, awards designated for public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Pinella will attend Brandeis University, Fontanez-Lutsky will attend Lafayette College, Zhang will attend Babson College, Mustefa will attend Colby College and Alhamdi will attend Lafayette College. Each student will receive a full scholarship and meet weekly with Posse staff and fellow Posse peers to prepare for leadership roles on campus and for the high-level academic expectations of their colleges. Posse staff members will visit each college for meetings with Posse Scholars and with on-campus liaisons and mentors.

Founded in 1989, Posse is a nonprofit organization that identifies, recruits and trains student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural 10- to 12-member teams called “Posses” at each of the 44 colleges and universities affiliated with the foundation. Posse Scholars receive four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships, giving students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence through placement in supportive, multicultural teams. Programs at RKA, such as Model UN, student government, advanced placement courses, Science Olympiad, college writing, and student publications have played a big role in preparing the Posse Scholars for their interviews and their upcoming roles as leaders in the college of their choice.

Horace Mann School

The New York Times has chosen faculty member Harry Bauld, a Riverdale resident and faculty member of the University of Delaware’s English department, to be a judge for the newspaper’s essay-writing contest. High school seniors will submit essays on financial status, class-consciousness, the job market or any other topic related to the economy. Bauld, along with other judges, will select the winning essays in the spring. Winners will have their pieces published in the New York Times’ Buck Personal Finance blog.

The Third Annual Teens Jeans Drive is now underway. Twelfth-grader Sara Land is leading the drive, held through February 8. Used, clean jeans in all sizes, colors and styles are welcome. Donation bins are set up in Olshan Lobby. According to Land, the school has collected more than 200 pairs of jeans, all of which have been donated to homeless teenagers under the age of 18. Horace Mann’s Teens Jean Drive is a part of the nationwide Dosomething.org Teens for Jeans sponsored by Aeropostale.

Each participant will receive a 25 percent discount on a new pair of Aeropostale jeans. The school that collects the most jeans will win the grand prize of $10,000, Aeropostale hoodies with the winning school’s name on them, and a party.

Manhattan College

The Manhattan College Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability (CURES) will host its inaugural event on Tuesday, February 5, featuring a lecture by nationally renowned sustainability expert Dr. David W. Orr. Launched last year, CURES promotes urban sustainability and environmental justice within the academic community. Orr’s lecture is entitled Resilience in a Black Swan World

and is open to the Manhattan College community. Orr became prominent for his leadership in facilitating plans to design, fund and build the Adam Joseph Lewis Environmental Studies Center at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. The center is considered one of the “milestone buildings” of the 20th century by the U.S. Department of Energy. The building meets all of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and was named “the most important green building of the past thirty years” by the American Institute of Architects in 2010.

Local Scholars

Herkimer County Community College in Herkimer, New York, has announced that Zakiya L.S. Thompson, a liberal arts and sciences/general studies major, has been named to the dean’s list for the fall 2012 semester. He is one of 564 students to earn academic honors this term. To qualify for the dean’s list, students must achieve a semester GPA of at least 3.25. Herkimer County Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located about 20 miles east of Utica, New York.

With an enrollment of approximately 3,500 students, Herkimer offers more than 40 associate degree programs and three certificate programs, on-campus apartment-style housing for more than 600 students, co-curricular activities and a national championship athletic program.

More than 600 students live in on-campus apartment-style housing, making Herkimer one of the largest residential community colleges. Approximately twothirds of graduates continue their education at four-year colleges. In June 2012, Herkimer was ranked by CNNMoney as one of the top 100 community colleges in the nation for student success.

The University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, has announced that Attalie Carnavali and Rachel Schwartz have been named to the dean’s list for fall 2012. To be eligible for the deans list, a student must be enrolled full-time and earn a GPA of at least 3.33 for the semester. Founded in 1743, The University of Delaware is one of the most popular universities in the U.S. It enrolls nearly 17,000 undergraduates, 3,700 graduate students and 850 in professional and continuing studies programs.

������������������� ���������������������������� ������������������������������� ������������������������� • Proven success for over 60 years • Superlative education • Nursery through 8th grade • Diverse Jewish backgrounds welcome

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• Busing from Manhattan • Affordable tuition

2600 Netherland Ave • Riverdale, NY 10463 718-548-0900 • www.kinneretdayschool.org Please call us for an appointment!

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Tuesday, January 22

BILINGUAL BIRDIES 11:30 a.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue A foreign language (Spanish) and live music program for children ages newborn to five years old with parent/caregiver.

The bilingual musicians teach through live music, movement, puppetry and games. Each session ends with a lively bubble dance party! Children learn basic vocabulary and short phrases while playing with instruments and fun props. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

EMAIL FOR BEGINNERS 10 a.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Learn how email works, including sending, replying to, and forwarding messages. You must have an active email account for this class. Space is limited, registration is required.

Please sign up by phone or in person. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Riverdale

Kingsbridge

CB8 MEETING 7 p.m. 50th Police Precinct 3450 Kingsbridge Avenue Meeting of the Public Safety Committee of Community Board 8. For more information, call 718-884-3959.

Friday, January 18 Kingsbridge

STAY WELL EXERCISE 10 a.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Stay Well volunteers certified by the NYC’s Department for the Aging will lead participants in a well-balanced series of exercises for seniors of all ability levels. Please wear loose comfortable clothing. Exercise equipment will be provided.

Those participating in the exercises must sign an activity release form. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Riverdale

GENTLE YOGA 10 a.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Gentle Yoga is designed for students who have special needs and/or limitations. This class is a variation of basic level I yoga format, moving more slowly and includes attention to the special needs of the individual. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Riverdale

FUN SCIENCE 3:30 p.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Children are welcome to come to the Riverdale Branch and learn more about the scientific process. They will conduct experiments and have fun while learning how the world around them operates. For ages 5 to 12 years. For more information, call 718-549-1212.

Kingsbridge

TEEN ADVISORY GROUP 4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street Let your voice be heard in the Kingsbridge Library’s Teen Advisory Group! TAG meetings will be held on Friday afternoons from 4-5 pm. If you are a 7th -12th grade student, you are eligible to join. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Monday, January 21 Riverdale

MLK, JR. TRIBUTE 7 p.m. Hebrew Institute of Riverdale 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway HIR will host an inspirational evening of song with the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a special guest performance by Neshama Carlebach. For more information, call 718-796-4730.

Kingsbridge

Riverdale

e-READER HELP 11 a.m. Riverdale Branch Library 5540 Mosholu Avenue Learn how to download free e-books from the New York Public Library. Get help on using your iPad, Kindle or other e-reader. First come, first served. Tuesdays @ 11:00 a.m. (some exceptions, please check the online calendar or branch calendar) Wednesdays between 2 and 4 p.m. by appointment only. Please call Lynda at 718-549-1212 to make an appointment.

Riverdale

CB8 MEETING 1:30 p.m. Riverdale YM-YWHA 5625 Arlington Avenue Meeting of the Aging Committee of Community Board 8.

For more information, call 718-884-3959.

Wednesday, January 23 Kingsbridge Hts.

CB8 MEETING 1 p.m. Ft. Independence Community Center 3350 Bailey Avenue Meeting of the Youth Committee of Community Board 8.

For more information, call 718-884-3959.

Kingsbridge

TEEN MOVIES 4 p.m. Kingsbridge Branch Library 291 West 231st Street This month the featured movie will be Snow White and the Huntsman, starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron. For ages 13 to 18 years. For more information, call 718-548-5656.

Riverdale

CB8 MEETING 7 p.m. Community Board 8 5676 Riverdale Avenue Meeting of the Parks & Recreation Committee of Community Board 8. For more information, call 718-884-3959.

Riverdale

TOASTMASTERS CLUB MEETING 7 p.m. Riverdale Neighborhood House 5521 Mosholu Avenue Bronx Toastmasters Club of Riverdale invites new members to join at their free meeting. Come as a guest and witness for yourself what they accomplish. For further information, visit www.bronxtoastmastersclub.org or call 718-796-6671.

Thursday, January 24 Riverdale

CB8 MEETING 7 p.m. Community Board 8 5676 Riverdale Avenue Meeting of the Laws, Rules & Ethics Committee of Community Board 8. For more information, call 718-884-3959.

The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thursday, January 17

Thursday, January 17, 2013 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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New Activities at the Riverdale Senior Services

Clubs, Computer Classes, special events and parties, exercise, meditation, yoga, bridge games, maj jong, Wii bowling are just some of the happenings at the Riverdale Senior Services, located at 2600 Netherland Avenue in the Century Building.

The center will also be offering the following programs: Wednesdays at 2:45, Yiddish Group Friday, January 11th at 10:30. Department of Transportation Session 1 Thursday, January 24th at 10:00, Pilates with Marisa Tuesday, January 29th at 1:00. December and January Birthday Party. Enjoy a delicious lunch followed by entertainment by Diedre The Center is currently registering members for a trip to Macy’s on Wednesday, January 16th, Lunch at Sammy’s on Friday, January 18th, Empire City on Monday, January 28th and Lunch and Shopping on Arthur Ave on Wednesday, January 30th.

Please register in the office for all trips.

The Riverdale Senior Services is funded in part by the NYC Department for the Aging and is open Monday - Friday from 9 - 5. A wide variety of activities are offered daily as well as a hot lunch. New members are always welcome and for more information you can call 718-884-5900.

Hanna Rosin to speak at Riverdale Y

The Riverdale Y will present at the Rose Dialogue Series, Hanna Rosin, senior editor of the Atlantic Magazine and founder and co-editor of Double X, Slate’s women’s section and Sally Kohn, a Fox News Contributor and columnist for Slate on the topic: Women, Power, and Politics...

The End of Men? on Sunday, January 27 from 7:00pm-9:00pm. Admission is $18, $10 for students.

Men have been the dominant sex since the dawn of mankind. And yet, as journalist Hanna Rosin discovered, this long-held truth is no longer true. At this unprecedented moment, women are no longer gaining on men: they have pulled decisively ahead by almost every measure.

In this groundbreaking book, Rosin reveals how this new state of affairs is dramatically shifting dynamics in every arena and at every level of society, and profoundly affecting marriage, sex, children, work, and more.

There will be a wine reception and book signing of Ms. Rosin latest book The End of Men: And The Rise of Women after the dialogue.

Childcare will be available at no charge, with age-appropriate activities for

children ages 2 - 10. Please reserve your childcare space when you purchase your ticket at www.RiverdaleY.org For more information, go to our website at www.RiverdaleY.org or call 718-5488200, ext. 200. The Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue.

HIR to host tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

On Monday January 21, 2012, at 7:00pm the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (3700 Henry Hudson Parkway, Bronx, NY) will host an inspirational evening of song with the Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with a special guest performance by Neshama Carlebach.

This year, we will honor the bravery of Ruby Bridges, a six year old girl who was the first to attend an all white school in 1960 in New Orleans.

Rabbi Avi Weiss, senior Rabbi at the Hebrew Institute says: ‘More than ever, the spirit of Dr. King is needed. In a world of intolerance we desperately seek harmony and unity and a powerful sense of common mission. Partnering with the gospel choir and hearing the music of both our heritages will no doubt be powerfully impactful.’

The evening usually attracts over 300 people. This year, the SAR choir will also be featured. The evening will conclude at 9:30pm with hot soup and bagels. For more information please contact the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale at 718-796-4730.

WRJ to host annual card party

Riverdale Temple Women of Reform Judaism invites you to take a break during this cold season and join us at our Annual Card Party on Sunday, February 10, 2013 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Riverdale Temple, 4545 Independence Avenue, Riverdale, NY 10471.

Among the card games that can be enjoyed are bridge, gin rummy, poker, etc. as well as board games like Scrabble and mahjong. For those who wish to play mahjong or other board games, you are advised to bring your own sets. This year we will also be offering bingo to our guests.

Men and women in the community as well as your friends, are invited to come and enjoy the afternoon.

Refreshments will be served, raffles will be sold and door prizes will be given out.

Admission for the afternoon is $15.00.

Please indicate how many people will be in your party. Checks can be made payable to Riverdale Temple-WRJ and mailed to the Temple at 4545 Independence Avenue,

Riverdale, NY 10471, Attention: Dorothy Kay. You can also pay on-line at www.

RiverdaleTemple.org.

So call your friends and get a table or two together. Anyone who comes alone will find a partner to play with.

In order that we can reserve a table for you, please RSVP by calling Terry at 718-548-3800, ext.1 or emailing Rivtemple@aol.com.

RCC Teen Theater spring musical auditions

The Riverdale Community Center Teen Theater will hold auditions for its spring musical, Lionel Bart’s ‘Oliver!’ on January 15th, 17th, 22nd, and 24th. Auditions will be held in the MS/HS 141 Auditorium at 660 W 237th Street, Bronx NY 10463 from 3:30pm to 5:30pm. Community students, grades 6 through 12, are welcome to try out. The RCC Teen Theater program is offered free to participants.

Theater rehearsals are held every Tuesday and Thursday, from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, with intensive rehearsals held every day when the May performance approaches. Professional acting, vocal, and dancing instruction is provided as part of the program.

Those interested in working backstage can join the Stage Crew or the Scenic Design program. Scenic Design prepares all the flats, scenery, and backdrops for the show.

The Riverdale Community Center is located at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (MS/HS 141). For more information on the Teen Theater program, call the RCC Office at 718-796-4724.

RCT to presents Peter Pan the Musical!

The high-flying musical Peter Pan, will delight children of all ages when the boy who will never grow up swoops down over the Bronx this January. Grand adventures await on your journey to J.M. Barrie’s Neverland - ‘it’s not on any chart, you must find it with your heart.’

Join Peter, Wendy, John, Michael and of course Tinker Bell, who along with the Lost Boys, do battle with the sinister Captain Hook and his pirate crew. Along the journey you’ll befriend Tiger Lily and her tribe and re-awaken your belief in fairies. This musical masterwork, with orchestrations from the recent Broadway revival, includes the favorites - “Never Never Land,” “I Won’t Grow Up” and “I’m Flying.” Peter Pan will delight the immortal child in all of us!

Show Times are Saturdays January 19th and 26th at 8pm and Sundays January 20th and 27th at 2pm and 6pm. Tickets

are $15 and can be purchased online at www.riverdaletheatre.org or at the door.

For group tickets of 10 or more please call 646-436-3045. Performances are at the beautiful Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College located at 250 Bedford Park Blvd West, Bronx, NY 10468. Starring a cast of 60 Bronx, Manhattan and Westchester youth, professional adult actors, the Celia Cruz High School Broadway Orchestra and Flying effects from Flying by Foy! Kids are invited to come dressed as their favorite Peter Pan characters. All children in costume will receive a glow in the dark fairy wand or pirate sword!

Special Needs Basketball at the Y

The Riverdale Y’s Special Needs Basketball program gives kids with disabilities an opportunity to compete in sports in a supportive environment.

Tuesday 6:00pm-6:55pm. $132/$90 Y Members Next session 2: February 5-March 19; 7 Classes. $154 /$104 Y Members Session 3: April 9-June 11; 10 Classes. $220 /$150 Y Members The Riverdale YM-YWHA welcomes retired NBA Player, Felipe Lopez to the Sports and Recreation Department. Coach Felipe will be running our Special Needs Basketball Program for children with challenging emotional, behavioral or cognitive issues who would benefit from a more structured experience. Routine training will build their confidence, self esteem and share in peer unity. This basketball program will teach by following directions, and learning by example and acceptance with group support and encouragement. No experience or basketball abilities are needed. The ONLY requirement is the desire to have FUN!! The Y is located at 5625 Arlington Avenue. For more information, please contact Yudi Davis at ext. 240

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Thursday, January 17, 2013 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Dr. Ruth documented by the BBC

Monday, January 21, 7:00 pm An inspirational evening of remembrance and celebration

In tribute to

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Please join us at the:

Hebrew Institute of Riverdale - The Bayit 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway B ro n x , N Y 1 0 4 6 3 For more information please call the office 718-796-4730 or email office@thebayit.org www.thebayit.org

By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER A film screening and talk by Dr. Ruth Westheimer at the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale last week commanded such a large turnout that more and more chairs had to be brought into the sizable social hall to accommodate the ever-growing audience before the program could begin.

Westheimer’s unusual life story is now chronicled as one segment of a 12-part documentary series called “Extraordinary Women,” produced by the British Broadcasting Company.

As CSAIR’s Rabbi Barry Dov Katz introduced Westheimer, calling her “a fireball of energy,” he admitted he’d cancelled his own weekly seminar for teens that evening so his students could hear her speak.

The documentary touched on points in Westheimer’s life—the peaceful childhood in Germany as the only child of loving parents, the “black clouds on the horizon” as Hitler came to power, the Kindertransport to a Swiss orphanage, the six years spent there caring for younger children during the war, the Kibbutz life in Palestine, the kitchen job that enabled her to take education courses and pursue an early dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher, the stint as a sniper in the Haganah, the years in France as a student and teacher of psychology at the Sorbonne, the move to New York for a master’s in sociology and a doctorate in education, and the transition—through a job at Planned Parenthood—to becoming, at the age of 50, the radio and television personality known as Dr. Ruth, who “made people feel at ease” with her “grandmotherly” manner of providing straightforward advice about sexuality.

Westheimer stressed that growing up with the culture and values of an Orthodox Jewish home made her resilient, provided “a foundation for survival” and instilled “an obligation to make a difference in the world” as an educator.

She said that to this day, she doesn’t know why she became one of the lucky children selected for the Kindertransport that saved her life—her parents were killed in the Holocaust.

“I am very grateful to be alive,” she said during a question and answer period after the film.

The main takeaway Westheimer wanted to offer was this: “Hitler lost, and we all won—I have four grandchildren, and he didn’t want me alive.”

Displayed in front of the stage was a mother’s day gift—a blanket imprinted with photographs of her “four gorgeous grandchildren”—crafted by her daughter, Riverdalian Miriam Westheimer.

If any of the Holocaust footage in the documentary became too upsetting to watch, she suggested, “Just look at the blanket.”

Lifeguard Wanted Take the Lifeguard Qualifying Test and make a splash by becoming a NYC Parks Lifeguard!

Call 311* or visit www.nyc.gov. Men and women ages 16 and up. Paid training if hired. Full-time seasonal work at City beaches and pools. Minimum starting salary approx. $13.50/hour. *Outside NYC call (212) NEW-YORK. NYC Parks is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

DeWitt Clinton High School 100 West Mosholu Parkway South January 28: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

St. Mary’s Recreation Center East 145th Street & St. Ann’s Avenue January 24: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

January 31: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

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The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, January 17, 2013

Palisade Avenue retaining wall project nears completion

By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER It may not be as charming, but the new Palisade Avenue retaining wall will do a more reliable job than the 75-year-old masonry structure it just replaced.

The city started inspecting the nearly 700 retaining walls it owns ever since a privately owned wall collapsed on the Henry Hudson Parkway in 2005. Those in the worst condition got first priority for repair or replacement by the Department of Design and Construction.

Noticed mainly by commuters hustling to or from the Spuyten Duyvil MetroNorth train station on Edsall Avenue many feet below, the wall holds up a section of Palisade Avenue between the two legs of Independence Avenue that end there.

So decrepit was the old retaining wall, deemed unstable in 2007, that it ranked among the first to get attention when

construction work began last April.

While the beauty of the original wall was only skin-deep, there’s more to the new wall than meets the eye.

Its undistinguished façade—brownpainted concrete etched with a blocklike pattern and sheathed with a shiny, graffiti-defying surface—hides a multilayered system of prefabricated T-shaped pre-cast concrete modules. The cross parts of the T’s comprise the visible wall.

Behind it, the spaces between the long parts of the T’s contain a total of 2,800 cubic feet of fill and other strengthening materials.

The modules are engineered to meet modern safety codes as set forth by the American Association of State Highway Officials, a DDC communication stated.

An eight-foot-high wrought iron fence (meant to discourage passers-by from

tossing anything over the wall) will abut the sturdy new metal guardrail (meant to prevent cars from meeting a gruesome fate), and the cyclone fencing along the guardrail will be removed.

The barren new sidewalk will be graced with trees in the spring, and new foliage will flourish along the base of the wall.

The nearly $3.6 million project is substantially done, with Palisade Avenue reopened to traffic and parking since December 31. But altered traffic and parking regulations on both the upper and lower branches of Independence Avenue up to Kappock Street will remain in effect until the project is complete, according to a DDC spokesman.

The 25-foot-high, 250-foot long wall “will be good for another hundred years,” DDC commissioner David Burney said in a report toward the start of the project.

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221105

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Competitors shown are subject to change.

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The RIVERDALE REVIEW • Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thursday, January 17, 2013 • The RIVERDALE REVIEW

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Rush to judgment

The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club in Riverdale has a long and enviable legacy of support for the principles of intraparty democracy and openness. It is now the last surviving political club in the borough that claims to uphold these historic precepts as a part of the creation of the “Reform Democratic” movement in New York City in the late 1950s.

This movement was founded by the late former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and the great and beloved former New York Governor Herbert H. Lehman to open up the machinery of politics to ordinary people.

The Ben Franklin Club was at the Bronx vanguard of the historic movement that ended the kind of backroom deals that gave us a cadre of mediocre boss-controlled public officials.

So superior public officials such as Congressman Jonathan Bingham replaced “Boss” Charley Buckley as our representative in Washington, D.C., serving the public as did a host of other accomplished folk, including Borough Presidents Herman Badillo and Robert Abrams, Congressman Jim Scheuer, state Senator Harrison “Jay” Goldin and a much younger Assemblyman G. Oliver Koppell.

The principles these reformers espoused included the idea that candidates would be selected by members of the appropriately located affiliated Democratic clubs in a public, open meeting. The result would be to encourage primary elections that would afford a wide choice to party members.

Part of the process was a methodology to select candidates, one that was open and timely.

This year, the Ben Franklin Club, in taking the unprecedented step of scheduling their “endorsement” meeting perhaps as much as nine months ahead of the primary election to fill the soon-to-bevacated seat of now-Councilman Koppell by having elected officials announce their preference before any legitimate process could begin, has made the whole affair smack of the kind of bossism that the club was formed a half-century ago to combat.

The usual timetable, considering a probable September primary, would have nominating petitions circulating beginning in July, following a club endorsement in late May or early June. This is how it was historically done, and other than re-endorsing a sitting public official, we can recall no instance of such an early endorsement meeting.

This premature endorsement schedule, combined with the rush to recommend the candidacy of the affable but largely unknown Andrew Cohen by Assemblyman Dinowitz and other public officials, seems to fly in the face of the in the historic democratic principles upon which the reform movement was built.

Choosing the best candidate to oppose censorship advocate Clifford Stanton should be a priority for all of us, and this newspaper has special reason to ensure that Stanton is soundly defeated. But that end is best served by carefully judging ability and engaging in a comprehensive evaluation of where each candidate stands on critical public policy issues.

We see at least two other potential candidates that are at the very least Mr. Cohen’s equal or perhaps offer even more to the public.

They are city Deputy Comptroller Ari Hoffnung and Community Board 8 transportation chair Daniel Padernacht. Either brings a lot to the table, and they should be part of the Ben Franklin Club’s selection calculus. The rush to judgment appears to us as an effort to thwart these other potential candidates from emerging.

But suppose that the endorsement meeting were preceded by a few months of vigorous debate and campaigning? If, as Messrs.

Dinowitz and Koppell suggest, Andrew Cohen is so far superior to other potential candidates, he should easily carry the day.

If either Mr. Padernacht or Mr. Hoffnung should emerge from those months of sober consideration and open exchanges of ideas as the most compelling choice, following the long-established schedule, then the Ben Franklin Club could avoid the disaster of prematurely making the wrong choice.

Frankly, we wouldn’t be concerned if even a four-man field results in the September primary. We predict that should that occur, Mr. Stanton, the censorship king, would rapidly and delightfully sink to the bottom of the field, finishing a distant fourth. The financial reports filed just this week reveal that Stanton has little local support, as even the neophyte Mr. Cohen racked up nearly five times the contributions as Stanton did during the just-completed reporting period.

The public and the estimable movement from which the Ben Franklin Club comes deserves better than having a rushed candidacy rammed down their throats.

Co-op tax break likely to be voted this month

By TESS McRAE A vote to retain the cooperative and condominium tax abatement, which expired in June 2012, will likely take place in the very near future.

“The restoration of this important abatement is a priority of mine, and I will fight to have it put through,” Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said. “We should be voting by the end of the month.”

Co-op shareholders and condo owners have continued to receive the benefits of the $430 million property tax as city officials have remained confident the abatement would pass, as usual. City officials said they would retroactively apply the tax break in the next round of tax bills.

If the abatement is voted down in Albany, co-op and condo owners will face a huge tax increase. However, in its 17year history, the plan has yet to be voted down.

The primary goal of the abatement is to balance the tax burdens of apartment owners or shareholders with those of other homeowners, who pay a significantly lower rate.

According to the fiscal brief released by the city’s Independent Budget Office, the tax break costs the city nearly $444 million in revenue, with apartment owners and shareholders on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side of Manhattan benefitting from the

largest share of the tax shortfall.

The Bronx, which has a large co-op and condo owner population in Riverdale, ends up with 5 percent of the total abatement.

The program grants condo owners and co-op shareholders whose units are worth more than $15,000 a

Safety now a local issue

By PAULETTE SCHNEIDER Shaken by recent robberies and violence close to home, locals flocked to the 50th Precinct’s monthly community council meeting last week to ask for some visible police presence in what used to be a crime-free neighborhood.

When Palisade Avenue residents told NYPD Deputy Inspector Kevin Burke that they’re now afraid to walk home from the bus stop at night, the precinct’s commanding officer assured them he’d assign officers to drive around in the vicinity of recent violent incidents—subject to the need for police response to crimes in progress elsewhere.

Burke said that the precinct was not avoiding the area but that he would “step up” routine patrols now that recent attacks have become “a source of community complaints.”

Councilman G. Oliver Koppell and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz each received at least one letter requesting heightened

ANDREW WOLF, Editor and Publisher

Note our new address: 5752 Fieldston Road Bronx, New York 10471 (718) 543-5200 FAX: (718) 543-4206

JOEL PAL Production Manager ROBERT NILVA Marketing Director

17.5 percent rebate and those whose properties are valued at less than $15,000 a 25 percent rebate.

As of press time, president of the Association of Riverdale Cooperatives and Condominiums Stephen Budihas could not be reached for comment.

CECILIA McNALLY Office Manager MIAWLING LAM Associate Editor

STAFF: Robert Lebowitz, Richard Reay, Paulette Schneider, Lloyd Ultan, Daniel R. Wolf

protection in the form of patrols cars visibly cruising around the streets of Riverdale.

The community was jolted by six pedestrian robberies—on Henry Hudson Parkway, Independence Avenue, West 235th Street, and Arlington Avenue— within less than three weeks last October and November, when a pair of assailants prowled the area and demanded iPhones or jewelry. In at least three instances, the two young thieves flashed a gun, though no one was reportedly injured.

Even more disturbing was an incident last month, when a man walking his dogs around 6 a.m. on Palisade Avenue was inexplicably punched and slashed across the face by two men who didn’t even ask for valuables.

No witnesses have come forward to help locate the attackers in that case, and the victim found no matches when asked to ID suspects at the precinct.

Anyone with a possible lead is urged to call CrimeStoppers at 800-577-TIPS. Burke reported that three “significant arrests” have reduced the number of local burglaries, while identity theft related to credit cards and checking accounts has led to an increase in grand larceny since last year.

“It’s challenging and a fulltime job to recover” from identity theft, he said, urging everyone to invest in a shredder as a step toward prevention.

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