Volume 25, Issue 7
Serving the residents of North Shore Towers since 1995
July 2020
JACK SCHWARZ PHOTO
Reopening Begins
A Different Kind of Summer Arrives at NST
Mask Distribution
LOCKDOWN UPDATE:
Dinner Is Served
TOWERS TALES:
Howard Arkin
A s our city begins reopening... A nd the summer season returns 2 • TOWER TIMES • July 2020
We are here and ready to serve your real estate needs. The time has never been better to buy or sell with Linda! Recent renovations, studios to penthouses.
Quarantine Life at NST Summer Arrives as Reopening Begins
By Steve Auerbach
H
ow have you spent the last three months self-quarantined? The most popular pastimes at North Shore Towers have been reported to be watching television (especially Netflix and Amazon Prime), reading, listening to music, online games, walking the golf course for those who ventured outdoors, and Zooming. Now that Manhattan and Nassau County are reopening in different phases, we asked if residents feel comfortable going to such places as the dentist, hair salon, or restaurants, and what’s the first place they’re dying to go to? Pam Defranco: We already went to an outdoor dining restaurant on the first day of reopening. It felt so good! Daniel Broad: We’re going out to a great restaurant with Annelies, having a steak and a Titos Martini straight up, no vermouth! Rose Tracey: I’m still honoring responders with neighbors and banging on pots at 7:00 pm every day. I’m Zooming, and line dancing with friends (a dancer for over 20 years) and also going to local areas to do this, everyone wearing a mask and social distancing. A must. I’m soaking in the wonderful sun on my balcony daily. Everyone at N.S.T. stay safe and be well. Edward Mattlage: I’m going to my barber!
Barbara Leonardi: First, I got used to staying home. I cleaned a lot and cooked a lot, made lots of phone calls to friends I normally don’t talk to. Now I am back to work at a dental office. More patients want to come back in than those that don’t. Because of our recall system, patients are three months overdue, and work is extremely hectic. I hope I can hold out until we get back to normal. Jerry Siegel: I wish I could say I was having sex every day, but that is not the case. I spent a lot of time reading several good books and watched several old-time movies. I also spent time talking on the phone and texting with friends and family and played Gin and Canasta. I must say there were times that I was bored, but not too often. I hope this pandemic is over soon, but I am somewhat pessimistic. I hope you had some fun. Fran Gordon: As restrictions are lifted, people react in a variety of ways. I feel cautious and concerned. At this time, I have no problem attending to my own needs, such as medical appointments, hairdressers, etc. However, I am not prepared to venture to locations that draw hordes of people. I feel a false sense of safety, and until a few weeks pass, I will keep my same routine. Terry Feit: I have set up a routine that I follow. I do a group of easy exercises each morning to get going. I do not put on the T.V. during the day. I have given myself different projects in the house, such as cleaning out my files, consolidating 18 photo albums, and keeping up my indoor
garden. Susan and I go to different parks to walk in. The Roslyn Museum and Arboretum are our favorites. There are so many places to walk that are safe and interesting, including the boardwalk in Long Beach. I’ve also enjoyed reading books such as “The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman,” “Beneath A Scarlet Sky,” about an Italian man in the Resistance against the Nazis, and “The Guardian” by John Grisham. Stan Landau: I get up at 6:30 am and walk the Arcade from Building One to Building Three and back four times (two miles) with a mask on. Then it’s back for breakfast, and I read The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Then I check my email and the stock market, and it is already 11:00 am. Since the gym is closed, I use two half-gallon milk containers filled with water for weights. I spend a lot of time on the phone talking with four adults and children, nine grandkids, and old friends that I haven’t spoken to in years. I have used Facetime and Zoom and write short stories. At 4:00 pm and walk the 18th hole for a breath of fresh air and pick up the mail. I have also been reading one book a week. At 5:00 pm, I enjoy a single malt Scotch with my wife, Maxxine, who has her glass of Chardonnay. Then it’s the 6:00 news, Jeopardy and Netflix. Lights out at 11:00 pm. They say the only constant is change, but that no longer applies. Things are pretty much the same now, but I am very upbeat. I believe either the best will happen, or the worst will happen, and no amount of my worrying will change the outcome, so I don’t worry. Each day is one closer to the end of this pandemic, and we will get through it. Onward and upward! Continued on Page 13
TOWER TIMES • July 2020 • 3
As warm weather arrives North Shore Towers residents stay active at the Pickleball courts.
JACK SCHWARZ PHOTOS
Masks and gloves are still essentials at NST.
Science Experts Agree Newspapers Are Safe
4 • TOWER TIMES • July 2020
In response to questions from our readers we are reprinting the following: Experts have reported that it is safe to receive packages such as newspapers, even from areas that have reported cases of COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization, “the likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low.” According to the The New York Times, “The risk of getting sick from handling mail or packages is extremely low and, at this point, only theoretical. There are no documented cases of someone getting sick from opening a package or reading a newspaper. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions.
After handling mail or packages or reading the newspaper, dispose of the packaging and wash your hands. If you still feel especially anxious about it, take guidance from the New England Journal study and just let mail and packages sit for 24 hours before handling them.” The Economic Times reported: “Covid-19 outbreak: Science says newspapers are safe. Experts say newsprint’s porous surface, and the ink and printing process make newspapers sterile.” Virologist George Lomonossoff of the UK’s John Innes Centre added, “Newspapers are pretty sterile because of the way they are printed and the process they’ve been through. Traditionally, people have eaten fish and chips out of them for that very reason. All of the ink and the print makes them quite sterile.”
NST Lockdown Update By Howard Arkin
A
s I write this article, I have come to the realization of how long it’s been since social distancing measures have been in place. We are just about into the 80th day of the COVID-19 lockdown. When we were informed that there would be heavy restrictions on the things we are all so used to doing routinely, I never would have imagined myself holding up as well as I have been. Weekend breakfasts at Junior’s Bagels in Bayside, not to mention the three weekly breakfast meetings at Buffy’s Diner, would have to be put on the back burner for a while. The frequent Sunday visits to my daughter and son in law’s Roslyn home, where I also spend time with my grandchildren, would no longer be on our schedule. I knew that Janette and I would be spending much more time in our apartment. Would there still be enough for us to talk about after all these years? So far, so good! Never having been much of a reader, books would most likely not be of much help to me. The television, iPad, iPhone, and my laptop, however, have been a few reliable allies that would help me through these trying times. Technology has definitely been one way to feel involved, connected, and less lonely during this pandemic. In April, Steve Auerbach had introduced the Men’s Club to a web-based video conferencing
app program known as Zoom. For those of you who are not familiar with Zoom, it is an app that can be accessed through an iPhone, iPad, or computer, that allows users to meet online, with or without video. Zoom has proven to be quite beneficial to many. The iPhone has also been of great assistance. My calls seem to be longer and more frequent. COVID-19 has even given me the opportunity to renew some old acquaintances, and I can actually see them too if I use the Zoom app. I must admit that I thought television would be my primary weapon in passing the time. And so it has. If you have a Smart T.V. and press the YouTube app, you can spend hours viewing footage of films from the late 1890s to the present. Being a history buff, I’ve watched events ranging from the San Francisco earthquake to a concert performed in 1942 by the Berlin Philharmonic. Watching the audience applauding as the concert concluded, I found no solace in knowing that many of them would meet their demise within the next three years. Watching the last game of the 1952 World Series, complete with Gillette razor commercials proved to be much more uplifting viewing. On May 8, which was the 75th anniversary of V.E. Day, all of the networks had segments covering that event. My thoughts wandered back to 1945 as I contemplated how we would have handled the same COVID-19 crisis that we are facing today. The food supply would not have flowed to us as readily as it has today. A&P, Bohack’s, and Continued on Page 14
Dinner is served to your door by Buffy’s Towers Restaurant.
Cracker Jack Sales Rep Howard Arkin By Fred Chernow
C
rackerjack is a familiar expression meaning “excellent.” There is also a popular confection called Cracker Jack. Building One resident, Howard Arkin, is both. For many years he was known as an excellent sales representative for a large company that represented many popular candy products, including Cracker Jack. His story is a familiar one, growing up in a family of modest means and pulling himself up by his bootstraps to forge a lucrative career in sales and raising a successful family. He is also an important member of the North Shore Towers Men’s Club. Where did you grow up? I was born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in 1934. With my parents and younger sister Carol, we then moved to the East New York section of Brooklyn. Five years later, we then moved again, this time to Cypress Hills, where I attended Franklin K. Lane High School. Not having much
money at the time, my family resembled the family in Woody Allen’s film, “Radio Days.” We had aunts and uncles galore coming and going to our small three-bedroom house. What did you do after high school? In 1952 I enrolled at Brooklyn College. At that time, my interest in sports ran deep– I could tell you who won every World Series from 1903-1954 but could not conjugate a verb. I left after two years. At the time, my father was a member of Local 3 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and he was able to get me a job in the electricians union. For that time, the money was pretty good, but that wasn’t for me either. During this time, we still had a draft, and I wasn’t too interested in spending three years in the army, but there was a program that allowed me to spend six months in active service and five-and-a-half years in the army reserves. I joined up and spent all of my six months of active duty at Fort Dix, New Jersey. I will always remember those six months for two reasons. The first was getting into the best physical condition of my life, and the second was learning how to type. Needless
Janette and Howard Arkin. to say, the physical improvement is long gone, and has anyone seen a typewriter lately? What came next? After my army discharge, I went to
work for a manufacturer’s representative. For over 49 years, I was employed by the same company. We represented major brands such as Cracker Jack, Fleer’s DouContinued on Page 14
TOWER TIMES • July 2020 • 5
6 • TOWER TIMES • July 2020
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How We Spent Our Spring Break Presented By the Senior Class of the North Shore Towers Women’s Club By Vicki Mazel
D
uring this unprecedented time of lockdown and restrictions, the members of the North Shore Towers Women’s Club have been hard at work keeping busy using their inner resources to ward off the insanity of boredom. A talented group, some of them have shared their experiences with the enforced free time. Here goes… Mafrilyn Goldberg, Selma Black, Selma Baumgarten, Lita Adair: It’s scary, it’s threatening, it’s confining. It’s hard to live through this Covid-19 pandemic. Who could have imagined this part of life could be so unknowing. But, there is a bright side at North Shore Towers. There are close friendships we made with new people who feel like family. We call each other often, although we don’t visit our apartments. We do go outdoors when the weather permits. The golf course is open to walkers (at designated times) and has been so valuable to us. In the last two months walking it, watching the trees bud, some flowering and leafing have been emotionally uplifting. We love it and find we walk a bit longer each time. Thank you to the board, thank you to the etiquette of the other walkers. We hope to get through this better than we expected.
Chickie Kaufman: I am knitting an afghan. Thank goodness for this project. Claire Levitan: I had high hopes for writing my memoirs during my time at home. ‘Not so fast,’ said my computer. You have to make lunches and dinners for your significant other. We require healthy homemade meals. You have to go shopping for food and take time to exercise when you have the energy. The T.V. is important because of the virus news and Trump activity with newscasting trying to explain it all. To add to this, I promised a memoir to a new adult relative discovered through D.N.A. testing. Priorities change, and I will start ‘The Life of Claire Born in Alexandria, Egypt.’ Faith Wolitzer: I am adjusting to a new world. I take walks around the gold course, am learning how to clean my own house, and cooking more than ever. I am also taking classes on Zoom and keeping in contact with friends through phone calls. Roberta Gould: I am beginning a memoir of my life dedicated to my great-grandchildren, who I probably will never meet because my granddaughters are not married yet. I will start with what life is like now during the pandemic and plan to go back in time to what life was like when I was born. Dr. Nurit Israeli: Lockdown keeps me busy. In addition to counseling sessions (I volunteered), I write Haiku and other
Social distancing while socializing outdoors at NST. poems, maintain social connectedness despite social distancing, (phones, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp), cook, clean, wash, sanitize, read, walk, and exercise. For dinner, all ingredients from Mr. Oh. Remember the Cinema Club? And dancing? Did all this happen on the same planet? How quickly things change. Waiting patiently for good days to come back. Pandemic Poets Corner Haiku by Gloria Beck Haiku is a Japanese poetry form that is unrhymed. Seventeen syllables are arranged in three lines of five, seven, and five syllables respectively. It’s objective is to express and suggest more in the fewest possible words. Our copresident, Gloria Beck has devoted some of her free time to exploring this interesting Far East poetic structure. As usual, her sense of humor does not fail.
JACK SCHWARZ PHOTOS
chocolate ice cream Is it really here art last? Hand me a ladle. Valk, talk, eat and laugh Virtuality abounds. Is this the new vay? (Not misspelled. The V. is dedicated to Vicki) Aw shucks! Residents staying active as city begins reopening.
Watching old baseball games, With a young Tom Seaver. Then I switch the channel, To reruns of “Leave it to Beaver!” After seeing a flick, With a bona fide hero, I find a real oldie, “Taxi” with Robert DeNiro. While we’re all shut in, Food is our nemesis. Can’t visit each other, Rarely leave the premises, Sit round the flagpole circle, One or two on the benches, Trying to break the monotony, Are the gloved and masked wenches Days go by slowly, Watch the golf course green, Riding out this pandemic Of the dastardly Covid-19. These are some of the jottings from the Women’s Club. Looking forward to the good ole days. Hope to see you all soon.
TOWER TIMES • July 2020 • 7
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Keep Tom Fighting for NY ★ RE-ELECT Congressman Suozzi
“This one isn’t even close. Our endorsement goes to Suozzi.” —The Herald, June 12, 2020
Congressman Tom Suozzi is Proudly Endorsed by the Following Long Island Leaders and Respected Organizations
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran Labor
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone Environmental
North Hempstead Supervisor Judy Bosworth Gun Safety Advocates
Communications Workers of America
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10 • TOWER TIMES • July 2020
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President’s Co-op and Condo Council By Geoffrey Mazel, Esq. General Counsel & Executive Committee President’s Co-op & Condominium Council
T
he President’s Co-op and Condominium Council is an organization located in New York City and representing over 100,000 units of Cooperative/Condominium housing. This organization is working hard to convince the Small Business Administration and the United States Congress to have residential cooperative corporations eligible under the Paycheck Protection Program (P.P.P.) administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The P.P.P. provides forgivable loans to small businesses to pay their employees and other qualified expenses during the COVID-19 crisis. Co-op Boards
were devastated to learn that residential cooperative corporations were not eligible in the stimulus packages recently passed by Congress. Co-op shareholders have been especially hard hit by the Corona Virus. Countless of the building staff, building porters, superintendents, residents, and management staff have tested positive for this dreaded disease. In fact, a member of the PCCC Executive Committee passed away in March from the scourge of the COVID-19 virus. Many co-op residents are especially vulnerable to this disease due to their age and underlying conditions. In addition to the devastating health impact of this crisis, some co-ops are in a dire financial situation. They are facing the same severe revenue problems as other small business concerns. Among the immediate issues are declining revenues due to shareholders that have lost their jobs
and will fall into arrears; declining rental income from commercial tenants; spikes in the usage of water and fuel because many shareholders are now home all day; lost revenue due to the lack of sales of apartments; and increased electric expenses, since shareholders are home all day. Also, many co-op residents are senior citizens on fixed incomes. Without the availability of P.P.P. loans, they may not have funds to pay their essential workers and meet other critical operating expenses. Accordingly, the PCCC has reached out to many of the local elected officials who have expressed support for this critical issue. The PCCC initiated a letter-writing campaign to the local elected officials, which resulted in letters of support from dozens of boards representing over 50,000 units of co-op housing. Also, Executive Committee members have been in contact with N.Y.C.
congressional delegation members, who have backed co-ops on this issue. As a result, on April 27, 2020, nine Congress members, including Grace Meng and Tom Suozzi, sent a letter to the Small Business Administration and the Secretary of the Treasury, urging their support for including co-ops in the P.P.P. program in the next stimulus package. In addition, N.Y.C. Councilman Paul Vallone has submitted a resolution in the New York City Council, sponsored by 26 N.Y.C. Council members, urging the Federal Government to include co-ops in the P.P.P. program. As the next stimulus package is being negotiated, it is the hope of the PCCC membership that co-ops are deemed eligible for the forgivable loan under the P.P.P. program. This would provide much-needed relief for those co-ops that have been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
The North Shore Towers Political Action Committee, chaired by Debra Markell Kleinert, invited residents and the community to meet Congressman Tom Suozzi, who handed out 3,000 masks to residents, management, maintenance, and concierge staff on Friday, June 12. Suozzi’s distributed more than 10,000 masks to folks across Northeast Queens on that day. Congressman Suozzi stated, “As our area emerges from under the shadow of Coronavirus, it is more important than ever that we continue to follow social distancing guidelines and wear a mask whenever necessary,” Suozzi said. “Working together, we can continue to crush the curve.”
TOWER TIMES • July 2020 • 11
JACK SCHWARZ PHOTO
Suozzi Distributes 3,000 Masks to Towers Community
12 • TOWER TIMES • July 2020
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JACK SCHWARZ PHOTOS
Quarantine Life at North Shore Towers walled-off COVID-free paradise! Steven Weiland: Morning walk, morning bicycle ride, talking, texting to friends, financial portfolio review, play online poker and horse racing, cooking, food shopping online with Instacart, cleaning, and sanitizing daily. I can’t wait to be able to hug my grandchildren. During the pandemic, I exercised and spent a lot of time with my daughter and grandkids. Dan Nachmanoff: Gloria and I are doing well. We have been streaming the opera from Met every few days, managing not to bother each other too much. We’re trying to keep our apartment clean, and doing a lot of walking on the golf course. Our kids have banned us from going off the premises, so we have been getting our food in the Arcade or at Buffy’s. I hope you and your family are well, as well as all the other members of the Men’s Club. Steve Auerbach: I always hated the movie Groundhog Day. It had such a ridiculous premise. Whoever thought I would take Bill Murray’s part and star in the movie? I lose track of days, especially the weekends, and the only way I know for sure is when I don’t see the stock prices
cross the bottom of the screen on CNBC, I know it must be Saturday or Sunday. The highlight of my day is taking out the garbage when I could suit-up putting on my gloves, mask, and taking a few wipes, so I’m not touching any doorknobs or the handle of the chute. And for the first time, the group I used to have breakfast with and discuss all the medications we were taking has now switched to movie reviews and how much weight we have gained. It’s hard walking into the living room without making a stop in the kitchen first. Joanne has asked me how many meals do I eat a day now. I, of course, answer three, and the rest are snacks. Howard Arkin: Far from being beaten down by the virus, I’ve found some beneficial aspects to it. I’ve learned how to use the automatic express checkout at Shoprite. No long lines for me. At $6 per copy, I think that the Sunday New York Times is pretty expensive, but now I have the time to read more of the paper even though I have no interest in most of the stories. Another great benefit is having the elevator all to myself, but I will allow one person in with me. Talk about living dangerously.
John Rondinell: Wow! Would you believe it’s now over 100 days we all have been confined in so many ways? Which I’m sure we could never have conceived possible. We were in Florida when COVID became dangerous for us all, so we headed home to safety in N.S.T. But nothing was routine, and it appeared we were in for a long change of life experience. Where were we going to eat? No more restaurants–just take out, barbershop–no way. So I bought a complete trim kit and did my haircuts. Isolated from my daughter, we started to Zoom, and it worked out. I was bored at home on occasion, so I finally filed a mountain of paperwork left undone for years. And for the most important entertainment: the daily news from the Governor of N.Y., whom I never paid attention to in the past and who now is someone to admire. Where did he come from, or where was he hiding all these years. Worldwide pandemic, demonstrations, Black Lives Matter, stock market all over the place, defund the police all over the country…well, it ain’t over till it’s over. Anyone for Pickleball? Thank God for North Shore Towers.
TOWER TIMES • July 2020 • 13
Continued from Page 3 Larry Leichman: I’ve discovered “Next Door,” a kind of virtual, digital public square where neighbors share their suggestions, hopes, ideas, questions, issues, complaints, compliments, happiness, and anger. It’s been a great place to learn about our N.S.T. community. I also discovered how important our fruit store, grocery store, drugstore, and dry cleaners are. They have been heroic. Ditto the staff at N.S.T. who have been here throughout. And like many others, I discovered the value of Netflix, Prime, and Hulu. Most importantly, I discovered the importance of being able to walk our extensive grounds for exercise and to see and meet people. I count myself among the growing number of shareholders who would love to see the golf course (with its shrinking resident membership) be made into our own exclusive 100-acre private park for biking, walking, jogging and picnicking for the 3,200 residents, with the bonus of attracting future co-op buyers in what’s becoming such a competitive market. Imagine what that would do for shareholder prices—purchase your way into a
Cracker Jack Rep. Howard
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Continued from Page 5 ble Bubble, Lindt Chocolate, and Tootsie Roll. I primarily sold these products to grocery chains, tobacco distributors, and dollar stores. I was elected president of the New York Candy Club. In 1985 I was installed into the Candy Club Hall of Fame, which is in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Where did you meet Janette? After getting out of the army, I was ready to hit the “dance” circuit and look for Miss Right. Dances were held weekly at New York City hotels, Jewish centers, and churches throughout the metropolitan area. These dances were a challenge for me for two reasons. Being somewhat shy, I found it difficult to speak to girls, and more importantly, I didn’t know how to dance. On a cold Saturday night in November of 1959, I arrived at the Forest Hills Jewish Center with three friends, and my life was about to change forever. After some small talk, I asked Janette Brody for her phone number–and she gave it to me. Less than two years later, on May 29, 1961, we were married at the Avalon Ballroom on Burnside Avenue in the Bronx. After 59 years of marriage, there are not enough superlatives to describe Janette. To know her is to love her. What about your family? We have two wonderful daughters, Korey and Andrea. They are both married, Korey to Sam, a real estate developer and president of Rolling Cash Equity Group. They both graduated from CUNY, Korey, with a B.S. in Economics from Queens College and Sam as a C.P.A. from Brooklyn College. They have two children, Chelsey and Michael, who are both at Hofstra. Our younger daughter, Andrea, is married to Larry. They both graduated from Albany State, with a psychology degree, and he with a degree in marketing. Larry is an Executive Vice President with the Trump Organization. Their son, Austin, graduated
from the University of Wisconsin in 2018, and their daughter Camryn will graduate from there in 2021. Where did you live before coming to North Shore Towers? When we first married, we lived in a coop in Flushing called Electchester, which is a group of buildings built in 1940 by Local 3 of the electrical union. In 1971 we moved to a private home a few miles east in Hollis Hills. Little did I know at the time that I would spend the next 45 years in that house. We still see many of the friends we made there and have fond memories of parties at the Hollis Hills Jewish Center and the vacations we took. I have special memories of Halloween. Because I was in the candy business, it was easy to be generous, and for kids, 70-02 214th Street was the place to be on Halloween. It was onestop shopping. When did you move to NST? In 2015 it was time for us to put our house up for sale. I opted for Boca Raton, Janette had North Shore Towers in mind. Janette won out, and here we are. We had been to the movie theater here many times, and we would grab something to eat at what is now Buffy’s. It was called Wolfie’s or Pumpernick’s in those days. What are some of your favorite activities at N.S.T.? I remember going into Buffy’s one morning shortly after moving in. I saw a few men having breakfast, and I thought I would join them but was told I had to be a member of the N.S.T. Men’s Club. Joining has given Janette and me an opportunity to meet lots of great people and eat in restaurants new to us. Last year I was asked by the president to write a monthly article on Men’s Club activities for our community newspapers. I agreed, and now I can say I am getting the hang of it. We enjoy the many programs and look forward to the reopening of those activities the virus has forced to suspend.
The American Flag By Ed Phelan The American flag is a symbol to me of a tapestry of sacrifice, opportunity, volunteerism, liberty, privilege, responsibility and appreciation. As a former Ranger in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, I admire and cherish the sacrifice, bravery and heroism that our men and women in the armed forces display each and every day, whether at home or in hostile environments. The American flag represents the selfless sacrifice of these true heroes, whether it is hoisted up in a field of battle or unfurled in central park at NST. To some at NST, any use of the flag they see fit is fine. I guess what I am trying to say is the flag and its meaning is subject to each person’s perspective and I guess that is ideally what it should be. However, the flag pole has more relevance and meaning as a unity symbol for NST than a mere shrug for placement at some institution.
Towers Lockdown Update Continued from Page 4 if you were lucky enough to live in the Bronx, Ditches, would not have been able to provide the services that a current chain like Shoprite has. News of the crisis would have been limited to what you heard on your table model Zenith radio. The Daily News and The Mirror, or if you were more sophisticated, The New York Times and Herald Tribune could also tell you what was going on. Some of us may not have even had telephones as a form of communication. Watching movies has also been a great form of entertainment. HBO, (thank you North Shore Towers! Netflix and T.C.M. have provided great as-
sistance and taken up much of my time. To commemorate V.E. day, on May 8, T.C.M. showed the 1954 film, The Last Time I Saw Paris starring Van Johnson and a 22-year-old Elizabeth Taylor, possibly the most beautiful woman that ever lived, with Janette Arkin a close second. Since this article was begun on Mother’s Day, I’ll consider the last sentence your gift. Remember, I was unable to get out! If anyone has any interesting stories regarding their home isolation, please email them to Howard Arkin at jnemacs10@aol.com, and perhaps we can get them into some future issues of the Tower Times.
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Pages From Our Past JUNE 2011 Holocaust Memorial Service A group of 10 Jews eluded the Nazis during World War II by living in the dark, grim, rat-infested sewers of Lviv, Poland, for 14 months. Dr. Kristine Chiger Keren was only seven years old when she entered this underworld, but survived to tell her story at the North Shore Towers annual Yom Hashoah Holocaust Memorial service, Monday, May 2 in the V.I.P. Room. “Our living conditions were unimaginable and also unbearable,” she recalled. Uncontested Bd. of Directors Election For only the second time in the history of the co-op, the N.S.T. Board of Directors’ election was uncontested. The only challenge remaining for the four incumbent candidates to be elected to two-year terms was enticing enough shareholders to vote to achieve the necessary quorum. The incumbents were Bd. President Robert Ricken, Phyllis Goldstein, and Phillip Plafker and Murray Lewinter. Board Reviews Accomplishments Bd. President Ricken announced no increase in Country Club dues for two years in a row for the first time in two decades, at the Thursday, April 28, open meeting at the Towers on the Green. In reviewing accomplishments, Ricken also proudly discussed that there had been no maintenance increase in the last two years despite the national economic downturn. Tower Tales: Dennis Rappaport Dennis Rappaport’s Rolodex resembles a cross-cul-
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North Shore Long Island Jewish Hospital, where Khurram is completing the final two years of his residency and two years of fellowship to become an eye surgeon. JUNE 2015. The 2015 Board Candidates The North Shore Towers Bd. of Directors candidates were off and running. They included: Al Fuchs, Phyllis Goldstein, Felice Hannah, Steve Redlich, Robert Ricken, Maria Termini-Miller, and Pat Tulchin. Residents Enjoy Lifelong Learning Program More than 20 residents of North Shore Towers are members of a unique senior group that meets during the day throughout the year at Hofstra University. Called PEIR, for Personal Enrichment in Retirement, it is one of the hundreds of lifelong learning programs in the United States, based mainly in colleges and universities. NST’s 40th Anniversary The celebration of the co-op’s 40th anniversary marked the dawn of when residents first began moving into brand new Building One rental apartments. “The complex was the most unique thing there was,” said Phyllis Goldstein, one of the community’s earliest residents. “It was unheard of to have a place like this in the North, and the people that lived here in those days were pioneers.” JULY 2015. Anniversary Celebration The community celebrated the 40th anniversary of the complex with a three-day weekend of activities beginning Friday, June 12. Events included a documentary movie, a dinner with comedians, and an Arcade carnival and street fair. “Everybody loved the weekend,” 40th Anniversary CHairperson Goldstein said. “It was a huge success.” The sold-out anniversary celebration dinner and show was held Saturday evening, June 13, featuring comedy headliner Susie Essman of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Hadassah’s Jewish Book Club’s Dynamic Duo Migdal/Hadassah’s Jewish Book Club presentations by Bernadine Rosenthal and Arlene Augenbraun are a true labor of love, The first meeting of the Jewish Book Club took place on March 19, 2008, in the Coleridge Lounge, the brainchild of Migdal Board member Bern Rosenthal.
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tural Who’s Who: Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Connie Francis, Matt Dillon, Roy Innis, Danny Aiello, Eddie Murphy, and Muhammad Ali are just a few present-day icons with whom he is on a first-name basis. Luminaries like Frank Sinatra, Howard Cosell, Bob Hope, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Alan King now gone, included him in their circle. JULY 2011 Country Club Summer Season Kick-Off The NST Country Club’s summer season kicked off with a sell-out Memorial Day weekend show, golf and tennis tournaments, and a holiday barbeque. These events, the new V.I.P. Room food service provider and a look ahead at the rest of the season were reviewed at the Club’s open meeting, Thursday, June 9, in the V.I.P. Room. Pioneer Journalist Joe Wershba, 90 The Towers lost a neighbor, and journalism lost an iconic figure with the passing of Joe Wershba on Saturday, May 14. He was 90. Wershba was a pioneering C.B.S. reporter and producer, whose work on Edward R. Murrow’s “See It Now” series in the 1950s helped expose the McCarthy era’s communist witch hunt. A two-time Emmy winner, he was one of the original producers of the legendary 60 Minutes, and a moving tribute was paid to him and his wife, Shirley, on the very popular T.V. show on Sunday, May 22. Tower Tales: Det. Cavallo, Gym Committee Leader As an apprentice tool and die maker, Danny Cavallo listened as his friend told him there was going to be a walk-in exam to become a New York City Police Officer. The recent Sewanhaka High School graduate from Franklin Square wasn’t sure he would pass the physical test, because he was 5’8” tall and weighed only 135 pounds. Cavallo not only passed, but he surpassed his fellow recruits in endurance and weight hoisting. The year was 1969, and while his uniform hung loosely on his wiry frame, he amassed a huge number of arrests in his first year on the force. This led to his transfer to a newly formed Street Crime Unit, where his superiors noticed him. Studying for Medical Careers, Living at NST Dr. Khurram Chaudhary and his wife Hinna have been living at the Towers for the past two years as they complete studying for their medical careers. The couple moved to the co-op because of its proximity to
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