JACK SCHWARZ PHOTO
Volume 25, Issue 5
Serving the residents of North Shore Towers since 1995
May 2020
The New Normal at NST Life During Covid-19 Self-Quarantine
Caring & Serving
OBITUARY:
Mitch Goldstein
TOWERS TALES:
The Friedmans
We’re In This Together As a community, we will come through this stronger than we were before, hopefully, with memories that are better than we imagined. Just know we must remember this is a waiting game. We need to be patient. We need to be strong. Life will become routine again.
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Be healthy, be happy, and stay home. Tips to stay active during this time 1. Dance to some music 2. Meditate 3. Stretch
Linda Rappaport | 718-423-3130 | NSTowers.com
The New Normal at NST
Life During COVID-19 Self-Quarintine
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he North Shore Towers community has been adjusting to the “new normal” of the public health emergency created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past month, residents self-quarantined in their apartments, donned masks, practiced social-distancing in public spaces and carefully washed their hands better than ever before to stay healthy at home. The virus also claimed the lives of residents Mitch Goldstein and Donald Wein. Steve Auerbach compiled a collection of stories below concerning how some in the community have been handling the pandemic situation. Several residents have even written pandemic inspired poetry as a creative outlet. Steve Auerbach: When I turned to our in-house cable channel 995 I watched with amazement at how many folks walked into the mailroom and were walking around the lobby as if it was any normal day. Well, it’s not! The only way to lower the COVID-19 curve is to stay in your apartments no matter how hard it seems, especially since the warm weather has arrived. We will beat it together by staying apart. For those of you who take this message seriously, I thank you. Terry Feit: I have found many ways to keep busy. First I am following all the health procedures that are being told to us: gloves, masks, and washing hands, plus social distancing. I hope everybody is doing the same. It is the only way to keep NST healthy. I have gone through my clothing closets and put aside many things for charity, and I have the neatest sock draw ever. I have spent hours going thru all my files, medical, financial and personal. It is amazing how large a pile of outdated and unnecessary paper I have shredded. Two bags in the house and two bags to bring to Staples, since
they have a machine. Of course, I am reading many things, including magazines, the Wall Street Journal, and a couple of books. Nighttime is for Netflix. One last idea. I try every day to get out and take a walk on the golf course. I wear gloves and a mask and it helps clear my head. I also feel good doing the exercise. Stan Landau: I get up at 6:30 am and walk the Arcade from Building One to Building Three and back four times, for a total of two miles, with a mask on. Then it’s back for breakfast and I read The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Then it’s time to check my email, the stock market, and by then it is already 11:00 am. Since the gym is closed, I use two half-gallon milk containers filled with water for weights. I also spend a lot of time on the phone talking with four adult children, nine grandkids, and old friends that I haven’t spoken to in years. I have even used Facetime and Zoom to stay in touch. I write short stories, and at 4:00 pm walk the 18th hole of the golf course for a breath of fresh air and then pick up the mail. I have been reading one book a week, and at 5:00 pm enjoy a single-malt scotch with my wife, Maxine, with her glass of chardonnay. Then it’s the 6:00 pm news, Jeopardy and then Netflix. Lights out at 11:00 pm. They say the only constant is change. 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!
Dan Nachmanoff: Gloria and I are doing well. We have been streaming the opera from the Met every few days, managing not to bother each other too much. We are 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. Jerry Siegel: I am doing everything in my power to stay safe and I hope my neighbors are doing the same. I watch more movies, read a lot more, and try to listen to Gov. Cuomo when he gives his daily report. He should run for President. I miss the camaraderie of the Men’s Club, particularly the breakfasts and the members’ only lunches. I hope we can resume soon. I will plan a very celebratory event when this is over. Jon Katz: I’m very cautious about health and safety. I wear a mask all the time when shopping, but not when walking the golf course. Extra time is spent on the computer and television time (in the past I virtually never watched TV), including Amazon Prime and Netflix. Most of all I miss traveling, but am reading The New York Times’ and Wall Street Journal’s every article now. We use FaceTime, Zoom, and WhatsApp a lot. We are ordering to the Towers from restaurants for home delivery, shopping downstairs is easy, and walking the golf course is special Steven Kirschner: I am reading my books on Kindle. We are isolating ourselves, except for my sojourns to CVS or ShopRite. We watch the news a great deal for updates and I read The New York Times completely daily. I miss going to the gym daily.
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North Shore Towers residents socialize outdoors at a distance due to Covid-19.
JACK SCHWARZ PHOTOS
Building Three Concierge Carlos Espino.
Science Experts Agree Newspapers Are Safe 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 April 18th edition of 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.” On March 27th 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.” R e n o w n e d v i r o l o g i s t G e o rg e 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.”
We Cope to Hope By Vicki Mazel
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ince all the activities of the North Shore Towers Women’s Club have been temporarily suspended, perhaps some offbeat humor might be a welcome relief. Although we look forward to resuming normal programming in the future, we are still perfecting the art of handwashing. This activity is accompanied with masks, gloves, and new use of space. For example, “elevatoring” has become a procedural occurrence, including how to push the buttons with elbows, gloves, pens, and other tools of the trade. Social distance might have had a hand in the decline of the birth rate; however, in today’s situation, it is a requirement of the new rules. This historic moment impacts on all levels, including discovering past events in literature that might suggest déjà vu. In Elizabethan times, it is pos-
sible that Shakespeare’s plays had already experienced a similar pandemic. If so, his tragedies performed at the Globe Theater might have had the dialogues in the box at the bottom of this page. How are we all coping during this crisis? For starters, we suddenly find time on our hands, time that we often longed to have in better days. Oh, to fix up the closets and go through the drawers and do general spring cleaning; what lofty goals. Now perhaps we can catch up on our reading and finish our books, and go through outof-style clothing, without replenishing the racks with new purchases. Suddenly there are empty hangers and a pile of shoulderpadded polo shirts. There’s the rub–there’s no shopping. Early withdrawal hit me while going to get gas for my car and passing by all the closed shops Now here are experiences garnered from some of my Women’s Club friends; Continued on Page 11
The Pandemic Prince By Vicki Mazel To sneeze or not to sneeze, That is the question. As I hide my fear Of contagious congestion. T’is the devil’s work of the sorriest sort, Satanic signs attend, He our wrath doth wrought. Scullery maids scurry, With no ken of mensa, As they wash down the palace, With ill-smelling cleanser.
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For naught would I chasten, Or take them to task. But I would give why kingdom, For an N95 mask. T’is a feeling that abounds, Consequences so grave. Distemper soars the kingdom, To each foolish prattling knave. Get thee indoors with haste, Deprived sense elst insane. Prithee hearken to my words, For it is I, Hamlet the Dane.
Unbated and envenomed scourge, Oft spreads its horrid hent. As people ere bathe and lave, None guilty to repent. Where is my fair Ophelia? Where is the lady of my loves? My heart awaits with strings of steel. For the coveted rubber gloves. Oh that all may be well and calm. To eject the hateful and bawdiest. Ah, methinks the time has come, Returnest to dust the odious Claudius! But hark the couriers babble on, Midst tales of scales of numbers. Deport, report and stay thee home, T’is no wish for any more slumbers. Oh, cursed havoc reaps its toll, Defeat the canker in our midst. To shuttle off this mortal coil, Wrack and climb off the abyss. Heralds and tribunes sound the words, T’is time to begone the menace. Joy and music in instances erupt, Ere welcomes to Buffy and Dennis. We deny our grief with pleasure. Gyms and pools open within hours Life to lounges and intellects stage Heralded back to North Shore Towers!
Towers Tales: Pat and Phil Friedman By Fred Chernow
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o you remember where you were in November of 1949? Perhaps you were not yet born. We are attracting younger residents. Pat and Phil Friedman remember it quite well, since that was when they got married. Yes, 71 years ago. Phil grew up in a poor section of Brooklyn, but with ambition and diligence he rose to become a corporate vice president in one of America’s major corporations, Pfizer, a multinational pharmaceutical corporation that owns Upjohn, Parke Davis, Searle, Viagra, and many other divisions. As their 70th wedding anniversary approached, they wanted to do something special with their family, something everyone would remember fondly. Where did you grow up? My family lived in the East New York section of Brooklyn. I had a brother fouryears older and a sister nine-years younger. I attended the local high school, Thomas Jefferson. Three months after my 18th birthday, I was drafted in the Navy during
World War II, I completed a 16-week training program and I was then sent to Treasure Island, California. From there I was sent to the Oakland Navy Supply Depot where I spent two years. Where did you continue your education? I went to City College where I met my lovely wife, Pat, at a house plan party. It was love at first sight for each of us. We married on November 24, 1949, at the Tree of Life Temple on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. It seems like just yesterday. After graduating CCNY with an accounting degree I attended Brooklyn Law School at night for a four-year program. I worked at an accounting firm in the daytime and went to law school at night. It was hard for Pat because by then we had a one-year-old son and she took care of him all the time with little help from me. What came next? I passed both the bar exam and the certified public accounting exams and became an attorney and a C.P.A. Arthur Young, a multinational accounting firm, hired me and I spent seven years with them. I was then asked to join Pfizer Inc. as a tax attorney, where I enjoyed a long and satisfying
career. I was with them for 27 years and retired at age 65. When I retired I had the title Corporate Vice President. I oversaw all the United States taxes the corporation paid. I also worked on their international taxation. What did Pat do during this period? Pat went back to school to obtain a masters degree in Library Science when our youngest child, our daughter, was only
five years old. She was awarded her degree from Queens College. She started as a Children’s Librarian at the Oak Drive School in Plainview and spent eight years there. But because of budget cuts, many schools in the Plainview School District closed. Fortunately, the Syosset School district hired her for two years but soon faced similar Continued on Page 14
Son-in-law Rob, Granddaughter Alison, daughter Carla, Grandson Jordan and fiancee Haley, Granddaughter Marissa. Seated: Phil and Pat Friedman.
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Covid-19 Stops Yom HaShoah Commemoration Rabbi Michael Klayman Lake Success Jewish Center
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everal months ago I watched the film “Who Will Write Our History?” The movie chronicles the work directed by Emanuel Ringelblum, a noted historian who lived in the Warsaw Ghetto. Ringelblum and his courageous chroniclers secretly recorded life in the Ghetto: Writing about the tragic daily life as well as offering literature, biographies, and personal reflections based on the unspeakable atrocities taking place around them. Ringelblum‘s clandestine historical society was known as Oyneg Shabbas (the Hebrew/Yiddish expression meaning ‘Joy of the Sabbath’); clearly, a code name to protect against Nazi suspicions. Before having to escape the Ghetto to survive, members of Oyneg Shabbas hid the documents in three containers, two of which were discovered after the war. Much of our information about the Warsaw Ghetto is due to the persistence and fearlessness of Ringelblum and his limited staff.
I received my first serious exposure to the Shoah when I was 13 and spending my first summer at a Jewish camp. Our division presented a brief skit about the Ghetto. In the course of that experience, I learned about Emanuel Ringelblum, who became one of my lifetime spiritual heroes. Without his efforts, perhaps the Nazis would have succeeded not only in achieving the Final Solution but in keeping much of their evil an eternal secret. In the course of writing about the Shoah, many historians and chroniclers (both those who lived in Eastern Europe and those who did not) questioned the value of Ringelblum’s Oyneg Shabbas. As Jewish blood was shed in the streets of the Warsaw Ghetto and similar towns and shtibels throughout Europe, why were many ablebodied Jews writing history when they could have joined those fighting the Nazis with their last ounce of strength? Why were they recording the merciless execution of Jews instead of physically defending their homes, their town, and their families? As a Jew born after the Shoah, I maintain the right to ask such valid questions, but never the right to challenge the judgment and wisdom of Jewish men and women who were living through hell. Against overwhelming odds, it become clear that
Commemorate the Holocaust Advocate for ‘Never Again’ Legislation By Dee Dee Goidel
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by the time Jews in Warsaw understood the ultimate Nazi intentions, no Jewish military response would succeed in defeating such an imposing army. Jews who eventually fought did so for the honor of the Jewish people. They did so perhaps in the name of vengeance. They did so to ensure that Jews would be remembered for defending themselves rather than being lambs to the slaughter. Perhaps their fighting would enable some to escape, but chances of military victory were nil. The contributors to Oyneg Shabbas were not going to win a military war against the Jews, but they could win a different war: Hitler’s war to keep the extermination a secret. To this latter war, Ringelblum and associates dedicated their life; recording and chronicling Ghetto history so that it would be preserved for future generations to bear witness through the written testimony. The reality of COVID-19 has affected one Yom HaShoah reality: It prevents our public commemoration. However, there is a second Yom HaShoah reality which exists outside of this pernicious virus: The reality of a world with few remaining Holocaust survivors. As the survivor generation decreases, the generations of Jews more detached from the Holocaust increases precipitously. In a few years, the
only testimony remaining will be second hand. Second, third, fourth and even fifth generation survivors will share testimony of their Shoah ancestors, but only second hand. Consequently, the invaluable work of Oyneg Shabbas remains perhaps even more crucial now. Ringelblum and his associates preserved for us a written history, for which we must all bear witness. The O.S. descriptions of daily life, the personal reflections, and brief biographies so painfully recorded, the poetry reflecting agony of a Warsaw Ghetto author are the testimonies left to us. We must never demand that our younger generations feel the pain which no postHolocaust Jew could ever begin to feel. What we must demand is that in the name of a generation nearly gone, our young preserve the history. They must acknowledge that Oyneg Shabbas and other written, eyewitness testimonies were written for them. The Ringelblum film is entitled “Who Will Write Our History?” To our generations present and future, the question remains, who will preserve our history? May we, the Jewish people in the United States, Israel and throughout the world preserve and honor our history with passion and commitment.
‘As the survivor generation decreases, the generations of Jews more detached from the Holocaust increases precipitously.’
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s you are aware, due to the CDC regulation of personal distancing, the Board of Directors and Migdal Hadassah had to cancel North Shore Towers’ Annual Holocaust Program. We were all disappointed; however, there is still something we can each do while we shelter in our apartments. We can write emails or call our congressional and New York U.S. senators to sign on and help pass the “Never Again Education Act” in 2020. This bill would establish federal funds to finance middle and high schools to develop and mandate the teaching of universal Holocaust educational programs. Presently, it has some bipartisan support in congress and the senate. The “Never Again Education Act,” if passed into law, will make sure that all future generations will be educated in the
Holocaust history. It will also silence those who wish to rewrite history claiming that the Holocaust never happened. It will set an example for all generations to learn about every race and religion, with the mission to eliminate bigotry. Your advocacy will be a pro-active stance that will be especially meaningful to those NST residents whose families were personally affected by the Holocaust. Your advocacy will be helpful to ensure that the 6 million Jewish people and others who were killed in the Holocaust did not die in vain. Ask your following legislators to support the “Never Again Education Act” which pertains to mandating Holocaust Education in Middle and High Schools. •Senator Chuck Schumer: Schumer.senate.gov, NY phone (212) 486 4430. •Senator Kristin Gillibrand, Gillibrand. senate.gov, NY phone (212) 688-6262. •Congressman Tom Suozzi, Suozzi. house.gov, NY phone (718) 631 0400.
At last year’s North Shore Towers Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day candle lighting, Thursday, May 2nd at the Towers on the Green: Peri Hirsch, Rose Koren, Hilda Schwartz, Edith Luster, Eva Kesner, Dr. Eva Ebin and Vera Eden.
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Caring and Serving NST TOWER TIMES • May 2020 • 9
From: NST Bd. of Directors To: Our management team and support staff Re: Thank you You leave your families each day to care for our North Shore Towers family. Day in and day out, you unselfishly come to maintain us and our facility. We want you to know we deeply appreciate your loyalty and concern. Our management team, concierges, doormen, porters, handymen, and security personnel all do the jobs that make the challenges we are facing just a little more bearable. We wish you and yours good health and safety in the difficult time ahead. North Shore Towers Bd. of Directors pictured left: Ed Phelan, Mario Carmiciano, Robert Ricken , Steve Kirschner, Fred Chernow, Martin Schwartzman, Jim Short and Debra Markell-Kleinert.
Message from Congressman Tom Suozzi
We are in this together! Yes, this is a tough time. No getting around that. Some of us are sick. We all know someone who has died. Some folks are truly worried about not only their health, but their finances. We are isolated from our friends, neighbors and family. Some are doing their jobs from home while also home schooling their children. And some are suiting up with face coverings and gloves to do their “essential” jobs or just to go shopping. We are all grateful. We are all affected. Throughout our nation’s history, the resilience and spirit of Americans in times of hardship have been proven over and over again. We will come out on the other side of this. In the meantime, we are a country that has faced crisis many times, and standing strong and standing together, we survived and thrived. We will survive this crisis, but it will be much easier if we do it together, taking care of each other, lending a helping hand to our neighbors. We are in this together!
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Stay Home. Stay Safe. Stop the Spread.
Paid for by Suozzi for Congress
SuozziForCongress.com
Early Resident Mitch Goldstein, 84
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itch Goldstein, one of the earliest residents of North Shore Towers, passed away due to COVID-19 complications after a successful routine surgery. He was 84. Born in Brooklyn on July 28, 1935, Goldstein lived his early years in the Sea Gate community with his two-year younger sister, mother, and father. At a young age, they moved to 17th Street and Avenue R, where he attended elementary school and Madison High School. At age 20 he and the family moved to 21st Street off of Kings Highway. As a youngster, he went to Stissing Lake Camp, where he was awarded medals for the best all-around camper and best swimmer. He also loved the radio shows in those days, especially The Green Hornet, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, and Tarzan. In addition, he always enjoyed old, old movies, and his favorite actor was Orson Welles. Goldstein attended New York University, Bronx campus, and lived in the dorms as a pre-dental student, majoring in chemistry. His father owned the largest dental lab in the city at that time, so it was assumed he was going to be a dentist. However, a year into dental school he still couldn’t carve a tooth into the plaster, so he decided to drop out of dental school and drop into law school at Brooklyn Law School. He graduated in 1960, and while serving six months at Fort Dix he passed the bar exam. In February 1965 he took a girl from the Bronx on a blind date to a Bnai Zion dinner at the NY Hilton. He traveled from Brooklyn to the Bronx to Manhattan and back
regularly. “Is it any wonder that they were married in November, nine months after meeting?,” Phyllis Goldstein asked jokingly. The newlyweds lived in Riverdale for the first 10 years of their marriage and then moved to North Shore Tow-
Phyllis and Mitch Goldstein.
ers. During those years, he had his law office at Broadway and Chambers Street in lower Manhattan, specializing in criminal matters. Years later he turned to real estate and commercial law. Goldstein was also an ardent supporter of Israel. In 1998 when former intelligence analyst for the United States government Jonathan Pollard was not considered for release from prison, Goldstein arranged for his sister to speak at the Lake Success Jewish Center. At Sammy’s Romanian on Chrystie St. Goldstein had everyone sign a petition urging the president to commute Pollard’s sentence. Also in 1988, Rabbi Meir Kahane spoke at the Lake Success Jewish Center. “On Nov. 6, 1989, Rabbi Kahane attended a gathering of 100 people in our apartment,” Phyllis said. “He then went down to the movie theater where he spoke to a standing-room-only audience. People emptied their pockets to support their cause.” After the Goldsteins retired they enjoyed traveling the world, always adding on to the beginning and the end of their journeys. These included Hawaii, San Francisco, Alaska, Las Vegas, Ecuador, Galapagos, Africa, Bruges, Antwerp, and Amsterdam. They also enjoyed many cruises to places such as Cuba, Ireland, Iceland, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Greek isles. Phyllis recalled, “after a 60-day cruise around South America the question Mitch always asked was, ‘Where are you dragging me next?’”
We Cope to Hope
Continued from Page 4 all coping in their own style. A close friend of mine at the club enjoys cooking. She has not emerged from the kitchen in 18 days and has already gained nine pounds, according to her scale. Food ordering is an activity that has occupied one of our members. She has become quite adept at “PeaPod” phoning, and plans her calls for takeout an hour that she knows are lower volume; often setting her alarm clock to make sure of her order being taken at a favorable time. Delivery is often not for several weeks, but she has her menus planned well in advance A brave soul on the club has been venturing out a bit in
JACK SCHWARZ PHOTOS
June Schwarz demonstrates NST virus-chic. Yours truly was able to keep busy doing a little extra writing, with my interest in Shakespeare and Elizabethan vernacular. At least it keeps me out of trouble (Page 13).
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Waiting for the bus at NST.
the arcade for some needed items. She follows the safety rules and always dresses in appropriate garb. Her query to me was if I thought she needed to wear lipstick under her mask. That remains an open question. Revlon or Clinique? I thought I would have a very interesting conversation when I asked one of our committee members what she was busy with. “I’m just looking at my roots,” she answered. I excitedly asked if she meant Brooklyn or the Bronx, ready to have a nostalgic conversation about either borough. “My roots are growing in so quickly that I’ll look like a zebra soon,” she stated in an agitated voice. I’m sure she is one of many who can’t wait for the hair salons to open. One of my favorite activities is called “Wenches Sitting On Benches.” On any given nice day there are people walking on the golf course or the parking lots doing their laps six feet apart. Between hearing devices, masks, windy conditions and distance, conversation is held to a minimum. That is compensated for after the walk is over, as the walkers retire to the benches in the circle. The sundrenched area has become an afternoon magnet with two people on a bench conversing and enjoying the respite from the solitude of their apartments. Now we come to the latest in highlights for holidays which many of our members participated in: “Zooming.” Many seders were conducted coast to coast with absent family members able to participate by using the Zoom app on their devices. Squares of loved ones faces filled our screens as we traded stories, read the Hagaddahs, or showed off new babies, etc. I didn’t even have a lot of dishes to do afterward.
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The Play’s The Thing By Vicki Mazel Two gentlemen from Verona caught the corona, Took themselves to task, Saved the lives of the Merry Wives, By giving them supplies of masks. Two gentlemen from Verona caught the corona, They really had some issues. Coughed and spit and had a fit, When they both ran out of tissues. Two gentlemen from Verona caught the corona Acted like two silly fools, They ventured out and walked about, And never followed the rules. Two gentlemen from Verona caught the corona,
Though they acted with no malice They roamed the halls ere unmasked, And spread lethal dust in the palace, Two gentlemen from Verona caught the corona, Turned out to be a real menace. Took to bed when the virus spread, And infected the Merchant of Venice. Two gentlemen of Verona caught the corona, Its venom wasn’t finished yet, Struck the two star cross’d lovers, Sweet cursed Romeo and Juliet. Willy’s eternal words doth ring, His soulful tales to tell. Out with this sulfurous scourge, Ah! All will be well that ends well!
Coronavirus Thoughts
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I
’m reaching out to all our NST Men’s Saturday or Sunday. Club Members who are suffering as I The highlight of my day is taking out the am. Many of us, or should I say all of garbage, when I can suit-up, putting on my us, are going stir crazy being in our apart- gloves, mask and taking a few wipes so I’m ments more than ever before. We need not touching any doorknobs or the handle of some mental stimulation other than watch- the chute. And for the first time, the group I ing Netflix, Prime, Showtime or HBO. used to have breakfast with and discuss all Even though I had recently bought a zero the medications we were taking has now (very comfortable) gravity chair I switched to movie reviews and am getting calluses on my derrière. how much weight we have gained. My solution would be starting It’s hard walking into the living our current events program room without making a stop in again as we had in the past in the the kitchen first. Joanne has asked Coleridge Lounge. But this time me how many meals do I eat a day around it would be achieved via now. I of course answer three, but email from the comfort of your Steve Auerbach the rest are snacks. But there are some bright spots. Even apartment, and it wouldn’t help with my calluses, but I am willing to sacrifice. You though I lost half of my holdings in the would respond as before, except for the fact market, I am up $9,487,000 with online you would be typing your responses to our poker. When I called the casino to cash questions or statements. If you would like to out, all I heard was laughter. I don’t know be part of this pilot program please get back how the casino makes money considering to me via email only (sandtrap11@aol.com). they gave me the money to start and I never If this is successful it could be expanded to contributed anything! On a more serious note, we are way all our residents to participate. beyond social distancing. There is only * * * I always hated the movie Groundhog one thing to do and that is to stay in your Day, because it had such a ridiculous apartment. You do not need to pick up your premise. So whoever thought I would take mail or your packages every day. Don’t put Bill Murray’s part and star in the movie? I our wonderful employees that work in your lose track of days, especially the weekends. lobby in harm’s way. As Governor Cuomo has repeated the The only way I know for sure is when I don’t see the stock prices cross the bottom phrase, “We will get through this together, of the screen on CNBC I know it must be as long as we stay apart.”
NST COVID-19 Poetry By Joan L. Targove To sneeze or not to sneeze, Covid-19: A Terrible Dream But NST reigns supreme Residents of NST don’t be fools Stay inside and follow the rules This virus is a killer And yes, we are all frightened But we must all stick together Six-feet apart as we have been enlightened We know it isn’t easy, especially if you are alone There are so many things to do, like use your telephone Call your family, keep in touch Read, meditate, cook and such
The employees of NST are certainly doing their share They work day and night to fight this virus–they truly care The Management Office and the Board of D. Keep us informed of what will be We have our restaurants, stores, friends galore NST– We can’t ask for anything more So we must have patience to wait and pray That they will find a vaccine to end this virus any day We’re all here for each other in the meantime Stay safe, wear masks, and hopefully, we’ll all be fine.
TOWER TIMES • May 2020 • 13
his article was written on Friday, On Sunday, March 15th I had gathered up March 20, so most likely you will enough courage to venture out to Shoprite not be reading it until the last week and saw just what I suspected—empty in April. I can only wonder where the shelves and long lines at the checkout. epidemic will have led us by then. At this There were a few cans of Progresso broccoli point, it appears as though the time peri- cheese soup left on the shelf. I figured I od before we overcome this virus will be would play it smart and return later the next lengthy. This is a battle the likes of which evening. The shelves were still pretty bare. many of us have never seen in our Not surprisingly, the two cans of entire lives. broccoli cheese soup remained. A few weeks ago the North Who would buy broccoli cheese Shore Towers board wisely soup? scheduled a meeting to address the Walking through the arcade on Coronavirus crisis. The meeting Tuesday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s was addressed by Acting Bd. Day) I wondered if Buffy’s and Howard Arkin President Fred Chernow, Dr. the VIP room would have corned Stanley Goldsmith, General Manager Glen beef and cabbage on their menus. Both Kotowski and Dr. Gabriela Solis Ramirez restaurants were closed, but city regulations of Northwell Health. Solis Ramirez, being permitted them to deliver. Passover falls on an expert in the field of infectious diseases, April 8th and Easter Sunday on April 12th explained many of the precautions we this year. I hope that the people making deliveries on those two days are in pretty should be taking to win the battle. A few days later a series of federal, state good shape. Unfortunately, the Men’s Club has had and city regulations were issued, some of which were going to have a profound to cancel all upcoming events. Technology, effect on our everyday lives. Hopefully, as great as it is, has allowed us to keep in we are all following them. I’ve been using touch with one another, but it is not the same the sanitizing container in both the lobby as actually being together. I will miss the and arcade and I keep a safe distance from breakfasts, Steve’s current events, as well others, which can have some ancillary as the luncheons and club dinners. I feel as though we are in the twilight zone and benefits. Next week I have appointments with both cannot wait for it to end. I’ve tried to make light of some situations my dentist and my accountant. I was hoping to make both of them, but was recently as the country navigates through this crisis. informed that the IRS was granting a three- Hopefully, if we all adhere to the rules and month extension to file tax returns. I decided regulations set forth we can mitigate the effects of the Coronavirus. it would be wise to wait.
The Tsunami Is Coming
Baton Twirling During Covid-19 Crisis By Fran Gordon
P
Fran Gordon selfie, twirling her baton.
eaks and valleys, mountains and gullies, highs and lows, hope and despair. And yet through it all, a will to keep steady and chart the course...but to where and to what end? Some have suffered greatly with indescribable pain and torture. I have not. I remain healthy as do my loved ones. I am safe thanks to our North Shore Towers heroes, but how am I? I don’t have a car, so drives or minimal shopping has been eliminated. My lease was up, the car returned, a trip to Spain cancelled, we were quarantined and the new car showroom is now closed with my car locked inside waiting to be picked up. But it just doesn’t matter. I approach each day without thinking of the next, which is too far away. My plan is for my waking hours, of which some days I am more successful than others. I have found a successful routine for my time outside. I walk the golf course to the music
14 • TOWER TIMES • May 2020
Pat and Phil Friedman Continued from Page 14 budget cuts. Her next position was as a Children’s Librarian at the Gotham Avenue School in Elmont. She spent 12 years there and then retired. The best part of her retirement was her ability to accompany me as I made foreign trips for Pfizer before my retirement a year later. What do your children do? We have three children: Larry, our oldest is graduated from NYU Law School. He has his own practice in New Jersey specializing in elder law. He and his wife, Leslie, live in Bridgewater. She is a retired school speech therapist. They have one son, Mark, who also attended NYU Law School and has joined his father’s practice. Mark is married and his wife received a master’s degree in International Law from NYU, where they met. Our middle child is Jonathan, he is a journalist who graduated from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s a successful freelance writer who lives in Manhattan. He also teaches journalism at Stony Brook University. Our third child is Carla. She and her husband Rob live in Jericho, Long Island, and have three children. Their son Jordan graduated from Duke and is an investment adviser to a multi-billion dollar family. He is now engaged to a lovely young lady and we are all looking forward to their wedding in August. Marissa is their middle
child. She is a Northwestern graduate and recently joined Google. Allison, their third child, is a senior graduating in June, also from Northwestern. How long have you been married? On Thanksgiving of 2019, we celebrated our 70th Anniversary. As early as March we started thinking of how to celebrate this special occasion with our entire family. We wanted to do something that would bring back pleasant memories for all of us in the future. Pat and I had been on many cruises. Crystal was our favorite line. Their holiday cruise, which we had enjoyed many years before appealed to us as the perfect event. It was a two-week cruise of the Caribbean Islands and sailed from December 22, 2019, through January 6, 2020, on the Crystal Serenity, starting from and ending in Miami. We were a large group: our three children, spouses, four grandkids, all adults, my sister, and us. The cruise was very costly, but a complete success, enjoyed by all of us. We still talk about it. When did you come to the Towers? We sold or house in Jericho and moved here in June of 1996. We have participated in many of the amenities. I was an active member of the Finance Committee and have also served on the Country Club, Long Range Planning, and Grievance committees. Pat and I made many friends here and enjoy an active social life.
of one of my favorite composers, John Philip Sousa. His vigorous tempo and inspiring melodies bring me back to my high school days of being a majorette with my little blue skirt, Jericho Jayhawk sweater, baton and my beloved white boots with the tassel. Oh, how it brought back memories marching and leading the band in cold weather with the baton banging against frostbitten knuckles, flying across the field to retrieve it and sprinting to get back to the front. I ordered a baton.
I am out marching the golf course, twirling my away around twists and turns with a spirit and a passion to move forward with reverberating success to remain strong and healthy. Yes, I have participated in Zoom gatherings, FaceTime, What’sApp and other forms of social communication. The only face to face connection that matters is the face I see in the mirror each morning and evening.
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Pages From Our Past The co-op and all cooperatives in Queens received even higher increases for next year. The tax inequity between private homes and cooperative homes has finally reached a point that our elected officials joined the newly created Presidents of Queens Cooperatives Council in an attempt to address the issue. A series of meetings had been held. MAY 2015. Updated Website Unveiled The new and improved NST website was officially unveiled at the Wednesday, April 1st Bd. of Directors meeting at the Towers on the Green. The site was designed to demonstrate the co-op’s new motto, “North Shore Towers, a special place to call home–Enjoy the lifestyle.” “The website we created is contemporary, and most importantly compatible with mobile devices,” Special Projects and Publicity Committee Chairperson Maria Termini-Miller said. “It is currently in test mode and will go live soon…The website will convey the many ways that make North Shore Towers a special place. “ NST 40th Anniversary Plans They say that life begins at 40. North Shore Towers was about to prove it, with an action-packed, three-day 40th-anniversary celebration from June 12th to June 14th. The co-op celebrated its fourth decade as the outstanding all-inclusive community in the New York area, combining superb spacious apartments with incredible amenities. Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day at NST Many residents and friends of NST gathered together
on Wednesday, April 15th in the VIP Room in honor of Yom Hashoah, a special evening of Holocaust remembrance that has become an annual tribute at the co-op. Co-chairpersons Eneas Arkawy and Manek Werdiger introduced a program featuring speakers, music, video, and a moving candle-lighting ceremony conducted by some of the Holocaust survivors residing in the community.
TOWER TIMES • May 2020 • 15
MAY 2011 High Tech Towers Towers residents were soon to be offered a new computerized online service, designed to improve communications and help streamline property management interactions with the community. The system offered a variety of functions to be phased in gradually, starting with package tracking and routine resident communications. Board Directors called the new website, hosted by MyBuilding.org, user-friendly and intuitive. State Sen. Addresses Co-op Issues State Sen. Tony Avella discussed his support of legislation lowering co-op and condo owner’s property taxes to levels paid by one, two and three-family homeowners, Thursday, April 7th at the Towers on the Green. Club Prepares For New Season After April’s cold and snowy start, residents were eagerly anticipating the upcoming summer season. Golf Professional Bob Guido said he is also anticipating another exciting year, as the club took delivery of 13 new golf carts to keep the players rolling along. This year, a weekly report will also be offered on the inhouse cable channel, featuring interviews with members, golf lessons, tips, and sports reports on tournaments. High NYC Taxes Bd. President Robert Ricken wrote that NST paid New York City $18,261,000 in taxes. That comprises an enormous part of the approximately $40,000,000 budget.
Thinking of You! In these challenging times we are all looking forward to being together again soon! For over 34 years it has been my privilege to work with my friends and neighbors at
NORTH SHORE TOWERS!
I look forward to continuing to help you with all of your Real Estate needs with my same Experience, Commitment and Dedication!
BE WELL! STAY SAFE! 16 • TOWER TIMES • May 2020
WARM WISHES,
Annette Kroll MAGIC OF GREAT NECK REALTY (718) 631-8867 • www.AnnetteKroll.com