Community Corner
Hard-Hit Community Center To Reflect With Candlelight Vigil
The Jewish Community Center of Mid-Westchester will mark a year of loss with a ceremony to thank those who rushed to help their community.
New Rochelle, NY—The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has hit the JCC of Mid-Westchester especially hard. The group is the largest community center serving New Rochelle, where the first COVID-19 transmission cluster in the country was identified and the first shut-down took place.
On Thursday, March 11, the community center will mark the anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic with a candlelight ceremony starting at 5pm. The outdoor, socially-distanced celebration will be attended by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Assembly Member Amy Paulin, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and JCC of Mid-Westchester CEO Karen Kolodny. Additionally, five local first responders who were on the frontlines during the first year of the pandemic will light memorial candles. Members of the National Guard who first responded to the earliest days of the pandemic have also been invited.
“When the city of New Rochelle became one of the first COVID epicenters in the US, JCCMW nonprofits and businesses did not reopen until months later,” a JCC spokesperson said in a statement announcing the remembrance. “Thursday’s ceremony will be a time to reflect on events of the past year, remember those lost and express gratitude for the health and safety of the community especially for our frontline health worker.”
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The planned celebration will take a personal turn when Kolodny takes a special moment to honor JCCMW employee and New Rochelle resident Cathy Klein who was, tragically, among the more than 500,000 US victims of the pandemic.
Attendance at the event will be limited due to continuing social distance guidance. All attendees and participants will be required to wear masks. For those not comfortable attending in person, the anniversary celebration will be streamed live online.
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The candlelight celebration will take place from 5pm until 6pm on Thursday at the JCC of Mid-Westchester facility at 999 Wilmot Road in Scarsdale.
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