A celebration of Holocaust Remembrance Day
The Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center, World ORT and the We are Here Foundation celebrated International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 with a virtual program.
The event featured remarks from Chuck Feldman, president of HAMEC, which recently moved from KleinLife to Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park.
Feldman spoke of HAMEC’s school programs, in which Holocaust survivors tell their stories in person, or virtually around the world. Donations can be made at HAMEC.org/donate or by mail.
Highlights of the program included stories by Holocaust survivors Ruth Hartz and Michael Herskovitz, student reflections on hearing from survivors and the singing of the Partisans’ Song in various languages. ••
History meeting tonight
The Northeast Philadelphia History Network will hold a Zoom meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m.
The topic is Gram’s Gift: the Story of Cyrus Bustill. The speaker will be genealogist, historian and author Joyce Mosley.
Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86845871082?pwd=eUZKUkNWNDM3cWthQS83Q29nNXVGUT09.
The meeting ID is 868 4587 1082. The passcode is 068169. ••
Learn about Holy Redeemer services
On Feb. 4, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Holy Redeemer Health System will host a free, open-to-the-community webinar to provide information on a range of home health care services.
Presented by Cynthia Carpenter and Annemarie Furdella, representatives from Holy Redeemer Home Care and Hospice, the webinar also will explore the different types of home health care, when patients should consider home health care, how to arrange for services and what patients can expect from the first visit.
The virtual Zoom presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Registration is required. To register, visit http://bit.ly/3sKYcxE.
For more information on Holy Redeemer’s orthopedics program, visit https://www.holyredeemer.com/LifeAssessatHome1.aspx. ••
Free tax help available
The IRS has announced that, due to the pandemic, the 2021 tax season for individual tax return filers will not begin until Feb. 12. The tax professionals at Campaign for Working Families advise wage earners to not wait to have their taxes prepared.
CWF has free tax sites to help low- to moderate-income earners complete their tax returns now, then submit the forms on Feb. 12 to the IRS to speed up their refunds.
Appointments are necessary to visit an in-person tax site, and can be scheduled at CWFPhilly.org.
The website also offers virtual tax prep, so taxpayers don’t have to leave home – they can simply upload their documents and verify personal information online, then an IRS-certified preparer will begin the work. ••
Blood drive at Loudenslager
The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive on Friday, Feb. 5, from 1 to 6 p.m., at Cpl. John Loudenslager American Legion Post 366, 7976 Oxford Ave.
Sign up by calling 800-RED CROSS or going to www.redcrossblood.org and entering VSH.
Face masks are required. ••
Free food and gunlocks
The sheriff’s office will hold a food box and gunlock giveaway on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Come As You Are Community Church, 4712 Oxford Ave. in Frankford.
Call 215-683-4804. ••
Author to discuss mom’s journey
The Sisterhood of Congregations of Shaare Shamayim will hold a Zoom talk and PowerPoint presentation by author Sherry V. Ostroff on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m.
Ostroff will discuss her mother’s escape from deadly pogroms in war-torn Russia to the United States at a time when immigration laws tried to keep her out. This memoir is the basis of her first book, The Lucky One.
The program will be followed by a Sisterhood business meeting. For further information, call 215-677-1600. ••
Half-price clothing sale
The Classroom Thrift Shop, 4301 Tyson Ave., sponsored by the women of Temple Menorah Keneseth Chai, will hold a half-price clothing sale Feb. 3-7
Shop hours are weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The shop is closed Saturdays. ••
Registration for BVM
Maternity BVM Catholic School will hold registration for new and returning families for the 2021-22 academic year on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 9 to 10 a.m. and 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the parish hall, 9322 Old Bustleton Ave.
For more information, call Mr. McDonough at 215-908-3329. ••
Learn about retired presidents
United States Presidents In Retirement will be the subject of a complimentary virtual series for adults being offered by KleinLife. The program is open to the public.
The series is being led by David Hudiak.
The program will be conducted on Feb. 8 from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.
To register and receive a Zoom link, contact Mariya Keselman-Mekler at 215-698-7300, Ext. 185 or mkeselman@kleinlife.org. ••
Barstool’s Portnoy helping small biz
Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy has established a fund to assist small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
The nationwide Barstool Fund has assisted some Philadelphia businesses, including the Red Rooster and Kelly’s Seafood.
Portnoy is famous for his pizza reviews, having recently given high scores to Tony’s Famous Tomato Pie and Montesini Pizza.
To apply for assistance, to make a tax-deductible donation or for more information, visit https://www.barstoolsports.com/the-barstool-fund. ••
Presentation re-accredited
Presentation BVM School has received accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Elementary Schools through Dec. 1, 2027.
An “Accredited” institution is an educational organization that meets all standards for accreditation, adheres to applicable policies and meets the requirements of the self-study protocol used.
For the next seven years, Presentation created a timeline for growth and improvement in three areas. Academically, the school will focus on increasing the students’ competence in science through the implementation of more STEM and hands-on activities and will also focus on improving the students’ writing skills. The school also aims to increase enrollment through various marketing strategies. ••
Tartaglione stays as Dem chair of Labor & Industry
State Sen. Christine Tartaglione has been reappointed as the minority-party chairwoman of the Senate Labor & Industry Committee for the 2021-2022 session and as a member of the following committees: Law & Justice, Banking & Insurance and Consumer Protections & Professional Licensure.
The senator has also been appointed to the bicameral Legislative Budget & Finance Committee as well as the Senate Committee on Ethics.
“I am honored and excited to begin the important work of the Labor & Industry Committee in the new Senate session and to continue to fight for the issues that are most important to the working people of the commonwealth,” Tartaglione said. “We have many urgent priorities such as raising the minimum wage, protecting workers from COVID-19 and other workplace threats, as well as improving the unemployment compensation system. I look forward to working with my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to benefit all Pennsylvania families.” ••
Managing stormwater in Lawncrest
State Sen. Christine Tartaglione announced that the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority board approved a $6.7 million loan to the City of Philadelphia for the rehabilitation of the stormwater collection system in the Lawncrest neighborhood.
The approved financing will be used to construct 31 green stormwater infrastructure systems, including tree trenches, stormwater bump-outs and stormwater trees. These systems will manage more than 13 acres of drainage area in the public right of way in Lawncrest. They will reduce the amount of stormwater entering the city’s combined sewer system in the area and help to prevent sewer overflows into local streams and the public water supply.
“Even in a dense urban area like Lawncrest in the heart of one of the nation’s largest cities, environmental protection must be our utmost concern,” Tartaglione said. “Projects like this reduce the amount of contaminated wastewater that, during major storm events, overflow our overburdened sewers and drain into local waterways like the Tacony Creek and ultimately the Delaware River.”
For more information, visit https://www.phila.gov/water/wu/stormwater/Pages/StormwaterManagement.aspx. ••
Federal money for schools
State Rep. Joe Hohenstein is applauding the awarding of $596.23 million in federal stimulus funds to help strengthen services for students in several schools in the Lower Northeast impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hohenstein said the financial resources will support food programs, technological improvements and other educational services. The funding will be distributed to, among others, First Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School ($6.55 million), Franklin Towne Charter High School ($4.11 million), Northwood Academy Charter School ($2.66 million) and the Philadelphia Charter School for Arts and Science at H.R. Edmunds ($3.57 million).
“We can’t let COVID-19 stop our young people from receiving a quality education,” Hohenstein said. “These federal stimulus dollars will play a crucial role in helping ensure students have the academic tools they need to learn safely, whether at home or in the classroom.”
The federal relief is provided by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, signed by President Donald Trump in December. ••
New CEO for New Foundations
New Foundations Charter School announced the hiring of Lydia Glassie as the school’s next CEO.
For close to 30 years, Glassie has served as an educational executive, instructional leader, social entrepreneur and teacher across the charter, district and nonprofit education sectors in Philadelphia, San Francisco and Baltimore.
Glassie is a native of Philadelphia and joins New Foundations after four years as the managing director of school investments at the Philadelphia School Partnership.
Glassie, who replaces Ron Brady, begins her work as CEO of New Foundations on March 1.
New Foundations serves 1,500 students in grades K-12. The elementary school is at 8001 Torresdale Ave. The high school is at 4850 Rhawn St. ••
Weekend of virtual activities
Congregations of Shaare Shamayim will be hosting a virtual Phenomenal February Weekend on Saturday, Feb. 20, through Monday, Feb. 22.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., it will be The Spirituality of Laughter with Rabbi Bob Alper. On Sunday at 2 p.m., The Matzoh Ball Diaries will feature actors sharing stories of food, culture and community. On Monday at 7:30 p.m., Jews In Space – Members of the Tribe in Orbit will be presented by the Jewish Museum of Maryland.
The cost for this weekend is $40 per program or $80 for all three. Checks must be received by Feb. 12. Include your email address.
Mail checks to the CSS office at 9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia, PA 19115. For further information, call 215-677-1600. ••
