East Meadow
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Vol. 20 No. 37
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A new normal for worshippers Religious officials say many members are slow to return mosque sees is about 40 parishioners each Friday for Jumma Mubarak, the holiest day of the Although houses of worship week in the Islamic faith. in East Meadow were permitted “People have gotten used to by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to joining in to prayers and other reopen as long ago programs on Zoom,” as June 6, religious Ahmad said, “so officials from across there wasn’t much different faiths have of a rush to come reported a similar back.” trend throughout And at Temple the summer: Many B ’ n a i To r a h , i n parishioners still Wantagh, to which prefer to worship many East Meadow from home. residents belong, all “I’m still services and prolivestreaming sergrams are still hostvices, because a lot e d re m o t e ly v i a of people aren’t comZoom, though the fortable going back ANThoNy office remains open yet,” said the Rev. f o r c l e r g y. “ We GIoRDANo Anthony Giordano, believe that at this of Calvary Lutheran Pastor, time, the Jewish valC h u r c h i n E a s t Calvary Lutheran ues of saving lives, Meadow. “And we’re Church preventing danger, finding that there and responsibility to are lot of people who our neighbors are attending now that weren’t demand that we maintain our going to services before.” distance as a religious communiHussain Ahmad, president of ty,” reads an explanation on the the Long Island Muslim Society, synagogue’s website. in East Meadow, shared a similar Giordano said that there are perspective. Although the varying reasons why Calvary mosque reduced its capacity parishioners have been tuning from 126 to 60, there are usually in to services on Zoom rather only about 15 people praying at a time. The biggest gathering the Continued on page 3
By BRIAN STIEGlITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com
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Brian Stieglitz/Herald
Splash park to go to the dogs State Sen. Kevin Thomas, left, U.S. Rep. Kathleen Rice and Nassau County Executive Laura Curran came to Eisenhower Park last Friday to announce that guests could bring their dogs to its splash park on Sept. 13. Story, more photos, Page 5.
Principals welcome students back to school amid pandemic By BRIAN STIEGlITZ bstieglitz@liherald.com
After a summer of preparation and planning, all nine schools in the East Meadow School District welcomed students back on Tuesday for the first time in nearly six months. While some students will attend classes on a hybrid schedule and others will continue to learn remotely, district officials have created a reopening plan
aimed at providing all of them with the same access to education. In anticipation of Tuesday, the district sent parents a video montage featuring welcoming messages from the principals of each school. Gregory Bottari, who heads Barnum Woods Middle School, began his message in front of the school on May Lane, saying, “This building has missed you.” “Many people say it’s impossi-
ble to pull off a year like this,” Bottari continued. “And I have to share with you, I have in my office a saying that says, ‘Impossible is an opinion.’ I truly believe that. Our kids will learn and thrive this year, and that’s a promise.” The district released its reopening plan on Aug. 7, though some components were still subject to change even as students entered their classrooms on Continued on page 3
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