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Friday, January 3, 2020
Vol. 95, No. 1
HEALTH & WELLNESS
RABBI FELDMAN DEAD AT 55
GROWING NUMBER OF ANTI-SEMITIC ATTACKS
PAGES 25-32
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
9
Baskets for NYC’s homeless
L E T ’ S TA L K A B O U T I T
Sisters, 11 and 12, gain public support BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z Rebecca and Danielle Apflebaum’s trips from Great Neck to New York City to hand out necessity baskets to the homeless population has transformed from a small act of kindness to a worldwide initiative. The charitable idea stemmed from Rebecca’s birthday wish when she turned 11 in September. Rather than asking for gifts, she wanted to spend a day off from school to travel into the city and spread kindness to those in need of it. “It’s so incredible to see such kindness and selflessness from your children,” said their mother, Regine Basha. “It makes me feel amazing, and certainly feels like I did something right as their mother, which is all you can truly ask for as a parent.” Rebecca, along with her 12-year-old sister, Danielle, and their mother, put together a dozen baskets to distribute along the streets of New York City. Each basket is filled with Continued on Page 44
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE GREAT NECK PUBLIC SCHOOLS DISTRICT
North High students participated in Mental Health & Wellness Week from Dec. 9-13. See story on page 43.
Petition signed against librarian Manhasset Library director’s comments perceived as biased during recital BY R O S E W E L D ON The director of the Manhasset Public Library is under fire after being accused of making comments perceived as racially insensitive at a recital for students from the North Shore. Margaret “Maggie” Gough,
who took office as library director in 2011, is now the subject of a petition on Change.org entitled “Eradicate Racism from the Manhasset Public Library,” which accuses her of dealing in racist stereotypes against Asians in comments made during the recital. Gough said in a call Monday afternoon that the matter is under investigation by the library’s Board of Trustees. In a statement on Tuesday to Blank Slate Media, she called the charges “horren-
dous, deeply hurtful, and completely unfounded.” “We do not discriminate on any basis, but we will enforce library policy to protect our users, our staff and our building,” Gough wrote. (See letter on page 18.) Professional violinist Roslyn Huang conducts the Long Island Camerata, which sees students from the Manhasset, Roslyn, Port Washington, Herricks and Great Neck school districts play in string orchestras. Their Dec. 14 recital for an audience of friends and family
members began in the library’s community room at 1:30 p.m. and ended at 2:45, after which Huang held separate rehearsals with the Camerata’s two groups. Over 100 people were present, Huang said. It was while working with third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students that she says Gough came down the stairs to the community room with two members of the library’s custodial staff and started “gesturing angrily with her hands.” Continued on Page 53
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