Willing to take a risk on an “imperfect agreement,” as she puts it, Gillibrand, decided to support the deal. “I would have liked to see a period shorter than 24 days to resolve disputes over access for inspectors,” she said. “The UN embargoes on the sales of arms and ballistic weapons to Iran should have remained in place permanently, instead of lapsing after five and eight years.
“Israel’s security and America’s national security interests are fundamentally aligned,” Gillibrand continued. “Congress must continue its unwavering commitment to ensuring that Israel retains a qualitative military edge in the region. Our goal has been, and remains, to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. We have far more ability to achieve that outcome if we approve this deal.”
Jewish Horse Trainer Seeks Second Career For Equines
Richard Schosberg, the owner of Katonah, NY-based Pine Lane Farm, is a board member of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association. He heads the association’s Aftercare Committee and oversees the TAKE THE LEAD Thoroughbred Retirement Program, which finds new homes for horses retiring from tracks run by the New York Racing Association.
“We are approaching our 150th horse that we moved through the program,” Schosberg recently said at a forum hosted by the New York State Gaming Commission. “Someone calls and says, I have a horse that should be considered for your program whether it had physical issues or just not competitive or there were financial issues.
“We’re an avenue to get these horses into their heaven after their racing careers are over,” Schosberg said. “We want them to have a soft landing for their retirement and to have the ability to have a second career. They come to us and we find out who has the room for these horses to be rehabilitated. Start with the wellness of the horse. All the rest of it will fall into place. You can’t make a wrong decision that way.”
New Chabad Center Opens In Rhinebeck
Rabbi Hanoch Hecht, son of Rabbi Shea Hecht, unveiled a new Jewish center in bucolic Rhinebeck, Dutchess County. The spacious Chabad center, known as the Rhinebeck Jewish Center, is made of wood and the doors of the aron kodesh are made from a barn door. Stained glass windows adorn the walls of the main sanctuary. Congressman Chris Gibson (R – Kinderhook), state Senator Sue Serino (R – Poughkeepsie) and Assemblyman Pete Lopez (R – Schoharie) and many local officials were among the dignitaries who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The RJC is a nusach Ari Modern Orthodox-style congregation with a chassidic flair catering to the needs of local residents, weekend visitors, and tourists, said Hecht, who co-directs the center with his wife, Tzivie.
“As a community we gather here today the young, the old, and those in between to give thanks and to recognize that today is only a beginning,” Hecht stated. “Now we may have an edifice, but an edifice is only a structure. It’s how we come together in that structure that creates the community. This came about as a community as individuals stepping forward.
“Our mission at the RJC is to promote and strengthen Jewish awareness, pride, and observance by providing educational, cultural and social activities to all Jewish individuals and families regardless of prior or current background and affiliation. Aside from that, we are also here to help anyone who needs us, in any way we possibly can.”