VCJC News & Notes 3/20/2026

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Lots of things this week, including our Finding Your Haven class, Purim greetings, belated Tu b’Shevat kiddush, and the MLK park cleanup.  Read all the way through!

Reminders

1. Shabbos schedule
   
   
   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 3/20/26 @ 6:50 pm
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 3/21/26 @ 7:54 pm

   If you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.

   
   

   Come join us for services and stay to enjoy the kiddush and the company.

   This week’s special kiddush is sponsored by Matthew Hartstein.
   

   ברוב שבח והודאה להשי״ת

    

    סיום משניות על סדר מועד

    

   שתתקיים אי״ה בשבת פרשת קודש ויקרא

    

    

   Siyum Mishnayot on Seder Moed  

   Shabbat Morning March 21st  

   Siyum and Seudat Mitzvah Immediately Following Musaf in the Ball Room.

    

   Dedicated in Memory of Neil Harrow Z’L

   צבי נתן בן יונה ז׳ל

    

   מרדכי הארטשטיין

   Matthew Hartstein
   

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3. About our new kiddushim
   For the past several weeks, the VCJC has upgraded its kiddush after Shabbos services. Kiddush now takes place in the ballroom. There is a greater variety of food, which can be enjoyed while seated at covered tables. Our aim is to offer a more enjoyable and meaningful experience, and to encourage conversation and interaction among attendees. This is an evolving effort. It has received very positive reviews so far; we’d love to have your opinion as well. Please join us for services and kiddush, and let us know what you think!
   
   

4. The VCJC Chavurah
   The VCJC Chavurah will be meeting this Tuesday March 24th at 7:30pm

   All are welcome to join us as we continue our learning of torah together.

   No cost to attend and no prior experience is needed.

   If you are interested in learning torah with a group of fellow members of your community, but want more details, contact the VCJC office at 718-884-6105 or info@vcjewishcenter.org, or speak to Stuart Harris or Matthew Hartstein after davening on Shabbat morning.
   
   

5. Shabbos parsha

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Parashat Vayikra 5786 / פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא

   21 March 2026 / 3 Nisan 5786

   Parashat Vayikra is the 24th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

   Torah Portion: Leviticus 1:1-5:26

   In Vayikra (“He Called”), the first Torah portion in the Book of Leviticus, God tells Moses about the sacrifices offered in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Among these are sacrifices entirely burnt on the altar, meal offerings made of flour and oil, peace offerings, and sacrifices brought for sinning inadvertently. [1]

   
   

6. You can do it! Give VCJC a boost!  Leave a (positive) review for us on Google
   -->You can do this!  We know you can! YES, YOU!

   The VCJC is working to build and grow for its next century in Van Cortlandt Village.  If you have had a good experience with us or recognize our value to the community, please consider telling the world about it.  Go to our Google Business Profile and leave a review.  Thanks!

Please help with information about buildings

As part of rebuilding the membership and congregation, the Board of Trustees would like your help. There are a lot of either new or renovated buildings being put up in our catchment area. We would like to seek the cooperation of the owners / developers of those properties in publicizing these opportunities to live near an orthodox synagogue.  If you are aware of any of these buildings, please provide what information you can about them.  This could include the address, any contact information that might be posted, and any information about the building itself (size, type, etc.). Additionally, if you are aware of vacancies in existing buildings or of houses for sale, please let us know about that as well.

3rd annual Community Cleanup Day for MLK Day

This event, for which the VCJC is an acknowledged collaborator, has now been scheduled for March 29.  See the poster below. Registration link

Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463

Join Assemblymember John Zaccaro, Jr.'s Annual Easter Egg Hunt

 

Friends & Neighbors, 

 

Spring has sprung and it’s time to get out those Easter baskets, fancy hats, and pastel colors. It’s time for our annual Pelham Parkway Easter Egg Hunt!

 

This year, we’re thrilled to bring you an afternoon filled with music, games, face painter, popcorn, and of course, lots of Easter eggs. Here are the details: 

 

WHEN: Saturday, March 28, 2026

WHERE: Pelham Parkway Greenway (across from Peace Plaza)

TIME: 11:00AM - 2:00PM

 

Events like these are what makes our community so special. Come out, enjoy the afternoon, and spend time with old and new friends. 

 

Looking forward to seeing everyone then! 

 

In Gratitude, 

John Zaccaro, Jr.

Governor Hochul Announces MTA Seeking Companies to Build Up to 2,390 Subway Cars, the Largest Subway Car Order Ever

New Cars Made Possible By Governor Hochul Fully Funding MTA’s 2025-2029 Capital Plan

MTA Capital Plan Includes the Largest Investment in New Subway and Railroad Cars Ever

New Cars Will Replace Fleets on the 1, 3 and 6 Lines; If Options Are Exercised Would Also Replace All Cars on the 2, 4 and 5 Lines

Continuing MTA’s Efforts To Modernize Rolling Stock and Improve Service Reliability

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking proposals from rail car manufacturers for its largest subway car contract in history with a base order of 1,140 subway cars to replace the R62 and R62A fleets operating on the 1, 3, 6 lines, and if an option to purchase the additional 1,250 cars is exercised, to replace the R142 and R142A cars on the 2, 4, 5 lines.

“Thousands of new subway cars running better service and a more reliable ride for millions every day — that’s what we can achieve when we fully invest in transit,” Governor Hochul said. “We are in the midst of a public transit renaissance in New York, with growing ridership, the best service in a generation and historic investments to modernize the lifeblood of our city. By bringing even more open gangway cars to the subway, we can make real improvements to riders’ safety and overall experience.”

In total, the contract includes 2,390 new subway cars — more cars than the Chicago Transit Authority subway fleet and Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s combined. The new cars, model R262, will be funded by the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, which received a historic $68 billion in funding from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY26 Enacted State Budget. This Capital Plan represents the largest investment in new rolling stock in the history of the MTA. The purchase also includes funds made available through the 2020-2024 Capital Plan, which is supported by congestion pricing revenues.

With a new Rolling Stock Program in place, the MTA has approached this contract differently, modernizing the terms and conditions and encouraging innovation by giving manufacturers greater flexibility to propose new ideas. More than 60 percent of the technical specifications are also now performance-based, rather than design-driven, and for the first time, the terms request proposers to submit total cost of ownership projections. These efforts result in a streamlined contract that adopts a balanced approach between the current challenges that contractors face and ensuring that the Authority retains the necessary tools at its disposal to ensure the timely delivery of quality cars that riders deserve.

This historic car contract could replace up to 36.4 percent of the subway’s entire fleet — 17.3 percent with just the base order alone. The subway’s entire fleet consists of 6,574 cars. The new cars will significantly improve reliability with a higher mean distance between failure (MDBF) — a measure of how long a car can operate without issues, repairs or maintenance. The R262 has an MDBF requirement of 200,000 miles, compared to the R62/R62A’s average of 89,000 miles. This upgrade will reduce the number of problems customers experience en route and decrease the amount of time cars are taken out of service.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) outlines other technical specifications that are designed to enhance efficiency, security, performance, and the customer experience. These include higher quality announcement systems, assistive listening devices that allow hearing-impaired passengers to connect to personal devices, like hearing aids. In addition, the RFP outlines that the future order will contain a to be determined amount of open gangway cars, which would be a first on the A-Division, the numbered lines. Efficiency upgrades include installation of automatic passenger counting (APC) system and electric braking control to achieve savings through fewer parts. Security specifications include onboard cameras like those currently installed on the existing subway fleet and onboard platform edge CCTV, along with an electronic lock to prevent unauthorized cab access.

Proposals are due Sept. 8, 2026, and a contract is expected to be awarded by early 2028.

This RFP follows last month’s announcement when MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber appointed Jessie Lazarus to build and lead a new organization that directs the MTA’s rolling stock strategy and ensures dedicated attention to the acquisition and lifetime costs for the MTA’s most strategic assets, including buses, subway cars and commuter rail trains. As chief of the new Rolling Stock Program, Lazarus and her team manages purchase of all new subway, bus, and railroad cars, including the $12 billion dollar investment from the 2025-29 Capital Plan to replace the MTA’s aging fleets.

This announcement also follows the MTA celebrating the opening of the first of its kind Railcar Acceptance and Testing Facility at the end of 2025. The facility enables the MTA to process new subway cars, work locomotives and other rolling stock more efficiently by completing onsite testing, and enabling cars to enter service more quickly. It ensures the MTA is prepared to receive the biggest infusion of new rail cars since systematic capital planning was first introduced more than a generation ago.

Wave Hill Weekly Events (Mar 19 – Mar 26) | Spring into the Super Bloom!

 

Glory-of-the-snow is finally here at Wave Hill! These flowers bloom together, peppering our gardens and creating seas of ultramarine within the woodlands. Get a glimpse of the most picturesque spots with a Glory-of-the-snow tour on Bloomberg Connects, learn what makes these tiny yet bold blue flowers so special to Wave Hill, and take a piece of the garden home with a glory-of-the-snow bookmark! 

 

Nature & Wellness

 

Garden Highlights Walk

Sun, Mar 22, 1:00PM – 1:30PM    

Free with admission to the grounds     

Registration not required.

Join a knowledgeable Wave Hill Garden Guide for a leisurely stroll in the gardens. Topics vary by season and the expertise of the Guide; each walk varies with the Guide leading it.

 

Forest Bathing: Spring Equinox

Sat, Mar 21, 12:00PM – 2:00PM    

Free with admission to the grounds     

Registration not required. 

Join a knowledgeable Wave Hill Garden Guide for a leisurely stroll in the gardens. Topics vary by season and the expertise of the Guide; each walk varies with the Guide leading it.

 

 

Art

 

Winter Workspace Drop-In Sunday

Sun, Mar 22, 1:00PM  –  3:00PM    

Free with admission to the grounds     

Registration not required.   

The Winter Workspace Drop-In Sunday series provides an opportunity for Wave Hill visitors to deepen their connection with both the arts and their experience of the garden by learning how artists are drawing inspiration from our site. During this event, visitors can mingle with participating Workspace Artists in their studios, ask questions, and learn about their creative practice.

 

Atom Moore: Second Nature

March 24  –  July 12 | All Day    

Free with admission to the grounds     

Registration not required.   

Still life and product photographer Atom Moore has built a career in macro photography, taking extreme close-ups of small subjects to capture the minute details that are typically missed by the unaided eye. Through this project of closely observing the garden with his camera, discover how Moore captures evidence of nature’s deep design and constant transformation.

 

 

Family

 

Family Art Project: Felted River

Sat, Mar 21, 10:00AM – 1:00PM  

Sun, Mar 22, 10:00AM – 1:00PM   

Free with admission to the grounds     

Registration not required.   

Let your creativity flow by using felt to depict underwater scenes of the Hudson River. We'll craft woolly art pieces that reflect the river's wide variety of plant and animal life. At 11:30am families can enjoy a storytime in the Gund Theater, all ages welcome. We will be celebrating World Water Day with the book Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond by Cathryn Falwell.     

 

Kids on the Move! Spring Balance

Sun, Mar 22, 1:00PM – 2:00PM   

Free with admission to the grounds     

Registration not required.

On the Spring Equinox, we welcome the first day of spring with a balance of an equal amount of daytime and nighttime. Explore your own balance through a variety of poses and postures during a guided garden walk with guest educator Corinne Flax. After the walk, float peacefully on a river of breath and movement during a balance-inspired yoga flow. 

 

HOURS STARTING MARCH 15: 10AM–4:30PM, Tuesday–Sunday  

Shuttle Service free from Subway and Metro-North, Saturday–Sunday

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at wavehill.org. 

Ford Motor Company and Borough of Ringwood to Perform Final Cleanup Targeting Groundwater at Ringwood Mines/Landfill Site in New Jersey

 

Ford Motor Company (Ford) and the Borough of Ringwood, New Jersey, have agreed to a consent decree with the United States under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law.

This agreement requires Ford and Ringwood to perform the final phase of cleanup, known as Operable Unit 3, at the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site located in Ringwood, New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Administrator of the New Jersey Spill Compensation Fund are also parties to the agreement as co-plaintiffs with the United States. The cleanup, expected to cost $3.4 million, addresses benzene, 1,4-dioxane, and lead contamination in groundwater and mine water associated with the historic disposal of paint sludge and other industrial waste at the Site. In the future, this groundwater may be used as a drinking water source for nearby communities. Use of the contaminated groundwater would pose an unacceptable health risk to those communities; this risk will be addressed by the cleanup required by this settlement.  

The approximately 500-acre Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site is located in a historic iron mining district and includes forested land, abandoned mine pits and shafts, a closed municipal landfill, and areas currently used as state parkland, utility corridors, and municipal property. Several brooks drain the site and ultimately flow to the Wanaque Reservoir, a drinking water source for more than two million New Jersey residents.

From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, portions of the site were used to dispose of waste materials, including paint sludge and other industrial waste generated at Ford’s automobile assembly plant in Mahwah, New Jersey. Investigations found that some of these materials contributed to contamination in soil, groundwater, surface water, and mine shafts.

The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1983, removed in 1994 after cleanup actions were completed, and restored to the list in 2006 following the discovery of additional contamination. EPA divided the site into multiple cleanup areas, known as operable units. Cleanup work under Operable Unit 2, which addresses contaminated soil, waste, and fill material in several former mine and disposal areas, is nearing completion under a consent decree entered in 2020.

The agreement addressing Operable Unit 3 at the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site represents the final stage of cleanup, bringing to a close over four decades of investigation and remedial work. For more information about the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site, visit www.epa.gov/superfund/ringwood-mines.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) made the announcement.

EPA investigated the case.

ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section is handling the case.

The proposed consent decree was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The settlement is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing on the Justice Department’s website at: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees. 

DEC PREPARING TO RELEASE MORE THAN $46 MILLION TO BOOST TREE PRODUCTION AND FOREST PRODUCTS SECTOR

 

Grants Will Support Tree Nurseries, Seed Collection Entities, Private Forest Landowners and Managers, Wood Processors, and Other Forest Product Producers

Applications Open in Late Spring; Applicants Encouraged to Enroll with USDA Now to Obtain Farm ID

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) previewed a new grant program that will soon make more than $46 million available to support tree production, forest management, and forest product industries. The Advancing Forest Markets (AFM) Grant Program is in the final stages of development and will be instrumental in supporting Governor Kathy Hochul’s 25 Million Trees initiative and open space conservation goals. This program is expected to offer a variety of funding opportunities to entities that enroll with the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency and obtain a Farm ID. 

“To plant 25 million trees and expand and maintain healthy, resilient forests in New York State, new collaborations are needed to support the reforestation supply chain and sustainable forest management,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “This novel grant program will ensure that the trees available to New Yorkers are affordable, accessible, and high quality and also help incentivize tree growers and forest producers to meaningfully expand operational and production capacity.”  

Eligible applicants include state agencies, municipalities, soil and water conservation districts, for-profit businesses, not-for-profit organizations, Indian Nations or Tribes, individual private landowners, and others that qualify to and enroll with the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency.  Applicants must engage in the following Forest Market Areas: 

• Collect, process, store, and sell tree seeds;  
• Produce and sell tree seedlings;  
• Harvest, process, and sell wood products;  
• Produce and sell other forestry products like nuts and maple syrup; or 
• Conduct forest management planning and related activities. 

When the grant opportunity opens, applicants may apply for funding to increase their stock of native, New York-grown trees and tree seeds; make tree seedlings and saplings more affordable to retail customers; or increase forest-based operational capacity to produce or sell forest products. Examples of potential qualifying actions include but are not limited to proposals that: 

• Hire additional staff; 
• Increase operational capacity; 
• Increase marketing for new products or markets, such as mass timber, wood residue-based renewable fuels, nanocellulose, and/or biochar;
• Increase information sharing, sector collaboration, and networks related to tree seed collection, processing and storage, tree production, reforestation, silviculture, or forest products; 
• Expand the availability of trainings, workshops,?and workforce development programs related to tree seed collection, tree production, reforestation, silviculture, harvesting best practices; and
• Increase development and dissemination of related educational and guidance materials.

Due to the limited timeframe of the grant period, funding may not be used for direct implementation of forestry projects that break ground or disturb site vegetation. 

Additional details on these opportunities will be described when DEC releases the Guidelines and Bid Instructions in late spring.  All work undertaken as part of the program must be completed by January 2028. See DEC’s website for more information. 

These programs support Governor Kathy Hochul’s ‘25 Million Trees by 2033’ initiative to recognize the importance of trees and forests for community health. DEC encourages all New Yorkers to record trees they plant in the public Tree Tracker. DEC’s 25 Million Trees webpages also provide valuable resources for planting, community planting events, and other resources to support the initiative and DEC’s partners.

This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under agreement number NR233A750004G035.

Cox: Charter Schools Lift Kids Up - Democrats Drag them Down

 

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox today released the following statement in response to a new Washington Free Beacon report showing that charter schools make up a majority of New York City’s top-performing public schools in both math and English:

 

“Once again, the facts are in, and they completely shatter the left’s narrative. Public charter schools, many serving overwhelmingly low-income and minority students, make up 59 of the top 100 schools in math and 53 of the top 100 in English in New York City.

 

"This is what success looks like. Instead of building upon what works, Kathy Hochul and her boss Zohran Mamdani are waging an ideological war on charter schools at the behest of the teachers union and in the name of progressive 'equity' - but there is nothing equitable about trapping children in failing schools.  

 

"Charters are proving every day that zip code does not have to determine destiny. They are closing achievement gaps, raising standards and giving parents real choices.

 

"While charter schools lifts kids up, Democrats drag them down. Republicans will continue to stand with charter school families and fight to expand access to these high-performing schools across our state.”

Tenth Straight Month of Zero Illegal Aliens Released at the Border

 

February drug seizures were the most in over 4 years

Today, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced its tenth consecutive month of zero releases at the border, continuing its trend of historically low border crossings. February data also showed that CBP recorded its highest single month of drug seizures since October 2021.

“Ten straight months of ZERO illegal aliens released at the border. President Trump promised to secure the Border, and that is a promise we delivered,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. “We have the most secure border in American history. Our borders are CLOSED to lawbreakers.”

“February marks the tenth straight month that U.S. Border Patrol has not released a single illegal alien into the interior of the United States — a clear reflection of the enforcement-first posture restoring integrity to our nation’s borders,” said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott. “While threats to our national and economic security continue to evolve, so does our resolve to meet them, as we carry out our mission of protecting the homeland while facilitating lawful travel and trade.”

The sustained decline in illegal border crossings and apprehensions—now at levels not seen in over three decades—shows the impact of robust enforcement policies. With daily apprehensions down 95% from the previous administration and 13 consecutive months of fewer than 9,000 southwest border apprehensions, the border remains more secure than at any point in history.

Border Enforcement at Historic Levels

• CBP’s total encounters declined in February
  • Nationwide, CBP’s encounters (26,963) were 22% lower than last month and 88% below the monthly average of the Biden administration.
• CBP’s total encounters this fiscal year to date are lower than February 2024
  • This fiscal year’s encounters (153,155) are 40% lower than in the month of February 2024 alone.
• Southwest border apprehensions were 97% lower than under Biden
  • The U.S. Border Patrol’s apprehensions along the southwest border in February (6,603) were 92% lower than the monthly average over the last 33 years and 97% below the peak of the Biden administration (December 2023).
  • 13th consecutive month of fewer than 9,000 southwest border apprehensions.
• Daily average apprehensions in February were 95% lower than under Biden
  • The U.S. Border Patrol’s average number of apprehensions per day along the southwest border (236) were 95% lower than the daily average under the Biden administration.
  • The number of U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions per day in February was less than a single hour during the height of the Biden administration (336 per hour in December 2023).
  • Marijuana seizures increased 129%
  • Fentanyl seizures increased 67%
  • Methamphetamine seizures increased 46%
  • Cocaine seizures increased 39%
  • Heroin seizures increased 10%

Drug Interdictions that Save Lives

CBP remains on the frontline against drug smuggling, seizing dangerous narcotics before they reach American communities.

In February, CBP recorded its highest single month of drug seizures nationwide (79,609 pounds) since October 2021, an 84% increase from last month.

Compared to January 2026:

Trade and Tariff Enforcement

CBP plays a central role in enforcing U.S. trade law and supporting economic security.

• $262 billion in imports processed in February 2026.
• $26 billion in duties identified for collection.

Protecting Consumers and Supply Chains

CBP continues to safeguard the American economy by targeting forced labor and counterfeit goods.

• In February, CBP stopped 266 shipments valued at more than $11 million for potential forced labor violations.
• CBP seized 443 shipments containing counterfeit goods valued at over $580million.

Securing American agriculture

CBP agriculture specialists protect U.S. agriculture and natural resources.

• 6,533 emergency action notifications issued for restricted/prohibited plant and animal products.
• 89,688 positive passenger inspections and 536 civil penalties issued for undeclared prohibited agriculture items.

For more detailed statistics, visit CBP’s Stats and Summaries webpage.