White Plains Marks Yom HaShoah with Solemn Ceremony as Community Reflects on Jewish Memory and Loss
White Plains and the broader Westchester community paused this week to honor the memory of Holocaust victims at the Garden of Remembrance, a ceremony that joins a series of recent moments of collective Jewish reflection in the city. For the Desi community in White Plains — neighbors in a diverse, historically aware city — these stories of remembrance, resilience, and local life serve as reminders of the shared human values that bind this region together.
🤝 Westchester Marks Yom HaShoah at White Plains Garden of Remembrance
Westchester County's annual Yom HaShoah commemoration took place on April 14, 2026, at the Garden of Remembrance in White Plains, bringing together community members for a solemn and meaningful ceremony. The event was jointly hosted by the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center and the Westchester Jewish Council, two organizations with deep roots in preserving the history and lessons of the Holocaust. Among the most moving moments of the ceremony was a procession of rescued Holocaust Torahs, sacred scrolls that survived the destruction of Jewish communities across Europe. Community members also sounded the shofar, the traditional ram's horn, as part of the observance. The ceremony underscores White Plains's role as a civic gathering place for interfaith and intercultural memory, a quality that resonates deeply with the city's diverse population, including its South Asian community. For all who call Westchester home, events like Yom HaShoah serve as a vital reminder of where indifference and hatred can lead. [1]
Hundreds Gather at Temple Israel Center to Mark Two Years Since Oct. 7
Hundreds of community members came together at Temple Israel Center in White Plains to mark the second anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, a somber gathering that drew attendees from across Westchester, including residents from Hastings-on-Hudson. The ceremony, photographed in early October 2025, gave visible form to ongoing grief and solidarity, with seats deliberately left empty as a tribute to Israeli hostages still being held. The images from the event captured the quiet intensity of a community that continues to mourn, remember, and hope simultaneously. Temple Israel Center has served as an important venue for moments of communal reckoning in White Plains, and this gathering reinforced that role. The second anniversary brought into focus not only the scale of the original tragedy but also the enduring weight of uncertainty for the families of those still unaccounted for. For White Plains residents of all backgrounds, the ceremony was a reminder that the effects of distant conflicts are felt intimately in local communities. [6]
🪔 A Family's Journey Back to Jewish Heritage Offers Lessons in Identity and Belonging
A piece published by ReformJudaism.org, authored by Rabbi Billy Dreskin, explores the deeply personal story of how one family navigated its way back to a Jewish identity that had grown distant over time. The piece opens with a Hebrew phrase — makom shelibi ohev, sham raglai molikhot otee — which speaks to the idea of the heart leading one home, a sentiment that anchors the story's emotional core. Rabbi Dreskin, writing from a Reform Judaism perspective, uses the occasion of a bar mitzvah to reflect on what reclaiming heritage means in practice. The story touches on themes of reconnection, community, and the role that ritual and ceremony play in bringing a family's identity back into focus. For White Plains's Desi community, which itself navigates questions of cultural transmission across generations and continents, this kind of story carries a familiar resonance. The universal experience of holding on to or rediscovering one's roots makes this a story worth reflecting on, regardless of one's own faith tradition. [4]
🤝 Remembering Annette Goldah Flisser, a Quiet Force in Westchester Jewish Life
Annette Goldah Flisser, who passed away peacefully on September 19, 2024, at the age of 93, leaves behind a legacy deeply woven into the fabric of Westchester's Jewish community. Born to parents who immigrated from Podhajce and Lizhensk in Poland, arriving in New York City in 1920, Annette carried within her the weight and wonder of a family history shaped by immigration and survival. She earned a bachelor's degree in History from New York University and devoted much of her professional life to teaching preschool children at synagogues across Westchester County, nurturing the next generation of Jewish identity. Annette contributed needlepoint work to the parochet — the curtain covering the Torah ark — at Temple Israel Center in White Plains, making her presence in that sacred space both literal and lasting. She was a lifetime member of Hadassah, where she led workshops on traditional Jewish texts, and she traveled to Israel multiple times, regarding those visits as profoundly important. Annette is survived by her sons, daughter, grandson, and sister, and is remembered as someone who found meaning in culture, tradition, art, and the quiet work of teaching young children. [5]
🤝 White Plains Remembers Theresa 'Terri' Wolin, Who Faced Illness with Quiet Strength
Theresa Marie Burke-Wolin, known to those who loved her as Terri, passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 10, 2026, at her home in Greenburgh, New York, after more than 25 years living with Multiple Sclerosis and a recent struggle with Renal Cell Carcinoma. She was 65 years old. Born in Massachusetts in 1960, Terri grew up in Oklahoma City, where she attended Enid High School and worked at a local ice cream shop while helping her mother raise her siblings after her parents' divorce. Her resilience was evident from a young age — she took on caregiving responsibilities as a teenager before going on to attend Tulane University to study Chemical Engineering, working to fund her own education. Terri was remembered by her family as someone who loved deeply and cared for others until the very end of her life, maintaining close bonds with her four siblings. Her story is one of quiet determination: a person who faced enormous challenges — personal, familial, and medical — and met them with steadiness. The White Plains area community extends its condolences to all who knew and loved her. [3]
🎬 Westchester Knicks Add Temple's Jamal Mashburn Jr. with Eighth Overall G League Pick
Temple University's Jamal Mashburn Jr. was selected eighth overall by the Westchester Knicks in the NBA G League Draft, according to a release from Temple University Athletics dated October 25, 2025. The pick represents a significant milestone for the guard, who built his collegiate career with the Temple Owls and now joins the Knicks' developmental affiliate based right here in Westchester County. The Westchester Knicks serve as the primary development pipeline for the New York Knicks, making this a high-profile landing spot for a young player looking to establish himself in professional basketball. Mashburn Jr.'s selection in the top ten of the draft reflects the regard in which he was held coming out of his college career, and his placement with a local team means Westchester basketball fans will have an opportunity to watch his professional development up close. For the White Plains and broader Westchester community, including the South Asian sports enthusiasts who fill the stands at Westchester Knicks games, this is a welcome addition to the local squad. The G League continues to serve as a vital proving ground for players on the path to the NBA. [2]
Sources: [1] Lohud · [6] Lohud · [4] Reform Judaism.org · [5] Goldsteins Funeral · [3] Ballard-Durand Funeral & Cremation Services · [2] owlsports.com