Bronx Notes: Israel Independence Day Festival

The public is invited to the biggest NYC festival celebrating Isreal Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Thursday, April 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 3700 Henry Hudson Pkwy. E. (Netherland Avenue). Enjoy food, music, rides, and much more. In case of rain, the festival will be held indoors. For more information, call (718) 590-6116.

Model Tyson Beckford Joins Bronx Walk of Fame

Bronx-born Tyson Beckford, 41, one of the world’s most famous male models, will be inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame this spring. He rounds out a quartet of Bronxites that will be etched into borough history on May 20 during the grand finale of Bronx Week. The other honorees are jazz musician Valerie Capers, cinematographer Sol Negrin and hip-hop legend Fat Joe.

Bedford Park Seniors To Show Off Their Artwork

On Thursday, April 26, an art exhibit and open house will be held at the Sister Annunciata Bethell Senior Center (aka the Bedford Park Senior Center), 243 E. 204th St. starting at 11 a.m. A short documentary will be featured as well as a display of the jewelry and other artwork made by several seniors who participated in the Seniors Partnering with Artist Citywide program (SPARC).

Bronx Notes: Community Board 7 Education/Libraries Meeting Tonight

Bronx Community Board 7 is holding its Education, Libraries and Cultural Affairs Committee meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. All are welcome to attend and participate. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Be Healthy! Wednesdays: Bronx ‘Teddy Bear Hospital’ Calms Youngest Patients

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column. On May 5, the pediatric emergency department at Montefiore Medical Center will be crowded with teddy bears nursing broken arms, stuffed dogs getting treated for asthma, and probably a doll or two in need of stitches. The hospital’s 7th annual Teddy Bear Clinic lets young patients play the role of parent, where they can bring their favorite stuffed friends in for a check-up and treatment–an experience that staff says helps ease children’s fears about visiting the

The unexplained firing of three longtime union workers just before the new year at a historically well-maintained building on the Grand Concourse in Bedford Park led to a furious battle between tenants and their landlord. But after months of heated exchanges and union protests, two workers were rehired and tenants continue to put pressure on their landlord.

Police Looking For Two Missing Bronx Teenagers

Police sent out two media alerts this morning, asking for help in locating two missing Bronx teenagers: 13-year-old Ross Harrison and 14-year-old Darniese Dervin. Both live in the 46th Precinct

Bronx Notes: Julia Alvarez at the Bronx’s ‘Big Read’

The public is invited to the Bronx Council on the Arts’ free “Big Read in the Bronx 2012” on Wednesday, April 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. at 2700 E. Tremont Ave., near Westchester Square. Excerpts from Julia Alvarez’s novel, “In the Time of Butterflies,” will be read, and copies of the book will be given to all.

Journalists Revisit Deadly DeKalb Fire, Reignite Housing Discussion

A decade after an electrical fire at 3569 DeKalb Ave. claimed the life of an 8-year-old Bronx boy, journalists and housing activists are still trying to find answers to the questions posed in the wake of his death–namely, how the city should enforce housing code violations and hold landlords accountable for conditions that put tenants at risk. That was the topic of a panel discussion held at Manhattan College last night, organized by the school’s Urban Affairs department, City Limits magazine and Jordan Moss, a former Norwood News editor. The event arose from an investigation into landlord practices and regulations