Learning
Residents find many opportunities for intellectual stimulation and learning, including Monday night lectures and programs, short courses offered by college professors at Kendal for a nominal fee, and the KOH Great Decisions Program all organized by the Education Committee.
Professor Jean Marc Oppenheim's course on the Middle East: Containing Chaos
French, Spanish, and Italian conversation groups meet regularly.
There are weekly trips to museums or other interesting places organized by the Trips Committee in the Kendal van.
KOH van ready to load up for a trip
The KOH Library has over 3,000 items, not counting the special collections and paperback carousels scattered around the four buildings It is open 24/7, and is staffed with resident volunteers four hours a day, five days a week. The library has lists of current acquisitions and KOH book groups. There is also an arrangement with the Warner Library which allows residents to borrow books from the Westchester Library System and have them delivered to Kendal.
Library lit up at night, seen from outside
The Resident Computer Room, maintained by the Computer Committee, is open to residents and their visitors with a key from the front desk.
View of Resident Computer Room from lounge
Contemporary Issues Discussion Group
Eugene DuBow, Convener
The purpose of the program is to give Kendal residents an opportunity to think through various issues and to express themselves openly.
Originally called the Faith Group, it was founded 14 years ago to provide a forum for the discussion of religious based issues. In the last two years it has broadened its scope to deal with ethics, behavior, religion in a more general sense with some politics thrown in. In order to bring it into line with this larger scope, a renaming was instituted so that all residents could have a more accurate understanding of the sorts of issues that are discussed in the Group’s hour-long sessions
In July 2019 it was renamed the Contemporary Issues Discussion Group. It continues to meet every Thursday morning at 10:00 am for an hour in the Private Dining Room. All residents are invited.
During 2018-19 such issues as Decision Making, Leadership, Crime, Criminals & Us, Friendship, Is Democracy Dying?, Political Questions: You Are The Candidate, Blame Game & Victim Blame, and Daily Ethics: Right Way/Wrong Way were discussed.
There is a new topic every week. Participants are provided with reading material on the weekly topic several days before each meeting.
Updated 03/06/21