April 2015

[Note: Although the occasion offered many photo opportunities, none are reprinted here in observance of the event held on Shabbat. Nevertheless, we have our fond memories.]

Purim Fun, And A Shpiel From Rabbi Gadi

A raucous Purim celebration was enjoyed by all the participants — some hiding their identities in outrageous costumes — who drowned out the mention of Haman’s name with groggers and shouts, cheered for Queen Esther and her Uncle Mordechai, and gave due respect to King Ahasuerus, even though he was known to have folks killed from time to time. Although not without his faults, he had chosen Esther for her great beauty and made her his queen. Following the noisemaking in the sanctuary to accompany the reading of the Scroll of Esther, all adjourned to the social hall for homemade hamantaschen, baked by our own Phil Goldman, whose culinary expertise has no equal, and who took these terrific photos as well.
A highlight of the Purim Party came from Rabbi Gadi, who had prepared a shpiel for the occasion. The gem in its entirety is reproduced below:

A Purim Shpiel

Now it came to pass in the days of Obama, who reigned from Maine to Hawaii and even unto Puerto Rico, in more than 50 provinces, that in the sixth year of his reign, Hamanai, the son of Humaini of Iran, was advancing a nuclear capability. Everyone bowed and reverenced him. Hamanai plotted to send missiles toward every JCC in America — all in one day, the 14th of Adar 2015. It was a very secretive operation. But a Mossad agent — Mordechai — Morti Schwartz discovered the plot. But because he was disguised as an Iranian missile himself, the only way he could notify the world was to send an email through his smartphone that was glued to his hand.
Morti rushed the email and sent it to info@tifereth-israel.com in Greenport, attention “E.” The next day, Sara Bloom picked up the email and was perplexed. Morti really wanted to send the message to Vashti Clinton, the Secretary of State, but because he knew she was using an unprotected email account, he had no choice but to reply to the last email address, which was Tifereth Israel, asking for the yearly dues.
Sara, still perplexed, forwarded the email to Elaine Goldman, who shares her email with Phil Goldman, and they all became perplexed together. The email read: “Tifereth Israel, this is an emergency! Iran is about to send missiles to every JCC in America. It’s up to you to secretly let President Obama know. But be careful; he is surrounded by spies. Hurry and save the Jewish people!”
On Monday, Elaine shared the email with Rabbi Capela, who suggested the message be authenticated. Later, when Steve Benthal, AKA Mr. Technology, came to the office, he verified the authenticity of the email. Elaine then checked the calendar and realized that the 14th of Adar is not a convenient day because we have the Purim party and Phil had been working on the hamantaschens all weekend.
“Oh, we definitely have to do something,” Elaine said. “We can’t let those Iranians ruin our Purim party.”
They all agreed this is an urgent matter that cannot be delayed. And after all, the future of the entire Jewish people is in imminent danger. They immediately called Alan Garmise, the shul’s president, who in turn called an emergency Board meeting; Miriam and Adrianne Skyped from Florida.
Alan opened the meeting with the statement: “The future of the entire Jewish people depends on us.” Panic ensued.
“What should we do?” they all said to each other. “Where should we start?”
Alan slammed down the hammer and called the meeting to order. And then there was a long silence… and the silence continued… and continued…. and continued…. and continued some more…. Finally, they all looked at each other, as if they knew that they were all thinking the same thing — as though God Himself had planted the idea in their minds all at once — a true divine intervention. “A committee!” they all uttered together. “Let’s create a committee!” Happiness followed. They were so happy they started dancing. A committee will surely solve everything. Now, the only thing to decide is who will head the committee. Again, silence. And again, everybody was looking at everybody else and together they said, “Esther!” Everybody was looking at Esther.
Esther was a new member, a young teacher, who had moved to the East End to work on Shelter Island and became a good friend of Roberta Garris. What they didn’t know was that Esther was Morti Schwartz’s niece. Esther was not an observant Jew, so when she moved to Southold, her uncle thought it would be a good idea for her to join a synagogue (he also heard they have a very nice rabbi), so he bought her a membership at Tifereth Israel. As he was busy pretending to be an Iranian missile, his check this year did not arrive yet.
After agreeing on a committee, everybody felt a lot better and went home to enjoy the weekend. On Monday, Esther sent an invite to the committee, reminding them of the urgency and that the faith of the entire Jewish people was in the hands of the committee. Unfortunately, some members were still in Florida, and some were in the city. A decision was made to wait until the next Board and Congregation meetings to solicit more opinions.
Somehow the Iranians intercepted Morti’s email and tracked its location. But since it didn’t make sense that it would come from a missile (and also, they didn’t know where the heck Greenport is), they decided to quietly follow the events. They used the new camera in Tifereth Israel’s social hall to secretly listen in on all the Board and Congregation meetings.
Right away, three weeks later, the issue was brought to the Board and Congregation meetings. Jesse Reece objected. But everybody said to Jesse, “We didn’t present the plan yet, how can you already object?” “That’s your opinion,” said Jesse, and he continued to object. This started to confuse the Iranians.
After 6 meetings, 5 discussions, 4 arguments, 3 opinions, 2 dissenting, and 1 vote (which really confused the Iranians), Esther finally presented the plan. She knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who could get her into Bibi’s speech to Congress. She knew it was a long shot, but she was hoping she could deliver the message to Bibi when he walked in and shook people’s hands. He would surly remember her as Morti’s niece. Bibi and Morti served together in a few secret operations. Then Bibi can give the note to President Obama. What she didn’t know was that President Obama had cancelled his participation in the speech. At that point, the Iranians became perplexed themselves and were starting to suspect that they had been detected and that Tifereth Israel was confusing them on purpose. They decided to give it one more try and listen in on the Congregation meeting.
As soon as the Board meeting ended, the Congregation meeting began. Alan called it to order and presented the issue at hand.
Aaron Novick said, “I don’t care when it starts, as long as it ends on time.”
People started to panic. This is a risky operation. “What if you get caught, Esther?” In the midst of the anxiety, people were also speaking at the same time.
A loud shout was heard: “Stop it! I’m a Yekke, and I demand that you adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order,” said Stanley Rubin. “One person at a time.”
What they didn’t know was that “Robert’s rules of order” was the secret phrase that the Iranians were directed to use in order to abort the plan — assuming no one ever uses it anymore, let alone Jews. This was the message for them that Stanley was an Iranian spy who was letting them know they had been discovered, and that they needed to abort.
The next email that was received from Morti Schwartz was that the Iranians had dropped their plan to destroy the Jewish people until a much later date, perhaps 10 years… Everybody was happy and celebrated the best Purim party ever. And that’s how Congregation Tifereth Israel saved the Jewish people.
Chag Samech!

News From The March 15 Congregation Meeting

• The president and members present expressed deepest condolences to all associated with the historic First Universalist Church in Southold, which was destroyed by fire late Saturday night, April 14. A letter of condolence will be sent to the pastor and membership.
• Eileen Santora, president of the Daughters of Israel, reminded the congregation about sunshine cards that can be sent for lifestyle events — births, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc., as well as illnesses and condolences. To send a sunshine card, call Thelma Novick at the shul, 631-477-0232, and send a check in any amount you feel is appropriate.
• The president reviewed events coming up on the shul’s calendar. Those events are listed on the first page of this newsletter.
• The next Board and Congregation meetings will be held Sunday, April 19, at 9 and 10 a.m.

Great Music Savored On Great Music Sunday
FYI • FYI • FYI •

Copenhagen Bat Mitzvah Girl Celebrates In Israel

Last month’s Shofar related the story of Hannah Bentow, and how her Feb. 14 bat mitzvah party ended in tragedy when a gunman opened fire outside her Copenhagen synagogue, killing security guard Dan Uzan and wounding two police officers. The evening had started with dinner and dancing, but ended with Hannah and her guests hiding in the synagogue’s basement before being evacuated by police.
Exactly a month after that horrifying event, Hannah celebrated her coming of age in Israel, the gift of Josh Salmon, 38, of Toronto, who was moved by what had happened to this young girl, and offered to fly Hannah, her parents, and her two brothers to Israel and throw her another party.
Hannah was surrounded by family and several dozen bat mitzvah-aged girls, who came to celebrate and support her at the Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies in Jerusalem. Salmon, who hosted the party, learned that Hannah had studied for her bat mitzvah through a program offered by Matan’s Copenhagen branch, and he reached out to the organization.

Ida Wins Best Foreign Film Award At Academy Awards, The 20th Of 23 Oscar-Nominated Holocaust Films To Win

The Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2014 was awarded to Ida, Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski’s haunting story about an orphan brought up in a convent during WWII. Twenty years later, Ida is a novice, only a week from taking her vows, when she discovers that her birth name is Ida Lebenstein, and that her mother and father were murdered by the Nazis during the war.
J. Hoberman, writing in Tablet, muses that beginning with 1959’s The Diary of Anne Frank, there have been 23 Oscar nominees that, in one way or another, represented the Holocaust; ever since Shelley Winters won for Best Supporting Actress in 1959, 20 of these movies have garnered at least one Academy Award.
Schindler’s List (1993) is the all-time champion, winning nine Oscars, including Best Picture. Cabaret won six in 1972; The Pianist won three in 2002, and Judgment at Nuremberg won two in 1961. In 1982, the Academy gave the award for Best Original Screenplay to the raucous comedy The Producers. Meryl Streep won her second Oscar for Sophie’s Choice (1982) in which she played a Jewish victim. Adrian Brody and Shelley Winters are the only actors to have won Academy Awards for playing a Jewish character in a Holocaust-themed movie. Kate Winslet won an Oscar for her role as an SS guard in The Reader (2008), and Christoph Waltz won for his portrayal of an SS commandant in Inglorious Basterds (2009).
Five documentaries have received Oscars: Genocide (1981), Hotel Terminus (1989), Anne Frank Remembered (1995), The Long Way Home (1997) The Last Days (1998), and Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport (2000). Four foreign films have won: the Czech Shop on Main Street (1965); two Italian films, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1971) and Life is Beautiful (1998); and the Austrian-German co-production The Counterfeiters (2007).
Three films lost: Kapo (1960), Angry Harvest (1985), and In Darkness (2011).
Anti-Semitism Is A Problem On U.S. College Campuses

A student group in South Africa last month called on all Jews to leave the Durban University of Technology. In this country, swastikas were discovered spray-painted inside the largely Jewish Alpha Epsilon Pi house at Vanderbilt University, and outside the fraternity’s house on the University of Oregon campus.
According to Religion News Service, the National Demographic Survey of American Jewish College Students, produced by a Trinity College team known for its research on religious groups, found that 54 percent of 1,157 college students polled said they had experienced anti-Semitism on campus in the first six months of the 2013-2014 academic year. Using an online questionnaire, professors Barry A. Kosmin and Ariela Keysar asked students on 55 campuses about the types, context and location of anti-Semitism they had encountered, and found that anti-Jewish bias is a problem for Jews of all levels of religious observance.
Kosmin and Keysar’s survey follows the 2013 Pew Research Center’s “Portrait of Jewish Americans,” which found that 22 percent of young Jews reported being called an offensive name in the previous year because they are Jewish.

Hobby Lobby Owners Break Ground On A Bible Museum

Oklahoma’s Steve Green and family, owners of the Hobby Lobby craft store chain who recently won a much-publicized Supreme Court case to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees on religious grounds, are renovating a former 1920s refrigeration warehouse for a 430,000-square-foot Museum of the Bible. The SmithGroup JJR is leading the renovation of the warehouse, which is scheduled to open in October 2017, two blocks south of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. David Greenbaum is the architect in charge. The project was reported in Architectural Record’s March 3 online feed.
The Greens, who have appointed respected Bible scholars to a number of leadership posts at the museum, say their aim is to educate, not proselytize. But as the museum is developing a Bible-based school curriculum would seem to signal a more evangelical mission, raising concerns among some groups that police the separation of church and state.
The announcement of the museum’s groundbreaking revealed little about contents, and questions have been raised about how — and if — the museum will honor every way the Bible is read and every group that holds the text sacred.

Palestinian Authorities Ordered To Pay $655.5 Million

A jury in Manhattan Federal Court ordered the Palestinian Authority and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) to pay $655.5 million to 10 American families whose relatives were killed in terror attacks in Israel during the second intifada. The jury awarded $218.5 million, but the amount is automatically tripled under federal terrorism laws applying to American victims of attacks abroad, who prevail in U.S. courts.
The civil suit argued that the two organizations approved and coordinated six attacks between 2002 and 2004 that killed 33 people and injured more than 450. The plaintiffs cited internal documents from Palestinian authorities showing that the perpetrators of the attacks had been on official payrolls and had communicated with other Palestinian officials.
The Palestinian organizations said they plan to appeal the verdict.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Offers Feminist Passover Message

According to a report by Lauren Markoe in Religion News Service, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has released an essay on the Passover story that highlights the role of women in the Exodus narrative. The essay was co-written by Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, D.C., and published by the American Jewish World Service, which invited Ginsburg to write about Passover for its “Celebration and Compassion” essay series.
In most traditional retellings of the Passover story, the enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt and God’s parting of the Red Sea features men. But Ginsburg and Holtzblatt wrote about Yocheved, Moses’ mother, and Miriam, his sister. They also paid homage to Shifra and Puah, the midwives who rejected Pharaoh’s decree to kill all the Jewish baby boys. And they recognized Batya, Pharaoh’s daughter, who plucked baby Moses from the Nile River.
“The Book of Exodus, much like the Book of Genesis, begins in darkness, with the accession of a new Pharaoh, who enslaves the Jews,” their commentary reads. “God alone lights the way out of the darkness in Genesis,” it continues. “But in Exodus, God has many partners, first among them, five brave women.”

From The Sublime To The Ridiculous: Some Passover Humor

Lauren Markoe reported on an essay penned by Ruth Bader Ginsburg for Religion News Service, but also on the effects of matza on the digestive system. To many Jews, she wrote, matza tastes no better than the cardboard box it comes in. On the first day of Passover, the crackerlike concoction of flour and water summons warm memories of holidays past. But then, matza fatigue can set in. Matza doesn’t offer much in the flavor department. And it binds up the digestive tract. It’s not for nothing, matza is called “the bread of affliction.”
Nevertheless, matza plays a central role in the Book of Exodus, the iconic liberation story that Jews celebrate during Passover. At the Seders that recount the Biblical story of the flight from slavery in Egypt, we are reminded that the Jews fleeing Pharaoh’s army had no time to let bread rise, and so instead ate flat matza.
Although the obligation to eat matza applies only to the Seder meals that usher in the eight-day holiday of Passover, observant Jews will substitute matza for bread during all eight days. At first, the idea of cracking open a fresh box of matza is satisfying — a reminder of families sitting together at the table in observance of the spring holiday. And children love the post-Seder tradition of searching for the afikomen, a piece of matza hidden by the grownups that upon discovery may be exchanged for a small prize.
Markets offer many ready-to-eat products designed to make matza more flavorful. Matza baked with eggs has its fans. “Everything” matza is the equivalent of the “everything bagel” topped with poppy seeds, salt, onion and garlic. And some supermarkets will stock chocolate matza.
Matza is traditional, but that doesn’t mean the flat “bread” is immune to humor. A common Passover joke: What do you call someone who derives pleasure from the bread of affliction? A matzochist. Or as comedian Ilana Waldston once blogged, “It’s tasteless and it binds the digestive tract, giving a whole new meaning to the saying, ‘Let my people go.’”
Happy Passover.

And Now, An Apple Watch App For Observant Jews

Okay, Apple fans, here’s the latest app in development for the about-to-be-released Apple Watch. RustyBrick, a company that specializes in hi-tech fixes for observant Jews, is about to launch an app that will consist of three components: Jewish times will alert observant Jews to Shabbat and prayer times; Jewish blessings will let users consult their watches for the most relevant prayers at various times and for various activities during the day; and the third component will help users find nearby kosher restaurants, get directions, and place orders.
RustyBrick is behind smartphone apps like the iPhone Siddur, the Shabbat app, which shares candlelighting times with users, and the Jewish Google Glass app, called JewGlass.
Remember, you heard it here first…

Christmas Trees In Israel’s Hotels? What Do You Think?

A recent post on forward.com reported that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has issued new kashrut regulations to hotels in connection with Shabbat. It was argued by NGO Hiddush — Religious Freedom for Israel that some of the Chief Rabbinate’s demands had no direct connection to food, but were imposed as conditions for awarding a kashrut certificate. Hotels that refused to meet the demands either lost their kashrut licenses or were denied one.
So, come Shabbat, all elevators in a hotel were operated as Sabbath elevators, stopping automatically at every floor; laundry rooms were closed; filming and music at hotel events was not allowed; the hotel could not place Christmas trees in public spaces; and payments at the cash register were made discreetly with non-Jews only.
Following a petition filed by NGO Hiddush, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and the Religious Affairs Ministry declared that in awarding kashrut certification, the rabbinate would consider only kashrut laws — not Shabbat observance or modesty. So, rescinded is the ban on using video, audio and musical equipment at hotel events on the Sabbath, save times when food is served. The requirement that only non-Jews welcome guests and discreetly take payments from them is canceled, save for instances related to ordering and paying for food. The Sabbath elevator requirement is lifted, save for elevators delivering food. And the ban on using symbols of Christian holidays, such as Christmas trees, is no more.
“The significance of the decision is dramatic,” said Rabbi Uri Regev, CEO of the NGO Hiddush organization. Israelis and groups of tourists will be able to hold conferences and events on weekends without restrictions unrelated to food and food service, he explained.

The Shofar solicits readers’ opinions on the above article, “Christmas Trees In Israel’s Hotels?” for publication in the May issue. Please email all responses by April 20 to one of the following addresses: sbblazer@hotmail.com or mcgotr@optonline.net/.

• JEWS IN THE NEWS •

Miriam Gabriel and Adrianne Greenberg

Shul members Miriam Gabriel and Adrianne Greenberg are leaving Florida golf on a high note after winning the Legacy Golf Course final two-round major Member/Member tournament. They came in with the low gross score against 10 other member/member pairs. The real challenge, in addition to the difficult course, was the format, which included two nine-hole rounds of alternate ball shots. Although both are experienced golfers, they had never played that format before. Adrianne stepped up and hit what might have been a once-in-a-lifetime shot, helping the Gabriel/Greenberg team to prevail.
The shot of the day was Adrianne’s. She had to hit off pine chips, her backswing obstructed by palm fronds, then clear the cart path ahead of her, avoid a sand bunker on the right, and carry the rough about 15 yards just to get to the green. Plus, the ball had to travel about 20 yards on the green to land six feet from the pin. Even the opponents cheered after she hit that impossible shot.
Since this was the alternate shot format, Miriam was left with a six-foot putt to win the hole, which she did — “with knees knocking,” she said. Taking that hole was crucial to winning the tournament.
The pair will be back in Greenport with great memories, eager to see friendly, familiar faces again, they said.

Richard Dreyfuss

Academy Award winner Richard Dreyfuss is slated to star as the notorious fraudster Bernard Madoff in an ABC miniseries based on Brian Ross’ book, The Madoff Chronicles: Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth. Bernard Madoff is behind what is believed to be the most shameful episode in American Jewish economic history, stealing millions from unsuspecting investors — including fellow Jews — in an elaborate Ponzi scheme. Madoff’s crimes were first revealed more than six years ago, and he has been in prison for almost that long.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, “several high-profile actresses are in the running” to play Ruth Madoff, Bernard Madoff’s wife.

Jill Abramson

Jill Abramson, the first female executive editor of the New York Times, has a book deal with Simon & Schuster to write about the future of the media industry. Reportedly, the book will explore the challenges that traditional media organizations are facing in the digital age, and how online media companies are changing the way news is gathered. It was rumored that the publisher paid $1 million for the book, but Alice Mayhew, editorial director of the publishing house, said that figure was “not accurate.”
Abramson led The Times from September 2011 until May 2014, when she was abruptly dismissed by the publisher, Arthur Sulzberger Jr.

Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a bold step and accepted an invitation from U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives John Boehner to address a joint session of Congress. The Prime Minister called on the legislators to take action toward Iran, which Netanyahu said poses a nuclear threat to Israel and to the world.
The much-awaited March 3 event had been the source of some controversy. Some members of Congress felt that the Speaker had overstepped his authority by inviting the Prime Minister to Washington before consulting with President Obama. Some members of Congress felt that Netanyahu’s appearance only weeks before his reelection bid was more politically motivated than it was a plea for intervention to keep Iran from developing nuclear power. Others felt the speech undermined Secretary of State John Kerry’s work toward an antinuclear agreement currently in negotiations with Iran.
Nevertheless, the Prime Minister was welcomed warmly and, according to many news sources, his speech was “pointed, passionate and effective,” laying out the various geopolitical threats posed by Iran, and the uncertainty associated with proposals for a nuclear deal. [Netanyahu won the March 17 election, and will continue as Prime Minister.]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing a joint session of the U.S. Congress, March 3.

• OBITUARIES •

Irving Kahn

Irving Kahn, who made his first stock trade in 1929, turning a tidy profit, persevered for more than eight decades to become Wall Street’s oldest living active professional investor. He died Feb. 24 at his home in Manhattan. He was 109.
Irving Kahn was chairman of Kahn Brothers Group, a privately owned investment advisory and brokerage firm he opened in 1978 with his two sons, Alan and Thomas. The firm manages $1 billion through its subsidiaries. According to his obituary published in the New York Times, until late 2014, Irving Kahn went to work three days a week.

Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy, who won a global following as Mr. Spock, the logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie series, Star Trek, died Feb. 27 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 83.
Other artistic pursuits, including poetry and music, could not eclipse Nimoy’s Mr. Spock character, a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute, “Live long and prosper.” Reportedly, he concluded his final Tweet, “LLAP.”
In addition to his Mr. Spock role, Nimoy directed the movies Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), which he helped write. In 1991, the same year he resurrected Mr. Spock on two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mr. Nimoy was also the executive producer and a writer of the movie Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

Ezra Laderman

Ezra Laderman, an American composer who became widely known for his 1993 opera “Marilyn,” which chronicled the waning days of Marilyn Monroe, died Feb. 28 at his home in New Haven. He was 90.
Mr. Laderman was a prolific composer of symphonic, chamber and vocal music, as well as works for traditionally neglected instruments like the viola and the bassoon. But “Marilyn,” commissioned to honor the 50th anniversary of the New York City Opera, made him known to the general public.
Mr. Laderman joined the Yale University faculty in 1988, serving as dean from 1989 to 1995. He also taught at Sarah Lawrence College and the State University of New York at Purchase. A former Guggenheim fellow, he also received the Rome Prize, a distinguished award for composition.

Isaac Heller

Isaac Heller, founder of Remco Industries, one of the country’s leading toy manufacturers, died March 7 at his home in Scotch Plains, NJ. He was 88.
The toymaker, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, got his start by buying up mountains of military surplus and transforming it into toys that could zoom and soar. (Remco stood for “remote control.”) Remco built toy walkie-talkies, Mighty Mike motorized trucks, the Shark remote control racecar, the Mighty Matilda aircraft carrier, and the Movieland Drive-In Theater, which came with cars, a parking lot, and a small projector and screen.
After selling Remco in 1966, he became an industrial-park developer and philanthropist, whose causes included his alma maters — Brooklyn Technical High School and Cooper Union in Manhattan — and the John Kenney Child Care Center, which he founded in Edison, NJ, in 1987.

Al Rosen

Al Rosen, a slugging third baseman for the Cleveland Indians named the American League’s most valuable player in 1953, died March 13 in Rancho Mirage, CA. He was 91.
Rosen, who said he was sometimes taunted for his religion, took up boxing as a youngster and showed the grit he would later display on the baseball field. He twice led the league in home runs, twice in runs batted in, and he played in the All-Star Game every year from 1952 to 1955. He was best remembered for his 1953 season, when he led the league in home runs with 43 and runs batted in with 145, while batting .336. Mickey Vernon, the Washington senators’ first baseman had a batting average of .337, edging Rosen who would have won the triple crown that year.
He was also president of the New York Yankees in the late 1970s and later the president and general manager of the Houston Astros and the San Francisco Giants.

• COMMEMORATIONS •

Yahrzeits In April
3: Frances Meshover; Hana Shaw
4: Mervin J. Goldin; Anna Katz; Harry Katz
5: Dorothea Seranne
6: Herman Ballen
7: Yafa L. Melamud
8: Joseph Lipman
9: Benjamin Forman, Rose Levinson Goldsmith; Irving Levin
10: Edward Moch
12: Ella Bush Lipton; Milton Reece
13: Miny Bloch; Florence Cohen
14: Bess Fineberg Brown; Barney Kaplan
15:Joanna Lieberthal; Harold Reisman
16: Joseph Nelson Finkelstein; Samuel Joseph Glickman
18: Paula Kampler; Essie Levine
19: Minnie Schlefstein; Regina Sturmdorf
20: I. Jack Lewis; Israel Schlefstein
21: Pauline Friedman
22: Jennie Fineberg; Nathaniel Harris
23: William Brown; Louis Levinson; Tena R. Rubinsky
24: Arie L. Melamud
25: Muriel Kaplan; Robert I. Kaplan
26: Dora Sharp
28: Miriam Mandel; Alan Sarafconn; Edythe S. Winters
29: Sarah Gertrude Taylor
30: Henry Nadel
Birthdays In April
8: Eric Friedmann
9: Jennifer Morris
15 Mimi Bloom, Sy Brittman
20: Helen Weinstein
26: Isaac Kaplan
28: Thelma Novick; Adam Weinstein
30: Susan Meshover

Anniversaries in April
16: Victor and Leah Friedman

Spreading Sunshine
Rain or shine, a Sunshine Card brightens the day for recipients. Remember friends, family, and fellow shul members on joyous occasions, and wish them well when illness and sadness strike. It costs so little to do so much. Please make your contribution payable to the Daughters of Israel, and send to P.O. Box 659, Greenport, NY 11944.
To send a Sunshine Card, call Thelma Novick at 734-6952.

Refuah Shlemah
Jed Clauss
Victor Friedman
Ann Hurwitz
Arlene Marvin
Thelma Novick
Judith Schneider
Paula Shengold
Gloria Waxler

• MONEY MATTERS •

Donations in March
Lawrence Kotik and Tim Mueller
Yehudit Moch and Judith Ullman
Bruce and Sara Bloom
Jack Weiskott and Roberta Garris
Eli and Helen Novick
Carol Seigel

Dedicated Funds
• Capital Improvement: covers major additions and repairs to our building and grounds.
• Archive/Library: supports new books for our library, plus archival materials.
• Education: provides supplies/materials for the Hebrew School and adult education classes.
• Ritual Materials: replaces prayer books, tallit, kippah, Torah mantles, Rimmonim, breastplates, curtains, reader’s table covers, etc.
• Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund: allows the rabbi to provide help when he is asked.
• Financial Assistance Fund: supports those in need in Southold Town.
• Harold Winters Fund For the Hebrew School: supports Jewish education

Invest In Our Shul
• Bequest: Make a gift to the shul with an inclusion in your will.
• Charitable Gift Annuity: A cash or appreciated stock gift provides fixed income for life.
• Life Insurance Policy: Contribute a fully-paid or new policy with the shul as owner.
• Life Estate: Donate real estate through a grant deed, and use the property for life.
• Charitable Remainder Unitrust: This investment allows the contributor a current tax deduction and an income for life. Upon the death of the contributor, the balance in the trust goes to the charity. For more information, contact Financial Secretary Z. Micah Kaplan, MD.

Honor Loved Ones With A Plaque
• Memorial Plaque: mounted in the sanctuary, lighted during the anniversary month.
Cost: $300 members; $600 nonmembers.
• Tree of Life Leaf: commemorates a simcha or joyous event, mounted in social hall. Cost: $54 members; $108 nonmembers
• Sanctuary Seat Plate: nameplate is placed on the back of a seat in the sanctuary.
Cost: $200 members; $250 nonmembers.

Schedule of Synagogue Fees
Membership Per Year
Family $850
Individual $550

Event Members Nonmembers
Weddings and Bat/Bat Mitzvahs* $450 $900
Sanctuary Only No charge $300
Community Room Only $25 per hour $50 per hour
Community Room, Kitchen and Park $300 $600
Rabbi’s classes No charge No charge

Commemoratives Members Nonmembers
Memorial Plaques $300 $600
Tree of Life Leaf $54 $108
Prayer Book Bookplate $54 $54
Pentateuch Bookplate $72 $72
Sanctuary Seat Plate $200 $250**
Isidore Handler Hebrew School No charge No charge

*Fee includes use of the sanctuary, community room, kosher kitchen, and Andrew Levin Park. Setup and cleanup fees will be paid by the individual or group renting the facilities. Renters of our facilities must submit an agreement 10 days prior to the event.
** A seat plate designee must be a member or a deceased member of the synagogue.

• WHO’S WHO AT OUR SHUL •

Rabbi Gadi Capela: 631-477-6940
Gabbai Stanley Rubin: 631-765-6848

Board of Directors
Alan Garmise, President
Susan Rosenstreich, Vice President
Michael Slade, MD, Treasurer
Z. Micah Kaplan, MD, Financial Secretary
Debra Riva, Recording Secretary
Elaine Goldman, Corresponding Secretary
Leah Friedman, Marian Friedmann, Miriam Gabriel: Members at Large
Eileen Santora, Daughters of Israel Representative
Jesse Reece, Men’s Club Representative
Adrianne Greenberg, Non-voting advisor

The Daughters of Israel
Eileen Santora, President
Gloria Waxler, Vice President and Treasurer
Thelma Novick, Corresponding Secretary
Rochelle Garmise, Recording Secretary

The Men’s Club
Jesse Reece, President
Aaron Novick, Vice President
Secretary/Treasurer, David Judlowitz
Program Chairmen, Thomas Byrne and Jed Clauss

The Shofar
Miriam Gabriel and Sara Bloom, Editors

Shul Committees
Audio-Visual
Phil Goldman, chair
Sidney Waxler
Beautification
Helen Weinstein, chair
Leah Friedman, Miriam Gabriel, Adrianne Greenberg, Veronica Kaliski, Debra Riva
Building and Grounds
Phil Goldman, chair
Sy Brittman, Tom Byrne, Miriam Gabriel, Adrianne Greenberg, Micah Kaplan, Aaron Novick, Jesse Reese,

Bylaws
Aaron Novick, chair
Alan Garmise, Rochelle Garmise, Phil Goldman, Adrianne Greenberg, David Judlowitz, Stephen Meshover, Joanna Paulsen, Joan Prager
Calendar
Elaine Goldman, chair
Cultural Arts
Paula Shengold, chair
Leah Friedman, Yehudit Moch, Debra Riva, Saul Rosenstreich, Carol Seigel,
E-Communications/Web Site
Adrianne Greenberg, chair
Marian Friedmann, Elaine Goldman, Phil Goldman
Finance
Paul Nadel, chair
Alan Garmise, Phil Goldman, David Judlowitz, Micah Kaplan, Joan Prager
Gift Shop
Sara Bloom
Journal Dinner-Dance
Gayle Kaplan, co-chair; Debra Riva, co-chair
Joanna Paulsen
Membership
Phil Goldman, chair
Sara Bloom, Rabbi Gadi Capela, Marian Friedmann, Miriam Gabriel, Rochelle Garmise, Aaron Novick, Debra Riva, Eileen Santora.
Nominating
Phil Goldman, David Judlowitz, Audrey Rothman, Paula Shengold
Pastoral
Rabbi Gadi Capela, Miriam Gabriel, Elaine Goldman, Carol Seigel
Plaques
Stanley Rubin, chair
Jesse Reece, Neville Reece
Public Relations
Alan Garmise, chair
Bruce Bloom, Sara Bloom
Ritual
Phil Goldman, chair
Rabbi Gadi Capela, Adrianne Greenberg, Stephen Meshover, Jesse Reece,
Susan Rosenstreich, Stanley Rubin, Carol Seigel
Telephone/Sunshine
Thelma Novick, chair
Gloria Waxler
Yahrzeit
Stanley Rubin, chair
Stephen Meshover, Jesse Reece