Shul News & Notes

Greenport High School Students Benefit

Following its successful campaign to provide warm clothing to the homeless men who depend on John’s Place at St. Agnes Church in Greenport, the Tikkun Olam group pitched in with an ambitious group of volunteers to ready the yellow candles in time for the shul’s May 5 program.

In March, the group gathered at the shul to package the candles, carefully attaching to each one the name of a child who had died in the Holocaust. A letter accompanying the candle explained that as each candle is lighted, the recipient could think of that child and memorialize his or her untimely death.

On May 5, our shul will join with members of the North Fork Reform Synagogue and two South Fork synagogues in a joint program to honor the Six Million lost in the Holocaust.

The program is divided into three parts: First, we will meet in Andrew Levin Park to dig a grave in which to bury the names of children lost in the Holocaust. Then, we will head into our shul building for commentary and prayers by Rabbi Gadi of our shul, and Rabbi Barbara Sheryll of the North Fork Reform Synagogue to honor those who were lost amid the horrific acts of aggression that vanquished Jewish populations in major cities and peaceful villages across Europe. And finally, shul member Leah Friedmann will read one of her plays on the Yom Ha Shoah theme.

The Greenport High School Connection

The shul is grateful to our long-time member Chuck Simon for introducing the Yellow Candle Project to our shul. In the three years CTI has participated, the program has expanded beyond our shul to Greenport High School. At the conclusion of the 10th-grade unit on the Holocaust, this year’s students were bused to the Holocaust Museum in Glen Cove, where they toured the museum and spoke with a Holocaust survivor. Money collected from our members donating funds as a thank-you for the candles are turned over to the high school to help pay for the bus to the museum.

On April 19, our shul welcomed three of those students — Stefany Chapeton, Glenn Heidtman, and Gabrielle Luna — and their history teacher, Brian Toussaint, at our Shabbat service, and talked with the young people about their thoughts surrounding Jewish experiences during WWII and the antisemitism that continues to prevail today. The students talked freely about their shock at what had transpired.

Plans are underway to further expand the Yellow Candle Project to other synagogues on Long Island and to other North Fork high schools

Should you wish to acknowledge receipt of your candle with a charitable contribution, we suggest that you consider a gift in a multiple of $18, the number that represents life — chai — to Congregation Tifereth Israel, and designate it for the Yellow Candle Project. The shul will, in turn, donate the full amount of all the contributions to Greenport High School to help finance a visit to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, a fitting conclusion to the 10th-graders’ unit on the Holocaust.

You can contribute online at our website — www.tiferethisraelgreenport.org — or by sending a check to the shul at P.O. Box 659, Greenport, NY 11944.

And now, Veronica Kaliski, chair of Tikkun Olam, reminds us that gardening at Common Ground on behalf of CAST has begun. To date, beds 18 and 19 have been weeded, and mulch has been spread, and seedlings provided by Treiber Farms and Marion Garden Herbs will be planted soon.

And who is doing all of this gardening? A small and dedicated group, Veronica says, pointing out that additional help is welcome. Those interested in getting their hands in the dirt for a good cause can contact the shul at ctigreenport@gmail.com and leave a message for Veronica Kaliski.