The Shofar welcomes letters from readers on topics that relate to synagogue life and to articles contained within the newsletter. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. All letters must be signed, although names can be withheld from publication to protect a writer’s privacy on sensitive topics. Letters can be addressed to the shul’s info address at info@tifereth-israel.com or to mcgotr@optonline.net or sbblazer@hotmail.com. We look forward to your thoughts and comments.
A Letter To The Congregation From CAST…
Thank you so much for all the effort involved in administering the Cans For Cast drive. The cans and nonperishables collected will go directly toward feeding the 1,211 families who use our services. The work we do would be impossible without the support and collaboration of community members like you. [...]
From the Shofar Editor…
An editor is known by many descriptive names, some nicer than others. Miriam Gabriel, my able colleague and proofreader, calls me “chief.” I like that one. Other names, clearly inappropriate for this family-focused publication, typically are invoked by those whose submissions I have adjusted for clarity, rejected for such shortcomings [...]
Letter from Erica Steindl, CAST
To the editor: Members of Congregation Tifereth Israel Synagogue, thank you so much for your generous contribution to CAST’s North Fork Parent-Child Program. This year, we expect to have forty families attending and completing this school readiness and language development program. Thank you for helping to brighten the futures of [...]
Letter from Chuck Simon
To the editors: Special thanks to Tom Byrne, Helaine Teperman, Andrea Blaga, Stephen Meshover, Adrianne Greenberg and Rosa Lee Emerson — all of whom have graciously consented to take part in “We Call It Whiskey,” a one-act comedy that will be read in the synagogue and available on Zoom on [...]
From TOI Members
To the editors... The Tikkun Olam Initiative (TOI) would like to thank everyone who participated in our successful 2022 year. We have provided CAST with chickens, personal care items, children’s toys, school supplies, diapers, fresh vegetables and vegetable plants. CAST has repeatedly thanked us in their newsletters as well as [...]
Letter from Stephan Brumberg
To the editors... The December issue of The Shofar offered a theme grounded in the world-wide presence of Jews. Starting with Rabbi Gadi’s beginnings in Israel and concluding with his citizenship ceremony in New York, The Shofar then offered the story of an Afghan synagogue, the Jews of Laramie, Wyoming, [...]
Tikkun Olam Initiative Pledges $600 For Chickens In The Baskets
The Tikkun Olam Initiative, a shul organization that provides charitable donations throughout the year for CAST clients, recently pledged $600 to purchase chickens and to help fill Thanksgiving baskets for CAST, which has changed its name from Community Action Southold Town to Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation. In response [...]
Letter from the Family of Charles Bogen
To the editors, and to all the wonderful members of CTI, Thank you for your kindness, support and comforting words. We gratefully appreciate the Italian food and the book on death and mourning, as well as the kind expressions of sympathy during this difficult time. The family of Charles Bogen
Response to the shul’s support of Blue Card, in connection with donations to the Yellow Candle Project
Response to the shul’s support of Blue Card, in connection with donations to the Yellow Candle Project. Published with permission. June 24, 2022 Congregation Tifereth Israel Attn: Dr. Thomas Byrne 519 Fourth Street P.O. Box 659 Greenport, New York 11944 Dear Dr. Byrne, Thank you very much for the [...]
Letter from Ann Hurwitz
To the editors: I would like to thank everyone who participated in the second course developed for synagogues by Jewish Theological Seminary — Beyond Dispute: Debates that Shape Jewish Life. Thank you, Rabbi Capela, for your preparation, for the wisdom of your teaching, and for the adaptations you made to [...]
Dede Whitsit
To the editors: Dede Whitsit, a founding member of the Book Circle, has left us. But today’s meeting of ours group made it clear that if Dede is no longer with us in body, she is a lasting presence among us in spirit. It was Dede who always made [...]
A Passover Memory
Decades have come and gone since the Passover holidays in my memory, yet I recall them in vivid detail. All the family is gathered — my husband and our children, my husband’s mother, his brother and family, my brother and family. We are seated in the dining room of our [...]
Letter from Karina Hayes, Food Relief Program Manager
The following letter was sent to the Tikkun Olam Initiative, and is reprinted here with permission. Dear Congregation Tifereth Israel: Thank you so much for your continued support of CAST. We truly appreciate your kindness and generosity. I cannot express how grateful we are to have community members so dedicated [...]
Letter from Madelyn Rothman
In response to Rabbi Gadi’s column in the January issue of The Shofar, I offer a different perspective, quoted from Rabbi Joel Levinson in Newsday’s “On Faith” column: “According to Jewish law, Jews have an obligation, with medical guidance, to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We have this obligation because it [...]
The Yellow Candle Project
Our shul’s Sisterhood and Men’s Club are co-sponsoring the Yellow Candle Project to commemorate Yom HaShoah. Each family in our congregation will receive a yellow candle to light at home on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Knowing that Jews worldwide are lighting candles at the same time can be a moving [...]
Letter from Sara Bloom
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” —A. A. Milne I cannot estimate the size of my heart, but I think, unlike Piglet’s, it must be voluminous to hold all the gratitude I want to [...]
Letter from Cathy Demeroto
Dear Members of Congregation Tifereth Israel, Community Action Southold Town, Inc. (CAST) would like to thank Congregation Tifereth Israel for its generous support over the past year. As you are well aware, the COVID-19 health and economic crisis was very challenging, and people of color, low-income families, and rural communities [...]
The Shofar Goes Interactive: Tell Us What’s On Your Mind
One of the most avidly read areas of any newspaper is the “Letters to the Editor” page. This is where people discover what readers are thinking, what’s important to them, and how they feel about the world around them. The Shofar, your monthly link to shul news, regional developments, and [...]
The Shofar Goes Interactive: Tell Us What’s On Your Mind?
One of the most avidly read areas of any newspaper is the “Letters to the Editor” page. This is where people discover what readers are thinking, what’s important to them, and how they feel about the world around them. The Shofar, your monthly link to shul news, regional developments, and [...]
From Susan Rosenstreich
For more than two decades, Thelma Novick has been the author behind Tifereth Israel’s Sunshine Cards. Her cards have delivered our thoughts on life events to those we care about. The occasion may be happy, sad or humdrum, but for Thelma, it is always a special one. Her Sunshine system [...]
From Adrianne Greenberg
For more than 25 years, Thelma Novick has been the synagogue’s source of heartfelt messaging. Whether in times of celebration or sadness, a Sunshine Card requested by the sender, penned by Thelma, and sent to a grateful recipient always has been a welcome expression of thoughtfulness. How many of us [...]
From Miriam Gabriel
Some of my favorite times with Stanley Rubin had to do with his responses to questions about history, language, Judaism and Christianity, and North Fork families. The Pogrom at Kishinev, Archduke Ferdinand’s last words, the roots of the Cyrillic language were among the great range of topics I asked [...]
From Paula Shengold
On July 28, about 80 guests gathered at the Halyard to enjoy a delicious lunch and to learn what inspires Corky Maul, Arden Scott, Jeanne Woelker, Vivian Eyre and Lauren Grant to make their art. Many thanks to our local merchants who donated raffle prizes, and special thanks to Roberta Garris, [...]
Letter from Stephen Brumberg
Carol and I have just returned from a six-day visit to Berlin, a city heavy with memories and history. The highlight of our visit was attending Kabbalat Shabbat services at the New Synagogue, a survivor of WWII bombings. The chapel was full (about 100 people), including German Jewish students who [...]
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