Project Genesis in Greenport Encourages New Thinking on Old Texts

All religions share a common thread of ideas about walking a moral path in the world, and when you find a group of disparate theologians in conversation, you will often find a fascinating dialogue about the parallels different religions share.

For the past four years, such a dialogue has been shared by North Fork religious educator Dr. Don Russo and Rabbi Gadi Capela of Greenport’s Congregation Tifereth Israel, who debate monthly, before a packed crowd in the auditorium at Peconic Landing, about the meaning found in books of both the New Testament and the original five books of both the Jewish and Christian theologies.

“Four years ago, we were becoming friends, and Gadi said ‘I want to learn the New Testament. Will you teach me?’” said Mr. Russo after their April discussion on the Book of Revelation. “We got into it for a couple months, and he said ‘Let’s go public.’”

The First Universalist Church of Southold offered them space for a meeting in their community room. They’d been hoping 30 people would show up, but more than 90 came.

Though the First Universalist Church burned down not long after their first session, St. Patrick’s R.C. Church across the street quickly offered them a space for their talks. John May, then the Chairman of the Board at the Peconic Landing retirement community, had attended every session, and he invited the duo to bring their talks to Peconic Landing, where they’ve been ever since.

Rabbi Capela’s journey into this discussion, dubbed Project Genesis, began seven years before he met Mr. Russo, when, while still a rabbinical student, he began a dialogue with Father Roy Tvrdik of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island in Manorville, where the Catholic church has held a model Passover Seder to help its congregants understand the Jewish roots of their traditions.

They spent seven years at the shrine discussing the book of Genesis, going deeper and deeper into the text, eventually naming the discussions “Project Genesis,” and creating a website, project-genesis.org, where they post videos of the discussions.

“We never rehearse. We know the boundaries of what we believe, and we go a little deeper,” said Mr. Russo.

“We’ve been able to create, for 13 years, a community of people who want to learn from each other,” said Rabbi Capela.

Their April discussion, on Revelation, was an apt one to explore the depth of their scholarship and faith. The final book of the New Testament, with its militaristic and apocalyptic imagery, bears room for ample debate.

Mr. Russo’s take is that the book is good news, a vision of salvation. In many parts of the world, he said, where people are living in poverty, Revelation is seen as good news. It was originally written, he said, as a letter to be read to seven new Christian churches in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey) in the First Century.

“One dimension of how God loves his people is God acting against what harms his creation,” he said. “Evil bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.”

The book, he said, refers to just 144,000 people — 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel who will be ‘sealed,’ or saved, as servants of God. This number, he said, must be a metaphor. The number 144 is 12 squared, he said, and 12 is the number of perfection.

“That’s four square blocks of Manhattan,” said Mr. Russo. “Come on. That’s all that’s gonna be saved? God is trying to protect his people on behalf of the tribes of Israel — the believing community.”

Mr. Russo said the salvation of the faithful in the Book of Revelation echoes the rescue of the Jews from slavery in Egypt found in the Book of Exodus.

“It’s about the rescue of the underdogs from slavery,” he said. “Salvation, not destruction, is the focus.”

“When I read this book, it feels like I’m reading a Jewish text,” said Rabbi Capela. “It’s so esoteric. It’s a realm where we’re all there. Our traditions all merge there.”

“How can it affect our lives today?” he asked. “I say the Messiah will come when we stop waiting for him and start a conversation here. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Levitticus 19:18. That’s the heart of the matter, which is in the middle of the Torah.”

Rabbi Capela added that the lamb to be slaughtered at Passover as part of the strictly regulated meal of the Passover Seder, is about “bringing people together,” as Christ’s role as the Lamb of God is seen by Christians. The order displayed in the Seder, as well, is a defense against evil.

“The worst punishment, in Judaism, is to be detached from your roots,” he added. “The work of the lamb is about bringing people together.”

“Politics gets its power from separating people,” he added. “Creation overcomes chaos, and evil is chaos…. That is the definition of terror, the separation of the self from the self. That’s the definition of evil.”

Mr. Russo added that the concept of “judgement,” so often used in connection with the Book of Revelation, is often seen by people as ‘punishment,’ when in fact God’s judgement is an act of protecting his creation from harm.

Pat Masterson at a recent Project Genesis meeting. All five women had gone to Israel this winter.

“There is no past with God. Everything is present. We have the responsibility to know who we are and what the boundaries are,” he said. “You and I will judge ourselves…. We are always looking for a scapegoat when it comes to judgement, but it’s only up to us.”

“Even individual kernels on a corn on the cob are attached,’ he added. “When we talk about judgement, we are looking at ourselves as we confront absolute goodness and love.”

This central idea, said both men, is embodied both in Jesus and in the Passover Lamb.

“Jesus came to proclaim the kingdom of God, and the decisions he made brought him to Calvary,” said Mr. Russo.

“The lamb is about bringing people together,” said Rabbi Capela. “The blood of the lamb on the doorposts in Egypt is a covenant that seals us together.”

After the talk, Mr. Russo and Rabbi Capela talked for some time with the group in attendance, many of whom had gone with Rabbi Capela on a 10-day pilgrimage to Israel earlier this year, where their guides were a priest, a rabbi and a Palestinian Christian leader, each of whom gave their perspective on the holy sites they visited.

“We’re meeting peacemakers in Israel and having an interfaith conversation,” said Rabbi Capela. “The conversation started here, and went there, where we learned with our feet.”

The group plans to return to Israel again in February of 2019.

Project Genesis meets once a month, on a Sunday from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., in the auditorium at Peconic Landing. Their next meeting is on June 24.

Eastendbacon.com

Article by Beth Young published on June 10-th 2018

Artists To Explore Jewish Themes Represented In Gallery Show at Greenport Synagogue Public Is Invited To Participate In Illuminating Give-And-Take

Five local artists, whose work is currently on display in a show titled “Who Art Thou,” mounted in the community room at Congregation Tifereth Israel, will participate in an informal and interactive art talk at the synagogue, following the regular Friday night (Shabbat) service on April 27. The public is invited to attend the service at 7:30 p.m. and to remain for the art talk, or to attend the art talk only, scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. All are invited to join the discussion.

Artists participating are Roberta Garris, Saul Rosenstreich, Meryl Spiegel, Irma Strimban, and Judith Kaufman Weiner. Saul Rosenstreich will moderate, and Rabbi Gadi Capela, spiritual leader of the synagogue, will provide commentary on the exhibit and how the artists illustrated their connection to Judaism. The artists are members of the synagogue’s Judaism and Art group.

Jewish themes to be explored will include creation, heavenly events of light and darkness, the stages of death, and the concept of angels. A lively exchange between artists and audience is anticipated. For enlightened participation, plan to view the gallery show prior to the discussion. The show is open to the public weekends, from 1 to 4 p.m. through May 20. The synagogue is located at 519 Fourth Street, immediately south of the intersection with Front Street.

For more information, call the synagogue at 631-477-0232.

East End Jewish Community Council presented its 5th Annual UNITY HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL SERVICE on Sunday, April 15, 2018, At Temple Israel of Riverhead

PROGRAM “Eli Eli” – Cantorial Soloist Ilana Davidson

Welcoming remarks by Rabbi Gadi Capela – EEJCC President

FIRST CANDLE Rabbi Barbara Sheryll – EEJCC Trustee, to light the first candle in memory of the children in the Holocaust. Reading of the Poem “Butterfly” from: I Never Saw Another Butterfly – A compilation of drawings and poems of children from the concentration camp Theresenstadt.

Rabbi Sheryll to introduce Ilana Davidson - Cantorial Soloist at the North Fork Reform Synagogue.

SECOND CANDLE Ilana Davidson to light the second candle “Butterfly” – Cantorial Soloist Ilana Davidson

THIRD CANDLE Richard (Richie) and Lisa Israel to light the third candle. The EEJCC is honoring Richard and Lisa Israel for their various contributions to local communities. They were Greenport’s 2017 Maritime Festival parade Grand Marshals.

FOURTH CANDLE Father Larry Dunklee, Pastor of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Riverhead to light the fourth candle in honor of unity. Father Dunklee is also representing the Diocese of Rockville Center.

FIFTH CANDLE Harley Abrams – EEJCC Trustee, to light the fifth candle in honor of Holocaust survivors who died in the past year.

Mr. Abrams to introduce Keynote Speaker Dr. Stanislao (Stan) Pugliese. The Keynote Speaker is sponsored by Harley P. Abrams as part of the Temple Israel of Riverhead Annual
Irwin B. and Florence K. Abrams Memorial Lecture Series

SIXTH CANDLE Keynote Speaker Dr. Stanislao Pugliese to light the sixth candle. Hofstra University Professor of modern European history and the Queensboro UNICO Distinguished Professor of Italian and Italian-American Studies The Holocaust Experience of the Jews of Italy

“Birdsong” – Cantorial Soloist Ilana Davidson

Closing Remarks by Rabbi Gadi Capela. El Maleh Rachamim – Cantorial Soloist Ilana Davidson Mourner’s Kaddish – Rabbi Gadi Capela Hatikva – Cantorial Soloist Ilana Davidson

Tifereth Israel Greenport is glad to announce upcoming lecture and booksigning by author Ira Poliakoff, on his latest book Synagogues of Long Islang.

Long Island has one of the most vibrant Jewish communities in the nation. After World War II, hundreds of thousands of Jewish soldiers returned from war looking for a life in the suburbs and synagogues to join. In 1946, Rabbi Elias Solomon called a meeting of Conservative rabbis from the area in Manhattan to map out a plan for a synagogue at every South Shore Long Island Railroad stop from Valley Stream to Patchogue. Central Synagogue of Nassau County and Beth El in Great Neck both grew to more than one thousand families as Reform Judaism took hold. The growth of the Chabad movement in recent decades has spurred an increase of Orthodox Judaism. Author Ira Poliakoff catalogues the history of synagogues and congregations that have shaped Long Island past and present.

Lecture is hosted on the 22nd of April 2018, 2 PM, by Tifereth Israel Greenport in partnership with Temple Israel Riverhead and North Fork Reform Synagogue in Cutchogue.

All are welcome.

Exploring Judaism Through Art at Greenport Synagogue

In Memoriam for Robert Strimban

A group of eight Jewish artists have come together in search of a deeper understanding, insight and connection to Judaism through their art in a multimedia exhibit entitled WHO ART THOU? Honoring the late North Fork illustrator/sculptor, Robert Strimban, the show will be on view at Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport from March 25 thru May 20 — with an Opening Reception on Sunday, March 25 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm; open to the public, all are welcome.

Featuring The Rabbi, a paper sculpture by Strimban, nearly completed for the show at the end of an illustrious career, this assemblage of sculpture, painting, photography, and quilting explores spirituality and Judaism through divergent methods. Pondering the transcendence between life and death, photographer Meryl Spiegel adds another dimension to her imagery by incorporating spirits drawn by hand, while painter Judith Kaufman Weiner renders the ascendence of the soul by manipulating spatial environments.

Painters Saul Rosenstreich and Debra Riva both search for spiritual connection—one through iconic representation, the other through abstract splashes of color. Quilter Roberta Garris seeks a greater understanding of Judaism through fabric and thread, whereas Cookie Slade connects to the universe through her nature photography.

Irma Strimban will also be displaying her clay sculpture, Old Woman, alongside her late husband’s unfinished piece. In 1986, the couple moved from their Chelsea brownstone to Cutchoque where their home is filled with sculpture. “As the sun moves from east to west, casting shadows and patterns within the work itself, a new sculpture is created with each passing hour,” reflected Robert Strimban. He passed away suddenly on December 29, 2017. Through the guidance of Rabbi Gadi Capela, WHO ART THOU? is a culmination of monthly presentations, discussions and Judaic interpretations at Congregation Tifereth Israel. The gallery will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 3pm at 519 Fourth Street, Greenport, 631-477-0232.