About Tifereth Israel Greenport

Congregation Tifereth Israel is a Historic Synagogue on the North Fork in Greenport. It is an egalitarian, inclusive, Conservative synagogue committed to strengthening Jewish values, learning and spiritual well-being as well as building a close, warm and supportive community for all who wish to join.

Book Circle Explores Four Brave Women In Historical Fiction Account

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman is a fictional retelling of the Siege of Masada (70-73 CE) through the eyes of four resilient women — Yael, Revka, Asisa and Shirah — who find refuge there, each bearing secrets and past traumas. When the Romans besiege the fortress, only two women and five children survive the brutality and loss, leading to the tragic historical outcome.   The members of the Book Circle will meet on Thursday, Feb. [...]

Book Circle Explores Four Brave Women In Historical Fiction Account2026-02-20T13:53:48-05:00

Purim Party On Zoom Only, Monday, March 2 at 6 P.M.

To all members and friends: Purim is nearly here, and our shul is celebrating the holiday, of course. But please note a necessary change in our plans: OUR PURIM PARTY THIS MONDAY, MARCH 2, WILL BE A ZOOM EVENT ONLY, AT 6 P.M. Please join us on Zoom for the Purim story we all know, plus some PG-rated schpiel (oh, my goodness) from Chuck Simon. Be sure to download the Book of Esther from the Internet so you [...]

Purim Party On Zoom Only, Monday, March 2 at 6 P.M.2026-03-04T20:58:31-05:00

Last Israeli Hostage From Oct. 7 Attack Is Returned From Gaza

The body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli still unaccounted for after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, was returned from Gaza, ending more than two years of waiting. Gvili, a 24-year-old police officer killed while defending Kibbutz Alumum, was brought home for burial 843 days after he was taken captive. “The first to go, the last to leave,” his mother posted on Facebook. “Our hero.” Israel is now expected to reopen the Rafah [...]

Last Israeli Hostage From Oct. 7 Attack Is Returned From Gaza2026-02-07T19:10:12-05:00

After 82 years, Jewish WWII Pilot Morton Sher Laid To Rest At Home

A Jewish American fighter pilot, whose plane was shot down in the Chinese theater during World War II, was given a proper burial 82 years after his plane went down, according to the United States Department of Defense. The remains of Lt. Morton Sher were buried in Greenville, SC, on Dec. 14 on what would have been his 105th birthday. Sher was a member of the pilot group known as the “Flying Tigers,” formed to [...]

After 82 years, Jewish WWII Pilot Morton Sher Laid To Rest At Home2026-02-07T19:08:46-05:00

Language Course Reviving Moroccan Jewish Culture, Bridging Divides

Growing up in Fez, Morocco, Yona Elfassi was always aware of the history of the city, a center of culture and home to great minds, including Maimonides. Only about 2,500 Jews remain in the country; about a million Moroccan Jews make up one of Israel’s largest ethnic groups. Elfassi, a sociologist, now teaches a hybrid course in Darija, the Moroccan Arabic dialect, to allow diaspora Moroccan Jews to connect with their ancestors through language and [...]

Language Course Reviving Moroccan Jewish Culture, Bridging Divides2026-02-07T19:07:17-05:00

FYI

• Fewer than 200,000 Holocaust survivors — half in Israel — are still alive worldwide, according to data released by the Times of Israel. The number is down from about 220,000 only one year ago. New York is home to the largest population of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel, with an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 living in the metropolitan area.    • Ilana Kantorowicz Shalem, 81, is one of the youngest living survivors of the [...]

FYI2026-02-07T19:01:27-05:00

Julie Menin

Julie Menin is the first Jew to be elected speaker of the New Yor City Council, the second-most powerful government position in America’s largest city. Mainstream Jewish leaders see Menin as a check on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and a potential guardrail on his actions, according to The Forward.

Julie Menin2026-02-07T19:00:45-05:00

The Mysterious Case of Barbra Streisand and the Missing Half-Pound of Sturgeon

By Len Berk The whole story of Barbra Streisand and the sturgeon began a few months ago on a Thursday when I was at my regular spot at the fish counter. A pleasant, attractive woman ordered a pound of Nova and, before Slim, my sharp slicing knife, and I started our journey through the salmon, she said, “I’m buying this for Barbra Streisand.” I was skeptical, so I asked her what her relationship was with [...]

The Mysterious Case of Barbra Streisand and the Missing Half-Pound of Sturgeon2026-02-07T18:57:02-05:00

Dick Zimmer

Dick Zimmer, a three-term Republican congressman from New Jersey, who sponsored the landmark legislation known as Megan’s Law, requiring states to disclose where convicted sex offenders are living, died on Dec. 30, 2025, at a nursing care facility in Flemington, NJ. He was 81. First elected to the House of Representatives in 1990, Mr. Zimmer sponsored Megan’s Law after the 1994 rape and murder of 7-year-old Megan Kanka in Hamilton Township, NJ. Her family had [...]

Dick Zimmer2026-02-07T18:55:49-05:00

Gary Graffman

Gary Graffman, a former child prodigy whose successful international career as a concert pianist was cut short when a rare neurological disorder cost him the use of his right hand in his 50s, setting him on a new and distinguished path as a teacher and administrator, died on Dec. 27 at his home in New York. He was 97. His performing career lasted until the early 1980s, when he began to suffer from focal dystonia. [...]

Gary Graffman2026-02-07T18:55:16-05:00

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