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.

High Holidays Calendar For This Year: 5785-5786

Download High Holiday Calendar here. Leading services this year are Rabbi Debra Cantor, and Cantor William Weinstein. (Not to be confused: Debra Cantor is a rabbi; William Weinstein is a cantor.) Shul members and friends joined Rabbi Cantor in the sanctuary on the Shabbat weekend of August 22 and 23, where she provided inspirational services and learning. She is the spiritual leader of Congregation B’Nai Tikvoh-Sholom in Bloomfield, CT, having previously served as rabbi [...]

High Holidays Calendar For This Year: 5785-57862025-10-13T17:01:29-04:00

“Holy? What’s Does That Mean?

As we approach the High Holy Days, I am reminded of a discussion held in our sanctuary one recent Shabbat morning. A question was posed: “What is holy?” It was a reasonable question. Prayer after prayer in the Siddur refers to holiness — the holiness of God, the holiness of Shabbat, even the holiness of prayer itself. If you Google “holy,” you will find terms as inscrutable as the word itself — words like [...]

“Holy? What’s Does That Mean?2025-08-27T22:54:05-04:00

Tu B’Av, Friday, August 15, at 6:30 p.m.

Be sure to join us as we celebrate the holiday of Tu B’Av, the Jewish Valentine’s Day. We’re planning a festive wine and cheese party on Friday, August 15, at 6:30 p.m. in the community room, followed by a love-ly Shabbat service at 7:30 p.m. Sisterhood President Adrianne Greenberg is overseeing the offerings and libations to complement the theme. There will be a full moon that night, giving off positive vibes for love and [...]

Tu B’Av, Friday, August 15, at 6:30 p.m.2025-08-19T20:47:42-04:00

School Supply Drive Runs Through August 18. Let’s Fill The Big Barrel 

Back-to-school for the young set means pencils, glue sticks, paperclips, notebooks, dividers, rulers, scissors, index cards, markers, pens, and the like, plus backpacks to haul all that stuff and — oh yes — schoolbooks and homework assignments. All those fresh supplies get kids off to a good start in the school year, and the Tikkun Olam Initiative is supporting that effort with a call to our members for donations of school supplies that will [...]

School Supply Drive Runs Through August 18. Let’s Fill The Big Barrel 2025-08-19T20:47:18-04:00

Adrianne, Miriam And The 2025 Journal Feted At Gala Garden Party

Morning clouds evaporated on July 20, and glorious sunshine filled the sky for the second annual Garden Party held in Andrew Levin Park. Co-chairs Helaine Teperman and Nancy Torchio were the sterling hosts of the event, welcoming shul members, family and friends of the 2025 Journal honorees, Miriam Gabriel and Adrianne Greenberg, and overseeing every element of the splendid event, from food and drink, music by Ron Rothman and company, seating, and the ceremony saluting [...]

Adrianne, Miriam And The 2025 Journal Feted At Gala Garden Party2025-08-06T17:19:03-04:00

Book Circle Chooses A Mystery Novel: Meet Nancy Wake, Intrepid Spy

The Book Circle will meet on Thursday, August 28, at 3:25 p.m. (yes, that’s correct), in the garden at the shul to dig into a juicy spy novel, Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon. Meet Nancy Wake, in Paris working for a newspaper when she gets swept into WWII. The novel follows Nancy’s transformation from journalist to one of the most powerful leaders of the French Resistance, known for her wit, red lipstick, and [...]

Book Circle Chooses A Mystery Novel: Meet Nancy Wake, Intrepid Spy2025-09-02T10:01:21-04:00

Like Jewish People Through Centuries, Yiddish Survives At Brandeis

Facing budget cuts and swindling enrollment, Brandeis University said it would place its Yiddish program “on hiatus” after next year — a move that would effectively eliminate the role of Ellen Kellman, the university’s sole Yiddish professor for nearly three decades. But the decision sparked an outcry. Within days, current www.ctigreenport.com and former students mobilized, firing off emails to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Jeffrey Shoulson. The response was overwhelming — and effective. Moved [...]

Like Jewish People Through Centuries, Yiddish Survives At Brandeis2025-07-31T21:53:28-04:00

A Cholent Alert: Never On Weekdays… ‘Oh, No,’ Cried The Citizenry

When the Tel Aviv light rail opened in the summer of 2023, it shaved travel time from the city’s southern neighborhoods to the haredi Orthodox city of Bnei Brak to just 20 minutes. For some, the new route increased access to a burgeoning Thursday night tradition — sitting down for steaming bowls of cholent, the slow-cooked Ashkenazi Shabbat stew.             “For me, having a bowl of cholent on Thursday night adds a little bit of [...]

A Cholent Alert: Never On Weekdays… ‘Oh, No,’ Cried The Citizenry2025-07-31T21:52:40-04:00

Deborah Lyons

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s antisemitism envoy, resigned three months early, citing burnout from “waking up every day to a fight,” and frustration over how hard it was for her “to get people to speak up” since taking the role after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Jews were the most targeted group for hate crimes in Canada in 2024, with 920 incidents reported — more than any other religious, racial, or identity [...]

Deborah Lyons2025-07-31T21:51:37-04:00

Nathan Silver

Nathan Silver, an architect whose 1967 book, Lost New York, offered a history lesson about the many buildings that were demolished before the city passed a landmarks preservation law that might have saved them, died on May 19 in London. He was 99. Mr. Silver’s book was a photographic guide to what had vanished over many decades. “While cities must adapt if they are to remain responsive to the needs and wishes of their inhabitants, [...]

Nathan Silver2025-07-31T21:50:51-04:00
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