Except for some technical issues that piqued some of those attending High Holiday services online this year — and we did take steps to correct those problems in the interim between Rosh Hashanah Day 2 and Kol Nidre a week later, thanks to some wizardry by our own Andrea Blaga — services were as well run and enjoyable as ever I’ve witnessed. As president, standing in the place where the buck stops, I must admit [...]
The Shofar announces with great joy the birth day of Amaya Liuba Rakhman on July 24, 2023, to Joshua and Antonia Rakhman. Amaya joins her sister Ava, who received her Hebrew name, Chava, in our shul on Oct. 16, 2022. Josh is our shul’s High Holidays guard, who greets all of us on our way to services. Mazel tov to the Rakhman family.
The “Joyfully Jewish” summer program for children ages 5 to 10 wrapped up on Saturday, August 19, the conclusion of a four-session Shabbat morning initiative by Ann Hurwitz, chair of the shul’s Education Committee. In addition to learning about Jewishness, the youngsters made new friends and looked forward to being together on the four Saturday mornings. Dawn Teyuca, an early childhood educational professional, led the program, which focused on experiences that prepared the children to [...]
This year’s “School Supply Drive” for the children of CAST clients was a success beyond anyone’s wildest expectation. According to Veronica Kaliski, speaking for the shul’s Tikkun Olam group, she had to ask CAST to empty the big red barrel by the kitchen door twice during the campaign, and still school supplies kept coming — pencils, glue sticks, paperclips, notebooks, dividers, rulers, scissors, index cards, markets, pens and backpacks to hold all that stuff. [...]
The Shofar joins the congregation in welcoming new members Ronald Rose and family of New York City and Greenport, and Lisa Bardack and Gary Levine of White Plains, NY, and Orient. We look forward to meeting you, and to participating with you in our spiritual, educational and social activities.
Many people choose to join our shul midway through the year, or even after the High Holidays, which leaves only a few months until dues are due again. Not fair, we said. So here’s the deal: Any individual or family joining between now and the end of the year will pay the new rate — $1,000 for families; $650 for individuals — for the remainder of this year, but will be paid-up members through 2024. [...]
Be sure to join us for September’s First Friday Oneg Shabbat on Sept. 1. Francis DuBois and Paul Jeselsohn have volunteered to host the noshing and schmoozing after the service. Shul member Nancy Torchio started it all when she offered to sponsor an Oneg Shabbat to honor her father, Charles Bogen, on his first yahrzeit. The promise of socializing in the community room over coffee and cake and other goodies drew an eyepopping turnout to [...]
The shul’s Book Circle group has chosen a novel focused on Palestine and the competing lives of sisters brought together after many years. Can they relate to each other, to the Palestine both knew as children, and to what is before them as they navigate the history, culture and politics of their homeland? The Books Circle meets monthly to explore works by Jewish writers and the topics meaningful to Jewish readers. The current selection, [...]
As you browse through the articles in this month’s issue of The Shofar, you will notice not one but several opportunities to demonstrate your volunteer spirit, to freely give time and labor to a community endeavor, as the official definition is stated. Will you step forward? First Friday: Host an Oneg Shabbat on the First Friday of October, November or December. Break-the-fast: Help us shop, slice, roll, plate, arrange foods for the break-the-fast meal. [...]
A picturesque village on the southwestern coast of Greenland, where Erik the Red first arrived more than 1,000 years ago, and where sheep outnumber the town’s population 20:1, is the home of Paul Cohen, an American Jew, and his wife Monika, who have lived here for 22 years — and love it. “It’s the Garden of Eden in many ways,” he says — “a little spot of civilization surrounded by pristine wilderness, and I have [...]
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