Join Lunch and Learn today as we celebrate nature and the holiday of Tu B’Shevat with a seder, led by Rabbi Gadi. As part of the seder, dried fruits and nuts are featured, also the seven species widespread in Israel: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates. With songs, prayers, fruits and wine, we will learn the significance of this joyous holiday by appreciating the bounty of this world, and all the ways [...]
Greenport Ecumenical Ministries, a group of clergy and ministers representing the diverse houses of worship and ministries on the North Fork, will present an interfaith service entitled “Journey Toward Reconciliation.” The service will take place on Sunday, January 24, at 3:00 p.m. via Zoom. The service is built on the need to heal a fractured society, both political and religious. Participants will reflect on passages of both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures with the hope of [...]
This month’s Oculus feature, titled “A Virtual Service,” is an imaginative and playful mixed-media work by Saul Rosenstreich, coordinator of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. To fully appreciate the artist’s vision, you can visit the source, which takes place every Friday evening at 7:30 p.m., on Zoom. “In the warm light of our living room, sitting beside my wife in front of a laptop for Shabbat services on Zoom, I have often been struck [...]
Hanukkah arrived on Dec. 10, and what a festival of lights it was. Rabbi Gadi led prayers and songs from the sanctuary, while more than 60 members and friends joined on Zoom with their menorahs, ready to light them in unison with Rabbi Gadi. Prior to lighting the menorahs in the sanctuary and in homes across the North Fork, Rabbi Gadi unveiled the memorial plaque for Stanley Rubin, our long-time gabbai and a beloved member [...]
Even in a pandemic, our shul has added to its membership roll. The Shofar joins the congregation in welcoming Emanuel Bloom and Elizabeth Levi Senigaglia of New York City; Linda Feigelson of Orient and New York City; Nathan Graf and Marisa Ryan of Shelter Island, Jerry Ronkin of Florida, Ken and Nancy Stein of East Marion, Jurgen Riehle and Margo Perman of Greenport, Rob Brown and Suri Lan-Brown of Plainview, Richard and Dania Schwartz of [...]
That phrase, a new normal, is one we often associate with some life-altering illness or enduring circumstances, yes, like the COVID pandemic that has upended the global community. But today, as we look forward, I think we can agree that our new normal offers new opportunities and redeeming features. Ultimately, I believe there will be even more to surprise and delight us. Look at what has occurred in our little synagogue. In 2020 alone, we [...]
How does one start to summarize a year like 2020? A year in which so much was beyond our control. A year of re-learning, re-inventing, re-calculating, re-living. At the end of every year, Google publishes the most searched words of the last 12 months. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to find out that this year, the most searched word was “Coronavirus.” One of the positives of this year’s vicissitudes was the use of Zoom. It brought [...]
Ever responsive to the whims of its readership, The Shofar consulted with Joan Prager, the dean of latke-making at our shul, and gained permission once again to reveal the semi-secret recipe for the luscious latkes that — pre-Covid — were the stars of the shul’s annual Hanukkah party. Oh, how we gobbled them up. First one helping, then another and, when no one in particular was watching, maybe a third, with just a small dollop [...]
“Gam zu l’tovah” ...and this, too, is for the good.... What a wonderful phrase. And so appropriate for our time. As we face increased restrictions in our shul and frightening infection rates in the wider world we inhabit, we embrace the protocols that keep us safe, and we carve out a path to innovation and success. Covid-19 gave us an opportunity to see who we are and what we could accomplish. And Wow! We [...]
Nine years ago, we started a journey together. When I consider that time, a few important thoughts come to mind. Relationships are a motivating force for me. I was privileged to know many in the previous generation — the Levin brothers, Stanley Rubin, Aaron Novick, Sy Brittman, and so many more — and now the next generation of shul leaders. I also learned that there is no such thing as “a starter shul.” Just as [...]
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