It’s hard to believe, we know, but the first of the eight nights of Hanukkah (Kislev 24; the first full day is Kislev 25)) falls this year on — get ready for it — Dec. 10, which is not only just around the corner, but virtually perched on your doorstep. Are you ready? Relax. Take a breath. The shul’s Gift Shop is at your service. Need a menorah? Need those cute bags of chocolate coins [...]
This month’s Oculus artist is Ann Hurwitz, one of two writers recently invited to join the shul’s Judaism and Art group that now includes “spoken word” submissions. “My poems are often about works of art that have moved me,” Ann Hurwitz said. “This poem is the woman’s story. She is the speaker. The key fact is that she is childless.” Reyzelech It starts at the doorsill and stretches back to the trees [...]
As promised, the Shofar has been monitoring the flow of funds in response to the High Holidays Matching Gift Campaign, which kicked off with a challenge to members and friends to meet the match. This is the first time that our shul has appealed for funds in this way, and families have been contributing generously in order to take advantage of the dollar-for-dollar match. Keep in mind that each day’s mail brings additions to the [...]
The High Holidays 2020 were an unprecedented collaboration in unprecedented times. It was the discovery of a worldwide mishpucha — a connection to a family you didn’t know you had. New faces coming from new places in the United States, Canada, and Israel. Indeed, this year was unlike any other. Yes, we have been saying that for many months. But because of Rabbi Gadi’s leadership, these High Holidays were truly inspiring as well as spiritually [...]
A couple of weeks ago, a man handed my friend Father Roy a fire hose nozzle. “Please return it to its rightful owners for me,” he said. The man, who was a firefighter on Sept. 11, 2001, had been called to Ground Zero a few days after the disaster for search and rescue duty. In the rubble, he dug out a 1.5-inch hose with the number 214 etched to it. He knew where it came [...]
Hello everyone. Good news. Lunch and Learn is returning. We have a special treat for you this Monday, Oct. 26. The three Levin sisters — Rachel Levin Murphy, Ellen Levin Wiederlight, and Jody Levin — will provide a rollicking good time for all with stories and adventures about growing up on the North Fork. On Thursday, Oct. 29, Rabbi Gadi will begin a weekly series on Jewish history, responding to a request made by [...]
Were you moved and just a bit grateful for our unprecedented 2020 High Holiday experience? Did that first glimpse of the Sanctuary with Rabbi Gadi on the bima and Cantor Oded in Jerusalem take your breathe away when you realized that we were back home with new faces from new places? Then I would like to remind you that if you have not yet contributed to our High Holiday Matching Gift Campaign, we are [...]
Sisterhood Meeting In honor of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, our Tifereth Israel Sisterhood will be identifying and discussing women of valor in our own lives. We will speak of how these women affected our lives either through personal or indirect contact. Please join us to give homage to your personal woman of valor. Zoom with us on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at noon. (Why not put it on your calendar today before you forget?) See [...]
This month’s Oculus column features a postcard that photographer Ellen Jaffe sent to “a little girl very important to me, living in the city two years ago while I lived in Greenport. To share my world out here with Ella, I sent her a postcard every day that year.” The daily postcard could picture a chicken on a local farm, or the carousel in Greenport, or maybe an egret at a pond. Ellen happened upon [...]
The idea for a Lunch and Learn program was an initiative inspired by the shuttering of our synagogue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The organizers of the program were concerned about helping members maintain a connection to the shul and each other while the doors were locked and everyone was sheltering in place at home. Enter Lunch and Learn. Every Monday, Lunch and Learners zoom in (via Zoom, a videoconferencing antidote to the [...]
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