This month’s Oculus column features a poem by Ann Hurwitz, a member of the shul’s Judaism and the Arts group. Ann’s work is a submission to the Shehecheyanu Curtain, currently mounted on the north wall in the shul’s community room. The curtain beckons contributions of painting, collage, fiber arts, poetry, narrative and other creative efforts from our members and their families to memorialize our experiences during the coronavirus pandemic. Email the shul at ctigreenport@gmail.com with [...]

As we reflect on the Covid challenges of the past year, we are reminded of the Shehecheyanu blessing (who has sustained us), the traditional prayer of thanks for bringing us to this moment. In that spirit comes the Shehecheyanu Curtain, a Judaism and the Arts group project to encourage each of us to reflect on our Covid experience and, perhaps, our reordered priorities. All shul members — from youngsters to seniors — are invited to [...]

This month’s Oculus column features a photograph by Ellen Jaffe, a member of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. The timing is early, she said, just before the sun breaks the horizon, and the opportunity is fleeting. In fact, is it truly possible to capture these October dawns within the strict box of a camera frame? They are too big, she said, “a surrounding dome of gradation and saturated color. Glorious.” She captured the [...]

This month’s Oculus feature is an oil stick and graphite work by Judith K. Weiner, a founding member of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. Inspired by the ever-changing moods of morning and evening light and space across the tidal waters of the Mattituck Inlet, the artist created this series of paintings on three 5x7x2-inch wood panels. Titled “The Gates of Dawn,” the painting, punctuated by “zips” (black bands across the color field), is [...]

This month’s Oculus feature is a sculpture by Irma Strimban, a member of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. The piece, 24 inches in height, was formed in clay, cast in plaster, and then bronzed. The artist titled the work “The Venus of Varick Street.” It was completed under the tutelage of the highly revered Jewish sculptor Chaim Gross, who was teaching at the Educational Alliance Art School on the Lower East Side of [...]

This month’s Oculus column features a poem by Ann Hurwitz, a member of the shul’s newly organized group devoted to a broader spectrum of the arts. The next meeting of the group is Monday, July 26, at 7 p.m. Call the shul at 631-477-0232 and leave a message for Judith Weiner or Saul Rosenstreich with your interest in exploring the arts through presentations and discussions. The poet conveyed to The Shofar her thoughts on the [...]

This month’s Oculus column features a 14 x 4-inch clay figure by Graham Diamond, a member of the shul’s Judaism and Art group. As the artist explained, he was working on a figure of a sleeping woman in a class with six women and Margaret Wozniak, their Polish teacher. One of the women began talking about the many different ways of making pierogies — what spices to include, which oils to use in the [...]