Monday, April 26

In May 1940, the Nazis invaded Belgium and Paulette Szafran, age 12, and her family fled Brussels and the Nazi threat. Paulette’s wartime diary was the impetus for her daughter, Edith, to document her mother’s early experience. She drew on historical footage and her mother’s vividly-written diary to produce a short but compelling video of Paulette’s experience as a refugee, who with her family joined thousands on the roads of northern France, desperately trying to reach Calais, which was still free. “Return to Calais,” an award-winning documentary, conveys a message of courage in the face of evil and the power of hope. 

Edith (Didi) Goldenhar is a writer and editor and for 18 years was an active member of our shul. Please join Lunch and Learn as we welcome Didi home, watch the video she produced, and share this inspiring mother-daughter story. 

This  Lunch and Learn session is the last in a trio of programs for Holocaust Remembrance Month.  

Thursday, May 6

Rabbi Gadi returns to Lunch and Learn.

Monday, April 19
You are invited to join shul member Graham Diamond, whose book, Maybe You Will Survive,
tells the harrowing story of 15-year-old Aron Goldfarb’s escape from a Nazi labor camp and
seven grueling months hiding with his brother in self-made, underground bunkers until the end
of the war — directly under the noses of the SS officers who were hunting them.
“Working on the project with Aron Goldfarb was an experience I’ll never forget,”
Graham Diamond said. Zoom at noon for this fascinating account of one man’s story of survival,
and the writer tasked with the story’s retelling.
This session follows last week’s revelations by Francis DuBois surrounding WWII and
its aftermath as part of Lunch and Learn’s programming for Holocaust Remembrance Month.

Thursday, May 6
Rabbi Gadi returns to Lunch and Learn.

Monday, April 12

You are invited to join shul member Francis DuBois for an intriguing story of how, as a young boy growing up in Strasbourg in the French region of Alsace, he was witness to the devastating aftermath linked to WWII, the Holocaust, and the political history of the time. Those events led ultimately to the reveal of secrets long held by his maternal grandmother, Clementine.  Francis’s strong connection to his beloved and remarkable grandmother influenced his life and his career as a diplomat for the United Nations.

Zoom at noon for this fascinating account of a close personal relationship shaped by the history of the time.

Thursday, May 6

Rabbi Gadi returns to Lunch and Learn.

Monday, April 5

In 1983, shul member Diana (Dede) Whitsit bought a Pug puppy. The breeder wanted the dog to be shown, as he was a particularly good representative of the breed. The Pug became a Champion, and Dede added a new facet to her travel agency — foreign dog shows and 30 years of taking exhibitors and their dogs to shows all over the world, including the World Dog Show, the most important foreign dog show each year. 

Join Dede at Lunch and Learn this Monday for an eye-opening look at these international competitions, and what judges see when they check out our four-legged pals. 

Chef Deborah Pittorino is back by popular demand. Join Chef Deborah on Lunch and Learn this Monday for recipes to freshen up your Passover menu. What are you going to do with all that matza? It ain’t just matza brei. Come away with new recipes and a lot of answers about navigating eight days —  that’s 24 meals — of matza.

Chef Deborah is the proprietor of the iconic Greenporter Hotel and Restaurant on Front Street in Greenport, and a mainstay of the Lunch and Learn family of presenters.