Shul News & Notes
Book Circle Discovers A House And Its People Are Not What They Seem
The Book Circle will meet on Wednesday, April 30, at 3 p.m., in the community room at the shul, where the group will talk about The Safekeep, by Yael Van Der Wouden, in whose debut novel it is learned that a house and its people are not what they seem. It is a dark tale of desire, suspicion, and obsession between two women staying in the same house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961.
“Mysterious, sophisticated, sensual and infused with intrigue, The Safekeep is about facing up to the truth of history and to one’s own desires,” says The Guardian. The book was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize, and won the National Jewish Book Award for debut fiction.
For more information about the Book Circle and its current selection, email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Susan Rosenstreich, of the group.
Join Us For Gala Passover Seder On The Second Night: Sunday, April 13
Reserve Your Places By Wednesday, April 2
Rabbi Gadi will lead us in a celebration of freedom at our family seder, to be held at the shul on the second night of Passover, Sunday, April 13, at 6 p.m. Reservations will be accepted until noon on April 2.
The Passover Seder is a joyous time on the Jewish calendar of holidays and events. It features a ritual meal of symbolic foods that commemorate the dramatic story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.
We are planning a full-course dinner, from soup (and gefilte fish, of course) to nuts (with cake and other holiday specialties), wine and beverages, readings and songs that tell the story.
Visit our website ctigreenport@gmail.org to register. Click on the “Register Here” button, fill out the form and, for your convenience, you can pay online with a credit card, or mail us a check. Fees are $75 each for members, $95 each for nonmembers, half-price for those 13 and under.
Plans Underway For Yellow Candle Project: A Holocaust Remembrance
Please Join Us On Zoom, Wednesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Members and friends of our shul will remember the moving ceremonies planned by our shul to observe Holocaust Memorial Day. In recent years, our participation in the worldwide Yellow Candle Project has touched each of us as members of the global Jewish community. At the same time, we gather locally on Zoom with members of the shul family and our Jewish neighbors and friends to reflect on the six million lost amid the horrific acts of aggression that vanquished Jewish populations in major cities and peaceful villages all across Europe. We gather in great numbers as one population to honor their memories.
This year, the Yellow Candle Yom HaShoah event will be held on Wednesday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m., on Zoom. Shul member Rena Wiseman will share her moving Holocaust story with all of us. Prior to the event, each individual shul member or family will receive a yellow candle, either delivered to your residence or mailed to you. Inside the candle package, you will find a letter about the project and the name of a child lost in the Holocaust. You might think of that child as we light our candles together.
The candle is a gift to you. But should you wish to acknowledge the gift with a charitable contribution, we ask that you consider $36, $54, $72 or more — multiples of chai — funds that will underwrite bus transportation to a Holocaust Museum for Greenport High School 10th graders at the conclusion of their history class unit on the Holocaust. Last year, some of the students joined us at a Shabbat service to talk about what they had learned — a meaningful event for the students and a moving event for those of us listening. We are looking forward to another student visit this year.
Just as the study unit and museum visit represent powerful lessons from the past, our lighted candles are symbols of communal resistance that fight against the antisemitism that continues to build in the world.
Tikkun Olam Recommends…
The shul’s Tikkun Olam group, whose charitable work for CAST is well known by our members and friends, has learned about a program for parents and grandparents sponsored by PJ Library, a literacy program for Jewish families with young children, reported Veronica Kaliski, chair of the group. This program sends free, age-appropriate Jewish-themed books to children ages 6 months to 8 years.
Included in the expansive PJ Library list of available books is a title by Kalaniot Books, the publishing company owned and headed by Lili Rosenstreich, daughter of shul members Saul and Susan Rosenstreich. The Very Best Sukkah by Shoshana Nambi, illustrated by Moran Yogev is a 2023 winner of a National Jewish Book Award and a Sydney Taylor Book Award. Other Kalaniot titles are being reviewed by PJ Library. Tikkun Olam suggests that those interested in the program can sign up by visiting www.pjlibrary.org/.
Volunteers? Anyone?
Tikkun Olam is looking for volunteers to help maintain the herb and veggie beds at Common Ground. All produce is donated to CAST for local families. Contact Veronica at ctigreenport@gmail.org/.
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