Shul News & Notes
Sun, Water And Dirt-y Hands Produce Veggie/Herb Windfall For CAST
If you happen to drive by the Common Ground planting beds on a Wednesday morning, chances are you’ll see Madelyn Rothman and some of her Tikkun Olam colleagues with their hands in the dirt, harvesting the week’s bounty, to be delivered that day to CAST, whose clients are the beneficiaries of the TOI’s growing expertise. In addition to crunchy cukes, pictured, the group has planted lettuce, chard, dill, basil, shishito peppers, and flowers.
Want to participate? Email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Veronica Kaliski. Cookie Slade photo
Tikkun Olam Spearheads Shul Collection Of School Supplies For CAST
Once again, the big red barrel is on the ramp at the kitchen door, this time for the annual drive to collect school supplies for the children of CAST clients. Starting off the school year with the pencils, notebooks, rulers, crayons, etc. that kids need to complete their assignments gives kids a head start on making the most of their learning. Our shul is one of many organizations participating in this worthy project. Tikkun Olam is hopeful that shul members will respond generously this year, just as they have in the past.
So, what to put into that big red barrel? Book bags are a high priority this year. Apparently, book bags can take rough treatment, but by year’s end, they are fairly well frayed and torn. A new book bag to house new supplies is a welcome treat for all kids. Supplies can be ordered online, maybe from Amazon, or purchased from any stationery store, like Staples, and from most grocery stores. Costco, Walgreens and CVS are good sources as well.
Veronica Kaliski assured The Shofar that the barrel would be monitored and emptied frequently so no pilfering could take place. What you put in the barrel is safe, she said.
Let’s see if we can fill it — maybe more than once…
Hand-Sewn Quilt By Roberta Garris Selected For International Festival
A quilt hand-sewn by shul member Roberta Garris has been selected for inclusion in the 2024 International Quilt Festival’s judged show, the largest annual quilt show in the U.S., held each fall in Houston, Texas, this year from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3.
Roberta’s quilts are prized by her family and friends. This is the first time that Roberta’s design and workmanship have been recognized by the prestigious IQF. The festival regularly attracts more than 40,000 visitors from around the world, and features more than 1,200 quilts on display.
Roberta’s quilt, titled “A year in Patches,” is known by the artisans as a temperature quilt. A temperature quilt uses a quilt block to track the high and low temperatures of each day in a given location over the course of one year. In this quilt, the left-hand side of the block represents the high temperature, the right-hand side the low temperature. The background in each block indicates the daily precipitation: clear, rain, hail, snow, and rainbow. Roberta used number blocks to mark the months.
The Shofar joins the membership in congratulating Roberta on this remarkable achievement, and extending to her a joyous mazel tov.
For more information about the festival, visit www.quilts.com/. To learn more about temperature quilts, visit www.modafabrics.com/. Andrea Blaga photo
Book Circle Discovers Nice Jewish Mother Was Actually A Crime Boss
It going to be a fun read for the bookies when they get into Margalit Fox’s The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an Organized Crime Boss. It turns out that this nice Jewish mother planned robberies of cash, gold and diamonds throughout the country, rising from tenement poverty to vast wealth, a fixture of high society and an admired philanthropist. How did she do it?
When the Book Circle meets on Thursday, September 5, at 3 p.m., in Andrew Levin Park, all will be revealed. What The Shofar knows so far is that Fredericka Mandelbaum wasn’t just a successful crook; she was a business visionary — one of the first entrepreneurs in America to systemize the scattershot enterprise of property crime. Handpicking a cadre of bank robbers, housebreakers ad shoplifters, she turned theft into as viable business.
The Book Circle meets monthly to read and discuss books about Jews and Jewish interest. For more information, email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Suzi Rosenstreich, coordinator of the group.
The Garden Party Was A Smashing Success
Gorgeous weather, deliciious food catered by Deborah Pittorino, and an upbeat crowd of about 70 shul members and well-wishers contributed to a splendid afternoon to launch the 2024 Journal and to celebrate our honoree, Judith K. Weiner, whose family and dear friends added to the festive atmosphere. Cheers and applause accompanied the announcement that Adrianne Greenberg had won the raffle prize of an afternoon aboard a luxury Chris Craft with six friends, including drinks and refreshments. On behalf of her siblings, Loni Efron spoke lovingly about their mother, followed by Patricia Berman, whose friendship with Judith spans more than 40 years. Ron Rothman provided the music. Madelyn Rothman chaired the Journal Committee. Debbie Henry and Nancy Torchio arranged the party. And what The Shofar heard over and again all afternoon was that the event, held on Sunday, July 21, was clearly the most beautiful and enjoyable event ever held in Andrew Levin Park…and that we should plan another one… Photos by Adrianne Greenberg and Sara Bloom
Get Social