Shul News & Notes
Plans Underway For Annual Shul Hanukkah Party On Sunday, Dec. 10
It Ain’t Just Latkes…
The annual shul Hanukkah party is jam-packed with fun stuff to see, to do and, of course, to eat.
Will there be latkes? You bet. Chef Deborah Pittorino has promised 300-400 latkes for the party. And that ain’t all.
Also on the menu: jelly-filled doughnuts (sufganiot), hot cider, coffee, tea, cold drinks, plus applesauce and sour cream for the latkes.
What else? Thanks to the hard work of Madelyn Rothman, Roberta Garris and Nina Neimark, we will have a Silent Auction. The kickoff event will take place on Sunday, Dec. 3, at 5 p.m. — when everyone will see the great stuff (!) we have this year. Final bidding will take place at the Hanukkah event. Bring your smart phones and iPads for last chances to bid.
Of course, it all starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, in Mitchell Park, when we will light the public menorah, recite the traditional prayers and sing the traditional songs before heading back to the shul and the hundreds of hot latkes — plus schmoozing, holiday music, and all of the above — awaiting our arrival.
Wow! How’s that for a fun-filled night? Told ya. It ain’t just latkes.
And by the way…
Get your Hanukkah goodies at the shul’s Gift Shop — menorah, candles, choco coins, dreidels — plus, of course, items for home and for giving. Email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Sara Bloom.
A Letter To The Congregation From CAST…
Thank you so much for all the effort involved in administering the Cans For Cast drive. The cans and nonperishables collected will go directly toward feeding the 1,211 families who use our services. The work we do would be impossible without the support and collaboration of community members like you.
Warmly,
Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation (CAST)
Calendar for giving
Tikkun Olam, a shul group that spearheads charitable giving on behalf of the shul, has established a calendar for giving this year:
September/Yom Kippur: Cans For CAST
Early November: John’s Place
Late November: Chickens for CAST
December: Children’s toys
March: ParentChild+ Program
May to October: Common Ground veggies and herbs/planting and harvesting
August: School supplies
Indigenousness of the Jewish People to Israel, Columbia Campus, Thursday, Nov. 30, 7-8 p.m.
The Indigenousness of the Jewish People to Israel
A panel discussion inspired by
The Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran
Thursday, November 30, 2023, 7-8 PM
Columbia University
Uris Hall 107
In person, on Zoom, and recorded
Moderated by
Rabbi Gadi Capela
The Forgotten Refugees
A graduate student and Rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport, NY. Of Yemenite descent. For nearly two decades, co-leads Project Genesis Interfaith, which focuses on dialogue with Christians and Muslims in America and Israel.
Dr. David Sclar
Jewish Continuity through Rare Manuscripts
Historian of early modern Jewish history and the curator of the exhibition The Golden Path: Maimonides Across Eight Centuries, currently on view at the Center for Jewish History.
Michael Levinson
Upcoming Book about the Middle East
An exploration of the Jewish connection to Israel through the eyes of a Diaspora Jew. He holds a B.A. in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Columbia College, 2005.
Other Personal Mizrahi and Sephardi Stories
The stories of Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews in the Columbia and NY communities, whose families were forced to flee the countries of their birth in the years following 1948.
Caroline Glick (Egypt), Julie Guedj (Tunisia/Algeria), Tomer Sinai (Iraq), Dr. Nachum Turetzky (Yemen)
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/945492769?pwd=VVdLbVA0cURuM1hMUkFRZDM0M3hkQT09
Hanukkah Menorah Lighting in Mitchell Park
Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport invites Jews and non-Jews alike to Mitchell Park on Sunday, Dec. 10, at 5 p.m., to witness the lighting of Greenport’s Hanukkah menorah, to take place this year on the fourth night of the eight-night holiday. In the spirit of ecumenism, the menorah will remain lighted throughout the holiday season, sharing the park with the Village’s Christmas tree.
Scheduled to participate in the menorah-lighting ceremony are Greenport Village leaders, synagogue president Sara Bloom, and the synagogue’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Gadi Capela, who will lead those in attendance in prayers and songs of the holiday.
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, called the Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after desecration by Antiochus IV during the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah also is a reminder of the miracle that took place then. With only enough consecrated oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day, the oil burned for eight days — the length of time needed to press, prepare, consecrate and secure oil.
In recognition of the importance of oil in this holiday, observers prepare and eat foods deep-fried in oil, such as potato pancakes (latkes) and jelly doughnuts (sufganiot). Other celebrations associated with Hanukkah include playing the Dreidel (a kind of top) Game, exchanging gifts, and giving gelt (money), commemorated by small net bags of foil-covered chocolate coins.
For more information about the menorah lighting in Mitchell Park, call the synagogue at 631-477-0232.
Greenport Synagogue Mounts New Art Show; Public Viewing Dec. 3
By special arrangement with Michelle Schwartz, a highly regarded gallerist and curator of Israeli art in the Bay Area of San Francisco, Congregation Tifereth Israel in Greenport is mounting a new art show in the community room of the synagogue. The first public viewing of the show will be Sunday, Dec. 3, beginning at noon with an art talk by Michelle Schwartz, who will provide insights into the art and the artists, and convey the challenges and ideals of living in Israel.
The show is particularly significant at this time of turmoil focused on the State of Israel. See the country through the eyes of an impressive roster of creative artists and their enlightening insights and expressions. Represented are works by Dorit Feldman, Samuel Katz, Menashe Kadishman, Moshe Kupferman, David Reeb, Naftali Bezem, Nachum Guttman, Moshe Castel and Samuel Bak.
“I’m looking forward to talking about this body of work, revealing the stories about this art at this time — what inspired it, and what it says about 20th-century creative artists and their world,” Michelle Schwartz said. Those interested can arrange sales with the gallerist.
The show will be on view Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through January, and by appointment. The synagogue is located at 519 Fourth Street in Greenport, immediately south of the intersection of Fourth Street and Main Road. For more information, call the synagogue at 631-477-0232.
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