Shul News & Notes
First Passover Seder: Wednesday, April 5 at the shul @ 6 PM
|
|
|
A Tu B’Shevat Celebration
It was Monday, Feb. 6, the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, and Rabbi Gadi and his fellow travelers in Israel joined congregants from our shul, friends, and members of Project Genesis for a seder to honor trees and their fruits. We toasted and tasted and enjoyed the ritual celebration on Zoom, direct from Israel.
SMB Screen shot
Shul Will Participate In Yellow Candle Project To Honor The Six Million
Once again, our shul is planning to participate in the Yellow Candle Project, a global program to commemorate the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Men’s Club president Tom Byrne, coordinator of the shul’s participation, said that congregants are continuing to remark on last year’s moving tribute as we lighted candles in a communal remembrance on Yom HaShoah.
This year’s observance will be held on Monday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m., when we will gather on Zoom to light our candles together. Yellow candles will be mailed or delivered to all congregants and also, by request, to their families and friends who are planning to join us for the commemoration. In addition, our shul has invited the North Fork Reform Synagogue to join our congregation in a shared observance.
Although the candles are distributed without charge, recipients can make a charitable contribution to the shul, designated for an educational project at Greenport High School. Contributions will finance a bus to transport students to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center in Glen Cove. It is hoped that this program will provide young people with a deeper understanding of the events that led to the Holocaust and the tragic aftermath of intolerance.
Young Voices Are Heard In The Shul Building. Oh My, What A Delight.
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023: Opening day of the shul’s new Hebrew School. But wait! At the Board of Directors meeting last Sunday, Ann Hurwitz, coordinator of the program, referred to the Hebrew School as Shabbat Hebrew School. So that’s it then.
Ah, maybe not. A small voice expressed an opposing thought: “School is where we go during the week,” it said. “This is a kids’ service.” And all nodded in agreement. And so it came to be that the Hebrew School, having passed through several iterations is, indeed, the Kids’ Service. In fact, Rabbi Gadi had been saying in the sanctuary that morning that the week’s Torah portion talks about working together to build community, and it seems the youngsters showed us the way.
The children’s gathering having been properly named, Dawn Teyuca, the teacher directing the morning’s program, introduced a discussion among her charges about Hebrew letters that spell Hebrew names and about the upcoming holiday of Purim. In the sanctuary, we could hear the children giggling and practicing with their groggers
The highlight of the morning, for youngsters and adults alike, occurred at the time of the sixth Aliyah in the Torah service, traditionally recited by children. And so it was. And when last did the blessing sound so sweet? Similarly for the kiddush, young voices elevated the blessing, which was followed by closing prayers, a closing song and, of course, a tray of snacks, having already been eyed by the young visitors.
You can call it Hebrew School. You can call it Shabbat Hebrew School. You can call it a Kids’ Service. Observing these personalities bubbling with joy in their Jewishness, this observer calls it a delight. Thank you, Rabbi Gadi. Thank you, Ann Hurwitz. Thank you, Dawn Teyuca. Thank you, children. Thank you Ha Shem for this blessing in our shul.
Parents and grandparents interested in enrolling the youngsters in their families are invited to speak with Rabbi Gadi. Email him at ctigreenport@gmail.com to request an interview.
—SMB
The Book Circle Embraces The Shofar’s ‘Random Reads’ Choice
The March issue of The Shofar had not yet been published and distributed before the shul’s Book Circle group embraced one of the selections as its choice for the Thursday, March 16 meeting, on Zoom at 4 p.m.
Could be that Miriam Gabriel, co-editor of the shul’s monthly newsletter, had found the book so engaging for the ‘Random Reads’ column that she recommended it to the reading group. Reader alert: It would seem that this crossover should be noted as one heck of a good read inasmuch as two columns in this issue of The Shofar have named it.
For those who may have missed the ‘Random Reads’ writeup, here now the information repeated:
In this book, The Women Of Rothschild: Untold Story of the World’s Most Famous Dynasty,
Natalie Livingstone reveals the role of women in shaping the legacy of the famous Rothschild family, synonymous with wealth and power. The writer follows the women from the 19th through the 21st centuries. As Jews in a Christian society and women in a deeply patriarchal family, they were outsiders. Excluded from the family bank, they forged their own distinct dynasty and became influential hostesses and diplomats, choreographing electoral campaigns, advising prime ministers, advocating for social reform, and trading on the stock exchange.
The Book Circle meets monthly to discuss books on Jewish themes and/or by Jewish writers. For more information, email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Suzi Rosenstreich, coordinator of the group
Get Social