Shul News & Notes
Lunch and Learn: A Tu B’Shevat Seder
You are invited to join Rabbi Gadi for a special Lunch and Learn to celebrate Tu B’Shevat with a
seder, direct from Israel. The holiday event will be held on Monday, Feb. 6, at 1 p.m., on Zoom.
Rabbi Gadi’s Tu B’Shevat seders are always a gorgeous sight to behold, a table laden with all
manner of fruits and nuts including those native to Israel, such as olives, dates, grapes, figs and
pomegranates. Enjoy cups of wine as we recite the blessings for fruits and the fruit of the vine in a joyous tribute to trees and the gifts they provide.
Come for the holiday. Come to toast our earth and the fruits of its trees. Come for the fun.
Casting Call
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU’RE CONSIDERING BEING PART OF THE READING OF – WE CALL IT WHISKEY, a one act comedy. There is an opportunity for thirteen people, including a narrator, six minor characters, and five larger roles. It is a reading, meaning, one doesn’t need to memorize parts.
The characters are:
Rabbi Miller, a meek somewhat withdrawn middle-aged man.
Julie, an aggressive twenty-something woman of Scottish descent who has visions of grandeur.
Three Ambassadors, (Israeli, and American) which can be played by either men or women.
A Scottish ambassador, preferably read by a man.
What do you need to know?
- You don’t need experience
- You enjoy laughing
- You understand you may or may not be chosen to serve as a reader.
- Since this is a reading, age doesn’t matter, how one interprets the character does.
HOW WILL THE PROCESS OF BEING SELECTED WORK?
- You need to contact me, Chuck Simon at cedwardsimon@gmail.com and arrange a facetime call. This is because I am relatively new to the community and would like to identify faces with names.
- At that time, I will need to learn about your availability. Will you be away on vacation during the January – April period?
- Will you only be available weekends?
- Once this process has been completed, I will schedule brief readings with some of you. This is because I need to hear your voice while reading. Following that, I will reach out to the required number of people and ask them if they will agree to serve as a reader.
- Once we have a cast, I will send you a list of participants and based on your schedules will ask Judith Weiner, (our President)for suggested dates. The reading will take place in the synagogue on an evening to be determined. It will also be zoomed, (for your family and friends and the congregation members)
- We will probably have two rehearsals, most like one will be on zoom depending upon your schedules, and one in the synagogue the day of the reading.
I can’t wait.
Chuck
Hanukkah Arrived On Dec. 18, 2022, in Greenport, NY. It Was Perfect.
Jews throughout the world celebrated Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, at various hours on December 18, 2022, depending on the time zone. Monitoring from Greenport, New York, this reporter can document the arrival of Hanukkah precisely at 5 p.m. Eastern, in Mitchell Park, here in our quiet little maritime outpost on the east end of the North Fork of Long Island.
It was here that the Village had set up the official menorah, adjacent to the official Christmas tree, both to remain lighted throughout the holidays in the spirit of ecumenism. It was here that shul members and a crowd of local residents had gathered to usher in the holiday with Rabbi Gadi, who led the prayers, conducted the singing, and kindled the light that beamed across the park and touched the hearts of all who were witness to the event.
Jews celebrate the miracle of Judah Maccabee and his small army of rebels, who triumphed against the overwhelming might of the Greek-Syrian oppressors, and also the miracle of the single cruse of oil, enough for a single day that miraculously burned for eight days and eight nights. Those events occurred more than 2,200 years ago, in the 2nd century AD, and yet we recall them today with reverence and joyous merrymaking, just as we did this December 18, beginning in Mitchell Park, precisely at 5 p.m.
It was a glorious, starry night, with a bit of a nip in the air which, in a way, brought us closer together physically and spiritually. After the brief ceremony, with remarks by Rabbi Gadi, shul president Judith Weiner, and Southold Town officials, everyone walked a few blocks west to Fourth Street, where at Congregation Tifereth Israel, all were invited to join the members for jelly-filled donuts, hot apple cider, and — Surprise! — latkes, fried up by shul member Deborah Pittorino, proprietor of The Greenporter Motel and Restaurant, who served up about 200 of the crunchy treats, topped with applesauce and/or sour cream.
All the while, there was music. Charlotte Day at the piano, shul member Dave Berson and his trio offering Hanukkah songs and folk tunes that had toes tapping to the rhythm. Everyone played with the dreidels and munched on the chocolate gelt they found on the festively decorated tables in the community room. The children took home gifts purchased by the Sisterhood.
It was delicious. It was festive. It was loud. It was fun being together and schmoozing with friends and neighbors. And when it was over, in keeping with the good will of the holiday, folks pitched in and worked together to clean up the room, store the tables and chairs and, except for the room decorations, artfully managed by Rabbi Gadi, all was put right, allowing the Monday exercise class to proceed as usual in the space. Thank you Adrianne Greenberg for spearheading a wonderful family and community event.
One might ask, can anyone describe perfection? Indeed. Hanukkah in Greenport, New York, on December 18, 2022. Photos by Josh Rakhman and Judith Weiner
Lookie-Lookie: A Toy Drive Barrel On The Outside. Inside? All Filled Up
Maybe it was the fun of rhyming “Now is the time we should act, and put toys in a barrel unwrapped.” Ouch. Or maybe it was the cute photo with a reminder to support the Toy Drive. Whichever appealed to the sense of holiday giving, shul members responded in a big way. When the Tikkun Olam Initiative members opened the big red barrel placed near the office door (and sometimes by the ramp door), they found it filled to the top with contributions. The TOI thanks all who participated in making the holidays brighter for the children of CAST clients. And about the chicken-in-a-basket project, with the help of the TOI and other community partners, CAST was able to provide 385 families with Thanksgiving meals. Cookie Slade photos
Book Circle Reads Crime-Solving Whodunit As January Selection
In a crime scene that could have been conjured by Edgar Allen Poe himself, Manhattan Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper discovers it was, in fact, real — in this trail of clues conjured by real-life prosecutor Linda Fairstein, whose former life prepared her well as a writer of mystery novels. In Entombed, the writer challenges her readers to solve the gruesome case of the skeleton of a woman standing upright behind a brick wall. It’s a modern day murder of gothic proportions, entrusted to the writing skills of the former New York City prosecutor, who headed the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan D.A.’s office from 1976 to 2002.
The Book Circle meets monthly to discuss works with Jewish content or by Jewish writers. The next meeting will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, 4 p.m. on Zoom. For more information about the group, email ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Susan Rosenstreich, coordinator of the group.
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