Shul News & Notes
Oculus: Eye On The Arts/A Communal Activity
The Shehecheyanu Curtain, a mural art project initiated by the shul’s Judaism and the Arts group, has posted the
first group of submissions. The curtain encourages all shul folks and friends to illustrate in painting, photography, poetry, storytelling, quilting, sewing, collage, etc., personal thoughts about the effects of Covid. Creative work was submitted by, from left, Saul Rosenstreich, Susan Bloom, Roberta Garris, Hedy Campeas, Sara Bloom, Susan Rosenstreich, and Cookie Slade. What are your thoughts about Covid? How will you illustrate them? Join the
collective of Covid responses for a community picture of how we feel, what we do. For more information, email ctigreenport@ gmail.com with a message for Saul Rosenstreich, who initiated the project. Saul Rosenstreich photo
Book Circle To Explore Comic Novel In The Wake Of The Pandemic
The Book Circle will meet again on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m., on Zoom, to discuss Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart.
In the rolling hills of upstate New York, a group of friends gathers in a country house to wait out the pandemic. Over the next six months, new friendships and romances take hold, while old betrayals emerge, forcing each character to reevaluate whom they love and what matters most. The unlikely cast of characters includes a Russian-born novelist, his Russian-born psychiatrist wife, their precocious child obsessed with K-pop, a struggling Indian American writer, a wildly successful Korean American app developer, a global dandy with three passports, a Southern essayist, and a movie star. Described as elegiac and funny, Our Country Friends is an offering by the author of the popular Super Sad True Love Story.
The book circle meets monthly to explore works about Jews and by Jewish writers. For information, email the shul at ctigreenport@gmail.com with a message for Susan Rosenstreich, coordinator of the group.
Rabbi Gadi Conducts A Tu B’Shevat Seder Via Zoom On Jan. 17
At a Tu B’Shevat seder held via Zoom on Monday, Jan. 17, Rabbi Gadi demonstrates the ritual of mixing red and white wine four times to mark the passing of the seasons. The seder, part of the Lunch and Learn program, featured fruits and nuts, many of them native to Israel, and has been compared to an Earth Day appreciation for the environment. Rabbi Gadi also tied the observance to recognition of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday was recognized on the 17th.
SMBloom screen shot
Tikkun Olam Initiative Announces Plans For The First Quarter Of 2022
The Tikkun Olam Initiative continues its outreach throughout the year. Here are first quarter plans:
- Due to Covid, the citizenship course scheduled to be held at our shul in January was postponed. The group is hoping to provide the course in the spring.
- Those starting indoor seedlings now for spring/summer gardens are asked to plant a few extras for CAST clients. Tomatoes are particularly welcome contributions. The group provides directions for plant maintenance in English and Spanish.
- Ongoing throughout the season are donations of gently-used winter clothing
- Also ongoing are donations of requested items, including spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, cooking oil, dish soap, laundry detergent, personal care items and, if needed, quality masks.
The TOI is an outreach committee that supports CAST, the synagogues designated charity. Committee members are Ann Hurwitz, Veronica Kaliski, Susan Rosenstreich, Madelyn Rothman, and Cookie Slade.
Letter from Madelyn Rothman
In response to Rabbi Gadi’s column in the January issue of The Shofar, I offer a different perspective, quoted from Rabbi Joel Levinson in Newsday’s “On Faith” column:
“According to Jewish law, Jews have an obligation, with medical guidance, to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We have this obligation because it is a mitzvah to protect our own health and the health of others. This pandemic has taken more than 850,000 lives in the United States and more than 5,500,000 lives worldwide. After receiving my vaccine, and when my kids got theirs, I recited the Shehecheyanu blessing, thanking God for “keeping us in life.”
—Madelyn Rothman
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