Tikkun Olam

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…

Common Ground gardeners Tom Byrne and Veronica Kaliski, left, and Madelyn Rothman have been planting and harvesting veggies and herbs in the CTI beds, then donating the crops to CAST, which according to the charity is now serving 1,490 families in Southold Town. The group could use a couple of extra hands for gardening chores. Those interested can contact Veronica at ctigreenport@gmail.com/. Also from Tikkun Olam, the group has donated $400 from its operating budget, allocated by the shul, to purchase chickens for CAST clients. Coming up, the graduation ceremony for the ParentChild+ Program, which is supported by our shul.   TOI photos

Greenport High School Students Benefit

Following its successful campaign to provide warm clothing to the homeless men who depend on John’s Place at St. Agnes Church in Greenport, the Tikkun Olam group pitched in with an ambitious group of volunteers to ready the yellow candles in time for the shul’s May 5 program.

In March, the group gathered at the shul to package the candles, carefully attaching to each one the name of a child who had died in the Holocaust. A letter accompanying the candle explained that as each candle is lighted, the recipient could think of that child and memorialize his or her untimely death.

On May 5, our shul will join with members of the North Fork Reform Synagogue and two South Fork synagogues in a joint program to honor the Six Million lost in the Holocaust.

The program is divided into three parts: First, we will meet in Andrew Levin Park to dig a grave in which to bury the names of children lost in the Holocaust. Then, we will head into our shul building for commentary and prayers by Rabbi Gadi of our shul, and Rabbi Barbara Sheryll of the North Fork Reform Synagogue to honor those who were lost amid the horrific acts of aggression that vanquished Jewish populations in major cities and peaceful villages across Europe. And finally, shul member Leah Friedmann will read one of her plays on the Yom Ha Shoah theme.

The Greenport High School Connection

The shul is grateful to our long-time member Chuck Simon for introducing the Yellow Candle Project to our shul. In the three years CTI has participated, the program has expanded beyond our shul to Greenport High School. At the conclusion of the 10th-grade unit on the Holocaust, this year’s students were bused to the Holocaust Museum in Glen Cove, where they toured the museum and spoke with a Holocaust survivor. Money collected from our members donating funds as a thank-you for the candles are turned over to the high school to help pay for the bus to the museum.

On April 19, our shul welcomed three of those students — Stefany Chapeton, Glenn Heidtman, and Gabrielle Luna — and their history teacher, Brian Toussaint, at our Shabbat service, and talked with the young people about their thoughts surrounding Jewish experiences during WWII and the antisemitism that continues to prevail today. The students talked freely about their shock at what had transpired.

Plans are underway to further expand the Yellow Candle Project to other synagogues on Long Island and to other North Fork high schools

And now, Veronica Kaliski, chair of Tikkun Olam, reminds us that gardening at Common Ground on behalf of CAST has begun. To date, beds 18 and 19 have been weeded, and mulch has been spread, and seedlings provided by Treiber Farms and Marion Garden Herbs will be planted soon.

And who is doing all of this gardening? A small and dedicated group, Veronica says, pointing out that additional help is welcome. Those interested in getting their hands in the dirt for a good cause can contact the shul at ctigreenport@gmail.com and leave a message for Veronica Kaliski.