Temple Israel Reform Congregation
of Staten Island
315 Forest Avenue
Staten Island, New York 10301
tmplisrael@aol.com
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Rabbi Michael D. Howald
Cantor Suzanne Bernstein
Bryn Biren, Linda Brill, Sandy Mazzucco, Felicia Otto
Co-Presidents
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Temple Israel’s Electronic Bulletin
E-Shalom
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February 2023
Shevat - Adar 5783
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“Shalom, Welcome to Temple Israel....” is a phrase taught to us by Carole Lachman, a beloved, long-time congregant and bulletin editor who died in 2002. We named our bulletin in her honor and worked to realize her vision of Temple Israel as a community that welcomes the stranger and lets no one stand alone. As we move to a new version of this tradition of communicating with our Temple Israel family, we continue to forward Carole’s vision, love and devotion for our synagogue. | |
Erev Shabbat Services take place IN PERSON. Live-stream links, for those unable to join us, will be e-mailed to all congregants, along with the Friday night Progam, every Friday. The Zoom link for Saturday morning Torah Study and Services can be found below. (Please check weekly News and Notes and the Friday Night Program for any updates or changes.)
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Shabbat Morning**
Torah Study at 10:00 a.m. followed by Services at 11:00 a.m.
Meeting ID: 842 7725 0914
Passcode: 345339
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Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
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**PLEASE CHECK NEWS & NOTES AND THE FRIDAY NIGHT PROGRAM E-MAILS FOR STREAMING LINKS FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS AND FOR ANY CHANGES REGARDING STREAMING AND/OR ZOOM LINKS.
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ONLINE ACCESS TO
MISHKAN T'FILAH
Through the generosity of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, there is a free online flip-book version of our prayer book, Mishkan T'filah for Shabbat, available
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ONLINE ACCESS TO
MISHKAN T'FILAH for YOUTH
Through the generosity of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, there is a free online flip-book version of our prayer book, Mishkan T'filah for Youth, available
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A Message from
Rabbi Michael D. Howald
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This year, Tu B’Shevat begins on the night of February the fifth. In past years, we have celebrated the holiday in our religious school by eating fruits and planting parsley seeds for the coming Passover holiday. Our focus, accordingly, has been on seeds and produce during most of our celebrations and we rarely focus explicitly on the “star of the show” of Tu B’shevat, namely trees! Over the past few years, however, I have been walking every day in local Staten Island parks or along the Hudson pedestrian walkway and I have had, consequently, many occasions to think about what amazing plants trees really are!
Our ancestors, living closer to the land that we do, already knew this. The seven species, the plants particularly valued in the land of Israel, include three trees: Fig, Olive, and Pomegranate (although some botanists maintain that the pomegranate is really just a large bush!). The olive tree figures prominently in the story of the raven who returns to Noah with an olive branch in its peak as the waters of the great flood recede. Solomon’s Temple was adorned with carvings of pomegranates on the capitals of its columns and the fig tree, some ancient rabbis maintained, was the tree of the knowing of good and evil from which Adam and Eve ate before being expelled from the Garden of Eden.
Throughout the Torah, trees are often analogized to human beings. The prophet Ezekiel offers a parable in his prophecies where he analogizes Israel to the mighty cedar and the nations of the earth to the trees of the field. (Ezek. 17:22-24). “I will plant it in Israel’s lofty highlands, and it shall bring forth boughs and produce branches and grow into a noble cedar. Every bird of every feather shall take shelter under it, shelter in the shade of its boughs (Id.).” The Psalms predict that, in the household of the faithful, “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons, like olive saplings around your table (Ps. 128:3).” Deuteronomy adds that “a human being is like a tree of the field (Deut. 20:19).”
With all these positive comparisons about trees, it is no surprise that Torah is called a “Tree of Life.” Not only is the Torah scroll wrapped around two staves made of wood, but midrash compares Torah to the piece of wood that Moses threw into the bitter water at Marah (“bitter” in Hebrew) and turned the water sweet enough to drink (Ex. 15:25). Possibly based on this story and the association of the wood with the word of God expressed in Torah, the Book of Proverbs says: “Etz chaim hee l’machazikim bah (“She is a tree of life to those who grasp her”).
In real life, trees are every bit as miraculous as they are in the Torah. New York City, for instance, embarked on a campaign to plant over one million trees in 2007 and realized its goal in 2016. New York City did so because trees reduce air pollution, reduce storm water runoff, and reduce urban temperatures significantly by shading buildings, streets and sidewalks and help return humidity to the air through evaporative cooling. One expert I listened to on the radio even estimated that trees can reduce peak daytime temperatures by as much as 20 degrees!
Even more amazing, Suzanne Simard, a forest ecologist at the University of British Columbia, has shown that trees organize themselves into vast far-flung networks underground that allow for the exchange of information and even resources. Her research showed, for example, that “mother trees” in these networks help nourish seedlings in their shade canopy and can even send nutrients to trees in distress. Professor Stefano Mancuso of the International Laboratory for Plant Neurobiology at the University of Florence has even showed that trees “are able to create scalable networks of self-sustaining, self-operating and self-repairing units”! In other words, when the Torah says that a “human being is like a tree of the field” its more than just a metaphor.
So, this Tu B’shevat, as we are celebrating new fruits and eating carobs, let us also think about how much we owe to trees. Not just for the wood and fruit they provide, but for the real benefits they provide to each one of us who walks in a park, drives on a tree lined street in the height of summer or breathes air sweetened by the life-giving oxygen they produce. How much impoverished our lives would be if our city were bereft of trees! How appropriate to set aside at least one day a year to think about the trees that surround us and how to nourish and protect them for ourselves and the next generation!
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A Message from the Co-Presidents
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Words Matter!
The book of Proverbs teaches that life and death are in the “hands of the tongue”. (Proverbs 18:21). Judaism is very clear that in general, our words matter, and we must speak up and speak out when anyone (famous or not) uses speech that is anti-Semitic or hate filled in anyway. Recently some high-profile people created controversy with their anti-Semitic statements. This should be painfully obvious to anyone who takes Jewish values seriously. We often hear comments such as “They are just words” or “It’s just a social media post.” We make statements to comfort ourselves or excuse someone’s behavior. But these words do matter, and they MATTER A GREAT DEAL!!! Words written, spoken, or signed can cause dangerous things to happen in the world and promote anger and hatred. As Jews, given our history, we understand that all too well.
People should always be free to share their own perspective and opinions, but care is necessary with words and actions. In a time when social media makes it so easy to spread biased and hate filled ideas based on misinformation, the stakes are higher than ever before. History has proven how hateful language can spread like wildfire.
Over the course of time some words in today’s culture have come to mean something other than their original dictionary meaning and the meaning may be misinterpreted. Along with words, our actions and instructions can have unintended consequences. We need to pay close attention to the words we read, speak, write, and share. Is the speech we are hearing, sharing, and engaging in, harmful in any way? Should we excuse the social media post, article, speaker, friend, family member or colleague for what they say? That we need to stand up against anti-Semitism is clear. But in addition, we need to monitor ourselves as well.
We at Temple Israel are blessed with an amazing community of congregants. We want all people to feel comfortable being a part of it. We are a diverse group with many different conversations occurring all the time. We constantly run through scenarios to gain different perspectives, but even with the best intentions, what we say could create unintended obstacles. We need to continually support each other as a Temple community. Standing together as a Congregation to speak up against bias language and behavior adds strength for us as a Temple Family and a Community. As I said earlier, WORDS MATTER!!!
Co-President
Sandy Mazzucco
on behalf of Co-Presidents Bryn Biren, Linda Brill, and Felicia Otto
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Dear Fellow Congregants,
As we are reaching the midpoint of our fiscal year, I ask that you review your annual commitment to our Temple and determine if you are able to make an additional donation to assist us in providing service to our fellow congregants.
A reminder that your Membership Form provides us with the most current information about you and your family. If you have not fully completed your family’s form, one of our Membership Committee members may be contacting you to secure any information that was omitted. Please be sure to update changes in email contacts and new phone numbers for all included family members. Further, please be reminded that notifications for completion of your building fund will be sent as a separate document.
You are welcome to contact me directly at 917-873-4739 should you wish to discuss any matter regarding your annual commitment. Be sure to leave your name and phone number if you are leaving a message.
Again, thank you for your on-going support of Temple Israel.
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Alan Siegel
Financial Secretary
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Please consider becoming a member of our
KAVOD SOCIETY.
It helps to make membership available to all our families. Speak to our Financial Secretary to upgrade your membership.
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Do you have regrets? Do you hold grudges? Do you simmer with hate for people who did you wrong? Maybe you cringe with the realization you actually did them wrong? So, how do you cope? In the “Way We Were” Barbara Streisand sang, “What’s too painful to remember, we simply choose to forget.” Could it really be that simple? Can we “chose to forget?”
These questions and more will be answered in this year’s Purimspiel, “Back to the Future.” Because obviously the answer to what to do with the accumulated pain and hurt of life, the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” as Hamlet said…. indeed, the answer to how to handle the Hamans of humanity, is not to “simply chose to forget.” The answer is to take an automotive time machine back to your past and fix that bad karma.
Participating in the Purimspiel will be more than just a fun romp to the early ’90’s - the golden age of Temple Israel’s Junior Choir. We will ask whether it is logically possible to both blot out Haman’s name, and have him appear in the Purimspiel every year. Yes, we will get right to the heart of the Haman paradox and put a stake in it. I know Purim is in March, and this is the February bulletin, but the first Purimspiel rehearsal is on Sunday, February 5. Anyone not attending Sunday school can come at 10 a.m. after morning tefillah, and the rest of youse can come right after Sunday school. Bring a flux capacitor, or if you don’t have one handy, just bring yourself, and every single one of your friends and enemies. As Huey Lewis and News sang, we’re going “back in time.”
Oh - one more thing. The family service on the first Friday in February falls on Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song, when we read the great song that Moses, Miryam and all the Israelites sang at the parting of the sea as they escaped from bondage. The Senior Choir and the small but mighty Junior Choir will join their voices in song as we take out the Torah and sing “Michamocha” - “Who is like You” - right from the Torah scroll. Please come and raise your voices with us!
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FEBRUARY CHOIR SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3
“Shabbat Shira”
Jr. & Sr. Choir members meet in the sanctuary
at 6:30 pm for a warm-up
for the 7 pm Service.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
10 am - Adult Purimspiel rehearsal
12 noon - Full cast Purimspiel rehearsal
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
7 pm - Purimspiel rehearsal
8 pm - Sr. Choir rehearsal
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
7 pm - Sr. Choir warm-up
for 7:30 pm Service
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Join Cantor Bernstein and members of the choir as we share
the joy of Purim and Shabbat with residents at
The Brielle Assisted Living
at 3:30 pm on Friday, March 3rd.
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A SPECIAL NOTE FROM CANTOR BERNSTEIN | |
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FEBRUARY 2023
SHEVAT-ADAR 5783
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MAZEL TOV TO:
JOHN BURMAN, our office manager, as he leaves our employ and accepts a new and exciting job opportunity.
PAMELA & MICHAEL ROGOZIN and family as their granddaughter Diana Evelyn Kolesar was welcomed into the House of Israel at her Baby Naming on January 27th.
CONDOLENCES TO:
JERRY & KAREN GROSS and family on the the loss of his brother Harold Gross;
FELICIA HOLTZMAN OTTO and family on the loss of her father, Dr. Henry Holtzman.
GET WELL WISHES TO:
KAREN GROSS recovering from knee surgery;
JUDY LEE recovering from COVID-19.
THINKING OF YOU:
ALICIA BASKIN, JOE GAMORAN,
SILVIA GORNSTEIN, BARBARA TRILLING.
WELCOME:
NILAJA TROY as our new Office Manager
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February 3, 2023
Ben Levee *
Abraham Cohen *
Leo Bleiman
Harriet Bogart
Emma Greenwald *
Miriam Lavender
Gussie Siegel *
Hersh Blumin *
Max Dichter *
Abigail Wolchok
Dr. David Silverman *
Maurice Silverman
Kalman Weis
Henrietta Hershfield
Martha Leef
Rabbi Marcus Kramer *
Alexander Meltser
Harry Nison
Caroline Stern *
And we remember from the Holocaust:
Moishe-Mordekhai Waksman
Blanka Glaser
Alexander Mysliborski
Abraham Bulfeld
Dezetri Wasilow
February 10, 2023
Robert Henken
Harvey I. Sonnenblick
Stanley Waldman *
Richard Diamond *
Solomon Eugene Hirsh *
Hela Mydlarz
Robert Ricci
Edward C. Frey, Jr
Barbara Pisetzner
Maurice Quartin *
Mary Wolodiger *
Marie Dub *
Irving Blackman
Murray Ginsberg
Nathan Goldberg *
Solomon Feldman
Minnie Harris
Rose Soren Jablon *
Anita Jurikson
Ruth Tiger
Joseph R. Carlton *
Eleanor Goldberg
Morris Lewis
Howard Rosenblum *
Milton Weiss
Max Yanowitz *
And we remember from the Holocaust:
Czeslaw Sobczuk
Willi Seichter
Marian Glebowski
Szewa Szewelewicz
Else Stern
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February 17, 2023
Charles Baver *
Rosella Cohen
Barbara Freedman
Josie Machol *
Simon Schwartz *
Joshua Kemeny
Gerald Silberlight
Joseph Andrews
Bella Leder
Abraham Lipson *
Tillie Yanowitz *
Robert Harper
Abraham Talisman
Allan Weissglass
Paul Jurikson
Dr. David Machol *
Evelina Shapiro
Leonard Winer *
And we remember from the Holocaust:
Chaim Abramzon
Jozsef Fleischmann
Ettel Wolkowicz
Dawid Wiguschin
Shimon Wilnowski
February 24, 2023
Nancy Kerstein
Jerome Fried *
Esther Grossman *
Walter Hanibal
Jacob Rabin *
Freda Rosenblum *
Amy Smith
Charles Kaner
Dorothy Siegel *
Marcus Soloff *
Morris Heitowit *
Anna Rodale
Joseph Sitler
Thomas McGowan
Ruth Mulnick
Ida Silverman *
And we remember from the Holocaust:
Hermann Holzheu
Izaak Akker
Josel Melle
Miriam Hamer
Lothar Georgi
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* These names are on our Memorial Wall.
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Erev Shabbat Services
Friday, February 3
SHABBAT SHIRA!
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Celebration of February
Birthdays & Anniversaries
FAMILY SHABBAT SERVICE
JR. AND ADULT CHOIRS SING
Service at 7:00 p.m.
In Person and
via Live-Stream
(link to be sent via e-mail)
ONEG SPONSORED IN HONOR OF SHABBAT BY
THOSE CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES IN FEBRUARY.
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Friday, February 10
Service at 7:30 p.m.
In Person and
via Live-Stream
(link to be sent via e-mail)
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Friday, February 17
TOT SHABBAT
5:30 p.m.
Service at 7:30 p.m.
ADULT CHOIR SINGS
In Person and
via Live-Stream
(link to be sent via e-mail)
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Friday, February 24
Service at 7:30 p.m.
In Person and
via Live-Stream
(link to be sent via e-mail)
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SATURDAY MORNING
TORAH STUDY &
SHABBAT SERVICES
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Torah Study and Shabbat Services
Saturdays at 10:00 a.m.
Via ZOOM
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DONATIONS MADE EASY! | |
The Advance Payment Program allows members to pay in advance for Friday night program ads. Members usually deposit $100 (or less in some cases) and when an ad is placed, $5 is deducted. When the balance gets low (usually to about $10) an e-mail is sent reminding the member that they should consider adding money to their account.
You may, if you wish, pay in advance for Friday night program announcements. For more details contact the Temple office or contact Deanna Feder dfeder19@aol.com to set up an account.
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Happy February. As the weather has flip flopped on Staten Island with both colder and warmer days and as of the time of this writing no snow, we hope you are warm and well.
We are grateful to Phineas Larson who was our Torah reader at the Erev Shabbat Service of January 13th while his mom Remy Smith did the Aliyah. Phin became a Bar Mitzvah and was confirmed at Temple Israel and we are proud of his accomplishments.
The Island-wide Scout Shabbat was held at our Erev Shabbat Service on January 20th. We were happy to welcome members of The Staten Island Jewish Girl Scout and Boy Scout Committees and all the Leaders and Scouts who joined us.
At the Erev Shabbat Service of January 27th Diana Evelyn Kolesar was welcomed into The House of Israel at her Baby Naming. She is the daughter of Shannen and Jordan Kolesar, granddaughter of Pamela and Michael Rogozin. Congratulations to all the Family.
This month we look forward to observing Shabbat Shira at the Friday night February 3rd Erev Shabbat Service with Cantor Bernstein and the Adult and Junior Choirs singing. Birthday and Anniversaries will be celebrated as usual on this first Friday of the month. And on Friday evening February 10th we will welcome Carol Bullock of the Pride Center as a guest speaker during the Erev Shabbat Service. We thank Rabbi Howald for his assistance in arranging her visit.
Looking ahead: Purim comes early in March so get your costumes ready to join us on Monday evening March 6th for the Megillah reading and Purim Shpiel.
Finally, we continue to thank Jim Rohan for his musical leadership at Erev Shabbat Services when Cantor Bernstein is not here, Jaimie Blackman and Dr. Ken Pickover for their musical accompaniment at Saturday morning Shabbat Services on Zoom whenever they are available and Sim Lenner who provides music at our Sunday morning school Service, sometimes with Cantor Bernstein, sometimes with Jim Rohan and sometimes on her own.
Please look to your e-mails, messages, Temple Israel’s News and Notes, our Facebook page and this E-Shalom Bulletin for any additional information that becomes available.
Linda Brill, Jerry Gross Nina Rohan
Co-Chairpersons
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Thank you to the following congregants for their assistance with ushering during services as well as for honoring the Congregation with their presence on the Bimah in January:
Deana Feder, Sue Freedman, Sam Gornstein, Karen Gross, Cheryl Levine, Sandy Mazzucco, Joanna Meltzer, Judy Pessah, Pamela Rogozin,
Alan Siegel, Jodi Siegel , Remy Smith and Philip Straniere
Nina Rohan
Ushering Chair
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MOST FLYERS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR PRINTING BY CLICKING DIRECTLY ON THE FLYER. | |
BE SURE TO JOIN US AS WE READ THE MEGILLAH AND ENJOY THIS YEAR'S INCREDIBLE PURIMSHPIEL ON MONDAY, MARCH 6TH AT 6:30 PM! | |
CLICK ON FLYER TO PRINT OR DOWNLOAD | |
To start off the secular New Year, we honored religious school students who met the Shabbat Star Challenge of attending at least one Shabbat Service a month from October-January. We are pleased to honor eleven students across all four religious school classes who met this challenge.
In January we collaborated with the AVIS Foundation to bring a class to our students that has been requested for a few years: a Challah Making and Braiding Class! Over twenty students learned how to knead, braid and bake challah and of course they enjoyed the delicious Challah right out of the oven!
Our committee is now beginning to plan for next school year. Our primary focus is the school's curriculum across the class levels and ensuring it is rich in both religion and Hebrew education. We are also beginning to discuss how we can increase music in the classroom for next school year. Stay tuned!
This month our spring Shabbat Star challenge kicks off and students will once again have the opportunity to earn a gift card for attending at least one monthly Shabbat Service February-June. Our goal is to increase the number of students who met the fall semester challenge and see even more students at Shabbat services this spring!
Be well!
Felicia
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We have lots of events for you to enjoy these coming months, and we look forward to seeing you participate in them.
The Sampled Sale was such a wonderful success in 2021 &2022 that we will be repeating it this year. This Sampled Sale will take place on February 11 and will be conducted in-person. The sale begins at 5:30 pm with a light supper. Each item for sale will be either new or gently used. There will be new clothing, jewelry, kitchen equipment, and pocketbooks. If you have items you would like to donate, please contact Jodi Siegel at jsiegel23@aol.com. Include a photo, a short description, and the estimated value of the item. See the flyer.
Like dancing? How about Folk Dancing Israeli style? Yes? You will have an opportunity to learn how to do Israeli folk dancing or improve your skills. On February 12, a Joint Sisterhood/Brotherhood Meeting will be held when we can try out our skills at folk dancing. It should be a fun morning!
We are happy to announce that Sisterhood is presenting a huge fun-filled Bingo/Basket Raffle Night with fabulous prizes. It will take place on Saturday, March 18 and is open to Temple Israel members as well as to the public. Doors will open at 6:00 pm and bingo will begin at 7:00 pm. Admittance to the Bingo/Basket Raffle Night will be one $20 gift card and a receipt for the card purchased. It would easier for you and more helpful for Temple Israel if you were to purchase gift cards from Larry Hanibal, but gift cards can be obtained at most stores. Contact Larry at (917-967-4592) and he will bring the gift card to you. If you purchase a gift card from Larry, there will no need to show a receipt at the door. See the flyer.
On January 22, the Programing Committee arranged guest speaker Eileen Greinsky to speak about elder care options. On March 19, Harriet Goodman Grayson, author of The Accidental Gangster will discuss "the Jewish gangster", on Zoom. You may want to either purchase the book or borrow it from the library. However, you will still benefit even if you have not read the book, so please join us on zoom.
Jodi Siegel will be co-presenting at the Northeast District Women’s Reform Judaism Conference this year. What an honor! The conference will be held in Danbury, CT, from March 23 to 26. The mission of Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) is to strengthen the voice of women worldwide and empower them to create caring communities. For over 100 years, WRJ has been a network of Jewish women working together through the bonds of sisterhood, spirituality, and social justice. We would like some of our own Sisterhood representatives to attend the conference. Please let Anita, Judy, or Pamela know if you would like to attend this important and inspiring conference. Sisterhood may be able to subsidize some of the costs.
The Membership Committee is arranging Sisterhood’s Paid-Up Membership Dinner,which will take place on April 19. At present we have 76 Sisterhood members and 11 Friends of Sisterhood. And what a great group of sisters we have!
Sue Freedman has arranged for a Women’s Shabbaton on Saturday, May 20. We have retained Cantor Bernstein to participate in co-leading the morning Shabbat Service and to conduct the afternoon’s activities. Last year’s Shabbaton was an enjoyable day, and we expect no less this spring.
Blanche Ricci, Linda Hanibal, and Deanna Feder will be handling Shalach Manot gift baskets again for Purim. The deadline for all orders is February 6. See the flyer.
We have many helpers who assist during Friday night oneg, and their help is very much appreciated. (Thank you, Terry Baver for your diligence each week.) However, sometimes we work hard to get those helpers! Volunteers are always needed, so please do not hesitate to speak up. It does not take much time and your assistance helps things go smoothly on Shabbat. It may take several people to do a few small things but that makes Shabbat a seamless and pleasant evening for all of us. Do a Mitzvah!
Good health to all of you and your families,
Anita Zuckerberg, Pam Rogozin, Judy Lee
Sisterhood Co-Presidents
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CLICK ANYWHERE ON FLYER ABOVE FOR REGISTRATION LINK.
EARLYBIRD PRICING ENDS ON FEBRUARY 10.
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Brotherhood at Temple Israel continues….
CALLING ALL FORMER, CURRENT AND FUTURE BROTHERHOOD MEMBERS.
Again, thanks to all of you who participated in our annual community Hanukkah card with original artwork graciously donated by JD Lee.
Just a reminder that we will be participating in a joint Sisterhood/Brotherhood Breakfast on Sunday, February 12th. Following the eating portion of the morning, we will be getting together to discuss our participation in the Annual Purim event which will take place on Saturday, March 4th, prior the Reading of the Magillah on Monday evening, March 6th, which will also see the presentation of our Purim Spiel.
Please mark your calendars accordingly to ensure your participation. We look forward to having you attend these events.
Alan Siegel and Bob Zuckerberg
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We are sorry if your name was inadvertently omitted. Please contact John at the Temple Office to update your membership information.
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The Sisterhood of Temple Israel would like to help you celebrate birthdays and anniversaries for you and your family.
You can share the joy of Shabbat and your birthday and/or anniversary by helping to sponsor an Oneg Shabbat on the Friday evening when we celebrate birthdays and anniversaries for that month.
In addition to sponsoring the Oneg, the names of those celebrating appear in the Friday night program and celebrants are invited to the Bimah.
A contribution of $10 for birthdays and $18 for anniversaries is suggested to honor your special occasion and help the Temple at the same time.
Letters are sent out early in the month prior and payment would be appreciated before the first Friday of the month of the celebration.
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The Membership Committee continues to focus on membership retention. Sandy reviewed the Membership list with the Committee and each member now has specific congregants to call who we felt have not had contact with Temple for a while. The Committee members will contact the members prior to the next meeting.
Upcoming events:
Sandy and Claire have worked with Rabbi Howald to schedule an Erev Shabbat service which will be held on February 10th with Carol Bullock the Director of Staten Island Pride Center. In addition, a presentation presented by Rabbi Scott Kalmikoff will be held in person in the later afternoon on March 19th. He will be discussing Jewish topics geared for an intergenerational audience which should be of interest to all members. A flyer and details will follow.
The committee is also exploring the possibility of scheduling an Erev Shabbat service on Zoom at the end of February or sometime in March which will include either arranging dinner or an Oneg.
The next meeting of the committee will be Thursday February 16th at 7:30 on Zoom.
Sandy Mazzucco
Claire Guttsman
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Temple Israel Sisterhood Judaica Shop
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EVERY HOLIDAY
EVERY LIFE CYCLE
EVERY SIMCHA
Just what you need and just what they want!
The only place on Staten Island for all your Jewish gifts.
Special Orders available.
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Some featured Judaica Shop items this month:
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Contact Blanche Ricci at branchtr.ricci@gmail.com
if you are interested in any Judaica Shop items.
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Bryn Biren
Terry Baver
Avis Foundation Trustees
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The mission of the Dr. Ronald Avis Foundation for Temple Israel Reform Congregation is:
…. to provide financial support for young families seeking membership in Temple Israel, and to attract new young families by providing learning opportunities, family programming, and social justice initiatives.
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Welcome to February….We look forward to seeing you at our Family Shabbat on February 3rd. Rabbi Howald and Cantor Bernstein have a wonderful service for the families who come with their young children. Many of our children grew up when Cantor Bernstein was our Cantor. She was a gift to our families. And many of our children were in her choir. Speak to your children and encourage them to join the children's’ choir at temple. It’s a wonderful experience for them all.
We hope many of you are attending the evening at the Staten Island Children’s Museum on Saturday February 4th at 5:30. The night will include dinner and an art class. Please invite anyone you know who is considering joining our congregation. They are all welcome.
On May 6th, we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of Temple Israel! The night will include a cabaret, speeches from congregants, including those who were members for so many years, and a wonderful journal. Please mark it down on your calendar and plan to come.
If any of you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Terry or Bryn and they can talk to you about all the ways you can be a support to our congregation.
Sincerely,
Bryn Biren and Terry Baver
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Thanks to Cheryl Levine for leading an interesting and fun discussion on “The Matchmaker’s Gift”, by Linda Cohen Loigman. We all enjoyed this book combining the story of an early 20th Century immigrant to the Lower East Side, and the story of her modern day granddaughter, and the skill they had in common.
Looking Forward
“The Jewish Catskills”— Wednesday Evenings, February 8 and 15th, at 7:30 PM
on Zoom, presented by Justin Ferate, an experienced tour guide. This program might bring back some memories! Please contact Cheryl Levine if you wish to attend, cherylmlevine@gmail.com.
Book Discussion—Wednesday, March 8, 7:30 PM, on Zoom. “The Personal Librarian”, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. This book is a fictionalized telling of the life of Bella da Costa Greene, the Librarian to J.P. Morgan. Libby Gershansky will lead the discussion. Contact Cheryl if you wish to attend, cherylmlevine@gmail.com
Were you born on Staten Island? Did you immigrate? Get ready for a program on the “History of the Jews on Staten Island”. An April date TBA.
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Cheryl Levine and Judith Pessah
Adult Learning Committee Co-Chairpersons
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Thank you to all who participated and donated to our Games Extravaganza FUNdraiser. We all had a lot of fun with the games and everyone enjoyed themselves.
Our next fundraiser will be on April 29, 2023. We willl send out the information for this shortly. Hope everyone can come.
Rhonda Trontz-Allen, Karen Frey-Gamoran, Lissa Winchel
Co-Chairs
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Contributions to Temple Israel as tributes, dedications or memorials are welcome and are published in the weekly Shabbat program.
Donations can be dedicated to the general Temple Israel Fund or to any of the following specific funds:
- Adult Education Fund
- Building Preservation Fund
- Caring Community Fund
- Carole Lachman Memorial Fund
- Choir Fund
- Confirmation Fund
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Estelle A. Gootenberg Memorial Fund (for Torah Repair/ Restoration)
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Gerald J. Lustig Memorial Fund (for Ark & Ark Doors)
- Liheyot Fund
- Membership Fund
- Prayerbook Fund
- Rabbi Marcus Kramer Memorial Library Fund
- Shoah Education Fund
- Scholarship Fund
- Rabbi Michael D. Howald Fund for Social Action and Tikkun Olam
A $5.00 minimum donation is requested for these funds. Checks for donations to any of these funds should be made payable to Temple Israel.
PRAYERBOOKS may be dedicated in honor or memory of a special person or occasion. For specific prayerbooks and donation amounts, look for the Prayerbook icons found in this bulletin
Please make checks for Donations to the RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND payable to that fund.
Donations in any amount may be made to SISTERHOOD OF TEMPLE ISRAEL or BROTHERHOOD OF TEMPLE ISRAEL with checks made payable directly to the affiliate organization.
For a leaf on the TREE OF LIFE in honor of a simcha, please scroll down.
For permanent MEMORIAL PLAQUES on our Family Memorial Wall or Original Memorial Wall, please call the Temple office at 718-727-2231.
To see list of all recent
Tributes and Program
Donations to Funds...
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CLICK ON THIS ICON TO TAKE YOU THERE!
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If you are not receiving this Bulletin via a direct e-mail and would like to, please contact us at TICOMMUNICATION@aol.com to be added to our mailing list. | | |
CONTACT INFORMATION
718-727-2231
tmplisrael@aol.com
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ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES |
Our E-Bulletin is shared with the entire Temple Israel Family and the Staten Island Community. If you are a local business or community organization and you would like to advertise in our monthly bulletin, please contact the Temple Office at 718-727-2231 or e-mail TICommunication@aol.com.
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