Rabbi Michael D. Howald

Cantor Suzanne Bernstein

Bryn Biren, Russell Kaminsky

Co-Presidents

APRIL 2025

Nisan-Iyar 5785

CLICK ON ANY OF THESE IMAGES TO PRINT OR DOWNLOAD FLYERS WHICH CAN ALSO BE FOUND ELSEWHERE IN THIS BULLETIN.

FAMILY SHABBAT MORNING SERVICE

MEET THE AUTHOR

ART HISTORY

YOM HASHOAH PROGRAM

PLEASE HELP

JEWISH HERITAGE DAY AT THE FERRYHAWKS

SISTERHOOD SHABBATON

ONEG SPONSORSHIP

CERTIFICATES

TREE OF LIFE

Shabbat Morning*

Torah Study at 10:00 a.m. followed by Services at 11:00 a.m.

Meeting ID: 878 5582 6129 

Passcode: 778943

**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.

MOST FLYERS IN THIS BULLETIN CAN BE PRNTED OR DOWNLOADED BY CLICKING DIRECTLY ON THE FLYER.

AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OR COPY OF

MISHKAN T'FILAH

MAY BE PURCHASED FROM CCAR

AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OR COPY OF

MISHKAN T'FILAH FOR YOUTH

MAY BE PURCHASED FROM CCAR

This month we celebrate Passover once again. Although each family has its own cherished traditions of Pesah, the one thing that unifies all Jews, no matter where they celebrate is the Haggadah, the book that brings us around the seder table. We may prefer the 5-minute version when we have infants and toddlers at home, or the Hogwarts or Star Wars Haggadah when our children become readers or a more traditional Haggadah when our guests are primarily adults but, no matter the seder, we need a written guide to ensure that we are all on the same page when we celebrate Passover. The versions we have may have been published recently but the framework of the Haggadah goes back all the way to the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). The Haggadah, accordingly, is older than the first written siddur (prayer book) and perhaps even older than some of the books in the Hebrew Bible.

The name “Haggadah” in Hebrew literally means “the story” or “the legend.” The book has this simple title because it retells the foundation story of the Jewish people as set forth in the Book of Exodus. In the going out from Egypt and in the long trek across the desert, former slaves became a people, and the Haggadah asks us each year to imagine ourselves as if we had made that same journey. A large part of the story the Haggadah tells, however, comes from long after the Exodus from Egypt. The rabbis quoted in the Haggadah, like Rabbi Gamaliel and Rabbi Akiva, for instance, lived during the Greek and Roman periods. Since the last Tanna (first generation of the ancient rabbis) mentioned in the traditional Haggadah died around 170 CE, many scholars believe that the traditional text must have been written no earlier than the late second century of the Common Era. Some attribute its first writing in a form we would recognize to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, the compiler and editor of the Mishnah, the first written compendium of Jewish law, which was also finished in the late second century CE. No one, even today, however, knows for sure, which sages or sages of the past can claim credit for bringing the Haggadah into being.

Over the next centuries, various parts of the Haggadah were added and modified until it started to be printed as part of prayer books meant to include an entire year of holidays. Only in the latter half of the medieval period do we get any mention or evidence of separate texts produced just for the Passover seder. Some 30 years after the invention of the printing press in the middle of the 15^th century, we finally get our first printed Haggadot, books devoted entirely to the rituals of the seder. We have never looked back.

From the first printed versions of the Haggadah in around 1480, the Jewish people have produced ever more variety. The Jewish Book Council estimates there are at least 3,000 different versions of the Haggadah in print and that does not include the proliferation of digital versions which abound in every corner of the Internet. Some of us have a favorite Haggadah and they see hard usage, as their wine and soups stains attest. Others prefer to use a different Haggadah each year in the hopes of making the text new, even for older guests at the seder table. Whatever text you choose, and in whatever way you choose to celebrate Passover, our family wishes you all a Zissen Pesach, a sweet and joyous Passover!

Bryn Biren

Russell Kaminsky

 We are constantly brainstorming to think of religious services, holiday festivals, family activities and classes that will appeal to our congregants. What makes it a challenge is that we have such a diverse group of members. We have adults who have been members of Temple Israel for more than forty years. We also have adult members who are not even forty years old. How do we appeal to everyone? 

This year the Membership Committee has worked with the Religious School to create the Temple Israel Buddies. This has been an early Sunday morning get together for people of all ages. They share breakfast, are given a topic or two to discuss and have a few minutes to work on a craft project. Then they attend the family religious service in our sanctuary.  The program is very successful and is being refined as we go. The point is that 70-year-olds are coming and getting to know 7-year-olds. We are having fun and sharing intergenerational experiences.

On Saturday morning, April 5th we will have a Shabbat morning service which will include the reading of Torah. All families are invited. Congregants of all ages are invited. There will be breakfast to begin the morning. (RSVP for breakfast to JSiegel23@aol.com). What a great time to come together to bond and worship? Be part of our Temple community that day.

The Avis Foundation has offered adult learning programs on Zoom for many years. In the past months we have had the pleasure of teens joining the class. A new generation adds depth and new outlook to the programming. 

The point of this message is that we are encouraging you to step out of your comfort zone and attend an event that you might have overlooked in the past.  Get to know the older or younger members of Temple Israel. Broaden your synagogue experience and possibly make some new friends.

Sincerely,

Bryn Biren & Russell Kaminsky

Co-Presidents

Thank you to the brave and talented Purimspielers who brought A Completely Unknown Megillah to the Temple Israel bimah:  

Standing (L-R): Shari, Ben, Josh, Sal, Anne, Judy, Rabbi, Cantor

Seated: Bryn, Freda, Abby, Brooke, Evelyn, Nora, Sarah

Additional Purim photos and videos can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ePw-UW_nDQaKLx4R3E98NUeW_FdLAOWl

Thank you to Anne Young, and Sam and Silvia Gornstein for sharing their memories of the American Conference of Cantors trip to Argentina at our Shabbat service on March 21. The final concert of our tour is available on YouTube: 

https://youtu.be/rswyZq4uK4U?si=8QxYCKOOAvxsKikN

Wishing everyone a sweet and meaningful celebration of Passover, 

Cantor Suzanne Bernstein 

Sunday, 4/6 

  10-11:15 a.m. - Sr. Choir rehearsal

  12-12:30 Jr. Choir rehearsal 

Friday, 4/18

3:30 p.m.: Shabbat/Passover Sing-along at the Brielle - All welcome!  

6:45 p.m.: Sr. Choir warm-up for 7:30 Shabbat service

Save these dates in May!

Saturday, 5/3: Shabbaton with Rabbi Howald and Cantor Bernstein, with special guest, Rabbi Zoe B. Zak of Temple Israel in Catskill, co-author of "The Cook and the Rabbi."  

Saturday, 5/10, 7:30 p.m. and 5/11, 2:00 p.m.: Cantor Bernstein and Miryam Coppersmith present Jenny Tango's "Women of Chelm" in the community room at

Westbeth Artist Housing, 55 Bethune Street, NYC

Last month at The Brielle.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

APRIL 2025

NISAN-IYAR 5785

For calendar updates please check the Temple website.

To print or download a copy of this calendar, click here.

MAZEL TOV TO:

REMY SMITH and FAMILY as her son Jonathan DeVito is called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah.

GET WELL WISHES TO:

ARLINE BRONZAFT, mother of ROBIN HOWALD.

Good & Welfare and your privacy.........

We feel it is a congregation's sacred duty to provide support to its congregants. Some of our tools are pastoral care provided by Rabbi Howald and notifying your friends in the congregation when you have a happy Mazel Tov occasion or your family is burdened with illness or loss. We are willing to publish this information in our Good & Welfare e-mails and for Rabbi to contact you, but we need your help. 

When contacting the office or Rabbi about these events, please let us know if you wish the information sent out to the congregation or if it should remain confidential. WE WILL NOT PUBLISH INFORMATION AS A PRESIDENTIAL DONATION OR A "SUDDEN & SERIOUS" EMAIL UNLESS WE ARE TOLD THAT IT IS OK TO DO SO. If you are having a friend or family member contact us, please let them know your wishes.

A reminder: Please do not leave family emergency information only on Rabbi Howald's or Lara's office voice mail as these are not checked during non-office hours. For a family emergency, please call Rabbi's special line -- (718) 447-5810

Thank you

April 4, 2025

Helen O’Krepke

Dr. Hyman Poritz*

Gilda Schuster

Estelle Dichter*

Steve Nison

Louis Siegel*

Max Maruch*

Aida Josel Brouse*

Paul Leder

Edith Miller

Daral Neiman

Theodore Paul Ruskin

Florence Soloff*

Edward Marcus *

Florence Sigmund

Emanuel Sugerman

Alan Trontz

Sidney Sheren*

Stanley Benjamin*

Norman Smook

Helene Sparber*

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Hersh-Aba Lipszyc

Yitzhak Hampel

Karl Glabokar

Roger Sillere

Istvan Politzer

April 11, 2025

Mitchell Gordon*

David Gornstein

Esther Burger*

David Feldhamer*

Earl Gross

Betty Liebowitz *

Murray Mazer

Albert V Rosen *

Ira Bankofsky *

Sol Lubin

Benjamin Adler

Clara Vinocur

Michael Doria

Frances Friedman

Ruth Kosnitsky-Feigelman

David Behar *

Paul Martin Gross *

Sara Pappert

And we remember from the Holocaust: 

Fela Winer

Morne Kovacs

Alfred Grosz

Robert Delafoy

Benjamin Berman

April 18, 2025

Herman Schnittman *

Albert David Soren *

Helene Sparber

Evelyn (Lynne) Benjamin *

Dora Selmon

Mary Goldberg *

Edythe Kahn

Hy Schorr

Philip Marcus

Shirley Shapiro *

Seymour Barris

Dora Flaum

Glenda Kalish

Bertha Schlefstein *

Etylda Berkowicz*

Klara Berkowicz*

Abrham Pollak*

Marcus Pollak*

Rosa Pollak*

Sofia Pollak*

Charles Ira Salzberg

Rubin Sheren *

Franklin Joseph Stein *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Shmuel Lipszyc

Sophia Zeppa Krammer

Hermine Adorian

Hermina Hafner

Itzhak Eisenkraft

April 25, 2025

Rhea Greenspan

Maurice Scher *

Estelle Gootenberg *

Larry Littman

Bert Meyerberg *

Malvina Goldberg *

Murray Lee *

Samuel Richter *

Cornelius Bregoff *

Ethel Gershansky

Edith Gloates *

Irving Smith

Carl Berkowicz

Sallie Klaw *

Dr. Benson Bodell

Joseph Kerstein *

Rose Schneider

Minnie Pepperman

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Mordechai Tennenhaus

Zala Hampel

Rachel winter

Joachim Fein

Litman Zylbersztajn

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 at  dfeder19@aol.com to set up an account. 

DEDICATE A LEAF ON OUR

TREE OF LIFE

Click on the image below.

DON'T FORGET TO BRING YOUR BOOKS FOR DONATION!

TEMPLE ISRAEL BENEFITS FINANCIALLY!

Dear Fellow Congregants,

Looking forward to the Spring season and your continued participation in the many events that are planned for the remainder of the year. As you can appreciate, our Temple ‘home’ has been maintained so that it will continue to be a welcoming site for our Congregants. As such, there are expenditures associated with this on-going effort.

Please review you records to ensure that your Annual Commitment is up to date.  In addition to your annual commitment, be mindful that the Temple’s Building Fund of $1100 per member is scheduled to be honored during the first four years of membership.  If there were to be a ‘life-cycle event’ prior to that timeframe, it is required that the submission of the Building Fund be completed before that event takes place.

Should you need any assistance or clarification regarding this matter, please feel free to contact me either through the Temple office or directly: Jackie @ 347-631-9802. Thank you in advance for your on-going commitment to Temple Israel. We are grateful for your continued support.

Jacqueline Rabinowitz 

Financial Secretary

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.

Set in 1943 Hungary, Talking with Angels tells the gripping true story of Gitta Mallasz, a courageous young woman who defied the horrors of the Holocaust. By posing as a Nazi officer, she sheltered her friends and over 100 Jewish women and children in a military sweatshop. For her heroic acts, Gitta was honored in 2012 by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations.

Amid the unimaginable darkness, one of Gitta’s colleagues began speaking in a voice that was not her own. Over 17 months, they meticulously recorded these channeled messages in their journals. Years later, Gitta published these writings as the book Talking with Angels, which has since been translated into 26 languages.

Join us for a presentation by Shelley Mitchell, who adpated Talking With Angels and stars in the production.

How amazing were this year’s Shalach Manot gifts? (Even if we do say so ourselves!)

We are so grateful to the 58 families who generously helped Sisterhood fulfill the mitzvah of giving gifts and tzedakah by becoming sponsors this year. With their kind support, we were able to give every family who attended the Megillah Reading and Purim Shpiel a lovely gift bag, and we were able to give generous donations to the World Jewish Congress, UJA Federation and Birthright Israel. Our incredible Shalach Manot team, headed by Linda Hanibal, Blanche Ricci and Deanna Feder outdo themselves every year. Thank you also to our Purim Elves who carefully wrap hamentashen, unpack boxes, package gift bags, organize distribution, deal with all the recyclables and make sure that everything is just perfect for all our congregants. We are grateful to the entire Hanibal Family, Karen Gross, Libby Gershansky, Nina & Jim Rohan, Shariann Ganz, Inez Singer and Jodi & Alan Siegel. We hope everyone enjoyed Purim at Temple Israel.

Our trip to view the Anne Frank Exhibit at the Center for Jewish History was powerful and heart-breaking. We had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in a full-scale recreation of the secret annex where Anne Frank and her family hid, just as it would have looked during their period of hiding. We explored Anne’s life and the Holocaust through possessions, furniture, letters, and, of course, the diary, along with other artifacts and an incredibly detailed multimedia presentation. We are so grateful to Judy Lee for making all the necessary arrangements so that we could share this important experience together.

We are getting ready to host the annual Jennifer Straniere Memorial Community Seder on April 12^th.

The proposed Sisterhood Slate of Officers for the 2025-2026 will be presented at our meeting, to be voted on in May.

We invite you to join us at our 5^th Annual Sisterhood Shabbaton….not-for-women-only! Please see the flyer below and make your reservations for what promises to be a lovely day filled with spirituality, lots of good food and an wonderfully interesting and enjoyable program. We thank Sue Freedman, Judy Lee and Pamela Rogozin for spearheading this event.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sunday, March 30 – Sisterhood General Membership Meeting with Program and Mini Sampled Sale - 10 a.m. at Temple

Thursday, April 10-Set up for Passover Seder – 10:00 a.m.

Saturday, April 12- Jennifer Straniere Memorial Community Seder- 6:00 pm

Saturday, May 3- Sisterhood Shabbaton

In sisterhood,

Jodi Siegel and Shariann Ganz

Sisterhood Co-Presidents 

Click on the form below to print!

ALL ARE WELCOME! PLEASE JOIN US!

SISTERHOOD MEMBERSHIP IS NOT REQUIRED!

Brotherhood at Temple Israel continues….Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Congratulations to all who participated in the Purim Shpiel and made it a joyous occasion.

We also want to thank all the congregants who participated in our very successful Wagner College Theatre Program. The November show was “City of Angels” and the March show was “Once Upon a Mattress”. We hope to have next season’s schedule available in May.

Please be reminded that Brotherhood will be sponsoring the Yom Ha’Shoah Yellow Candle memorial project. Candles will be available to all Temple members for use on Erev Yom Ha’ Shoah, April 23^rd. Please participate in this program to honor the recent release of some of the Israeli hostages as well as commemorating the events of October 7^th, 2023.

We have reserved tickets to the Sunday afternoon, May 4^th, Jewish Heritage Day baseball game at the S.I. FerryHawk stadium in Saint George. Activities will include singing the Israeli Nation Anthem, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” in Yiddish, children of all ages running the bases after the game, cultural presentations, and the Israeli baseball team signing autographs before the game. Please refer to the promotional flyer included in this bulletin.

We have started planning for our annual BBQ this summer (date and time to be announced), as well as our co-sponsorship with Sisterhood for our annual Bingo Evening this coming Fall.

Brotherhood also extends its condolence to Temple members who have recently lost loved ones.

We will be sponsoring a membership breakfast later in the Spring. Your attendance and participation is encouraged.

Please accept our best wishes for a Chag Pesach Sameach.

Bob Zuckerberg & Alan Siegel

Happy April and Happy Passover! Our school’s got a lot going on at the moment!

The month kicks off with a busy Sunday, April 6^th at school. Our School Model Passover Seder takes place at 11:00am. From 10:00am-12:00pm (before and after the seder)

we are hosting a book signing with author Alanna Hutt, who is mom to 2 new students this year. Alanna wrote a children’s book titled Miggy's Playground and this book is beautifully illustrated with messages about self love and acceptance. School will have books for sale and Alanna will be signing books! Books are $25 and a portion of each book purchased will be donated back to our school! See the attached flyer.

Following our Tzedakah collections for Elliot Rachman's Bar Mitzvah project, Songs of Love and Jonathan DeVito's Bar Mitzvah project, for Homeless Veterans, we are getting ready to collect tzedakah for Adina Sussman’s Bat Mitzvah project, which is helping to fund a special needs baseball field at Snug Harbor Little League.

On Saturday, April 5^th we are looking forward to enjoying a Saturday morning Shabbat service as our April Family Service. All students are encouraged and welcome to attend and a Bagel Breakfast is provided by the Ritual Committee prior to the 10:30am service. Please note that this Saturday morning service is in lieu of our Friday night Family service this month. (Please RSVP to JSiegel23@aol.com if you are planning to be there early for bagels!)

See you at Temple!

Felicia Otto

Religious School Committee Co-Chair

We are sorry if your name was inadvertently omitted. Please contact the Temple Office to update your membership information.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SPONSORING AN ONEG, PLEASE COMPLETE THE FLYER BELOW AT LEAST ONE MONTH IN ADVANCE OF THE DATE YOU ARE REQUESTING.

SUBMIT YOUR COMPLETED FORM TO SISTERHOOD VIA THE SISTERHOOD MAILBOX, OR GIVE IT DIRECTLY TO

SISTERHOOD CO-PRESIDENT SHARIANN GANZ.

YOU WILL THEN BE CONTACTED BY A SISTERHOOD REPRESENTATIVE WHO WILL HAPPILY ASSIST YOU WITH ALL THE ARRANGEMENTS & DETAILS.

The Membership Committee met on February 28^th, 2025, via Zoom.

 A joint event with Hillel and Temple Israel had been changed to Monday, March 31st at Temple Israel. The focus was to bring young professionals within the age ranges of 21-36 to our Temple. Due to the timing of this month’s Board report submission, an update regarding the event will be done in next month’s Board Report.

The Buddy program held on Sunday, March 7th at 5:30 prior to the Shabbat family service was very successful with an increase in children and Temple Congregation volunteers attending each time. We are working on a date for the next Buddy Program.



Sarah has been working closely with the Website consultant to continue proceeding forward.

The Annual Kavod reception has been scheduled for Friday, April 4^th at 5:30. Invitations have been mailed. A subcommittee is working on finalizing the evening’s program.

Respectfully submitted,

Sandy Mazzucco

Membership Committee

Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. For those who want to help, we encourage you to view the resources and donation page from the Jewish Federation Los Angeles.

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.

***********************************************************

Welcome to April 

We had to change two of our plans for this coming month.

So..we want to let you know of other events! Bryn is being honored at the Staten Island Advance on May 15th, and we are SO proud!! And June 1 is our Temple Gala. We hope you consider coming to it all.

We continue to look forward to seeing you all at the children’s services on the first of every month. We hope you all attend with your lovely children! On Saturday, April 5th, we are having a wonderful Saturday morning service for all the children. And there will be a wonderful bagel Breakfast at 9:30 before the 10:30 service. If you are planning to join us early for the breakfast, please RSVP to JSiegel23@aol.com.

As we have said before, it is important that you all think of joining one of our committees at our temple. We are all volunteers! If you have any thoughts of what you would like to do for our temple, or ideas about things our families and children could experience, reach out to us any time!

We are also very hopeful that other families join our temple. If you know any families who might be interested, please talk with them and let us know!

Sincerely,

Bryn Biren and Terry Baver

MsBunny7@aol.com

terryqbaver@gmail.com

The story of the Dr. Ronald Avis Foundation for Temple Israel

Dr. Avis originally provided our wonderful Foundation to cover a portion of the membership cost for the first 6 years for young families with young children. Our congregation had been diminishing and he was looking for a way to help us all begin to grow. After meeting with Bryn and Terry a few times, more money was added so the families would also have the opportunities to experience programs for their children. Many wonderful events have been set up for the young families including museum visits, Chanukah cookie designs, a Challah class, a program at the Staten Island Holocaust Center, and many other experiences. The foundation has also helped cover the cost of the religious school teachers.

But then!!!! Covid happened!!!!!!

So the decision was made to use a portion of the foundation money to help all the temple members. The Avis Foundation began to create the zoom classes for the adults in our congregation. These classes are continuing and the foundation covers the costs of them all. The Avis Foundation also covered the cost of the 75th anniversary event. And the foundation is now working with Judy Pessah and the Adult Education Committee to help cover the cost of all the events and classes for the adults in the congregation. 

So: Our entire congregation has benefitted from the generosity of the Foundation. Thank you RON!!!!

Many thanks to Lyssa Harvey and Rachel Barnett, authors of “ Kugels and Collards” for their intriguing presentation — SOUTHERN COOKING AND TRADITIONS.

In March we also were fascinated by Gabriella Rubin’s program, “Elemental”, A Virtual Poetry Workshop.

Thanks to the Avis Foundation for these exciting presentations.

Looking Ahead

Mark Meyer will be conducting four ART TALKS during the month of April, on Zoom, thanks to the AVIS FOUNDATION. 

The dates are Tuesdays April 1,8,22,29, at 7:30 PM.

Topics to be covered are Sculpture in Art, Architecture as Art, What to look for in a painting, How do your tools effect your paintings? It is going to be an exciting month!

RSVP to Bryn Biren, msbunny7@aol.com

On Wednesday, April 9, (revised date) at 7:30, on Zoom, BOOK DISCUSSION—“The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. This is the story about Black and Jewish residents in a neighborhood called Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pa. in the 1920’s and 1930”s. Check out, online, James McBride’s background. It will enlighten your reading!

Please RSVP to Judy Lee, aninformedsource@aol.com, so we can send you the Zoom information.

On Tuesday, May 6, 7:30-8:30, our new member, Michael Smook, will help us learn about—

‘RAOUL WALLENBERG-RIGHTEOUS GENTILE”, and his life saving accomplishments during World War II.

More information on Michael’s interesting approach to this topic will follow.

We are working on Adult Learning plans. We would appreciate it if you thought along with us. Please tell us what you are eager to learn about, suggest what you yourself may be able to teach us, and let us know of people who can present learning programs to us.

We would love to have you help us make arrangements for our programs. Please tell the “Judys”and Bryn and Terry, if you would ‘love” to join

If you wish to learn about Judaism and be entertained, on your own, click on https://www.you tube.com/@FriedaVizelBrooklyn, for some interesting presentations. (Thanks to Fern Barris for the information.)

Judith Pessah & Judy Lee

Adult Learning Committee Chairperson

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 
• The Jeffrey Ganz Building Preservation Fund 
• Caring Community Fund 
• Carole Lachman Memorial Fund
• Choir Fund 
• Confirmation Fund 
• Estelle A. Gootenberg Memorial Fund (for Torah Repair/ Restoration) 
• Gerald J. Lustig Memorial Fund (for Ark & Ark Doors) 
• Liheyot Fund 
• Membership Fund 
• Maurice Schlefstein Fund for Minor Repairs and
• 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...