non-profit org. U.S. postage paid permit #2134 New Haven, CT
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
Published by The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven
Winter 2016 • Tevet/Shevet 5776
New Haven Community Still Shocked, Saddened by Ezra Schwartz’s death
New CEO Looks Forward to Joining Our Jewish Family
It’s not every day that you can look forward to fulfilling your life’s dream, but that is just what I’m about to do when I join you as the chief executive officer of the Jewish Federation & JCC of Greater New Haven. My name is Judy Diamondstein and I will be moving to New Haven from Allentown, Pennsylvania, where I have lived for the past 23 years, raising two children, Noah (22) and Molly (20), with my husband Marc.
“E
Campers cling to Ezra Schwartz who was a beloved camp counselor at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire.
veryone in New Haven is bleeding right now,” said Betty Levy, a family friend, expressing how the New Haven Jewish community is still shocked and saddened over the death of 18-year-old Ezra Schwartz, who was one of three people murdered by a Palestinian gunman on Nov. 19 in Israel. Schwartz, who was spending his gap year at a yeshiva during his year abroad in Israel, has become a very real, personal symbol for so many all around the world of the escalating number of human lives lost in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The night Schwartz was killed in the West Bank town of Gush Etzion, he was with friends on his way to deliver food and candy to Israeli soldiers. Schwartz lived in Sharon, Massachusetts,
but his grandparents, Dr. Mark Schwartz, and his wife, Heni Schwartz, live in New Haven, and Ezra would visit often. Dr. and Mrs. Schwartz are active in the Westville Synagogue, where Mark is the synagogue’s president. Levy is a close friend of the Schwartzes and helped bring Ezra’s father, Ari, to school in the carpool when he was growing up. “They are a remarkably good family,” she said. “Both Mark and Heni have really given to the community in every way. Mark was a doctor and is so kind and conscientious. Heni is a social worker and is just such an amazing person. That this would happen to their grandson is just unbearable.” Dr. Arthur Levy, Betty’s husband, said his dear friends “Mark and Heni have shown tremendous grace and courage throughout such a tragic event.” While
he admitted they didn’t know Ezra very well, the Levys certainly met him at many shared family celebrations. Dr. Levy said the Schwartz family is just devastated with Ezra’s death. “It’s just so unbelievable,” he said.
Every thoughtful note, every consoling visit from near and far, sometimes very far, every bus full of students, every one
of Ezra's friends who shared a sweet or funny story about him, every tree planted in Israel, every commitment to memorialize Ezra through good deeds or learning, everyone who brought food or who helped or who donated in Ezra's memory, every person who took time from their busy lives, sometimes very
busy lives, to offer us condolences, every caring thought and gesture, all of it was meaningful to us and gave us comfort and strength when we needed it most. We can never sufficiently thank all of you, but please know that we appreciated all of it and that you are in our thoughts as we are in yours. CONTINUED ON PG. 2
SHALOM NEW HAVEN INDEX Pg. 3..................... Messages from JFGNH President & CEO Pg. 10-12...... Synagogue News Pg. 4 & 6 ............. Organization News
Mishkan Israel to Host MLK Interfaith Service
Reis said she hopes the family has found solace in the love and support of friends and family clustering around them, but she admitted, “Nothing can make it good. You feel so helpless. You can’t make it undone. All I could do was tell them how sorry I am and how sad I was for them.” CONTINUED ON PG. 2
For recent news about Israel, please check our website: jewishnewhaven.org
Pg. 5..................... Jewish Foundation News
CONTINUED ON PG. 2
Pam Reis, of Branford, is also a friend of Mark and Heni Schwartz. Reis said she also didn’t know Ezra well, but she is certain she had met him at the many simchas the families shared. “Ezra was their first boy grandchild,” she said. “He was loved so much by everyone. It’s just shattering what happened.”
Ezra’s Parents Establish Memorial Fund in His Memory We are deeply grateful for all of the love and support we have received from so many people and organizations, locally and globally.
Involvement in the Jewish community has always been a given for me, as I grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the daughter of parents who were steeped in Jewish life as professionals and volunteers.
Pg. 15............ Community Calendar
Congregation Mishkan Israel’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Service will be held on Friday evening, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker is David Goodman, president of the Andrew Goodman Foundation named in honor of David’s older brother, slain civil rights worker, Andrew Goodman. The Andrew Goodman Foundation was created in 1966 by his parents, Robert and Carolyn Goodman, as a way to carry on the spirit and purpose of their son’s life. The group works to advance civic action and engagement, social change through citizen empowerment, democratic participation and innovative government interventions. CONTINUED ON PG. 10
page 2
Community Mourns Loss of Ezra Schwartz FROM PAGE 1 Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven CEO and close family friend, Sydney Perry, said, her voice breaking with emotion, that there are just no words to describe her sadness. “Ezra was a great kid,” Perry said. “His grandparents are remarkable people. He comes from good stock.” “He was a young man with such promise,” Perry wrote on her Facebook page when she first learned of Ezra’s death. “I pray that his parents, Ari and Ruth, his four siblings, aunts and uncles and Mark and Heni will be comforted by the embrace of their communities and consoled with the certain knowledge that his memory will forever be a blessing.” Hundreds of people gathered at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv to attend a memorial ceremony to pay tribute to Ezra in Israel before his uncle and two cousins accompanied his body back home to Massachusetts. More than 1,800 mourners, including Perry and the Levys, gathered for Ezra’s funeral, which was held at Temple Sinai in Sharon, Massachusetts. The two-hour funeral was broadcast on loudspeakers outside the temple and was even carried on a live podcast on the internet. Perry said it was worth noting that the Schwartz family didn’t know a large number of people who came to shiva, but they all wanted to console the family and show their support for the young man whose Facebook photos show a caring, joyful person who loved his family, his friends and his faith. Betty Levy said many people from New Haven attended Ezra’s funeral, but she said it was even more compelling and telling to see so many people from Sharon, many of them not Jews, come to stand in the street as the hearse made its way to Sharon Memorial Park after the funeral. “That they came to stand as a sign of respect is indicative of the feeling for this family,” she said.
Kraft also attended the funeral. Kraft even decided to honor Schwartz, who was an avid Patriots fan, by having a moment of silence in his memory during the Patriots first game against the Buffalo Bills after the funeral. This momentous decision was the first large scale, and very public, acknowledgement of the fact that an American citizen was killed in the terror attacks on Israel. President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, (D-3) and U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal all called to offer their condolences to the Schwartz family while they were sitting shiva. “Ezra’s life was a blessing for so many,” Perry said. “Being present at the funeral was both the most wrenching, heartbreaking experience but also a full expression of the importance of a close, loving family, of friendship and community, commitment to study and prayer, and devotion to Israel. Described by many speakers as having died “kiddush haShem,” I think it worth to note that he lived his life the same way…holy.” Westville Synagogue Rabbi Fred Hyman said Ezra, who had told his mother how excited he was to go to Israel to learn more about his faith, has “become a symbol of the young Orthodox students studying in Israel in a post-high school program to enhance their Jewish education and connection to Israel.” “Many of our own children have done, are doing, and will do, just that,” Hyman said. “His tragic death has become personal for this generation of young Jews. Studying in Israel for a year should be ‘idyllic.’ No worries, learning what you want, enjoying, experiencing, the exuberance of life... This event has pierced the heart with the reality of evil and the potential of tragic outcomes. I am impressed and inspired by the young people of our community who are coping with the tragedy and re-committing themselves to study in Israel and place their destiny with the Jewish state.”
“The funeral was incredible,” Dr. Levy admitted. “I’ve never seen such an outpouring of support in all of my 74 years.”
Dr. Levy echoed Rabbi Hyman’s sentiments by adding that even though Ezra’s death has been devastating to so many, Ezra still did the right thing by going to Israel to study. Levy said that people should continue to show their support by going to Israel.
Perry said friends of Ezra’s from his school and the camp he worked at as well as five interfaith ministers and New England Patriots football owner Robert
Ezra’s death is a terrible, terrible tragedy, but Levy said, “If there is anything positive from all of this, it is that it is bringing the community together.”
Ezra Schwartz Memorial Fund
memo portion of your check or in the online form that the contribution is for the Ezra Schwartz Memorial Fund. The Jewish Communal Fund is a 501(c)(3) charity, and all donations are tax deductible. If you need additional assistance with making donations to the Fund or if you have any questions, you may visit https://www.jcfny.org/choosing-jewishcommunal-fund/ways-to-contribute/ or call (212)752-8277 for assistance. In addition, we continue to encourage gifts to the four institutions that we originally identified and that helped to form Ezra into the beautiful young man that he was. They are: The Striar Hebrew Academy of Sharon, Massachusetts, the Maimonides School in Brookline, Massachusetts, Yeshivat Ashreinu in Bet Shemesh, Israel, and Camp Yavneh in Northwood, New Hampshire.
FROM PAGE 1 In response to various requests, we have decided to establish a memorial fund at the Jewish Communal Fund that we can use to aggregate some of the various donations being made in Ezra’s memory. We will recommend that any donated funds be granted to a charitable project that will serve as a fitting legacy to Ezra’s life and pursuits, and we have begun the process of identifying what that charity or project will be. For those wishing to donate to the Ezra Schwartz Memorial Fund, you may donate online via credit card at https://secure.jewishcommunalfund. org/ or by sending a check to the Jewish Communal Fund, 575 Madison Ave., Suite 703, New York, NY 10022, and either way, be sure to indicate in the
Looking forward to peaceful times and sharing happy occasions. Gratefully, Ari and Ruth Schwartz
snh
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven President: Stephanie Wain | Chief Executive Officer: Sydney A. Perry Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven 360 Amity Rd., Woodbridge, CT, 06525 (203) 387-2424 - fax: (203) 387-1818 jfgnh@jewishnewhaven.org / jewishnewhaven.org Editor: Jeannette Brodeur Design and Production: Christina Cagliotti-Diglio Shalom New Haven is delivered free of charge to every home on the Jewish Federation’s mailing list. To add your name to the mailing list, please call (203) 387-2424 x307 or e-mail shalomnh@jewishnewhaven.org. SNH reserves the right to decline advertising that conflicts with the mission of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven or does not meet our design standards. Publication of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of kashrut. For advertising information, phone (203) 387-2522 x216 or e-mail shalomnh@jewishnewhaven.org. Copy deadlines for the upcoming Shalom New Haven issues are: • Feb. 1 for the March/April issue • March 28 for the May/June/July/Aug. issue • July 25 for the Sept./Oct. issue • Sept. 26 for the Nov./Dec. issue. Space is limited and is allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Submission does not guarantee publication. All articles are subject to approval by editorial committee. Shalom New Haven is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Please recycle.
FOOD4KIDS Looking for Volunteers
FOOD4KIDS is looking for volunteers as the program is ready to adopt a third school in the New Haven area. The program, which is in its third year, helps provide nutritionally friendly food for kids on the weekends since hunger doesn’t take a break on a weekend. Siblings are also included in the food bags that are assembled. More than 50 students at the East Rock Community Magnet School are receiving supplementary food bags to sustain them through the weekend thanks to the collaborated efforts of Jewish Family Service and Women’s
Philanthropy of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. Volunteers are needed to assist every Thursday to pack and deliver to schools. The program, which currently has about 30 volunteers, takes a minimal amount of time and can be done once a week or even less. In Connecticut, nearly one child in five is hungry or food insecure and does not get enough food outside of the free meal programs provided by the public schools.
Judy Diamondstein
In each of them, I saw a reflection of my belief in the strength of community through engagement, openness, collaboration, service and menschlikite.
FROM PAGE 1 My dad was the JCC executive director before becoming the Jewish Federation executive and my mom was a JCC preschool teacher, Hebrew school teacher and community volunteer— ultimately becoming the president of the Jewish Federation’s Women’s Division. Both my sister and I went into the family business after college. My sister Elise worked many years as the director of JCC’s Camp By the Sea in Margate, New Jersey, and I began my early career in Marblehead, Massachusetts, as the children and youth director before moving to Allentown and embarking on a career path that culminated in my most recent position as assistant executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley. From the moment I stepped foot inside the Jewish Community Center in New Haven and received a warm greeting from the receptionist and then met with the search committee members, I knew I had found my new home.
Do a mitzvah and contact Enid Groves at: egroves@jewishnewhaven.org.
In the synagogue, in which I grew up, the rabbi defined the congregation as a family of families. I believe that is also a wonderful way to describe the broader Jewish community, and I am looking forward to joining my family with yours. The Greater New Haven Jewish community has a proud tradition with dedicated professionals and volunteers. It will be an honor to work on your behalf and with you to move the community from strength to strength. I understand that I will be following in the footsteps of a great community leader, Sydney Perry, and that those will be big shoes to fill. I also know that my learning curve will be steep and that I will be relying on the community to be my guide and teacher. Please know that I am not only open to your input, I welcome it. This is a time for new beginnings founded not only in a deep respect for the past, but with great zest for the future.
page 3
President Explains Federation’s Mission
Message from
Stephanie Wain Federation President
What does the Federation do?” “Why does the Federation still exist?” “Why does the Federation always ask for money?”
for Jewish organizations in general. We now need to make ourselves relevant to these new sensibilities.
Since I have become president, I am often asked these questions. And I am not alone. As I witnessed at the JFNA General Assembly last fall, all Jewish Federations are struggling with their changing identity in their communities.
Our role needs to expand to focus on our unique position in the Jewish community. Where can we add value for the benefit of the larger Jewish community? How do we reach the younger generation of Jews? How do we provide a value added service to get more involvement? What infrastructure needs can we assist with that help the community attain larger goals? How can we help organizations better focus their resources on their core missions?
A century ago, federations were established to accomplish two things: 1) to make it easy for major community donors to support the Jewish community and 2) to ensure that the community’s needs were met such as Jewish education, family services and recreation facilities. Now don’t get me wrong, this is still our mission. There are 157 Jewish Federations and over 300 network communities in the U.S. which raise and distribute more than $3 billion annually. It is one of the top ten nonprofit umbrella organizations in the country. The Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven raises $2.6 million dollars to support our agencies, programs and Jews throughout the world. But times have changed. The Pew Study crystallized a growing problem in this country. More Jews are becoming disenfranchised and question the need
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
With these essential responsibilities, we evolved and expanded our position in the New Haven community. We became leaders in the development of partnerships with community organizations that did not exist before, like KESHER and the Neighbor-to Neighbor Program, a collaboration of the Jewish Federation and United Way, which provides food and support to those in need. We developed Food4Kids with the local schools to provide food on weekends for students. The Jewish Literacy Coalition is in seven public schools in New Haven. We have brought the prestigious Wexner Fellowship program here where five young and promising community leaders
study alongside their cohorts in Hartford, Springfield and Longmeadow. We have also taken on the role of creating programs that have NOT existed in our community before. This year alone we hosted top level speakers such as Ambassador Dennis Ross, Professor Daniel Goldhagen, Jerusalem Post chief political analyst Herb Keinon and Ken Marcus, head of the Louis Brandeis Institute, who spoke about new antiSemitism on college campuses during a stunning event chaired by Linda Cederbaum. Nancy Spielberg, Stephen Spielberg’s sister, also presented her movie “Above and Beyond.” So what are we also accomplishing here? We are creating community-wide events to remind everyone that we are one large community. It was easy decades ago, when everyone lived in New Haven, but not so easy now. And for the Jewish people’s future existence, community is everything. So you see, to use a medical metaphor, the Jewish Federation is the connective tissue of the entire community. No one else provides this service, which makes us unique and vital. Think about our bodies and how dependent they are on connective tissue to do just about everything. Yet most of the time, we take
them for granted. And just so, we are taken for granted. Providing synergies, allocating supportive funding, creating value added programming, and pulling the community together is not always very tangible and this is why it can be hard to explain. This is why people are not aware of what we do and this is why it is hard at times to raise money. But we can’t let that happen. You have to do your part and talk about our work to every one of your friends. In a nutshell I would answer the question “What does the Federation do?” by saying, “WE ARE EVERYWHERE EVERY DAY!” Ask them to join you at an event or make a DONATION to support the campaign to support our work! There is no question that our annual fund is the beating heart to our organization. Without the necessary funds, we cannot conduct our mission. So I challenge each and every one of you to think about what it is you want from your Federation. We are evolving, changing and moving in an exciting direction. And we need people like you to share your hopes, your dreams and your desires, so that we can fulfill our mission of being the connective tissue in the Jewish community, enhancing and enabling it to grow strong and flourish.
STAY IN THE
KNOW!
Text follow jccnhalerts to 40404 for JCC facility updates, cancellations and closings.
Message from
Sydney Perry Chief Executive Officer My Dear Friends: As we begin the new secular year, it is natural to look backward at the past and look forward to the future just like the depictions of the two faces of Janus, the Roman god of new beginnings and transitions. I am delighted that on Jan. 4, Judy Diamondstein will join us in New Haven as the new CEO of our community. We all look forward to Judy’s arrival and to welcoming her. In June 2014, at the annual meeting of the Federation, I announced my intention to retire in June, 2016. After serving almost 30 years at the Federation, “yomam v’laila,”day and often deep into the night, I maintain the same passion and sense of commitment as the first time I walked into my office on Whalley Avenue in July 1988. Confucius has suggested that if you “choose a job you love, you will never have to work a day in your life.” Over the course of my tenure at the Federation - first as Principal of MAKOM, the community Hebrew High School, then as the Director of the Department of Jewish Education, later the Executive Director of
Perry Reflects on Her Service, Looks Forward to New Beginnings
the Federation and, now, as the CEO of the merged Federation and JCC, I have been very fortunate that my personal, professional, intellectual and spiritual lives have been fully integrated into a perfect harmony. I did not actually “choose” to move from Jewish education into the position of head of our community, but it has been my great privilege to represent our children, our elderly, our agencies, our synagogues, and the Jews of Greater New Haven from Milford to Madison, from Cheshire to Chester, and all points in between. This is the community where I was born, the community where I raised my six children, the community I believe in, sometimes more than it believes in itself, the community I love. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity I have had to meet, to teach, and to learn from so many of you. As Steve Jobs once said: “We don’t get a chance to be that many things, and every one should be excellent, because this is our life...it better be worth it.” And the Jewish people, Jewish ethics and values, and our community are profoundly
worthwhile and deserve excellence. Your volunteerism, generosity and dedication allows us the rare prospect with our new leader to vision, to shape and to implement a stronger, better, more inclusive synergy. We can take enormous pride in our past accomplishments and now put renewed creativity, energy and commitment into planning and implementing for a revitalized Jewish New Haven. It has been a source of satisfaction and joy for me to have partnered with you, in some small way, in assisting the Federation to more fully realize itself as a caring community and garner the heartshare of our constituents. I know you will offer Judy the same support and collaboration. I have learned the truth of what Indian poet Rabindranth Tagore wrote: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy I woke and found that life was service I acted and behold - service was joy.” Now we must work together to welcome Judy Diamondstein to develop sites of true creativity, profound meaning and vibrant
connectivity. We are poised for success; we have strong rabbinic leadership and the best group of executive directors at our agencies that I have ever seen. The Federation system can remain a potent force in Jewish life because we help Jews come together and create a big impact for innovation. Our tradition’s sense of responsibility for one another and for repairing the world is as old as our history and as bright as what lies before us. There is a sacred past and the fulfillment of glorious promise ahead under Judy’s leadership. I thank you all for your friendship, advice, support and dedication to our joint endeavor. I have treasured every single day and endeavored to serve our community with all my heart, with all my soul and all my might. I am deeply grateful to our lay leaders and to the staff of the Federation, Foundation and JCC, who are daily engaged in the holy work of strengthening Jewish life. May Judy find in you the joy and promise I have known and will keep with me forever. B’shalom.
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
page 4
After Passing Citizenship Exam, Russian Couple is Ready to Start Their New Lives as American Citizens pathologist, whereas Oleg received medical training and became a physician. They dedicated their lives to raising their two sons, Timur and Felix, and to giving them excellent educations. Eventually, Timur and Felix became biomedical scientists and moved to the U.S. to pursue their careers. It was only reasonable for Guzal and Oleg to follow their sons to the United States, but settling in was not an easy process because neither Guzal nor Oleg spoke any English. Slowly, but surely, they have been learning English, acquiring the new culture and getting familiar with the new lifestyle.
Naturalization ceremony with U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson, Oleg and Guzal Yarovinskiy.
If you immigrate to the United States, you have to learn English, not only because it will help you function, but also because you want to feel at home in America and eventually become a U.S. citizen. The test to become a U. S. citizen is no picnic, especially for seniors. The citizenship exam includes 100 questions on U.S. history and government, the rights of citizens and geography. The applicants must also pass an English writing test.
Congratulations to Guzal and Oleg Yarovinskiy, who became U.S. naturalized citizens after taking the Oath of Allegiance at the U.S. Naturalization ceremony in Hartford on Nov. 5. The Yarovinskiys came to the U.S. from Russia in March of 2009 as U.S. legal permanent residents to reunite with their sons and to live closer to their grandchildren. Guzal trained and worked as a speech
They took part-time jobs as caregivers for seniors and made new friends. Importantly, they now have become closer geographically and emotionally to their granddaughters and can treat them with traditional, homemade pies, pick them up from school, and take them to afterschool activities. Many different people and organizations have helped Guzal and Oleg achieve their goals and make their dreams come true. Yelena Gerovich, the coordinator of the New American Acculturation Program, helped them to learn about the programs for seniors at the JCC of Greater New Haven, provided Guzal and Oleg with
practice tests and other materials to help prepare for the U.S. Civics and English proficiency test, and encouraged them to apply for U.S. citizenship as soon as they became eligible. Alexandra Saltzburg, the property manager at Fountain Heights by B’nai B’rith, where Guzal and Oleg live, found a volunteer to help them learn English and prepare for the test. Viola (Candi) Mendes–Jennette, their neighbor, spent countless hours coaching Guzal for the test and helping her with conversational English. The community support and the hard work paid off. Guzal and Oleg successfully passed the naturalization test and they are ready to start their new lives as United States citizens. The citizenship examination was an important benchmark in their lives, and it gives our community great pleasure to be a part of their success in becoming new Americans. Congratulations! For more information about the New American Acculturation Program, including sponsorships of specific programs, and the Citizenship Class 2016 (in Russian) schedule, please contact Yelena Gerovich at (203) 3872424, X 321, or email ygerovich@ jewishnewhaven.org.
JCRC Programs Actively B’nai Mitzvahs Can Partner with JCL for Tzedakah Project Committed to Repairing the World
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater New Haven (JCRC) has had an active fall to further promote our mission of a fair and just society through Jewish values and ideals including the commitment to tikkun olam (the repair of the world). Following on the leadership of CEO Sydney Perry’s Shalom New Haven cover article last month entitled “How Should We Respond to the Syrian Refugee Crisis?” the JCRC is coordinating an effort by several area synagogues to co-sponsor refugees in partnership with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS). We are excited by this opportunity to bring the Jewish community together in a collective effort and to make a substantial difference in the lives of refugees.
The Jewish Coalition for Literacy (JCL), which is a project of the JCRC, continues to do an outstanding job with approximately 180 volunteers who promote literacy in area schools. This initiative has recently been the recipient of a 2015 TAPS Award from the New Haven Public Schools and also previously received the 2007 Superintendent’s Award. At the recent national Jewish Council for Public Affairs annual meeting, our JCRC was successful in adding an amendment to strengthen a resolution pertaining to anti-Semitism. We had previously
authored a resolution on “immigration” which was accepted and stands as the national JCRC’s policy on this issue. We also have been active in advocating for environmental stewardship. Rabbi Josh Ratner, JCRC’s director, spoke at a statewide interfaith summit on climate change and continues to work with faith-based environmental activists to strengthen Connecticut’s environmental and sustainability agenda.We have begun planning for an initiative called the “Community Impact Partnership” (CIP). This is an effort to train individuals to do advocacy on behalf of Israel and to be proficient in effective strategies for combating BDS (Palestinian civil society’s campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights). We are looking for community members to join us in this effort.
In addition, we are currently planning for our annual legislative breakfast, which will take place in the early spring. We also continue to do outreach with organizations and entities in the greater New Haven area. Please feel free to reach out to Rabbi Josh Ratner at jratner@jewishnewhaven.org if you have any questions or comments or would like to be involved in any of the exciting work of the JCRC.
From L to R: Maddy Tannenbaum, JCL-Davis team leader and steering committee member; Ellie Rockoff, reading partner, Cheshire Public Schools; Donna Hersh, JCL - Davis team leader, steering committee chair, endowment chair and Rebecca Rockoff, Ellie’s mom.
Ellie Rockoff, preparing for her bat mitzvah at Cheshire’s Temple Beth David, chose a meaningful option for her tzedakah project, demonstrating her allegiance to tikkun olam and community service. Ellie chose to work with her Cheshire synagogue’s kindergarten and prekindergarten classes to collect books for children at the Davis Street School in New Haven as part of the Jewish Coalition for Literacy, an award-winning organization of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven which pairs JCL volunteer reading partners with children in the public elementary schools, one to one, weekly, for an hour a week, fostering literacy and enjoyment of conversation.Under the auspices of Maddy Tannenbaum, Jewish Coalition for Literacy -Davis Team Leader, Ellie met with children weekly, sharing the pleasures of reading, conversation and introducing a Thanksgiving project, involving cutting and pasting. Tannenbaum has supported Ellie through
an enterprise that is a true mitzvah. When the project is completed, Ellie will receive a certificate from JCL, and an arrangement her to be present when the books are handed out to the school administration or to the young children directly. Another way b’nai mitzvahs can work on their tzedakah project through the JCL is by asking for donations of books from guests to their celebration, from schoolmates, or from neighbors or friends or donations for the public school students to support JCL’s meaningful project. B’nai mitzvahs, who enjoy reading, will find JCL’s proposal very appealing. So many children do not have books of their own and the public schools would appreciate additional gently used or new books. Please contact Brenda Brenner, JCL Coordinator, for more details at: bbrenner@jewishnewhaven.org or (203)387-2424, X 308
page 5
Community Grants Initiative Addresses Urgent Area Needs
Tower One / Tower East Hosting Intergenerational Storytelling Program
One of the most exciting—and effective— recent collaborations between the Jewish Foundation, Jewish Federation and our local synagogues and agencies is the one million Community Grants Initiative. This was conceived in response to the 2013 economic downturn as well as the need to enable local Jewish organizations to pursue vital programs, shore up aging physical structures, and help our community better address its most urgent needs. One such grantee was Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek, a reform synagogue in Chester, which used grant funds to improve outreach efforts among its more isolated members.
“If you want a happier family, create, refine and retell the story of your family’s positive moments and your ability to bounce back from difficult ones. This act alone may increase the odds that your family will thrive for generations to come.” Bruce Feiler, “The Stories that Bind Us”
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
The New York Times Join scholar, educator and social activist Dr. Lauren Kempton and award-winning author and storyteller Robin Moore for “Roots and Wings: Exploring the Power of Intergenerational Stories,” an eye-opening look at the power of intergenerational stories on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at Tower One/Tower East. According to Dr. Marshall Duke, a colorful psychologist at Emory University, the single most important thing you can do for your family may be the simplest: developing a strong family narrative. Duke’s research shows that family stories allow us to develop what he calls the “intergenerational self,” giving us a sense of belonging to the larger world of family, tradition and culture. He says that this perspective is the best single predictor of children’s emotional health and happiness. In this fun-filled, interactive workshop, we learn how to create a strong and unifying family narrative from family history and memories. Parents, grandparents, children and anyone who loves a good story are invited to this program, which will allow us all to emerge with a family narrative, which will give us both roots and wings. Presenters are faculty of program sponsors, The Graduate Institute, academically accredited Holistic MA and Certificate programs in Bethany.
Working with Jewish Family Service and the congregation’s Chesed leadership, Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek hired a community caring coordinator—who makes home and hospital visits, drives people to temple events, connects with members enduring cancer treatments, unemployment, or other socially isolating events—and so much more. For Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg, the positive impact of having a caring coordinator on staff was felt immediately. “Not only are members getting the care they need, but our volunteers are galvanized to do more,” she says. “It puts caring at the very center of our community.”
A caring focus is what led Dr. Jonathan Garfinkle, director of Jewish Family Service, to seek community grant funds for his organization’s New Haven food pantry on Whalley Avenue. Strengthened by a $100,000 matching grant from the Jewish Foundation, Dr. Garfinkle helped transform this longtime emergency food assistance program into a comprehensive nutritional health center. “Because of this grant, our capacity to provide meaningful services to our most disadvantaged clients dramatically increased,” says Dr. Garfinkle. “We’re open longer and we’ve added staffing, and we now offer a wide range of important classes like nutrition, cooking, health, stress management and financial counseling.” Serving 450 families of all ages and demographics—90 percent of whom live below the poverty line—Dr. Garfinkle is thrilled with the positive community impact the expanded nutritional center provides. “We’re not just filling bellies; we’re teaching families how to feed themselves nutritionally and emotionally in ways that are healthy and sustainable long-term.” Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen, leader of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel in New Haven, also understands the importance of community education and growth. His diverse, urban congregation of 280 families—founded in 1892 and housed in their present facility since 1959—hosts twice-daily services, robust education programs, and an award-winning youth group for junior and senior high school students. That’s why, when community grants
became available through the Jewish Foundation to replace the synagogue’s aging windows, Rabbi Tilsen didn’t hesitate to move forward. “There’s only so much caulking you can do,” Rabbi Tilsen said of the windows, which were original to the structure, leaky, and grossly inefficient. “The benefit was immediate and long-term.” In addition to required reporting, all grantees were required to raise matching funds in order to receive grant payments. Grantees included: Congregation BEKI for new windows; Temple Beth Sholom for a partial roof replacement; Congregation Mishkan Israel for their parking lot; Ezra Academy and Congregation B’nai Jacob for a new roof; Jewish Family Service for an expansion of their food pantry including social services for participants; Temple Emanuel to create a new synagogue campus; Westville synagogue for replacement of their A/C system; Southern CT Hebrew Academy for a new parking lot; Beth Israel, Wallingford, for a new garden and restoration of their entry window; Camp Laurelwood for winterization of their recreation hall; Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek for a community care coordinator; Congregation Or Shalom for capital improvements. In addition, grant awards included the Towers Foundation for their fall prevention program; Orchard Street Shul for an elevator; Temple Beth David for restoration of their sanctuary; Jewish Historical Society for a museum in the streets; Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont to expand their kosher kitchen; and Temple Beth Tikvah for their driveway and parking lot.
Shanbroms’ Donation Ensures Lasting Legacy for Community For the late Arnold and Arlene Shanbrom, synagogue was synonymous with family life. It was a heartbeat timed to life’s most precious rhythms—the place to mark births and bar mitzvahs, to celebrate marriages, to mourn the departed.
their passing, Arnold and Arlene have ensured that projects and programs vital to Jewish life in New Haven perpetuate for years to come.
Longtime members of Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge themselves, the couple passed away within days of each other in July, 2015. They had been married 68 years, not only raising three children and enjoying the love of their grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, and extended family—but through their generosity and steadfast commitment to giving, also ensuring the continuance of a robust Jewish New Haven. “They had a lifelong connection to the synagogue,” says Larry Shanbrom, Arnold and Arlene’s son. “They believed that synagogue was an important part of Jewish life and identity, one that keeps the faith together.” Through a generous donation of life insurance to the Jewish Foundation upon
“My parents never needed their giving publicized,” says Larry, “but they wanted to ensure that after they were gone, that they were part of the Jewish community’s long-term stability—and that their philosophy of giving back to the community would endure.” For Larry, his parents’ commitment to giving back not only ensures a lasting legacy for B’nai Jacob and Jewish New Haven, it also sets an important example
to Jewish families around the region— including his own. “I remember in my late twenties, my dad was asked to be on the board of the Jewish Community Center,” Larry explains. “He’d started to wind things down, and he suggested that I step in instead. So, I joined the JCC board—and my own commitment to our community began and was shared by many other family members in a variety of institutions. This involvement is consistent with the path my father created for us, which we’ve embraced from day one.” The Jewish Foundation is grateful for the generosity of the late and beloved Arnold and Arlene Shanbrom. For more information on how you can create your Jewish legacy, contact Lisa Stanger, Executive Director, Jewish Foundation, 203-387-2424, X 382, lstanger@jewishnewhaven.org or go to www.newhavenjewishfoundation.org or www.jewishlegacynewhaven.org.
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
page 6
Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services Receives Wessel 2015 Unsung Heroes Award By Bruce, David, Lois and Paul Wessel
known few Jews, let along foreign-born Jews.
lifelong advocate for those who came to America after she did.
Seventy-five years ago, a German Jewish teenager who had been sent to safety in England in 1939 on the Kindertransport arrived in New York where she was reunited with her parents. After a brief stay in New York, the three of them travelled by bus to Scattergood, Iowa, where the American Friends Service Committee had turned a school into a hostel for European refugees.
The father got a job auditing municipal books in small Illinois towns. The mother got a job in the college kitchen. And the teenage girl got a free college education there. Her brother interned in England – he was considered an enemy alien even though he was a Jewish refugee – eventually joined his family in the U.S.
We grew up hearing stories from her and from our grandparents about the painful end of their pleasant life in Germany and the beginning of their new, and eventually prosperous, life in the U.S. So we were particularly proud of our hometown when New Haven welcomed the Syrian refugee family who had been turned away from Indianapolis.
As the Nazi terror spread through Europe, the members of a Disciples of Christ Church in tiny Eureka, Ill, decided to go beyond reading newspaper headlines and praying and offered to adopt the family.
That teenager was our mother, Irmgard Rosenzweig Wessel, who died last year at the age of 88. After earning her master’s at Smith School of Social Work, she moved to New Haven in 1952, when she married our father, pediatrician Morris Wessel. For nearly 40 years, she practiced clinical social work in New Haven.
The teenager and her parents moved into a fully furnished apartment on the edge of the Eureka College campus and were welcomed into a community that had
With our dad, she raised the four of us here. Irm Wessel never forgot the fear and desperation of the refugee and the strains on the newcomer and was a
When our dad retired in 1993, his former patients established a donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven that has since become the Morris and Irmgard Wessel Fund. The fund recognizes an organization that is making life better for people in New Haven with its Unsung Heroes Award. Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services, which resettles about 200 refugees in our community every year,
is not exactly “unsung, but it is doing for a new generation of immigrants what others did for Irm Wessel 75 years ago. So the Wessel family is pleased to honor it with the 2015 Unsung Heroes Award. But we also want to celebrate the entire New Haven community – its elected leadership and its people – for welcoming this new generation of immigrants and offering them what others offered our mom so long ago. To us, this is truly the American way. David Wessel is director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington. Bruce Wessel is a partner in Irell & Manella in Los Angeles. Paul Wessel is executive director of the Green Parking Council in New Haven. Lois Wessel is a nurse practitioner in Takoma Park, Maryland, and an instructor at Georgetown University’s Department of Nursing.
Jewish Schools Drive Educational Revolution Rabbis’ Roundtable Explores 21st Century Roles The way Jon Mitzmacher, executive director of the Schechter Day School Network, sees it, Jewish schools aren’t only part of the Jewish educational revolution, they are leading it. As the former head of two day schools and the founder of another, he would know. “Jewish day schools are uniquely positioned to be at the forefront of the revolution of teaching and learning,” he said last month during a presentation he gave as part of a program sponsored by Ezra Academy and the JCC of Greater New Haven. There is a paradigm shift, he said, in the way learning and teaching is taking place – and that change has happened in a short period of time.
What does it mean to be a rabbi in the 21st century? The now-famous 2013 Pew Survey on Jewish Americans showed, among other things, that vastly fewer Jews are choosing to affiliate with traditional institutions like synagogues than ever before.
“Students can’t enter a school and feel like they are walking into a time machine,” he said. Students age eight and under are part
Should rabbis serve as gatekeepers to Jewish tradition? Do modern American Jews want their rabbis to be religious authorities? Or are rabbis modernday sherpas, escorting and aiding the personal journeys of other Jews but holding little moral sway? Should rabbis preach about political issues? What, if anything, should rabbis say about Israel? Please join us for this thought-provoking, insightful community conversation.
Still, Mitzmacher said, it is incumbent on educators to create a culture that embraces new ways of learning. “It is not about technology in and of itself,” he said. “Technology has the power to transform, but it won’t replace things that are timeless. Just because you put a smart board in a classroom does not mean a higher level of teaching and learning is taking place. “The technology helps facilitate learning, but it is the skills students are learning that is important, not the tools they use,” he continued. The revolution of 21st century learning must include problem solving, peer cooperation, collaboration and innovation.
One of the benefits of multi-aged classrooms, such as those at Ezra Academy, is the opportunities students have to teach each other and to create
together. “There is a shift in the way information is being delivered,” said Mitzmacher. “Students need to own their learning. They need to become the teachers and take a leadership role. The goal is to create an environment in which students are the experts.” One of the programs he instituted for his students is blogging. “The world is now the audience for the students’ work,” he said. “Part of owning the work is it being meaningful and authentic.” Melanie Waynik, Ezra Academy’s head of school, lauded Mitzmacher for his ability to empower educators and students alike. “Jon is a visionary leader in his field,” said Waynik. “We are grateful for the strategies he shared with us, and we look forward to continuing to develop innovative ways that help prepare our students for the cutting-edge careers of the future.”
Ezra Academy Students, Local Seniors Learn from Each Other
At the same time, access to Jewish tradition is being democratized as never before through technological innovation: there are phone applications (“apps”) that contain the entire Jewish canon in English translation and apps that can teach you how to read Torah. Given these tectonic shifts, what role do and should rabbis continue to play? In a two-part discussion, on Jan. 12, at the JCC and then on Feb.9, on the Shoreline, we will convene a collection of community rabbis to explore some of these issues.
of “Generation Swipe,” and they are part of the first generation to live their entire lives in a digital world.
Ezra Academy middle school students interviewed seniors from Tower One/ Tower East and Coachman Square nursing homes, as part of the Better Together Program. This intergenerational program seeks to foster relationships between students and seniors in the Jewish community. In groups, students had to learn as much as they could about the seniors. To help stimulate conversations, students were given worksheets to serve as an icebreaker. But they found out quickly, it did not take long to find common ground. Harriet Saginor, one of the seniors, had a personal connection to Ezra Academy.
Her husband Irving helped establish the school and helped support it financially.
who discussed Twitter and Instagram with Gertrude.
“Teachers had no money,” she said. “He paid them out of pocket. At the time, the school had only eleven students in grades K-1. However, as the students got older and as interest grew, the school grew from being kindergarten and first grade to now going all the way up to eighth grade.”
These interviews developed into conversations where both seniors and students came to appreciate the differences and similarities they share. After the interviews, students began to work on family trees to map out the seniors’ heritage. For some of the seniors, the family tree extended as far back as their great-great grandparents.
The seniors helped students appreciate their Jewish heritage by talking about their life experiences. In one group, students were awed by the fact that one of the seniors, Gertrude Lerman, would be celebrating her 100th birthday in June. For her, technology has come a long way. “The radio was like TV in my day. We listened to shows.” When asked what her favorite radio program was she said the “Lone Ranger.” “It’s cool to hear about what life was like before all the technology we have today,” said Elijah, an Ezra Academy student
The family trees and interviews helped supplement the students’ knowledge about Jewish heritage by providing firsthand accounts. Many of the seniors were children during conflicts like the Great Depression. As students listened to their stories, they began to understand the many struggles and hardships their ancestors might have faced. Students will continue their discussions with seniors and in December, the seniors planned to visit Ezra Academy for the school’s annual Chanukah production.
page 7
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
On Nov. 15, survivors joined more than 300 area residents to view the premiere of “People Forget...New Haven Remembers.” Three of the film's stars, from left to right are: Helene Rosenberg, Hannah Kuperstoch and Shifra Zamkov. Along with their families, they joined film maker Elena Lefkowitz and producers Doris Zelinsky and Fay Sheppard for a post premier luncheon where they reminisced about coming together in 2015 to create this record of New Haven's unique Holocaust story. The New Haven memorial, built by New Haven survivors and their neighbors 40 years ago, was the first built on public land in the United States.
Porsche • Volvo • Mercedes • BMW
Woodbridge
the Auto Body shop inc. – American and Foreign Specialists –
203-397-2909 • Fax 203-389-4002 Free Estimates - Frame Machine Professional Insurance Help - Loaner Car Available – Interstate Car Carrier Service–
36 Lucy Street, Woodbridge, Connecticut 06525
Ido Aharoni, Consul General of Israel in NYC, met with Sydney Perry, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, after he spoke to the Connecticut delegation in Washington, DC. The Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut (JFACT) serves as a legislative representative for the seven Connecticut Jewish Federations and their associated agencies, an associate for the Jewish Community, a public affairs spokesperson and coordinator on statewide programs on issues of mutual interest and concern in the state of Connecticut and Israel.
The Greater New Haven Synagogue/Federation Collaborative facebook.com/KesherJewishNewHaven
KESHER MISSION: Develop a permanent platform to create enchanced communications, relationships and synergies between the Synagogues and with Federation and to build a stronger and vibrant Greater New Haven Jewish Community. Participating Greater New Haven Synagogues: Orchard Street Shul - New Haven, CT Beth El Keser - BEKI, New Haven, CT Or Shalom - Orange, CT Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek - Chester, CT Temple Beth David - Cheshire, CT Beth Sholom - Hamden, CT Temple Beth Tikvah - Madison, CT B’nai Jacob - Woodbridge, CT Temple Emanuel - Orange, CT Mishkan Israel - Hamden, CT Westville Synagogue - New Haven, CT
To get involved, contact Stacey Battat, KESHER, at sbattat@jewishnewhaven.org
DOYOU LOVE TOSCHMOOZE? WANT TO EARN BIG COMMISSIONS?
DO YOU HAVE SALES EXPERIENCE AND A STRONG CONNECTION TO THE GREATER NEW HAVEN JEWISH COMMUNITY?
SHALOM NEW HAVEN is growing! Due to the amazing success of our first issue, we are now looking for more advertising sales reps. Shalom New Haven, a publication of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, is seeking a highly motivated, outgoing advertising sales representative to lead our sales force for Greater New Haven’s only Jewish publication. The right candidate will have previous sales experience and be able to hit the ground running to sell advertising for our publication, which is mailed free of charge to 10,000 Jewish households in Greater New Haven. This position is commission-based. Excellent communication skills, enthusiasm, professionalism and a pleasant personality required. Travel is required within the Greater New Haven area. This is a rewarding job for the right person and comes with a great deal of flexibility. To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to Jeannette Brodeur at shalomnh@jewishnewhaven.org.
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
page 8
HER S THESE OTEN DON’T MISM Y EV TS! GREAT SA E-DA
Yeladim Early Learning Center
OPEN HOUSE
360 Amity Rd. • Woodbridge
Sunday, Jan. 10 12 - 2 PM FREE REGISTRATION! LIMITED TIME ONLY! www.jccnh.org
SKINNY ON WEIGHT LOSS 10 AM - 12 PM BAGELS & BOOKS 10:30 AM - 11:15 PM BOUNCE IN! 11 AM - 1 PM YELADIM OPEN HOUSE 12 - 2 PM BRICKS4KIDS LEGO DEMO 12 - 2 PM LARGEST LOSER INFO AVAILABLE & WINTER WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE BEGINS!
Explore Yeladim’s dynamic hands-on learning environment. Meet our experienced staff, spend time in our classrooms, learn about enrichment programs, and tour the JCC’s spectacular facility. For children of all faiths and backgrounds aged 3 months through kindergarten.
More info or to RSVP: Lynn Bullard, (203) 397-7415 x278, lynnb@jccnh.org
page 9
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
page 10
CONGREGATION MISHKAN ISRAEL Interfaith Service FROM PAGE 1 At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Andrew (Andy) Goodman joined Freedom Summer ’64 to register African-Americans to vote. On Andy’s first day in Mississippi, he and two other civil rights workers, James Chaney and Michael Schwerner, were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. The story of these three young men struck a public chord that galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
CMI Welcomes Guests from Abraham’s Tent
At this special service, David Goodman will discuss civil rights and the summer of 1964.This is a subject that is near and dear to the heart of CMI. Beginning in the 1970s, the congregation began to pay tribute for Dr. King’s life in order to celebrate his legacy and his ties to the congregation. CMI Rabbi Robert Goldburg had invited his friend, Dr. King, to speak at CMI on Oct. 21, 1960, to help dedicate their new synagogue. Dr. King was arrested two days before he was to speak but was able to be the guest preacher one year later on Oct. 20, 1961. This was an historic moment that the congregation wanted to preserve following Dr. King’s assassination and thus, the annual service was begun. For the fifth year, the service will be interfaith. Faith leaders from the Jewish, Catholic, Christian, Muslim, Bahai and Unitarian, Universalist traditions will join Rabbi Brockman in leading services. The Afro-Semitic Experience will be guest musicians along with the CMI Choral group under the direction of Dr. Kevin Mack. The event is free and open to the community. For further information, call the synagogue at (203) 288-3877.
Families Invited to Celebrate Tot Shabbat at CMI
This coming winter marks the seventh year for Abraham’s Tent, an interfaith program in which churches, synagogues & mosques partner to house individuals from Columbus House’s overflow shelter. This sorely needed New Haven program was founded when it became clear that the number of homeless, the “strangers” in our community, was growing while resources to provide for them were shrinking. To address the problem, members of the religious community and staff from the Columbus House met to seek some solutions – at least in the immediate sense. Rabbi Herbert Brockman of Congregation Mishkan Israel (CMI), one of the program’s founders, shared with the group the story of Abraham and the lessons rabbis derived from it. It was decided that focusing on the resources - synagogues and churches and their cadre of volunteers - would be a workable solution to house some of the overflow shelter. Abraham’s Tent was born. CMI has since been among the estimated 900 volunteers from 19 congregations from across New Haven’s religious spectrum to provide housing to alleviate overcrowding at the Columbus House Overflow Shelter during the winter months.
Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in Chester has become one of the shoreline's most vital cultural centers. Its Music & More performances draw hundreds to its doors each year. Sunday, Jan. 17, 5 p.m. Afro-Semitic Experience
heights. Sunday, April 10, 5 p.m. Paul Winter Consort Soprano saxophonist Paul Winter is one of the pioneers of world music and one of the first to incorporate the sounds of nature and wildlife into his compositions. Welcome spring with his program, "In Celebration of the Earth.” Sunday, June 26, 5 p.m. CBSRZ Picnic with String of Pearls
Sunday, Feb. 28, 5 p.m. Caravan of Thieves
Enjoy dinner outside, skipping to the beat of that hopping, big band sound.
They bring their unique blend of gypsy swing and popular music that hearkens back to the swing era, when music and entertainment reached creative
Contact BETH SHALOM RODFE ZEDEK for more information. Visit www.cbsrz. org or call (860) 526-8920, 55 E Kings Hwy, Chester.
TEMPLE EMANUEL
Temple Emanuel to Feature Debbie Friedman Memorial Concert On Sunday, Nov. 22, Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven hosted the annual Orange Interfaith Thanksgiving Service.
Emanuel’s bakers. This was a wonderful event, and particularly meaningful this year, given the current climate of intolerance.
Every year, clergy and congregants from six houses of worship in Orange – Church of the Good Shepherd, Congregation Or Shalom, Holy Infant Church, Orange Congregational Church, Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church and Temple Emanuel – come together to celebrate Thanksgiving with a family-friendly service full of music and readings representing the spirit of Thanksgiving that is common to all faiths.
Upcoming events at Temple Emanuel include: • Jan. 22: Tot Shabbat service followed by Shabbat dinner and Kabbalat Shabbat service to honor members of our congregation participating in the Leave a Legacy Program
This year, the musical portions of the service were performed by the Temple Emanuel Band and Children’s Choir, and a combined choir made up of adult choristers and music directors from all of the involved houses of worship. At the conclusion of the service, there was a reception created by Temple
• Jan. 24: Debbie Friedman Memorial concert, featuring the TE band and choirs • Feb. 5-7: Musician-in-Residence Weekend with Jacob (Spike) Kraus • Feb. 21: Chinese Dinner and Auction For more information about these and all other events, celebrations and services at Temple Emanuel, please go to the TE website, www. templeemanuel-gnh.org, or call the temple office at (203)397-3000.
Temple Hosts Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
This year, Congregation Mishkan Israel will host Abraham’s Tent during the week of January 11-18.
Congregation Mishkan Israel invites families with children six years and under to a Tot Shabbat on Saturday, Jan. 23, at 10:30 a.m.
During their stay, the stigma of homelessness disappears as the group is welcomed as guests into a friendly and relaxed atmosphere of enjoying dinner, playing cards, watching TV and schmoozing with caring volunteers before going to bed.
The celebrations of Shabbat are a wonderful opportunity for families with preschool-aged children to get to know each other and enjoy a morning of blessings, stories, food and fun.
In the morning, they wake up to a hearty breakfast and then leave for the day with brown bag lunches decorated by children in the CMI’s Religious School.
Congregation Mishkan Israel is a reform synagogue located at 785 Ridge Road in Hamden.
CMI’s volunteers have found participation in Abraham’s Tent to be so fulfilling that many ‘re-up’ year after year and have even become regular volunteers at Columbus House year round.
For more information, contact the synagogue office at (203)288-3877.
Music & More Offers Eclectic Performances
An American roots band with a difference, merging Jewish and Afrodiasporic melodies and grooves, combining the core concepts of ase and shalom-power, action, unity and peace.
Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner revealed the coalitions of black and white, Jew and Christian, young and older Americans working together to form a more perfect union for all. Now a historic figure and role model to many, Andy Goodman was first a beloved son, brother, friend, theater student and passionate advocate for fairness and equality. He was a young adult who felt a personal responsibility and commitment to social justice.
CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM RODFE ZEDEK
On Nov. 22, Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven hosted the annual Orange Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. Every year, clergy and congregants from six houses of worship in Orange – Church of the Good Shepherd, Congregation Or Shalom, Holy Infant Church, Orange Congregational Church, Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church and Temple Emanuel – come together to celebrate Thanksgiving with a family-friendly service full of music and readings representing the spirit of Thanksgiving that is common to all faiths.
page 11
CONGREGATION B’NAI JACOB
HCW/CHABAD
Chabad Offers Jewish Pop Art Shabbat Services
Evening of Jewish Pop Art
All are welcome to join our warm and welcoming congregation for meaningful services. No membership is necessary.
Friday evening Kabbalat Shabbat services & Oneg are held bi-weekly; check our website for dates and times.
Sunday, Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m. - come meet the Pop Art Rabbi! Wine and cheese reception followed by art exhibition. Australian-born artist Yitzchak Moully will share his story and art technique with the audience, and pieces from his unique collection will be for sale. $25/person, $20 in advance. Visit website for details. All proceeds to benefit the HCW/Chabad Rebuilding Fund.
Adult Education
Guest Speaker CSANAD SZEGEDI
Rosh Chodesh Women's Study Group - This year's Rosh Chodesh group got off to a great start in November.
Tuesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. - Listen to this dramatic story firsthand! Former member of the European Parliament and deputy leader of the notoriously fascist & anti-Semitic Hungarian Jobbik party, Szegedi's political career came to a crashing halt when it emerged that he was Jewish. Mr. Szegedi will tell his dramatic story, followed by a question and answer session, with the help of his interpreter. Visit our website for more info and tickets.
Shabbat morning services are held every Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m., followed by a kiddush luncheon.
The course, titled "Art & Soul," explores Judaism's insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives. Each class features text-based learning and great discussion. Upcoming classes: Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. - Literature: The Art of Storytelling; Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. - Dance: Movement & Relationship. The Jewish Course of Why - Are you prepared to tackle the quizzical, odd, and seemingly-unanswerable questions about Jewish belief and practice? Then join this new six-week course which will be held on six consecutive Wednesday evenings, beginning Feb. 10 at 7:15 p.m.
All classes and events take place at HCW/Chabad, 15 Edgefield Ave., Milford. For more info about our programs, please call Rabbi or Chanie Wilhelm at 203-878-4569, e-mail rabbi@ JewishMilford.com, or visit www. JewishMilford.com Find us on Facebook at www.Facebook. com/HCWchabad
CONGREGATION OR SHALOM
‘Woman in Gold’ Coming to Congregation Or Shalom The movie “Woman in Gold” is coming to Congregation Or Shalom on Sunday, Jan. 10, at 2 p.m. “Woman in Gold” is a 2015 British drama starring Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Katie Holmes. The film is based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor living in Los Angeles who, together with her young lawyer, fought the government of Austria to reclaim Klimt’s renowned painting of her aunt, which was stolen by the Nazis. She took her legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court of the U.S., which ruled on the case in 2004.
Hollywood’s Jewish Pioneer Receives Recognition
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
Yale A Cappella Group to Sing at B’nai Jacob on Feb. 27
On Feb. 27, Congregation B’nai Jacob in Woodbridge will present Yale’s first, best and only Jewish A Cappella singing group! Magevet has earned international renown for its varied, innovative repertoire and its warm, interactive performance style. Their website explains “Founded in 1993, Magevet is widely regarded as one of the nation's premiere Jewish musical groups. A coed ensemble of undergraduate students at Yale University, Magevet is known for its sweet blend of voices, unique arrangements of traditional, modern, and original melodies, and lighthearted sense of humor. The group's diverse repertoire spans from modern Israeli pop and Renaissance choral pieces to Yiddish folk tunes and Zionist classics. The
At B’nai Jacob, these gifted Yale undergrads will participate in a special musical Shabbat morning service, which begins at 9:45 a.m. Following Kiddush Luncheon (approximately 12:45p.m.), Magevet will also treat attendees to a concert featuring traditional and modern arrangements of Jewish, Hebrew and Israeli songs. The entire community is invited to join congregants for this wonderful Shabbat experience. For more info, please go to http://www. bnaijacob.org or call the synagogue office at (203) 389-2111
B’nai Jacob Events Set for Jan. /Feb. Medical Missions Abroad: A Jewish Perspective Dr. Mark Weinstein Sunday, Jan. 10, 10 a.m. Jews in China: A Little Known Big Story Dr. Angelica Kaner Saturday, Feb. 6, 12:30 p.m.
Hebrew Reading and Understanding Hebrew Prayers Ongoing learning at Congregation B’nai Jacob, (203) 389-2111 Please contact Roz Atkins through the synagogue for details. Congregation B’nai Jacob, 75 Rimmon Road, Woodbridge
WESTVILLE SYNAGOGUE
Shul Offers Film Night, Discussion on Torah Westville University - an educational initiative of the Westville Synagogue that offers dynamic high level programming to the community, reflecting our commitment to Jewish learning, history, culture, law, and the State of Israel. Wed. Jan. 6, 8 p.m. Rabbi Dov Greer "DNA in Halacha" Sat. Jan. 16, 7 p.m. Film Night with discussion led by Ed Shrager "The Conformist"
The Laemmle family receives a U.S Senate Commendation from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal on behalf of their “Uncle Carl,” as Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus looks on.
members of Magevet are equally diverse: engineers and historians, Jews and Gentiles, New Yorkers and Floridians – all united by camaraderie and a love of singing.”
Wed. Jan. 20, 8 p.m. Dr. Liran Yadgar, Yale University "The Torah and the Koran: A Shared Tradition"
Wed. Feb. 3, 8 p.m. Rabbi Yossi Hodakov "G-d is One: One What? A Chassidic Perspective on G-d's Oneness, and His Relationship with the World" Sat., Feb. 13, 7 p.m. Film Night with discussion let by Ed Shrager "Woman in Gold" Wed. Feb. 17, 8 p.m. Rabbi Fred Hyman "The Music of Torah: Notes of Cantillation" ------------------------------------------------Westville Synagogue 74 West Prospect Street New Haven, CT 06515 (203) 389-9513 www.westvilleshul.org
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
page 12
JFS Plans Special Event to Honor Vines and Scolnics One warm summer day, a tall man dressed in a suit and tie walked into the Jewish Family Service food pantry on Whalley Avenue and asked, “What do you need?” “Eggs,” the staff told him. “We’re really low.” An hour later, the man came back, still in his suit and tie, and started unpacking 100 cartons of eggs from his car. The man was Barry Vine. That story was not an isolated incident. “Barry Vine has been the greatest champion of our agency and food pantry,” said Jonathan Garfinkle, executive director of JFS. “He singlehandedly undertook a huge fundraising campaign that ultimately transformed the pantry into the nutritional health center that it is today.” On Saturday, March 26, 8 p.m., Vine, his wife Hyla, a long-time devoted JFS board member, and Rabbi Benjamin and Dorene Scolnic, of Temple Beth Sholom, will be honored at a special 75th anniversary event and fundraiser recognizing their contributions that have enabled JFS to serve so many people in the community. Garfinkle described Rabbi Scolnic as a social worker cloaked in a rabbinic wardrobe. Dorene professionally is a social worker at Gaylord Hospital. “They both are cut from the cloth of those who work for social justice.” “Rabbi Scolnic is an incredible champion of what we do. He has always opened the synagogue so generously for anything JFS needs when we have done community events. Every month, Temple Beth
Sholom raises money and shops for our food pantry. He is one of our trusted advisors for our Jewish Wellness and Healing Center advisory board. “And there’s so much more. At the synagogue’s traditional second night community seder, he welcomes our entire group of adults with developmental disabilities and even provides transportation. It is beautiful community inclusion.” “There isn’t a corner of the community these two couples have not touched,” said Cindy Papish Gerber, president of the JFS board. “Over the years, their support has allowed JFS to have a powerful impact on the community and to touch the lives of our clients in profound ways.” The March fundraiser, which will be held at Temple Beth Sholom, will specifically benefit the JFS Emergency Assistance Fund to benefit families in crisis. That includes families struggling with unemployment, food insecurity, domestic violence, as well as families facing eviction and foreclosure, and medical expenses they cannot afford. “The need is enormous,” said Garfinkle. “We don’t have enough and we always need to do more. “Our goal is to raise $20,000 annually to serve as a lifeline for families who are undergoing these kinds of crises. All of our assistance is geared not solely toward providing short-term stability, but more importantly, long term sustainability so that our clients can obtain the skills and have the resources they need to ultimately ‘fish for themselves.’”
JHS Hebrew Language Program Integrates Food-Based Learning Let’s face it, Jews are foodies. There is much truth in the thumbnail description of Judaism as someone tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat or someone tried to kill us, we lost, let’s not eat. Gastronomic Judaism is one of the most universal ways of doing Jewish that we have left as a people. Many Jews love watching the Food Channel to see “Chopped” chefs compete or learn about the latest trends in cooking. Even when other Jewish observances and traditions fade away, holiday meals are still times for many families to get together and connect with their Judaism and each other. At the Jewish High School of Connecticut, the Hebrew language program integrates real, food-based learning experiences. Hebrew teacher Morah Chana Stein uses kosher cooking as an opportunity
to teach Hebrew as a living language by bringing in a variety of topics, learning styles, and intelligences while tapping into varied student talents. Students make menus, recipes, and shopping lists in Hebrew, go to the supermarket and shop while conversing in Hebrew and then, they bring it all together in a kosher cooking class conducted in Hebrew. The concluding exam includes a Café Ivrit tasting of the final dish as a class. Different culinary traditions are explored as a great way to understand different Jewish traditions and cultures. Last month started with making a popular Middle Eastern dish of shakshuka and concluded with cooking a more standard traditional Ashkenazi fare of latkes and sufganiyot.
Southern CT Hebrew Academy Celebrates 70 Years with Gala Each month, we hold an assembly to highlight our students’ academic and social accomplishments so they can take pride in their own work and serve as role models to others. This year, we began a new program of bringing in speakers to inspire our students and show them the great things they can achieve through hard work and perseverance. So far we have been honored to welcome New Haven Mayor Toni Harp, Rabbi Yisrael Deren, State Sen. Gayle Slossberg, and Mr. David Chuhta, Sr., U.S. Navy, retired, and his son, Mr. David Chuhta, Jr., U.S. Marine Corporal. We are looking forward to welcoming many more dignitaries to our school in the coming months. On Nov. 1, almost 400 members of our school community - families, friends, alumni, faculty, staff, and supporters gathered together for Celebration 70! A
Gala Event Celebrating 70 Years, at the Omni New Haven Hotel. Four distinguished alumni were honored: Professor Martha T. Roth ('66, BCA '70), Rabbi Elie Weinstock ('89), Dr. Dmitriy Golovyan ('95), and Attorney Devora Whitman Allon ('97). Alumni Eddie, Henry, and Stephen Shalam gave a moving tribute to their mother, Sara Shalam, OBM. Musical entertainment was provided by International Jewish singing sensation Choni Grunblatt, and accompanied by members of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. Sydney Perry, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven, was given an award in recognition of her tireless work on behalf of the Jewish community of Greater New Haven. For more information about our school, please visit our website www. schacademy.org.
Jewish Historical Society Seeking Volunteer Assistant Treasurer
Jewish Genealogical Society Assists with Researching Jewish Ancestors Join the Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 1:30 p.m. for an afternoon of personal research time at Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington.
Board members will be available to answer questions and suggest resources. There is no snow date for this program. Program topics are subject to change.
This informal session is free and open to anyone researching Jewish ancestors.
For the latest information, please visit www.jgsct.org.
The Jewish Historical Society of Greater New Haven is seeking a volunteer to become its Assistant Treasurer this year and its Treasurer next year.
to become involved with the organization that maintains an archive for the Jewish past and present for the Jewish Community.
We are seeking someone who has a background in accounting and is computer literate. This is an opportunity
If interested, please either call our office at (203)392-6125 or send an email to jhsgnh@yahoo.com.
BECOM E ACC J
M EMBER
page 13
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
More than 60 group exercise classes including Zumba, Spinning and Yoga! • Pool• Basketball • Racquetball • Before school & After school programs • More! commitment.
3 MONTHS FOR $100 No sign up fee. Call membership today! (203) 387-2522 x223
*New members only (Not an active member after 12/1/14). Valid driver’s license. Special ends 1/31/16. Minimum 3 month
snh
page 14
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
Community Calendar | Please visit jewishnewhaven.org for the most up-to-date listings & to add to your listing.
jan.
Color Girls , Jan. 1, 5-7 p.m. every week until Jan. 8. PAACT, 23 Temple St., New Haven. Attention young ladies between the ages of 12-18. On Fridays at 5 p.m. through Jan 8, for only $80 for four. Winter Wonderland Musical Revue, 5- 6:30 p.m. Jan. 4, every week on Monday, Thursday until Jan.15. Performing Arts Academy of CT, 23 Temple St., New Haven, contact Barbara Alexander, (203)936-8567. Three Kings Day School Vacation Program, Jan. 6, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. JCC of Greater New Haven 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge. When school is out the JCC is in! Join us for a fun-filled day of meeting new friends and playing games. Temple Beth Sholom Bible Study with Rabbi Benjamin Scolnic Jan. 6, 7-8 p.m., every week until April 27, Temple Beth Sholom 1809 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Join us for our weekly interactive discussions on Biblical topics. Winter Weight Loss Challenge Begins, Jan. 10. 7:15-9 a.m. JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, Contact Susan Donovan, (203)3872522, X265, susand@jccnh.org. Six-week program. Jan. 10-Feb. 20. Weekly weigh-ins, diet guidance and group training. Meal planning help and guidance. Lounge Night at BEKI, Jan. 11 6:30-7:45 p.m., every 2 weeks on Monday, Wednesday until July 31. BEKI (Beth El Israel Kesser), 85 Harrison St , New Haven. Contact Mattathias Pinchover, 860-471-5009, bekibjusy@ gmail.com. Come hangout with other Jewish high schoolers! Free pizza and drinks! Board games! Bring your homework too if you want! Please RSVP by email or phone so we know how much pizza to buy! Rabbis’ Roundtable, Jan. 12 12-1:30 p.m.
JCC of Greater New Haven - Living Room 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Contact Mara Balk (203) 387-2522, X300, marab@jccnh.org What does it mean to practice Judaism in the 21st Century? With breathtaking access to our tradition through technological innovation, and less time for spiritual contemplation due to our fast-paced lifestyles, how do Jews maintain a relationship with their religion and how do Rabbis navigate these uncharted waters? Join Rabbi Josh Ratner, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater New Haven, with his colleagues from area synagogues, to discuss these issues and more in this thought provoking event. Rabbis attending include: Rabbi Herb Brockman, Congregation Mishkan Israel; Rabbi Michael Farbman, Temple Emanuel; Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg, Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek; Rabbi Michael Kohn, Temple Bnai Abraham. JEWS & THE NEWS, Jan. 13, 12-1:30 p.m. JJCC of Greater New Haven - Living Room 360 Amity Road,Woodbridge. Contact Keilah Bisbee, (203) 387-2424 X325, kbisbee@ jewishnewhavenorg. Join us in the JCC Living Room starting this fall for our new series, Jews & the News. Led by Jewish Federation CEO Sydney Perry, and with an occasional guest speaker, we will discuss today’s important issues affecting the Jewish community. No pre-registration required, event is free and open to the community. Sign up for alerts about the topic to be discussed at jccprograms@jccnh.org. Martin Luther King Jr. Day School Vacation Program, Jan. 18, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. JJCC of Greater New Haven 360 Amity Rd. Woodbridge, Contact Kari McInerney, (203)387-2522,X236, karim@ jccnh.org. When school is out the JCC is in! Join us for a fun-filled day of meeting new friends and playing games. The day includes swim, gym, playscape, arts and crafts and more. $45 for After School/Kids Klub families; $55 for JCC members; $65 for nonmembers. Evening care available. Wisdom of Woodbridge Lecture Series, Program, Jan. 19, 7-8:30 p.m., Nancy Yao Maasbach. JCC Living Room, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, Contact Mara Balk, (203)387-2522,X300, marab@jccnh.org. The JCC, in partnership with the Woodbridge Town Library and First Selectman Ellen Scaletter will present a FREE lecture series
from local “Big Thinkers” with engaging expertise to share. Tonight’s event will feature Nancy Yao Maasbach, President/Director of the Museum of the Chinese in America, discussing “Chinatowns, China’s Towns, and Chinese Towns: An Evolving Sense of Community.” BEKI’s Abraham’s Tent Fundraiser Bash, Jan. 23, 6:45-10:30 p.m. Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel (BEKI), 85 Harrison St., New Haven. Contact Darryl Kuperstock (203) 215-8555, kuperst@gmail.com Cost is $18. Heat up the winter at BEKI’s fundraising party in support of Abraham’s Tent at BEKI (in March, 2016), a program in partnership with Columbus House to host a group of men experiencing homelessness. Super Sunday, Jan. 24, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Contact Keilah Bisbee, (203) 3872522 X325, kbisbee@jewishnewhaven.org. Come volunteer to help assist in our biggest fundraising event of the year! Breakfast and lunch are provided. Bring your own cell phone (limited outlets). Young Professionals Dodgeball League, Jan. 26, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Every week until March 1, JCC Basketball Gym, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Contact Mara Balk (203) 387-2522, X300, marab@jccnh. org. Cost is $50. Join your peers this winter with some friendly dodge ball league play! Get a team of 21-40 somethings together, or sign up as an individual to meet some new people. Each team must have at least six players with a maximum of ten. Only have five? No problem! The JCC will fill the rest of your roster with free agents. All teams must have at least two women on the court at all times. Enjoy some post-game food and drinks with the rest of the league for added fun! Registration includes six games and a team t-shirt. $45 JCC Members/$50 Nonmembers. 20th Annual A Taste of Honey, Jan. 30, 7-11 p.m. JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, Contact Mara Balk (203) 387-2522, X 300, marab@jccnh.org. Join the Greater New Haven Jewish community for a night of learning, schmoozing, and appreciation of Jewish culture. Registration will begin at 7 p.m., with Havdallah at 7:30 p.m. Lectures and family programs will be held at 8 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., followed by dessert and coffee at 10:15 p.m. Tickets are $18 general
page 15
snh
SHALOM NEW HAVEN
admission, $12 students/seniors. Temple Beth Sholom Talking Points, Jan. 31, 10-11:30 a.m. Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Contact Temple Beth Sholom (203) 288-7748, bethsholomhamden@aol.com. The Adult Education Committee of Temple Beth Sholom is hosting a “Talking Points” session moderated by Dr. Ira Kleinfeld. During the program, attendees can comment on any Jewish-related topic for discussion by the group. Refreshments will be served. If you plan to attend, please contact the Temple office at (203) 288-7748.
feb.
Largest Loser Casting Call Interviews, Feb. 7, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge. Contact Susan Donovan, (203) 387-2522, X265, susand@jccnh.org. Interview to participate in Largest Loser 2016. Brush & Bordeaux, Feb. 11, 7-9 p.m. JCC Living Room, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, Contact Mara Balk (203) 387-2522, X300 marab@jccnh.org. Cost $30. Cozy up in the JCC Living Room with a glass of wine and a paint brush. Decompress as artist Betsy DeMarco leads you through a relaxing evening of step-by-step masterpiece creation. By the end of the night, you will have a finished product to be proud of and a few stories for the memory books. Registration includes apron, paint, wine, and light hors d’oeuvres. $25 Members/ $30 Non-Members, Ages 21+. February School Vacation Program, Feb. 15-19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. JCC of Greater New Haven, 360 Amity Road, Woodbridge, Contact Kari McInerney, karim@ jccnh.org. Full day vacation program for children in grades K-8 the day includes a kosher peanut free morning and afternoon snack, swimming, indoor/outdoor time, playscape, arts & crafts, cooking and much more. FULL DAY, AM & PM EXTENDED CARE AVAILABLE Extended care: 7-9 am $15 members & nonmembers; $10 AfterSchool and Kids Klub families 4-6 pm $15 members & nonmembers; $10 AfterSchool and Kids Klub families.