JEWISH
RHODE ISLAND
EDITOR Fran Ostendorf
DESIGN & LAYOUT Alex Foster
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Peter Zeldin | 401-421-4111, ext. 160 pzeldin@jewishallianceri.org
CONTRIBUTORS Bob Abelman, Ruth Marris Macaulay, Sarah Greenleaf, Robert Isenberg, Emma Newbery
COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, George M. Goodwin, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz
VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE I
JEWISH RHODE ISLAND (ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) is published monthly except twice in May, August and September.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID at Providence, R.I
POSTMASTER Send address changes to: Jewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
PUBLISHER
The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, President/CEO Adam Greenman, Chair Harris Chorney, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
401-421-4111; Fax 401-331-7961
COPY DEADLINES: All news releases, photographs, etc., must be received on the Wednesday 10 days prior to publication. Submissions may be sent to: editor@jewishallianceri.org.
ADVERTISING: We do not accept advertisements for pork or shellfish. We do not attest to the kashrut of any product or the legitimacy of advertisers’ claims.
ON THE COVER : Elke Bentley, 18, completed reading the Babylonian Talmud in just two and a half years.
Grateful to avoid the pressure of resolutions
ARE YOU A RESOLUTION MAKER or do you prefer to just move ahead into the year without a list of goals to work on?
Do you have trouble making resolutions that you can accomplish or even making resolutions at all?
And what about sharing those resolutions?
Did you know that there is something called “Quitters Day”? It’s today, the second Friday of January. People have studied how long resolution makers keep those vows and today is the day that many people call it quits. Hence the name.
I feel like there is a lot of pressure at this time of the year to commit to doing more, doing better and announcing it to the world.
Over the years, I’ve decided that I’m more of a quiet, take-on-the-next-challenge type of person. Perhaps I just don’t want to disappoint myself or others. Perhaps I crack under the collective pressure to decide which problem to tackle this year. I can’t really explain it.
So, I take some time to reflect on the past year and what is to come rather than decide what I’m going to try to accomplish. But my focus this time of year is on what is already going right, not what I need to fix.
And I feel very fortunate.
How fortunate am I to share another year with parents in their late 80s and 90s while watching the youngest family members learn to crawl, walk, talk and read?
We have a large, blended family with a mother who at 95 still uses a computer and cell phone, a father at 88 who still runs a business, siblings who are scattered up and down the East Coast and into the Midwest and grandchildren who are just starting life.
My husband and children who support me and my work and make my life warmer and easier, even in the worst of times.
How fortunate am I that I work for an organization that is striving to do good work in this community and abroad. After 10 years at the paper, you would think that I’d know all the ins and outs of the Alliance, but I learn something new every day.
For example, the series we’ve run highlighting our agency partners has taught me about funding in Argentina and even locally at the Hillel at
the University of Rhode Island (see page 23 in this paper).
And the Dwares Jewish Community Center, where Jewish Rhode Island is housed, has so much to offer to the entire Rhode Island community. I’m constantly surprised at how many people don’t realize it is open to all with a fitness center and pool in the building. Apparently, more people are learning about it too. I’m told that membership is on the rebound after COVID, hitting 1,000 individual members and families in December. I am fortunate that I can find health and wellness inside this building.
And finally, I’m fortunate for all the supporters of this paper. This is a platform for covering the Jewish community in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts that wouldn’t exist without everyone’s support. In an era of rising antisemitism and clashing political opinions we try to bring some sanity to your life every month. I love hearing from you and look forward to seeing you at events and in the JCC.
And if you made some resolutions for 2025, let’s hope you make it past “Quitter’s Day.” I’ll see you in the fitness center! (Well, actually, probably not. . . .)
Fran Ostendorf, Editor
| COURTESY ELKE BENTLEY
MEMBER of the Rhode Island Press Association.
UP FRONT A marriage of tradition and personal expression: weaving the tallit
BY EMMA NEWBERY
Sarah Saulson, a textile artist based in Pawtucket, has been using the loom as a framing for her world since she was a child. Saulson began her journey as a weaver in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where at just 8 years old, she requested a rigid heddle loom for her eighth birthday. From there, she doggedly taught herself the craft, weaving off and on as a personal passion up to and throughout her years as a student at Wellesley College, where she graduated in 1976.
IT WAS AT Wellesley that Saulson began to widen the aperture of warp and weft, pursuing a degree in anthropology, a field that often looks to textile and fabric for context about societies and the world around us. Her degree, she says, directly impacted her path to weaving the prayer shawls (tallitot) she’s come to specialize in: “I very much wanted to find a way to bring those two parts of my background together.”
It was adding a third element of her background, her Judaism, that brought things into focus once more in the early 2000s – she became fascinated with the range in adornments of a ubiquitous garment in Jewish religious life: the prayer shawl, or tallit (pl. tallitot). After some Talmudic research, she found that the parameters for a prayer shawl are in fact quite open.
“About the widest they can be is 36 inches,” she tells me, but she clarifies, “there isn’t one standard size.” To be sure of the accuracy, she consulted the Talmudic passage with Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Emanu-El, Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer. It was fitting that she also wove a special tallit for herself to wear once services opened again at Emanu-El, which she attends with her husband, Peter, after the pandemic.
Overall, the conclusion once more seems to be anthropological, or at least sociological – the tallitot sizes are dictated by one’s relationship to others
in society. “The implication of it is that your tallit should be big enough [that] if you had to go to the market,” says Saulson, “it would cover your knees.” Using fabric to communicate elements of your style, your family, your relationship with religion, and more all evolved from this initial locus of prayer shawls as a personal connection to God, as well as a tool to communication with others in the community.
Saulson’s tallitot, woven with extreme precision on the loom she’s carted with her around the U.S. over the course of her career, are both a modern and modest take on the original Jewish mandate. They are as deeply expressive as they are embedded in tradition.
Most of her work has been commissions, and it takes her months at a time to complete an entirely custom tallit for each client. “Each one represents the interests and Jewish values and personalities and color desires of the recipients,” she notes. While steadfastly following the traditional parameters for tallitot – she’s sewn together multiple pieces for the more observant Jewish custom of longer tallit – her
pieces are distinct and varied, with Saulson’s innovative use of color and pattern setting them apart from standard offerings for clergy and lay people alike.
Some of her most memorable commissions involve the societal or environmental conditions the wearer is in. For one, a rabbi from North Carolina wanted a lightweight, all-white tallit to keep her cool in the heat. While hoping for a modern twist with a lighter fabric than is traditionally worn, the rabbi, recalls Saulson, was “just an incredibly compassionate and deeply spiritual person.”
To reflect this, Saulson customized the traditional, plain weave to represent the three pillars of Judaism: the study of Torah or pursuit of knowledge,
Sarah Saulson at her Pawtucket studio
One wall in Saulson’s studio features woven hangings from her travels.
PHOTO EMMA NEWBERY
Parashat Vayechi: Everything in a name
The Torah describes Jacob in his last days, blessing his sons. He leaves behind him a record of life marked by dramatic episodes: he was despised by his brothers when he was young and later elevated to the highest position in the Egyptian kingdom. His main concern at that time was how to preserve the tradition of his father’s house in an idolatrous environment like Egypt, where the family resided. In other words, his challenge was transforming biological descendants into continuators of Israel’s religious legacy.
JOSEPH APPEARS as the most notable and responsible heir in this transmission of ideals from one generation to the next. Interestingly, the patriarchal blessing is given not to Joseph himself but to his sons Menashe and Ephraim. Perhaps Joseph sensed that these children, the first in our history to be born abroad and therefore vulnerable to the influence of their environment, required more significant support to cultivate their formation and attachment to ancestral values.
had to endure and resist.
’VAR TO RAH
Joseph did not choose their respective names by chance. Each reflects the crucial vicissitudes he
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
prayer or closeness to God, and acts of service and loving kindness. She is adept at this kind of customization and her willingness to be exploratory sets her tallitot apart.
While many tallitot use plain weave – the simplest form of interlacing threads – Saulson specializes in more intricate designs. “I had a reputation for [...] combining color and pattern, and also my loom has the capacity to make complex patterns.” What that means for her tallit, which she weaves but sends out to be stitched, can interact organically with the silk she uses, “based on the interaction of warp and weft.” They are then returned either to Saulson or to the client to be tied with the customary tzitzit (fringes),
Another fond commission for Saulson is an equally subtle and personal reflection of the wearer’s connection to Judaism. This recipient, noted Saulson, “was just beautifully articulate about what wearing a tallit means to him, and he loves this feeling of being sheltered by God’s presence when he wears a tallit.”
“It reminded me of tents,”
Menashe, his firstborn, received a name associated with forgetfulness: “Since Elohim has made me forget all my affliction and all my father’s house,” his second son was called Ephraim, a name associated with fruits: “Since Elohim has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
Joseph himself reveals the profound allegorical meanings behind his sons' names.
The first, Menashe, symbolizes his recognition of the past and the imperative to rise
she shares, “because that’s also a textile that shelters us.” It was from following her own personal association that she found Jewish precedent: “that led me to the biblical quotation
above it to overcome his afflictions. The second, Ephraim, is a testament to his gratitude toward God for the prosperity and honor he has attained in foreign lands.
Forgetting and remembering, remembering and forgetting, are intertwined in Joseph’s memory, just as the hands of the patriarch Jacob, his father, are purposely reversed, as he blessed the young Ephraim first before Menashe, the elder. This reversal suggests that the past and its wounds cannot limit the infinite possibilities of the present. These possibilities include the potential for growth, learning from past mistakes, and creating a more fortunate future. Ephraim represents the promise of growth and liberation beyond the negative influence of past traumas.
The poignant scene of the grandfather bestowing his blessings upon his grandchildren, immortalized by artistic geniuses like Rembrandt and Marc Chagall, stands as a testament to the enduring beauty of Jewish customs. This tradition, where parents bless their children at the onset of the Shabbat dinner on Friday night, “so that they may be like Ephraim and
structed pointed tent-like shapes between the more traditionally worn stripes on the tallit, to represent the twelve tribes of Jacob. Throughout her career, Saulson has also embraced
‘how goodly are the tents of Jacob.’” Using software to help track the complex woven pattern, Saulson con-
the opportunity to create works that explore deeper themes. For example, one of her most notable pieces,
Menashe,” is a cherished part of Jewish life.
Through Jacob’s blessing, we articulate our hope that our children will embody the inherent virtues of Ephraim and Menashe: a reverence for the past and a commitment to shaping a brighter future.
Candle lighting times January 2025
Greater Rhode Island
January 3 4:08pm
January 10 4:15pm
titled "Journey," was inspired by her motherin-law’s experience fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938 with her family. The piece, created for a juried show, uses color and woven patterns to represent the journey from a somber story of displacement to the hope of new beginnings. It incorporates elements like menorahs subtly woven into the cream base of the tallit, hand-embroidered green textural points that indicate the growth ahead, and barbed wire at the installation’s base, which Saulson learned to create as part of the project.
“Journey,” in addition to pieces by over 30 other exhibitors, is on view at Temple Emanu-El through Feb. 7, 2025.
January 17 4:23pm
January 24 4:31pm January 31 4:40pm
and weaving process she has honed over the years. Her teaching philosophy is deeply connected to her artistic process: the foundation of her teachings focuses on empowering students to “work with color and form and shape in a very free way.”
While keeping the commission wheel churning and making sure her body gets the breaks it needs after the intensive practice of loom work, Saulson also enjoys sharing her knowledge and techniques with others. She teaches weaving at A Place to Weave in Leominster, Massachusetts, where she passes on her expertise in the dyeing
Sarah Saulson’s weaving practice is a testament to the marriage of tradition and personal expression, as she creates pieces that are both beautifully modernized and imbued with deep spiritual significance. Through her work, she brings to life the intersection of art, religion, community and self, creating tallitot that are as unique as the individuals they are made for, testaments to the long tradition of the craft in Jewish life and practice.
EMMA NEWBERY (enewbery@ jewishallianceri.org) is a staff writer and podcast host for Jewish Rhode Island.
RABBI DANIEL KRIPPER is the spiritual leader of Temple Shalom in Middletown.
RABBI DANIEL KRIPPER
Sarah Saulson demonstrates a weaving project using leather.
CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG
Ongoing
Kosher Senior Café and Programming. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday – Thursday at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence; Fridays at Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. In-person (and on Zoom Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) programming from 11 a.m.-noon followed by lunch and discussion noon-1 p.m. On Wednesdays, programming is chair yoga with Neal. For seniors aged 60 and older as well as younger adults with a disability; all faiths and backgrounds are welcome. 1/20: café closed. Suggested donation: $3 per lunch. The Kosher Senior Café is a program of Jewish Collaborative Services and is supported by the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI and Blackstone Health. Information and RSVP, Neal at neal@jfsri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 107.
Hebrew Classes Winter Session at Temple Emanu-El. Tuesdays 5-5:45 p.m. beginner 1 class. All other levels 6-7 p.m. 1/21 thru 3/11. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Five levels of in-person Hebrew conversation classes offered: beginner 1 (if enough interest), beginner 2 (ongoing class – not open to new students), intermediate 1 and 2, advanced and Hebrew Games. Cost: $100 per person (scholarships available). Information (including which level is right for you), Toby Liebowitz at tobyaane@ gmail.com.
Teen Nights at Temple Beth-El. Thursdays 6 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Dinner and discussions. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Mussar Practice at Temple Habonim. Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. thru 2/20. 165 New Meadow Road, Barrington. Mussar offers insight
on how to be mindful of thoughts, words and actions. Delving into a wide range of Jewish texts, we can uncover wisdom on how to interact with integrity and respect. Led by congregants Michael and Deb Rosenblum. No class 2/13. Cost: Temple Habonim members free | non-members $36. Information, Adina Davies at office@templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.
Cape Cod Synagogue Family Shabbat Services and Dinner.
Second Friday of the month 5:30 p.m. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. In-person and livestreamed services on website, Facebook, Cape Media, YouTube and Community Television Comcast channel 99. Followed by Community Shabbat Dinner. Information, 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.
Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Fridays 7 p.m. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and livestreamed on website, Facebook, Cape Media, YouTube and Community Television Comcast channel 99. Information, 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.
Temple Sinai Breakfast and Torah Study. 9:30-11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Breakfast followed by Torah study at 10 a.m. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Temple Habonim Torah Study. Most Saturdays 10-11 a.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman leads Torah study on current portion. Via Zoom. Information, Adina Davies at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-2456536.
Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Saturdays 10:30 a.m. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and livestreamed on website,
Rhode Island area schools seek part-time Hebrew and/or Judaica teachers, and substitute teachers for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Facebook and YouTube. Information, Cape Cod Synagogue at 508-7752988 or capecodsynagogue.org.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Morning Service. 11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Most Saturday mornings, services are held from 11 to noon in the Chapel. On mornings when celebrating a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, services also begin at 11 and are held in the Sanctuary. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Friday | January 10
Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 5:45 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Service. 6-7 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. In the Chapel. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350.
Saturday | January 11
Temple Beth-El Shabbat Service. 9 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el. org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual and In-Person Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:30-10:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. In person with Zoom available. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Women’s Self-Defense Training. 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. EP Martial Arts, 345 Taunton Ave., Suite 101, East Providence. Build confidence and learn crucial strategies for handling and avoiding dangerous situations. Led by Yuri Boiarsky, veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces. Cost: $99. Enroll in both this and the Active Shooter Seminar (see below) for a 25% discount. Information, EP Martial Arts at info@epmartialarts. com or 401-489-3189.
included. Cost: JCC member $40 | non-member $55 | additional siblings $25. Information, Rachel Accetturo at raccetturo@jewishallianceri.org or 401-4111, ext. 140.
Arts Emanu-El Presents “A Night at the Movies Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy.” 7-10 p.m. An evening of timeless Broadway favorites featuring live performances by Miss Wensday and Marc Trachtenberg. Refreshments served. Tickets: $15 for members in advance/$20 at the door; $20 for non-members in advance/$25 at the door. Information, Shosh Jacob at shosh@teprov.org or 401-3311616.
Sunday | January 12
Temple Beth-El Bagels and Babies. 10 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Bring your babies and enjoy a nosh of bagels and schmear. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Beth-El Hosts Camp Day. 11:15 a.m.-1:15 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Enjoy a family-friendly song session followed by games and activities including a campfire, s’mores and lunch from a food truck for purchase. Meet New England day and overnight camp representatives. Enter a raffle for $250 toward first summer at camp. No purchase/membership necessary. All welcome. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.
Temple Beth-El Julie Silver Song Leader Workshop. 1-4 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Learn with one of the great song leaders and wandering minstrels of our time, Julie Silver. Bring your own instrument. Open to teens from 8th to 12th grade and camp song leaders. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
coming Your JewISH Baby 101. 7:30-8:45 p.m. Explore Jewish rituals for welcoming your baby and ways to honor mixed heritages families. Connect with Rabbi Jen Gubitz. Get to know other expectant parents welcoming children via pregnancy, surrogacy or adoption. We celebrate all families and are sensitive to those who have been on fertility journeys. Cost: $18-$72. Information, modernjewish18@ gmail.com or 812-345-2405.
Thursday | January 16
Allison Kaplan Sommer in Conversation with Mark Patinkin. 5:30 p.m. Reception. 6 p.m. Program. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI and Temple Beth-El in welcoming award-winning journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer. A journalist at Haaretz since 2012, Allison hosts the Haaretz Weekend podcast and co-hosts The Promised Podcast. Free. Information, Stephanie Hague at shague@jewishallianceri.org.
Temple Sinai Bingo. 7-9 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Bingo for prizes in our Social Hall. 10 games total. Cost: $5 per card per game. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Friday | January 17
Temple Emanu-El Shabbat B’Magal (with Six13) Service and Dinner. 5:45-8:30 p.m. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Service held in the round in Meeting House Foyer with acapella harmonies led by clergy and congregants in an intimate gathering where voices blend and the spirit of Shabbat comes alive. Followed by dinner. Information and RSVP (by 3 p.m. 1/15), Shosh Jacob at shosh@teprov.org or 401-3311616.
For more information contact Dori Adler at the Jewish Alliance at 401.421.4111 ext. 179 or dadler@jewishallianceri.org.
Active Shooter Incident Training. 1:45-3:45 p.m. EP Martial Arts, 345 Taunton Ave., Suite 101, East Providence. Learn about situational awareness; behavioral traits that identify threats; how to evade, deny and attack; and basic medical considerations. Cost: $99. Enroll in both this and the Women’s Self-Defense Training (see above) for a 25% discount. Information, EP Martial Arts at info@epmartialarts. com or 401-489-3189.
Kids’ Night Out: Superhero. 5-9 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Kids have fun while parents have the night off. Activities include gym games/ sports, art, board games, free play and a movie. Dinner and popcorn
Temple Sinai Celebrates Cantor Deborah. 1-3 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Luncheon in the Social Hall to celebrate Cantor Deborah. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
TEQ and the Jewish Alliance Present “The Swimmer.” 1-3 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Join Temple Emanu-El’s LGBTQ+ community and the Jewish Alliance for an afternoon of a movie and discussion. Free. Information, Shosh Jacob at shosh@ teprov.org or 401-331-1616.
Tuesday | January 14
Modern Jewish Couples: Wel-
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat and Torah Services. 5:45-6:15 p.m. By Zoom only. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Service. 6-7 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Service in the Sanctuary. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Temple Beth-El Shabbat Hallelu Service. 6:30 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join us for a pre-neg and musical service. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070.
Saturday | January 18
Temple Beth-El Torah Study. 9 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join us for in-person Torah study.
CALENDAR
Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual and In-Person Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:30-10:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. In person with Zoom available. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Beth-El Bring and Sing Havdalah. 6:30 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Bring your instrument, your voice or your spirit and a vegetarian nosh to share for a special Havdalah. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.
Temple Emanu-El Six13 Concert. 7-8 p.m. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Join us for a lively concert by the musical group Six13. Cost: $25 for TE members; $36 for non-members. Information, Shoshana Jacob at shosh@teprov.org or 401-3311616.
Friday | January 24
Jewish Alliance Hosts Blood Drive. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Donations by appointment. (Use Sponsor Code 1528.) Walk-ins welcomed if availability permits at time of arrival. Eat, drink and bring your photo ID. Information, ribc.org or 401-453-8383.
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat and Torah Services. 5:45-6:15 p.m. By Zoom only. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Service. 6-7:45 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Service will be held in the Sanctuary followed by an Oneg in the social hall. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350.
Temple Beth-El Shabbat Service. 7 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join us for Friday evening Shabbat service. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Saturday | January 25
Temple Beth-El Torah Study. 9 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. In-person Torah study. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070.
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual and In-Person Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:30-10:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. In person with Zoom available. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Beth-El K’tantan PJ Havdalah. 5:30 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Bring your kids to this Havdalah event. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070.
Sunday | January 26
Day at the J. 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Join us for a day filled with activities for the whole family. In addition to regularly scheduled morning group exercise classes (Spin, Zumba and Restorative Yoga) and open gym (11 a.m.-2 p.m.), this day will feature a donor Thanka-Thon Brunch (see below), an art lecture (see below) and kids’ activities (see below).
Day at the J Jewish Alliance
Thank-a-Thon Brunch. 10 a.m.noon. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Join us to make thank you calls, send thank you texts and write thank you notes to those in the community who donate to everything we do. BYOP – bring your own phone. Information, Brigitte Baum at bbaum@jewishallianceri.org.
Day at the J Art Lecture with Toba Weintraub. 1-2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Judy Chicago’s life work is about identity, as an artist, as a woman, as a Jewish woman artist and as an American Jewish woman artist. Her guiding star is Tikkun Olam, the healing and repairing of the world. Led by artist Toba Weintraub, we will explore Chicago’s installation “The Dinner Party.” Information, Samantha Kaufman at skaufman@jewishallianceri.org.
Day at the J Kids’ Activities/ Tropical Splash Bash. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Enjoy a jumpy house, books, games, crafts and light refreshments in the Social Hall. Enjoy pool floats, music and lots of fun in the full pool. Pool information and registration (required to ensure safety), Emily at eoconnor@jewishallianceri.org.
Temple Sinai People of the Book. 2-4 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Discuss “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
SBHEC International Holocaust Remembrance Day Event. 3-5pm. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center will host a screening of “Monument,” a documentary about a grandson’s return to the Hungarian Holocaust memorial that his grandmother built after she survived Auschwitz.
Zoom Q&A with the filmmaker, Michael Turner, following the film. Information, Giovanna Wiseman at gwiseman@hercri.org.
Modern Jewish Couples: Crafting Your Ketubah. 7:30-9 p.m. Rabbis Jen Gubitz and Stephanie Crawley will take you via Zoom through the steps to write your own Ketubah Wedding Contract. Interactive session. Participate with your Zoom screen on. If you choose to have your Ketubah translated into Hebrew, there will be a separate fee. Cost: $18-$72. Information, modernjewish18@gmail.com or 812-345-2405.
Friday | January 31
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat and Torah Services. 5:45-6:15 p.m. By Zoom only. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Sinai “Ask the Rabbi” Service. 6-7 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Prepare your questions for the semi-annual “Ask the Rabbi” service in the Chapel. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Temple Beth-El Shabbat Service. 7 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Information, Jillian Brosof-
sky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el. org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Saturday | February 1
Temple Beth-El Torah Study. 9 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. In-person Torah study. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070.
Congregation Beth Sholom Gala “Avodat HaLev: Serving with Heart.” 7:30-10:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. A night of celebration and honoring Jess Larko, Drs. Talya Benoff & Yitz Schleifer and Miriam Abrams-Stark & Marvin Stark. Individual Ticket Price: $108. Information, office@bethsholom-ri.org.
Sunday | February 2
PJ Library/ PJ Our Way/J-Camp/ Camp JORI Winter Party. 1-3 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Enjoy winter-themed games, crafts, snacks, a bounce house and more. Mingle with friends and learn more about Rhode Island’s only Jewish day and overnight camps. For families with kids ages 6 to 13. Information and RSVP (encouraged), Lyndsey Ursillo at lursillo@jewishallianceri.org.
Modern Jewish Couples: Planning a JewISH Wedding Workshop. 7:30-8:45 p.m. Meet other couples, connect with Rabbi Jen Gubitz and focus on how to build a meaningful wedding ceremony that reflects and honors your backgrounds and shared future. This virtual interactive workshop explores ritual options of a Jewish wedding from ancient to contemporary, egalitarian and creative. Cost: $18-$72. Information, modernjewish18@ gmail.com or 812-345-2405.
Wednesday | February 5
Delve Deeper: “Messianic Hope and Longing in Jewish Thought.” 7-9 p.m. Focusing on the divergence with Christianity, the disappointed expectation of Sabbatai Zvi, the rise of Hasidism, interpretations of Jewish Statehood as supernal redemption and the influence of Chabad philosophy on contemporary American Jewry, explore with Paul E. Nahme how Jews have made sense of exile and suffering, hope and longing. Weekly thru 4/9. Cost: $250. Information, Morty Miller at mortymiller1945@gmail. com.
Indulge your sweet tooth with a better-for-you swap
(FAMILY FEATURES)
If you’ve ever come home from a crisp, cool day craving a warm, indulgent treat, you’re not alone. Trouble is, sometimes those baked goodies are a bit too much work when you’re ready to just cozy up on the couch.
There’s good news: Baking doesn’t have to be hard when you make simple swaps and use ingredients that keep things easy. Try adding fresh produce to a boxed brownie mix in these Sweetpotato Cheesecake Brownies for an “in between” recipe that satisfies your sweet tooth without the hassle.
Plus, it offers a better-for-you twist as the sweetness from mashed sweet potatoes can replace some of the sugar needed to
bake regular brownies. Sweetpotatoes are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, all of which are good for overall health in this natural sweetener.
While you’re sharing this newfound favorite dessert with loved ones, you can also share this fun fact: “Sweetpotato” is deliberately spelled as one word by the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission. The sweetpotato and white potato are two distinct species representing two different plant families, and the one-word spelling helps correctly distinguish the two.
Give these betterfor-you treats a try and find more deli cious desserts and other creative ways to use sweetpotatoes at ncsweetpotatoes.com.
Sweetpotato Cheesecake Brownies
Recipe courtesy of the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission Servings: 16
INGREDIENTS
Brownie Layer:
Floured baking spray
1 package (18.2 ounces) dark chocolate fudge brownie mix
3/4 cup mashed sweetpotato, cooled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 egg
Cheesecake Layer:
1 package (8 ounces) reducedfat cream cheese
3/4 cup mashed sweetpotato, cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup miniature chocolate
prepare brownie layer: In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, sweetpotato, oil, water and egg until blended. Spread batter in bottom of prepared pan.
To
brownie batter. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and cool 15 minutes. Sprinkle
COMMUNITY VOICES
Judaism’s perspective on health and wellness
In Judaism, maintaining one’s health is considered a religious obligation, and a mitzvah (good deed) as your body is viewed as a vessel given by God and should be treated with respect.
THIS IS SUPPORTED in the article, “What Jewish Tradition Says About Health and Wellness,” by Rabbi Rick Schecter in ReformJudaism.
and soul. As the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria put it, “The body is the soul’s house. Therefore, shouldn’t we take care of our house so
for mental, spiritual and physical health:
• Consume a healthy diet based on your body's specific needs.
• Incorporate movement into your daily routine and engage in regular exercise.
• Pay attention to sleep, bedtime routines and
time each week to rest, reflect, and recharge both physically and spiritually.
In Chabad.org, Sara Esther Crispe writes in her article “A Torah Approach to Anxiety Relief,” “There are numerous times in the Torah which speak of anxiety, but there is one important passage that teaches us
person causes dejection, but a good word will turn it into joy.” The Hebrew for this is: Da’agah belev ish yashchenah, vedavar tov yesamchenah (Proverbs 12:25).
PATRICIA RASKIN , owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is an awardwinning radio producer, business owner and leader.
COMMUNITY VOICES
Moving forward: “On, sail on!”
We spent “Thanksgiving” in the nation’s capital, with a focus on the Museum of the American Indian which opened in 2004, as well as a gathering of cousins. There was a story behind my special focus. There is another site in DC that I wanted to see in a half-neglected grove in Rock Creek Park with an abandoned hut and a gathering of homeless “squatters” scattered around the empty log cabin once home of the poet and Western frontiersman Joaqui n Miller. I asked our daughter to drive me on this adventure and she, mostly reluctantly, agreed in her usual cheerful and kindly way. I was doing a bit of poetic research.
I WAS SEEKING the meaning of the phrase used by that once poetic pilgrim of a prior period in our national history in a poem titled “Columbus.”
Born Cincinnatus
Heine Miller in 1837, he adopted the pen name Joaquin Hiner Miller. He sought his fortune in California during the gold rush and lived in a Native American village for a year which influenced several of his writings. Miller was married at least twice, once to a
Native American, and had four or five children. His ode to the Admiral of the Ocean Sea was once well known to every school child.
On that westward bound voyage, the crew grew anxious and asked Columbus what to do with the winds, storms, hurricanes, and his only answer was, ON! SAIL ON!”
I interpreted that as a fitting guide for the America of Now as well as Then. Poetry does not merely seek
opinion but something less intentional, open, uncertain. And I found the same sense among the homeless folk there in an abandoned log cabin in a forgotten or forsaken space with my determined daughter as my personal guide and helper. She was searching for a few words to acknowledge the history of the rather wretched remainder of what had once been a free but welcome homestead for a poet of yore, whose reputation rose and sank in his lifetime. It struck me as more inspiring and relevant and truly artistic than the big new museums that celebrate space
travel among the stars. In fact, the only rival for me was the 2004 museum, a marvelous complement to the culture of the Native Americans.
Long ago when I was both a Brown grad student and a fresh new faculty member at RISD, there was a “Liggetts” counter where I took my midday coffee break. Oddly the guy who poured my brew called me “Cincinnatus.”
This eventually led me to pursue some recent research to figure out who the poet named for the virtuous Roman stateman really was. It turned out that the book of famous American verse or speech words included his salute to Columbus! It mentioned the pen name of the writer, who switched from Cincinnatus to Joaquin, and with the help of a kindly librarian I re-discovered both the adventures he had undertaken in the West, and the rise and fall that is often the fate and fortune of a poet or an author. He seemed to embody the Biblical idea that “A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country” since he was feted as an exotic Western frontiersman in England but more often derided as bombastic in the United States.
The geography in the “Columbus” poem is accurate, including the description of the passage beyond the Azores and the rough and tough weather that frightened and distressed the crew, but their fearless leader would repeat to their anxieties about it only the words “On! Sail on!” My motive for sharing this story
is to highlight that poetry is not the articulation of ideas, advice or counsel or even wisdom, but rather a challenge and a conundrum, a question, not an opinion. At this moment in time when many among us wonder what is ahead for the next chapter in our culture, maybe the plight of poetry is captured in the very nature and biography of the poet who changed his name, his fame and his wives (at least twice). As well as the children he left behind, there are those apt words for the concerns we have today, “On, sail on.” His genuine sympathy for the richness of the environment, the diversity of the design of the new and old worlds, and his adventurous spirit seem remarkably apt just now. I am proud to recall and claim that nickname, “Cincinnatus.”
MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol. com) is a professor emeritus at the Rhode Island School of Design.
MIKE FINK S KETCHB OOK
The writer with the statue of Columbus, now in Johnston, located with the help of friend Sam Marshall, a traveler and cordial coffee chum. Thanks Sam!
COMMUNITY VOICES
Schmoozing in Italy
BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN
Betsey and I love traveling in Italy. Having visited nearly 40 cities and towns from Milano to Messina, we hope to visit many more.
ONE OF OUR favorite destinations is Florence, where I studied during part of my junior year of college in the winter of 1969. I encouraged Betsey to study Italian, and she may now speak better than I.
Not merely surprised by our significant efforts, Italians so often encourage us. Having often inquired whether we have Italian ancestors, they are shocked to learn that we do not.
USINGS
inis and Maseratis.
Perhaps Betsey and I are shameless because we enjoy schmoozing with just about anybody. For better or worse, we typically interact with hotel and restaurant staff or merchants and cab drivers rather than our peers.
On our last trip to Florence, in November, we enjoyed being recognized by some staff members at our favorite hotel. One waitress, whom we may had met once or twice on previous visits, greeted us enthusiastically – like a long lost relative! I thought for a moment that Laura would not merely hug us, but burst into tears.
Then there’s a favorite Florentine restaurant where I more closely resemble a chef than my own fraternal twin! On our first visit there, a few waiters immediately rushed into the kitchen to fetch my lost “brother.”
Fellow visitors offer us even more schmoozing opportunities – in Italian or English – especially when enjoying meals at neighboring tables. On our recent trip to Florence, we became acquainted with two young men from India who had graduated from American colleges, Oberlin and Babson. They were visiting Italy for less than a week, however, and not to savor its art, architecture, music or wine. Rather, they loved the idea of driving Italian sports cars, so they experimented with Ferraris, Lamborgh-
On another evening in Florence, Betsey and I were seated next to a couple who, based on our remarks to waiters, assumed that we were Italians. Then they heard us speaking English to each other. Michael and Phoebe explained that, having been born in Hong Kong, they were naturalized Americans. They sought our advice about visiting other Italian
We did encounter a number of American students in Italy. Two were waiting in airports. One was from Colorado College, the other from Villanova University, and both were able to travel widely in Europe when not attending classes in Florence. While eating lunch at one of our favorite Florentine restaurants, we noticed four students seated together and busily chatting in English. I was curious to meet them (even if Betsey preferred that I leave them alone). Stopping to chat, I was astonished to learn that they were Stanford undergraduates. They were intrigued to learn that I had earned my doctorate there nearly 50 years ago. Indeed, while a student in Florence, I had met some of their predecessors—possibly even their grandparents!
As an undergraduate, I attended Lake Forest, a small liberal arts college near Chicago. I was among the first cadre of its students to study in Italy. Although Lake Forest no longer maintains its own Florentine program, I recently contacted some administrators to learn if any current students were participating in a sister program. Indeed, there were two
such students whom Betsey and I enjoyed meeting over cocktails. They were enjoying their Italian adventure, which included preparing their own meals, as much as I did all those years ago.
But what about meeting Jews? Betsey and I have visited several synagogues in Italy. On our most recent trip, we visited a magnificent, 19th-century example in Modena, a small city north of Bologna. The caretaker who welcomed us said nothing to indicate that he was a Jew, and he asked nothing about our backgrounds. Likewise, the soldiers who guarded the synagogue’s exterior chose or were commanded to say almost nothing to us.
Similarly, on our return visit to the gorgeous, 19th-century synagogue in Florence, nobody sought to engage us. We were allowed to walk freely within the sanctuary and visit the upstairs museum, but a Jewish presence here also felt
ghostly. Once again, silent soldiers guarded its perimeter and the congregation’s vibrant past.
As we were leaving the synagogue, I noticed a storefront with a large photo of the late Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Chabad movement’s patriarch. As I snapped a photo of it, a young, bearded rabbi emerged from a doorway and asked me to lay tefillin. I was tempted to say that, for 25 years, I had often helped form a minyan at Providence’s Chabad House, but I was not personally drawn to this movement. Rather, I had much preferred helping form and lead Temple BethEl’s minyan before the onset of Covid. More importantly perhaps, I have always needed to find my own way within Judaism and probably everything else. Was it somehow easier in Italy to schmooze with Gentiles than Jews? Or is schmoozing as much an Italian preoccupation as a
Jewish one?
While I enjoy greeting strangers at Beth-El and elsewhere, I too enjoy being recognized and welcomed. Am I simply naïve about potential dangers or am I essentially an optimist? Alas, my career as a salesman lasted for only one summer, until I turned 23. Perhaps it’s easier to conclude that I have always lacked or spurned the reserve that characterizes many New Englanders. Or that being a mensch in Italy or elsewhere represents a natural urge to share warmth and kindness. I hope that such conviviality is also occasionally expressed through my column. Then again, “column,” like “calumny,” is such a joyless word! “Yacker” would probably suffice.
GEORGE M. GOODWIN , of Providence, is the editor of Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes.
OPINION
Israeli leaders threaten ‘war’ in the West Bank after terror attack
BY BEN SALES
(JTA) – Israeli leaders are threatening to unleash a war on terror groups in the West Bank in the wake of a shooting attack that killed three Israelis in the territory on Monday.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, used bellicose language when discussing Israel’s response to the attack, in which Palestinian gunmen fired on vehicles on a northern West Bank highway, killing three people. He said he told Israel’s military to bolster its forces in the West Bank.
“The lowly murderous attack that occurred here yesterday is an act of war in every sense and will be answered accordingly,” Katz said at the site of the shooting. “We will act with strength against the attackers and those who send them, and also against those who give them support.”
The past year or so has already been one of the most violent periods in decades for the West Bank. After Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Israeli military has conducted numerous counter-terror raids in the West Bank, killing hundreds of Palestinians and arresting thousands. Recently, the Palestinian Authority, which governs Palestinian population centers in the West Bank and coordinates with Israel’s military, has also fought terrorist cells.
Dozens of Israelis have been killed during that time in terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. When Israel’s leaders discuss the war they have led against regional terror groups, the West Bank is frequently included as one of the fronts alongside Gaza and Lebanon.
Now, as a fragile ceasefire holds in Lebanon and negotiations over a Gaza truce are ongoing, some Israeli leaders are pushing for the military to shift its focus to the West Bank.
The front pages of both of Israel’s leading newspapers on Tuesday morning reported calls from local Israeli settlers for a broader military operation in the West Bank.
The threats of broader military action in the West Bank are coming in part from far-right leaders who have long advocated a harsher crackdown on Palestinian terror groups in the territory and who want Israel to control it perpetually. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who staunchly opposes a Gaza ceasefire, tweeted, “Whoever is pursuing an end to the war in Gaza will get a war in Judea and Samaria,” the Israeli government’s term for the West Bank.
A group of Israeli settlers rioted in the area of the attack Monday, torching Palestinian cars.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also oversees civilian affairs in Israel’s West Bank settlements, tweeted after the attack that Nablus and Jenin, large northern West Bank cities, “need to look like Jabaliya,” a city and refugee camp in Gaza that has been heavily damaged in Israel’s military campaign there. Last year, prior to Oct. 7, Smotrich had called on the IDF to wipe out another West Bank Palestinian town, but later walked that statement back, saying he had been misunderstood. On Monday, he also called for the dismantling of the P.A.
“The terror in Judea and Samaria and the terror from Gaza and Iran is the same terror — and it must be beaten,” he wrote. “Whoever relies on the Palestinian Authority to safeguard the security of Israel’s citizens will wake up to a morning when terrorists are again butchering Jewish residents.”
IN RECENT YEARS, I’ve come to appreciate more and more The New York Times columnist David Brooks (b. 8/10/61), who came to the newspaper in September 2003, to replace William Safire as the “designated conservative.” As a dedicated reader of Brooks’ columns, I have noticed that over the years he seems to have been moving leftward from a fairly traditional “rightish” Republican stance to a man who could be defined as a political moderate who occupies a position a bit right or a bit left of center, depending upon the particular issue. He now appears to be a man who is trying to lay out a path that can bring together the redder and bluer sections of America into a single red, white and blue United States.
during adolescence.”
SEEMS TOME
I will never forget that unusually cold Thanksgiving weekend, when I came to appreciate the non-academic “smarts” of the automobile mechanic who showed me how to get my car’s seemingly frozen carburetor to come back to life by means of the precise placement of his screwdriver. Not a single one of my many undergraduate courses at Columbia College could have been of any help in rescuing my wife and me from being stuck on the frigid South Fork of Long Island.
considers to be the immorality of Trumpism, a political world that is, at heart, profoundly anti-institutional. Brooks is by no means blind to the multiple serious problems with our American democracy: “Today it really is true that the Pentagon is administratively a mess. It really is true the meritocracy needs to be rethought. It really is true that Congress is dysfunctional and the immigration system is broken.”
Brooks begins the second paragraph of his long Oct. 3, 2024, Times essay, “A Recipe for a Striving America,” with “Of course, we’ve always had vast inequalities in America, but it used to feel like inequalities within a single society. Now it feels like separate societies with almost no social exchange between the two.”
Brooks goes on to point out that over the past several decades, our economy has shifted from manufacturing (making things) to ideas (information technologies), from brawn to brain. As a result, we have been stressing the importance of extending our workforce’s schooling beyond high school, leading to undergraduate degrees and, increasingly, graduate and professional degrees. At the same time, the value of non-academic skills, the kind that used to be taught in vocational schools, has been downgraded. Today Brooks calls upon us to reevaluate the wide range of capabilities that our workers can bring to their jobs.
“I strongly believe that any healthy society needs to reward a variety of abilities, not just the one our meritocracy rewards: the ability to please teachers and take tests
As Brooks emphasizes toward the end of his Oct. 3 essay, “To create a just society, we need to build a society that rewards a diversity of skills…We have to find more ways to reward the abilities that don’t involve information analysis on a laptop.”
In his Nov. 8 Times column, just three days after Election Day, “Voters to Elites: Do You See Me Now?” Brooks continues his theme of rewarding the diversity of abilities within our working population: “The great sucking sound you heard was the redistribution of respect. People who climbed the academic ladder were feted with accolades, while those who didn’t were rendered invisible. The situation was especially hard on boys… Schools are not set up for male success; that has lifelong personal, and now national, consequences.”
Further on, Brooks chides his readers with the following barb: “…there’s something off about an educated class that looks in the mirror of society and sees only itself.”
In his Times column this past Nov. 29, “The Moral Challenge of Trumpism,” Brooks seems to switch his sympathy away from those millions of Americans who have not climbed the academic ladder – many of whom happened to be Trump voters; rather, in this op-ed piece, he focuses on what he
Nevertheless, Brooks insists upon working within our time-tested institutions; his aim is to help reform, to repair, to renew our system of government, not to destroy it. Brooks chooses to end his Nov. 29 column not with a ringing affirmation but with this question: “What kind of person do you want our children to become – reformers who honor their commitments to serve and change the institutions they love or performative arsonists who vow to burn it all down?” I have told again and again this story from our Talmud: Two men are sitting in a small wooden boat in the middle of a wide and deep lake. All of a sudden, one of the men takes out a drill and begins drilling a hole under his seat. “What in the world are you doing?” asks his partner with mounting alarm; “Are you trying to sink our boat?” “What are you worried about?” asks the other nonchalantly. “I’m only making a hole under my seat.”
This ancient Talmudic tale well illustrates what Brooks has been trying to tell us: We Americans, be we red-state or blue-state, are all in the same boat; it is urgent that we all seek to become, once again, a red, white and blue nation. We need to learn from each other. We need to help each other. We need to respect each other. Because WE ARE EACH OTHER!!
JAMES B. ROSENBERG is a rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@ templehabonim.org.
RABBI JAMES ROSENBERG
OPINION Thinking like us
BY MARJORIE DAVIS
The first election I remember is the 1972 Nixon vs. McGovern race. Students in my Providence Hebrew Day School class overwhelmingly voiced their support for McGovern. Too young to understand the issues and have their own opinions, my classmates simply parroted their parents’ choices.
ONE NIGHT I overheard my father telling someone, “Of course Nixon is going to win. McGovern doesn’t stand a chance.” I was astounded! How could Nixon win when everyone I knew was for McGovern? But I was only eight years old, so how could I have understood that my class was in no way representative of the country at large. Indeed, we were a homogenous group of people. For one thing, we were all Jewish. Furthermore, at a time when only 12% of the country had a college degree, all our fathers did and most of our mothers did, as well. Almost all our fathers were either doctors or business owners. Our slice of the American pie certainly did not fit neatly into the rest.
Fast forward to the 2024 election. Some say that one of the reasons for Harris’ loss was her party’s inability to understand that the elites, celebrities, and media were no more indicative of the vast American diversity than my 1972 class was. It is ironic that the people who tout diversity often fail to see it in all of its forms and assume that most of the country shares their priorities and frames of reference.
Douglas Adams said, “The hardest assumption to challenge is the one you don’t even know you are making.” Religion is another area
where all too many people make assumptions all too often. Acknowledging that not everyone is Christian, many Americans now say, “Happy Holidays”; however, most of my European colleagues do not use this more inclusive phrase and continue to wish everyone a “Merry Christmas”.
A French Muslim friend of mine recounted a childhood memory. After returning from the holiday break, his teacher asked the students to describe the gifts they received for Christmas. Not wanting to feel left out, my friend rattled off some fake presents. How presumptuous of the teacher to take for granted that everyone celebrates Christmas.
Then there are those who do recognize that there are religious differences, but set out to foist their beliefs on others.
A colleague of mine, after finding out that I didn’t celebrate Christmas, said she would bring me a book about Jesus. When I relayed the woman’s comment to another colleague, she said that the woman was “just trying to help me.”
Recently in Oklahoma the state superintendent proclaimed that all schools are required to include in their curriculums the Bible and the Ten Commandments. Similar laws were tried in Texas and Louisiana but
were struck down. With no respect for the separation of church and state, the Texas Lt. Governor has said that he will try again in 2025. Both the Bible and the numbering of the Ten Commandments differ among the Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish religions, and of course, people of other faiths do not subscribe to them.
Even worse is radical Islamism whose goal is to usurp all other religions. Unbeknownst to the pro-Palestinian protestors, Hamas and the other Iranian proxies do not call for a Palestinian state or for the liberation of Palestine, but for the elimination of infidels. Their overarching goal is to force Sharia law on all by creating a worldwide Islamic caliphate.
Unlike people of other faiths, Jews do not proselytize. In fact, Jewish law forbids us to try to convert
someone to our religion or to impose our religious practices on others. Judaism teaches us that all righteous peoples share an equal place in heaven, regardless of their faith.
Brandeis University, my alma mater, has a beautiful campus with striking architecture. One of the most inspirational aspects is the placement of the various houses of worship. The layout was strategically designed so that no building would ever cast a shadow on another, symbolizing tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
In 1972 Nixon won by a landslide, receiving 520 electoral votes while McGovern got 17. It was at that time, amidst the homogeneity of my Jewish day school, that I discovered America’s heterogeneity and realized that the views of those in my sphere were not necessarily
the views of the rest of my country. Throughout the years that I studied Torah, Talmud, and Mishnah at the school, I never heard from the rabbis one disparaging word about other faiths or the people who followed them. We had our beliefs, others had theirs, and there was no reason to consider them mutually exclusive.
How phenomenal it would be if we could all recognize and accept that not everyone shares our religious beliefs. How magnificent it would be if we could all rejoice in our own faiths, hold fast to our own beliefs, and yet, like the houses of worship at Brandeis, never cast our own shadow on another.
MARJORIE DAVIS lives in Providence, RI. Her blog can be found at https://blogs. timesofisrael.com/author/ marjorie-davis/
Warsaw Ghetto memorial defaced with anti-Israel graffiti
BY BEN SALES
(JTA) – A memorial to Jews deported from the Warsaw Ghetto was defaced with graffiti appearing to equate the Holocaust with the war in Gaza.
The graffiti makes Warsaw’s Umschlagplatz memorial the latest of a string of
Holocaust monuments to be vandalized with anti-Israel messages.
The marble structure commemorates the spot where hundreds of thousands of Jews were assembled before being deported to concentration camps in 1942 and 1943. The red graffiti says “Warsaw 1943 = Gaza 2025,” and was
written beneath a quote from the biblical book of Job in Hebrew, Yiddish and Polish reading, “Earth, do not cover my blood; let there be no resting place for my outcry.”
The graffiti echoes the claim made by pro-Palestinian activists that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza constitutes a genocide, an
accusation Israel vigorously denies. On Tuesday, Yacov Livne, Israel’s ambassador in Poland, decried the graffiti.
“Shameful vandalism at Warsaw’s memorial for 300,000 (!) Jews deported to Treblinka,” he wrote on Tuesday. “Poland has a special responsibility to protect Jewish & Holocaust sites;
hold vandals accountable.”
Since Hamas launched the war with its attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Holocaust memorials or museums in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and elsewhere have been defaced with graffiti protesting Israel’s conduct in Gaza.
PHDS 2nd grade class in 1972. The writer is the little girl on the far right. Many readers will remember Rabbi Cohen on the left, and Rabbi Greenfield and Mrs. Amcis on the right.
NEWS ROUNDUP
What’s ahead for the 34 Jewish members of the 119th Congress
BY RON KAMPEAS JTA
WASHINGTON – There are 34 Jews in the incoming Congress, with a 35th likely to join in April.
SHOULD THAT candidate, Florida State Sen. Randy Fine, win his special election in Florida, that would mean no change in numbers overall between the outgoing Congress and the incoming one: The House Jewish delegation will drop from 26 to 25, but the number of Jewish senators will increase from nine to a minyan.
Dig a little deeper, though, and there are some changes – both in terms of new challenges and new opportunities for the Jewish class of the 119th Congress. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Jewish Republicans (likely) double their caucus
Ohio Rep. Max Miller and Tennessee Rep. David Kustoff will be joined by Craig Goldman of Texas, increasing the Republican caucus by 50%.
Fine, an outspoken right-winger who has made defending Jewish interests a centerpiece of his campaigning despite the small Jewish population in his district, Florida’s 6th, would double the representation to four.
That’s the largest number of Jewish Republicans in the House – and in Congress overall – since the 1990s. It reflects a newly assertive Jewish movement in the GOP, which portrays their party as a stronger advocate of Israel and Jewish interests, and points to gains, albeit small ones, in the Jewish vote for president.
President-elect Donald J. Trump urged Fine to run after picking Michael Waltz, who currently represents the district, to lead the National Security Council. It was quite a shift for Fine, who claims he had been prepared to move his family to Israel had Vice President Kamala Harris won the presidency.
Goldman, a realtor, is a more traditional Republican. In pledging to maintain the internationalist policies
of his predecessor, Kay Granger, who is retiring, he also represents where most Jews in the party have been historically. That differentiates him from Trump and his acolytes, including Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, who favor a more insular United States.
Two new Jewish Democrats in the House
Laura Friedman is stepping into Adam Schiff’s Los Angeles area 30th District seat as he moves to the Senate.
Friedman, an assemblywoman who was a leading member of the robust Jewish caucus in California’s legislature told Jewish Insider in March that she will hew to Schiff’s mainstream pro-Israel outlook. Both she and Schiff came under fire from pro-Palestinian progressives during their campaigns.
Eugene Vindman, the incoming freshman from Virginia’s 7th District, stretching from the Washington, D.C. suburbs down toward Richmond, is one of a pair of twin brothers who helped expose the telephone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that led to Trump’s first impeachment in early 2020. Before winning his race, Vindman had served in the military and on the National Security Council.
First-term congressmen don’t usually get a lot of attention, but that may not be the case for Vindman. Trump has vowed retribution against the Democrats who impeached him and exposed his role in the violent pro-Trump Jan. 6, 2021, riot in the U.S. Capitol – a list that could include the freshman rep.
Adam Schiff – upholding the law, Jewishly
Speaking of Trump and retribution, the presi-
dent-elect has named the freshman California senator as a target – and said he wants to see him in jail. Schiff not only led Trump’s first impeachment, he co-chaired the inquiry into the Jan. 6 events.
Schiff has said his focus will be first and foremost on California, but he has no illusions that he will avoid the crosshairs of the president-elect and his allies. He recently told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he fears for the fragility of U.S. democracy.
Schiff, who began his career as a prosecutor, casts his concerns for democracy and the place of Jews in America as part of the same mission. Not for nothing, he chose to be sworn in this week on the Mishneh Torah, the monumental code of Jewish law by the medieval sage Maimonides.
A changing of the guard at the House Judiciary Committee
New York’s Jerry Nadler got the message this month when someone leaked to the New York Times that Maryland’s Jamie Raskin was seeking to displace him as the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee: He volunteered to step down, reportedly reluctantly.
The two have plenty in common, aside from being Jewish: Nadler was Schiff’s second-in-command at Trump’s first impeachment hearings and Raskin helped lead the second impeachment, over Trump’s role in spurring the Jan. 6 riot. They both have deep Jewish communal roots, with Raskin for years championing Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, and Nadler a product of a yeshiva education. They also are among the pro-Israel Democrats who are still more most trenchantly critical of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They joined a letter last month calling on the lame-duck Biden administration to sanction two far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s government, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
When Netanyahu addressed Congress in July, Nadler walked in carrying a hypercritical biography of the prime minister, and read it while waiting for him to speak.
But Nadler, at 77, is also well over a decade older than Raskin, 61, reportedly one of the driving factors behind the switch. Nadler is the longest serving Jewish member in Congress.
Two Senate leaders in the minority
Bernie Sanders was handily reelected in this year’s Vermont Senate contest, even though he will be 89 when he completes his term. The unofficial leader of congressional progressives, Sanders has said he is still ready to work with the Trump administration on nuts-and-bolts economic issues like credit card debt reform.
He also is spearheading efforts to cut defense assistance to Israel. That quest likely will go nowhere with a Republican sweep of the White House and both chambers of Congress, but it is a sign of how entrenched skepticism of Israel funding has become among progressives.
And as of Jan. 3, New York’s Chuck Schumer will continue to lead Democrats in the chamber – but will relinquish the title that made him the most senior Jewish elected official in American history. South Dakota’s John Thune, a Republican, is replacing Schumer as majority leader. Schumer may have also missed his chance to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which would codify into law a popular but controversial definition of antisemitism. Supporters say the definition, commonly known as the IHRA definition, provides a guide to how antisemitism manifests today. Critics say it is overly broad in how it is applied to criticism of Israel and could chill legitimate political speech. Schumer wanted to attach the act to a must-pass defense budget bill, but House Speaker Mike Johnson declined.
Here are the Jews incoming to the new Congress, minus Randy Fine, whose April 1 election appears all but guaranteed.
U.S. House of Representatives
Laura Friedman, D, California 30
Brad Sherman, D, California 32
Mike Levin, D, California 49
Sara Jacobs, D, California 51
Lois Frankel, D, Florida 22
Jared Moskowitz, D, Florida 23
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D, Florida 25
Jan Schakowsky, D, Illinois 9
Brad Schneider, D, Illinois 10
Jamie Raskin, D, Maryland 8
Jake Auchincloss, D, Massachusetts 4
Josh Gottheimer, D, New Jersey 5
Dan Goldman, D, New York 10
Jerry Nadler, D, New York 12
Greg Landsman, D, Ohio 1
Max Miller, R, Ohio 7
Suzanne Bonamici, D, Oregon 1
Seth Magaziner, D, Rhode Island 2
David Kustoff, R, Tennessee 8
Steve Cohen, D, Tennessee 9
Craig Goldman, R, Texas 12
Becca Balint, D, Vermont at large
Eugene Vindman, D, Virginia 7
Kin Schrier, D, Washington 8
U.S. Senate
(Elected this cycle)
Adam Schiff, D, California
Elissa Slotkin, D, Michigan
Jacky Rosen, D, Nevada
Bernie Sanders, Independent, caucuses with Democrats, Vermont
(Elected previous cycles)
Michael Bennet, D, Colorado
Richard Blumenthal, D, Connecticut
Jon Ossoff, D, Georgia
Brian Schatz, D, Hawaii
Chuck Schumer, D, New York
Ron Wyden, D, Oregon
NEWS ROUNDUP
8 fascinating Jewish news stories from 2024 that you might have missed
JTA STAFF
(JTA) – Some Jewish stories of the last year have been impossible to miss: Israel at war, antisemitism around the world, a U.S. presidential election featuring Jewish politicians.
Others may have slipped under the radar, drowned out by the drumbeat of breaking news. Here, we draw your attention to eight such stories, starting with one we published at the very beginning of the year.
The magical life of Albert Levis, a scholar of storytelling who has his own improbable tale
Albert Levis, in his late 80s, is a Holocaust survivor from Greece, a psychiatrist, a real-estate investor, a businessman, an author, a student of Jewish philosophy, a possible future documentary star and a ceaseless searcher of the human condition.
From his home in Vermont, where his family operates an inn, he has also embarked on a single-minded quest to explain the scientific process by which humanity turns traumatic, morally troubling experiences into stories. He believes it can rid the world of war and strife – if only people would listen.
This teenaged girl studied the whole Talmud in just 2.5 years
When she was 14, Elke Bentley could hear her father’s online Talmud classes through the wall between her bedroom and his home office in Brookline, Massachusetts. Undeterred by the 5 a.m. start time, she tuned in as the men did Daf Yomi, a regimen of page-aday Talmud learning that stretches over seven and a half years. She decided she wanted to do it faster. This year, she pulled it off, completing the entire Babylonian Talmud at 18 before heading off to Harvard University. The rare feat represents something of a landmark for the movement to expand
text learning for Orthodox women.
The secret list of 29 names that helps pollsters find American Jews
How do researchers study American Jews? At least some of the time, they use a list of 29 names that are distinctively Jewish, according to a research protocol that was devised in 1942 and is still used today. The list – which could not be found online until we published it – consists of entirely Ashkenazi surnames, so it would do poorly for identifying, for example, Persian, Israeli or Russian Jews, a growing concern as American Jewry becomes increasingly diverse. Still, researchers say it has value, and they’re updating the list so it stays useful in the future.
Jerry
Lewis’ infamously terrible Holocaust movie is having a moment
Film buffs have long understood that legendary funnyman Jerry Lewis never wanted anyone to see his Holocaust movie. “The Day the Clown Cried,” a maudlin tragicomedy about a German clown ordered to entertain children at the Auschwitz death camps, was filmed in the early 1970s but never completed or released, and it has remained unseen. This year, Lewis’ folly reentered the public eye, with a documentary devoted to it, a Hollywood producer acquiring rights to the original script, and the Library of Congress opening its trove of material to researchers. What you need to know about what’s widely thought to be the worst Holocaust movie ever made. And you still can’t watch it.
Klezmer legend
Frank London was gearing up for the fight of his life
An all-star lineup of Jewish musicians hunkered down at a suburban New York City synagogue one night in May to tackle
an intimidating feat: They would be recording seven new liturgical songs without ever having played together before, or even fully worked out the music and words. The breakneck pace was not a choice: The lead musician, klezmer legend Frank London, had been ordered by his oncologist to report to the hospital to start a grueling regimen of treatments meant to cure his rare cancer. The songs have now been released as an album and London is preparing to retake the stage in early 2025.
A German soldier looted postcards from doomed Jews in Poland; his granddaughter brought them back
As a child, Karla McCabe knew her grandfather had been a German soldier in World War II – but she didn’t know what he did during those years. Later, she inherited part of his stamp collection and discovered postcards addressed to a destination destroyed by the Nazis: the famed Chachmei Lublin Yeshiva in Poland. This year, McCabe returned the postcards to Lublin, where just 40 Jews live but an effort is underway to retrieve relics of the lost Jewish house of study. “These cards are neither a gift nor a donation,” she said in a ceremony we covered from Poland. “I am simply bringing home Holocaust loot.”
In the Spanish town of León, locals serve up a seasonal ‘Kill Jews’ cocktail
“Semana Santa,” or the holy week before Easter, is the most important religious period in Spain. The city of León hosts particularly spectacular celebrations – all accompanied by a Leonese cocktail made from red wine, lemons, cinnamon and sugar that revelers call a “Kill Jews” cocktail. “It’s strange to foreigners, but they take it with a laugh,” said a server at a local tapas bar. “Here it’s
normal.” The tradition has drawn attention to León’s lost Jewish history.
Meet J.D. Vance’s Jewish chief of staff
Jacob Reses’ earliest political activity, as a teenager, involved campaigning to raise local taxes and denouncing the right-wing commentator Ann Coulter as “spewing hate.” It was hardly an obvious launching pad for a career in Republican poli-
tics, but this year, Reses, the grandson of a Holocaust refugee, quietly became one of the most influential conservatives in the United States when his boss, J.D. Vance, was elected vice president. What role Reses will play in the new administration is not publicly known – but his presence as a Jewish chief of staff was notable in a campaign season characterized by rising Christian nationalism among Republicans.
Hanukkah around Rhode Island
The Menorah in front of Providence city hall.
Providing music at the city hall event on Dec. 26 were bassist Ben Friedland, vocalist Daniel Herzberg Mayor, and his brother Rafi Herzberg Mayor on keyboard.
Israeli shlichah, Gaya, talks about Hanukkah in Israel on Dec. 11 at the Dwares JCC.
Kids worked on various projects around the room at the JCC event.
A crowd gathered in front of city hall for the Menorah lighting ceremony on Dec. 26.
Making Hanukkah cards are siblings Camilla Oster Kelly, 5, left, and Landon Oster Kelly, right, 7, at the Providence city hall event.
Ben Adler, and his daughter Lila Adler, 6, playing a dreidel game at the JCC event.
Israeli Culture Series and PJ Library Present: Lights and Delights: Hanukkah in Israel on Dec. 11 at the JCC.
Three-year-old Olivia Wolpert, of Providence, was in the middle of the action as kids made Hanukkah cards Dec. 26 at the Providence city hall event.
PHOTOS GLEN OSMUNDSON
R.I Gov. Dan McKee spoke to the crowd at the State House menorah lighting on Dec. 30.
Shandelle Kenler greets friend Saul Martin as they check in at the Kosher Senior Cafe Hanukkah party and Dec. 20.
Rabbi Efraim Potash, of London England, right, began the lighting at the State house with a blessing on Dec. 30. On the left, is Rabbi Berel Laufer, from Chabad of Providence.
Dessert is served at the end of lunch at the Kosher Senior Cafe.
Nitza Atali lights the last candle of the night at the Menorah lighting in the RI State House.
Sandy Shmuely entertains at the State House.
Shelley Katsh provided music during lunch at the Kosher Senior Cafe on Dec. 20.
Anita Gordon, of Providence, says a blessing after lighting the Shabbat candles during the Kosher Senior Cafe Hanukkah party Dec. 20
Mindy Pierce lights candles.
The dancing began when the ceremony ended at the State House Dec. 30.
PHOTOS GLEN OSMUNDSON
COMMUNITY
BUSINESS 28 | OBITUARIES 29
Brown grad Jed Resnick is back in town with the touring ‘MJ: The Musical’
BY BOB ABELMAN
PROVIDENCE – It’s tough enough mastering King of Pop Michael Jackson’s mannerisms, dress and moonwalk when earning loose change on big city street corners. It’s a whole new level of complexity and competence when playing the man in “MJ: The Musical,” which will be at the Providence Performing Arts Center from Jan. 21-26 on national tour. It requires a significant amount of preparation to develop the psychological and emotional depth required to break through the familiar exterior and expose Jackson’s troubled background and some semblance of his troubling biography.
“YEAH, THERE’S NOT so much preparation when playing Dave,” says Jed Resnick, who has been portraying MJ’s business manager since he and three other actors joined the tour this past July.
Resnick – who was born and raised on Roosevelt Island, New York, was a Bar Mitzvah at the conservative Park Avenue Synagogue and graduated from Brown University – was reached by phone to discuss his upcoming return to Providence by way of PPAC.
JRI: What brought you to Brown?
RESNICK: The school offered a solid liberal arts education and undergraduate theater program. The greatest lessons I learned occurred during my junior year, when I took two classes with Oskar Eustis [who served as the artistic director of the Trinity Repertory Company from 1994 to 2005]. He imparted the value of theater in society,
and though I was doing wonderfully fun and joyous work in musicals, I learned that it was important and essential work that taught life lessons and made a difference.
JRI: You graduated in May 2007.
RESNICK: I was set to graduate in the Class of 2006 but decided to take a year off to join the national tour of “Rent.” After that I performed in “Avenue Q” in New York City and then, many years later, toured in “Company.” While on tour I had the opportunity to audition for “MJ: The Musical” since the actor playing Dave [Matt Loehr] was leaving the show to be in “Some Like It Hot” on Broadway.
JRI: It’s been announced that a new actor will be playing MJ when the show comes to Providence.
RESNICK: The current “MJ,” Jamaal Fields-Green, will be taking over the title role in
London’s West End starting mid-January and Jordan Markus will step in on tour. Actually, he’s been playing the alternate “MJ” on tour for the past year, which means he’s been playing the role two times a week. His Michael is so sweet and loving, and he really brings a passionate artistic drive to the character. Jordan’s phenomenal.
JRI: My diligent research found that, of all the many business managers Michael Jackson had, sued, and was sued by, there was no Dave.
JRI: So, no trade secrets shared by your predecessor.
RESNICK: Not a one. But Dave does serve as a grounding force in MJ’s world.
RESNICK: There was no Dave. He is not a historical figure, which is why there was not a lot of prep required for the role.
JRI: The musical is set in 1992, as MJ is preparing to embark on a global tour following the success of his album “Dangerous.” We find him making all kinds of unrealistic demands on his production manager and technical manager, and he submits to your character a list of hoped-for extravagances that include 1,000 tons of equipment, 212 speakers, 80 cast and crew, and an entourage of 15.
RESNICK: And a jet pack. And a cotton candy machine. Dave’s job is to tell MJ “no”
and bring him down to earth. But ultimately, MJ’s dreams and quest for perfection and artistic excellence aren’t compromised. Which is why Dave doesn’t have a whole lot of stage time. He’s what we call a “Princess track” [in reference to the smallness of the now-defunct Princess Theatre on Broadway, which produced short plays on a tiny stage to only 14 rows of seats]. Dave is on stage for about 12 minutes of the two hours and 45 minutes of the show, but they are an important 12 minutes.
JRI: What are you doing for the remaining two-and-a-half hours?
RESNICK: In the very beginning of the show, I am on Michael Jackson’s security detail – I’m the guy in the shades and dark suit – and during a sequence at Studio 54, I get to be the club owner. I also have a few moments of singing/rapping.
JRI: We’ll be looking for you.
RESNICK: Don’t blink.
“MJ: The Musical” runs at the Providence Performing Arts Center from Jan 21-26. Tickets are $79 - $229 (plus fee).
BOB ABELMAN is an awardwinning theater critic who formerly wrote for the Austin Chronicle.
Jordan Markus as MJ and the cast of “MJ: The Musical,” including Jed Resnick (with sunglasses in the left background).
PHOTO | MATTHEW MURPHY
Jed Resnick
PHOTO | JUSTIN PATTERSON
COMMUNITY
Crime novel explores the lines between loyalty and obsession
BY ROBIN KALL
Stories have always been my way to make sense of the world, and “We Would Never” left a deep impression on me. In many ways, my connection to this story mirrors how Tova Mirvis’ books have impacted me. Her ability to explore the intricacies of family, identity, and relationships has long resonated with me, making her work a must-read. I’m thrilled to be bringing her to Rhode Island for what I know will be a memorable and enjoyable evening for readers.
I RECENTLY asked her a few questions about her new book to share with Jewish Rhode Island readers.
“We Would Never” is inspired by a true story, please share a little bit about that.
The inspiration for “We Would Never” was a truecrime story that took place in Florida that I had a very tangential connection to. It was a terrible spousal murder in the midst of a contentious divorce, and I was horrified and captivated. For years, I followed the story as the exwife’s family was implicated and eventually arrested. I read everything I could in search of understanding – not about the facts of the murder or the legal proceedings, but the human story. How do people who once loved each other become so enraged? How does a seemingly ordinary family commit such a horrendous act? As much as I read, I always came away dissatisfied – there was so much information online but not what I most needed to know. I decided to take the bones of that true crime story and transform it into a novel. I came to feel that the only way to understand this story -- and so many stories like it – was to imagine my way into the character’s inner lives. The title is intriguing, was this always the title?
The title came very late –nerve-wrackingly late in fact. For most of the five years that I spent writing the book, the working title was “Sunshine,”
which wasn’t quite right. My editor, agent and I kept a running list of titles, and I tried to come up with something but was really stuck. The book was already in the publication process when my editor said they needed the title by the next day. We looked at the possibilities we’d come up with and there was “We Would Never,” buried on one of these lists and it just felt
right. The novel is so much about what a family believes it would never do, until they are doing that exact thing. And for the reader too, we feel sure about what we would or wouldn’t do, but we don’t always know what we might do in situations we can’t yet imagine.
Please talk about the cast of characters and if any were more challenging to write I’d love to hear about those.
“We Would Never” is a mystery about a murder but
more than that, it’s a mystery about family love and loyalty and estrangements. In the midst of a bitter divorce, Hailey, the daughter, turns to her parents for help. Her mother Sherry has always done everything for her children and is grappling with the fear that she is losing her children. Her husband Solomon is removed from the family drama but exerts a strong presence that is increasingly threatened. Then there are two brothers, Nate, who is impulsive and brash but also loyal to his sister, and Adam, who is estranged from his parents. These dynamics come together to create a firestorm.
Adam and Nate were the easiest to write, though they’re the farthest from my own life. And Sherry was the hardest – I needed to strike a balance between allowing her to be overbearing but still be relatable. For all the characters, I wanted to write from inside their perspectives, to be inside their heads and hearts.
Family drama is always interesting to me. Do you anticipate hearing stories of your readers’ family drama?
I love family drama, at least on the page. Every family has some kind of drama – maybe not things people talk about publicly but there are always complications, frictions, rivalries, and disappointments. Those are painful in real life, but they can make for great fiction. In “We Would Never,” I wanted to explore love that can be suffocating and family ties that become enmeshed. I hope that people can relate to this family. Even if what they end up doing is so extreme, at the outset, they’re not so different from many of us. I always love hearing from readers when a book makes them think about their own lives – it’s part of the magic of reading, when we can see parts of ourselves in fictional characters.
“CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT SERVICE”
The family in the true crime story was Jewish and as a Jewish writer, I decided to retain that part of the story because it felt familiar to me. And while Jewishness is not a major part of the story, I was interested in the theme of forgiveness. Why are some people able to forgive and some people incapable of it? What happens when we refuse to bend or back down? In the novel, I used Yom Kippur to explore these themes. This is the Jewish holiday that has always moved me the most and it let me deepen these questions for my characters. Why is “We Would Never” a terrific pick for book clubs?
I think a great book club pick is one where there are meaty questions to explore, where you might see something differently from your fellow book club members. In discussing “We Would Never,” I hope that books clubs will explore where the lines are between loyalty and obsession, between closeness and enmeshment. I hope that readers will talk about forgiveness and escalation and ask questions about their own lives. And not to give anything way, but there is a lot of suspense and a plot twist that I hope readers will enjoy discussing!
What are you reading now and what are you looking forward to reading next?
“I recently had the air conditioning system on my 12 year old Porsche repaired. Both Gerry and Tracy are a delight to work with, and the results are always great and importantly, always done on time. Can't recommend them enough.” –George T., Porsche 911
The family in “We Would Never” is Jewish. What does that mean to you as a Jewish author?
My two favorite books of the past year were “The Safekeep” by Yael Van Der Wouden and “North Woods” by Daniel Mason. Right now, I am in the middle of Roxana Robinson’s “Leaving” which is so achingly real and empathic. And the two books my nightstand that I am excited to start next are “This Strange Eventful History” by Claire Messud and “Songs for the Broken-hearted” by Ayelet Tsabari.
TOVA MIRVAS will be in conversation with Robin Kall on Feb. 13 at Maven’s Delica-
tessen, in Pawtucket. The event starts at 6 p.m. and includes:an autographed and personalized copy of “We Would Never,” an exclusive book club Zoom with Tova and Robin after the event and your choice of soup with half sandwich or salad and dessert. Tickets are $60 (inclusive of tax and tip). For tickets go to RobinKall.com.
Taking the advice of her mother, ROBIN KALL , of East Greenwich, never leaves home without a book. Widely known under the moniker Reading With Robin. Kall has been connecting readers and writers via author events and interviews, book clubs, giveaways, a podcast, and online platforms since 2002. She receives advance review copies of books and hosts popular events that have included authors Wally Lamb, Jodi Picoult, and Alice Hoffman, among many others.
“Everyone at German Motors cares deeply about their customers. We feel lucky to have them close by, as they are trustworthy, knowledgeable, and offer good value. Highly recommend them!”
Tova Mirvas
B’nai mitzvah spirit, elegance showcased at gala COMMUNITY
•
•
•
For
A CROSS-SECTION of Rhode Island’s Jewish community celebrated the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s B’nai Mitzvah on Dec. 7 at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence. The Baxt Social Hall was decorated beautifully, and music filled the room as 225 gathered to dance, dine and recognize the good work of the Alliance, a marriage of the former Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Jewish
Community Center and the Bureau of Jewish Education.
The night made a significant philanthropic contribution to the programs supported by the Alliance’s Community Campaign. More than $130,000 was raised.
“The success of this evening was a powerful reminder that when we come together, we achieve extraordinary things,” said Harris Chorney, chair of the board of the Alliance.
PHOTO | JOEY GAMM/MADE YOU LOOK PHOTOGRAPHY
COMMUNITY
Is volunteering in Israel right for you?
BY HOWIE BROMBERG
The idea of doing volunteer work in Israel actually started in the mid to late 1980s when I picked up a copy of the Jewish Herald and saw a picture of an old family friend, the late Raul Lovett, on an IDF base. He was standing in front of a tank or some other army vehicle that he and others had been performing some maintenance on as part of the Sar-El program.
This is the program where one can volunteer on an Israel army base. I said to myself: some day I need to do this!
FAST FORWARD to 2013 when I decided to take the plunge. My boys were grown, and I wasn’t working as many hours as in the past so the time was right. It was a perfect gift to myself for my 65th birthday. I contacted the Volunteers for Israel (VFI) which was at the time the organization that took applications for Sar-El from United States volunteers, and I was on my way. Since then I have volunteered with Sar-El several times.
After Oct. 7, 2023, I was all set to go to Israel, but a few days before my departure, my flight to Israel was canceled. Unfortunately I wasn’t booked on EL AL, a mistake I won’t make again. A few months later I came across a Facebook page called “Sword of Iron” which listed many different volunteer opportunities including working on farms, preparing meals for soldiers, visiting wounded soldiers, organizing supplies to be sent to the soldiers, rebuilding Kibbutzim and many more.
“Sword of Iron” was started shortly after Oct. 7 by Yocheved who was originally from Maryland and was working at the time in Texas. She took two weeks off and traveled to Israel to visit her brother who was serving in
the IDF. She also brought with her several duffel bags of things that were in short supply for the soldiers and raised several thousand dollars.
Once in Israel she saw a need, so with the help of Yael, Hagit and Shay, who is a creative marketing specialist, they co-founded the SOI Facebook group. This page now has 40,000 followers and is updated daily with all the available volunteer opportunities. She decided it was more important to stay in Israel, so she quit her job. Recently, Yocheved received the 2024 Z3 Bridge Builder Award for her hard work. I was fortunate to meet her while in Tel Aviv.
What did I do In Israel during my volunteer recent trip to Israel? I had been checking the SOI page almost daily for months so I had I good idea of the kind of opportunities available. With tens of thousands of reserves being called up for duty there was, and still is, a dire need for help on farms, picking fruits and vegetables.
I arrived is Israel on a Monday morning (Oct. 21).
As it was a little late for farms that day, I decided to drive down to the Gaza envelope to a place called Shuva Achim which was
set up to feed the soldiers stationed near Gaza. I did this three or four times, working on farms from sun up until noon and then going to Shuva Achim for the rest of the day. I spent two days picking pomegranates, two days picking olives and a day working on another farm that does vertical farming growing sprouts.
I also spent two days near Haifa, working on a farm caring for dogs and cats that had been abandoned because of the war, hoping that some would eventually be adopted. I also connected with an old Sar-El friend, Pam, who was running a supply and distribution center called Chamel 86 in Tel Aviv and was able to help her with her work.
Unfortunately the one thing I didn’t get to do was help to rebuild Kfar Aza and the other Kibbutzim that were destroyed on Oct. 7. They had a limit as to how many volunteers they could take. I also visited the memorial set up at the Nova Festival site near Gaza and Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. This was very sobering.
What did I do in my “spare” time? I did spend one day playing tourist and went to Jerusalem to spend some money to help the Israeli economy. Tourism in Israel
The writer serving food to soldiers.
is almost nonexistent now, and all the merchants and restaurants are grateful when you walk through their doors. I was able to meet up and have dinner with another frequent volunteer from Rhode Island, Ken Schneider, who arrived a day or two before I returned home. I also was able to have lunch with Anna who was Rhode Island’s young emissary in 2007-2008.
Many people asked me if I was afraid being in Israel during this time with the rocket attacks, etc. My answer: I was more afraid of being hit by an electric scooter or bicycle in Tel Aviv! I would suggest that you get out of your comfort zone a little and do some volunteering in Israel. The Israelis are very grateful and thankful for all the volunteers that have come to help.
There are many, many programs out there but here are a few:
• Volunteers for Israel www.vfi-usa.org (volunteering, touring, archeology, etc.)
• Sar-El www.sar-el.org (volunteering on an IDF base)
• JNF www.jnf.org
• Leket (Agriculture) www.leket.org
• I srael 21c.org
• Livnot and many, many others you can find by doing an internet search.
If anyone would like more info you can contact me by writing to the editor of Jewish Rhode Island, editor@jewishallianceri.org.
HOWIE BROMBERG lives in Providence.
Pickup game
FOUR BASKETBALL players compete at a varsity alumni game in January of 1948. At the time, the Providence Jewish Community Center was located on Benefit Street, and basketball was still a popular sport in the Jewish community. The caption identifies the young athletes as Si Rifkin (shooting), Harold Jacober, Howie Kaufman and Dave Rubien.
Have a moment in history you’d like to see in this column. Send your information to editor@jewishallianceri.org.
Newspaper courtesy Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association
Prioritizing the Body and Mind Outside the Lines of Legislation: A New Year’s Roundup
BY EMMA NEWBERY
At a family party this holiday season, I was speaking with someone who expressed the sentiment I think many of us share: this time of year doesn’t feel exactly “new.”At a family party this holiday season, I was speaking with someone who expressed the sentiment I think many of us share: this time of year doesn’t feel exactly “new.”
THIS YEAR , in particular, we are reminded of just how long the shadow of extremism is that looms over this country. So, here is perhaps a new question for these times, as we remain poised on a familiar start: are you looking for ways to think critically about community and individual health and expand our definitions of those terms? You’re not alone. What follows are three local resources for safeguarding mental, physical and spiritual health, centering experiences too often relegated to the margins.
As Hanukkah winds down and the new year begins, we need to remember to keep shedding light where it is most needed, where it is most vulnerable to being snuffed out.
Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy at Roots Physical Therapy (or elsewhere!)
I have had colleagues and
friends alike recommend pelvic floor work, either targeted in a professional environment or through stretches at home, and Roots has come up more than once as a sensitive and knowledgeable resource. https://www.rootsspecialtyservices.com/pelvic-floor-physical-therapy/ As Roots attests on their website, pelvic floor care can provide relief that is both physical and emotional for clients. Moreover, they note, “we specialize in working with all people and all genders, those who are pregnant or postpartum, those who are nearing or navigating perimenopause and menopause, and those undergoing gender affirming procedures.”
Self-Defense Classes
It’s striking what the power of raising one’s voice, taking up space in a situation designed to make one shrink, can do for our over-
all sense of well-being.
https://cortesbjj.com/ classes/Womens-Self-Defense
Cortes Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Fitness in Warwick offers self-defense classes open to all, with separate options for children and adults. They also offer women’s training courses on Mondays. If you’re looking for a hands-on way to feel in control of your body and space heading into 2025, consider a self-defense or active upstander and bystander training like the ones offered by Youth Pride, Inc., also local to Rhode Island.
For an even more localized option – right here at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence, Krav Maga Providence is offering an eight-week Krav Maga self-defense class starting Jan. 16. Krav Maga is a self-defense system that emphasizes instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training scenarios. This beginner series is appropriate for adults and children aged 14+. Registration and information at register.jewishallianceri.org and search for Krav Maga.
Rhode Island’s Eighth Trans Health Conference
Queer RI, an online collaborative hub for LBGTQIA+ local resources,
announced that Rhode Island’s Trans Health Conference (https://queerri. com/rithc/) is currently accepting applications for its 2025 event, which marks the eighth year of the conference. This year, applicants can choose between two tracks: the Provider Track and the Community Track.
“When the RI Trans Health Conference first began,” explains Queer RI, “it was run primarily by providers, for providers. Over the years, it became increasingly clear that programming could and should be offered for medical/ behavioral health providers as well as for community members.”
“Now, the conference runs two tracks on the same day – one geared toward providers, which costs money and provides CEUs, and one that is free and is geared toward gender diverse community members and their loved ones.”
For those who want to submit as a presenter, the conference is looking for 60-minute presentations that are creative, interactive and compelling, to highlight the importance of life-saving care for trans youth and adults.
The conference will take place on Saturday, May 31 at Rhode Island College. Community track attendees can attend free of charge.
The deadline for provider track submissions is Jan. 13. Community track applicants have a deadline of Feb. 17. Both can be submitted online at the conference website.
As we step into the new year, it’s crucial that we reimagine and prioritize the health and well-being of our communities and ourselves in ways that go beyond the confines of legislation and policy. The resources highlighted here—whether they’re centered on physical health, personal safety or access to gender-affirming care—remind us that the work of safeguarding our bodies and minds is at once deeply personal and profoundly collective. In 2025, let’s continue to build spaces where every person can feel supported, seen, and empowered to take control of their health. By engaging with local organizations that provide care and community training, we create a ripple effect of healing and strength that can light the way forward.
EMMA NEWBERY (enewbery@ jewishallianceri.org) is a staff writer and podcast host for Jewish Rhode Island.
Rep. Steven S. Howitt named to special commission focused on combatting antisemitism in Mass.
BOSTON – House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) has appointed State Representative Steven S. Howitt (R-Seekonk) to serve on the Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism in the Commonwealth.
Created through an outside section of the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget, the special commission is tasked with identifying and evaluating current efforts to combat antisemitism in Mas -
sachusetts and recommending strategies, programs and legislation to further enhance this goal. In addition to considering potential amendments to the state’s existing hate crimes law, the special commission will also identify best practices in other states and jurisdictions and make recommendations for the implementation of the United States national strategy to counter antisemitism.
According to the Anti-Def-
amation League (ADL), there were 440 antisemitic incidents that occurred in Massachusetts in 2023, which represents a 189 percent increase over the number of incidents (152) recorded in the state in 2022. The ADL noted that last year “Massachusetts recorded the fifth-highest number of incidents per state in the country following California (1,266), New York (1,218), New Jersey (830), and Florida (463).” The ADL also cited a “massive spike” in
antisemitic incidents both here and across the country following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The 19-member special commission is chaired by Senator John C. Velis (D-Westfield) and Representative Simon Cataldo (D-Concord). The special commission will include representation from the Massachusetts Municipal Association; the Attorney General’s office; the Massachusetts Commission
Against Discrimination; the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education; the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Inc.; the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association; and the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association Incorporated.
Alliance partners COMMUNITY
people and the world,” accord ing to its mission statement.
URI Hillel offers Jewish students at URI a way to connect with each other and celebrate their heritage.
As one of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s local partners and a recipient of Community Campaign support, URI Hillel offers programs including Shabbat and holiday celebrations, as well as meals, and educational and cultural programming about Israel and Judaism. In addition, there are educational programs available to raise awareness about antisemitism, anti-hate and the Holocaust. These programs are designed to build community. Student internships, mentorship opportunities, and leadership development training, promote this further, together with the chance for interfaith/intercultural dialogue.
This collaborative partnership is strengthened by the Israel Fellow program. URI Hillel Executive Director Amy Olson says, “Before URI Hillel had a Jewish Agency Israel Fellow (whom we share with Bryant University Hillel), we were thrilled that the Alliance’s Community Shaliach would visit URI once or twice each month, engaging students in Israel education and programming.
“Now with Yael, the Israel Fellow at Brown University Hillel, Gaya, the Community
ALLISON KAPLAN SOMMER
Originally from Rhode Island, Allison Kaplan Sommer has been a journalist at Haaretz since 2012, hosts the Haaretz Weekend podcast and is a co-host of The Promised Podcast. She is the former Washington DC bureau chief for the Jerusalem Post, and has also written for the New Republic, Politico, and other publications.
gramming to a variety of target audiences, and provide a sense of community and support for each other.”
The Israel Fellows help link our community to Israel as well as playing a significant role in connecting different corners of the Rhode Island Jewish community.
Looking back on my college experience, I attended a school without a formal Hillel. Despite this, I was part of a group that started a Hillel as a club on campus at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. That group gave me the space to connect with other Jewish students and form a family away from home. Together we celebrated holidays and remained connected to our Judaism in welcoming and accessible ways. I am grateful for that experience, and hope that today’s Hillel students at URI feel the same.
Every gift to the Alliance Community Campaign honors these priorities and reaches partners such as the URI Hillel. You can be a part of the campaign allocations process through committee membership or contributing to the Community Campaign. For more information, visit https:// www.jewishallianceri.org/ support-us/featured/donatenow. or contact Brad Swartz, Fundraising and Partnership Manager at bswartz@jewishallianceri.org.
the Women's Alliance for an evening of theater with The Simon & Garfunkel Story! Your ticket includes a 60-minute pre-show cocktail reception and event proceeds will go to support our overseas partner, the Haifa Rape Crisis Center.
MARK PATINKIN
ALLISON KAPLAN SOMMER
Leetal Young takes a selfie in front of the URI Friendsgiving crowd.
URI Interfaith Friendsgiving offers community connection
BY LEETAL YOUNG
KINGSTON – As over 130 people began filling a room this fall for an event that came straight from my wildest dreams, I began to reflect on where it all began.
JUST 7 MONTHS earlier, I was elected student president of URI Hillel. When I got together with my freshman-year roommate, Emily, for an end of year chat on the Narragansett Sea Wall, I expressed my excitement about this leadership role. Emily is a member of the Catholic Center at URI, and that night she planted a seed in my mind.
She shared with me that in the past Hillel and the Catholic Center had collaborated on some interfaith events. With everything going on in Israel hitting close to home for me, we brainstormed ways that we could bring our communities closer together. On campuses throughout the world, there is so much division, misunderstanding, and even violence within interfaith communities. After that conversation, I felt compelled to create more meaningful connections at URI.
A vision began to take shape for an Interfaith Friendsgiving – a warm, inclusive space where people of all faiths, backgrounds and no faiths at all, could come together, learn from one another, and celebrate what unites us rather than what divides us.
At an end-of-the-year Hillel Board of Directors meeting where I was asked to share some ideas for the fall, this idea was met with great excitement. The next day, Hillel Director Amy
Olson, contacted me about an interfaith programming grant from Hillel International, and the support the URI Chaplains Association would offer. Buoyed by her encouragement, I followed her lead as she continued to plan dates, location, and other potential collaborations with me. When Amy asked me how many people I expected to gather, I smiled and said, “I don’t know, maybe 100?” She looked at me like I had 12 heads.
As a student leader, I am sometimes asked how I got so involved around campus. I am an extrovert, so joining organizations and getting my hands on cool projects comes naturally. I know that I feel best when I am making a contribution or a difference. I was certain that I could get many students involved if they felt that way too. With that came the idea of making this a potluck event and having groups of students collaborate on the cooking.
The act of sharing food is a universally recognized opportunity for love and connection. The idea of everyone bringing something to the table, both literally and metaphorically had a lot to recommend it. For students to arrive feeling like they were significant participants and could invite more friends to share the experience and pride, as well as meet others in the process, felt like the perfect way to build community.
When the fall semester began, Amy connected me with the resources to flesh out my ideas and allow my creativity to flourish. As the event approached, another member of our Hillel student board, Kate Hirsch, became an indispensable partner.
On Nov. 21, 2024, I walked into the fellowship hall of the Kingston Congregational Church – our host for the evening – with a huge smile on my face and shouted, “WHO IS MORE EXCITED THAN ME?!”
Interfaith Friendsgiving came to life even beyond the ways I imagined. The room was filled with a beautifully diverse and intergenerational group of people spanning various cultural, ethnic, and faith backgrounds. Together they shared good food, laughter, meaningful conversations, and a sense of belonging that transcended their differences. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole night.
As I thought, making it a potluck was a key element to the evening’s success. Many were involved in cooking; many helped with set-up and clean up; and others were simply present in the moment. No contribution was too big or too small. Watching everyone come together in different capacities throughout the night, seeing the tables overflowing with dishes representing different cultures, traditions, and hearing everyone share stories over dinner was so wholesome, delicious, and most importantly, a tangible reminder of the beauty in diversity.
Providence Hebrew Day School fun
At the end of the night, we created a paper chain where everyone wrote something that they were taking away from the evening. Some wrote kind words about the event, something new they learned about someone, and other positive messages. One student wrote, “It felt like I was with family.” Another shared, “This was the most meaningful event I’ve ever been to on campus. You have to do more events like this again!” Several attendees expressed interest in helping coordinate a similar event for next year. When I finally had the chance to connect with Emily at the event, we stared into the crowd in awe. Just a few months ago this was a small conversation on the Narragansett Sea Wall. Now it had exceeded all my expectations. It was a reminder that even in a world that sometimes feels harsh and divided, moments like these are possible. I even received an email the next day that said, “I have been driving home from work the past couple of weeks pretty discour-
aged, but last night driving home, I had such a different feeling. I owe that to you and the energy, joy, and people you bring to a room.”
I am beyond grateful for everyone who came together to make this event happen–from Emily, to the URI Chaplains Association, to Kate, Amy and the rest of the URI Hillel team, and to every student and campus community member who showed up with an open heart. Interfaith Friendsgiving was a testament to the power of community, gratitude, and love.
As I reflect on this experience, I can’t help but feel hopeful for the future and blessed to be a part of developing a strong campus community. If we can continue to create spaces like this one – on campus and beyond – the connections that we can build will be limitless.
LEETAL YOUNG is a senior at the University of Rhode Island majoring in Psychology and Human Development and Family Science
7th and 8th grade boys at PHDS experimenting with sneakers and science!
5th and 6th grade boys at PHDS making a model Mishkan (Tabernacle).
Middle School girls at PHDS displaying their “Road to the Civil War” projects.
PHOTOS PHDS
URI Hillel students at Friendsgiving.
Enhancing senior safety and well-being
BY JESSICA HOARD
AS WE AGE , prioritizing both mental health and physical safety becomes increasingly important. Seniors often face challenges with an increased risk of falls, which can lead to both physical injuries and emotional stress. By making intentional lifestyle adjustments and leveraging safety tools, seniors can improve their overall well-being and continue to live confidently and independently.
Good mental health is the foundation of well-being and plays a crucial role in maintaining independence and confidence as we age. Staying socially connected, engaging in enjoyable activities, practicing stress-reducing habits, and taking time for physical movement are crucial. Exercises like yoga or tai chi not only enhance balance and coordination but also improve mental clarity, further bridging the gap between safety and emotional well-being.
medical alert on your behalf if you cannot do it yourself. This added layer of security not only enhances safety but also provides peace of mind, reducing anxiety for seniors and their loved ones.
To help local families feel comfortable getting started with LifeLink RI, the company is offering a special that ensures LifeLink coverage for a full year, all for the price of 10 months! This offer is
But the connection between mental health and physical safety is especially evident in the fear of falls. The fear of falling can diminish confidence and lead to isolation, potentially affecting emotional health. Taking proactive steps to minimize fall risks can help build confidence in social activities, ensuring seniors feel secure in their daily lives. Simple adjustments, like avoiding wearing slippery socks, keeping eyeglass prescriptions up-to-date or choosing well-fitted clothing, can reduce daily hazards. Additionally, making your home safer by clearing clutter, securing rugs and installing grab bars in key areas provides peace of mind. Even with precautions, falls can still occur, and being prepared for the possibility of a fall is equally important. LifeLink RI provides medical alert devices equipped with advanced features, adding a layer of security so that you can get help if and when you need it. Some of the devices, such as the lightweight MG Mini, even have fall detection technology, which can send a
available with any LifeLink system. Subscribe or gift a one-year subscription today and only pay the price of 10 months! This special offer is available until Jan. 31, 2025, making it the perfect time to prioritize safety and well-being in the new year.
By choosing LifeLink, you’re not just investing in safety and peace of mind— you’re supporting a local team that’s dedicated to your well-being. All three expert installers are based in Providence, ensuring fast response times and personalized experience. The team is here to complete installation, answer your questions, and make sure you feel confident and secure with your new medical alert system. To learn more about fall prevention and LifeLink’s innovative solutions, contact us today at 401-331-1244.
LifeLink RI is your local provider for Medical Guardian’s medical alert systems. Medical Guardian is a leading provider of innovative medical alert systems that empower people to live a life without limits.
JESSICA HOARD is the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications at Jewish Collaborative Services.
PHOTO | JCSRI
LifeLink’s Rhode Island staff (left to right) Jennifer Delbonis, manager, Joanne Faiola and Brion Lopes, associates and installers.
At Saint Elizabeth Community, we provide exceptional, compassionate care for elders in an array of settings. Contact us to find the right fit.
• Adult Day Centers in Apponaug, Bristol, South Kingstown and Warwick Neck
• Assisted Living in Providence and East Greenwich
• Home Care - available across Rhode Island
• Long Term Nursing Care & Short Term Rehabilitation in East Greenwich
• Senior Apartments in Providence and Warwick Neck
•GREEN HOUSE Homes in East Greenwich
COMMUNITY
RICI names new executive director, continues outreach
IN DECEMBER , the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI) launched a successful pilot of a training program in Spanish for the Latino Christian community in order to provide education on Israel from a biblical, historical and political perspective.
This program was designed jointly by RICI staff, Latino pastor and teacher Jenny Rosario and Latino faith leader Yasmin Rincon to ensure it was culturally relevant. Over 20 participants from various Latino churches in Rhode Island participated, and many have agreed to share the information and present to their congregations in order to dispel myths and spread accurate information about Israel. Current census data has shown that Latinos are the fastest-growing
demographic in the state, and that they make up 40% of the population of Providence. In the last several months, RICI has facilitated multiple trainings and discussions with the Latino community about Israel, including most recently with a group of youth at Evangelica El Mesias church in Providence.
Nursing Homes Redefined
At the end of December, Maria Friedman took over as executive director of the organization, upon the retirement of former executive director and founder Howard Brown. Friedman had been serving as assistant director for a year and says she is excited to start a new chapter and new alliances in the community. She can be reached at maria@ ricoalitionforisrael.org
Jewish Rhode Island staff
Jan. 12 is Camp Day
at Temple Beth-El
YOU’RE INVITED to Camp Day at Temple Beth-El (70 Orchard Avenue, Providence), Sunday Jan. 12, from 11:15am - 1:15pm. Temple Beth-El and its Rabbi Leslie Yale Gutterman Religious School will host a camp-style, family-friendly song session followed by camp-lead games and activities. We will have a campfire, s’mores and lunch
from a food truck for purchase. Meet New England day and overnight camp representatives from more than 15 summer camps. Learn about opportunities for summer engagement and scholarships. Put your name into a raffle for a $250 discount for your first summer at camp! No purchase or membership necessary. All are welcome.
J-Fitness: a wellness partner for the new year
ON THE GROUND FLOOR of the Dwares Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Providence is J-Fitness, a full-service fitness center, basketball/ pickleball gymnasium, and indoor heated swimming pool. Powered by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the JCC’s J-Fitness department has announced Rob Castellucci as the new director of fitness operations. Castellucci has worked for the Alliance for the past
11 years including roles as sports coordinator, director of personal training and recreational sports, and working with youth populations.
J-Fitness provides its members with group exercise classes, virtual group exercise classes, cardio machines, free weights, indoor cycling, personal training, pickleball, basketball, teen and tween fitness, swimming lessons, the TigerSharks Swim Team, and more offerings.
Jeshuat Israel, Shearith Israel return to court
BY AARON GINSBURG
THE RHODE ISLAND Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Dec. 12 about the appeal of Congregation Jeshuat Israel of Newport to overturn Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Maureen B. Keogh’s 2023 decision upholding landlord Congregation Shearith Israel of New York City’s eviction of Jeshuat Israel from Touro Synagogue, the nation’s oldest standing synagogue. Jeshuat Israel claimed that Shearith Israel didn’t follow proper procedures in the eviction.
Attorney Jonathan Wagner spoke for Jeshuat Israel. Attorney Mitchell Edwards spoke for Shearith Israel. Touro was dedicated on the first day of Hanukkah, Dec. 2, 1763. Jeshuat Israel has been
a tenant since 1903, paying $1 per year.
As the appellant, Jeshuat Israel had the burden of proof. Shearith Israel merely had to restate the arguments that won the case. Both parties had submitted briefs in advance.
Jeshuat Israel argued that a 1945 agreement between the two congregations and the US Department of the Interior about Touro Synagogue’s designation as a National Historic Site created a condition that had to be met before an eviction.
Wagner conceded that Shearith Israel did indeed own the synagogue and had a right to evict but only after consulting the Department of the Interior, so no big issues were at stake. The ownership issue of Touro Synagogue
was decided in a 2019 Boston Federal Court of Appeals decision. After a long legal battle, the decision, written by former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, confirmed that Shearith Israel owned the synagogue.
The 1945 agreement requires consultation of the Secretary of the Interior about any major issue involving the program of preserving the synagogue and making it available to the public, “the parties shall mutually consult on all matters of importance to the program.”
Wagner said that Jeshuat Israel’s 140 years of caring for Touro Synagogue made it an essential part of the program. He implied that nobody else could do it, particularly newly incorporated Newport
Congregation Ahavath Israel, which Edwards said would enter into a lease agreement for the synagogue. Wagner called Ahavath Israel a sham, alluding to the fact that three of the incorporators were from New York.
In a blistering series of questions, Supreme Court Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg repeatedly challenged Wagner, “Why does landlord-tenant relations become part of the program?” Wagner was also chided more than once by the justices for his careful quotes from the act, which sometimes omitted relevant phrases. The justices said every word was important.
Article two in the 1945 agreement states, “nothing shall impact the rights of the parties as lessor and lessee.”
Shearith Israel’s brief states that the 1945 agreement applied to “successors and assigns,” and since the agreement “does not have a provision requiring the Secretary [of the Interior] to consent to any assignment,” the Department of the Interior had no interest in the congregations’ landlord-tenant relationship. Furthermore, since Shearith Israel would keep it open for all to worship, any such interest would amount to a first amendment breach, an interference with the freedom of religion.
A decision can be expected in 60-90 days.
AARON GINSBURG , a Newport native, lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts. He can be reached at aaron.ginsburg@ gmail.com.
Faith leaders call on R.I. legislators to remember the needy
BY EMMA NEWBERY
PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty's Annual Fighting Poverty with Faith Vigil occurred this year on Jan. 7 and served as a powerful reminder of the collective effort needed to address poverty in the state.
The event brought together clergy and activists from diverse faith traditions, reinforcing the importance of interfaith collaboration in advocating for justice and equity in Rhode Island. By joining hands across religious and cultural lines in a march to and gathering at the Rhode Island State House, attendees demonstrated their shared commitment
to uplifting those in need, particularly with respect to the housing crisis facing hundreds of Rhode Islanders.
As House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi put it: “We can do all the programming we want, but if a child doesn’t have a safe place to go home to, what does it matter?”
Rep. Shekarchi also invoked the legacy and values of the late President Jimmy Carter, reenforcing the need for focused and consistent action at both the local and the state level to assure equity in housing for all.
factly.
The Rev. Carl Jefferson, pastor of the Life Change Christian Church in Providence, echoed Shekarchi’s sentiments with a rousing speech about the duty of faith
“We can do all the programming we want, but if a child doesn’t have a safe place to go home to, what does it matter?”
“Working families should be able to live where they work,” he stated matter-of-
communities to show up in material and measurable ways for those experiencing homelessness in the Rhode Island community.
“Rhode Island is ranked sixth highest in the nation for people per capita experiencing homelessness,” said Jefferson. “The scripture says, in Isaiah 10: ‘woe unto those who legislate evil, make decrees and deprive those of their rights.’ Woe unto us, Rhode Island. We can, we shall, and we will do better.
“Like Frederick Douglass said,” he added to rousing cheers, “‘I could pray and pray for freedom, but until I picked up my feet and walked’ that's when prayer happened. We can't just pray, now it's time to act."
The Coalition urged lawmakers to continue positive momentum in the state and push for policies that create lasting change in the realms
of education, housing and health care. By mobilizing faith communities and individuals who care deeply about social justice, the Vigil underscored the importance of ongoing advocacy at the local and state levels and served as a call to action for Rhode Islanders to support policies that prioritize the well-being of the most vulnerable members of the community.
EMMA NEWBERY (enewbery@ jewishallianceri.org) is a staff writer and podcast host for Jewish Rhode Island.
THE JEWISH ALLIANCE of Greater Rhode Island (Alliance) and its endowment, the Jewish Federation Foundation of Greater Rhode Island (JFF), greatly benefit from all planned gifts – contributions arranged to be sent upon a donor’s passing. The most common kind of these gifts is the bequest, a gift set forth in one’s will. A bequest can be easily established and is quite convenient.
We are explaining these
terms to ensure you understand the options when you consider leaving your Jewish legacy. Now is the time to make your hard-earned money and investments work for you and the future success of the Jewish community. A bequest can be of a specific dollar amount or percentage of your estate, and you can specify the use of the bequest or leave it unrestricted. A recently received bequest was unre -
stricted, meaning that use of its income is at the Alliance Board’s discretion. Alternatively, another donor’s will instructed to add the bequest to an endowment fund established years ago to underwrite a young lay leader’s participation in the annual conference of the Jewish Federations of North America. Whether you wish to inspire and strengthen Jewish identity, safeguard Jewish people, encourage the next
generation to embrace its rich Jewish heritage in new and innovative ways, or all of the above, the Alliance can help make it all possible. You create your Jewish legacy while providing for future generations when your will specifies your bequest goes into the Alliance’s endowment.
If a signed Legacy Gift Intention form or written notice is received before a donor’s passing, their name is added to the Dor L’Dor
Society. To notify the development team of a planned gift or request information about such a gift and become a member of the Dor L’Dor Society, reach out to endowment@jewishallianceri.org or call 401-421-4111. Please visit jewishallianceri.giftplans. org.for more information on the many ways you can leave your legacy.
Submitted by the Jewish Alliance Development Team
OBITUARIES
Alan Brier, 87 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Alan David Brier passed away on Dec. 20, 2024, at the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center in Providence. He was the loving husband of Evelyn (Fessel) Brier for 62 joyous years. Born in Providence to the late Max and Reba (Kaufman) Brier, Alan was the brother of the late Arnold Brier and Bill Brier.
Alan graduated from Classical High School in 1955 and from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business in 1959. His lifelong love of numbers led him to a successful career as a CPA for over 60 years, owning and operating Certified Tax in Pawtucket.
A devoted member of Temple Emanu-El, Alan contributed greatly to his community by running the Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Brotherhood/ Sisterhood (BMB) program at the temple for 15 years. Alan was also an avid cyclist who delighted in organizing trips throughout New England and beyond. His love of the water inspired a passion for sailing, and he volunteered at the Community Boating Center at India Point Park. Alan’s vibrant personality shone through his love of singing, telling jokes and cheering on his favorite teams, the Boston and Pawtucket Red Sox.
Alan was the loving and devoted father of Michael Brier, Matthew Brier (Victoria), Jonathan Brier (Amy) and Rachel Friedman (Keith). Alan adored his seven grandchildren, Karen, Hannah, Abigail, Aaron, Joshua, Julia and Sarah, and great-granddaughter Ana. Contributions may be made to Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906, or the Alzheimer’s Association Rhode Island, 245 Waterman St. #306, Providence, RI 02906.
Morris Chorney, 84 WARWICK, R.I. – Morris Chorney, well-known for always lending a helping hand and sharing his sense of humor, passed away on Dec. 18, 2024, at Rhode Island Hospital. He was the devoted husband of Arlene (Tebrow) Chorney for 60 years. Born in Pawtucket, a son of the late Jacob and Ida
(Ferdman) Chorney, he had lived in Warwick for over 40 years.
He was a science teacher at Birchwood School in North Providence for 27 years, retiring in 1997. Morris was a retired Navy veteran, serving from 1959-1963 and again from 1981-2000. He was a member of the Retired Teachers Association, AFT, Navy Enlisted Retirement Association and the Naval Parachute Riggers Association.
He was the loving father of Jason and Amy Chorney of St. Paul, Minnesota; Tonya Latzman of Cranston and partner, Vincent Campagna; and the very proud Papa of Sam and Nate Latzman. Morris was the dear brother of Paul Chorney of Framingham, Massachusetts; Milton Chorney (deceased) of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Harold Chorney of Wellington, Florida.
Contributions may be made to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, 690 Peary St., Newport, RI 02841 or the Conimicut Branch, c/o Warwick Public Library, 600 Sandy Lane, Warwick, RI 02889.
Sanford Fern, 98 WARWICK, R.I - Sanford (Sandy) M. Fern, a longtime marketing professional in Rhode Island, passed away at home on Dec. 23, 2024.
Sandy spent his professional life advising and overseeing advertising, public relations and marketing programs for many local and national firms. He and his agency also led marketing programs for gubernatorial and senatorial candidates.
Born in New London, Connecticut, the oldest child of Mae Lahn Fern and Samuel Fern, he graduated from Bulkeley High School and matriculated at Boston University as an advertising major. His college career was interrupted by World War II army service. He received his college degree in 1948 after returning from military service and attending college year-round. At college, he was a member of Phi Alpha fraternity, now part of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity.
Sandy’s first job was with a Hartford, Connecticut, advertising agency before his move to an agency in Pawtucket. He then became an advertising manager at Bulova Watch in Providence
before starting his own agency, Fern Associates, in Providence on Weybosset Street during the early 1950s. In 1968, Sandy merged his agency with James Hanaway, Inc., to form Fern/Hanaway. Later, Fern/Hanaway merged with David P. Monti Advertising/Public Relations to form Fern/Hanaway/Monti, Inc. In 1997, Fern/Hanaway/Monti merged with RDW Group.
During his career, Sandy was honored as Rhode Island Advertising Club Person of the Year. He was a member of the board of directors and chair of Cranston Arc, now known as Access Rhode Island. Sandy was an owner and member of the board of directors of the Bonnet Shores Beach Club. He also served on the board of directors of Dryvit Systems, one of the agency’s long-time clients.
Sandy is survived by his daughter, Deborah Fern, of Cranston, and his son, David Fern, and his wife, Heather, of Whitefish, Montana; three grandchildren (Holly, Jacob and Daniel); and two great-grandchildren. In addition, his sister, Shirley Levinson, of Dedham, Massachusetts; and his brother, Saul Fern, of Cranford, New Jersey; survive him as well as six nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his former wife, Leda Fern, and his late wife, Beverly Fern. Sandy is also survived by his companion of many years, Monica Ethier, of Warwick, and his longtime friends, Denise Hammerschmidt and Mary Caine. His family thanks the health aides from Right at Home for their care and compassion for Sandy over the past several months. Contributions in his memory would greatly be appreciated to Access Rhode Island, 111 Comstock Parkway, Cranston, RI 02921.
Alexander Freedman, 81 SWANSEA, MASS. –Alexander Seth Freedman, of Swansea, passed away on Dec. 27, 2024, at his residence surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of Sandra (Bree) Freedman, with whom he shared 49 years of marriage. Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, a son of the late Benjamin and Ida (Wolff) Freedman, he had lived in Newton, Massachusetts, for 36 years prior moving to Swansea 12 years ago.
Alex earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and later earned a master’s degree from the Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College. Alex, who was an entrepreneur and international businessman, started his first business “Sanax Protective Products” in 1989 and later “Makrite North America” in 2000. As the largest private brand manufacturer of N95 masks for the North American market, he supplied major US retailers and a wide range of other well-known companies. Alex began traveling to China in the 1980s and continued traveling around the world throughout his 50-year career.
Alex enjoyed riding his bike, going to the gym, woodworking, gardening and playing mahjong. He always made an effort to relate to others and validate their interests. Most of all, he loved spending time with his family and his six granddaughters.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by three sons, Adam Freedman and his wife, Lucy, of Barrington; Rabbi Eli Freedman and his wife, Laurel, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Nathaniel Freedman and his wife, Wen, of Barrington; and six granddaughters, Sophie,
Esme, Josephine, Zoe, Nora and Leah Freedman.
Contributions may be made to Prostate Cancer Foundation, 1250 Fourth St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 or Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. Alicia Morgans Research Fund, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 022849168
Samuel Gorman, 79 HOUSTON, TEXAS – Samuel F. Gorman died on Dec. 19, 2024, at his home in Houston. Born in Providence, a son of Barney and Anna “Honey” (Resh) Gorman, he had lived in Houston for over 40 years, previously living in Manhattan, New York. He was a partner at Ernst & Young.
Sam was an Army veteran, serving in Germany. Sam earned a CPA from the Wharton School of Business and served on its board. He also served on the board of trustees at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
He was the devoted brother of Charles Gorman of Cromwell, Connecticut. He was the loving uncle of Jeff, David and Linda.
Contributions may be made to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston or the Samuel F. Gorman Endowed Scholarship Fund, at the Wharton
Certified by the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island Jacquelyn Aubuchon, Funeral Director
OBITUARIES
Dr. Burton Greifer, 93 BARRINGTON, R.I. – Dr. Burton Malcom Greifer, of Barrington, passed away on Dec. 2, 2024. He was the husband of the late Carol Spiegel Greifer, with whom he shared 55 years of marriage. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Fred and Pauline (Brookner) Greifer. A graduate of the University of Rhode Island and the University of Maryland Dental School, he served in the United States Army and was stationed in Japan. Dr. Greifer had a successful
dental practice in Pawtucket. Known for his ever-present smile and kindness, he enjoyed spending time at the beach, sailing, golfing, gardening, volunteering, traveling and being with family and friends.
He is survived by three children, Lauren Johnson and her husband, George, of Virginia; Jason Greifer and his wife, Brenda, of Oregon; and Karyn Giuliani and her husband, Louis, of Massachusetts; eight grandchildren; and one sister, Yvette Kahn. He was predeceased by two grandchildren and siblings, Leah Abrams and Richard Greifer.
Sandra Hamolsky, 91 LYNBROOK, N.Y. – Sandra S. (Rosman) Hamolsky, of Lynbrook, and formerly of Providence, died peacefully on Dec. 19, 2024,, at her residence surrounded by her loving family. She was the wife of the late Dr. Milton Hamolsky. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was the daughter of the late Solomon and Bertha (Krugman) Rosman and sister of the late Eli Rosman and Annette Cantor. She is survived and already missed by her daughters Joy Scharfman (Stewart) and Robin Folk (the late Ron Folk), stepdaughters Ruth Sovronsky (Howard) and Deborah Hamolsky (Toby Dyner) and stepsons Jesse Oelbaum (Eileen) and David Hamolsky (Tina). Her grandchildren Adam Scharfman (Kyle Soo), Johanna Folk (Caroline Cummings), John Hamolsky (Tracy), Rachel Dyner-Hamolsky, Ginny Smith (Ben), Sydney Folk (Ashley) and the late Spenser Scharfman hold memories and lessons learned. She was the proud great-grandmother of Kora Hamolsky and Riley Milton Folk.
She dedicated decades of her professional life in nursing leadership to innovation, education, primary care nursing and improving patient care. She had a smile that could light up the room. She was passionate about the state of the world, loved good books and the arts and met the world with persistence and strength. Extended family meant the world to her.
The family is grateful to the caregivers in Providence and New York for their care, with a special thank you to Debbie.
Contributions may be made to Friends of Karen, 118 Titicus Road, North Salem, NY 10560 or HopeHealth Hospice,1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904.
Bernard “Buzzy” Labush, 96 DELRAY BEACH, FLA. –Bernard “Buzzy” Labush, of Delray Beach, died on Dec. 27, 2024, at the Trustbridge Medical Center in Delray Beach. He was the beloved husband of the late Greta (Gold) Labush for 64 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late George and Evelyn (Kahnovsky) Labush, he had lived in Delray Beach for 30 years, previously living in Warwick. He was a CPA at Labush & Co., Cranston,
for 35 years, a professor at Johnson & Wales University for 25 years and chairman of the university’s Accounting Department for 22 years, retiring in 1993. Buzzy was an Army veteran, serving stateside. He was a graduate of Hope High School, Class of ’45 and Bryant College, Class of ’48. Buzzy was a member of Temple Anshei Shalom, member and past president of Temple Am David and its men’s club, and member and on the board of directors of the former Temple Beth Israel. He was a Past Master of Orpheus Lodge Masons #36, member of Providence Royal Arch Chapter #1 Masons, Past High Priest of Providence Council #1 Masons, member of the Scottish Rite, and Past Chief Officer and Camel Herders of the Palestine Shrine. Buzzy was also active in the JWV and was a member and Quarter Master of the Sackin-Shocket Post 533 for 35 years, State Department Commander, National Executive Communications Man, and National Scholarship Chairman for 30 years. He was life member of the Providence and South Providence Hebrew Free Loan Association and a past president of PFA. In Florida, Buzzy was the treasurer of the Lexington Club Community Association, as well as past president of the Las Verdes Condo Association, and treasurer of the Las Verdes Property Owner’s Association. In his spare time, Buzzy was an avid bowler. He was the devoted father of Stevan Labush and his wife, Rhonda and Tamara Labush, all of Warwick; and Sheryl Barlow and her husband, William, of Coventry; and Iris Labush of Delray Beach. He was the dear brother of Philip Labush and his wife, Barbara, of Hollywood, Florida; Ruth Ross, of Coventry; Barbara Schutz, of Israel; and Harold Labush and his wife, Jerri, of Cranston. He was the loving grandfather of Melinda, Marci, Heather (Ed), Eric and Jenna. Cherished great-grandfather of 7. As well as his beloved friend of 7 years, Pearl Laroff. Contributions may be made to Temple Anshei Shalom, 7099 W Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, FL 33446 or a charity of your choice.
Beverly Levin, 89 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Beverly (Fisher) Levin, died at HopeHealth Hospice, in Providence, on Dec. 7, 2024. Beverly was born May 7,
1935, in Boston, a daughter of the late Joseph Fisher and Beatrice (Kupferman) Fisher. She was married to the late Dr. Henry Levin, of Providence.
Beverly was a gifted artist as well as scientist. In high school, she was offered a scholarship to the Boston Museum School and had won several science awards. Beverly had to decline the scholarship to help support her family and took a job as a lab assistant at Tufts School of Dental Medicine, where she met Henry.
A devoted wife and mother, she raised her three children while painting gallery-worthy landscapes and chauffeuring her children to many activities. However, her longing to further her education remained. When she was in her forties, she returned to school, earning a nursing degree, studying alongside her children, who were in middle and high school, and ultimately earning A’s in her courses. Receiving her nurse’s pin at graduation was one of her proudest moments. After graduation, she worked at The Miriam Hospital as an ICU nurse, became an AIDS educator and ended her career working in a plastic surgeon’s office.
In addition to her husband, Henry, she leaves her sister, Geraldine (Fisher) Jonas; her daughters, Linda Levin-Scherz and her husband, Jeffrey Levin-Scherz, of Belmont, Massachusetts; Lori Broess and her husband, Maarten Broess, of Lincoln; son, Steven Levin and his wife, Shannon Levin, of Duluth, Minnesota; as well as her grandchildren, Alyssa Levin-Scherz, Joshua LevinScherz, Jennifer Broess, Erik Broess, Peter Levin, Rebecca Levin, Matthew Levin and Zachary Levin; and three great-grandchildren.
Lev Mordukhovich, 81 PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Lev Mordukhovich, of Pawtucket, passed away on Dec. 20, 2024, at The Miriam Hospital in Providence. He was the loving husband of Inna (Antonovskaya) Mordukhovich, with whom he shared 51 and a half years of marriage.
Born in Tomsk, former USSR, currently Russia, he was the son of the late Vladimir and Sarah (Cooksina) Mordukhovich. He immigrated to the United States in 1990.
OBITUARIES
Mr. Mordukhovich was an electrical engineer in Belarus for 29 years and worked as a furniture maker for 20 years after coming to the United States. Lev was a very hardworking man, and he loved spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by: two daughters: Galina Gitlin and her husband, Boris, and Marina Channing and her husband, David; five grandchildren: Isabelle Gitlin, Sophia Gitlin, Axel Gitlin, Benjamin Gitlin and Audrey Channing.
Arline Plotkin, 82 CRANSTON, R.I. – Arline B. Plotkin died on Dec. 22, 2024, at Kent Hospital. She was the beloved wife of Robert Plotkin, whom she married on May 27, 1967. Born in Providence, she was the daughter of Bennett and Anna (Stone) Bloch. She had lived in Cranston for over 20 years. She was a secretary with T.F Green International Airport for 20 years, retiring in 2008. Arline was a devoted animal lover who advocated animal welfare. She was the dedicated wife to Robert Plotkin. She was the devoted mother of Dara and Nia, her beloved greyhounds. She was the dear cousin of Fredda Lehrer of Cranston.
Contributions may be made to Morris Animal Foundation, 720 S. Colorado Blvd. Suite 174, Denver, CO 80246 https://fundraise. morrisanimalfoundation. org/Donate, or Greyhound Health Initiative, 6924 Riverside Dr., Dublin, OH 43017 https://greyhoundhealthinitiative.org/donate/, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, P.O. Box 22470, New York, NY 10087-2470 https:// lls.org/ne?campaign=390400, or Alzheimer’s Association of Rhode Island, 245 Waterman St., Ste 306, Providence RI 02906 https://www.alz. org/ri?form=FUNDHYMMBXU, Congregation Sons of Jacob, 24 Douglas Avenue, Providence RI 02908 https://www.paypal.com/ donate?token=aKd5q53_ IKs-4TnfLZ9Aim8wstVs656EUuxK8jiiLH4nFVkczbQGGDuh6jg4slN
Beverly Poulten, 87
BILLERICA, MASS. –
Beverly S. Poulten died on Dec. 22, 2024, at Brightview: Concord River in Billerica. She was the beloved wife of the late Arthur Poulten. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, she was a daughter of the late Hyman
and Rose (Krantz) Snyder. Raised in Hartford, she graduated from Weaver High School in 1955. She served as a clerk with Aetna Life Insurance Co for three years, later joining the Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Co. in Hartford which relocated her to Providence, and she remained there for three years. She was a store manager for the Oaklawn Pharmacy in Cranston for 24 years, retiring in 1996. Beverly was a member of the former Temple Am David. She was the devoted mother of David Poulten, his wife, Wanru Tai, of Burlington, Massachusetts, and the late Barry Poulten. She was the dear sister-in-law of Stephen D. Poulten of Narragansett and Howard W. Poulten of Cranston. She was the loving grandmother of Sabrina.
Contributions may be made to: MSPCA-Angell, Attn: Donations 350 South Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02130 [hyperlink: https://support.mspca. org/site/Donation2?df_ id=20472&20472.donation=form1]
Steven Schiffman, 78
BRISTOL, R.I. – Steven Earl Schiffman, of Bristol, formerly of Cranston, passed away peacefully on Dec. 6, 2024, at the Rhode Island Veterans Home.
Born in Providence, he was the son of the late Samuel and Eva (Perelman) Schiffman and brother of the late Everett Schiffman and Alan Schiffman.
A graduate of Hope High School, Class of 1964, Steven enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving during the Vietnam War as a military policeman. He also served in the Rhode Island Army National Guard. He was a bus driver for RIPTA for 35 years before retiring in 2011. He greatly enjoyed being among people and his community. He was a lifetime member of the Redwood Masonic Lodge. He is survived by two sons, Andrew Schiffman, of Cranston, and Peter Schiffman and his wife, Jennifer, and granddaughters, Eliana and Rosalie, of Mansfield, Massachusetts.
Contributions in his honor may be made to JRI, 160 Gould St., Suite 300, Needham, MA 02494, https://jri. org/donate.
Carol Silverbush, 86 MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – Carol Silverbush passed away peacefully on Dec. 5, 2024, in Middletown.
Carol was born in Brooklyn on Dec. 8, 1937, to the late Gertie and Joseph Kessler. Her life was one of resilience and love for her family and friends. She is now reunited with her husband and best friend, Ken Silverbush; her daughter, Jody Auerbach; sonin-law, Louis Pulner; and brother, David Kessler. She is survived by her devoted daughter and kindred spirit, Stacey Mihaly; as well as her son-in-law, Gene Mihaly; grandchildren, Alexa Auerbach, Andrew and Lauren Pulner, and Stephanie Pulner; and her great-grandchildren, Jonathan and Madeleine Pulner.
In 1954, at just 17 years old, she met Ken, the love of her life. Two years later, they married, beginning a 63-year journey together filled with love, adventure and a deep and enduring connection. They forever encouraged each other to pursue their passions – which led Carol back to college in the early 1980s, earning a B.A. in Art History from Manhattanville College. Her love of art was palpable, and when she embarked on a studio art minor and picked up a paintbrush, magic happened. Her eclectic works live on in the homes of her family. When not pursuing art, she built a successful career as an ophthalmic tech, first in New York and next in Rhode Island, where Carol and Ken moved in the late 1980s and eventually retired.
Carol was a woman of quiet strength and sharp intuition, able to read a room like no other. She never missed a detail and found joy in life’s small moments while maintaining a youthful, playful spirit until she was 86. Her greatest joy came from time with her family. She especially got a kick out of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, with whom she shared countless memories. As a grandmother, she was the perfect blend of warmth, whimsy and honesty. She was the kind of grandmother who made childhood an adventure while always at the ready to offer a listening ear. In addition to painting, she was a talented cook, occa-
sional (but excellent) baker, golfer and gardener. She was also a committed baseball and football fan. Despite living in Rhode Island for 35+ years, she maintained an unwavering devotion to her Yankees, rarely missing a game.
Carol had a generous heart, willing to share anything she had except her dessert. Her sweet tooth was unmatched, and those close to her knew better than to ask for a bite.
Home was wherever her loved ones were, and she will be remembered with deep love and respect by her family and friends.
Contributions may be made to John Clarke Senior Living, 600 Valley Road, Middletown, RI 02842.
Carol’s family would like to express their deepest gratitude to the nurses, caretakers, rehab team and entire staff at John Clarke Senior Living for providing Carol with wonderful and supportive care. The staff treated Carol like family and made her time there feel like home.
Carol will be deeply missed. May she now rest in eternal peace.
Peter
Silverman, 65 HOPE VALLEY, R.I. – Peter A. Silverman died on Dec. 18, 2024, in West Greenwich. Born in Providence, he was the son of the late A. Harvey and Jane (Gumbiner) Silverman. He had lived in Hope Valley for 10 years.
Peter was educated in environmental sciences and received a bachelor’s from the University of Rhode Island; with this education, he was able to open and maintain a greenhouse in Providence for a few years before changing careers and joining the Postal Carrier union with the United States Postal Service. After 30 years, he retired in March 2024. While he was working with USPS, this did not stop Peter from continuing to follow his passion for horticulture, using his well-earned education by perfecting the process of seeds-to-shelf gardening and providing his community with access to his green thumb.
He was an avid outdoorsman. At any point in the year, you would find him enjoying the serenity of a hike or camping in a remote location far from the noise of the real world. Though he enjoyed his own company, he later decided to become a well-respected and active
member of the Touro Fraternal Association in Cranston; he was a sitting board member who seldom missed a meeting.
He was the dear brother of Julie Steiner of Sarasota, Florida; Amy Edelkind (Shane) of Bradenton, Florida; and Laurie Moretti of Sarasota, Florida. He is also survived by a host of nieces and nephews. Those who were lucky enough to know Peter well called him a dear friend.
Robert E. White, 80
Robert E. White, age 80, of Pawtucket, passed away at his residence on Dec. 19, 2024. He was the beloved husband of Karolyn Barrett-White, with whom he shared 46 years of marriage.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Saul and Hazel (Frankenthal) White.
A proud graduate of Boston Latin High School, Class of 1962, Robert went on to serve as an officer in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, where he rose to the rank of Major and served with distinction as a Tank Unit Commander. His exemplary service earned him several honors, including the Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM), the Army National Defense Service Medal (NDSM), and Expert and Marksman badges in various disciplines.
Robert earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business from Northeastern University. He dedicated much of his professional life to healthcare, serving as the Chief of Pharmacy at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket for many years. Prior to that, he worked as an Oncology Pharmacist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
In addition to his wife, Robert is survived by his son, Elliott White of Rhode Island, and his brother, Edward L. White, and his wife, Roz, of Beersheva, Israel. He was also the brother of the late Leonard M. White of Brookline, Massachusetts.
Donations may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for the research of Dr. Robert J. Mayer (617-6323474), Veterans of Foreign Wars (https://www.vfw.org), or the charity of your choice.
L’CHAIM LEADERS
Judy & Robbie Mann
Natasha & Jeffrey Buckler
Adam Greenman & Erin Dube
Lezli & Jamie Pious
DEC. 7 | 2024 | | 401 Elmgrove Avenu Providence THANK
MAVENS
The Kaufman/Emanuel Family
The Rosenstein & Ravera Families
Thanks to all the Marvelous Mensches and to all who attended the event!