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 XXXI, ISSUE X
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
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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
of the Rhode Island Press Association.
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.
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ON THE COVER : PHOTO | Sveta Zarzamora
No hooray
WELL, IT FINALLY GOT ME.
For the last several weeks, I’ve been suffering from a bout with COVID. I’d managed to avoid the virus till now, except for one faintly positive test more than a year ago that came with no symptoms and disappeared in a couple of days.
Not so this time!
I had it all except for the loss of taste and smell (and even then, food just doesn’t seem to taste as good, even today). And it seemed to go on and on. Sinus issues…cough… exhaustion…forgetfulness…no appetite. You name it.
I have always had empathy for COVID sufferers during the whole ordeal we have all lived through since March 2020. And when my husband had his first encounter with it a couple months ago complete with a very high fever and strong symptoms, it was very distressing.
But now I can really understand the frustration of the day-to-day and seeming endless feeling of disability. Weeks later, I still quickly lose steam and needed a break.
Fortunately, we live in a big enough house to quarantine without adding to the suffering. But I have to say, the latest guidelines for isolating, masking and staying at home are awfully confusing. For some sufferers, this is not like your common respiratory illness. And looking for guidelines takes you on a roundabout list of suggestions. We have a newborn in the family and that raised a whole other specter of fears. It meant that my husband and I wouldn’t meet our new grandson for several weeks after he was born.
We seem to be more attuned to being careful in our neck of the woods. Elsewhere, people shrug their shoulders and move on with life. At a midwestern family gathering, we learned about a close exposure from a Facebook post. It never occurred to the host to contact us. And when my husband called a client in the south and cautioned them that he might not make the trip because his wife had COVID, the response was “Oh, you can come even if you have COVID. We don’t really pay attention to COVID anymore.”
No wonder this virus hangs around.
I will tell you that after the last three weeks, I intend to get boosted and continue to be careful. I’d like this to be my last COVID column!
We now look toward the new year at a time when we can reflect on what has happened in the past year and turn our thoughts to hope for good to come with COVID behind us!
And when it comes to putting the worst behind us and looking forward with hope and optimism, we’re all hoping that is true for Israel and the remaining hostages. Words can’t do justice to the recent news of the six murdered hostages found
in Gaza. Our thoughts are with their families, and we hope that a resolution will bring the rest of the hostages home safely soon.
That would be a great start toward a good year, a healthy year, a sweet year.
L’shanah tovah to you and your family!
Fran Ostendorf, Editor
Rhode Island area schools seek part-time Hebrew and/or Judaica teachers, and substitute teachers for the 2023-2024 academic year. For more information contact Dori Adler at the Jewish Alliance at 401.421.4111 ext. 179 or dadler@jewishallianceri.org.
UP FRONT Jason Schwartzman plays a small-town cantor with a spiritual crisis in ‘Between the Temples’
BY STEPHEN SILVER
The first sound in “Between the Temples” is a piercing blast from a shofar. Several scenes of the new film are set in a synagogue and depict familiar Jewish tableaus including bat mitzvah preparation, the rabbi/cantor relationship, donors who play an outsize role in Jewish life and a nerve-wracking family Shabbat dinner.
IN OTHER WORDS, it may be the most Jewish mainstream movie of the year.
“Between the Temples” tells the story of Cantor Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman), who works at a Reform synagogue in upstate New York and is grieving the death of his novelist wife a year earlier. Carol Kane stars
as Carla, his childhood music teacher, who grew up without Jewish tradition but now wants an adult bat mitzvah.
The duo forms the heart of a warm intergenerational buddy comedy-drama that plays out in an archetypal Jewish setting.
“We’re thinking about
two people … at two different crossroads, of this cantor who is having a crisis of faith, and what that would look like, against someone who is seeking to have faith, and seeking to embrace faith, and how they would help each other, and the kind of connection that would result from that,” Nathan Silver, the film’s New York-based director and co-writer, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
“Between the Temples” was shot in part at Silver’s parents’ synagogue in Kingston, New York: Congregation Emanuel of the Hudson Valley (it’s called “Temple Sinai” in the film). Silver (not to be confused with Nate Silver, the political prognosticator) said it was important to him and
his colleagues to depict a small-town Jewish community not typically shown in the movies.
“They’re in the middle of nowhere, but they’re a couple of hours away from New York City,” Silver said.
As the film begins, Cantor Gottlieb is suffering both a spiritual and a professional crisis, especially since his grief has robbed him of his ability to sing. Kane’s character is the daughter of secular Communists, while her late husband wasn’t Jewish.
“I grew up in a totally secular household,” Silver said, noting that when his parents moved from suburban Boston to the Hudson Valley, “they wanted to find some kind of community, so they joined a temple.”
The “seed of the movie,”
said Silver, was his own mother’s decision to take an adult b’nai mitzvah class.
“There’s a movie there!’” he remembers being told by a publicist friend, Adam Kersh. “‘You gotta do like a “Harold and Maude” riff where the late-in-life bat mitzvah [student] falls in love with her cantor or rabbi.’” Kersh ended up serving as a producer on the film. Silver said he consulted with a rabbi, Mikey Hess Weber, at the script-writing stage, to make sure the film got its Jewish elements right, while one of the producers, Jesse Miller – himself a bar mitzvah tutor – helped during the production. Silver called Miller “an essential resource on set, and helped everyone
JTA
Robert Smigel, left, portrays a rabbi and Jason Schwartzman is a cantor in “Between the Temples.”
We all get a second chance
There was much to see at the summer Olympics this year: Simone Biles’ incredible gymnastics victories, the amazing swimming feats of Katie Ledecky and the Israeli delegation’s achievement of a record seven medals.
I HAPPENED TO tune in when a young runner from Mozambique was disqualified for a false start. Escorted off the track sobbing, “I sacrificed everything for this.” The zero-tolerance false start policy is perhaps one of the cruelest rules in sports. Simply jumping the gun is enough to completely dash Olympic hopes and dreams before the race has even begun. One small mistake can destroy the chance to even compete in a given year.
on to capture gold medals at the 2012 games and defend his record in Rio in 2016. Some of his records still stand even after this summer’s games.
In the 2011 World Championships, a far more high-profile runner was disqualified for such a transgression: Usain Bolt. Despite his devastating miss, he still went
with Hebrew and any questions we might have.”
Robert Smigel, who plays Rabbi Bruce in the film, said he also consulted a rabbi – his own – to get the details right. He plays a senior colleague trying to help Ben and set him up with his daughter Gabby (Madeline Weinstein).
Although Rabbi Bruce drives a car with the license plate “TKKNOLM,” meaning “Tikkun Olam,” the Hebrew shorthand for social justice, Schwartzman’s character has trouble seeing him as a role model.
“I was sort of representing what Jason was dissatisfied with in everyday life,” Smigel told JTA of the character.
“A rabbi who’s a bit self-absorbed and focused on the mundane aspects of being a rabbi, raising money for the temple, and not necessarily the most inspiring spiritual leader, at least for Jason.”
An observant Jew and comedy stalwart who worked on “Saturday Night Live” and “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” Smigel is best known as the voice and puppeteer behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. He has spoken in interviews over the years about how the Yiddish
Each of us, upon our own initiative and decision, tends to the path we choose” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah 5:2)
We are reminded that even the fastest man in the world has a false start sometimes. We all make mistakes that in the moment seem life altering and cruel. Jewish tradition reminds us that we do have a second chance. Each year we have an opportunity to start anew.
As Maimonides teaches, “Each one of us is fit to be righteous like Moses, our teacher, or wicked, like Jeroboam (an evil king).
theater and Jewish insult comedy traditions inspired that character.
Smigel also co-wrote “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan,” the 2008 comedy in which Adam Sandler played an Israeli commando who becomes a New York hairdresser.
Smigel thought the message of “Between the Temples” about Judaism was primarily positive.
“What I love about this movie is that it doesn’t mock religion in any way,” Smigel said. “It doesn’t mock Judaism. It cuts to the essence of Judaism, where a lot of it is questioning, you’re permitted to ask questions, you’re permitted to have doubt. And then, on the other side, it’s about humility and what we’re here for.”
A critical scene in “Between the Temples” comes near the end: a claustrophobic Shabbat dinner scene that includes all of the major characters. It will look familiar to fans of recent Jewish-themed films such as “Uncut Gems” and “Shiva Baby,” where Jewish families collide loudly and angrily on occasions usually set aside for holier pursuits.
“We shot that over the
Maimonides reminds us that we can choose how we respond to the obstacles in our path. There will be false starts along the way, but we are primary navigators of our voyage through life. Not a single one of us will make it through this journey unscathed. Rabbi Scott Corngold (z”l), a friend and mentor, was a rabbi at Temple Shaarei Tefila where I was a rabbinic intern in 2001. The Rosh Hashanah after 9/11 he wrote, “Judaism has never pretended that most people are not deeply flawed. That’s surely what this annual appointment with God over the High Holy Days acknowledges. But our tradition teaches that our very imperfect selves can do good acts, heroic acts, redeeming acts. And, in the end, it is those deeds that matter most. In a literal sense they define who we are and what we can become.” Imperfection need not hold us back from
course of two nights with two cameras,” Silver said. Two versions were written and filmed, with different actors arguing for different versions.
“When an actor is fighting for their character, you can’t deny that, there’s like a passion there, so we embraced that,” he said. “This tension, this aspect of what this sequence looked like in the finished film, this added to the chaos of the actual sequence.” Ultimately, the two versions, plus a third sequence, were combined for the finished scene.
Schwartzman is Jewish on his father’s side – his mother is Talia Shire, part of the Italian-American Coppola family of great showbiz fame – and he’s played Jewish characters throughout his career, and more than his share of grieving husbands.
“I’m proud to be Jewish, but, yeah, I just consider myself everything. I’m just lucky to be here,” Schwartzman said in an interview in 2009 with Heeb Magazine.
In the film’s press notes, Schwartzman – a musician who used to play with the band Phantom Planet –shares that he learned how to play and sing all of the
moving forward as our best selves. Our mistakes do not prevent us from trying again and again until we do get it right. There is an urgency to our efforts in a broken world that needs every last bit of righteousness.
The Hebrew month of Elul began this past week. This sacred time affords us the opportunity to reflect, pause and begin again as we enter 5785. In the month of Elul, we offer the words of Psalm 27 in prayer, asking God to lead us on the level path and be with us when we do have false starts. Let our own mistakes imbue us with compassion for others when they get it wrong.
During this month we also sing the words “Hadesh yameinu kekedem” often translated as “renew our days as in old”. That is our prayer in this season of repentance: Eternal One,
Jewish music featured.
return us to the starting line so we may begin again, knowing that our false starts, our missteps and mistakes need not impede a bright future.
September 6 6:50pm September 13 6:38pm
September 20 6:25pm September 27 6:13pm
“I wanted to understand the structure and theory behind these songs and how they were arranged,” the actor said in the notes. “It was for my own pleasure but also so that I could understand the songs and absorb them and have them be part of the character. It was so fun to figure out how to play the songs, to find the little nuances and melody, and to hear different versions of how they’re sung. I really fell in love with the music.”
The film is also a comeback for Kane, 72, the Jewish actress who starred in seminal Jewish classics such as Joan Micklin Silver’s “Hester Street” and Woody Allen’s “Annie Hall” in the 1970s.
“Carla’s wanted this all her life, and she decides to go for it, even though it’s very
problematic because her only child, her son, thinks it’s a joke,” Kane said of her character’s late-life spiritual turn, in the film’s press notes. “So, she has to deal with the fact that he doesn’t believe in it and still powers through, which is so brave and so hard.”
While it premiered at Sundance in January, “Between the Temples” also appeared on the Jewish film festival circuit, including as a centerpiece in July at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.
“It was delightful to have it with this Jewish audience,” Silver said.
“Between the Temples” is now in theaters and had a short run at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport. Now, Rhode Islanders will have to go to the Boston area to see it.
SARAH MACK is the senior rabbi of Temple Beth-El, in Providence. CONTINUED
RABBI SARAH MACK
TO RAH
CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
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 most Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays) programming from 11 a.m.-noon followed by lunch and discussion noon-1 p.m. 9/17: Field trip to Roger Williams Park Botanical Center; bus will leave the JCC at 10 a.m. *9/6: End of Summer Party will be held at the Dwares JCC. Every Wednesday is chair yoga with Neal 11-11:45 a.m. For seniors aged 60 and older as well as younger adults with a disability; all faiths and backgrounds are welcome. Suggested donation: $3 per lunch. The Kosher Senior Café is a program of Jewish Collaborative Services supported by the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI and Blackstone Health. Information and RSVP, Neal at neal@jfsri.org, Tyler at tyler@jcsri.org or 401-4214111, ext. 107.
Hebrew Fall 1 Session at Temple Emanu-El. Tuesdays 6-7 p.m. 9/1710/29. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Join us for Hebrew Conversation, and improve your speaking skills. This fall we are offering three levels of in-person Hebrew conversation classes – beginner, intermediate and advanced. Cost: $100 per person (scholarship 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. (No meeting 10/3.) 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Teens are welcome for dinner and discussions. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@templebeth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat and Torah Services. Fridays 5:45-6:15 p.m. By Zoom only. Information, temple@ toratyisrael.org.
Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Fridays 7 p.m. except second Friday of the month 6:30
p.m. when Family Shabbat services take place. 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 Beth-El Torah Study. Saturdays except second Saturday of the month 9 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join us for in-person Torah study. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.
Temple Habonim Torah Study. Saturdays 10-11 a.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman leads weekly 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, Facebook and YouTube. Information, Cape Cod Synagogue at 508-7752988 or capecodsynagogue.org.
Friday | September 6
Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat. 5:45 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join us for Kabbalat Shabbat and the installation of our new president Gail Solomon. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Emanu-El Shabbat B'ma'agal Service. 5:45-8 p.m. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Join us for our opening weekend Shabbat in the round service. Information, Shoshana Jacob at shosh@teprov. org or 401-331-1616.
Temple Habonim Shabbat by the Sea. 5:45 p.m. Barrington Beach, 87 Bay Road, Barrington. Bring your own chair or blanket, and welcome Shabbat on the beach. In case of inclement weather, the services will be moved inside to Temple Habonim. Information, Adina at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-2456536.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Service. 6 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Meet in the Sanctuary with special guests Cathy Clasper-Torch and Shelley Katsh. Information, Templesinairi. org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Saturday | September 7
Temple Sinai Breakfast and Torah Study. 9:30-11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Join us for eggs, French toast, blueberry pancakes,
oatmeal and bagels followed by a discussion of a portion of the Torah. Breakfast RSVP and information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Temple Torat Yisrael Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:30 a.m.-noon. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Bar Mitzvah Service. Both in person and via streaming. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Sinai Morning Service. 11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Service will be held in the Chapel. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Sunday | September 8
Temple Emanu-El Lecture: Jewish Businesses in Rhode Island. 9:30 a.m.-noon. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Breakfast followed by presentations exploring the history and impact of Jewish businesses and innovation in Rhode Island. Prominent businesses and their contributions to the local retail, textile, food and financial industries will be highlighted. Information and RSVP, Shoshana Jacob at shosh@teprov.org or 401331-1616.
Wednesday | September 11
Israeli Culture Series: Gaya Welcome Event. 7 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove, Ave., Providence. Welcome Gaya, our new Israeli emissary to our community. We will play a fun “Rhode Island and Gaya” trivia game and enjoy some tasty flavors of popcorn. Free. Information and RSVP, Dori Adler at dadler@ jewishallianceri.org.
Thursday | September 12
Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center “Double Chai” Celebration: “Remembrance & Creativity.” 6:30 p.m. Supporting Donor Reception. 7:30 p.m. Concert. Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. 36th Anniversary Celebration honoring Sandra Bornstein and Richard Bornstein z”l. Featuring the Terezin Music Foundation Ensemble led by renowned violist Mark Ludwig, Boston Symphony Orchestra member emeritus. Concert ticket: $36. Information and RSVP, info@ hercri.org.
Holding Space: From Generation to Generation; Architecture and the Archive. 6:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Opening of a solo show by artist-in-residence Zo Baker. This exhibit is a photographic and oral history project about how Jews hold space for the past. Free. Information
and RSVP, Devorah Phillips at dphillips@jewishallianceri.org.
Friday | September 13
Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 5:45 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@templebeth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Services. 6-7:45 p.m. Open House Shabbat in the sanctuary with an Oneg to follow in the Social Hall. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Saturday | September 14
Temple Beth-El Shabbat Service. 9 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join us for this in-person, lay- and clergy-led service. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.
Temple Sinai Breakfast and Torah Study. 9:30-11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Join us for our breakfast consisting of oatmeal, eggs, French toast, bagels, etc. followed by Torah Study. Breakfast RSVP and information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Temple Torat Yisrael Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:3010:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. In person with Zoom available. Information, temple@ toratyisrael.org.
Temple Sinai Morning Service. 11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston.
Friday | September 20
Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Service. 5:45 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Information, Jillian Brosofsky at jbrosofsky@templebeth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Service. 6 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Our guest speaker, Marsha Miller, will meet with us in the Chapel. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Saturday | September 21
Temple Sinai Breakfast and Torah Study. 9:30-11 a.m. Join us for oatmeal, French toast, eggs, bagels, etc. along with all the fixings followed by Torah study at 10 a.m. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Temple Torat Yisrael Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:30 a.m.-noon. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Bar Mitzvah Service.
CALENDAR
Both in person and via streaming. Information, temple@toratyisrael. org.
Temple Sinai Morning Service. 11 a.m.-noon. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Service will be held in the Chapel. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Kids' Night Out: Space Expedition. 6-10 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 included. Information, Rachel Accetturo at raccetturo@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-4111, ext. 140.
Monday | September 23
An Evening with Rabbi Elan Babchuck. 6:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Rabbi Elan Babchuck, executive vice president of Clal (the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), and Rabbi Josh Bolton, executive director of Brown-RISD Hillel, will discuss Rabbi Babchuck's book “Picking Up the Pieces: Leadership After Empire.” Free. Book signing follows talk. Books available for purchase. Information and RSVP, Devorah Phillips at dphillips@ jewishallianceri.org.
Tuesday | September 24
Strategic Plan 2024: Town Hall Meeting. 6-8 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. The Jewish Alliance has embarked on its next strategic planning process. Your feedback will lead to a better understand the challenges facing our community and the hopes we all share for our future. Registration is mandatory. Information, Gail Putnam at gputnam@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 158.
JCDSRI Open School Night. 6-8 p.m. 85 Taft Ave., Providence. Parents of current students are invited to see the school and learn about their child’s classroom. Information, Meredith Friedman at mfriedman@jcdsri.com or 401-7512470.
Thursday | September 26
The Miriam Hospital Women's Association: A Conversation with Wendy Schiller on American Democracy in 2024. 7 p.m. TMH Sopkin Auditorium, 164 Summit Ave., Providence. Wendy Schiller is the Howard R. Swearer Interim Director of the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs and Professor of Political Science at Brown University.
Moderated by Rebecca Kislak, State Representative for District 4. Free. Information, Vickie Scott at vickie.scott@lifespan.org or 401793-2520.
Book Launch: "The Council of Wise Women." 7 p.m. Maven's Delicatessen, 727 East Ave., Pawtucket. Izzy Abrahmson's novel tells the story of a secret society, magical chicken soup and a young girl who is wise beyond her years. Abrahmson, Mark Binder’s pen name, will read from the book, tell a story or two and sign copies. Free pickle with every purchase. Information, Mark Binder at 401272-8707.
Friday | September 27
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 Evening Service. 6-7 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Rabbi Heather Shore will be our guest speaker in the Chapel. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Saturday | September 28
Temple Torat Yisrael Saturday Morning Shabbat Services. 9:3010:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. In person with Zoom available. Information, temple@ toratyisrael.org.
Temple Sinai Breakfast and Torah Study. 9:30-11 a.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Come have breakfast with us followed by Torah study at 10 a.m. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Temple Sinai Selichot Service and Brotherhood Breakfast. 9 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Brotherhood-sponsored breakfast followed by 10 p.m. service. The temple’s chorus Shireinu, under the direction of Cantor Joel Gluck, will accompany Rabbi Goldwasser and Cantor Johnson during the service. Information, Templesinairi. org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.
Sunday | September 29
Temple Sinai People of the Book. 2-4 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Discussion of “One Hundred Saturdays: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World” by Michael Frank and Maira Kalyan. Information, Templesinairi.org, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.
Welcoming students ages 3 through Grade 5
Contact Shayna Fel, Director of Admissions and Community Engagement, at sfel@jcdsri.com or 401.751.2470 for more information.
Shanah Tovah
Tishpishti is Sephardi honey cake, but better
BY SUSAN BAROCAS
This story originally appeared on The Nosher.
Honey cake is a hallmark of Rosh Hashanah and the fall Jewish holidays – Ashkenazi honey cake, that is. But did you know there’s a Sephardi cake traditionally served for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur breakfast and during Sukkot?
Like its Eastern European counterpart, tishpishti symbolizes wishes for a sweet new year and the fullness of life. The cake is also popular for Purim and adapted for Passover.
SEMOLINA PASTRIES and puddings have been made for centuries throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East.
Tishpishti is traditionally made with fine semolina and
Tishpishti
INGREDIENTS
For the syrup:
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup water
1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or orange blossom water
For the cake:
1 cup fine semolina (not semolina flour)
2 cups all-purpose or one-to-one gluten-free flour or almond flour
1 1/2 cups finely ground walnut or almond meal (not flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup good neutral vegetable oil (such as avocado, sunflower or peanut)
2 cups water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
soaked in a sweet syrup of sugar, honey or a mixture, but beyond these common elements, there are many variations in both the way tishpishti is made – such as nuts or no nuts, eggs or no
eggs, flavored with lemon, orange or rose water – and even what it’s called according to different geographic and cultural roots. For example, in Egypt, it’s basboosah or baboussa, namora or namoura in Syria and shamali in Crete.
Tishpishti is perhaps the name most used and, as we know it today, the cake originated in Turkey. In the “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food,” Gil Marks explains that in Israel and for Jews from once-Ottoman Turkey, Greece and the Balkans, the name is probably a nonsense name from the Turkish “tez” (fast/quick) and “pisti” (plane/slope). Put together, it means “quickly done.”
In Ladino it might also be called pispiti, tupishti and revani, which Joyce Gold-
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon or orange zest or a combination 1/8 teaspoon salt
About 30 slices blanched almonds, whole almonds or walnuts, or chopped almonds or walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the syrup, begin by stirring the sugar, honey, water and lemon juice (if using) together in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stop stirring, turn the heat up to medium-high until the mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat to a gentle boil. Cook about 15 minutes until the mixture thickens but is still syrupy. Remove from the heat and if using orange blossom water, stir it in now. Let the syrup cool to room temperature while the cake bakes.
To make the cake, preheat oven to
stein in “Sephardic Flavors: Jewish Cooking of the Mediterranean” notes is named after a 16th century Turkish poet “who wrote about the delights of food.”
Many tishpishti recipes use eggs, including those that instruct you to whip the whites separate from the yolks, a Sephardi contribution to tishpishti. This recipe, however, is based on a very old traditional way of making cakes from a thick dough without eggs. My concession to modernity is adding baking powder and soda, both 19th century products, to lessen the density of the cake. Using ground almonds instead of walnuts will result in a lighter colored cake, which is traditional at Rosh Hashanah to symbolize a bright new year. Tishpishti
350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the semolina, flour, ground nuts, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon until well blended. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, mix the oil, water, honey, sugar, cinnamon, zest and salt. Heat over medium, stirring often. Remove the saucepan from the heat just as it begins to boil. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture, about ⅓ at a time, until it is totally absorbed, and the batter is well blended. It might seem like the last bit can’t get mixed in, but it will in the end. The resulting batter will be thick and dough-like. Scoop the mixture into the greased pan and gently pat to flatten the batter with your hands so it is spread evenly and the edges are straight and even. (An offset spatula can be used to help to smooth the surface evenly
is delicious on its own or served with a spoonful of yogurt, labneh or whipped cream and a cup of mint tea or strong Turkish coffee.
NOTES: It is best to make the syrup ahead of time so it has time to cool, although you can choose to make it while the cake bakes, then refrigerate it to cool more quickly. Tishpishti is best when left at room temperature for several hours or overnight so the syrup penetrates the cake.
Store wrapped at room temperature for two days or a week in the refrigerator. The cake can be wellwrapped and frozen for two months. Defrost and then refresh with some drizzles of warm syrup.
and make sharp, clean edges.) Score the cake into small diamond shapes, about 26-30 pieces 1½ inches wide, cutting about halfway down. Gently press one almond slice or whole nut on top of each piece in the center. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges are just starting to brown. Take the cake out of the oven, then immediately pour about half the room-temperature syrup slowly and evenly over the hot cake, which will absorb the syrup as it cools. Wait a few minutes, then follow the scoring to cut all the way through the pieces. Pour the rest of the syrup evenly into the cuts and over the whole cake. Tishpishti is best when left at room temperature for several hours or overnight so the syrup penetrates the cake.
COMMUNITY VOICES
Emerson Junior High and My Bar Mitzvah
BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN
Once a year, Betsey and I are fortunate to travel to my hometown, Los Angeles, where we are joined by my twin brother, Theo, and his wife, Susan, who live in Sacramento. Our younger sister, Betty, and her husband, Keith, happen to live in the home, built by our parents in 1950, where the three of us grew up.
most of my adult life?
In elementary school, Theo and I had begun taking music lessons. I started on flute and Theo on clarinet, and we played in the orchestra.
USINGS
THERE ARE so many things I still enjoy about Los Angeles, especially its major art museums, most of which did not exist during my childhood. Nearly everything has also changed, especially the number of people, cars, highways, and high-rise buildings. Yet, we three siblings happily visit the cemetery where our paternal grandparents, parents, and some other dear relatives are buried. This is the least that we can do to express our never-ending loyalty and love.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for us to visit Wilshire Boulevard Temple, the Reform congregation where we Goodwin kids grew up and where Betty and Keith still belong. Fortunately, the monumental edifice is still in use, but it’s now an even longer drive from Betty and Keith’s home and our favorite hotel.
In July, during our last afternoon in L.A., I was curious to visit Emerson Junior High School, from which Theo and I graduated in 1963. Now known as a “charter middle school,” this pioneer example of a “modern” school building, erected in 1937, is hardly recognizable. Some newer structures have been added and there is a bolder color scheme, but the locked campus also looks shabby and forlorn.
Emerson was designed by a leading Austrian-born, Jewish architect, Richard Neutra (1892-1970), who became nationally and internationally renowned primarily for his modern residences in Southern California. One of his most famous homes elsewhere was “Windshield,” a 14,000-square-foot vacation abode, which had been built in 1938 for a Rhode Island
couple, John Nicholas and Anne Brown, on Fishers Island (near New London, Connecticut). Unfortunately, having been destroyed by a fire in 1973, it endures only as a landmark in architectural history. Perhaps the Browns visited Emerson when they went to Los Angeles to meet Neutra. As I walked around my school’s main classroom building and its adjacent auditorium, I was overcome by mostly happy memories. But I can also easily remember my most humiliating moment. No, it had nothing to do with a paddling, which would have been administered by Mr. Carter, the boys’ vice principal. My devastating moment occurred during summer school in 1961, when Theo and I were required to stay home from our boys’ camp in Northern California to prepare for our early September bar mitzvah. We had studied Hebrew for three years but hadn’t made much progress. But in that era, summer school students could also take advanced classes not available during the regular year. Mr. Klein (his name means small) taught “Power Reading,” which focused on novels by Hemingway, Saroyan and Steinbeck. (No local schools were ever named in their honor, let alone Baldwin, Kerouac, Mailer or Salinger.) One day Mr. Klein asked, “Well, boys, what are you doing besides growing little moustaches?” I wanted to punch the guy in the face. In fact, I still want to do so! Is it any wonder that I’ve worn a mustache and a beard for
At Emerson, my favorite class was Mr. Umber’s, which meant wearing a blue-and-gold uniform while marching in a band. Part of my enthusiasm derived from hearing a phonograph record and seeing a production of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man.” In fact, I could write an entire column about my favorite musical and how it has reverberated throughout my life.
About five years ago, when Betsey and I went on a Mediterranean cruise, I was extremely disappointed by a shore excursion. So, when I went to complain to a staff member, she changed the subject by asking where we lived. When I hastily explained that I had grown up in Los Angeles, she remarked that she had too.
Then she asked where I had gone to school. Just for the heck of it, I mentioned Emerson. She remarked, “So did I.” When she inquired about my favorite class, I mentioned Mr. Umber’s band. Then she asked, “Which instrument did you play?” She too had played the flute! In fact, it soon became apparent that we had probably shared the same music stand at rehearsals, but we didn’t remember each other.
I still have many happy memories about Theo’s and my bar mitzvah, which was held on Admission Day. No, this was not our initiation to manhood, but the date in 1850 when California was admitted to the Union. Following the service, a festive lunch was served in the upstairs social hall. There was no dancing, but Theo and I performed in a band that included about 10 of our Emerson buddies. No more than half these boys were Jews, for our closest friends included many Gentiles.
By the way, we performed classics from the big band era because folk, surfer, and rock music were not considered appropriate (or published “sheet” music did not exist).
Music was an important part of our Temple upbringing. In place of a cantor, we learned to enjoy a professional choir, which performed high in the sanctuary’s loft near an invisible organist. But Theo and I also played in the Purim pageant orchestra, which was led, appropriately, by Mr. Guide, a junior high teacher, and required weeks of Saturday afternoon rehearsals and long bus rides home. So, I have two big questions. Was that creep, Mr. Klein, Jewish? And, if so, when did he become a man?
GEORGE M. GOODWIN , of Providence, is the editor of Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes.
COMMUNITY VOICES
The High Holy Days – a time for reflection and recommitment
The High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur give us the opportunity every year to recommit to meaningful lives. This includes self-renewal, embracing themes of revitalization, self-improvement, and cultivating our inner spiritual condition.
Useful questions to reflect on during these high holidays include the following:
• What lessons did I learn in the past year that I will apply in the coming year?
• How have I grown personally this past year and what new understandings do I carry into the next year?
• What positive changes do I want to make this coming year?
• What shared holiday traditions and collective worship bring me meaning and joy? Shofar blowing, tashlich ceremony, special prayers of remembrance,
festive meals, fasting, the break- the-fast meal, meal, ne’ilah service, wearing white, other?
• What intentions will I set for selfimprovement in the coming year?
EVERY YEAR I participate in 10Q. It is part of Reboot, an arts and culture non-profit “that reimagines and reinforces Jewish thought and traditions.” (https://www.doyou10q. com/about)
questions on 10Q. More than 750 unique organizations and communities have used 10Q as a platform to engage in meaningful Jewish reflection over the past 15 years. We answer one question per day in our own private online 10Q space. The answers are then sent to the secure online 10Q vault for safekeeping. One year later, the vault opens, and we can read our answers from the previous year for private reflection.
I find this a helpful way to reflect on my past responses and develop new ones for the coming year.
into a door through which wagons can go through” (Midrash on Song of Songs 5:2).
“Thinking ‘I can’t’ is idolatry. If the Almighty helps us, we can change the world. And if He doesn’t help, we can’t do anything” Rabbi Noah Weinberg.
“If you believe breaking is possible, believe fixing is possible” Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
The High Holy Days give us the opportunity to reflect on our actions and perceptions and cultivate our inner spiritual lives. This is a powerful time for us to recommit to living purposeful and ethical lives.
For 10 days, I answer the in-depth
In aish.com the article “Ten Inspiring Quotes for Ten Days of Repentance,” by Debbie Gurfreund, three of these quotations stood out to me: “Open for me an opening the size of a needle and I will it expand it
PATRICIA RASKIN , owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is an awardwinning radio producer, business owner and leader. She has served on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Her “Positive Living with Patricia Raskin” podcast can be heard on voiceamerica.com.
PATRICIA RASKIN
Temple Torat Yisrael 1251 Middle Road East Greenwich, RI 02818 www.toratyisrael.org (401) 885-6600
STRATEGIC PLAN: 2024
Programs for all ages, Pre K to 7 Sunday School. We look forward to welcoming you to our community. Prospective members can purchase High Holiday tickets. Please email us at welcome@toratyisrael.org.
OpenHouse
Join us on Friday, September 13, at 6:00 PM for Temple Sinai's Open House Shabbat service. Come be a part of our vibrant, inspiring and supportive community. Make this year a true new beginning and bring tradition to life.
Temple Sinai is a genuine community, filled with meaninful prayer, authentic Jewish learning, and commitment to social action. We share a loving environment for celebration and for life's momentous occasions. It's a place to call home.
Questions? Contact dottie@templesinairi.org
30 Hagen Ave, Cranston (401) 943-8350 www.TempleSinaiRI.org
As we begin our next strategic planning process, we want to hear from you -those closest to greater Rhode Island's Jewish community. Your feedback will help us to better understand the challenges facing our community, and the hopes we all share for our future. The information we collect will be used to guide our work over the next three years, by allowing us to build a plan that responds directly to the community we serve.
TWO WAYS TO PARTICIPATE:
COMMUNITY SURVEY: Opens September 6
TOWN HALL MEETING: September 24
Visit JewishAllianceRI.org/Survey for details or scan the QR Code:
Seeking sanctuary: Popeye, Roger Williams and the promise of Israel
It’s easy to research the history of Popeye and his playful planet, but I have a private perception of his spinach and his search. Created in 1929 by American Jewish cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar he has a special place in my heart. I believe that he is the doppelganger of the Wandering Jew, keeping kosher, pursuing the love of his life, Olive Oyl, raising Swee’ Pea, and feeding his friend Wimpy proper burgers.
COMICS WERE a Jewish invention to publish accounts of their quests...and their travels among the islands of hope and despair. An unemployed Jewish teacher from the Bronx, Maxwell Gaines (formerly Ginsberg) began putting humorous newspaper comic strips into a magazine format. I once read that “I yam
what I yam” was, in the war of 1812, a Jewish-American sailor’s refusal to swear allegiance on the New Testament. You may recall that Popeye’s father lives on another island far away, not unlike my own grandfather who left his dad when he became a footgoer, traveling across Europe and camping out in
search of a job in England. Eventually he served as a stevedore in order to to cross the channel... and thus, his first-born, my own dad, was born in London. Having read about all the artists, illustrators and writers who created him, I have become increasingly inclined to think of Popeye as my role model, which explains, perhaps, why I offer this portrait of him to carry along on my travels.
My tribute to the sailor man may also be part of a
celebration of our ocean state with multiple islands in our bays and its Hebrew names such Jerusalem and Galilee for our settlements. It even sheds light on the story of Roger Williams who sought refuge right here among what are now our streets and among our little hills and river valleys. Just as Williams found a haven in Rhode Island from the Puritan restrictions of Massachusetts, Israel is the place where Jews went and still go to escape intolerance and find a place to flourish...and both places played their parts in different versions of the American dream. Maybe Popeye is watching over you!
FINK (mfink33@aol. com) is a professor emeritus at the Rhode Island School of Design.
MIKE
MIKE FINK
OPINION
LETTERS
Remember your values
ALL OF US have been rightly shaken by what has happened on college campuses and by the way that some in progressive circles who we have faithfully supported have embraced a false and hateful narrative about Israel, Israelis and, by extension, Jews in general.
Many of us have been experiencing a kind of trauma out of which we felt abandoned; and many, in attempt to recover a sense of security, are even turning to embrace the political right, even if they had traditionally opposed it in the past because it didn’t represent their values. Because of the heightened importance of this single and – yes – very important issue, they are putting aside other concerns. But we must not let our fears cloud our judgments. No American administration is going to abandon Israel and take the side of Hamas. Our military advisors wouldn’t support that. Our high-tech leaders wouldn’t support that. Our law enforcement agencies wouldn’t support that. Those who actually do the work of maintaining America’s power and leadership in the world will not support that. They know the true value of Israel to the US.
I have faith that by the time of the election, most Jewish voters concerned about Israel’s security and success in its war against Hamas will remember that their values, overall, are those of the Democratic Party. The Biden/ Harris administration have been “rock solid” in backing Israel in this war – and those are the words of Israel’s PM Netanyahu, President Herzog and numerous top Israeli military leaders; not just mine.
The vast majority of American Jews – young and old – want to see a resolution to this conflict that brings peace to the region and provides a future for the Palestinians because it is in Israel’s long term security interests.
David Wasser Cranston,
R.I.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit…
The second paragraph of our Declaration of Independence begins: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
THOUGH THIS 18th-century English appears straightforward, the words are at least somewhat ambiguous – especially the last word, Happiness. If I were to ask you to complete the sentence, “Happiness is…,” there would likely be almost as many different responses as there are readers of this column.
However, given the revolutionary context of our Declaration of Independence, many historians would argue that our founding fathers understood “happiness” to mean economic freedom from the oppressive laws of Great Britain’s King George III. Indeed, the majority of the Declaration signed on July 4, 1776, is a bill of particulars against the tyrannical actions of the British Monarch’s “Long Train of Abuses and Usurpations” designed to force the American colonists to endure a state of “absolute Despotism.” To put it succinctly, the Pursuit of Happiness could be rephrased as “the pursuit of property” – the pursuit of private property unencumbered by the restrictive laws and regulations of the British
LETTERS
government located thousands of miles away across the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
RABBI JAMES ROSENBERG
Going back about 2,400 years, the renowned Greek thinker Aristotle (384-322 BCE), a founding father of Western philosophy, defined happiness as “an activity of the soul in conformity with virtue.” It is admittedly a challenge to translate ancient Greek into contemporary English; nevertheless, one can see that Aristotle’s understanding of happiness is far broader than that of the author(s) of our Declaration of Independence. Aristotle seeks to grasp what happiness means to all people, in all places, in all historical situations. Aristotle is offering us a perspective on happiness that is both a mile wide and a mile deep. Perhaps, most importantly, Aristotle makes it clear that happiness is not pleasure. Pleasure is fleeting, while happiness is gradually achieved during the journey of a lifetime. Pleasure is often morally neutral; we enjoy the fleeting pleasure
I’m standing up
IF NOT NOW, then when? I cannot stand by any longer hoping someone else will stand up for Israel. At recent rallies I have attended, Pro-Israel groups are always outnumbered by Pro-Palestinian supporters who are shouting their rhetoric demeaning Israel with misinformation. On a weekly basis protests are growing from the Brown Univer-
of a well-prepared meal or a dip into the summer surf or the sound of a Beethoven symphony or the fond embrace of an old friend; but our enjoyment is not of moral consequence, neither good nor bad. By way of contrast, Aristotle views happiness as the lifelong project of pursing virtue, of acting for the benefit of others in every season of our lives.
Indeed, I believe that I am not too far off the mark if I state that Aristotle’s view of happiness is to live the life of what we Jews call a “Mensch” – or, to coin a term that pays tribute to both genders, a “Wo-mensch.” That is to say, what brings us lasting happiness is a life spent in service to others as well as to ourselves. To act like a Mensch is to bring comfort to others without neglecting the obligation, the need to take care of oneself. Though Aristotle never heard the Yiddish word “Mensch” spoken, I believe the ancient Greek would agree that the actions of a Mensch are the actions of a happy person.
This past Aug. 11, Jessica Grose devoted several columns in the Sunday Opinion section of “The New York Times” to her piece paradoxically called “The Joyless Quest For Peak Happiness.” What are the words “joyless” and “happiness” doing in the same title? Indeed, her article reads like a script from the theater of the absurd.
The author informs us that she had committed herself to taking a hundred brief surveys: three times a day for about a month. As she notes, “The survey, from TrackYourHappiness.com.,
sity campus to Boston and beyond. With Jews in the minority, we must show up! That’s why I am compelled to get off my duff and do something about it by supporting Pro-Israel groups. I attend local rallies holding an Israeli flag and a sign saying “We Stand With Israel.” Many of my friends say, “It’s great that YOU are getting out and doing that,” but are they willing to get out and really do something to support
asks me a series of questions about what I was doing the moment right before I take it, whether I wanted to be doing it, how focused I was on my task, how productive I was being and how happy I felt about it all. I measure my emotional levels with a little toggle that slides from ‘bad’ to ‘good.’ ” That is to say, TrackYour Happiness.com is trying to measure its survey-takers’ feelings of happiness or, I suppose, their feelings of unhappiness. The irony of trying to measure happiness on a quantitative scale is that it can, in some cases, lead to unhappiness, even depression. As Prof. Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the academic study of happiness, puts it, “I think it’s a pretty serious mistake to think that what life is about is your moment-to-moment mood…I think that’s a recipe for depression and anxiety.”
Happiness, then, is not ultimately about what you feel but about what you do, not about your emotions but about your actions. At this time of grave political and social upheaval here in America, we citizens must learn to view our individual pursuit of happiness as part of our collective pursuit. We need to deepen our understanding of happiness as that which bring joy to us all – a pursuit which once again binds us together as a truly United States of America
JAMES B. ROSENBERG is a rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeritus@ templehabonim.org
their beliefs? If not now, then when? This war on Israel cannot be fought by a few. We must ALL do something or not “wish I did something” in retrospect. Doing nothing IS doing something.
Roberta K. Schneider East Providence, RI
Jewish Rhode Island publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (300 words, maximum) on issues of interest to our Jewish community. At our discretion, we may edit pieces for publication or refuse publication. Letters and columns, whether from our regular contributors or from guest columnists, represent the views of the authors; they do not represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or the Alliance.
Unilateral vs multilateral: Israel’s policy choice
BY MOSES MORDECAI TWERSKY
Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of South Africa, warned in a July Jerusalem Post article, that Israel cannot depend on the United States and the West, regarding a possible nuclear attack by Iran. He suggested that Israel should unilaterally attack Iran’s nuclear facilities and destroy them. He points out that Iran is only a few weeks away from a nuclear capability.
THIS THREAT from Iran is existential. Iranian clerics and IRGC officials have already threatened to wipe out Israel, and on this past April 13, Iran directly attacked Israel with 300 missiles and drones. This attack, which was telegraphed by Iran, was completely repulsed by Israel’s excellent defensive shield-the Arrow 2, Arrow 3, David’s Sling and Iron Dome. But the response to Iran’s attack was multilateral: America, Britain, France, and yes, some Arab countries (Jordan and Saudi Arabia), assisted in taking out Iran’s missile and drone attack.
Rabbi Goldstein argues that Israel cannot count on her defensive shield in the case of an Iranian nuclear attack. And Israel cannot rely on Iran’s moral inhibitions. Iran is a violent Shi’ite
jihadist state and would quite likely attempt to do the evil deed of destroying Israel. He points out that Prime Minister Menachem Begin acting unilaterally, sent the IAF to bomb the Osirak Nuclear Reactor in Iraq, which was done successfully in 1981. However, circumstances are not the same now. The world is much closer together now, in large part due to technology. There are aspects of the Iranian situation that Rabbi Goldstein may not be considering. Firstly, the Iranian nuclear infrastructure is buried some 100 meters beneath a mountain. Even America’s most powerful bunker busting bomb, can only destroy up to 60 meters.
Also, an issue that Rabbi Goldstein did not bring up is whether Israel could launch a nuclear strike against Iran. It is not certain that Israel has nuclear weapons. The current situation leads to the unavoidable conclusion that Israel must pursue a multilateral approach. It is facing threats from all sides. Iran is and has stoked a “ring of fire” around Israel. Israel is in a low-grade war with Hezbollah in the north (which might become major), it was forced to attack the Houthis in Yemen, and approaching 11 months now, it is in an existential struggle with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel is multilaterally
‘America is striving mightily to arrange a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.’
attacking Iran and her proxies. Within the past few weeks Israel assassinated Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander, and shortly after, Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas Politburo chief, was blown up in Tehran, Iran. These two assassinations produced a situation where Iran and Hezbollah together declared that they would launch a major destructive
attack on Israel – and a possible target could be Tel Aviv. This of course would provoke a major regional war.
President Joseph Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have announced as they did on Oct. 7, the day of Hamas’ heinous attack on Israel, that American naval power and air power were moving to positions in the Eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea, to defend Israel. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, a member of NATO, threatened to invade Israel with Turkish troops, because of his support for Hamas and against the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Of course, the United States has an airbase in Turkey, Incirlik Air Base, so Erdogan was bragging. The Turkish response is mentioned, because it adds to the array of hatred against Israel, and it reinforces the point that Israel needs to be multilateral in her outlook with the consolidation of threat against her. Which brings us to Hamas and the Gaza War. America is striving mightily to arrange a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. America has made the diplomatic argument to Iran and Hezbollah, that a cease-fire in Gaza would render moot the rationale for them to attack Israel.
Hamas, as of this writ-
ing, just turned down the current cease-fire proposal, blaming “American dictates” and conditions set by Netanyahu, which are IDF troops remaining at the Philadelphi Corridor on Gaza’s border with Egypt, and the Netzarim Corridor across the middle of Gaza. However, Netanyahu has now agreed to a new American bridging proposal, indicating flexibility, so a cease-fire is still in play. Netanyahu made clear that the redemption of the hostages is a supreme mission of the State of Israel. However, in the light of the recent discovery that six of them have already been murdered by Hamas, public opinion in Israel could well force his hand to become more compromising about negotiating that cease-fire.
MOSES MORDECAI TWERSKY of Providence has a Master’s degree in American history from Providence College. His novel “Love Story in Greenwich Village: New York Iranian Adventure,” was published in January 2021 by Omniscriptum and is available from Amazon and other booksellers.
New study looks at spike in campus Jewish life engagement after Oct. 7
BY ANDREW LAPIN JTA
Immediately after Oct. 7, a growing number of Jewish college students felt a connection to their Jewish identity and sought out Jewish events on campus. But the feeling didn’t last for everyone.
THAT’S ACCORDING to a new study by Tufts University researcher Eitan Hersh, who found that levels of Jewish campus engagement spiked after the attacks in fall 2023 but fell down somewhat by the spring – even as growing
numbers of Jewish students said they felt their identities were under threat amid a wider backlash to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The Tufts study is one of the deepest quantitative dives into campus Jewish
life to emerge since the Hamas attack on Israel and the start of Israel’s war in Gaza. Titled “A Year of Campus Conflict and Growth: An Over-Time Study of the Impact of the Israel-Hamas War on U.S. College Students,” the report comes at the beginning of a new school year, as universities and Jewish groups across the country are struggling with how to respond to hostile environments for Jewish students.
“I think the Jewish community writ large is right to be very concerned
about this issue,” Hersh, who co-authored the report with research assistant Dahlia Liss, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency about the environment for Jewish students on campuses after Oct. 7. “The social dynamics on campus are quite bad.”
The survey, funded by the Jim Joseph Foundation, is based on surveys conducted with more than 1,000 Jewish and 1,500 non-Jewish students at nearly 200 campuses with major Jewish presences, as well as focus groups with Jewish students, non-Jewish students
and a mix of both. It builds on research about campus antisemitism that the demographer began in 2022 and includes responses from some of the same students over the course of three years.
Surveying the same groups of students immediately after, and then months after, Oct. 7, Hersh found that their feelings of connection to their campus Jewish communities and their attendance at Jewish events both spiked right after the
OPINION
attacks. More than 40% of Jewish respondents felt close to a Jewish community after Oct. 7, versus 26% the year before – but this number fell to 33% by spring 2024. Jewish students who reported attending Jewish events at least on an occasional basis leapt from 54% in 2022 to 75% after the attacks, then fell slightly to 68% in spring 2024.
The report also found that wealthier Jewish students were more likely to support Israel than less wealthy ones; that more Jewishly engaged students were more likely to have negative views of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and that Jewish students largely perceived their universities as being biased against Israel, while pro-Palestinian students believed the opposite.
Another recent study, published at Brandeis University, found that around one-third of non-Jewish students hold sets of beliefs hostile to Jews or Israel. Hersh’s study, in the same ballpark, found that one-fifth of non-Jewish students set out to deliberately socially ostracize their pro-Israel peers. (The Brandeis survey also found that almost a quarter of non-Jewish students said they preferred to not be friends with people who support Israel existing as a Jewish state.)
support Palestinians.
“At least on my campus, there is a section of pro-Palestinian Jewish people and if you are neutral or pro-Israel, you are on the other side,” one student said. “It has created two different groups
I can hold both opinions: that I can both be upset about what’s happening in Gaza and still believe in Israel,” they said. “Some people just assume that all Zionists believe that it is good to be killing people.”
‘There are so many students that are on the fence about how much Jewish life might be part of their campus life.’
of people, and it is really hard to connect to people who are Jewish and also super pro-Palestinian.”
In focus groups, some Jewish students described intra-Jewish divisions on campus, between those who back Israel and the smaller but vocal contingent who
Pray for Peace
Another offered a snapshot of an increasingly polarized campus dialogue in which the broad category of “Zionist” is frequently demonized. “There are some people who are not willing to believe that
May it be Your will, G-d of our ancestors, that You grant my family and all Israel a good and long life. Remember us with blessings and kindness. Fill our homes with your Divine Presence. Give me the opportunity to raise my children and grandchildren to be truly wise, lovers of G-d, people of truth, who illuminate the world with Torah, good deeds and the work of the Creator. Please hear my prayer at this time. Regard me as a worthy descendent of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, our mothers, and let my candles burn and never be extinguished. Let the light of your face shine upon us, and bring true peace to Israel and the world.
BLESSINGS FOR SHABBOS
BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU ME-LECH
HO-OLOM A-SHER KI-DE-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-SOV VI-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK-NER SHEL SHA-BOS KO-DESH
Blessed are You, G-d our Lord, King of the universe, who has hallowed us through His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of the holy Shabbos
CAUTION FOR FRIDAYS:
DO NOT light candles after sunset so as not to desecrate the Shabbos. It is forbidden to light candles after sunset.
Come to a “FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE”
Shabbat Dinner at the Chabad House Jewish Hospitality Center 360-362 Hope St. Providence, RI 02906
Call: 273-7238
BLESSINGS FOR HOLIDAYS
Select the proper ending for the appropriate Yom Tov:
BORUCH ATO ADO-NOY ELO-HAY-NU MELECH
HO-OLOM A-SHER KID-SHONU B’MITZ-VO-SOV
V-TZI-VONU L’HAD-LIK NER SHEL
(on Friday add — SHA-BOS V-SHEL) Pesach, Shavuot and Succot – Yom Tov Rosh Hashanah – Yom-Ha-zi-Koron Yom Kippur – Yom Ha-Kippurim
Add this blessing following each of the above blessings except for the last holidays of Pesach.
BORUCH ATO ADO-NOY ELO-HAY-NU MELECH
HO-OLOM SHE-HEH-CHE-YONU V’KEE-MONU V’HEEGEE-ONU LEEZ-MAN HA-ZEH
Special instructions for holidays (but not on Shabbat)
It is forbidden to create a new fire by striking a match, lighter, etc., However, it is permissable to use a flame already burning since before the inception of the holiday, such as a pilot light, gas or candle flame. Candle lighting time for the second night of the Holiday is usually about one hour after the candle lighting time of the previous night.
Such responses point to a deep anxiety among Jews in college, Hersh said.
“The Jewish students are kind of anguished, because they’re like, ‘Why am I not allowed to have a complicated view on this?’” he said. “You just have to fall in line in this campus environment.”
The declining engagement revealed by the study as the year went on could reflect a return to pre-Oct. 7 norms over time. But Hersh said he thought the “social cost” that many Jewish students feel they pay merely by attending campus Jewish events, in a climate where pro-Palestinian activists have increasingly targeted Hillel and other Jewish groups for their support of Israel, could also play a role.
“There are so many students that are on the fence about how much Jewish life might be part of their campus life,” he said. “And the campus culture has made it so that it’s a very fraught decision to go to just a Jewish program on campus.”
Jewish students’ views of Israel itself remained relatively unchanged after the attacks, as roughly the same proportions of respondents said they believed there should continue to be a Jewish state in the region and that they felt some connection to Israel.
Hersh said he was intrigued by the survey’s findings that Jewish students’ support for Israel correlated with their socioeconomic background. While Jews were more likely than not to support Israel regardless of status, more affluent respondents were the most likely
to support Israel (more than 70% do), while less affluent Jews were the most likely to oppose its existence (more than 20%). The findings held even when accounting for the likelihood of “upper-class” Jews to grow up in strong Jewish communities.
“One thing I would like to do through this report is bring more attention to socioeconomic class as a thing to be thinking about,” he said. “I actually don’t think Jewish organizations think about it as much as they maybe should, because it’s a big division, and it’s particularly a big division among students who don’t have robust Jewish backgrounds.”
In views voiced by many pro-Palestinian campus activists, and articulated by the Tufts focus groups, the Israel debate is often perceived as being between largely Jewish “Zionists” who back everything Israel does, and anti-Zionists who don’t support the state at all.
But Hersh’s study offers an alternative: that the most Jewishly involved students on campus are also the harshest critics of Israel’s leadership. Jewish assessments of Netanyahu generally got worse the more Jewishly involved the student was, with more than 50% of students from “high” Jewish backgrounds saying they had a “poor” opinion of Netanyahu. (Only a very small number of Jewish students overall felt he was doing an “excellent” job.) Jewish students in focus groups also mentioned their opposition to Netanyahu more frequently than non-Jewish ones.
When asked, in their focus groups, what preferred solution they would like to see in the Middle East, many students – both self-proclaimed Zionists and anti-Zionists – offered up some version of a two-state solution.
“I think that there should be a compromise where Palestine can be free, but Israel can also have its own nation,” one non-Jewish student said.
ROSH HASHANAH
For rabbis writing High Holy Days sermons during the Israel-Hamas war, procrastination pays off
BY JACOB GURVIS JTA
On the morning of Oct. 7, Rabbi Erez Sherman was preparing for the Yizkor memorial service at his Conservative synagogue, Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. He had written a sermon, somewhat presciently, about memory. It was titled “Hard to Say Goodbye.”
THEN HE RECEIVED a text message from his predecessor, Rabbi David Wolpe, who was three hours ahead in Boston: “Change your sermon.”
News had broken about Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, and while Sherman said he typically doesn’t use technology on Shabbat and holidays, it became clear that this was no typical holiday. For his sermon that day, Sherman ended up reading text updates from someone in a shelter in Ashkelon, near the Gaza border.
Now, as rabbis across the United States prepare their sermons for the upcoming High Holy Days, the first since Oct. 7 sent shockwaves across the Jewish world, many are acutely aware that similar last-minute changes could be needed yet again. As the Israel-Hamas war continues and the U.S. presidential election approaches, the volume and pace of news show no sign of abating. For any rabbi interested in preaching on current events, that uncertainty presents a challenge.
But as Rabbi Nicole Guzik, Sherman’s wife and co-senior rabbi, points out, it’s a challenge with which rabbis are –often somberly – familiar.
“I hate to say it but look what has happened during the months of September and October,” Guzik said. “What was it like to be a rabbi during 9/11? What was it like to be a rabbi during the Yom Kippur War? Being a rabbi is being able to pivot and to give meaning and significance and the grounding of Torah to current events.”
Rabbi Jennifer Frenkel, the senior rabbi at Congregation Kol Ami, a Reform synagogue in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, said High Holy Day sermon-writing often boils down to “the art of procrastinating.” That’s especially true, she added, when the holidays fall as late as they do this year – Rosh Hashanah begins Oct. 2, nearly three weeks
later than it did last year.
“I think clergy have learned a lot since 9/11, since all these things tend to hit around the holidays, about being open to needing to scrap everything we’ve thought of and start again,” Frenkel said.
Frenkel, who plans to speak about current events for one of her High Holy Day sermons, said she has been collecting resources and brainstorming with colleagues. But while in a typical year she would likely have an initial draft by this point, Frenkel said she has not yet started writing that sermon.
“That process, I imagine, is going to start much later than it has,” Frenkel said. “Certainly with the situation in Israel ever evolving, the political climate in the country. So that’s kind of where I am – not very far at all. But I think that’s the best place to be right now, just staying open to the meaning that we’re finding in the day to day.”
Guzik, who is planning to speak about the Gaza war on Rosh Hashanah, said the conflict has actually simplified rabbis’ preparations in one key way – when it comes to choosing sermon topics.
“You know you’re going to speak about Israel,” Guzik said. “I would be shocked if one of the five sermons that people deliver, [if] one’s not about Israel, that would be a very hard thing for me to hear. I think it kind of relieves that uncertainty. I think the question will be the direction.”
Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky, who leads Congregation Shaare Tefilla, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Dallas, said he has recently been writing his Shabbat sermons later than usual and, where possible, avoiding references to specific events that could quickly become outdated.
For the High Holy Days, he said, he plans to keep his sermons focused on broader
subjects that can be written ahead of time with little risk of requiring changes, and when he talks about Israel, current events will not be “the sole focus” of his remarks.
“Given that the specific reality may change, not just from one day to the next but from one hour to the next, my discussions are going to focus on the types of themes that you can prepare for in advance, that you can anticipate,” Rackovsky said.
Michele Lowe, a playwright who advises rabbis across the country on their sermons, said many of the rabbis she is working with ahead of this High Holy Day season are planning to speak about the war and antisemitism, even if they gave similar sermons last year or in the months since Oct. 7.
Lowe is advising roughly two dozen rabbis on 37 sermons for this fall – her largest workload since she began moonlighting as a so-called “rabbi whisperer.” Most of her clients are Reform rabbis and the majority are women, she said.
Lowe said that any rabbi who chooses to speak about the war knows that they will likely need to continuously edit their sermons until the day they deliver them.
“Because this is something that is unfolding literally by the day, I think that if they are going to be preaching about the war, for example, they know that,” Lowe said. “It’s absolutely not a surprise.”
Lowe said the current moment reminds her of another recent crisis that accelerated ahead of the High Holy Days: the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, even as vaccination rates increased, the spread of the Delta variant cast uncertainty over how synagogues would approach the holidays.
“Everyone thought in July of 2021, everybody’s going to
stay healthy, things are going to be OK,” Lowe said. “And then what ended up happening was, the more the summer came on, a lot of those sermons had to get rewritten.”
On the plus side, Lowe said, giving a sermon about the war or other current events during the High Holy Days provides rabbis a luxury often not available to them on a typical Shabbat: Time.
While she usually encourages brevity – “I’m of the belief nobody ever complained that the sermon was too short,” she quipped – Lowe said High Holy Day sermons are often closer to 20 minutes, sometimes twice as long as a typical Shabbat offering.
As rabbis tackle – or revisit – these topics on the High Holy Days, length is not the only factor to weigh. There’s also the question of navigating the political climate in one’s own congregation, a reality that differs in each community.
At Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, Sherman said the clergy have historically tended to steer clear of politics – an approach that drew criticism when Wolpe argued for it.
“We don’t give political commentary, we give spiritual food for the soul, and I think that’s an important aspect,” Sherman said. “Anybody can go read the news on whatever site they would like to, but when you’re going to come to a synagogue on Shabbat, on holidays, on High Holy Days, I think people want to feel connected three ways: To each other, to a deeper sense of themselves and to God.”
Sherman said his community includes members of all political stripes, and that he and his colleagues “really try to present ideas of how to think and not what to think.” That apolitical approach does not apply to Israel, however, which he said has been a topic of conversation and education “literally every week” since Oct. 7.
In fact, that’s a practice Sherman said his congregants have validated. About five or six months after the war began, Sinai Temple’s rabbis asked lay leaders whether they should stop talking about Israel.
“When we asked our lead-
ers, should we go back to what we were doing pre-Oct. 7, they said, ‘No, we’re not enjoying what you’re doing, but we crave it,’” Sherman said.
To Frenkel, the appeal of an Israel sermon – for both the rabbi and the congregation – is the opportunity to use Jewish tradition and text to draw meaning out of a difficult situation, an exercise that can be repeated, even on the same topic.
“For many [congregants], they haven’t been in the synagogue to hear every Israel sermon that we’ve given, or every sermon on antisemitism, or every sermon on the meaning that we find in community right now,” Frenkel said. “These sermons are kind of the heavy hitters. Are we going to echo some of the things that have already been said this year? Absolutely. But I think there’s always a new angle.”
Rackovsky has experience revising his sermons quickly. In 2018, American-Israeli activist Ari Fuld, whom Rackovsky knew personally and who had a relationship with Rackovsky’s synagogue, was stabbed and killed by a Palestinian teen in the West Bank days after Rosh Hashanah. Rackovsky said he found a way to incorporate Fuld’s “legacy and what he stood for” into his Yom Kippur sermon that year.
If he has to adapt his sermons this fall, he hopes it’s for a brighter reason.
“I hope that that pattern doesn’t hold up this year,” he said. “But on the other hand, there’s already been so much bad news that it’s not like you’re starting from a place where you’re talking about how great things are and suddenly they’re not.”
While last-minute changes to High Holy Day sermons have historically been prompted by tragedy – 9/11, COVID spikes, war in Israel – Guzik isn’t ruling out the possibility that good news could throw a wrench into her sermon this year.
“Say suddenly on erev Rosh Hashanah, I get news that – God willing it happens much earlier – a deal has been reached and the hostages are being released, you better believe that my sermon is changing,” she said.
Join Temple Beth-El for High Holy Day Services
L’shanah Tovah
Happy New Year
daeh dpyl
HIGH HOLY DAYS SERVICES 2024/5785
Reverse Tashlich Program: Sunday, Sept 29, 10:00 a.m.
Rosh Hashanah Evening: Wednesday, Oct 2, 8 p.m.
Rosh Hashanah Morning: Thursday, Oct 3, 10 a.m.
Rosh Hashanah Teen Service: Thursday, Oct 3, 10 a.m.
Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service followed by Family Reception: Thursday, Oct 3, 3 p.m.
Community Tashlich: Thursday, Oct 3, 4:30 p.m.
Rosh Hashanah Second Day: Friday, Oct 4, 10:30 p.m.
Rosh Hashanah Luncheon: Friday, Oct 4, 12 p.m.
Service & Cemetery Pilgrimage: Sunday, Oct 6, 10 a.m.
Senior Rabbi
SARAH E. MACK Associate Rabbi
PRESTON D. NEIMEISER
Kol Nidre: Friday, Oct 11, 8 p.m.
Yom Kippur Morning followed by Musical Interlude: Saturday, Oct 12, 10 a.m.
Yom Kippur Teen Experience: Saturday, Oct 12, 10 a.m.
Yom Kippur Afternoon Service: Saturday, Oct 12, 1:30 p.m.
Yom Kippur Torah Study: Saturday, Oct 12, 3 p.m.
Yom Kippur Children’s Service: Saturday, Oct 12, 3 p.m.
Yom Kippur Devrei Beit El: Saturday, Oct 12, 4:15 p.m.
Yizkor/Concluding Service: Saturday, Oct 12, 4:30 p.m.
Break the Fast: Saturday, Oct 12, 6:30 p.m.
Rabbi Emeritus
LESLIE Y. GUTTERMAN
JUDITH A. SEPLOWIN
70 Orchard Avenue Providence, RI 02906-5402
Office: (401) 331-6070
info@temple-beth-el.org
www.Temple-Beth-El.org
TODAH RABBAH! THANK YOU!
Without our dedicated volunteers, the work of the Jewish Alliance would not be possible. We thank our volunteers for their leadership, commitment, and gifts of time, talent, and expertise.
To see the full donor listing for 2023-2024, please visit jewishallianceri.org or scan the QR code:
2023-2024 Volunteers
Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island Board of Directors
Chair
Harris Chorney
Vice Chairs
Marisa Garber, Co-chair Philanthropy
Richard Glucksman, Co-chair Philanthropy
William Krieger, Jewish Life & Learning
Sara E. Miller, Community Development
Mara Ostro, Governance
Avi Rosenstein, Communications
Treasurer
Brauna Doidge
Secretary
Mara Ostro
Directors
Jason Bazarsky
Reza Breakstone
Stacy Emanuel, Chair Appointee
Ryan Forman
Susan Froehlich, Leadership Development
Sharon Gaines
Janet Goldman
Robert Landau
Rashmi Licht
Sara Meirowitz
Cara Mitnick, Community Relations Council
Rabbi Preston Neimeiser, Rabbinical Representative
Jill Padwa
James Pious, Immediate Past Chair
Eric Shorr
Richard Silverman
Honorary Directors
Melvin G. Alperin
Alan G. Hassenfeld
President and CEO
Adam Greenman
Audit Committee
Robert Landau, Chair
Reza Breakstone
Sara E. Miller
Jay Rosenstein
Sally Rotenberg
Finance Committee
Brauna Doidge, Chair
Jason Bazarsky
Susan Leach DeBlasio
Joan Gray
Jill Padwa
James Pious
Jay Rosenstein
Governance Committee
Mara Ostro, Chair
Andrew Bramson
Harris Chorney, ex-officio
Ryan Forman
Sharon Gaines
Michele Lederberg
Rochelle Rosen
Facilities Committee
Harold Foster, Chair
Jonah Israelit
James Pious
Oswald Schwartz
Alliance Realty, Inc. Board
Robert Stolzman, Chair
Sharon Gaines, Vice Chair
Marc Gertsacov, Secretary/Treasurer
Adam Greenman, President and CEO
Jewish Federation Foundation of Greater Rhode Island Board
James Pious, Chair
Mitzi Berkelhammer
Harris Chorney, ex-officio
Susan Leach DeBlasio
Robin Engle
Mark R. Feinstein
Harold Foster
Sharon Gaines
Marilyn Kaplan, Treasurer
Richard Licht
Michael Nulman
Ralph Posner
Jay Rosenstein
Sally Rotenberg
Robert Schloss
Robert Sherwin, Vice Chair
Herbert Stern
Robert Stolzman
Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow, Secretary
Mindy Wachtenheim
Development & Philanthropy Committee
Marisa Garber, Co-chair
Richard Glucksman, Co-chair
Reza Breakstone
Susan Froehlich
Sara Meirowitz
Jill Padwa
Richard Silverman
Annual Campaign Solicitors
Walter Anthony
Reza Breakstone
Alan Buff
Harris Chorney
Beverly Ehrich
Mark R. Feinstein
Barbara Feldstein
Edward Feldstein
Ryan Forman
Harold Foster
Fred Franklin
Susan Froehlich
Sharon Gaines
Marisa Garber
Richard Glucksman
Janet Goldman
George Goodwin
Edward Greene
David M. Hirsch
Hope Hirsch
Marilyn Kaplan
Robert Landau
Rashmi Licht
Alan Litwin
David London
Sara Miller
Cara Mitnick
Mara Ostro
James Pious
Ralph Posner
Avi Rosenstein
Edward Rotmer
Steven Schechter
Richard Silverman
Barbara Sokoloff
Herbert Stern
Joel Westerman
Dee Dee Witman
38th Annual Richard Bornstein
Memorial Dwares JCC Golf Classic
Peri-Ann Aptaker, Co-chair
Lisa Maybruch, Co-chair
Branding/Communications Committee
Avi Rosenstein, Chair
Ryan Forman
Jodi Greenberg
Lisa Maybruch
Charles Meyer
Sara E. Miller
Community Development Committee
Sara E. Miller, Chair
Abigail Anthony
Adina Davies
Dan Feiner
Jodi Greenberg
Keith Hoffmann
Jeffrey Isaacs
Hanina Rosenstein
Relief & Recovery Committee
Abigail Anthony
Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer
Rabbi Sarah Mack
Miriam Esther Weiner
Women's Alliance Committee
Janet Goldman, Chair
Mitzi Berkelhammer
Amy DeBlasio
Donna Frank
Susan Froehlich
Sharon Gaines
Rebecca Goldman
Samantha Goldman
Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow
Katie Ziegler
Women's Alliance Endowment Fund Committee
Katherine Haspel, Chair
Susan Leach DeBlasio
Robin Engle
Elaine Fain
Sally Rotenberg
Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow
Community Relations Committee
Cara Mitnick, Chair
Adam Cable
Ryan Forman
Richard Glucksman
Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser
Lilia Kirtley Holt
Robert Landau
Rabbi Preston Neimeiser
Susan Sklar
Community Microgrants Committee
Brauna Doidge
Ryan Forman
Samuel Zurier
Membership Experience Committee
Reza Breakstone, Chair
Jessica Schuster
Hamed Lahijani
Early Childhood Center
Parent Committee
Amy DeBlasio, Co-chair
Ruthie Furman-Ingard, Co-chair
Jewish Federation Foundation
Investment Committee
Robert Sherwin, Chair
Mitzi Berkelhammer
Matthew Blank
Mark R. Feinstein
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James Pious, ex-officio
Steven Shalansky, Treasurer
Kenneth Shimberg
Terrence Smily
Herbert Stern
Mindy Wachtenheim
Joel Westerman
Leadership Development Cohort
Abigail Anthony
Hadley Bazarsky
Jeffrey Buckler
Natasha Buckler
Lauren Charness
Max Charness
Amy DeBlasio
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Michael Goldberg
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Ruthie Furman-Ingard
Rebecca Goldman
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Rachel Hoffmann
Lynne Klasko
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Hanina Rosenstein
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Mel Stupell
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BUSINESS 36 | OBITUARIES 37
Synagogues gear up for the High Holy Days COMMUNITY
BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF
Summer is winding down, and we are gearing up for the High Holy Days. Our thoughts turn to the start of school and the bright promise of the Jewish New Year!
JEWISH RHODE ISLAND does not list information regarding specific services and schedules. This year, we contacted all the synagogues, temples and congregational groups and asked about in-person and virtual services as well as if tickets will be required. What follows is the current information from those who responded along with contact information from our files from all known synagogues, temples and groups in our coverage area.
For the most up-to-date information on service schedules, please contact the synagogues directly or visit their websites.
ORTHODOX
Congregation Beth Sholom office@bethsholom-ri.org
401-236-7536 bethsholom-ri.org
401 Elmgrove Ave. (@ the Dwares JCC), Providence
In-person worship services with no tickets required. Suggested donation for non-members.
Congregation Mishkon Tfiloh 203 Summit Ave., Providence
In-person worship. Contact Shimon Yaakov 401-480-0852 for more information.
Congregation Ohawe Sholam dgpliskin@gmail.com 401-725-3886 or 401-722-3146 671 East Ave., Pawtucket
In-person worship services with no tickets required.
Congregation Sha’arei Tefilla shaareitefillaprov.org
450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence
In-person worship services with no tickets required.
Congregation Sons of Jacob congsons@hotmail.com 401-274-5260 sonsofjacobsynagogue.net Providence
Congregation Jeshuat Israel (at Touro Synagogue) 85 Touro St. Newport, RI 02840 401-847-4794
tourosynagogue.org
cji@tourosynagogue.org
Rabbi Stephen Belsky (interim Rabbi)
In-person only. All are welcome: adults $90 for one holiday; $150 for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
CONSERVATIVE
Congregation Beth David eadler3@cox.net 401-789-3437 cbdri.org
102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett
In-person and Zoom services available. Services held at Aqua Blue, Narragansett. Tickets required.
Temple Beth El of Fall River 385 High St. Fall River, MA 02720 508-674-3529 Frtemplebethel.org templebethel@comcast.net
Rabbi Mark Elber and Cantor Shoshana Brown, spiritual leaders
In-person and Zoom. No tickets but non-members should let the temple know two days in advance that you plan to attend the services
Congregation B'nai Israel 224 Prospect St. Woonsocket, RI 02895 401-762-3651 shalom-cbi.org
Cantor Jeffrey Cornblatt Some services will be in person but off-site and all are online. No tickets are needed. Non-members must call our office to be placed on the list to attend.
Congregation Sharah Zedek 6 Union St. P.O. Box 1694 Westerly, RI 02891 401-345-1544 congregationsharahzedek.org Zoom and in-person services; no tickets necessary. Email for link.
Congregation Tifereth Israel 145 Brownell Ave. New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-3171
tinewbedford.org office@tinewbedford.org
Guest Cantor Michelle Rubenstein Cantor Nathaniel Schudrich Hybrid services with tickets required. Tickets for members, non-member $100 and can e-mail or call temple for tickets
Temple Emanu-El 99 Taft Ave. Providence, RI 02906 401-331-1616
teprov.org
Rabbi Michael Fel Hazzan Brian Mayer Hybrid, in person and zoom Tickets are required, Non-members are welcome, but tickets are required.
Temple Shalom templeshalomrhodeisland@gmail. com 401-846-9002 templeshalomrhodeisland.org 233 Valley Road, Middletown Tickets for members and their guests are included in membership. Military and students are free of charge. Tickets prices for non-members vary. See website to purchase tickets.
Temple Torat Yisrael 1251 Middle Road East Greenwich, RI 02818 401-885-6600 toratyisrael.org welcome@toratyisrael.org
Rabbi Ari Saks
Hybrid services with tickets required. For members, tickets are included with their dues. Out-of-state guests of members may purchase tickets for $150 each.
REFORM
Newport Havurah, an association of Reform Jews Newporthavurah1@gmail.com 401-423-0407
Newport
Contact for details about High Holy Days.
Temple Beth-El 70 Orchard Ave. Providence, RI 02906 401-331-6070
temple-beth-el.org
Rabbi Sarah Mack and Rabbi Preston Neimeiser
Cantor Judy Seplowin
In-person services will be simultaneously livestreamed. Tickets required; contact the main office for more information.
Temple Habonim 165 New Meadow Road Barrington, RI 02806 401-245-6536 templehabonim.org
Adina Davies, temple administrator office@templehabonim.org
Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman
David Perolman
Hybrid (in person and streaming) services. No tickets, however, nonmembers are required to register in advance: www.templehabonim. org/worship/high-holy-days
Temple Sinai 30 Hagen Ave. Cranston, RI 02920 401-942-8350 templesinairi.org
Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser
Cantor Deborah Johnson
In-person and Zoom services. Erev Rosh Hashanah and Yizkor are open to all. Tickets are required for 10 a.m. services for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Kol Nidre. Family service for children grade 5 and under and their families, is open to all at 10 a.m. on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Non-members , as a one-time only opportunity, may purchase tickets for $100 each which covers both holidays.
RECONSTRUCTIONIST
Congregation Agudas Achim office@agudasma.org 508-222-2243 agudasma.org
901 N. Main St., Attleboro, Massachusetts Services will be led by Rabbi Talya Shalem Weisbard and Rabbi Ezra D. Weinberg. Some services are livestreamed. Non-members are welcome; please contact the office at 508222-2243 or office@agudasma. org for ticket information. Anyone interested in more information about services should also contact the office or go to agudasma.org.
NONDENOMINATIONAL
Brown RISD Hillel info@brownrisdhillel.org 401-863-2805 brownrisdhillel.org
80 Brown St., Providence Please contact info@ brownrisdhillel.org for details. Hillel Foundation at the University of Rhode Island amyolson@uri.edu
401-874-2740 urihillel.org
6 Fraternity Circle, Kingston In-person worship services with no tickets required. No cost for students; suggested donation for non-students.
Chabad CHAI Center of West Bay rabbi@RabbiWarwick.com RabbiWarwick@gmail.com 401-884-7888
RabbiWarwick.com
3871 Post Road, Warwick Free and open to all. No reservation required.
Chabad of Northern RI islandrabbi@gmail.com 401-499-2574
I1767 Old Louisquisset Pike, Lincoln In-person worship services. No tickets required but an RSVP is appreciated.
Chabad of Rhode Island Jewish Hospitality Center believeinprovidence@gmail.com 401-273-7238 chabadriprovidence.com 360 Hope St., Providence Free and open to all. No reservation required.
Chabad House of Southern RI 77 Main St, South Kingstown, RI 02879 401-515-5833 www.chabadsri.com
Rabbi Mendy Reinitz chabadsri@gmail.com In-person services. No tickets required
Congregation Sons & Daughters of Ruth 401-466-2861 Block Island Hayom 401-640-4299 Hayomhh2020@gmail.com
Cantor Denise Heitmann In person and zoom. All are welcome. $195.00/Adult, $170.00 Senior, $36.00 Student United Brothers Synagogue 205 High St. Bristol, RI 02809 401-253-3460 unitedbrotherssynagogue.org info@ubsbristol.com
Cantor Dr. Joel Gluck In person services; no ticket needed.
Books on the Beach raises funds for Hadassah Rehab Center
BY CYNTHIA BENJAMIN
MIDDLETOWN – Over 170 Hadassah members and friends turned out for this year’s Books on the Beach fundraising event, which featured authors Jennifer Rosner and Allegra Goodman.
The elegant event, held on Aug. 7 at the Wyndham Newport Hotel, started with a lunch of salmon or eggplant and plenty of time to schmooze. This was followed by several Hadassah speakers, whose pleas for donations were more impassioned than usual – because these are troubled times.
Nancy Falchuk, a past president of the Boston Chapter and the 24th Hadassah national president, said Hadassah was the second-biggest employer in Jerusalem (after the government) and has been credited with start-
ing modern health care in Israel.
“But,” she asked, “is Hadassah still relevant today?”
Never more so, Falchuk said, citing the Gandel Rehabilitation Center, which is still being built but opened an emergency hospital soon after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Since the attack, Hadassah has sped up the opening of the first three floors of the center, in Jerusalem, but there is more to be done to reach its planned capacity of 400 patients a day, or 10,000 a year.
Thousands of Israelis have been wounded during the Israel-Hamas war, and the need for physical and emotional therapy is urgent, according to Hadassah.
“We need to step up,” Falchuk urged the audience. “Every single dollar counts.”
At Hadassah’s medical facilities in Israel, she said, “soldiers will put their arms around you and cry and thank you for what you’ve done.”
Hadassah Magazine Executive Editor Lisa Hostein, who attended Temple Habonim, in
Barrington, as a child, interviewed the two authors.
Jennifer Rosner is the author of a memoir and two novels about the Holocaust, “Once We Were Home” and “The Yellow Bird Sings,” each based on a Holocaust survivor. One child survi-
vor hid with her mother in a shoemaker’s attic for 24 months, and the other worked to reclaim Jewish children from the Gentiles who had provided them with a safe harbor.
Rosner spoke about the
the QR code for the full menu and get $10 o with code
Southern New England Region President Jody Fredman with Hadassah Magazine editor Lisa Hostein, right.
Nancy Falchuk
Rita Slom, right, said the motzi, here with Sue Mayes.
Rosh Hashanah, we’ll take care of
‘Remembrance & Creativity’ celebrates SBHEC Double Chai anniversary
BY GIOVANNA WISEMAN
IN TEREZIN, a Nazi camp where 33,000 people perished, imprisoned musicians and artists created a remarkable cultural community that persevered against all odds. Renowned violist Mark Ludwig, Boston Symphony Orchestra member emeritus, established the Terezin Music Foundation to honor and share the works of a generation of promising composers who were silenced too soon.
The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center’s Double Chai 36th anniversary celebration and concert will be held on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Temple Beth-El in Providence. The concert, “Remembrance and Creativity,” by the Terezin Music Foundation, will take the listener on
a journey of music, memory, and endurance. The Terezin Music Foundation Ensemble will feature the music of the accomplished musician, scholar, and Terezin prisoner Viktor Ullmann, among others. On paper smuggled into the camp, artists like Ullmann did what they loved most – compose music.
A highlight of the evening will be the collaboration of the ensemble with Berkshires’ artist Jim Shantz, who will paint in real-time while the ensemble performs. Shantz’s work has been featured in exhibitions across the country, including several solo exhibitions at Pucker Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston.
This spectacular event will pay tribute to Sandra Bornstein and the late Richard
Bornstein, of blessed memory, for their generosity and dedication to the organization. Their continued commitment enables the enter to expand programming and offer a vital resource for schools across the state offering education about the Holocaust, antisemitism and all forms of hate and bigotry. It is a cause that the Bornsteins have been passionate about for years.
In light of the highly documented rise in antisemitic and hate-driven incidents in the United States over the past decade, particularly since Oct. 7, this event is both important and significant.
Honorary Chairs Bonnie and Donald Dwares, and Chairs Amanda and Jeremy Isenberg, are committed to the success of this evening and
Friday Fun in August
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24
widespread pain of these “hidden children,” and often their Gentile caregivers, who harbored the children for years only to have them snatched back by Jews when they were discovered.
Some of the children did not want to return after growing attached to their rescue families, and some did not even know they were Jewish, she said.
Rosner said her novels also address the question of “How
do you reroot after a rupture or ruptures?”
Hostein said Rosner’s compelling books are about “identity, home and belonging.”
Allegra Goodman began publishing short stories about Jewish characters while in college, and many of her early books were Jewish-themed.
Goodman found inspiration for “Kaaterskill Falls” in childhood summers spent in the Catskills, and her story cycle “The Family Markowitz” tells about a family’s
they hope that it will promote greater understanding and compassion.
Thirty-six years ago, a small group of Rhode Island Holocaust survivors and their families worked tirelessly to create a living educational resource that would preserve their stories and the history of the Holocaust for generations to come. Almost four decades later, their legacy lives on in the work of the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.
There is a Supporting Donor reception at 6:30 p.m. and the concert, “Remembrance & Creativity” begins at 7:30 p.m.
For ticket and sponsorship information, please contact the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center at 401-453-7860 or visit our website: bornsteinholocaustcenter.org/
GIOVANNA WISEMAN is director of programs and community outreach at the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.
matriarch and her descendants.
Goodman said she still writes about Jewish characters, but in her later novels, they are less observant. Her newest novel is “Sam,” which New York Times bestselling-author Lily King called a “powerful and endearing portrait of a girl who must summon deep within herself the grit and wisdom to grow up.”
Her next novel, “Isola,” is an epic about a 16th-century
French noblewoman deserted on an island where her survival depends on the power of her faith and love.
The Books on the Beach fundraiser is sponsored by Hadassah Southern New England. All money raised at the event will provide crucial funding for the Gandel Rehabilitation Center, on the campus of Hadassah’s Mount Scopus Hospital, in Jerusalem.
Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of
America, was established in 1912. Working to advance philanthropy as well as women’s leadership, advocacy and health, Hadassah has over 300,000 members and supporters.
To donate to the Gandel Rehabilitation Center, go to go.hadassah.org/GRC1.
CYNTHIA BENJAMIN is a former copy editor at Jewish Rhode Island.
Campers of all ages enjoy a week of fun at Chabad of West Bay’s Camp Gan Israel held at Temple Torat Yisrael in East Greenwich. On a Friday in August, they had a change to play outside, make challah and enjoy a juggling show. A good way to spend the day!
PHOTOS | CAMP GAN ISRAEL
The Bornsteins
Sharing our goals and needs: The Strategic Planning Survey
BY SARAH GREENLEAF
THIS FALL , members of the Rhode Island Jewish community have the opportunity to tell the Jewish Alliance what matters most. The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island is undertaking a community strategic-planning process. With input from the Rhode Island Jewish community, the Alliance will develop goals and strategies for the next three to five years.
Community members can take the Strategic Planning
siders themselves part of the Jewish community, whether you identify as Jewish or not.
“The plan has become our North Star because it is informed by the goals and needs of our community,” said Adam Greenman, Alliance president and CEO. “It helps us laser-focus on what matters most to the people we serve.” The more people who take the survey, the more likely it is to accurately reflect the community. This will help guide the actions prioritized by the Alliance in
the chance to give feedback in-person can join in-person at the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence for a Community Town Hall on Sept. 24. This will allow those unable to attend a living room session to still participate in a communal setting.
The previous strategic plan was undertaken in 2019, right before COVID. As a result of that strategic planning session the Alliance created new initiatives around community involvement, safety
The Alliance also conducted 20 security trainings for local synagogues and agencies and created the Antisemitism Tracker. “Our community has faced so many new issues since our last strategic plan that this is an incredible opportunity for us all to come together in ways that are more meaningful and vital than ever before,” said Board Chair Harris Chorney. “By participating in the survey, you can be part of creating the community you want and need.”
of the Rhode Island Jewish Community. Next, this data and suggested strategic next steps will be shared with the community. Outcomes could include new programs or services designed to meet specific goals, a new funding strategy, new collaborations, and other identified opportunities.
“This only works because it is reflective of our community,” said Greenman. “We want as many people to participate as possible, so we can create a plan that speaks
Community Campaign needs your help Fundraising goals higher than ever
BY JENNIFER ZWIRN
Volunteers are our lifeline. For decades, Jewish philanthropy has relied on its community members for generosity, energy and connections between the needs we have and the outreach that’s done. The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island is so very grateful to the thousands of volunteers who have spent time sharing its story over the years.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED and the methods we once found successful are no longer as impactful. Super Sunday events nationwide have taken a backseat as a main method of outreach. With the rise in spam calls and cell phones, people are less likely to pick up when the phones ring, so we have worked to adjust our ways, and today we need you to help!
There are greater needs than ever before. Inflation has deeply affected giving and while our community volunteer base remains strong and dependable, fewer each year are comfortable soliciting donors and asking for donations. We look to you directly to help us raise $4 million this year in our Community Campaign and continue to tell our story, make community connections, and share the work we do, all geared toward ensuring a vibrant Jewish future – together. This year’s Community Campaign is led by returning chairs, Marisa Garber and Rich Glucksman. Both serve on the Jewish Alliance board of directors and have been dedicated to local Jewish organizations –our very partners – for years and deeply understand the needs of our tight-knit and proud community.
In July 2025, Garber will become the Alliance’s next board chair and says, “I have always told my kids, if you are unhappy with the way things are being handled, how you are being treated or if you feel something is missing from your surroundings, don’t just complain, do something to bring about change. It will take time and effort on your part and from others but once that change comes
about, the amount of pride and satisfaction you will feel, knowing that you were an agent for that change, is immeasurable.”
Needs communitywide have multiplied. Community Campaign donations are appreciated, and increased gifts are critical to making a dent in the ongoing list of supports our local and overseas need, including day school tuition relief, counseling, social and food stability services, camp scholarships, domestic violence protections, and the list goes on. If you are interested interested in joining the Alliance volunteer base, making personal calls, sending texts to those you know, and writing customized emails and thank you notes to fellow Rhode Islanders, let us know!
Glucksman said, “I’ll let you in on a secret – as good as you feel supporting our Jewish causes through the mitzvah of giving, you will feel equally wonderful sharing with other people the story of the Alliance’s strategic support for our community. Connecting with other people, helping them complete their mitzvah of giving – believe me, it’s a joy and it’s easier than you might think!””
Raising the funds necessary to support our community’s ongoing and increasing needs is critical and your involvement is key. It is easy – even fun – to engage in this kind of volunteer service. Solicitor training is available, and the work is flexible in accordance with the time you have to give. “I
know firsthand the power behind giving – whether it be your time, your voice or your dollars. They all can have a profound impact on our community.”
Supporting the community requires commitment from the entire community. Be it as a volunteer, a donor, or both, we look to you to help us reach our $4M Community Campaign goal!
Glucksman continues, “We need you to make this happen. It is that simple. The Alliance needs you, and the kids, seniors, camps and food pantries need you! And you too will feel the mitzvah, the goodness of giving, that comes from helping other people also support our Jewish community.”
Over the next year we will feature our partnership work locally and overseas and
how critical understanding the community investment (allocations) process is to the distribution of Community Campaign dollars raised. We will highlight partners, programs, and services that are supported through this work and how we consistently honor our community’s priorities and needs while relying on the Alliance’s vision and mission as guides. As our tagline suggests, we are Here for Community. We are Here for Good. For information on our Community Campaign and the many ways you can contribute and get involved, visit: www.jewishallianceri. org/support-us/featured/ donate-now, jewishallianceri.org or call 401421-4111.
JENNIFER ZWIRN (jzwirn@ jewishallianceri.org) is the chief philanthropy officer at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
Jewish Voice Rep: Peter Zeldin Color spot ad: 2" X 3" September 6, 2024 –High Holy Days Deadline - August 26, 2024 Submitted - May, 2024
Temple Habonim celebrates Jews and baseball in September COMMUNITY
BY DOUGLAS STARK
SINCE LIPMAN PIKE first donned a uniform for the Troy (New York) Haymakers on May 9, 1871, Jews have had an indelible relationship with America’s pastime. For more than 150 years, Jews and baseball have been synonymous as the game’s growth and development have mirrored the American Jewish experience during the twentieth century. Whether as players, coaches, owners, umpires, promoters, commissioners, labor leaders, sportswriters or fans, the Jewish love of baseball has been felt in their pride for the game and their heritage. The story of Jews and baseball is one that touches on such topics as immigration, assimilation, bigotry, antisemitism, identity, religious observance and Israel. Stars such as Hank Greenberg, Al Rosen and Sandy Koufax gave way to Kevin Youkilis and Shawn Green and to today’s stars such as Max Fried and Dean Kremer. Jews have had a significant impact on the game of baseball.
Temple Habonim, in Barrington, will celebrate Jews and baseball with a weekend-long series of festivities. Events will be held Sept. 13-15.
starting at 7 p.m. The film follows the extraordinary life of baseball player Hank Greenberg, who overcame religious prejudice to become one of baseball’s greatest players during the 1930s and 1940s. Refreshments will be served. The film will be followed by a discussion moderated by Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman and Adam Greenman, president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
On Sunday, Sept. 15, join the Temple Habonim community for an open house with the start of Religious School. The morning begins with a bagel breakfast at 9 a.m. followed by t’filah at 9:30 a.m. Refreshments will be served.
On Friday, Sept. 13, as part of a Welcome Back Night, a baseball-themed pre-neg (light dinner) will precede evening services. The pre-neg will be at 5:45 p.m. followed by Take Me Out to Shabbat Services starting at 6:45 p.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman will provide a sermon on the relationship between Jews and baseball.
On Saturday, Sept. 14, Aviva Kempner’s 2000 documentary “The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg” will follow Havdalah
At 11 a.m., award-winning children’s book author Richard Michelson will offer a program on his book “Lipman Pike: America’s First Home Run King.” Based in Northampton, Mass., Michelson is a poet, children’s book author and art dealer, whose books have received much acclaim and have been listed among the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly and The New Yorker, and among the 12 Best Books of the Decade by Amazon.com. “Lipman Pike” was a 2011 National Jewish Book Award finalist and a 2011 New York Times Notable Children’s Book. Fans of all ages are encouraged to attend and to wear their favorite baseball uniforms. For more information, email office@ templehabonim.org or call the Temple at 401-245-6536.
DOUG
,
is the chair of Temple Habonim’s Jews and Baseball Weekend Committee.
Touro Fraternal awards $5,000 college grants to Strachman, Cohen
CRANSTON – Elena Strachman and Jonathan Cohen have been awarded grants of $5,000 each from Touro Fraternal Association to assist in their pursuit of higher education degrees.
STRACHMAN IS A FRESHMAN at the University of Vermont, where she is studying nursing. She graduated from Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) Regional High School where she earned her school’s Martin Luther King Community Service award for the last two years. She was also a facilitator for Students Together Opposing Prejudice (STOP) and volunteered at both a local animal shelter and at girls’ softball youth clinics.
In addition, Strachman was a counselor-in-training at Camp Tevya, a Jewish camp in Brookline, N.H. She is the daughter of Jeffrey Strachman, a Touro member.
Cohen, who is a Touro brother, is a junior at the University of Vermont and is studying wildlife and fisheries biology. He will be doing wildlife monitoring and conservation work in Botswana next spring.
To earn his Eagle Scout honor with the Boy Scouts,
Cohen participated in trail maintenance in his hometown Hawkins Woods in Plainville, Mass.
Strachman and Cohen were awarded the grants, which do not have to be repaid, by Touro’s Student Financial Aid Committee. Five other applicants will receive $3,500 each in interest-free loans from Touro’s Leo Greenberg Memorial Scholarship Fund. These loans are not repayable until six months after the student graduates or is no longer a full-time student.
Since the establishment of the student grant and loan programs in 1981, Touro has made financial awards to ease the cost of higher educa-
tion. Regular Touro members, their children and the children of deceased Touro members who are enrolled full time in a tax-exempt accredited institution of higher learning, are eligible to apply for a one-time $5,000 grant or for an interest-free loan.
In both cases, regular Touro members must be members in good standing for at least two years to be eligible. For more information about Touro’s loan and
grant programs, as well as many other benefits offered to its membership, visit the website at www.tourofraternal.org or send an email to info@tourofraternal.org. You can also call the office at 401-785-0066.
Submitted by Touro Fraternal Association
George Washington Letter reading emphasizes civil civic dialogue
BY SAM SHAMOON
NEWPORT – “Be the leader who models tough, difficult conversations. Create environments that facilitate dialogue across difference, especially for our young people.” This exhortation was delivered one week ago by keynote speaker Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College, to the assembled guests who had gathered to hear the seventy-seventh annual reading of George Washington’s 1790 letter to the Hebrew congregation of Newport. It was an inspiring moment.
EVERY YEAR at Touro Synagogue in Newport, on the third Sunday in August, governmental leaders, invited dignitaries and ordinary citizens gather to hear, think about and discuss the remarkable exchange of letters between the first president of the United States of America and the warden of the Hebrew congregation in Newport, RI in 1790. This year the gathering included Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, RI Lieutenant Governor Sabina
Matos, RI Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, Newport Mayor Xaykham (Xay) Khamsyvoravong, John Loeb, former US Ambassador to Denmark and delegate to the UN, and others. Several of these guests also spoke about the kinds of discourse and respect for others that our society needs at this moment in our country’s history. In her address, President Beilock cited Dartmouth College as a place where civil civic dialogue is made
possible by its faculty and students. She stated, “Dartmouth’s faculty and staff created a new model built for this moment, called Dartmouth Dialogues.” She explained that the dialogues are, “Rooted in the same simple idea that Washington wrote about: Every young person must be able to engage with people who have different opinions and perspectives, and still advance justice."
She continued saying, that “what we’ve learned over the past year is that this work relies on three simple pillars: leaders, the right environment, and practice. “The ability to have a conversation when someone disagrees with you, to put yourself in another’s shoes … these are not magic, innate talents that only some are born with. They are teachable, learnable skills.”
The importance of civil civic dialogue in a democracy was echoed by other speakers. Mayor Khamsyvoravong noted that Newport is where such conversations take place even today,
just as they did 234 years ago in an exchange of letters. Co-president of Congregation Jeshuat Israel Louise Ellen Teitz said that the congregation had worshipped in this synagogue for 140 years, and while it is a National Historic shrine it is also an active congregation of citizens who participate fully in the civic life of our state. US Senator Jack Reed brought greetings from the federal government and noted that the dialogue about religious freedom and safety for citizens of all religious practices echoes statements in the Bill of Rights.
This year, as every year, the highlight of the event was the reading aloud of the two letters from 1790. Secretary Amore read Touro Synagogue’s Warden Moses Xeixas’s letter to President George Washington seeking assurances that the rights of freedom of religion and enfranchisement would apply to American Jews in the new republic.
The response of President Washington’s historically important letter was read by Sharon Handler Loeb, wife
of Ambassador John Loeb. In this letter of Aug. 21, 1790, Washington assures the Newport congregation that “. . . the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” With these words, Washington gave his official endorsement of freedom of religion. It was another inspiring moment in a wonderful and important annual event.
The day’s activities were ended by Rabbi Stephen Belsky who reflected on the days of sadness in the observance of the Ninth of the Jewish month of Av and the looking forward to weeks of consolation leading up to observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
SAM SHAMOON , of Providence, is a member of the Touro Synagogue Foundation Board of Directors.
Jonathan Cohen Elena Strachman
Best Wishes for a Happy New Year
The Executive Committee, Staff and Parents of the Providence Hebrew Day School
Rabbi Peretz Scheinerman Dean
Rabbi Menachem Weissmann Head of School
HaZamir welcomes new members to Providence choir COMMUNITY
HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir provides meaningful musical experiences for young people in 35 chapters across the U.S. and Israel. Rehearsals for the 2024-2025 season will begin in September (with an open house on Sept. 8), culminating in a gala performance at Carnegie Hall in the spring featuring hundreds of HaZamir singers. Teens entering grades 9-12 are encouraged to join the local HaZamir Providence chapter, conducted by Cantor Brian Mayer, for a rewarding experience of music, culture, leadership and friendship.
HAZAMIR WAS created in 1993 by Maestro Matthew Lazar, founder and director of the Zamir Choral Foundation, to provide an opportunity for accomplished young singers to perform great Jewish music at the highest standard of excellence and sing on the world’s biggest stages.
“HaZamir gives young people an outlet to celebrate their Jewish heritage, connect with one another and feel a sense of belonging and pride through the creative outlet of music,” says Matthew Lazar. “Now, more than ever, this supportive community is crucial to teens.”
leaders. Many HaZamir graduates have gone on to musical careers and have assumed leadership roles in their communities, while seventeen HaZamir alumni are now conductors or coordinators of their own HaZamir chapters.
HaZamir members rehearse weekly in their local chapters with expert conductors, as well as
‘Now, more than ever, this supportive community is crucial to teens.’
HaZamir has long served as a training ground for the next generation of singers, conductors, composers and
at regional gatherings throughout the year. A three-day Festival leading up to the annual performance brings Israeli and American teens together
to rehearse and to discuss important topics related to Judaism, providing an opportunity for them to learn about each other’s traditions and cultures.
“This is a life-changing experience for these teens, as they express their Jewish identities through their love of music while building leadership skills and strong connections to peers from a range of backgrounds,” says Vivian Lazar, Director of HaZamir. “The camaraderie and healing power of choral singing also boosts mood and self-esteem, allowing them to achieve great success.”
The HaZamir choir is comprised of teenagers in grades 9-12 in 26 American chapter locations. In addition to Providence, chapters are in Baltimore, Bergen
County NJ, Boca Raton, Boston, Brooklyn, Central New Jersey, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, L.A. Valley, Los Angeles, Long Island NY, Manhattan, MetroWest NJ, Miami, Minneapolis, New Haven, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Silicon Valley CA, South New Jersey, Tampa, Washington, DC and Westchester County NY and in nine cities in Israel. In the spring of 2024, Israeli teens from HaZamir visited Providence before the New York City performance.
HaZamir alumnus JP sums up the unique benefits
of the HaZamir experience: “HaZamir taught me invaluable lessons about unity, the power of the collective, Judaism, leadership, and friendship. As I look back on this experience, the many memories, while all exciting and different, share a common denominator: HaZamir brings out the best in everyone."
For more information about HaZamir Providence, contact bjmayer@teprov.org.For additional information about HaZamir, email hazamir@ zamirchoralfoundation.org or visit www.hazamir.org
A chance to explore American Jewish identity
BY EMMA NEWBERY
PROVIDENCE – On July 22, professionals from across Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) offices in the State of Rhode Island joined the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in welcoming Lizzie Pollock and Rabbi Elan Babchuck for a community conversation about Jewish identity and DEIB in the workplace.
POLLOCK AND BABCHUCK presented a community discussion program titled “Exploring Jewish Identity in the Workplace” that combined their decades of experience as community organizers and leaders in Jewish spaces to address gaps in cultural competency
around Jewish identity. It focused on harmful tropes and stereotypes throughout history that provide context for different avatars of antisemitism we can identify today. With specific, in-depth analyses of the role of social media, misinformation and historical preju-
dice, the program offered an understanding of antisemitism for the modern day.
In addition, Pollock used her experience as a partner at LEAD3R, a strategic HR consulting and executive search firm, to workshop everyday examples of cultural sensitivity to empower attendees to take action and speak up in the event of bias incidents toward Jewish colleagues, friends or even strangers. The workshop focused on the expansion of Jewish identity beyond its primarily religious categorization in America to include discussions of Jewish ethnic identity and culture. Additionally, the second half of the workshop focused on the virality of antisemitism, and provided
helpful information about Jewish beliefs, holidays and customs to accentuate the importance of cultural sensitivity in the workplace.
The program was made possible by the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Program Grant through the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office. In direct response to participant feedback, the Alliance is offering two follow-up programs in September. The first event is a workshop called “Israel and the American Jewish Experience” with Rabbi Josh Bolton, executive director of Brown RISD Hillel, on Sept. 23. The next event is an in-depth follow-up workshop with Lizzie
Pollock, called “Supporting Jewish Employees in the Workplace,” on Sept. 30. A light lunch will be served at both events, and participants will be invited to join in mindful discussion about the rich complexities of Jewish identity and the American Jewish experience in 2024.
For more information, contact Stephanie Hague, chief policy officer, at shague@ jewishallianceri.org.
EMMA NEWBERY is the policy and community engagement manager at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.
Cantor Brian Mayer leads HaZamir Providence and Jerusalem in song during a spring 2024 program in Providence.
PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON
Together again in New Bedford
BY ANN MESSIER
Beatles songs and Jewish liturgy will merge again, this time at Congregation Tifereth Israel, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
THE CONGREGATION will host a Beatles Shabbat on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. This unique service was performed at both Temple Sinai, in Cranston, and United Brothers Synagogue, in Bristol, in recent months.
Shireinu, the volunteer choir from Temple Sinai and a band of five musicians, under the direction of Cantor Dr. Joel Gluck, will sing the Friday night liturgy to many recognizable Beatles’ songs.
The Beatles’ songs are beloved by people of all generations. This service was very well received by
the congregations of each temple when it was presented previously. Specially prepared booklets with the words to the prayers will be distributed to congregants so that they and their guests can sing along during the service. An Oneg Shabbat will follow the service.
Congregation Tifereth Israel is at 145 Brownell Ave., in New Bedford. For more information, contact Cantor Dr. Joel Gluck, Shireinu director, at drjoelgluck@gmail.com.
ANN MESSIER is a member of Shireinu.
Wishing you and your family a year of sweet blessings filled with abundant joy, peace, and happiness.
On behalf of the board and staff at the Jewish Alliance, we wish you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 5785!
Harris Chorney Board Chair Adam Greenman President & CEO
COMMUNITY
RICI hosts CUFI district director
IN AUGUST, the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI) sponsored and hosted the Latino District Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), Pastor Daniel Gonzalez, at various events during the month. Pastor Gonzalez and RICI delivered impactful presentations, both in Spanish and English, about the importance of Israel and Zionism from a biblical perspective at multiple churches in the state including Vision Evangelica, Vida Abundante, Evangelica el Mesias and Manatial de Vida churches in Providence, Shalom Emunah in North Providence, and Praise Tabernacle in Cranston. In addition, Pastor Gonzalez was interviewed by Radio Renacer, a local Latino radio station, and he met with clergy to discuss further collaboration and camaraderie between local Jewish and Christian communities.
One of Pastor Gonzalez’s powerful messages, especially eye-opening to some in the Latino faith community, was to debunk myths about the Jews. This included discussion on the dogmatic belief that Jews killed
Jesus, or that Jesus was far removed from his Judaism. Furthermore, his discussion on the BDS movement both nationally and locally was an essential part of his presentation, along with historical context and facts about Israel.
RICI will have a presence at an upcoming “Night to Honor Israel” event at Vida Abundante Church on Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at Vida Abundante church, 689 Cranston St., Providence. While the event will primarily be in Spanish, the Consul General of Israel to New England, Benjamin Sharoni, will offer remarks in English with Spanish translation available. All in the community are welcome to attend. In addition, Praise Tabernacle will be hosting its annual Night to Honor Israel (in English) on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at 330 Park Ave., Cranston. Special guest is Bob Scott, Regional Director of Christians United for Israel. For more information, please email maria@ricoalitionforisrael.org
Submitted by the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel
PUBLIC NOTICE
MAGNET RECOGNITION PROGRAM® SITE VISIT
What is Magnet and why is Magnet important?
• ANCC Magnet Recognition Program® is the highest credential a healthcare organization can achieve. It acknowledges the invaluable contributions of nurses in all healthcare settings and among all populations around the world.
• Magnet designation is an indication to patients and the public that these organizations have met the most stringent, evidence-based standards of nursing excellence in patient care delivery. It is a results-driven recognition that fosters nurse engagement, and the role nurses play as members of the interprofessional team to improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
• The Miriam Hospital was designated as a Magnet organization in 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2015, and 2020 by the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®. This prestigious designation recognizes excellence in nursing services. In October 2024, The Miriam Hospital is applying for re-designation.
• Patients, family members, staff, and interested parties who would like to provide comments are encouraged to do so. Anyone may send comments via e-mail and direct mail.
• Your comments must be received by the Magnet Program Office by October 11, 2024.
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OBITUARIES
Hoda Baron, 97
PROVIDENCE R.I. – Hoda (Jaffe) Baron, of Providence, peacefully passed away on Aug. 20, 2024, at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Health Center in Providence.
Hoda was the devoted wife of the late Harold Rock Baron, with whom she shared 71 years of marriage before he passed away in 2018. She was the mother to the late Paul Lewis Baron.
She is survived by her two daughters, actress Joanne Baron of Brentwood, California, and children’s theater director Debra Baron of North Carolina, as well as her son-in-law, David William Brown.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, she was the daughter of the late Morris and Deborah (Freedman) Jaffe.
Among Hoda’s many accomplishments: she taught first graders, worked on campaigns in support of Fair Housing and reached the Master Level as a bridge player, subsequently winning many highly competitive tournaments.
Mid-life, Hoda achieved her lifelong dream of becoming an actress, training at The Trinity Repertory Conservatory and subsequently performing on their stage in numerous productions as well as voicing recordings of Books for the Blind.
Hoda was a treasured member of the Wingate Assisted Living community for over a decade and will be greatly missed by her many friends.
Donations may be made to Make A Wish- St Jude’s- AEA Actors Foundation.
Hope Globus, 94
BOYNTON BEACH, FLA.
– Hope Elaine Globus, of Boynton Beach, formerly of Providence, passed away peacefully on Aug. 10, 2024, at her daughter Patti’s home in Barrington surrounded by family. She was 94 years young. Hope shared 73 years of life and love with her beloved husband, Melvin Globus, who predeceased her 10 months ago.
Hope was a talented, vibrant artist with a flair for design, fashion, style and color, which she expressed through painting and her antiques collection. It was unusual to catch her outside of her home not dressed to the nines and fully accessorized. Hope began her career as
an assistant handbag buyer. She had a sharp business mind and a love for the stock market. Hope attended Parson's School of Design and graduated from Bryant College. Hope’s home was her castle; she loved her Tivoli Lakes community, and they kept a watchful eye on her while she navigated life without her soulmate.
Hope was the adored daughter of Bessie and John Fierstein and beloved sister of Herbert Firestone, who predeceased her. She loved being visited in Florida by her loving family and making memories together. She is survived by two daughters, Sherri Orloff, of Swampscott, Massachusetts, and Patti (Bud) Lackey, of Barrington. She was the cherished grandmother of Marc (Anne) Orloff, Jaime (Adam) Feeney, Brad (Ali) Lackey and Evan (Meghan) Lackey. She was the proud great-grandmother of Daniel, Jonathan, Mason, Samara, Eliza, Avery, Thomas and Siobhan. Hope also leaves behind the extended Lackey family, including nieces, nephews and cousins, who had traveled to celebrate her early birthday this weekend.
Donations can be made to Central Synagogue, 123 East 55th St., New York, NY 10022.
Dr. Joel Harrison, 76
WARWICK, R.I. – Joel H. Harrison passed away on July 30, 2024, at the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center, in Providence. He was the beloved father of Analeah Harrison. Born in Providence, he was a son of John and Marion (Uffer) Harrison. He had lived in Warwick for 45 years, previously living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Boston, Massachusetts. He briefly served in the Army during Vietnam. Dr. Harrison was a member of the American (and Rhode Island) Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. He opened his own practice, Joel H. Harrison, DMD Ltd. Oral Surgery, in 1979. He was dedicated to his community and clients until well after his retirement in 2023. He was a member of the Aurora Civic Association, an Italian American club, in Providence.
In addition to his loving daughter, he is survived by his brothers and their
spouses: Barry (Niel) Harrison, of Palm Desert, California, and Harold (Claire) Harrison, of White Plains, New York.
He was predeceased by his son, Andrew E. Harrison.
Contributions may be made to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital Foundation, Development Office, P.O. Box H, Providence, RI 02901 (https:// giving.lifespan.org/Hasbro/ Donate).
Gertrude Katz, 91
CRANSTON, R.I. – Gertrude “Trudy” Gloria Bellin Katz, beloved mother, grandmother, wife, sister, and friend, passed away on Aug. 31, 2024, at her Cranston home. She was born to Rose and Harold Bellin of Providence and welcomed by her two older brothers Albert and Arthur Bellin, who have since passed.
She graduated from Hope High School in 1951 and matriculated to Boston University where she received her associate degree in Secretarial Studies in 1953.
Trudy was married in 1956 for 37 years to her first husband and father to her four daughters, Jerome J. Katz, until his death. Trudy found love again marrying her second husband Jack Jessel in 2000, and they were together for 10 years traveling the world and making lots of wonderful memories.
Trudy was a homemaker until the passing of Jerome in 1993, at which time she took over running their business Shelby Self Storage. Trudy was active in Hadassah, a founding member of Crestwood Country Club, a prolific golfer, a fierce mahjong and canasta player, and a proud member of the “Fakawi Tribe.”
Trudy was a vivacious, whimsical spirit who enjoyed traveling, family adventures and keeping everything organized. Trudy traveled to five continents, generously taking her daughters with her on adventures to Europe, Central and South America and Antarctica. Trudy loved to cruise and made many lifelong friends on her adventures. Trudy enjoyed many road trips to Maine and New York with her “ride-or-die” girlfriends.
Trudy had a zest for life, always smiling and dancing wherever and whenever music was heard. Trudy was generous in spirit and always welcomed family, friends and pets into her home. She was
always up for an adventure, a long scenic drive, a great sale and especially coffee ice cream.
Trudy is survived by her three daughters Debra Katz MD, Elyse Katz and Michelle D. Katz MS, RD, MPH, CHES. and her sons-in-law Dr. Michael Bienenstock and
James Darrish, her grandchildren Rebecca Wolinsky MD, Jessica Wolinsky and Sammy Bienenstock, lots of pets, and many, many friends. She was predeceased by her daughter Marcia Katz MD.
Trudy will be deeply missed by her family, friends
Certified by the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island Jacquelyn Aubuchon, Funeral Director
OBITUARIES
NOTICE!
Lincoln Park Cemetery and its offices will be closed in observance of the following holidays:
Thursday, October 3: First Day of Rosh Hashanah
Friday, October 4: Second Day of Rosh Hashanah
Thursday, October 17: First day of Sukkot
Friday, October 18: Second day of Sukkot
Thursday, October 24: Shemini Atzeret Friday, October 25: Simchat Torah
Lincoln Park Cemetery 1469 Post Road, Warwick, RI 02888 Telephone 737-5333 Fax 732-1293
and all who knew her. Her memory will live on in the hearts of those who loved her as well as her strong independent children and grandchildren who carry her passion for life within them.
Donations may be made to Temple Torah Israel, Hadassah, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, or the National Autism Association.
Benjamin Russell, 42 SEEKONK, MASS. –Benjamin J. Russell passed away suddenly on Aug. 31, 2024, at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence. He was the beloved husband of Andrea (Weisman) Russell. Born in Burlington, Vermont, a cherished son of Wesley and Paullette (LaCourse) Russell, he had lived in Seekonk for almost 11 years, previously living in Charlotte, Vermont. He was a wireless architect for Techinum Inc. for the last 2 years, he previously served as the director of technology for the East Providence School Department. Benjamin was a dedicated member of Temple Habonim.
He is survived by his wife, Andrea, and his parents, Wesley and Paullette. He was “superdad” to Steven and Eliana. A dear brother of Christopher Russell and his wife, Maryann, of Shelburne, Vermont; Laura Rice and her husband, Dean, of Charlotte, Vermon. He was a devoted son-in-law to Robert and Vicki Weisman of East Greenwich and a dear brother-in-law to Carolyn Weisman of Brookline, Massachusetts. He was a cherished uncle to several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother Brian Russell.
Contributions may be made to the SAE Foundation [https://give.saefoundation. org/campaign/561665/ donate], 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096.
Harold Salk, 92 EAST GREENWICH, R.I.
– Harold Salk, of East Greenwich, died on July 31, 2024, in Warwick. He was the beloved husband of the late Carolyn (Bohn) Salk for 64 years.
Born and raised in Providence, son of the late Samuel and Ruth (Fleisig) Salk, he
remained in Providence until marrying Carolyn. They moved to Warwick and raised their family there, where they remained for 50 years before relocating to their home in East Greenwich, where he has been for the last 17 years.
Harold served in the military as a medic during the Korean Conflict stationed in Germany. He and Carolyn enjoyed jazz music, dining out and traveling around the world. Harold always made sure to bring home a new souvenir spoon for his ever-expanding collection. Harold and Carolyn were passionate sailors often seen navigating Narragansett Bay and making trips to Newport on their sailboat “3/4 Time.” He was a member of the East Greenwich Yacht Club and Newport Yacht Club for many years.
At the age of 70, Harold decided to take up a new hobby, golf, which he became very passionate about. But what Harold loved more than sailing, golfing or traveling was his work. He was a proud third-generation owner of Salk’s Hardware & Marine, receiving a Golden Hammer Award for over 50 years of service to the hardware industry. In 1956 he made the pivotal decision to transition the business to a dedicated hardware and marine store, paving the way for the future success and longevity of the family business. When the pandemic struck in 2020, he took a step down and retired, allowing his son and grandsons to continue to grow and expand the family business.
He was the devoted father of Jeffrey (Beth) Salk, Richard (Martha) Salk and Michael (Harriet) Salk. He was the loving grandfather of Benjamin (Allie), Adam (Elissa), Emily, Katie, Sydney and Skyler. He was the cherished great-grandfather of four. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife and his sister, Noberta Gross. Contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.
Schwartz for 61 years. Born in Providence, the son of the late Hyman W. and Bessie (Savan) Schwartz, he had lived in West Warwick for 25 years, previously living in Cranston for 35 years.
He was a salesman with Colombia Furniture, in Pawtucket, for most of his life. David was a Korean Conflict Army veteran. David volunteered at the Cranston Senior Center and Meals on Wheels. He was also the president of Pawtucket and Central Falls Hebrew Free Loan Association. David was a member of Touro Fraternal Association and the Gimmel Chesed Fund. He was a dedicated member of Chabad of West Bay and attended every Saturday.
David is survived by his loving family; a daughter, Sharon Schwartz-Vanderhoff, and her husband, Earl, of Cranston. He raised his daughter with kindness and displayed the devotion that is required for a lasting marriage. He was said to have never spoken poorly about a single person in his daughter’s entire life. He made sure to raise her with the understanding that love will always come first and that no matter where you are, you can reach people and create lasting relationships if you lead with your heart. This sentiment was proved even more true when it came to his grandsons, Zachary and Jason; the sun rose and set for them in his world. He was a dear friend to so many in Rhode Island, and his passing will leave a void that can only be filled with the compassion he displayed. Contributions may be made to Chabad of West Bay.
Vita Smith, 86 PROVIDENCE,
David Schwartz, 90 WEST WARWICK, R.I. –David S. Schwartz died at his home on Aug.1, 2024. He was the beloved and deeply loving husband of the late Marilyn (Horovitz)
R.I. – Vita R. Smith, 86, passed away suddenly on July 17, 2024, at Silver Creek Manor, in Bristol. She is survived by her loving daughter, Deborah (Smith) McGowan; beloved granddaughter, Mykie McGowan-Roach; and a brother, Howard Dinin, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the former wife and lifelong friend of John Matthew Smith, who passed away at their home in 2012. Born in the Bronx, New York, Vita was the daughter of the late Jack and Bertha (Schneiderman) Dinin. She was valedictorian of her
graduating class at PS 78 and graduated with honors from the Bronx High School of Science. After relocating to Providence with her family, Vita received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the University of Rhode Island. She made a 28-yearlong career as a senior probation officer with the RI Department of Corrections, retiring with distinction 30 years ago.
The theater had been Vita’s longtime passion, and she was a favorite performer at several area theaters, including Newport Playhouse, City Nights, Barker Playhouse and the Granite.
Throughout her earlier life, Vita was an accomplished ballroom dancer and enjoyed flea markets, art fairs and antique outdoor events. Her later years were spent enjoying the company of her family and friends.
Her family is planning a memorial garden. Donations of live plants may be sent in her memory to Deb McGowan at 329 ½ Child St., Warren, RI 02885 or contributions in her name would be welcomed by the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, One Capitol Hill, 3rd floor, Providence, RI 02908.
in History OBITUARIES
Shmuel Weinstein, 73 JERUSALEM, ISRAEL.Shmuel Weinstein died on Aug. 30, 2024, in Jerusalem. He was the husband of Chana, a devoted wife of almost 40 years. He was the son of Gloria Winston and the late James Winston, and the brother of Ted (Denise) Winston and Laura (Rob Bruno) Winston.
Shmuel attended public schools in Providence and then studied at Boston University before graduating from Connecticut College in 1976. While a student in Boston, he became a follower of the beloved Grand Rabbi Levi Yitzhak Horowitz, known as the Bostoner Rebbe. Shmuel and Chana were married by the Bostoner Rebbe in Jerusalem where Shmuel spent his life devoted to the study of the Torah.
Shmuel was the proud father of eight children Moshe Aharon (Leah) Weinstein, Sarah Sasha (Reuven) Reizin, Pinchas David (Rivky) Weinstein, Rivka Rochel (Sruelick) Galitzky, Nechama Miriam (Yitzchak) Kopp, Avigayil (Lipa) Zry, and Esther Leah and Yocheved Weinstein. He was also a loving grandfather of 23 grandchildren. Shmuel is now at peace
and buried on the Mount of Olives in his adopted home of Jerusalem.
Donations may be made to Temple Beth-El or to a charity of your choice.
Melvin Zurier, 95
PROVIDENCE R.I. – Melvin L. Zurier, of Providence, passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 23, 2024, at his residence. He was the husband of the late Janet (Rosen) Zurier, with whom he shared 71 years of marriage.
Born in Providence, Mel was the son of the late Louis and Frances (Gordon) Zurier, and brother of the late Hilda Glickman and Rosalind Gever. A lifelong resident of the city, he grew up among a close-knit group of relatives who helped support him and his sisters after their parents’ deaths.
Mel was among the first generation of his family to be born in the United States and was the first to pursue higher education. With their encouragement, he attended the Henry Barnard School, Classical High School and Harvard College. He obtained a
commission in the Air Force Reserve while at Harvard, and deferred service for three years to attend Harvard Law School. On July 4, 1950, he met the love of his life, Janet Rosen of Allentown, Pennsylvania. They married on July 4, 1951, after a whirlwind courtship.
On completing law school, Mel enlisted in the US Air Force Reserve in the Judge Advocate General Corps, posted to a variety of bases including an extended tour at Sonderstrom Air Force Base in Greenland. Looking to follow that assignment with sunshine, he finished out his commitment in San Francisco. Eventually, he would retire as a Colonel in the Air Force Reserve.
Missing Providence and New England foliage, Mel and his young family returned to Rhode Island in 1957 finding work as an attorney, before being appointed Executive Counsel to Governor John Notte. Subsequently, in 1962, Mel was a founding member of the law firm Temkin, Merolla & Zurier where he worked for nearly 20 years. Later he practiced with Levy, Goodman, Licht & Semonoff through 2008.
As part of a career-long
commitment to service, Zurier was chairman of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, and served as President of Temple Beth-El, and also of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association. He was involved with a wealth of charitable, political and educational organizations, including the Classical High School Varsity Club, and the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island.
He is survived by: four children, Rebecca Zurier and her husband, Thomas Willette, of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Samuel Zurier and his wife, Lauren, of Providence; Benjamin Zurier and his wife, Linda Movish, of New York City; and Sarah Zurier and her husband, Jonathan Bell, of Providence; eight grandchildren, Rachel Zurier and her husband, Daniel Fishman; Jack, Hannah, William and Joseph Zurier, Nathan and Aaron Willette, and Zachary Bell, as well as many nieces and nephews. Contributions may be sent to the Classical High School Alumni Association, 11 S. Angell St. #302, Providence, RI 02906.
Homecoming
HOW TIMES CHANGE: This brunch, held in September 1987, celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Jewish Home for the Aged on the East Side of Providence. The ad showcases a prominent guest, Dr. Stanley Aronson, who co-founded the Alpert Medical School at Brown University and forged a relationship the between college and residential facility. However, the Jewish Home closed its doors in 1993, and the building now houses the Summit Commons Rehabilitation and Health Center. Dr. Aronson, who was a longtime columnist for the Jewish Voice, passed away in 2015 at the age of 92. Still going are the musicians who performed that day, the Boston-based Klezmer Conservatory Band. After 40 years, the band remains one of the foremost klezmer outfits in the country. You can still find some of Dr. Aronson’s columns by searching jewishrhody.org.
Election 2024
The Rhode Island General Election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. You can reach the educated, a uent, engaged, and influential Jewish community with an ad in the Oct. 4 issue of Jewish Rhode Island!
Well educated
92% hold a four-year degree or higher level of education
Our readers are…
Engaged
86% say that Jewish Rhode Island makes them feel more connected to the local community Af uent
Median household income is $125,000 annually
Jewish Rhode Island reaches a vast audience of voters across the state of Rhode Island.
Jewish Rhode Island will accept advertising from candidates for national, state and local o ce and issues a ecting the community at large. Political advertisements adhere to the guidelines set forth: Political Guidelines
IDENTIFICATION: e advertisements must identi who is paying for the ad, either individuals or o cial commi ees established to promote the campaigns.
CONTENT: Advertisements must be truthful and factual. Jewish Rhode Island will determine if an ad makes claims that are not true or accurate. Statements made, especially in the case of issue advertising, must be substantiated by credible sources. Candidates who are not incumbents must clearly indicate they are running FOR the o ce. Example: Bob Jones FOR mayor, not Bob Jones Mayor.
For more information, contact Peter