October 2021

The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community

OCTOBER 2021 | HESHVAN 5782

JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Are you ready for fall?

Life’s transitions, big and small

Becca Bender uncovers RI’s hidden history

Dani Stieglitz talks about his sabbatical in Providence

Meet Amit Oren, new community shaliach

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OCTOBER 2021 | 3

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Ramblings on the times of our lives Life is in transition again.

NATURE IS doing its annual shift from long, hot summer days to dark, cool fall evenings.

As I write this, our backyard is showing a scattering of yellow and brown leaves among the green, but soon it will display that short burst of orange, red and gold that signals the onset of winter.

We just went through the High Holy Days, which are an obvious opportunity to reflect and transition to a new year. It’s a time to start again, refreshed and renewed.

But for me, this year is different. This fall’s transitions have been deeper and more emotional.

At summer’s end, my daughter was married in a beautiful, much-anticipated celebration. COVID-19 informed and modified, but didn’t stop, our happy day. Still, a few friends and relatives were unable to attend the outdoor ceremony due to pandemic concerns.

Now, both of our children are married and living their own lives. Raising your children to be productive, loving and self-sufficient adults who contribute to society is the shared ambition of every parent. Both weddings were warm and loving, and seeing our mission fulfilled is an amazing experience, but it’s still bittersweet to see your children go off to build their own families.

We’ve watched with joy this year as our son and daughter-in-law sent our granddaughter to school, where she’s thrived after a year without interaction with other children. Her

younger sister misses her during the day, but she benefits from extra time with Mom, and both are happy, well-adjusted children. And we are happy grandparents.

At the other end of the emotional spectrum, one of our best college friends was diagnosed with cancer this summer and given only months to live. My husband and I drove to central Pennsylvania to visit him – on what happened to be our wedding anniversary. We talked about good times and kids and even future plans.

Because of the pandemic, we met outside, and without our usual long, loving hugs. While we’re hopeful our friend will somehow beat the odds, our visit was also an opportunity to say goodbye.

Meanwhile, my husband and I both celebrated milestone birthdays this year, and so we are learning about Medicare and a host of other issues we all face as we get older.

Because of COVID, our wedding anniversaries and birthdays for the past year and a half have been quiet or delayed celebrations with just immediate family.

Adjusting to the notion that there are many more days behind you than in front of you is one of life’s most difficult transitions, and is all brought into sharper focus in the midst of a pandemic. But our experience with our daughter’s wedding and visiting an old friend were reminders that love and loved ones can turn virtually every transition into a positive experience – if we let it.

Fran Ostendorf, Editor

CALENDAR 4 | UP FRONT 6 | D'VAR TORAH 7 | COMMUNITY VOICES 8 | OPINION 12 SUKKOT 14 | FOOD 15 | COMMUNITY 16 | BUSINESS 24 | OBITUARIES 26

THE MISSION OF JEWISH RHODE ISLAND is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism.

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EDITOR Fran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Alex Foster ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Peter Zeldin | 401-421-4111, ext. 160 pzeldin@jewishallianceri.org CONTRIBUTORS Cynthia Benjamin, Larry Kessler, Robert Isenberg, Emma Newbery COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Geraldine Foster, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz

VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE X JEWISH RHODE ISLAND

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ON THE COVER: Trees are starting to show their colors in Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts.

PHOTO BY GLENN OSMUNDSON

4 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Ongoing

Kosher Senior Café and Programming. In-person lunch resumes Oct. 4. 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

Monday – Thursday at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence; Fridays at Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Suggested donation: $3 per lunch. Information, Neal Drobnis at neal@jfsri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 107.

Music with Raymond Buttero via Zoom. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 3-4 p.m. Temple Sinai's pianist performs. Link at templesinairi.org. Information, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.

Project Shoresh Partners in Torah Night In-person and via Zoom. Sundays 7:45-8:30 p.m. 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Partner-based study group. Study your choice of texts, English or Hebrew, ancient or modern, with facilitators available. Let us know if you need a “study-buddy.” Free. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Conversational Hebrew Classes via Zoom. Mondays 7-8:15 p.m.

10/18 – 12/13. Temple Emanu-El and the Jewish Alliance sponsor Hebrew conversation to improve

your speaking skills. This session will have four levels of conversation. Cost: $100 per person.

Information, Toby Liebowitz at tobyaane@gmail.com.

Delve Deeper: “Creativity & Resilience: Jewish Life in Eastern Europe 1500-2020.” Wednesdays 7:30-9:30 p.m. thru 12/8. Explore via Zoom this world unto itself but also closely interlinked with the surrounding Slavic and Christian milieu. Instructor: Natan M. Meir, Ph.D., Lorey I. Lokey Professor of Judaic Studies, Portland State University. Cost: $250. Information, Morty Miller at mortymiller1945@ gmail.com.

Temple Beth-El “Inspiring Texts for Difficult Times.” Thursdays noon-1 p.m. thru 11/4; no class 10/28. Explore with Rabbis Mack and Neimeiser texts that continue to inform our Jewish lives. Will begin with texts from the Mishnah and Talmud. Via Zoom. Free. Information, Judith Gilson at jgilson@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 113.

Temple Habonim Lunch and Learn via Zoom. Thursdays noon-1:30 p.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman leads a weekly Torah discussion.

You do not need Hebrew fluency or any background in Jewish textual analysis. All you need is curiosity and a willingness to wrestle with our past, present and future. Free.

Information, Adina Davies at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-2456536.

Temple Habonim “Jewish Justices of the Supreme Court.”

Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. 10/14 thru 11/18; no class 10/28. Facilitated

by Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman.

Examine the relationship between six former justices’ Jewish heritage and their judicial philosophy.

Explore how being outsiders impacted their view of the law as an instrument for social change.

Zoom or in-person TBD. Cost: $50.

Information and RSVP, Adina Davies at office@templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

“Love Our Neighbor” – Insights from the weekly Torah portion to enhance your relationships – with Rabbi Naftali. Thursdays 7:30-8:15 p.m. thru 12/10. Examine the weekly Torah reading and be amazed at how topical and relevant the Parsha’s (weekly Torah reading) ideas and concepts are for your relationships. Via Zoom. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@

gmail.com or 401-632-03165.

Temple Sinai Shabbat Services.

Fridays 6-7 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Join us in song, prayer and reflection in-person or on Zoom. With Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser and Cantor Deborah Johnson.

Zoom link at templesinairi.org.

Information, dottie@templesinairi. org or 401-942-8350.

Project Shoresh Lively Kabbalat Shabbat. Fridays. Services will begin at the commencement of Shabbat. Be in touch for exact timing each week. Providence Hebrew Day School (side entrance), 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

Welcome Shabbat with a few inspiring words, melodious songs and traditional services. Open to all.

Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Temple Beth-El Shabbat Service.

7-8 p.m. Fridays. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. You are welcome to join us in the Sanctuary or via Zoom. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Fridays 7-8:30 p.m. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and live-streamed on multiple platforms. All welcome to join in-person services in the sanctuary. Masks optional for fully vaccinated people. All others should use a mask. Information, Cape Cod Synagogue at 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.

Temple Beth-El Shabbat Morning Service. Second Saturday of the month 9-10:30 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Shabbat morning minyan with lay participation incorporating study, Torah and Haftarah readings. This service is multi-access, both in-person and on Zoom. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual and In-Person Shabbat Services.

Saturdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich.

Adult service led by Rabbi Aaron Philmus. For Zoom link, email Temple@toratyisrael.org.

Hagen Ave., Cranston. Interactive discussion with Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser. Zoom link at templesinairi.org. Information, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.

Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Saturdays 10:30-11:30 a.m. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund.

In-person and live-streamed on multiple platforms. All welcome to join in-person services in the sanctuary. Fully vaccinated people are mask-optional. All others should use a mask. Information, Cape Cod Synagogue 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.

Temple Sinai Shabbat Morning Service In-person and via Zoom. Saturdays 11 a.m.-noon. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Zoom link at templesinairi.org. Information, templesinairi.org or Dottie at 401942-8350.

Friday | October 8

Temple Torat Yisrael Friday Night Live Service. 5:45-6:30 p.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Musical service with the TTY band. Led

by Rabbi Aaron Philmus. In-person only. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael Office at 401-885-6600.

Wednesday | October 13

Israeli Culture Series: Industry and Diversity in Afula/Gilboa. 5 p.m. Via Zoom. Matan Graf and Amit Moshe Oren will discuss how this area in the Lower Galilee region of Israel has been experiencing exponential growth as Arab and Jewish workers of diverse backgrounds come together to build stronger communities to elevate their living conditions. Free. Information, Amit at aoren@jewishallianceri.org or 401-864-3786.

Friday | October 15

Temple Torat Yisrael TGIS Family Shabbat in the Garden.

5-5:30 p.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Led by Rabbi Philmus on the lawn behind the synagogue.

In-person service only. Information, Temple Torat Yisrael Office at 401885-6600.

Temple Habonim Torah Study via Zoom. Saturdays 10-11 a.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman leads weekly Torah study on current portion.

Information, Adina Davies at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-2456536.

Temple Beth-El K'tantan Shabbat with PJ Library. 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. K'tantan is a wonderful way to celebrate Shabbat with children ages 0-5. Family-friendly Kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner with our friends from PJ Library.

Information, Rachel Mersky Woda at rmerskywoda@temple-beth-el. org or 401-331-6070, ext. 107.

Temple Sinai Shabbat Breakfast & Torah Study In-person and via Zoom. Saturdays 9:30-11 a.m. 30

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs and Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Adult ser-

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CALENDAR vice led by Rabbi Aaron Philmus.

For information or Zoom link, email Temple@toratyisrael.org.

Saturday | October 16

Temple Beth-El Torah Study.

9-10:30 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join Rabbi Mack and Rabbi Neimeiser as we delve into our sacred texts.

In-person only. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.

Temple Shalom's 60th Anniversary Year Kick-off Event. 6 p.m. 223 Valley Road, Middletown. Join us for cocktails and bites as we start the celebration of our 60th year. Information, templeshalomrhodeisland@ gmail.com.

Sunday | October 17

Congregation Beth David Story Time and Crafts with PJ Library. 9:45 a.m. 102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett. Join us for some fun as we explore a variety of PJ Library books and participate in crafts and games.

Free. Synagogue membership not required. For ages 2-8.

Information, Amanda Stevens at greenspan.amanda@gmail.com.

Monday | October 18

Core Connects RI Book Group: "Something Wild" by Hanna Halpern. 7:30-8:30 p.m. Discuss via Zoom this searing novel about the love and contradictions of sisterhood, the intoxicating desires of adolescence, and the traumas that trap mothers and daughters in cycles of violence. RSVP and information, coreconnectsri.com or Elissa Felder at CoreConnectsRI@ gmail.com or 401-241-9631.

Wednesday | October 20

Temple Beth-El: An Introduction to Neo-Hasidism. 7-8:30 p.m. Drawing upon his thesis work, Rabbi Neimeiser will provide an introductory history to one of the newest Jewish mystical movements. Via Zoom.

Information, Judith Gilson at jgilson@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 113.

Thursday | October 21

Little States, Big Innovation, Rhode Island X Israel Monthly Webinar Series. Noon-1 p.m.

Interactive session with some of Israel’s startup entrepreneurs. A collaboration of Rhode Island – Israel Collaborative (RIIC), District Hall Providence and RIHub. Information, info@ districthallprovidence.org.

Jewish Collaborative Services’ Annual Meeting. 7 p.m.

Via Zoom. Information, Jessica Murphy at jessica@jfsri.org or 401-331-1244.

Friday | October 22

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs and Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Adult service led by Rabbi Aaron Philmus. For information or Zoom link, email Temple@ toratyisrael.org.

Temple Beth-El Shabbat Service & Installation of Rabbi Preston Neimeiser. 7-8:30 p.m.

70 Orchard Ave., Providence.

Installation address by Rabbi David Adelson, Dean of HUCJIR NYC. Friday night Shabbat services are multi-access – join us in the sanctuary or via Zoom.

Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Saturday | October 23

Temple Beth-El Torah Study.

9-10:30 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join Rabbi Neimeiser and special guest Rabbi David Adelson, Dean of HUC-JIR NYC, to delve into sacred texts.

In-person only. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@ temple-beth-el.org or 401-3316070, ext. 100.

Sunday | October 24

Temple Torat Yisrael Sprouts Program – Abraham & Sarah: Mitzvah of Welcoming Guests.

9:30-10:30 a.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Active program to learn about Jewish culture and holidays with Rabbi Aaron and Morah Leah. For children ages 3-5 and their parents.

Open to all. Cost: $10. COVID precautions will be taken. Activities will be outside, weather permitting. Dress accordingly.

Information, temple@toratyisrael.org.

Friday | October 29

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs and Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Adult service led by Rabbi Aaron Philmus. For information or Zoom link, email Temple@ toratyisrael.org.

Get to know Gordon this fall See the latest admissions events at gordonschool.org/ openhouse

Saturday | October 30

Temple Beth-El Torah Study.

9-10:30 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join Rabbi Mack and Rabbi Neimeiser to delve into sacred texts. In-person only.

Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Nursery through eighth grade • East Providence • gordonschool.org

6 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

UP FRONT Film archivist Becca Bender takes R.I.’s hidden history into the public eye

PHOTO | ROBERT ISENBERG

BY ROBERT ISENBERG WHEN BECCA BENDER arrived in Providence in 2018, the staff at the Rhode Island Historical Society was euphoric.

In all its 196 years, RIHS had never employed a film archivist.

What’s more, Bender’s curriculum vitae was astonishing. She had worked on Hollywood features, had helped produce documentaries, mainly for PBS, and had a master’s degree in moving image archiving and preservation from New York University. Bender wasn’t a library science major who happened to like movies. She was the real deal.

“I really liked the physicality of film,” says Bender, who studied film production at Vassar College. “I liked that you cut and splice it.”

This hands-on approach has been the hallmark of Bender’s career in Providence. For four years, she has helped RIHS invest in playback equipment. She’s taken on the grueling task of digitizing old film. And she oversees a vast archive of raw news footage, mostly from TV stations WJAR and WPRI, encompassing a total of 9 million feet of acetate plastic.

RIHS has shelf after shelf of 16mm reels, most of which have sat in boxes for decades.

Bender’s job is to see what they have, organize it, and put all those moving pictures to meaningful use.

“This is a very different kind of archival collection than anything else we have in this building,” Bender says of RIHS’ headquarters on Hope Street in Providence. “It requires equipment. It requires training. It requires a lot of time, quite truthfully. That was why they created this position.

They knew they had these incredible collections here, but there was very little access to it.”

Bender, 44, is now leading the charge on three major projects, which are not only based on the film archives, but will continue to expand them: Home Movie Day, the Archive Remix Project and the Rhode Island COVID19 Archive. Each project is designed to engage the public and even invite regular people to contribute. (See related story.)

Bender has another mission as well: to shed light on underrepresented communities. Part of this stems from her childhood in Acton, Massachusetts.

Bender does not consider herself religious, but her parents are Jewish and came from New York. Growing up in a predominantly Christian town, Bender felt like an outsider. As she studied film and started to work on documentaries, she was drawn to projects about civil rights figures and African-American history.

“As much as I had a hard time when I was kid,” she says, “it made me into an adult who liked being an outsider. I liked that I was not part of the mainstream. I gravitated toward the stories of people who were also not in the majority.

“So much of being Jewish is, to me, about social justice and activism and equity.

Studying African-American history and working with primarily African-American producers and directors just felt like a comfortable fit.”

Bender gives this striking example of outsider history: A documentarian recently asked her to track down footage of the first Providence Pride Parade, in 1976. Bender compared her footage with newspaper articles from the period and learned that the parade faced significant opposition, mostly because it was part of the city’s Bicen-

tennial celebration. A judge ruled in favor of the Pride Parade and its organizers.

“Here’s this incredibly historic event that happened in the face of so many obstacles,” says Bender, “and there’s very little documentation of this event. There weren’t even very many photographs from that parade.

We probably have a good 15 minutes of footage that covers this whole story. Our footage is so deeply valuable to the community. It makes this completely buried history visible.”

Identity has taken on new meaning for Bender herself, largely because of her move to Providence. After living nearly 20 years in Brooklyn, New York, Bender realized how much she missed those cultural reference points after moving to Rhode Island. She says she was even startled when someone wished her a “Merry Christmas,” because “happy holidays” is such a standard greeting in multicultural New York.

In Providence bagel shops, employees didn’t know what she meant by “bialy,” a staple in New York bakeries.

So, while it was out of character for her, Bender went to a Providence shul for the High Holy Days, to help her connect with the community. And her annual latke party became an opportunity to cultivate new friendships, both Jewish and otherwise.

“I suddenly felt the need to find Jews in a way I never needed to in New York, because the whole city is kind of Jewish,” Bender said.

“I’ve found that I need to be more intentional about what it means to feel Jewish here.

For the first time since I was a kid, I feel like I’m part of the diaspora.”

See Becca Bender at work and hear more about her story at JewishRhody.com.

ROBERT ISENBERG (risenberg@jewishallianceri.org) is the multimedia producer for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and a writer for Jewish Rhode Island.

Triple Feature: The R.I. Historical Society goes to the movies Home Movie Day People have been filming birthdays and barbecues since 8mm cameras became affordable, and many of us have boxes full of VHS tapes in our garages or basements. These home videos can be historical artifacts, illustrating ordinary life in a given era. That’s why the Center for Home Movies, based in Grass Valley, California, established the first Home Movie Day in 2002.

Normally, RIHS would celebrate Home Movie Day with a public screening of amateur films made by and for Rhode Islanders. RIHS will skip the event this year with the intent of bringing it back in 2022. Says Bender: “The idea is to get people to think about these things as historical objects that can have value outside of people’s own families.”

The Rhode Island COVID-19 Archive When the pandemic arrived in early 2020, most of us could tell this would be a historic event. To preserve that history, RIHS teamed up with the Providence Public Library to crowdsource artifacts from these unprecedented times. The COVID-19 Archive has compiled stories, photos, artwork and, yes, video, to document the experience as it is happening. Want to contribute your own materials to this digital time capsule? Go to RIcovidarchive.org.

Archive Remix What would happen if you handed a filmmaker a bundle of archival footage and said, “Hey, turn this into a movie”? The Archive Remix is exactly that: Bender and her colleague Raz Cunningham gathered 300 minutes of digitized film and made it available to Rhode Island videographers, who were then asked to incorporate the footage into one-to-three-minute shorts.

The first Archive Remix Film Festival toured the state in August, but RIHS will make all videos available online, and Bender and Cunningham hope to bring the challenge back next September.

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Filling in the gaps in the Torah D' VA

THE TORAH portion Bereshit is jam-packed, to say the least.

It includes the creation of the world in six days, the creation of man and woman, the commandment to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the failure to obey that commandment, the resulting banishment from the Garden of Eden, the birth of Cain and Abel, the murder of Abel, the birth of three sons to the Man and the Woman, the birth of Noah, God’s decision to eradicate all that had been created, and (fortunately for us) God finding favor in Noah.

But this Torah portion, like other parts of the Torah, is also notable for what it does not include. After all, haven’t you wondered how Isaac felt in Genesis 22 about coming so very close to being sacrificed by his own father?

Genesis doesn’t say. Haven’t you wondered how Moses felt, in the last chapter of Deuteronomy and while in God’s presence, about seeing the Promised Land but not being able to enter it? Deuteronomy doesn’t say.

A glaring example of missing information in Bereshit is how the Woman, only later named Eve, is told about the commandment to not eat from the Tree. This matters not just because of the consequences of eventually eating from the Tree, but because she gets the commandment wrong.

In Genesis 2: 15-18, God places the Man in the Garden of Eden, but tells him to not eat of the Tree or he shall die. What’s important here is that, at this point in the text, the Woman has not yet been created. This means that, however she ultimately hears of the commandment, it was not from God, at least not at that time. And if it was from God, the conversation is not recorded in the text.

So what is the Woman’s error? As Genesis 3 opens, the Woman encounters the serpent. When the serpent asks if there was any tree which she was told to stay away from, she replies that not only are she and the Man commanded to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge

R

of Good and Evil, they are commanded to not even touch it, lest they die. However, in God’s only statement on the subject, a statement made before the Woman was even created, God makes no mention of touching.

None.

If you can picture the encounter between the serpent and the Woman, you can see how her error could easily be manipulated by RABBI JOE the crafty serpent.

MURRAY After all, the moment that she touches the fruit and does not die, isn’t everything she has been told immediately suspect?

And no, the circumstances of her being told of the commandment are not stated in Genesis. She was not present when God told the Man, and if the commandment was transmitted to her by the only other human being alive at the time, then either he transmitted it in error or the Woman misunderstood it.

Either way, the Torah leaves us without an answer – and wondering: Why would the Woman say that even touching the fruit would lead to death?

Perhaps the Man was so worried that the Woman would violate the commandment that he overstated it, thus “building a fence” around the commandment.

Perhaps the Woman simply misunderstood the Man when he communicated the commandment to her. Either way, this story – an important story – has some gaps, and invites us to wonder.

So what do we do? With or without gaps, the Torah has more than enough to keep us reading, studying, learning and, of course, wondering for as long as we live. I submit, however, that there is an alternative to merely wondering about those parts of the Torah which we might see as having gaps: we simply fill them in.

So, if you were to write a midrash to fill in the gaps in the story of the Garden of Eden, how would you explain the discrepancy between the commandment as transmitted from God to the Man and how the Woman describes it in her encounter with the ser-

TO R A H

pent? And what would your agenda be? Would you simply fill in the gaps with a reasonable explanation? Or would you craft a cautionary tale about how important it is to be careful when passing God’s words on to others? Or would you tell a story that would argue against building fences around commandments?

Some of us believe that the Torah is still being read and studied because its characters, including our patriarchs and matriarchs, are as flawed as we are. However, the gaps in Bereshit provide another reason to not only keep learning and wondering, but to do more. These gaps also invite us to create, using the gifts that God has given each of us. They invite us to fill in the gaps, and to reconcile the discrepancies, if we choose.

Perhaps the purpose of the gaps and discrepancies is to do exactly that: to take us from our wondering all the way to our creativity so as to honor the other gift which God has given us: the Torah.

JOE MURRAY was ordained as a rabbi in 2009 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, in New York. He engages in informal adult education of the Hebrew Scriptures, and serves as a hospice chaplain. Contact him at jm1959@netscape.net.

EU publishes ‘strategic plan’ for countering anti-Semitism

BY CNAAN LIPHSHIZ (JTA) – The European Union has published what it called a strategic plan for combating anti-Semitism.

The 26-page document that the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, published Tuesday [Oct. 5] lists and explains a number of strategies that have been advocated or implemented by various E.U. bodies in recent years.

This includes the recommendation for adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism across the 27-state bloc. Published in 2016, it lists classic examples of anti-Semitism behavior along with demonization of Israel and denial of the Jewish people’s right to exist as potentially being anti-Semitic.

Portugal, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Ireland, Denmark, Poland, Croatia and Malta are among the European countries that have so far not adopted the definition.

The Commission will organize “an annual civil society forum on combating anti-Semitism,” whereas member states are “encouraged to develop national strategies by end of 2022 on combating anti-Semitism,” the document says.

The Commission will also “increase knowledge

Statement of Ownership

Candle lighting times Greater Rhode Island October 2021

Oct. 8

5:55 pm

Oct. 15 5:43 pm Oct. 22 5:33 pm Oct. 29 5:23 pm

Jewish Rhode Island statement of ownership, management and circulation filed with the United States Post Office at Providence RI in accordance with the provisions of the Act of October 23, 1962: section 4369, title 39, United States Code. Jewish Rhode Island is the official newspaper of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the owner and publisher, at 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, RI, and is published Monthly. The editor is Fran Ostendorf.

and understanding about Jewish life among the general public through an awareness-raising campaign in close cooperation with Jewish communities,” the document states. The various points and suggestions in the plan, which is not binding on member states, will be implemented by 2030, the document says.

The initiative will help police “combat online anti-Semitic terrorism and violent extremism,” the document added. It also said that E.U. funding that was allocated in 2019 for security as Jewish community sites until 2022 will be extended for the following four years to the tune of about $27 million.

Various E.U. bodies have presented plans to curb the apparent spread of anti-Semitism in the continent’s west, as it is reflected in rising statistics of anti-Semitic incidents in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and beyond.

The European Parliament, the Union’s legislative branch, in 2017 passed a nonbinding resolution comprising many points included in the Commission’s strategy paper, including the appointment of national E.U. rapporteurs, which exist only in a handful of members states, and the adoption of the IHRA definition.

Circulation: (A) Average number of copies each issue during the preceding 12 months, ending September 30, 2021, (1) net press run 6,500 (2) paid circulation to term subscribers by mail carrier delivery 6,015 (3) free distribution 385 (4) copies not distributed 100 (5) total 6,500 (B) Single issue nearest to filing date September 03, 2021 (1) Net press run 6,500 (2) paid circulation to term subscribers by mail carrier delivery 5,914 (3) free distribution 486 (4) copies not distributed 100 (5) total 6,500.

8 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES

The simple, kindly courtesy of ‘Middlebridge’ SKE

T

I SPEND THE SUMMER months in a magical realm I call “Middlebridge” – it sounds like a mythical place resembling the title of an English novel of long ago, but it is a plain and ordinary street I knew before it got macadam on its riverside pathway, with a bit of a cliffside wilderness rising upward toward a major highway.

Well, anyway, I have a few nice adventures to report, so here goes: Hurricane Henri hit us hard enough to knock down our privacy fence. My nextdoor neighbor fixed it, and another fellow who lives on

CH

Middlebridge repaired the fallen arch that brought hummingbirds to its tempting vine with scarlet blossoms.

These days, I get a sticker that lets me park at the nearby ocean beach.

I love to swim – if the surf isn’t overly threatening, as it was in the wake of Henri.

I like to get beyond the depth where my MIKE FINK feet can feel the sand. If it ain’t over my head, it doesn’t count as a proper swim by my standards.

Well, the shoreline after Henri was cluttered with pebbles, hard little rocks

BOOK

that hurt my city soles, so I had put on sandals to protect my toes. A lifeguard (but not one of those youthful tanned lads who turn ladies’ heads and run in a team to show off)

return,” he said.

After a delightful dip, I looked back and saw him triumphantly displaying my open rubber shoes. I made my way back to his high-tower chair to thank

‘I like to get beyond the depth where my feet can feel the sand. If it ain’t over my head, it doesn’t count as a proper swim’ went above and beyond in being just a nice fellow. He watched my hesitancy and called out and came down to be helpful.

“You walk in those sandals into the waves and then take’em off, and I will grab and save’em for when you

Thanking our Jewish neighbors for their support over the past 30 years!

Join us for half price appetizers and pizza daily 4-6pm Visit us at Stockfoodgroup.com 762 Hope Street, Providence 421-4114

him wholeheartedly and ask for his name. His answer?

A modest, but heroic, “R.J.” As simple as that.

As I was driving down my lane, a greybeard whitehaired citizen in a delivery truck stopped to say, “I remember your friendly father from when I was a boy – about 1957! Just wanted to tell you that I know you have been a citizen of our Middlebridge like a pioneer!”

Finally, yet another friendly Middlebridge neighbor is a retired firefighter named Frank. His son grew up with my son, and now they both have little babies.

This Frank has a boat, and he took me and my son Reuben for a farewell cruise on the Middlebridge river, a gracious goodbye to the summer of 2021.

We had a “philosophical” conversation as we toured the twists and turns of the tide.

“There are so many kinds of intelligence,” Frank said.

“I used to freeze up if I had to write a paper, and yet I could figure out anything and solve any problem with my hands.”

Which is why I am composing this expression of gratitude to the gestures of rescue and responsibility among the residents of the kindly kith and kin of “Middlebridge.”

P.S., I have a ceramic bowl with the inscription “Middlebridge, Rhode Island” that I purchased in a South County gift shop. I also have a bowl inscribed “Jerusalem” and a cap, purchased in Israel, proclaiming “Jerusalem.” Jerusalem is both an actual, factual, physical place, and also a mythological realm, a dreamland, a “lamp unto the nations.”

Which is why I can be both a loyal and patriotic citizen of Irving Berlin’s blessed land that he loved ... and yet also a traveler as often as possible to the Jerusalem beyond our borders, which I hope to visit again ....

MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol. com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.

OCTOBER 2021 | 9

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM October 14, 2021 - March 10, 2022 Thursday Evenings 7:00 - 9:00 PM The Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association is hosting its Annual Fall Meeting:

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The Jewish Rhode Tour Sunday October 17, 2021 at 7:00pm For Zoom Meeting ID and Passcode,

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CLASSES MEET THURSDAY NIGHTS 7:00-9:00 PM at Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Avenue Providence, RI 02906 OCTOBER 14, 21, 28 NOVEMBER 4, 18 DECEMBER 2, 9, 16 JANUARY 6, 13, 20, 27 FEBRUARY 3, 10, 17, 24 MARCH 3, 10 RI JOINT REFORM SERVICE TBD

10 | OCTOBER 2021

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COMMUNITY VOICES

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has endured over the last 60 years, parents are still doing some of the same things.

My neighbors in 2021 are making school-day morning and afternoon strolls to the bus stop, just as I had done with my two daughters from 2001 until my younger daughter was in her final two years of middle school, in 2014 and 2015.

And, going back further, the afternoon pickup today isn’t all that different from what my dad used to do, walking me home from Hebrew School classes, which in the late fall and winter was well past sunset.

It was a much different era back then, and growing up in the Dorchester and Mattapan neighborhoods in Boston, I routinely walked to school with my friends from the elementary grades through junior high, which was ninth grade when I attended.

After that point, I took what were then MTA buses, trolleys and trains to and from high school. Older readers will recognize the MTA from the popular 1959 folk song, “Charlie on the MTA.” (Written by Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax in 1949, it was originally a campaign song for Boston mayoral candidate Walter O’Brien, before the Kingston Trio made it a hit.)

The Metropolitan Transit Authority, or MTA, eventually became the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or MBTA, which I rode to and from college in Boston.

After graduating in 1974, I moved away to start my newspaper career, then, 11 years later, moved back to the Bay State, got married a few years later, and then, 28 years ago, bought our house.

It’s hard to believe that the events of Sept. 11, 2001, happened 20 years ago, just as it sometimes doesn’t seem real that our BMW AUDI MERCEDES BENZ VOLKSWAGEN MINI children have grown up.

That’s why, when I saw my neighbors getting their kids off the bus, I not “Always the best! German has always been completely upfront if there is something only felt as if the torch had that is not repairable they will tell you. Always been passed, but I also given the best advice and never had a return saw my life flash before to repair the same problem twice! They are me. That’s one of the not parts changers they truly know how to inevitable consequences diagnose the problem with your car! of growing old.

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WHAT BEGAN AS a recent routine afternoon walk in my cul-de-sac was transformed into a trip down memory lane when I saw two families picking up their youngsters from the school bus.

When I passed one family’s house, I told them, “The torch has been passed,” referring to the years that I used to do the same thing when my daughters were moving through the local school system.

The stroll took place just a few days before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and that realization made me feel very old – I realized that my older daughter, Arianna, had just started kindergarten when 9/11 happened. Now she’s a fifth-grade teacher, glad to be back in the classroom in person after juggling remote and hybrid schedules for most of the last school year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

I felt even older as I recalled that our younger daughter, now a junior in college, was only 5 months old when 9/11 occurred. (We adopted her the following April in China, two days before her first birthday.)

Twenty years, considered a generation, is a long time, but on this sunny, crisp late-summer day, eerily similar to the weather on Sept. 11, 2001, it felt like a really short time had passed since I started walking my kids to

and from the bus stop.

Except, of course, that it had indeed been a long time.

By the time my kids were in middle school, they no longer wanted to get picked up, preferring to walk home with friends or alone.

As the years passed, I’d drop my older daughter off for her after-school job on my way to work for my late afternoon/night shift. And once they got their driver’s licenses, they were on their own.

All of this happened gradually, of course, but when I saw my neighbors getting their chilLARRY KESSLER dren off the bus, I traveled back in my mind’s time machine all the way to 1961, which was 20 years after Pearl Harbor, which 9/11 was compared to in the days and weeks after the terror attacks.

I was only 9 in 1961, but I don’t recall that anniversary carrying anywhere near the weight that the 20th anniversary of 9/11 did. Part of that could have been because Pearl Harbor was the start of the nation’s involvement in a global conflict that ended in clear victories over the Axis powers of Germany and Japan. I read that there was a ceremony at Pearl Harbor commemorating the 20th anniversary of the “Day of Infamy,” but that there weren’t many other observances on a scale of what took place on Sept. 11, 2021.

The significance of my trip back in time was that it showed me that for all the changes the country

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BY LARRY KESSLER

LARRY KESSLER (larrythek65@gmail.com) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro. He blogs at larrytheklineup.blogspot.com

One inspiring night

Mark Horowitz PROJECT SHORESH’S annual Night of Inspiration was a magical evening. On Sept. 12 at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence, there was music and delicious food for everyone to enjoy.

Rabbi Naftali Karp introduced John Delacruz and Dr. Laura Picraux who spoke about all the wonderful things Shoresh has done for them and their family. A video of the impactful work Shoresh does for the community followed.

Mark Horowitz, a financial advisor at JP Morgan, spoke about how we can become the best versions of ourselves, drawing from his vast experiences on wall street. Community members seemed to enjoy both the speech and the book, “You Revealed,” written by Horowitz.

The event was an evening of unity and inspiration for all, including Project Shoresh’s eight new staff members who were warmly welcomed into the community.

Submitted by Project Shoresh

OCTOBER 2021 | 11

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION Burlington (Vt.) BDS resolution

Howard Brown Executive Director, RICI

IN THE NEWS American Girl releases Hanukkah outfit and gift set (JTA) – For Jewish fans of American Girl dolls, Hanukkah came early this year.

Last week, the popular doll company released a new set of holiday doll outfits and accessories to diversify the outfits. Kids can now dress up their dolls in special outfits for Diwali, the Lunar New Year, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.

The Hanukkah outfit includes a sparkly blue dress, silver shoes, a headband, and a Star of David necklace. In addition to the clothing, priced at $36, fans of the dolls can purchase a Hanukkah gift set that includes a menorah, Star of David bracelet, dreidel and Hanukkah gelt.

American Girl is known for its lifelike dolls with backstories – and a series of short novels and movies about them – spanning the globe and set throughout history.

The company released its first Jewish doll named Rebecca Rubin, whose story was set on the Lower East Side in early 20th century, in 2009.

The new holiday outfits come with a booklet explaining the significance of each of the holidays.

“May I shake your hand?”

“No, but we can bump elbows.”

WHEN MARTIN BUBER wrote, in his classic book, “I and Thou” (“Ich und Du,” 1923), that “all real living is meeting,” little could he have envisaged the nuanced complexities of “meeting” among today’s vaccinated Americans – we are all stumbling in the dark to act responsibly with our family and friends.

Each of us is continuing to evaluate and reevaluate whom we feel “safe” hugging – our children, grandchildren, siblings? (Few of us at my age have the possibility of hugging our parents.)

Extended family? Close friends? Not-so-close friends?

And then there is the big “What if?” What if we are meeting our brother or our daughter at a plane or a train full of strangers who could well be unvaccinated?

As the Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, suggests: “There is a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.” If we withhold our embrace now, when will it be “safe” to embrace? In hours? In days? After a full two weeks of quarantine?

Using Buber’s terminology for a mutually intimate I-Thou relationship, how is it possible to nourish the hyphen between the I and the Thou while either the I or the Thou might be harboring a “breakthrough” Delta-variant virus? How absurdly

EM

Holy Days services during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, along with the now “normal” live-streaming alternative.

To attend in person, an individual needed to register in advance, to ensure enough space for required social distancing, and all attendees needed to be fully vaccinated and to test negative for COVID-19 a day or two before both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. In addition, all worshippers, while in the building, needed to be wearing a KN95, K95 or KF94 mask – each of them equally uncomfortable.

Of course, somewhat different arrangements were made for High Holy Days family services in which children too young to be vaccinated were present.

From my perspective, to have had the privilege of worshipping in person with members of my Temple Habonim family

cruel to imagine that a warm, spontaneous hug could be the harbinger of a COVID-caused life-threatening fever!

It’s been 18 months of ebbing and flowing since the pandemic began in March of 2020, and getting together RABBI JAMES is still ROSENBERG a complicated affair, even though for most of us, eligible family and friends are fully vaccinated.

We do not put on our masks when we are with our loved ones – except when we do. We feel free to hug each other – except when we don’t.

We try to abide by rules from the Centers for Disease Control – even when they seem to be changing day by day, ‘a two-dimensional or even hour by hour.

Nevertheless, flat screen is no despite the setbacks posed by the virusubstitute for lence of the Delta variant and the unfathomthe presence of able intellectual and moral blindness of three-dimensional anti-vaxxers, many of us are in a far better human beings’ place mentally and emotionally than we were a year ago. during Rosh Hashanah Notwithstanding our and Yom Kippur more occasional feelings of than compensated for the awkward unpredictabilminor inconveniences. ity, we are once again While live streaming and beginning to get together Zoom kept our commuin person. nity together during the Like many other worst of the pandemic synagogues throughout – and is still keeping us New England, Temple together as the pandemic Habonim, in Barrington, hopefully ebbs – a two-diheld in-person High

S TO M

E

RI Coalition for Israel (RICI) issued an “Action Alert” to the community in regard to this dangerous proposed resolution (Inside Jewish Rhode Island, September), and we are happy to report that a dozen community members stepped up and sent individual emails to the mayor and City Council members in opposition.

Ever since the city of Durham, North Carolina, passed an anti-Semitic ordinance prohibiting police training exchanges with Israel, RICI volunteers have monitored upcoming city and town council meeting agendas in Rhode Island with an eye to proactively heading off such developments in our community.

Today the effort must be expanded to include school committees that are pushing anti-Semitic Critical Race Theory into the schools.

Community members who would like to join this effort can contact RICI at ricoalitionforisrael@gmail.com.

The complexities of meeting are well worth it

IT S E

LETTER

mensional flat screen is no substitute for the presence of three-dimensional human beings, even though partially hidden by masks, offering their prayers to our multidimensional God. My wife Sandy and I shared a similar experience at Temple Beth Shalom, in Needham, Massachusetts, on the Shabbat following Yom Kippur, when my granddaughter Charlotte celebrated her Bat Mitzvah both in person and online.

To be physically in the Beth Shalom sanctuary with family and friends, from both near and far, to witness my granddaughter’s timeless yet time-bound rite of passage, was well worth the complexities of “staying safe” during this time of Delta. It would have been impossible a year ago, but here we were: family and friends, all of us together at one time and in one place!

To echo Fran Ostendorf, editor of Jewish Rhode Island, who wrote compellingly in September of where we need to go as a community this coming year: This is not the time to complain about what we still cannot do. Rather, this is the time for us to celebrate all that we can do once again!

JAMES B. ROSENBERG is a rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington.

Contact him at rabbiemeritus@templehabonim.org.

Jewish Rhode Island publishes thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the edi-

tor (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.

OCTOBER 2021 | 13

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

OPINION

My sabbatical year in Providence

BY DANIEL STIEGLITZ

ER

S HOM

E

LE T T

MY PANDEMIC LIFE has not gone as expected.

As I write this at the end of August 2021, I’m thinking back to a year ago. I was in Israel, the place I’ve called home since 2007. While my pandemic life was going as well as could be expected, I felt an itch for a change of scenery – a true novelty in the COVID-era.

On top of that, I really wanted to take my annual trip to Providence – mostly to see my family, but also to enjoy things such as a New England summer on the East Side of Providence.

The original plan was to come on Aug. 2, 2020. However, due to things such as aspects of the virus still being unclear, not wanting to jeopardize my family’s health, and the vaccine being a mere glimmer in our eyes, my plans for August 2020 did

not come to fruition.

The months passed, we understood COVID-19 a bit better, and my parents and I came up with a plan: I could safely quarantine in their neighbor’s furnished attic.

I spoke with my boss, requesting a two-month working holiday in the U.S. (On average, I spend three weeks here during my annual visits – but that timeframe would be a waste of time and money if I spent two weeks DANIEL in quarantine.)

STIEGLITZ Since I had the ability to work from home, my boss agreed to the extended visit.

My journey, obviously, began with airline travel. I was impressed by how Delta Airlines enforced every precaution to minimize the risk of COVID transmission, even if it meant waking a sleeping passenger to tell them to put their mask back on.

The two weeks in quarantine flew by. It was odd staying on the street where I grew up but not sleeping in my own home. Fortunately, my hosts were nothing short of incredible and never made me feel like a burden.

My quarantine overlapped with Sukkot. My parents and sister would call me to my third-floor window as they’d walk home from shul with friends. If only I had a dollar for every time someone made a Rapunzel joke ….

After quarantine, my true visit began. I took many pleasant walks in the neighborhood I grew up in – and with added appreciation due to my COVID confinement.

Weeks passed. Then months. What was meant to be a two-month visit was extended to four months, then six, and so on and so forth.

My boss was satisfied with how I was able to negotiate the seven-hour time difference with my work in Israel. I found an amazing tenant who, without even meeting, I was able to trust with my room

and personal belongings in Israel.

Each time I extended my visit to Providence, it was for different reasons; not wanting to arrive in Israel during yet another lockdown, the airport in Israel closing, not wanting to spend Pesach in a quarantine hotel, being able to get the vaccine here and return fully vaccinated (after all of my friends had already gotten it in Israel), etc.

During my time here, I was able to spend quality time with my family, particularly with my parents, without having to worry when I’d see them again. I finished the first draft of my first (complete) novel, which I’d been working on for years. Something about being in the home where I first discovered my love of creative writing helped catapult me to that completion.

And, most importantly, I became an uncle, and was able to meet my new nephew without having to worry about international travel restrictions.

This July was the 14-year

anniversary of my aliyah (immigration) to Israel. And although I missed a lot about Israel, such as my social life, perhaps the pandemic gave me an excuse to have a long-overdue sabbatical.

Everything I have mentioned above, plus the little things, such as Providence looking like a wonderland in winter and the summer crickets chirping as I write this, reminds me of why I love, and miss, the city where I grew up.

Now it’s time for my return to Israel. It was inevitable, since that is where home is now. And the gift that this crazy COVID year has given me will help me begin the next chapter of my 14-year journey in Israel.

DANIEL STIEGLITZ (dstieglitz@ gmail.com) is a corporate recruiter and certified Life Coach who lives in Jerusalem.

His collection of short stories, “Tavern of the Mind,” is available for paperback and Kindle purchase at Amazon. www. amzn.to/2Izssrz.

How I learned to share Judaism with the world

BY HADAR COHEN (JTA) – I was born in Jerusalem, a city that is the pinnacle of multifaith expression. Yet instead of growing up with a sense of coexistence, I was surrounded by segregation both politically and communally. I did not know what truly living together in unity with other practitioners of Abrahamic faiths would be like.

When I was 10, my family and I moved to New Jersey. I first learned to build bridges there – starting with myself between my American and Middle Eastern identities.

Bridging these cultural differences internally has become a lifelong project.

In my Mizrahi and Sephardic home, prayer and devotion to God were core to our practice. I was in love with my tradition at an early age, learning the wisdom of the Torah and practicing Judaism as my ancestors did.

Gradually I became a Jewish educator, sharing my love of Judaism and its wisdom.

For me, Judaism was never

separate from values of justice, feminism and spirituality. Yet I found that for many others, it was challenging to integrate these values with the ways they learned about Judaism. I sought to teach Judaism in a different way — a way that would integrate my devotion to God, my principles of justice and my honoring of tradition to life.

I worked with organizations and communities; I even started my own projects. One was Feminism All Night, a project that designs feminist festivals of learning based on Jewish holidays.

Through all this, I believed that I was fulfilling my mission in life. But I also felt that something was missing.

My Judaism wanted to be expressed not just to Jewish communities but to the entire world.

That’s when I found out about Abrahamic House, an initiative that brought together people of different faiths to share a home and create events. I was intrigued.

What was not possible for me in Jerusalem perhaps

would be possible for me in Los Angeles, in this group experiment in co-living and coexistence. I immediately applied and was so excited to be accepted as the inaugural Jewish fellow, joining fellows who were Christian, Muslim and Baha’i.

As I did not grow up doing multifaith work, I did not know what to expect. I was nervous as a Mizrahi Jew, knowing that the widespread understanding of Judaism largely comes from an Ashkenazi perspective. I was scared to be judged and misunderstood for the ways I practice, for my values and for my culture.

That first evening we were all so tired from moving that we could barely speak eloquently. Even so, I felt that what united us was greater than what would separate us. I was particularly awed by the love of spirit that was pervasive through our identities and faiths.

Living in Abrahamic House was full of joy, learning and connection. We shared with each other not just our

practices of faith, but also diversity training, learning our upbringings, our advenabout anti-Semitism, Islamtures throughout the world, ophobia, anti-Blackness and and our work and passions. how to show up as better The strength of our diversity allies for one another. We was enlivened by what we hosted a public event on allydid share. This was a main ship and solidarity to share point of learning: how unity our learnings with the wider does not erase difference but world. actually strengthens it.

I particularly loved sharing We did not know that we holidays, bringing my Jewish would spend this fellowship traditions to a multifaith during a pandemic. This community but also learning reality challenged us, but it about Christian, Muslim and also invited us Baha’i festivals. to deepen our One of the relationships more profound Jewish trauma with each other. moments for Instead of invitme was inviting is a deep vortex ing guests into Jo Kent Katz, a our homes, we Jewish healer, of pain that can enjoyed being to one of our with each other, events. separate us from public sharing rituals, We engaged in adventures and a conversation the world. dinners. about Jewish In the begintrauma and ning of our fellowship we held healing. I was so moved by a Religion 101 course. We each how my housemates showed had a two-hour block to share up for this conversation and the tenets of our faith, say supported it every step of the how we personally connect to way. our religion and answer any Jewish trauma is a deep questions. Toward the end of vortex of pain that can sepaour fellowship, we engaged in CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

14 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

SUKKOT

PHOTO | JEWISH ALLIANCE

Children at the David C. Isenberg Early Childhood Center work on building their sukkahs.

PHOTO | PHDS

Rabbi Gidon Goldberg, new head of school at Providence Hebrew Day School, reviews how to shake the lulav and esrog with third-grade students.

Sukkot around town

PHOTOS | URI HILLEL

PHOTO | TAMARISK

Residents enjoy the sukkah in the garden at the Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence in Warwick.

Dylan Weiner, Michael Schreiber, Cole Alvino and Ben Schwarz build the University of Rhode Island Hillel sukkah.

Raina Lambert, Alison Rosenfeld, Zach Breene, Bailey Rapoport, Daniel Groysman, Richard Rothman and Emma Rinat in the URI Sukkah.

OCTOBER 2021 | 15

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

FOOD

Impossible Pork is here — but the plant-based meat won’t be certified as kosher

BY JACOB GURVIS (JTA) — Impossible Foods, the plant-based meat company, is releasing a longawaited new product – but unlike the wildly popular Impossible Burger, it won’t be certified kosher.

The largest and most influential certifier of kosher products in the world has declined to endorse Impossible Pork, even though nothing about its ingredients or preparation conflicts with Jewish dietary laws.

“The Impossible Pork, we didn’t give an ‘OU’ to it, not because it wasn’t kosher per se,” said Rabbi Menachem Genack, the CEO of the Orthodox Union’s kosher division. “It may indeed be completely in terms of its ingredients: If it’s completely plant-derived, it’s kosher.

Just in terms of sensitivities to the consumer … it didn’t get it.”

For Jews who keep kosher, the Impossible Burger has allowed some food experiences that would otherwise be off-limits because of the prohibition in dietary law on mixing milk and meat.

For the last five years, Jews and kosher restaurants have been able to serve up cheese-topped chili, greasy cheeseburgers, and that quintessential American

diner pairing: a hamburger with a milkshake.

“The Impossible Burger itself is a huge, huge success and people really, really like it,” Genack said. “It’s a really excellent, excellent product in every respect.”

With the new product, Impossible Foods wanted to give that same experience to Jews and Muslims who do not eat pork, along with others who are seeking to avoid animal products or reduce their environmental impact.

But Genack said he and others at the OU recalled what happened when they once certified “bacon” that wasn’t made of pig.

“We still get deluged with calls from consumers who either don’t get it or they’re uncomfortable with it,” he said.

The OU has held back certification for reasons other than food preparation before. In 2013, for example, it required a Manhattan restaurant to change its name from Jezebel, the name of a biblical figure associated with immorality, to retain its certification.

But the organization certifies other products that might seem to conflict with Jewish dietary law, explaining on its website that “a fish sauce may display a picture of a non-kosher fish, the OU

may appear on artificial crab or pork, or there may be a recipe for a non-kosher food item on the label.” It even certifies other products that aim to replicate the pork experience, such as Trader Joe’s “spicy porkless plantbased snack rinds.”

But ultimately agency officials decided that a product called “pork” just wouldn’t fly, Genack said.

“We of course discussed it with the company and they understood,” he said.

For Impossible Foods, the word “pork” is here to stay.

“While Impossible Pork was originally designed for Halal and Kosher certification, we aren’t moving forward with those certifications as we wish to continue to use the term ‘Pork’ in our product name,” an Impossible Foods spokesperson told JTA in an email.

The decision means Impossible Pork won’t be on the menu at kosher restaurants, which must use only kosher-certified products in order to retain their own kosher certification.

That includes kosher and/ or vegan Asian restaurants with mainstay dishes that would typically include pork, such as the dumplings and dim sum that marked Impossible Pork’s first outings this week in New York and Hong

Kong.

It also means that Jews who seek to follow traditional dietary rules will have to make their own freighted decisions about Impossible Pork — including whether to follow the OU’s ruling.

“I don’t think the OU labeling on it has a huge impact on me,” said Rabbi Justin Held, the director of Jewish education at Herzl Camp and the University of Minnesota Hillel, who described himself as a “huge Impossible fan.”

But he said he was concerned about marit ayin, or appearance to the eye, a concept in Jewish law that prohibits actions which appear to violate Jewish law, even if they technically do not. The concept raises the concern that someone who sees Held eating an Impossible Pork banh mi sandwich, for example, might think that he eats non-kosher meat.

A different concept, lifnei iver, or not placing stumbling blocks before the blind, could also come into play. The concept raises a related concern: whether someone who sees an observant Jew eating Impossible Pork dumplings could conclude that pork must actually be kosher.

For Held, the issues related to dietary law pale in comparison to the "ick factor" of consuming something that

replicates one of Judaism’s strongest taboos — and even that isn’t enough to keep him away.

“The word pork is definitely a gross aversion to me,” he said. “But knowing it’s not [pork], I will try it.”

Rena Kates, an attorney in Baltimore, isn’t sure she will. Like Held, Kates keeps kosher and also uses ingredients, not an agency’s certification, as her guide for whether food is acceptable.

An avid consumer of plant-based meat products, she doesn’t think she can stomach Impossible Pork.

“I have this visceral reaction to it,” she said. “There is something about pork that is just triggering.”

It was that reaction, Genack said, that swayed the OU’s decision-making – though he said Impossible Pork came close to carrying the agency’s label, and still could one day.

“It could have gone either way, frankly,” Genack said.

He added, “This is something which we absolutely would be willing to review in the future.”

Do you keep kosher? Will you try Impossible Pork? Let us know by logging in to JewishRhody .org and leaving a comment! Or, email editor@ jewishallianceri.org

16 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

BUSINESS 24 | OBITUARIES 26

Stuart Meltzer is hooked on Providence

Stu Meltzer

BY ROBERT ISENBERG

S

tuart “Stu” Meltzer wants you to learn about seafood. Not just

try seafood, but really understand the bounty of the sea.

You don’t have to know anything before you visit him. You may never have tried grey sole or local monkfish in your life. You can ask any question you like. That’s why Meltzer chose to call his Providence business “Fearless Fish,” because no customer should be afraid to learn.

“The reaction [to the shop] has been amazingly positive,” says Meltzer, “and we’re super, super grateful for the support. Ultimately, people are looking for a high-quality product and someone to help them along with it.”

Meltzer is a fast-talking, heavily bearded 38-year-old with a can-do aura. He grew up in Deerfield, Illinois, a “very Jewish” suburb

PHOTO | ROBERT ISENBERG

of Chicago. Once Meltzer started working in the seafood industry, as both fishmonger and salesman, he quickly learned the ins and outs of the supply chain. Meltzer also earned an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and was director of marketing for the Fortune Fish Company for two years.

“I started out in the seafood business right out of college,” says Meltzer, whose bachelor’s degree, in English literature, is from the University of Colorado Boulder. “I was buying fish from around the country and selling it to high-end chefs and retailers in Chicago. I decided to go into the seafood industry because I wanted to sell something that was good for people. I also loved food and restaurants and a seafood wholesaler seemed to fit the bill.”

In 2014, Meltzer decided to try something new. He relocated to Boston, where he got involved in design consulting.

“Basically, it’s helping

companies better understand their customers and develop new products or services to serve them,” he explains. “My goal had been to open my own business, so I felt that was a valuable skillset to acquire.”

At the consulting company, Meltzer met his future wife, Rose Manning, a Rhode Island native. After three years, he returned to seafood as a distributor. He found himself in Providence on a regular basis, and he developed a deep affection for the city and the quality of life in Rhode Island.

The couple could easily picture raising a family here – and they also imagined opening their own business in Providence.

Fearless Fish opened on West Fountain Street in early 2019, and it made quite a splash. With its good-humored social media feeds and logo of a woman riding a giant fish, the new market attracted food writers from across the state. Earlier this year, the company won Best Locally Owned Seafood Market from Rhode Island

Monthly.

Fearless Fish isn’t big; the one-room shop contains little more than a glass display case, a few shelves and a freezer. But Meltzer offers an astonishing range of fish, from sushi-grade tuna to triggerfish, tautog and smoked sable. Today, Fearless Fish is a haven for amateur cooks who want to broaden their palates but have no idea where to start.

“I love food,” says Meltzer.

“I also love the connection – and oftentimes the tension – between the food that we eat and how we treat our environment. People worry about mercury and sustainability issues. There’s a lot floating around that creates a bit of confusion or uncertainty in people. The idea behind Fearless Fish was to alleviate some of those concerns, no matter where you are on your seafood journey.”

Meltzer is interested in many culinary traditions, but he continues to draw inspiration from his Jewish upbringing in Chicago.

“Judaism was always

front and center. It was certainly a big part of my childhood,” he says. “I’m proud of that heritage.

I think it guides a lot of things that I do, more than I fully realize.”

Fearless Fish carries such traditional Jewish fare as herring in wine sauce and smoked bluefish paté, and in the future, Meltzer wants to prepare delicacies like lox and kippered whitefish.

“Those are the kind of things I love,” Meltzer says.

“Those are the elements of seafood I associate most with my Jewish heritage – and would hope to expand on.”

Fearless Fish is located at 425 W. Fountain St., Providence. 401-415-8905, Fearlessfishmarket.com.

See Stu Meltzer talk about his journey at JewishRhody. org.

ROBERT ISENBERG (risenberg@jewishallianceri.org) is the multimedia producer for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and a writer for Jewish Rhode Island.

OCTOBER 2021 | 17

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

Meet R.I.’s new Israeli emissary

BY ROBERT ISENBERG IF YOU ASK his favorite superhero, Amit Moshe Oren will tell you that it’s Batman.

When he was 15, Oren saw the film “The Dark Knight,” and the exploits of the Caped Crusader inspired him.

“He’s such an underdog,” said Oren, who is working to become a full-time comic-book writer. “He’s the only human in the DC Universe.

He has no superpowers, yet he’s one of the greatest heroes.”

Oren, 24, may not be a superhero, but he is embarking on his own adventure: He has started his twoyear service as the Israeli shaliach (emissary) to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. He arrived in the United States in late August, taking over from shlichah Or Cohen.

“I felt at home here not even two weeks after coming,” he said. “[Providence] reminds me of the city I grew up in, Rishon Le-Zion, in a lot of ways.”

Oren’s mother is a social worker and his father is

PHOTO | ROBERT ISENBERG

a professional basketball coach.

After school, Oren served as a combat medic for Bardelas, a special coed battalion in the Israeli military.

“My army service made me more independent and

more focused on what I’d like to do with my life,” he said in a recent interview.

Oren has also worked as

a counselor at two summer camps, URJ Camp Newman, in California, and NFTY, in Israel. He says he embraced both communities and liked serving as a role model.

Then, he started to pursue a shaliach position, and was eventually placed in Providence.

Meanwhile, Oren is a serious reader of comics and graphic novels, and he enthusiastically writes his own scripts, including dialogue and visual descriptions. He sends these scripts to several artists around the world, who illustrate his stories as comic-book panels.

He often juggles several different collaborations at once, some of them realistic and others more imaginative.

“I love telling stories about finding the courage within yourself to achieve great things, about aspiring to always become a better version of yourself, and about making peace with the way life is sometimes,” he said.

Oren has already spent months in the U.S., over the course of five trips. This time around, he has visited Boston and New York, where he reconnected with friends from Israel and broadened his sampling of American life.

As the new shaliach, Oren, who speaks English well, looks forward to connecting with Rhode Islanders and to intercultural dialogue.

“I would love to engage more with youth, including college students, in the community, and make their connection to Israel stronger,” he said. “I’d love to introduce everyone to a different Israel they might not have seen before, using my own unique Israeli point of view.”

ROBERT ISENBERG (risenberg@jewishallianceri.org) is the multimedia producer for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and a writer for Jewish Rhode Island.

Community Microgrant Initiative The Jewish Alliance encourage Jewish agencies and individuals to explore opportunities to come together on their own terms... with funding provided by the Jewish Alliance.

Jewish Rhode Island wins 2 press awards

BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF JEWISH RHODE ISLAND took home two awards in the annual competition sponsored by the Rhode Island Press Association. The winners were announced Sept. 17 at the RIPA banquet, held at the O Club in North Kingstown.

Freelance photographer Glenn Osmundson won second place in the Feature Photography category for his photo “Water Everywhere!,” published in a collection of camp photos in August 2020.

Editor Fran Ostendorf won third place in the News/Feature Columnists category for her columns in the paper, specifically:

“Just another day in quarantine” (May 2020); “A call to action: Make your voice heard” (October 2020); and “End a dark year with the Festival of Lights” (December 2020).

Robert Isenberg, multimedia producer for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, won several writing awards for work done while working for Providence Media.

The competition is open to all newspapers and magazines in Rhode Island and is judged by a press association from a different region of the United States.

Entries are based on the calendar year.

For a list of all 2020 winners, go to https://bit. ly/3osTFjD.

Individual Grants (Up to $500)

Collaborative Grants (up to $5,000)

These grants are intended for individuals in the community to offer their own programming and content that is uniquely relevant to them, their interests, and their immediate community. This can be in the form of a Shabbat dinner, a park meet-up, a Jewish learning group, a holiday gathering, or something more creative and innovative.

Collaborative grants are intended to fund new and creative partnerships that contribute to vibrant Jewish life in our state and build meaningful collaborations between different Jewish and non-Jewish organizations.

Traditionally under-served or under-acknowledged populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

For more information, including applications and timeline, visit www.jewishallianceri.org/MicroGrants/

JEWISH ALLIANCE of Greater Rhode Island

401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | 401.421.4111 | jewishallianceri.org

18 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

Emma Newbery: Community conversations worth listening to

BY EMMA NEWBERY

E

mma Newbery joined the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in April as a branding and engagement associate. Originally from New York, she studied religion and anthropology at Bowdoin College. Her

work will be featured in Jewish Rhody Media podcasts as well as at Jewish Rhode Island’s website, JewishRhody.org, and in Jewish Rhode Island. This profile is second in a series of first-person essays by staff members.

IN JANUARY OF 2020, I asked Boston’s Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola what it means to be radical as part of a creative community.

“Radical means not accepting today’s naming of how things should be as the sole naming,” she said. “Not necessarily thinking about how I talk about the past, but how do I carve out the future?”

When I am given a platform for stories, my own or those of others, I often come back to what Olayiwola said.

From my work profiling creative people in the Boston arts scene to my new work in podcasting, I always try to approach storytelling as something prismatic. The pull to go beyond the easy questions, to dig beneath

the surface, is what drives my creative work. Everyone brings something of their own to a narrative, and building stories together means honoring each angle that comes to the table.

Whether I’m reading, writing or recording, my motivation is to draw out excitement and passion in others – to find out what they

“To save one life is to save the world entire.” — The Talmud

care about most.

I started my own podcast, “All Alone with Something to Say,” at the height of the pandemic. I figured, if social norms have declined anyway, why not push myself to connect with people I might never speak to in my day-to-day life?

My favorite episodes include a two-part series on the intersection of American sports and nationalism, an interview with acclaimed photographer Jinwoo HwonLee, and an ongoing series on the history and future of Puerto Rico.

In journalism, I have most recently worked with Black and Pink Massachusetts, an organization that advocates for LGBTQIA+ individuals and people living with HIV/ AIDS in the prison system.

I first wrote a piece interviewing two transgender women who had recently been released from male prisons, and later worked on a more long-term basis with gay, trans and gender-nonconforming individuals who were incarcerated in MCI-Shirley, in Massachusetts. The latter feature was published in the alternative weekly newspaper DigBoston.

My work and interests have always been centered on creative approaches to the many facets of our culture that require real and lasting change. My aim is to use cre-

ative media to spur conversations on creative solutions to pressing social inequities.

My role at the Alliance is particularly special to me, as it combines my work in podcasting with my core motivation of community outreach and social action.

In addition, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to connect more deeply with the contemplative, creative and deeply compassionate values of Judaism that I have long aimed to practice in my own understanding of the religion.

As always, the meat of my work, and the most rewarding aspect, is the creation of a sonic space in which conversations on culture, consciousness and critiques can be held openly and with respect. It is my belief that conversations started in this realm have the power to fuel actionable change.

So please keep your ears open for our upcoming podcasts, which include “Chutzpah!,” a series that explores the personal side of leadership and is hosted by Alliance CEO Alan Greenman, and “Breaking the Glass,” focused on multifaith relationships and the constellations of community. You can find more of my work on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as in DigBoston, The Boston Hassle and through Kingston Gallery.

Rhode Island Coalition for Israel supporters and members turned out Sept. 19 for a rally at Dave’s Marketplace Plaza in East Greenwich. Their aim was to trigger a consumer boycott of Ben & Jerry’s products, one of a number of actions the group says it has taken since Ben & Jerry’s stopped selling products in the West Bank region of Israel.

This High Holiday season, as we seek spiritual and physical renewal for ourselves and our loved ones, let us also remember those in Israel who nurture and renew life every day.

Whether it’s treating civilians wounded in terror and rocket attacks or vaccinating them against Covid-19, no organization in Israel saves more lives than Magen David Adom.

Magen David Adom is not government-funded. Its 27,000 volunteer EMTs and paramedics and 4,000 full-time professionals rely on support from people like you for the vehicles, supplies, and equipment they need to perform their lifesaving work.

No gift will help Israel more this coming year. Support Magen David Adom by donating today at afmda.org/rosh or call 866.632.2763. Shanah tovah.

afmda.org

PHOTO | RICI

OCTOBER 2021 | 19

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COMMUNITY

Evenings

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THE DR. JAMES YASHAR & JUDGE MARJORIE YASHAR FUND at the Jewish Federation Foundation

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Sun, Nov. 14 | Mon, Nov. 15 | Tues, Nov. 16

Join us virtually and in-person for diverse discussions, rich workshops, and interactive experiences designed to explore the many facets of Jewish life and culture.

Event details, schedule and registration information coming soon at JewishAllianceRI.org

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20 | OCTOBER 2021

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COMMUNITY

The Evening(s) of Jewish Renaissance returns!

BY LARRY KATZ AN AWARD-WINNING chef and an Israeli model/ actress, an Israeli settler rabbi and a Palestinian refugee, a Bible scholar and a comedian, a magazine editor and a European activist are all among the presenters at this year’s Evening(s) of Jewish Renaissance.

The program has been reimagined for the times in which we are living and will take place mostly over Zoom, Sunday through Tuesday, Nov. 14 to 16. Previously, the program has attracted hundreds of people every couple of years to an in-person evening featuring programs on a wide variety of subjects.

This year, despite the new format, programs will still cover an array of topics.

Comedian Pamela Rae Schuller, who has performed throughout this country and in several others, will use her comedy and storytelling skills to both entertain and to advocate for inclusion when she performs in person and on

Zoom on Sunday evening, Nov. 14.

Schuller’s performance will be followed by an interview with Noa Tishby, an Israeli actress, model, producer and activist who has written a book that combines her family’s story with that of Israel, presenting Israel in an easy-to-understand way.

Though Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is no longer with us, her partner on her last big project will be.

On Nov. 15, Nicole Epstein, editor of Moment magazine, will discuss many of the 33 Jewish women whom RBG thought were the most inspiring role models for the next generation. Tweens, teens and their families may find this program especially illuminating.

Also on Monday evening, an Orthodox rabbi/ settler and a Palestinian refugee will speak about their complex experiences living through the conflict in Israel and how they have learned to work with each other and enjoy each other’s friendship. Rabbi

Hanan Schlesinger and Noor A’wad will share their stories and efforts to build a better future for all.

Bible scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, the author of five critically acclaimed books, will discuss Jacob and his relationships with Rebecca and Rachel through the lenses of midrash, Hassidic thought and psychoanalysis. This discussion will take place as a lunch and learn program on Tuesday.

That evening, Tamás Büchler, a young Jewish leader based in his native Budapest, Hungary, will discuss how young Central and Eastern European Jews, many of whom grew up unaware of their Jewishness, deal with the attractions of assimilation, the threat of anti-Semitism and the urge to rebuild sustainable Jewish communities in Europe.

Michael Twitty will cap off the Evening(s) of Jewish Renaissance by sharing how an African-American, award-winning chef has come to write a Kosher

cookbook, expressing his multiple identities. He will also share from his book in progress, “Kosher Soul,” a successor to “The Cooking Gene,” which won the 2018 James Beard Book of the Year award.

The Evening(s) of Jewish Renaissance is sponsored by the Dr. James Yashar and Judge Marjorie Yashar Fund at the Jewish Federation Foundation. All events are free.

More information about the entire program will be available at jewishallianceri.org in the coming days. You can also contact Larry Katz at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org. Registration will be conducted online, at which time Zoom links will be sent to participants via email. Information about in-person events will also be available upon registration.

LARRY KATZ (lkatz@ jewishallianceri.org) is the director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

Evening(s) of Jewish Renaissance schedule SUNDAY, NOV. 14 6:15 P.M., comedian Pamela Rae Schuller, “What Makes Me Tic: Comedy, Disability and the Inclusive Community.”

7:30 P.M., model, actress and producer Noa Tishby, “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth.”

MONDAY, NOV. 15 7 P.M., editor Nadine Epstein, “RBG’s Brave & Brilliant Women: 33 Jewish Women to Inspire Everyone.”

7 P.M., Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Noor A’wad of Roots/Shorashim/Judur, “Two Truths in One Heart; Two Peoples in One Land: Unlikely Partners for Peace.”

TUESDAY, NOV. 16 NOON, Bible scholar Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, “Jacob, Rebecca, Rachel: On the Loss of Women.”

7 P.M., Tamás Büchler of CEJI (a Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe), “Lost and found – Being young and Jewish in Central & Eastern Europe.”

8:15 P.M., award-winning chef Michael Twitty, “Kosher Soul.”

School is back in session

PHOTOS | JCDSRI

The Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island welcomed 95 students from age 3 through Grade 5 to school this year. Smiles and sounds of laughter permeated the school as everyone was excited to start the 2021-22 school year together in person.

PHOTO | JEWISH ALLIANCE OF GREATER RI

Mr. Bob reads to children at the David C. Isenberg Early Childhood Center (ECC) at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center. The school opened this year with 83 children from 3 month through Pre-K in seven classrooms.

JCDSRI has a new classroom for 3-year-old students called Nitzanim, Hebrew for flower buds.

OCTOBER 2021 | 21

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

Brush up on your Hebrew in Zoom classes DO YOU LIKE TO SPEAK HEBREW? Do you have relatives in Israel? Are you planning to visit Israel once the pandemic subsides? Or are you simply interested in improving your Hebrew skills?

This fall, Temple Emanu-El and the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, both in Providence, will for a second year offer four levels of Hebrew-conversa-

tion courses. Classes will be conducted via Zoom on Monday evenings, 7 to 8:15, from Oct. 18 through Dec. 14, excepting Nov. 15. The cost is $100 for the eight sessions, and some scholarships are available.

Links to the Zoom will be forwarded after registration.

Teachers for the sessions include Janice Kaidan Rosenfield, who teaches at the Providence

Hebrew Day School; Toby Liebowitz, who has taught in the public school system as well as teaching Hebrew to children and adults for many years; Oz Zohar Kubal, who has taught in Israeli schools; and Amit Moshe Oren, the new shaliach/Israeli emissary to Rhode Island.

Hebrew is interconnected with Jewish heritage and Jewish community, linking Jews around

the world to a shared culture and to generations before and to come.

Register at www.teprov. org/form/hebrew-conversation---fall-2021.html For more information and to determine which class you should register for, contact Toby Liebowitz at tobyaane@gmail.com.

Submitted by Larry Katz

Hebrew Free Loan Association elects officers

BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF THE GREATER Providence Hebrew Free Loan Association recently installed two new board members and elected its officers for the coming year.

The new board members are Marc Gertsacov and Carl Levin. Elected as officers for another

year, according to a news release from the association, were: Barry Jay Schiff, president; Barry J. Ackerman, vice president; Jeffrey N. Davis, treasurer; and Elliott Pritikin, secretary.

The installation of the new board members and election of officers took place at the association’s August meeting.

The Greater Providence

Hebrew Loan Association offers interest-free loans to the Jewish communities of Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts and neighboring Connecticut.

“We are here to help you with your education, surprise repairs, energy and any other personal needs,” the association said in the news release.

The Greater Providence Hebrew Loan Association

was formed in 2018 by the merger of the South Providence Hebrew Free Loan, which was formed in 1905, and the Gemilath Chesed Providence Hebrew Free Loan, which dates to 1903.

For more information, contact the office at 401-384-7251, or send the association an email at gphfla2018@gmail.com.

Struggling families need our help for the holidays more than ever FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS, Jewish Collaborative Services’ Kesher program, in collaboration with a small group of generous donors from a Providence synagogue, have partnered to help support struggling families with young children during the holiday season.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 holiday season was an especially challenging one, as many parents and caregivers were furloughed or lost their jobs.

Last year, JCS’ Kesher program supported 50 children from more than 20 families that were struggling with financial hardship.

Sadly, 2021 has continued to hit many families hard, with additional financial struggles related to reduced incomes.

As a result, the Kesher program is reaching out to the community for increased donations so it can help more families in need.

If you are financially able, please consider donating to

this initiative, either in the form of gift cards or a check, or by spreading the word.

Your gift will help to reduce burdens and worry in both the Jewish community and in the community-at-large during yet another difficult holiday season.

Below are a few messages of appreciation sent to JCS by volunteers and families, which reinforce how this simple gesture builds feelings of connection and shows, even from a distance, that someone cares. (Identifying information has been removed to help maintain the privacy and dignity of the recipients.)

“I drove the gift cards to my client. She was overjoyed, in tears, and, despite being across a closed car window with masks on, she could not stop telling me how much of a difference the cards will make for the holidays. Thank you for making this happen!!”

“I recently started a new job, and our situation is slowly starting to improve. I

can’t thank you enough for your help around the holidays over the past few years. I sincerely hope that next year we will be on the other side of this and able to pay it forward and help other families who might be struggling. Thank you so much.”

“I have two daughters and am so thankful and appreciative of the gift cards. I just want to say God bless and happy holidays.”

To make a donation, mail a check (write Holiday Initiative in the memo line) or gift card(s) to: JCS, 1165 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904, or donate online at JCSRI.org/ donate/donate-now (when prompted to “Designate a Program,” select The Kesher Program and then select Holiday Initiative). You may also contact Tara Watkins at 401-527-7772 or by email at tara@jfsri.org.

Submitted by Jewish Collaborative Services

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 rate us from the world. It can teach us that the world isn’t safe for Jewish people, that we must be isolated to protect ourselves and careful when connecting with the outside world. Through this fellowship I learned to lean into multifaith solidarity. It isn’t always easy, and requires work to engage and process all that has been separating us. But it’s a process filled with God’s light.

As the fellowship neared its end in January, I turned to my housemate Maya Mansour and said, “You know, I think I am learning that I am meant to teach Judaism not just to Jewish communities but to the world.”

She responded, “Yes, I see that and I see you.”

In that moment, I felt overwhelmed by the connection I felt to myself, to my housemates and to the wider world.

This is the teaching I carry with me: how we as a world can learn to embrace one another again through our traditions.

HADAR COHEN is a Mizrahi feminist multi-media artist, healer and educator. You can find out more about her work at hadarcohen.me or patreon.com/ hadarcohen

MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Rhode Island area schools seek part-time Hebrew and/or Judaica teachers, youth advisors and specialists for the 2021 - 2022 academic year.

For more information contact Larry Katz at the Jewish Alliance at 401.421.4111 ext. 179 or lkatz@jewishallianceri.org

Business Disputes

22 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

Program to explore the innovations, diversity of R.I.’s partner region in Israel

BY LARRY KATZ

M

atan Graf, a former shaliach (Israeli emissary) to Rhode Island, and Amit Moshe Oren,

our new shaliach, will discuss the recent exponential industrial and social growth of our partnership area in Israel, Afula/ Gilboa, in a Zoom program on Oct. 13.

THE CITY OF AFULA and the Gilboa region, in the lower Galilee, is one of the areas in Israel where Arabs and Jews come together to build stronger, healthier communities and to produce products that are used worldwide. Graf, whose family still farms in the area, will share his unique insights during

the Zoom program.

Many know Israel as the “start-up nation.” However, few outside of Israel know about Afula/ Gilboa, which was the site of a major trade route in ancient times. Now the area is becoming a central transit point from Tel Aviv to the Galilee, making it ideal for industry.

When you swim in a pool, or watch satellite TV, you are probably benefiting from the area’s products.

The ethnically diverse area is a microcosm of Israeli society, and all ethnic groups participate in the burgeoning industries and start-ups. In a presentation that includes a couple of short videos produced by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, the audience will learn how innovation and diversity are common beyond Israel’s

TAKE ACTION: REPORT an INCIDENT www.jewishallianceri.org/report-it/ At the Jewish Alliance, we believe all people should be treated fairly and justly. If you have experienced or witnessed an incident of anti-Semitism or extremism, please report it. Anti-Semitic activity includes overt acts or expressions of anti-Jewish bigotry and hostility. Many incidents are not crimes but are still considered anti-Semitic and should be reported.

This initiative is meant to help track anti-Semitic incidents in the state of Rhode Island. Experiencing any type of anti-Semitism may be traumatic for you or your loved ones. If you need additional support, please contact Jewish Collaborative Services at 401.331.1244 for guidance.

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urban core.

Graf, now an engineer, served as an Israeli emissary first at Camp JORI, in Wakefield, for a few summers, and then for the Jewish Alliance from 2012 to 2014. During that time, he taught in Jewish schools across the state and conducted programs at the University of Rhode Island and Brown-RISD Hillels, as well as for adults. He also ran the Alliance’s Israeli Culture Series, a monthly program for adults.

The Oct. 13 program will be the first in this season’s Israeli series.

Graf will be interviewed by Oren, who recently arrived in Rhode Island. Oren, who served as a medic in the Israel Defense Forces, is a published writer of comics and a basketball coach.

Rhode Island, Connecticut and parts of Massachusetts are affil-

iated with Afula and the Gilboa region through Partnership2Gether, a project of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Jewish Federations of North America.

The Southern New England Consortium (SNEC) of Partnership2Gether provides resources to various communities in the area and builds personal relationships between Israelis and New Englanders.

The free Zoom program will take place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13. Please register at www.jewishallianceri.org/ ics-industry. For more information, contact Oren at aoren@ jewishallianceri.org or 401-4214111.

LARRY KATZ is director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

The Jewish community needs your help on Super Sunday

BY ABI WEINER THE JEWISH ALLIANCE of Greater Rhode Island is seeking volunteers to help with its annual Super Sunday fundraiser, which will be held Sunday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-noon.

This year, the Alliance is planning a hybrid event, so you can participate from the comfort of your couch or at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

The Alliance has set a goal of reaching 360 donors and raising $30,000. Here is how you can help:

Volunteer to make calls: The Alliance will provide you with all the materials you need for a successful fundraising experience.

Thank people: Writing thank-you notes is an easy and fun way to involve the whole family.

Give a meaningful gift: This year, there are multiple ways to give a gift that will benefit Jews locally, in Israel and around the world.

You can also make a donation prior to Super Sunday, at www.jewishallianceri.org/ donate, or by texting @JAGRI #AllianceGives to 52014.

Volunteer registration will be opening soon. For more information, go to www. jewishallianceri.org/supersunday.

Hineni, which literally translates to “here I am!” has come to mean standing with others so that no one stands alone. Every day, the Jewish Alliance stands with the most vulnerable members of our community. By giving on Super Sunday, you are standing with us, and together we can say hineni!

ABI WEINER (aweiner@ jewishallianceri.org) is the development officer for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

OCTOBER 2021 | 23

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

RIJHA to create a ‘memory book’ of our pandemic lives

BY THE RIJHA MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE IN SEPTEMBER, the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association sent out 400 letters to its members inviting them to write an essay about how their Jewish life has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. And Jewish Rhode Island ran an article about the project, in a section called “Community,” because RIJHA’s hope is that the entire Jewish community, not just its members, will want to participate in creating a “memory book” of this difficult and historic time.

RIJHA envisions the book as a valuable resource for both the present and future.

If you would like to participate, please limit your essay to one single-spaced page of 12-point type, and be sure to include your name, address and phone number with your submission. Only your name will be published, or the essay can be published

anonymously. Please submit your essay either by email, to office@rijha.org, or mail it to RIJHA, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

The article in the September issue of Jewish Rhode Island included an essay by Ruth Breindel as an example; it told how the pandemic has altered the observance of Shabbat, the High Holy Days, Pesach, life-cycle events and festivals for her family.

Elizabeth Bakst, chair of the RIJHA Membership Committee, wrote the following essay to offer another example.

When we – I and my husband Charlie – first entered COVID-19 lockdown in Rhode Island in March of 2020, we had been enjoying crowded Red Sox spring training baseball games in Florida, where no one was paying much attention to the deadly virus. Then our daughter and her husband phoned from more-aware New Jersey and ordered us to go home to Providence, as

ON

LAND

they put it, “while planes are still flying.”

Once back in R.I., our other daughter delivered groceries to our door, since it was deemed unsafe for us 70-somethings to be around others inside stores. She just rang the bell and ran away as we waved our thanks to her for making the 40-minute trip from her home in Massachusetts to ours in Providence.

Stay inside except for walks with only each other?

Who could have imagined such a thing? Fortunately for us, both of our daughters could, and so that is what we did.

We became accustomed to life lived online. We watched weekly Shabbat services streamed from Temple Habonim in Barrington, where our rabbi and our song leader led those at home from the bimah in an otherwise empty sanctuary.

We attended a Zoom funeral online, from Shalom Memorial Chapel in

IN

WATER

Cranston, in the summer of 2021. A few weeks later, we watched a Zoom wedding, where the couple stood under a huppah in a mostly deserted Texas backyard.

Some vaccinated and masked congregants attended High Holy Day services in person this year, but we followed 5782 Rosh Hashanah services on Charlie’s iPad and my iPhone.

Temple Habonim lent us copies of the High Holy Days prayer books.

In 2020, we set up deliveries via Instacart, and also relied on Amazon. We isolated ourselves safely inside and took long walks on empty streets.

The nearby deserted campus of Brown University, where we are alumni, became our private preserve in 2020.

Invisible workers kept us well-supplied. We will be forever grateful to those workers! We also recognize that many systemic inequities kept us safe and comfortable

while others were neither.

Now, the need for tikkun olam has never been more apparent as we slog through yet another year of COVID19.

As I write this in the fall of 2021, we no longer walk around the Brown campus now that it is once again buzzing with students. We do go out in the world more often now that we are vaccinated, but masks and social distancing are still a part of our lives.

The story of the COVID-19 pandemic is still unfolding.

I write this not sure whether Thanksgiving 2021 or the seder in 2022 will be an in-person family celebration or again take place via Zoom, as it did in 2020, when family members signed in from four states. All members of our family are vaccinated, but we are all uncertain about travel.

May the next year, 5783, allow me to write a different report!

OR

ONLINE

Contact us to learn more

401.421.4111

JewishAllianceRI.org 401 ELMGROVE AVENUE | PROVIDENCE, RI 02906

P OW ERED BY T HE JEWISH ALLIANCE

24 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

BUSINESS

Some businesses responded to COVID-19 with positive changes

These include: • Keeping employees safe in the field • Adopting new technology, such as video conferences • Going live with website chats • Going virtual with team-building activities • Adding breakout-room features on video-confer-

encing platforms • Using chatbots for customer service

TH

HEA

L

• Training employees in new skills to support changes to business models • Online troubleshooting and step-bystep tutorials

• Teleselling, a sales process that involves presentations, applications and approvals handled by phone • Increased flexibility for staff who work at home, so they can manage their own time and create work/life balance.

The value of connection and support created by these changes is neatly summed up in an article at aish.com by Jody Berkel, titled “Lessons from Lockdown.” She writes, “Lockdown has brought with it many lessons. It was the year that we understood more deeply than before just

how essential meaningful relationships are, and the more we focus on the WE, instead of only ME, the better we all do.

“It was a year that we truly counted our blessings and focused on all we did have PATRICIA instead of RASKIN what was lost. And we learned that God has no Plan B, and that how we respond to what happens to us is where our greatest power lies.”

Y L I VI

NG

THERE HAVE BEEN many changes and adaptations in the business world during the COVID-19 pandemic that have improved productivity and the quality of work, and that exemplify connection and support.

Kathy Gurchiek, online writer/editor for the Society for Human Resource Management, the world’s largest professional society for human-resource professionals (www. shrm.org), posted an article,“Small Businesses Get Creative to Survive During the Pandemic,” detailing the innovations that several companies have made in the last 18 months.

PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is a media host, coach and award-winning radio producer and business owner. She is on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. She is a recipient of the Providence Business News 2020 Leaders and Achievers award.

Our Mission: To improve the quality of life for those we serve.

Let us help you . . .

(401) 383-1950 www.rahri.com

• Navigate the challenging process of providing care for a loved one.

• From companionship and a little help around the house to 24/7 personal care.

Elder Care Services Providing care all over Rhode Island Call to schedule a free, non-salesy and no obligation family consultation.

We’ll help you create a care plan tailored to your unique needs.

Endowments help the Jewish community

BY CLAIRE UZIEL MAYBE YOU HAVE only heard the word “endowment” in relation to higher education – maybe “endowed professor” or “endowed chair.” But have you ever thought about what “endowment” means? And did you know that the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island has an endowment?

Here’s a primer on endowments, how they work, and why contributing to ours might be right for you.

What is it?

An endowment is an investment fund, or set of funds, that provides ongoing income to one or more charities. The amount of income distributed is calculated by a formula that ensures the fund will never be depleted. This means the distributions will continue in perpetuity.

Endowments can also serve as financial safety nets for their organizations because they aren’t included in operating budgets.

The Jewish Alliance’s endowment, valued at more than $74 million, is operated by a nonprofit called the Jewish Federation Foundation of Greater Rhode Island (JFF) and has its own board, currently chaired by Mitzi Berkelhammer. JFF established a partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation a few years ago and now greatly benefits from its expertise and investment options.

JFF offers two types of permanent fund options to donors: Unrestricted fund: Income distributed to the Jewish Alliance to use at its discretion.

Restricted fund: Income distributed to the charity/ charities named in the fund agreement. Many restricted funds are created solely to continue the donor’s annual Alliance campaign gift after they have died. This is called a Perpetual Annual Campaign Endowment, or PACE fund.

Why have a fund?

First, the technical reason.

There may be other financial vehicles that automatically make annual gifts to charities, but a JFF fund, even one that doesn’t specifically give to the Jewish Alliance, still benefits

the Jewish community. The 1% administration fee applied to all funds supports JFF staffing, a necessity to manage the endowment.

Additionally, since funds are invested as a big pool, the larger the endowment, the higher the returns, meaning larger distributions go to the Alliance and other community organizations. So even if you decide that your fund will benefit a homeless shelter, just by being invested with JFF, you’re helping the Alliance’s endowment grow.

Now, the philanthropic reason. An endowment fund provides you with the comfort and certainty that comes with knowing your chosen charities will receive your support forever. Establishing a JFF fund communicates to your loved ones and community that the local Jewish community is one of your philanthropic priorities.

When your actions can no longer convey your commitment, your endowment fund will continue to speak for you and support the causes dear to you. Additionally, if you choose to use your name in the fund’s name, your name will be remembered along with your legacy.

When should I establish a fund?

Funds can be established now with a tax-deductible gift or through your estate plan.

The Alliance’s Dor L’Dor Society recognizes donors who have included JFF or the Alliance in their wills or as beneficiaries of life insurance, retirement plans or annuities.

JFF appreciates notification of such gifts so that everyone, even donors of deferred gifts, can be properly thanked and appreciated.

How do I establish a fund?

For information on setting up an endowment fund, please email endowment@jewishallianceri.org or call Sara Masri, the Alliance’s chief development officer, at 401-421-4111, ext. 223.

CLAIRE UZIEL (cuziel@ jewishallianceri.org) is the Endowment/Campaign Operations Manager at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

OBITUARIES Selma Aronson, 100 SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Selma (Mistofsky) Aronson passed away on Sept. 6 at her home in San Antonio.

Selma was born on Jan. 17, 1921, in Providence. She was brought up in the Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island.

Selma completed her nursing training at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston and served as an Army nurse during World War II. She played a prominent role in South Florida, including creating formalized procedure plans for nursing homes. As a private nurse, she cared for many including the screenwriter Rod Serling and actor Desi Arnaz. She worked at Cedars of Lebanon, Mercy and Jackson Memorial hospitals. In the early days, she served a term as president of the Florida Association Directors of Nursing Administration.

Selma was preceded in death by her parents Tillie (Greenberg) and Louis Mistofsky, her husband Leonard Aronson, her sister Zelda

(Jim) McDonald, her brotherin-law Joseph (Marguerite) Aronson, her sisters-inlaw Ruth (Steve) Gold and Teresa (Ben) Grossberg, and grandsons Zane and Jeremy Aronson. She is survived by her children Dennis (Patty), Donna, Mark and Judith Aronson; her grandchildren Mehs and Lindsay Aronson Ess; Michael, Jenna, Ben, David and Allie Aronson; and Laurie Olszewski; her great-grandchildren Mia, Piper and Caine Aronson, and Steven Olszewski; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Despite a difficult childhood, she lived a long life of unconditional love and support for her children and grandchildren. She was an exceptionally strong role model as an independent woman. Selma will be remembered as a loving and generous wife, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandma and aunt.

Dr. Howard Coleman, 90 CRANSTON, R.I. – Dr. Howard M. Coleman died Sept.

16 at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. He

was the beloved husband of Sonya Scholsstein. Born in Jamaica, New York, a son of the late Sidney Coleman and Gertrude (Goldstein) Cohen, he had lived in Cranston since 1979, previously living in East Providence. He was the owner of Children’s Perceptual Vision Center.

Howard was a Korean Conflict Army veteran, serving for 39 years in both the Army and Army Reserve. He retired as a colonel and was past commander of the 455th General Hospital (1975-1980). He was a graduate of many advanced military career schools and received a number of medals, awards and commendations.

He was an active member of all his professional organizations. He served as president of the Rhode Island Optometric Association (1978) and New England Council of Optometrists (1984-1985) and was member and chair of the Rhode Island State Board of Examiners in Optometry for the Rhode Island Department of Health (1979-1997).

Howard earned a B.S. in Biochemistry, University of Rhode Island, 1951, B.S. in Optometry and O.D. (Doctor of Optometry), New England

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College of Optometry, 1958, M.Ed. (Master of Education) – Emphasis on Neurological impairment, Rhode Island College, 1966, Fellow, American Academy of Optometry, 1970, and Fellow, College of Optometrists in Vision Development, 1980.

He was the devoted father of Steven Coleman and his husband, Jeffrey Dean, of White Plains, New York, and Janet Coleman of Wilmington, North Carolina. He was the dear brother of the late Eleanor Simon. He was the loving grandfather of Caroline Lewis. He was the cherished uncle of Michele Shaw and her husband, Keith, and their daughters, Katie and Stephanie.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Salvation Army, 386 Broad St., Providence, RI 02907 or HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice, 1085 N. Main St., Providence, RI 02904.

Beverly Feldman, 78 AVENTURA, FLA. – Beverly M. Feldman passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 12 in Aventura, her home. She was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Paul Feldman and the daughter of the late Joseph and Estelle Saltzman of Providence.

She graduated from Hope High School in 1960 and Mt. Sinai Hospital School of Nursing in New York.

Beverly is survived by a daughter Lisa Panas and her husband, George; a son Adam Feldman and his wife, Susan;

grandchildren Eric and Sydney Panas, and Jakob and Jonah Feldman. She was the sister of Richard Saltzman and Karin Lubin, both of Rhode Island.

Linda Goldblith, 78 WARWICK, R.I. – Linda “Lindabyrd” Goldblith passed away on Sept. 30 at Kent Hospital. She was the beloved wife of the late Errol Goldblith. Born in Bronx, New York, a daughter of the late Martin and Lillian (Goldstein) Ward, she had lived in Warwick and Cranston for over 50 years.

Linda was an emergency services clinician for Cranston, Johnston and Kent County Mental Health Clinics, retiring in 2001. She also owned Needlemania, where she specialized in various needlecraft arts. Linda was a talented weaver and a member of the RI Weavers Guild.

She was an enthusiastic fan of Il Volo and was a member of their fan club. Linda loved visiting Narraganset Bay and enjoyed the culinary arts.

She was the dear sister of Bobbe Awtry and her late husband, Larry, of Ashby, Massachusetts. She was the cherished aunt of Mark, Scherrie, Tina, Dana, Eric, Cord, Mason, Luke and their families. She was the dear friend of Lee Mangione, Carol Kruprevich, Jim Turner and the late Jan Read.

Contributions in her memory may be made to any mental health organization of your choice.

OCTOBER 2021 | 27

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

OBITUARIES Jeannette Gurwitz, 78 WOONSOCKET, R.I. – Jeannette C. Gurwitz, of Woonsocket, passed away on April 20.

She was the daughter of late Josephine Azzolina and Baheeg Doura and the beloved wife of Gary Gurwitz. She was the loving mother of Stephen (Jennifer) Gurwitz and Melissa Beausoleil; the cherished grandmother of Tyler Beausoleil, Meredith Gurwitz, Celeste Gurwitz, Sofia (Daniel) Maine, Jarrett Brannon and the late Macey Gurwitz; the dear sister of Johnny Doura, Carol Gonzales, Nina (Bob) Forget, Dolly Maloof, Marie (Bob) Fernandez, the late Nicholas Doura, the late Sonny Doura, the late Freddie Doura, the late Mario Doura, the late Doris Moran, the late Rose Kamer and the late Betty Laferrier.

Jeannette touched every single person she met. Her larger than life personality and sense of humor will be truly missed. Her generosity, to those she knew will never forget her love and kindness.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Kidney Foundation at www.kidney. org.

Matthew Orenstein, 36 CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – Matthew Willi Orenstein passed away with his wife Kimberly Starbuck by his side on Sept. 25. Matthew was born and grew up in Providence, attended Martin Luther King School, The Henry Barnard School and graduated from The Wheeler School. For two summers, he was on the staff of the Providence Office of Cultural Affairs, working the outdoor concerts, assisting with sculptural installations for Capital Arts, and developing his taste in music.

At Denison University, in Granville, Ohio, he discovered his passion for unraveling the wonders of the human mind and earned a B.A. in psychology. During a semester abroad in Bangor, Wales, Matt became enchanted with exploring places and cultures. He was awarded a clinical doctorate in psychology (Psy D) from Pacific Uni-

versity in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Matt’s dissertation focused on therapeutic uses for meditation and evaluating various techniques for measuring its effects. Matt was among the early pioneers to employ meditation in therapy. At Denison and in grad school, he developed numerous close friendships and maintained communication with them over the years. He enhanced his clinical techniques by seeking advanced training in meditation, Gestalt Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In 2021, he earned his license in Massachusetts while serving as a clinical psychologist and group coordinator for Counseling Services at UMass Lowell.

Matt was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in 2015. He refused to accept the dire prognosis when the cancer metastasized to his lungs in 2016, and he sought traditional and integrational therapies to chart his own treatment plan. He sought treatments across the US and in Austria, all the while completing his doctorate and building his career. Matt sat for his licensing exam while on aggressive chemotherapy and radiation. He authored a blog for his friends about this experience (Center of the Storm) and created and hosted a Facebook Group for fellow young adult sarcoma patients. Believing in the contribution of a healthy mind to physical healing, he meditated, flew trick kites on Nahant Beach in Massachusetts, joined therapeutic groups of young cancer patients and encouraged and inspired many. His perseverance, humor, and sense of hope were never extinguished.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Starbuck, the love of his life. Matt shared his two favorite places with Kim. He proposed atop Loon Mountain; and they were married in October of 2020 on Narragansett Beach. Kim and Matt lived in the Fresh Pond section of Cambridge and delighted in the joys of their life together: their dogs, Cisco and Zuke, hiking, skiing, kayaking, photography, weird karaoke sessions and more. Kim walked by his side all the way, supported him during his illness and was often recruited to help him untangle his magnificent kites.

He was the adored son of Kenneth Orenstein and

Barbara Feibelman and cherished brother of Clare Feiner (Jacob) and Uncle Bub to Graham and Liam Feiner.

He was embraced by the Starbuck family, father-in-law Robert Starbuck, sister-inlaw, Katie Bittker (Josh) and brother-in-law Ryan Starbuck (Franny) and nieces Ivy and Ryder and nephews Gray, Dean and Zeke. He relished the love of his extended family: grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Matthew’s family is grateful for the professionalism and kindness of all the devoted healthcare professionals.

Contributions may be made to Rosenberg Integrative Cancer Treatment and Research Institute, 6100 Glades Road Ste. 304, Boca Raton, FL 33434 or the Sarcoma Foundation of America, PO Box 98160, Washington, DC 20090-8160.

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Arthur Silverman, 92 WARWICK, R.I. – Arthur Silverman passed away Sept. 21 at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. He was the beloved husband of Claire (Swerling) Silverman for 68 years. Born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, a son of the late Jack and Rose (Held) Silverman, he had recently moved to Cranston after living in Warwick for over 60 years.

Arthur was a graduate of Attleboro High School, Class of ’48. He was a staff sergeant in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict, serving in Japan and Korea. He was the editor of Stars and Stripes magazine during his service.

He was the owner of Mann Auto Sales in Warwick, retiring in 2007, and continued working part time for 7 more years.

Arthur was a member of the RI Automobile Association. He was also a member of the former Temple Beth Am and former member of Temple Sinai.

He was the devoted father of Steven Silverman of Cranston and Beth Dodier of Warwick. He was the loving brother of the late Sally Port.

He was the cherished grandfather of Jason and Shelby Dodier. He was the dear brother-in-law of Shirley Schreiber.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St., #800, Miami, FL 33131.

Certified by the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island Jacquelyn Aubuchon, Funeral Director

28 | OCTOBER 2021

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

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