2018 AUGUST 5778
INSIDE
Alan Lury is New Board Chairman; Stevan Labush Serving as Vice Chairman By Bill Troberman and Larry Berman
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Remembering Arthur Poulten page 3
Annual Installation pages 4-5
lan Lury, who has served as vice chairman of Touro’s Board of Directors for the past five years, was unanimously elected as the new chairman at the July 11th board meeting. He succeeds Jed Brandes, who stepped down after serving for the past five years as chairman. The board thanked Brandes, who will remain a board member and assume the title of chairman emeritus, for his leadership, dedication and time commitment at the helm. After four years of preparation, Brandes’ stewardship guided Touro through a successful and memorable year-long Centennial celebration. During his 5-year term as chairman, Touro’s portfolio gained approximately Alan Lury 33%. In making certain the Association is in strong shape heading into its second century, Brandes oversaw the
By Alan Lury, Chairman of the Board of Directors
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What a Catch! Out & About page 7
Installation of Officers - continued on page 4
A New Leader for Our Second Century
Kim Kalunian, Channel 12 page 6
Alan Rosenberg, Providence Journal page 6
modernization of the hall and the upgrade of the Tourogram and the website. Stevan Labush, a long-time board member, was elected as the vice chairman, filling the position previously held by Alan Lury. Stevan Labush At the May 30th installation dinner, Larry Berman was sworn-in to a two-year term as a board member, while Brandes, Chairman Emeritus Bob Miller, Andrew Lamchick, Barry Schiff and Bruce Weisman were installed for three-year terms on the board. Nathan Lury, a 50-year Touro member, was also installed, but he announced his retirement at the June board meeting after 43 years of service as a board member. Also at the June board meeting, Bruce Wasser and Steven Waldman were re-elected as the secretary and treasurer respectively. Ried Redlich
lthough there is a change in leadership, Touro continues on, rocketing into its second century of existence. I want to thank our immediate past Chairman Jed Brandes for the opportunity to serve as his Vice Chairman during these last five years. Jed and I developed a symbiotic working relationship and we were truly a team in synch. With Jed’s steady hand of guidance during the past several years, we were all able to truly enjoy our Centennial year. We should all recognize his dedication to manage the Centennial Committee members to make the year-long celebration the success that it was. As my cousin Nate Lury has always said during our monthly meetings when he was called upon to offer his House Committee report – “The ~1~
House is in Good Order.” Steve White and his House Committee are commencing on one of our final stages of the hall remodeling – a renovation and update to our kitchen. Final touches will also be put in place to our already updated foyer entrance. Touro just completed two highly successful major July events. The day on Block Island was truly a wonderful way to spend a Sunday with over 130 fellow Touro members and their families. We closed our Centennial year with a great event – a delicious dinner at Cafe Nuevo with a Waterfire display where over 160 of us celebrated the evening. Thoughts While Shaving - continued on page 2
Social Scene
Thoughts While Shaving
By Jeffrey Stoloff, Vice President, Friendship Lodge
By Alan Lury Chairman of the Board
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n the first Wednesday of every month, your Social Committee meets to plan exciting programs for our brothers and the extended Touro family. Please join us at the next meeting! We value everyone’s input and ideas as we try to make sure our programming is varied and interesting to all our brothers. Tell us what you would like to see as we embark on our second 100 years and plan our programming into 2019.
Continued from page 1 - Thoughts While Shaving -
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nlike our immediate two past Chairmen, both of whom relocated to Rhode Island (Bob Miller to be closer to work and Jed to be closer to his future bride), my route is quite different. Born and raised literally a stone’s throw from Sharre Zedek, I am now a former Rhode Islander for 19 years and counting, living in Sharon, Mass. with my wife of 27 years, Andrea, and our two daughters, Abagail, 26, and Halle, 20 (both unattached). Like a number of our board members, I moved up the ranks from Vice President to President of Harmony Lodge and have served on the board for close to twenty years. I have chaired two important committees, first Student Financial Aid, where the amounts available for loans and grants increased during my tenure. During the past halfdozen years plus, I chaired our Investment Committee. The members of the committee have worked on a continuous basis to balance our portfolio so that when the next market downturn occurs, which it will, the reductions in dividends and interest needed to fully fund our activities will be mitigated by the preemptive decisions initiated by the committee. My election to the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of Touro Fraternal Association in some respects takes me full circle back to my teenage years. Our newly elected Vice Chairman Stevan Labush and I have known each other since we were both actively involved with the Tallis and Tefilin Club for 12-18 year old boys at Temple Beth Israel. The group was founded and run by two of Touro’s longest term members, Sam and Lennie Buckler. I want to thank both of them for the support and guidance they gave me during those years and I look forward to seeing them at our September Lodge meeting. I want to thank each Board member who elected me to the chairmanship of the Board of Directors and have given me the opportunity to serve in the best interest of all of our members. Finally, I must mention two individuals who positively affected not only my experiences on the board, but in my business career as well. Our late Chairman Arthur Poulten and Chairman Emeritus Bob Miller, through their leadership and management skills, instilled in me the ability not only to reach the station of chairman, but also allowed me to become more attuned to the intricacies of handling interpersonal relationships as a leader. With Harmony, Friendship and Benevolence and to all our members and their familes, a healthy and sweet upcoming New Year. Shana Tova….
Here is a look at our upcoming schedule: August 18 – Newport Playhouse You’ll see the play ”No Tell Motel” after you enjoy a wonderful buffet meal. September 16 – Sunday Game Day Social Experience the camaraderie of your Touro brethren as we enjoy another Sunday game day. September 26 – Lodge Meeting Join us at the first lodge meeting of the year as we welcome Dave Cox, the new coach of the URI men’s basketball team as our speaker, after a meal of burgers and hot dogs. October 18 – Fall Mini Open House • 7-8:30 PM Brothers are invited to bring prospective members to come learn about the benefits of Touro. October 20 – Fall Two-fer at Laurel Lane Come to our fall Two-fer at the Laurel Lane Country Club in West Kingston as we enjoy a wonderful meal and music by the band, Element 78. October 24 – Annual Joke-Off Friendship Lodge meeting featuring a “Joke-Off” with Frank O’Donnell as our host, and our “world famous” deli dinner.
Touro Welcomes Four New Members
New members initiated on March 28, 2018: (l-r) Howard Goldberg, Stuart Freiman, Avi Nevel and Randy Stein. ~2~
Remembering Arthur Poulten: A Touro Legend By Larry Berman
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rthur Poulten, a true giant in Touro Fraternal Association’s history, left a lasting legacy as the chairman of the board of directors for 12 years. Mr. Poulten, who passed away on April 1 at the age of 82, is remembered fondly as the board chairman who oversaw a period of great transition for our fraternal association. He was elected chairman in 1989 at a time when Touro was acquiring its present home on Rolfe Street in Cranston, and he remained the chair until 2001. As chairman emeritus, he retained a voting seat on Touro’s board of directors and continued to provide guidance and wisdom to his fellow directors. Mr. Poulten was particularly proud that Touro celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017-18. Although he was unable to attend the centennial gala in September 2017, he penned a letter which was read by Jed Brandes, the board chairman. “Arthur was the ultimate ambassador for Touro,” recalled Brandes. “He recruited many of the brothers as members, and several officers and board members served in those positions at Arthur’s insistence.”
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Brandes had kept in close contact with Mr. Poulten, even after he relocated from Cranston to Burlington, Mass. in 2011. Arthur and his wife Beverly had moved in order to be nearer to their son David, daughter-in-law Winnie and granddaughter Sabrina. After decades in leadership positions at Touro, as well as other area organizations, being away from the action left a void in his life. But Arthur did his best to remain involved, reviewing meeting minutes, crafting press releases and offering insights. “He was always available by telephone with a kind word of encouragement,” Brandes continued. “He offered me timely advice borne of many years of service at the helm. I will miss his friendship.” He also served as a mentor to Robert Miller, who succeeded him as chairman of the board. “Arthur was the consummate organizational professional who contributed so much to Touro’s success,” said Miller, who served as the board vice chairman throughout most of Mr. Poulten’s tenure as chairman. “He understood the necessities of a men’s fraternal association and what it took to make it function. Quite simply, he knew how to get things done.”
President’s Report
Planning for the Next 50 Years
By Max Guarino, President, Friendship Lodge
By Norman Dinerman Co-Chairman, Membership Committee
his past year has been highlighted by special events in honor of the Centennial celebration. There were some great successes throughout the year, which were accomplished with teamwork. This is what sets Touro apart from many other organizations. The teamwork among the lodge officers and board members has been vital, and we need to make sure it continues. It is a lot of hard work, yet it is rewarding. There is a lot of back-and-forth banter at Social Committee meetings, but in the end, we come together to ensure that the events are successful. It gives us immense satisfaction when we see Touro members and their families socializing with each other and having a good time at our events. For things to work smoothly, there really should be a constant flow of new blood in the ranks. It is great for new officers to join those with experience. I hope all regular members who are able will consider stepping up and getting involved with the lodges to help continue Touro’s success into its second century!
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hen I was asked to write this article, I was in the midst of gathering items such as photos and personal mementos to place into Touro’s Time Capsule and it got me thinking about where our membership will be when the capsule is unsealed in 50 years. I began to wonder who will be present at that time. Our recent open house brought in seven new applicants, two of whom are around the same age as my 25-year-old son, Max. Will any of these potential new members be there? How many current members will be there, and what does Touro offer to help them grow with the organization, ensuring its long-term health? We know about the social activities and events that are at the heart of why membership is rewarding, but it only starts there. Community service and helping the less fortunate are truly the foundations of Touro and our brotherhood; they were two of the bedrock principles on which founder Jacob A. Eaton based his vision. They are ways for our members to give back and feel closer to our philosophy of “Harmony, Friendship and Benevolence”. This is a critical period in Touro’s timeline. As much as it hurts to admit, membership growth has slowed. The glue that holds our fellowship together is all of you, our brothers, working to foster the future of Touro. How do you want to be remembered by the organization in the years to come? Can you step into a bigger role to leave a lasting mark? Leadership positions are critical to the smooth functioning of our endeavor, and if you can offer your talents and time to Touro, it will help ensure a big crowd at the time capsule’s opening in 2068. If you are sipping a cold drink and enjoying the summer sun while reading this issue of the Tourogram, it might be a good time to reflect on your role in Touro and how you can engage your passion to drive us into the next 50 years. ~3~
Touro Begins Second Century May 30, 2018 Touro's Annual Installation Dinner Installation of Officers - continued from page 1 -
was appointed as the faithful guide and Barry Schiff was appointed as the chaplain, both for another year. The two lodge presidents were installed for another oneyear term at the May dinner. Richard Levenson will again lead Harmony Lodge and Max Guarino was seated as president of Friendship Lodge, and both offered their plans for Touro’s 101st year. Also installed were the other officers of the two lodges – Harmony Lodge: Steven Hopfenberg, vice president; Stuart
Solup, secretary, and David Mossberg, treasurer. Friendship Lodge: Jeffrey Stoloff, vice president; David Altman, secretary, and Peter Silverman, treasurer. Touro saluted long-time member Harvey Michaels, who was celebrating his 90th birthday. Also, Touro approved eight new members who will be initiated in the fall. A large crowd at Touro Hall was seated amidst a sea of blue tablecloths and yellow napkins for the installation dinner.The attendees raved about the catered brisket meal and the pomp and circumstances of the installation.
Directors & Officers 2018-2019
First Row: (l-r) Nate Lury, retired board member; Steven White, board member; Peter Silverman, Friendship Lodge treasurer; Michael Smith, board member; Stuart Solup, Harmony Lodge secretary; Richard Levenson, Harmony Lodge president; Jeffrey Stoloff, Friendship Lodge vice president; Barry Schiff, board member. Second Row: (l-r) Bruce Wasser, association secretary; David Altman, Friendship Lodge secretary; Barry Ackerman, board member; Alan Lury, board chairman; Jed Brandes, board chairman emeritus; Robert Miller, board chairman emeritus; Andrew Lamchick, board member; David Weisman, Harmony Lodge inside guard. Third Row: (l-r) Larry Berman, board member; Ried Redlich, board member; Steven Waldman, association treasurer; Mitchell Cohen, inside guard; Jeffrey Davis, board member; Bruce Weisman, board member; Michael Levin, former board member; Norman Dinerman, board member; Steven Hopfenberg, Harmony Lodge vice president. Missing: Max Guarino, Friendship Lodge president; Andrew Gilstein, board member; David Mossberg, Harmony Lodge treasurer; Jeffrey Harpel, Friendship Lodge inside guard. ~4~
Max Guarino president, Friendship Lodge
Richard Levenson president, Harmony Lodge
Harmony Lodge officers (l-r): Steven Hopfenberg, vice president; Stuart Solup, secretary; David Mossberg, treasurer.
Board member, two-year term: Larry Berman
Board members, 3-year terms (l-r): Andrew Lamchick, Nate Lury, retired; and Jed Brandes.
Board members, 3-year terms (l-r): Bruce Weisman, Barry Schiff and Robert Miller. Friendship Lodge officers (l-r): Peter Silverman, treasurer; David Altman, secretary; Jeffrey Stoloff, vice president.
Stevan Labush, installing officer L-r: Steven Hopfenberg, Harmony Lodge vice president; Richard Levenson, Harmony Lodge president; Max Guarino, Friendship Lodge president. ~5~
Journal’s Top Editor Discusses the Changing Media World
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By Larry Berman
break stories leads you to move too ouro members and guests fast,” Rosenberg said. “I’m proud of received an inside look at the the product we produce every day. ever-changing media world, and We make the most of more limited more specifically the Providence Journal, resources.” as the newspaper’s top editor addressed No newspaper in the country the annual Open House gathering on is immune to these changes. “The April 25. internet and the rise of on-line Alan Rosenberg discussed how life shopping have done a number on our has changed at the Journal since he was business model,” he said. “But we’re hired as a young reporter in 1978. Now finding other ways of making money the executive editor of the largest newsto support our mission of quality gathering organization in Rhode Island, journalism.” Rosenberg spoke about the slower pace As examples, Rosenberg said the of his job when he arrived from Chicago (l-r) Alan Rosenberg and Stevan Labush Journal prints 14 other publications on 40 years ago, as compared to today. As a young writer in one of the Journal’s many bureaus, all of which have its presses, has created an on-line advertising agency for its website been shuttered, he had the time to read newspapers for a few hours and sponsors many special events. “We are remaining relevant by a day, conduct interviews, and write one story which appeared in trying to do new things in smart and innovative ways,” Rosenberg stated. “We understand that digital is the future, so we now have either the Journal or the Evening Bulletin – long defunct. Now, with the advent of social media, Journal reporters and video and audio links and podcasts on our website.” editors are answering e-mails, blogging on the website, tweeting After a delicious kosher baked chicken dinner and a successful and posting on Facebook – all before writing stories for the actual open house which attracted several new members, Alan Rosenberg completed the evening with an insightful look at the Providence printed newspaper. “We can give people the news right away, but the rush to Journal.
Channel 12’s Kim Kalunian Shares Her Success Story
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By Larry Berman
iming, perseverance and hard Forced to go on the air, she handled herself work have been the keys to well and was given more responsibilities. success for Kim Kalunian, Another reporter soon left the station and a Channel 12 reporter who was an Kim earned the on-air reporting gig. excellent guest speaker at the March “My heart was still in theater, so I was 28th lodge meeting. Our brothers looking for a job that could combine my enjoyed a turkey dinner and learning love for the news business with having the about Kim’s rising stardom in the chance to perform,” she said. “Being on TV news business. was fulfilling a dream.” Kim began her journalism career Kim had a try-out at Channel 12 and as an intern at the Warwick Beacon did such a great job that she was offered a part-time job, and two years ago, moved newspaper while still a student at the Moses Brown School. As a native into a full-time role as a news reporter. She also has a great sense of timing in of Warwick, she enjoyed covering the hometown news while learning her personal life. Five years ago, she met Ted about her craft from John Howell, Nesi, Channel 12’s political reporter, while the long-time publisher and editor. covering a story for the Warwick Beacon An accomplished singer and about the state pension crisis. (l-r) Richard Levenson, Kim Kalunian and Barry Schiff actress, she also pursued a career in “We joke that Governor Raimondo was the match-maker because Ted and I were both covering her event,” Kim musical theater, performing in several productions throughout the East Coast. But it’s not easy to pay your bills in show business, so she told the Touro brothers. “I didn’t know much about pensions, but Ted helped me.” accepted a behind-the-scenes job at WPRO radio. She lined up guests and screened calls for the late Buddy Cianci’s talk show, while itching The rest is history, as Kim and Ted got married last October. to do more. Kim continues to work hard and move up the ladder at Channel 12, Kim’s first big break came when news anchor Bill Haberman experiencing success on-and-off the air! developed laryngitis and she was the only other one in the newsroom. ~6~
New and Old Partnerships on the Community Docket
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By Andy Lamchick, Chairman, Community Involvement
his has been an exciting year for the Community Involvement Committee as Touro celebrates its centennial year. We had a very generous budget to spread throughout the community. We used our additional centennial budget for the formation of an endowment fund at the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center. This fund will help educate high school students from around the state about the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. We purchased three automatic external defibrillators for needy organizations within the state: Tamarisk, the Shalom Apartments and Providence Hebrew Day School. We hope these AED’s are never used, but will be ready should the need arise. We also continued our legacy of sponsoring the March of the Living experience for high school students in our area. Our donation of $8,400 enabled four students to attend the March this year. These students shared their experience with Touro members at the Steak Fry. The trip took these students to Poland to experience the horror
of the concentration camps, followed by a trip to Israel, where they experienced the bliss of freedom in our Jewish homeland. Once again, Community Involvement supported Communities for People, an organization that reunites siblings who have been separated after being placed in foster homes. We increased our donation this year to help more children. This was also the year we renewed our relationship with Camp JORI. Many years ago, when the new campus was built, we sponsored the office, which still bears our name. After nearly 15 years, we continued our support of JORI with a $1,000 donation to its scholarship fund. We hope to lessen the great need that exists for families who send their kids to this great summer camp. Another exciting change is our “Charity of the Month.” We will take half the money raised in our monthly raffles and donate it to eight local charities selected by our committee. Among them are: The Louis and Goldie Chester Kosher Food Pantry, Ronald McDonald House, Fisher House, the Rhode Island Food Bank, Crossroads, Jewish Seniors Agency, Jewish Family Services and Amos House. Knowing that Touro is helping these local charities will hopefully increase the participation in our raffles.
Fun with the Red Sox at Fenway Park June 10
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Providence, RI Permit #719
P.O. BOX 3562 • CRANSTON, RI 02910
UPCOMING TOURO EVENTS:
Member Game Day September 16, 2018
Fall Two-fer at Laurel Lane October 20, 2018
Annual Joke-Off October 24, 2018
Visit Touro at www.tourofraternal.org
2 0 1 8 AUGUST 5 7 7 8 Bruce Weisman, Editor Columnists: Larry Berman Brett Boisvert Jed Brandes Lester Nathan Jeffrey Stoloff Bill Troberman Bruce Wasser Howard Wasser Staff Photographers: Jeffrey Davis Edward Deluty Stevan Labush Touro Fraternal Association 45 Rolfe Square, P.O. Box 3562, Cranston, RI 02910 Phone: 401-785-0066 Fax: 401-941-8781 E-Mail: info@tourofraternal.org Website: www.tourofraternal.org
TOURO BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2018-2019
Alan D. Lury, Chairman Stevan Labush, Vice Chairman Steven Waldman, Treasurer Bruce Wasser, Secretary Barry Schiff, Chaplain Mitchell Cohen, Inside Guard Jed Brandes, Chairman Emeritus Robert Miller, Chairman Emeritus Barry Ackerman Larry Berman Jeffrey Davis Norman Dinerman Andrew Gilstein Andrew Lamchick
Ried Redlich Barry Schiff Michael Smith Steven Waldman Bruce Weisman Steven White
FRIENDSHIP LODGE HARMONY LODGE Max Guarino, President Richard Levenson, President Jeffrey Stoloff, Vice President Steven Hopfenberg, Vice President David Altman, Secretary Stuart Solup, Secretary Peter Silverman, Treasurer David Mossberg, Treasurer Jeffrey Harpel, Inside Guard David Weisman, Inside Guard Ried Redlich, Faithful Guide
HARMONY • FRIENDSHIP • BENEVOLENCE ~8~
DAVE COX
Head Coach URI Men’s Basketball Wednesday • 6:30 PM
September 26
Join us at our first lodge meeting of the year as Touro welcomes Dave Cox URI Men’s Head Basketball Coach Watch for the flier in the mail or visit www.tourofraternal.org for details