2021 July 5781
INSIDE
Remembering Nate Lury, Touro's "King of the Kitchen" By Larry Berman
N Tourography: Barry Ackerman page 3
Meet Cranston's New Mayor page 4
Winners of March Madness page 4
Salute to Class of 2021
athan “Nate” Lury, who served on the Board of Directors of Touro Fraternal Association for 42 years and was the long-time chairman of the House Committee, passed away on June 1 at the age of 94. Nate was a 55-year member of Touro, having been initiated in April 1966. He was presented a plaque at the October 2018 lodge meeting to commemorate his retirement from the board. He was also honored at an “Old Timers Night” in 2013. “It is impossible for me to tell you how much Touro and the brotherhood has meant to me,” Nate said that evening in 2013. “Through good times and not so good, my brothers are there for me, as I am for them, sharing laughter, love and pain. But through it all, we created some great and special memories.” After Touro moved into its hall at Rolfe Square in Cranston in 1989, Nate oversaw the house’s operations for decades. The kitchen, especially, carried his imprint, according to Chairman Emeritus Bob Miller. “Nate was responsible for the upkeep of the entire hall and always made sure everything was clean and neat and that all problems were immediately addressed,” said Miller. “But keeping a kosher kitchen was his pride and joy. He labeled all the cabinets for meat and dairy and
Board Members & Officers Installed in Return to Touro Hall
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page 5
R.I. Foundation Lends a Hand page 6
Kosher Pantry Gets a Boost page 8
made sure all the food was up to date. You’d walk into the kitchen and you’d immediately see ‘the Nate effect.’ If he wasn’t going to be there, he’d leave notes for us to make sure the food was prepared the right way.” Nate always pitched in, whether it was boiling the water for the hot dogs and beans, handling the cooking, or setting up for the steak fry that he and Miller established. He was described by his Touro brothers as the “King of the Kitchen.” “While working on the Centennial project several years ago, we came across films of past Touro events. One showed Nate at the beginning of his long career manning the Touro kitchen at our former hall on Niagara Street,” said Chairman Emeritus Alan Lury, Nate’s cousin. “When I joined Touro thirty years later, new members were expected to volunteer for kitchen cleanup duty. I remember a number of Wednesday evenings working under the direction of Natie, as our family called him, and his sidekick Rodney Locke, washing pots and pans, making sure I did not mix up meat from the dairy. His presence will be missed, but the memories of his service to Touro will never be forgotten.” Chairman Stevan Labush remembered when he first joined Touro more nearly 30 years ago, the brothers Continued on page 6 - Nate
(l-r): Lodge Presidents Jeffrey Stoloff, Larry Berman ~1~
fter more than a year away from Touro Hall, we returned on May 26 for a hybrid installation ceremony. The board members and officers who were installed participated inperson, while members could watch virtually at home. Larry Berman and Jeffrey Stoloff were installed to their third terms as presidents of Harmony Lodge and Friendship Lodges respectively. David Altman moves up from lodge secretary to Friendship’s vice president, while Jonathan Finkle remains as Harmony’s treasurer. Four brothers became officers for the first time: Alexander Leach, Harmony vice president; David Nicolato, Harmony secretary; Adam Finkelstein, Friendship secretary; and Scott Halsband, Friendship treasurer. Continued on page 7- Installation