Annual Golf Classic is a winner for Alliance programs

BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF

THE 37TH ANNUAL Dwares JCC Golf Classic took place on June 19 at the Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club in Middletown. Golfers took advantage of a nice day on the links and a chance to raise funds to benefit programs at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. Twenty-seven foursomes played the course, raising more than $86,000. Co-Chair Peri Ann Aptaker said, “This year’s tournament was a major fundraising success, and I am proud to have helped such a great community organization. On to the 2024 tournament!”

Bottom—Liz

Thanks goes out to the eagle sponsors Bonnie and Donald Dwares, The Miriam hospital, Wingate Living and the Schuster family. The tournament this year was planned by co-chairs Peri Ann Aptaker and James Pious with a committee of Jeffrey Brier, Rick Granoff, Lisa Maybruch, Mindy Sherwin, Robert Sherwin, and Robert Stupell. Past chair of the tournament Richard Bornstein passed away earlier this year. As a tribute to his memory, the tournament now will be called the Richard Bornstein Memorial Dwares JCC Golf Classic.

Men’s Low Gross

Timothy Carroll, Joseph Parella, Edward Rotmer

Men’s Low Net 1st

John Angelo, Rick Granoff, Howard Lazarus, Christopher Morra Jr.

Men’s Low Net 2nd

Lou Guerica, Thorne

Sparkman, Robert Vetromile, Jeffrey Vogel

Men’s Low Net 3rd

Brett Allen, Keith Garte, Jeffrey Glassman, David Joseph

Mixed Low Gross

Joel Maybruch, Lisa Maybruch, Sally Maybruch and Kyle Steinhauer

Mixed Low Net 1st

Liz Goodermote, Lynn Malloney, Molly O’Mara, Tracy Tavares

Mixed Low Net 2nd

Jeffrey Brier, Jessica Brier, James Engle, Robin Engle

Mixed Low Net 3rd

Peri Ann Aptaker, Harold Horvat, Alan Litwin, Lee Merrill

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 that this building feels like it did before the pandemic. And this year our tribe of members took their dedication to new heights. We held a successful swimathon, where our swimmers raised money to support the Alliance. And a month later, I was proud to jump on a bike with more than a dozen members for our spinathon to raise money for the Alliance. Thank you to everyone who makes this building feel like a home away from home.

I’m also grateful for the tribe of community members who continue to advance our work and dialogue around our larger Rhode Island community. Our Community Relations Council has done impactful work this year, focusing on issues of poverty, climate change, immigration, and more. And they’ve come together to have hard conversations, and to do so with kavod, with respect. Earlier this year, the Alliance brought Resetting the Table to our community, an organization focused on encouraging dialogue around Israel that allows people to share their perspectives and embrace difference. It was an example of what community looks like at its best, and I thank everyone who advances this important work on behalf of the Alliance.

The tribes in our community aren’t just those who identify as Jewish. This year, the Alliance formally recognized the fact that our community includes many who don’t identify as Jewish, but who are very much members of our tribes. Our “Breaking the Glass” podcast explored interfaith relationships with a focus on the beauty and the complexity of these partnerships. The podcast was downloaded 7,000 times, a huge accomplishment for the Alliance. And we also have partners outside of the Jewish community who stand with us in good times and in bad. A few weeks ago we held an anti-hate summit where over 80 people came together from across communities to discuss how we stamp out hate in Rhode Island.

I’m proud that the Alliance led this work and convened organizations like the Center for Southeast Asians, Black Lives Matter PAC, Youth

Pride RI and others, and I’m excited for the work that will come out of it. And last winter, when it seemed like every week white supremacists were dropping leaflets throughout Rhode Island to intimidate our community, many throughout Rhode Island placed a menorah in their window, showing solidarity with our community. And the State House was lit up to Shine a Light on Antisemitism during Hanukkah. It happened because one of our tribes is filled with those who stand with us so we don’t stand alone.

And finally, I want to touch on the tribe of staff that I get to work with each and every day, and the tribe of Board members and volunteers that guide our work. Over the last year, I have witnessed so much dedication from both groups. I’ve seen everyone pitch in, everyone think about how we can make the Alliance, and therefore the community better. Every day I’ve seen our staff find ways to go the extra mile, both big and small. Every single one of my colleagues puts community first, and makes the Alliance truly one of the greatest places to work. Thank you all. And to our Board, thank you for continuing to provide guidance, leadership and direction. We’ve tackled huge topics this year, and at the center of each conversation has been how do we keep our community front and center. The conversations have been incredible, and I’m grateful for your leadership. And to Harris, thank you for being a true partner in this work, for standing alongside me, and for challenging me to be a better leader for this community each day.

And as great as this year was, I’m so excited for what the next year has to offer for us. Finding new ways to lift up Jewish joy. Showing everyone what makes our community so wonderful by putting on an inaugural Jewish Cultural Festival. Deepening our partnerships with agencies and synagogues. Developing new podcasts that continue to tell the story of our Jewish community. Continuing to fight antisemitism through our anti-hate work, through legislation at the State House, and by continuing to strengthen our community with trainings and security. A new leadership development program to train and educate those who will lead our community into the future. So many great things to come.

When the 12 tribes wandered the desert, they surrounded that which was most holy, the tabernacle. The tribes of our Rhode Island Jewish community also surround something incredibly important: community itself. We wrap ourselves around it, invest in it, protect it and make sure it reflects and represents the best of who we are. As we look ahead, I ask all of you to double down on your efforts. To continue to think about the role you play in making this community so special. Because a vibrant, thriving community for all of us only happens with all of us. Together, I know the vision we have for our community isn’t just possible, it’s going to happen. Thank you!