August 2022

The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community

AUGUST 2022 | AV 5782

JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Summer in Rhode Island Hot weather doesn’t stop us Read some good books with Robin

Mix up a fun drink with Lisa

Find activities in our calendar of events

2 | AUGUST 2022

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AUGUST 2022 | 3

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

September is on my mind IN THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER, the last thing we really want to think about is responsibility. But that’s exactly what I’ve been mulling over lately.

I guess it is part of being an adult. We have certain responsibilities that take over the way we think and act. The list can become daunting: home, family, community, job, country.

Have you thought about voting yet? It may seem a little early to start focusing on this important community responsibility.

But keep in mind, Rhode Island’s primary election is Sept. 13, barely a month away by the time you read this. And the deadline to register to vote is Aug. 13.

If you vote in Massachusetts, your primary is Sept.

6 and the registration deadline is Aug. 27. So now really is the time to focus on these elections, which will determine which candidates from the major political parties are on the ballot in the November national election.

The statewide decisions are important and not to be taken lightly: The Rhode Island ballot includes the primaries for congressional races in District 1 and 2, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer, and the state Senate and House, as well as some mayoral races.

In Massachusetts, primaries are being held for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer and auditor. There are also governor’s council races, as well as state House and Senate races and U.S. congressional races.

At Jewish Rhode Island, we don’t advocate for any one candidate. That’s not our job and, as part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we are not allowed to endorse candidates. But we do encourage you to educate yourselves about the candidates and what they stand for. That’s part of being

responsibility as its editor, to offer our readers a chance to stay informed about what’s happening and how it will affect our community.

In upcoming newsletters and in the paper, we will bring you information on local candidates. In addition, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island is sponsoring a Providence mayoral forum on Aug. 29, 5:30-7 p.m., at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave. Register at www. jewishallianceri.org/pvdmayoral-forum. There’s an opportunity to submit questions as well.

And while you are considering your responsibilities as a good citizen, remember that you need to take care of yourself, too. If you don’t care for yourself, then might not be able ‘The statewide decisions you to fulfill any of your As the are important and not to responsibilities.

Jewish scholar Hillel said, “If I am not for be taken lightly.’ myself, who will be for me?” Hillel actually a responsible voter and a advocated for responsibility responsible American. to self and then to others.

In Rhode Island, voter So get out and enjoy suminformation is available mer in the Ocean State! On from a variety of sources, pages 14 and 15, you’ll find including the candidates’ photos of how others are websites, the state website doing just that. and ballotpedia.org. The same is true for MassachuFran Ostendorf, Editor setts.

In addition, it’s part of our responsibility as a community newspaper, and my

D'VAR TORAH 5 | CALENDAR 6 | FOOD 8 | COMMUNITY VOICES 9 | OPINION 12 SUMMER FUN 14 | COMMUNITY 16 | BUSINESS 23 | OBITUARIES 25

JEWISH RHODE ISL AND

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, Sarah Greenleaf COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz

VOLUME XXIX, ISSUE IX JEWISH RHODE ISLAND

(ISSN number 1539-2104, USPS #465-710) is published monthly except twice in May, August and September.

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Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

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ON THE COVER: Summer fun at J-Camp at the Dwares JCC in

Providence. PHOTO | GLENN OSMUNDSON

4 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

UP FRONT Robin Kall Homonoff: Top-shelf book influencer

BY ROBERT ISENBERG

T

wenty years ago, Robin Kall Homonoff sat in front of a microphone and introduced her new radio show, “Reading With Robin.”

A lifelong bibliophile and people-person, Kall had devised a simple formula: she invited authors to talk about their lives and work.

ORIGINALLY AIRED on WHJJ 920 AM, the show has transformed over time: in 2012, Kall stopped the radio show and started her transition to podcasting.

With the help of her daughter, Emily, and marketing advice from her son, David, Kall also produced live author events, first called the “Point Street Reading Series” and later “The Cardigan Connection” (a reference to Kall’s love for dogs, particularly her Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Benny Irving).

Through it all, the format of “Reading With Robin” has remained consistent: an upbeat, informal dialogue with authors. Kall, 59, has hosted an astonishing range of scribes, from blockbuster novelists to self-published rookies.

On her show and in person, Kall speaks in the animated, confident tone of a native New Yorker; she grew up on Long Island and earned a B.S. in sociology from Binghamton University in 1985.

Kall moved to Providence in her early twenties, and she has now spent most of her life – 37 years – in the Ocean State.

Over the last decade, Kall has shifted most of her operations to social media; she has used live streaming through Facebook (www.facebook.

com/ReadingWithRobin) since 2016, and “Reading With Robin” now appears Thursdays from 3 to 4 p.m. on Instagram Live (www.instagram.com/robinkallink), under the moniker “Tell Me About Your Book.”

With the arrival of COVID in early 2020, Kall kicked her show into high gear, inviting more guests than ever to chat about their latest releases.

With most Americans stuck at home, her audience expanded far beyond the borders of Rhode Island.

“Reading With Robin” and its spinoffs have also raised money for a range of charities, from Pink Aid and the RISPCA to No Kid Hungry and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

During a recent interview in her East Greenwich home, Kall talked about “Reading With Robin,” her love of literature and her involvement in Rhode Island’s Jewish community.

The following Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Q. How would you describe your relationship with books?

A. I was one of those precocious readers. We spent a lot of time reading. My mother read to us, and books just were magical to me.

With a book, you’re just

always engaged. There’s nothing as exciting, as a kid especially, as staying up reading. We were allowed to stay up. We had a bedtime, but if you were reading, you could stay up. So I didn’t have to hide with the flashlight.

I think [it was] also because of my mother and my aunt – big, big readers. You emulate the people that you love, and my mother always had a book by the bedside, always had a book in the car if we were going to a dental appointment. There was always a book, and that’s one of my rules: Never be caught without a book.

Q. So how did “Reading With Robin” get started?

A. I started listening to talk

radio, which in and of itself was a funny thing, because I could not stand the sound of scratchy AM noise on the radio, and that’s where talk radio was. But at a certain point, I guess in the early 2000s, I was working at home with my sister, doing work that kept me at a desk. So I

had the radio on for company, and I was listening to this talk show. And as I found myself talking to the radio, sometimes yelling at the radio, eventually I … called to give an answer.

The host was trying to come up with somebody that was in a movie; “City Slickers” was the answer. I called and I spoke to the producer.

Apparently the producer was laughing, and the host said, “Who is that? Put them on!”

And I started calling into the show, and it got to be a bit of an addiction. I got very comfortable on-air. And I was very encouraged by the feedback I was getting.

Q. How did you go from a regular caller to an actual host?

A. Eventually I went into the

studio and wrote some bits.

And then I thought, “I can do this.” I pitched an idea to do a show, and the manager at the station said, “We think you can do a show. We’d love that. What do you want to talk about?” So I said, “I like

the alliteration of ‘Reading With Robin.’ ” The first thing I thought of was: Authors are interesting. They’re well-traveled. They’re the best eavesdroppers. That’s who I’m going to talk to. And [the station manager] said, “Well, are you going to read on air? Are you reading to children?” They did not get it. And I was like, “Just don’t worry about it. This is gonna be great.” And that’s how the show started.

Q. When did they start to get the concept?

A. People were listening.

People were asking about the show. People were trying to get on the show. People were calling up to ask how they could get their book on the show. So they got that.

But “Reading With Robin” always sort of stood out on its own little shelf, if you will.

It just never fit in anywhere.

Which is kind of how I am. I don’t think you could shelve me in fiction or nonfiction or memoir or sci-fi. I’d be the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Joshua and Caleb: 2 leaders for the ages

D' VA

THIS WEEK’S TORAH portion, the first parashah of the fifth book, Devarim – literally “words,” but often translated as “Deuteronomy” – serves as a background for a fast-paced review of the Israelites’ past 40 years or so.

Throughout the book, Moses delivers a speech, an ethical will of sorts, to the new, desert-born generation. The entire book of Devarim is a 37-day speech by Moses, beginning on the 1st of Shevat and ending on the 7th of Adar – the day of his passing – in the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE). Thus, this speech is delivered about five weeks before his death.

It is understood that the first four books of the Torah were written by Moses, reflecting what God said (i.e., and God said to Moses) and the fifth was recorded in Moses’ own words (i.e., and God said to me). This is the setting for Moses’ final statements to the nation he lovingly tended for four decades.

Reading like an exciting story, Moses revisits the period, some 39 years earlier, before the Israelites left Mount Sinai at God’s behest, with the intention of immediately entering Canaan.

At that time, Moses expressed to the Jews his inability to single-handedly bear the burden of leadership, because “God has multiplied you, and behold, you are

R

today as the stars of the heavens in abundance.” In time, Moses appointed a hierarchy of judges to preside over the nation, reminding them about the basics of judicial integrity.

Moses then recounts how the Jews traveled through the desert and quickly reached the southern border of the Holy Land. He recounts the tragic episode of the 12 spies who were sent to check out the land of Canaan, and RABBI how 10 of the ETHAN ADLER scouts delivered a frightening report, claiming that the land was unconquerable.

Only two of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, admitted that the road ahead was fraught with many challenges, but said that with the help of God, they would surely succeed. This caused God to bar that entire generation from entering the Promised Land, and they murmuringly headed back to the Sinai Desert.

Moses then fast-forwards 38 years. The generation that left Egypt had perished in the desert and now a new generation was ready to enter Canaan. To make it “real,” Moses delineates the actual borders of the lands allotted to the tribes.

Then Moses announces that Joshua will lead the nation into Canaan. Joshua is enjoined not to be fearful of the battles that he will face, because “it is the Lord, your

TO R A H

God, who is fighting for you.”

As a matter of fact, Joshua is blessed with a certain “invincibility” status.

So, two questions arise: Why was Joshua selected to succeed Moses? And whatever happened to Caleb?

First, Joshua.

Joshua – Hoshea, later Yehoshua – was Moses’ able assistant throughout their travels from Egypt to Canaan.

He was selected by Moses to choose and command a fighting group against the Amalekites for their first battle after exiting Egypt. It was a tough confrontation, against a powerful adversary, but the Israelites were victorious.

Sometime later, Joshua accompanied Moses when he ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. He also was witness to Moses breaking the Ten Commandments when they discovered that the Israelites had been worshipping the Golden Calf.

Joshua also waited outside the Tent of Meeting while Moses communed with God. And, of course, he was one of the spies who spoke encouragingly about the prospects of conquering Canaan.

Joshua is considered a strong and optimistic leader who possessed an unyielding faith in God and in Moses.

A charismatic warrior, he led the conquest of Canaan.

His exploits are recounted in a Biblical book bearing his name.

Toward the end of his life, Joshua admonishes the Israelites with these words: “Therefore, be very strong to

keep and to do all that is writto the various tribes, Caleb ten in the Book of the Law of asked to be given the hilly Moses, turning aside from it land of Hebron as a token of neither to the right hand nor his faith in God. And Joshua to the left.” did so.

Thus, we can understand We can learn much about why Joshua was chosen as leadership from Joshua and Moses’ successor.

Caleb. Their examples model And now, on to Caleb. He what it means to remain was the son of Yefuneh, from strong to one’s convictions, to the tribe of Judah. During be able to see the big picture the altercation with the 10 and to not be afraid. Perhaps spies, Caleb was enthusiastithe prophet Micah had them cally adamant that the conin mind when he wrote: “And quering begin almost immedi- what does the Lord require of ately. The narrative recalls it you? … to walk humbly with as follows: “And Caleb stilled your God.” the people toward Moses and Hey, world leaders – pay said: ‘We should go up at once attention! and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.’ ” RABBI ETHAN ADLER is Several myths have been the spiritual leader of woven to celebrate Caleb’s Congregation Beth David, in commitment to the cause. One Narragansett. story has it that Caleb wanted to bring produce from the land, but the other spies told him not to do it to avoid giving Candle lighting times the Israelites a positive view of the land.

August 2022 However, after Caleb threatened them with a sword, they agreed to bring samples of the produce.

Another story tells that while in Canaan, the spies were attacked by giants, but Caleb’s overpowering voice chased the giants away.

Caleb’s reward for his steadfast faith in August 5 7:38 pm God comes as the land of Canaan is being August 12 7:29 pm divided. We read in the book of Joshua August 19 7:19 pm that when Joshua was apportioning the land

Greater Rhode Island

August 26

7:08 pm

Tiverton Holocaust program offers education opportunity

BY JRI STAFF ON AUG. 1, more than 100 people gathered at the Tiverton Public Library to learn about the horrors of the Holocaust.

Alice Eichenbaum, a survivor, and Lillian Birch, the daughter of a survivor, spoke to the crowd.

The program was organized by the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center in Providence after a July 23 social media post

by The Atlantic Sports Bar and Restaurant, in Tiverton, referencing the hot weather and featuring a photo of Anne Frank.

The post has since been removed from Facebook after

the owners of the restaurant issued an apology. They did not attend the program and local media have not been able to reach them for comment.

Program organizers hope that education will help in the fight against antisemitism and remind people of the reality behind perceived jokes.

America, in September 2017, in the wake of the Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.”

In Jamaica Plains, three people were arrested on July 23, when a group of white supremacists protested

outside of a drag queen story time. Led by neo-Nazi group the Nationalist Social Club 131 (NSC-131), the hate group was met by counter-protesters and the arrests included a member of NSC-131 and two counter-protesters who

Other antisemitic activity ON JULY 2, in Boston, approximately 100 members of Patriot Front a white supremacist group marched. The Patriot Front, according to the Anti-Defamation League, was “formed by disaffected members of another white supremacist group, Vanguard

Lillian Birch speaks to the crowd in Tiverton.

clashed with the neo-Nazis.

The Nationalist Social Club had previously demonstrated in February outside a Providence reading room and was allegedly responsible for a wave of flyer activity over the Independence Day weekend.

6 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Ongoing

Kosher Senior Café and Programming. In-person lunches 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday – Thursday at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence; Friday (except 8/26) at Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. “Celebrate Providence” on 8/26 will take place at the Dwares JCC. In-person and Zoom programming from 11 a.m.-noon followed by lunch and a guest speaker or discussion from noon-1 p.m. The second Tuesday of the month is “Susie’s Corner” with Susie Adler. The third Thursday of the month is a book chat with Neal Drobnis. Suggested donation: $3 per lunch for those age 60 and older as well as for younger adults with a disability. Other adults may purchase a meal for $6.50. The Kosher Senior Café is a program of Jewish Collaborative Services with support from the Jewish Alliance of Greater RI and Blackstone Health.

Information and RSVP, Neal Drobnis at neal@jfsri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 107.

Project Shoresh Ladies Partners in Torah Night. Sundays 7:45-8:45 p.m. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Partner-based study

group. On-site facilitators available.

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

Project Shoresh: For Young Professionals – A Walk through Torah. Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. 132 Lancaster St., Providence. Explore the Five Books of Moses with Rabbi Chaim Yehuda and Mrs. Guta Shaps. RSVP (requested but not required) or information, text or call Rabbi Shaps at 732-822-0028.

Project Shoresh Men’s Partners in Torah Night. Wednesdays 7:45-8:45 p.m. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Partner-based study group. On-site facilitators available.

Free. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-6323165.

Project Shoresh presents “Jew in 2022: Exploring a Meaningful Life” with Rabbi Eli Kasirer.

Thursdays 8-9 p.m. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Rabbi Moshe Don Kestenbaum’s book “Olam Ha’avodah – A guide to understanding and achieving our purpose in this world” is the basis for discussion. To confirm time and place for

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

Music with Raymond Buttero via Zoom. Fridays 3-3:30 p.m. Temple Sinai’s pianist performs. Link at templesinairi.org. Information, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.

Temple Sinai Shabbat Evening Service. Fridays 6 p.m. 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Song, prayer and reflection offered 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. At beginning 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.

Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Fridays 7 p.m., except second Friday of the month 6:30 p.m., when Family Shabbat

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

Services take place. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and livestreamed (website, Facebook, Cape Media, YouTube and Community Television Comcast channel 99). Proof of vaccination necessary for in-person services; masks optional. Information, 508775-2988 or capecodsynagogue. org.

Temple Beth-El Torah Study.

Saturdays 9-10:30 a.m. (No meeting second Saturday of the month.) 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Delve into the weekly portion with Rabbi Sarah Mack and Rabbi Preston Neimeiser. In-person or via Zoom.

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

Temple Beth-El Shabbat Morning Service. Second Saturday of the month 9-11 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Shabbat morning minyan with lay participation incorporating study, Torah and Haftarah readings. In-person or via 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. Led

by Rabbi David Barnett. Information or Zoom link, Temple@toratyisrael. org.

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

Breakfast followed by interactive discussion at 10 a.m. with Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser or others in the community. Zoom link at templesinairi.org. Information, dottie@ templesinairi.org or 401-942-8350.

Temple Habonim Torah Study.

Saturdays 10-11 a.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman leads weekly Torah study on current portion. Via Zoom.

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

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

Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Saturdays 10:30 a.m.

145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and livestreamed (website, Facebook and YouTube). Services are in-person with proof of vaccination; masks optional. Information, Cape Cod Synagogue at 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.

Temple Sinai Shabbat Morning Service. Saturdays 11 a.m. (10:30 a.m. when celebrating a Bar or Bat Mitzvah). Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. In-person and via

Zoom. Information, templesinairi. org or Dottie at 401-942-8350.

Friday | August 5

PJ Library Story Time. 11 a.m.

Garden City Gazebo, 100 Midway Road, Cranston. Read some books, play some simple games and meet other families. Co-sponsored by Temple Sinai and the Jewish Alliance. Information and registration, Lyndsey at lursillo@jewishallianceri.org.

Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Services. 5:45-6:15 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. In-person, via Zoom or on Facebook Live. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs & Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Torat Yisrael’s first Kabbalat Shabbat led

by Rabbi David Barnett. Come welcome him. For information or Zoom link, Temple@toratyisrael.org.

Saturday | August 6

Project Shoresh presents The Ninth of Av: “Tears, Songs and Stories.” 9 p.m. Ohawe Sholam, 671 East Ave., Pawtucket. Maariv service followed by an explanatory reading of the Book of Lamentations. Culminating with singing and stories to connect all to the essence of Tisha B’Av. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Monday | August 8

Temple Beth-El Summer Meet Up. 7-8:30 p.m. West Passage Brewing Company, 7835 Post Road, North Kingstown. Stop by for dinner, a drink or friendly company with the TBE staff. No RSVP. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Thursday | August 11

RI International Film Festival. 7-9 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Jewish-themed films will be screened. Tickets: $10 at the door | $12 online. For complete schedule of all venues and films, see story, page 19.

Friday | August 12

Temple Torat Yisrael Beach Shabbat. 5:30-7 p.m. Goddard Memorial State Park, 1095 Ives Road, East Greenwich. Informal, interactive family service followed by a potluck dairy picnic with oneg.

Bring beach chairs and blankets.

Information, Temple@toratyisrael. org.

Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Services. 5:45-6:15 p.m. 70

AUGUST 2022 | 7

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Orchard Ave., Providence. In-person, via Zoom or on Facebook Live. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Individual player: $190 | foursome: $760; lunch only: $36. Information, dottie@templesinairi.org or 401942-8350.

Temple Habonim Outdoor Shabbat Service (weather permitting).

6:15-7:15 p.m. Latham Park, Latham Ave. and Shore Drive, Barrington.

Bring blanket or chairs. No RSVP. Information, Adina at office@templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

"Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience"

by Brené Brown. 7:30-8:30 p.m.

For our first conversation on this book, just read the introduction and Chapter 1. "Places We Go When Things Are Uncertain or Too Much…." Via Zoom. Information and RSVP, coreconnectsri.com or Elissa Felder at CoreConnectsRI@gmail. com or 401-241-9631.

Wednesday | August 24

Sunday | August 14

Worcester JCC Cultural Arts presents Tanglewood Boston Symphony Orchestra. 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Depart from 633 Salisbury St., Worcester, Mass. Lunch at the Gateways Inn in Lenox followed by concert featuring Cristian Macelaru, conductor, and Yo-Yo Ma, cello, performing Elgar’s Cello Concerto, Debussy’s La Mer and Enescu’s Romanian Rhapsody No. 1. Information, Nancy Greenberg at 508-756-7109, ext. 232 or ngreenberg@worcesterjcc.org.

Friday | August 26

Temple Beth-El Membership BBQ & Shabbat under the Stars Service. 5:30-8:30 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Festive Shabbat family barbecue followed by musical outdoor service and a special oneg. Everyone welcome.

Register on temple website. Cost: $10. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

RI International Film Festival. 1-3 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Jewish-themed films will be screened. Tickets: $10 at the door | $12 online. For complete schedule of all venues and films, see story, page 19.

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Services.

5:45-6:30 p.m. Led by Rabbi David Barnett. For information or Zoom link, Temple@toratyisrael.org.

Friday | August 19

Monday | August 29

Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Services. 5:45-6:15 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. In-person, via Zoom or on Facebook Live. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.

Providence Mayoral Candidate Forum. 5:30-7 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence.

Moderated by Steph Machado, investigative reporter at WPRI 12 who covers politics and Providence. Free. Open to all. Pre-registration requested for event and childcare (for potty-trained children ages 4 and older; caregivers must remain in the building). To preregister, https://www.jewishallianceri. org/pvd-mayoral-forum/ Information and to submit questions for candidates, Stephanie Hague at shague@jewishallianceri.org.

Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Services.

5:45-6:30 p.m. Led by Rabbi David Barnett. For information or Zoom link, Temple@toratyisrael.org.

Sunday | August 21

BMW AUDI MERCEDES BENZ PORSCHE VOLKSWAGEN MINI COOPER

Temple Sinai Golf Classic. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Valley Country Club, 251 New London Ave., Warwick.

Enjoy golf on a beautiful course and see friends while supporting various programs at the temple.

Fee includes breakfast and lunch.

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75th Annual George Washington Letter Reading: Honoring Religious Freedom. 1-2 p.m. Touro Synagogue, 52 Spring St., Newport.

Every summer, Touro Synagogue Foundation partners with Congregation Jeshuat Israel to host this event, including letter reading and keynote address, honoring our nation’s heritage of religious freedom. Both in-person and available for live viewing on the Touro Synagogue Facebook page. Information, tours@tourosynagogue.org.

The Jewish Alliance is giving you the opportunity to connect to an Israeli farmer who will create for you your own private brand of boutique olive oil bottles.

To learn more, visit JewishAllianceRI.org/My-Tree/ or scan the QR code with your smart phone.

Promote Israel while supporting Rhode Island’s Jewish community!

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Annual Community Campaign.

8 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

FOOD

Three refreshing drinks to quench your thirst

BY LISA MAYBRUCH

T

here’s nothing like an ice-cold drink on a summer day. For

these past few weeks, it’s been too hot to turn on the oven, even for me! On this episode of “Baking with Lisa,” I may not be mixing batter, but I’m still mixing drinks.

MY PARENTS SAY that every kid in Brooklyn, New York, grew up drinking egg creams. The beloved, nostalgic drink doesn’t actually contain eggs – it’s a sweet combination of seltzer, simple syrup and milk. This may sound a little funky – and don’t get me wrong, it is – but my parents did right by me in passing on the genetic makeup that enjoys this fizzy treat. If you have a dairy allergy, switch up the milk to a non-dairy option and it will still taste

great. Just combine all the ingredients and enjoy!

Next up, I made a coffee slushy popular in Israel. This drink is refreshing and will also give you your caffeine fix.

A blender is required for this drink, but it’s worth the extra step.

Lastly, I have a fresh twist for those wanting to add a little zest to their day. Pomegranates are common in Israel and are an important symbol in Judaism. I combined pomegranate juice, seltzer, vodka and a squeeze of fresh lime juice to make this adult beverage, and garnished it with pomegranate seeds to pull it all together. You can leave out the vodka for a kid-friendly version.

I hope you try one, or all three, of these drinks, and make the most of summertime with family and friends!

LISA MAYBRUCH’S occasional series, “Baking with Lisa,” appears in Jewish Rhode Island and online at Jewishrhody.org/ baking-with-lisa.

Ice Café (Coffee Slushy) INGREDIENTS 10 ounces brewed coffee 2 ounces milk (any kind) Simple syrup or any sweetener (I used Torani), to taste Chocolate syrup, optional

DIRECTIONS Cool brewed coffee and pour into an ice-cube tray, reserving some. Repeat with milk. Freeze for a few hours or overnight.

Combine frozen coffee cubes, frozen milk, simple

syrup and reserved coffee in a blender. Blend until thick and smooth.

Pour a little chocolate syrup into a glass, if desired, and then fill glass with the blended coffee mixture. Enjoy!

Egg Cream INGREDIENTS 4 ounces seltzer 4 ounces milk 2 tablespoons vanilla simple syrup (I used Torani)

DIRECTIONS Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice and stir.

Pomegranate Vodka Soda Cocktail INGREDIENTS 4 ounces seltzer 2 ounces pomegranate juice 1 shot (1.5 ounces) vodka Fresh squeezed lime juice, to taste Pomegranate seeds for garnish

DIRECTIONS Combine all ingredients in a glass with ice and stir.

FOOD TOUR IN JERUSALEM WITH TOBI AND ZAIDE TOMER! Muslim Quarter !

orning

Christian Quarter

Good m

This is to get 9ou back for this morning, Zaide...

Temple Mount

Make sure to get the art!

Armenian Quarter

Farewell!

Jewish Quarter

Art and Dialogue by Kendall Krantz / Story by Amit Moshe Oren, Israeli Shaliach

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS COMIC STRIP is going to be the last one since I, the writer, have finished my time here as your Israeli shaliach. I hope you enjoyed reading the strip and following along! Working with Kendall on this project was such a rewarding experience, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll be up to next.

Take care everyone! — Amit Moshe Oren

AUGUST 2022 | 9

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY VOICES

It’s time for me to rejoin the human race SPE A

K IN

Fast forward to this summer, when we’re still being bombarded by warnings about variants – this time from Omicron.

But one thing is different: I’m no longer content to hide from the world, or to follow COVID-era policies such as social distancing, which LARRY encourages isolaKESSLER tion, sadness and, in some cases, depression.

Now, fortified by two COVID-19 boosters – and fully expecting to get whatever variant-related booster becomes available in the fall – I’ve become a bit more adventurous. That’s not to say I’m feeling “normal.” I still mask up in stores and other inside spaces and I refuse to fly or travel long distances, but I’m otherwise slowly rejoining the human race.

One of the reasons I want to return to more of my preCOVID life is that later this month I’ll mark one of those dreaded milestone birthdays – it’s neither “the big 60” nor “the big 80,” so you do the math. Facing this milestone convinced me that I can no longer afford to live my life in fear.

Why? Because even though I believe the many doctors and other experts who issue warnings that the pandemic isn’t over, those of us who got

G OU

T

LAST SUMMER, despite being fully vaccinated, I was a long way from feeling “normal.”

The constant advice from medical and government officials urging people – especially those of us in our late 60s and older – to “remain vigilant” in the face of the continued threat from the COVID19 pandemic was enough to limit my socializing.

Then came a couple weeks of optimism that the virus was subsiding – indeed, President Joe Biden even urged Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July in person.

But this was quickly followed by the rise of the Delta variant, which compelled the medical experts and many government officials to resume their non-stop warnings – and which acted like an emotional blockade on any desire that I might have had to return to my pre-COVID activities.

So I took baby steps back into society. My wife and I avoided concerts and movie theaters, and as much as I wanted to, I didn’t go to Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox. What I felt comfortable doing was meeting a few friends in restaurants for lunch, as opposed to at a park or my backyard picnic table, and I marked my birthday in a restaurant. I also ran three in-person races.

vaccinated and boosted accounts, are what can’t put our lives on make us rich. hold indefinitely or People who were stop living every time a satisfied with virtual variant is on the rise. connections during the What I’ve come to worst of the pandemic realize, as this panwere way off base, demic drags on, is that because the truth is for those of us who are that there’s absolutely piling up the years, no substitute for spendCOVID will probably ing time with loved never go away, with ones in person. new variants regularly • On the road again. cropping up.

For the second year Given that reality, in a row, my younger it’s time to move on daughter and I ran PHOTO | ALANA KESSLER – within reason. I’m the Arnold Mills Four Larry Kessler trails his daughter Alana, who Miler, in Cumberland, tired of my psyche had already finished the Arnold Mills 4-Miler on the Fourth of July. being scarred by the in 34:17 on the Fourth of July, as he heads to It was a big lift to again pandemic, which is now well into its third year. the finish line. He did the race in 58:41. Alana have spectators lining It would be unacceptthe streets to cheer us went back on the course to encourage her able to live the rest of on. very slow father to finish the race. my life like a virtual After the pandemic hermit, and that’s why shut down the course bittersweet day watching the I’ve resumed a few more in 2020, I vowed to relish each Red Sox’ top minor-league activities. Here are three in-person race that I was able team play in a ballpark other highlights: to run. But this year, I felt than Pawtucket’s McCoy Sta• Back to the ballpark. I especially fortunate to particdium. That venue had spoiled hadn’t been to a baseball ipate in the Arnold Mills race me because it was only a game since 2019. Since that after learning later that day short 15-minute drive from time, the 2020 Pawtucket Red of the tragic shootings at the my home in North Attleboro, Sox season – its final one in holiday parade in Highland while it’s at least a 45-minute Rhode Island – was canceled, Park, Illinois. The fact that ride on Route 146 to Worcesalong with all of minor league ter. both the Cumberland race baseball that year due to the and the parade that followed • Reconnecting with pandemic. And last year, I went off incident-free was a friends. The best remedy simply didn’t feel comfortable blessing, and it’s something for my down-in-the-dumps going to the ballpark. that we sadly can no longer pandemic hangover has been But I jumped at a chance to seeing old friends. I was fortu- take for granted. attend PawSox Heritage Day, nate to meet several of them at Polar Park, in Worcester, LARRY KESSLER (larrythek65@ for lunches in July – includwhich is now home to what gmail.com) is a freelance ing many I hadn’t seen since became the WooSox (Worceswriter based in North well before the pandemic ter Red Sox).

Attleboro. He blogs at began. This was important to I thoroughly enjoyed my larrytheklineup.blogspot.com. me because the truth is that first visit there, in July, and our friends, and not our bank I’ll be back, although it was a

Rest up before facing fall’s challenges HEA

TH

Awareness is the key to ending this feeling. Or, as author and psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Siegel put it: “If we can name it, we can tame it.”

When we are aware, we can pay attention to signals that we are moving too fast, doing too much and overloading our PATRICIA system before it all starts to break RASKIN down.

But often our warning signals get overridden by our activities. It’s not until we have time to rest and reflect that we see what has happened. And that rest is so

Y L I VI

NG

L

THIS IS THE MONTH when we move from summer activities to fall activities, particularly going back to school and back to work after vacations.

Even though there is generally more leisure time in the summer, there are those of us who are still busy doing, running and meeting our schedules and those of our families.

When our schedules take over our day, we wonder where the time went. So many times we do not stop until we have to, and then we feel depleted.

important to building up our reserves again and to reflecting on how we can make changes.

Stress affects our body, mind and spirit, and we need time to recuperate. Depending on how run down we feel, healing can take some time.

This is a challenge for those of us who are used to having busy schedules. We need to pace ourselves and stop when we feel tired or have little energy.

There are so many ways to take care of ourselves. When we are not feeling our best selves, it’s time to pause and rest.

Shabbat brings us rest, relaxation and restoration.

Yvette Alt Miller said in

her article, “Three Benefits of Celebrating Shabbat,” posted at Aish.com, “In my own home, I see the power of eating together on Shabbat in bringing us all together.

“During the week, we do try to eat family meals together, but our busy schedules often get in the way. Even when we do manage to sit down for a meal as a family, I find we’re lucky if it lasts twenty minutes: it seems like we’ve barely begun before everyone heads in their separate ways.

“On Shabbat, our meals feel very different than our quick family dinners during the week. On Shabbat we sit down to a beautifully set table and enjoy more elaborate and relaxing meals. Instead of

getting up as soon as we’re done eating, everyone wants to linger and shmooze.”

Rest helps to restore and replenish our bodies, spirits and minds. So before we go back to school, or work, let’s take the time to find ways to rest our bodies, clear our minds and calm our emotions.

Then we can move into the fall feeling rejuvenated.

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.

10 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

UP FRONT Robin Kall Homonoff: Top-shelf book influencer CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 book that would be traveling all over: “I don’t know what to do with this one! Where are we gonna put her?”

so I’d be in the bookstores and the libraries. It’s not like now, where it’s more when the book comes out, that’s when authors want to be on.

Q. Did you have a background in media?

A. Nah. It’s cute, because

Q. How has your selection process changed?

A. There’s more books. There

people will ask me, “Were you a literature major?” I think I was just born talking. I find people fascinating. Believe it or not, I am also a good listener, and I would be so overprepared for a radio show, with notes and notes. And then I would quickly realize: one question, [then] just listen. You can’t believe some of the conversations that would come from just listening. But yeah, no formal training.

Q. How do you decide on which books to feature?

A. Originally, it would really

be what I was reading. Also, a lot of my kids’ favorite books, like Steve Chbosky’s “Perks of Being a Wallflower.” And then mine: Jennifer Weiner was one of my first authors.

Jodi Picoult was one of my first authors. I was a reader,

are so many books. And I get email pitches, books come, I get solicited books, unsolicited books. And I look through them. My heart is in every piece of “Reading With Robin.”

It has to be a well-told story, keep my attention, all of that.

It’s something I’ve connected to.

I’ve also prioritized voice, certainly authors of color, LGBTQ, and give more of a priority to authors who have been more marginalized. And publishing is stepping up as well, which is why there are more books to choose from.

I read books six to nine months ahead, so sometimes I don’t remember what I’m reading, and people are like, “Ah, gotcha!” And I’m like, “No, it’s just I read it a long time ago.” I don’t forget when I love a really great book. But it’s hard. It’s hard to pick.

Q. How has the show evolved over time?

A. I was 10 years on the radio,

and then, one day in 2012, I thought: “I’ve done 10 years.” I wasn’t sure where things were going to go, and I just decided that was it. I think I posted on Facebook, “Show’s over,” or something like that.

Truth be told, of course, the kids are always the ones with the ideas. They said, “Everything’s a podcast. You could be doing this differently.”

So I started a podcast. There was more flexibility, because there were no commercials and there was really no time limit – which you could probably imagine would be an issue, but I did have a little timer. I did that for years and slowly started incorporating more author events. And then, I did some more Facebook Lives, and the past couple of years, I added an Instagram Live [series].

Q. How would you describe your relationship with Judaism?

A. It’s something, growing up

on Long Island, that I probably didn’t think about a whole lot.

And not that I came from the most Jewish town, but I also went to college in Upstate New York, in Binghamton. Very Jewish. It was just sort of, “that’s who we were.”

But moving to Rhode Island and marrying somebody whose family was very entrenched in the Jewish community, there was that start.

When I first moved here, I was 22, and I joined Hadassah [the Women’s Zionist Organization of America]. I wanted friends, and I was trying to find my way. We joined Temple Beth-El [in Providence]. I liked Beth-El immediately – met Rabbi [Leslie] Gutterman, and that was it. It was always an incredibly special place and continues to be for us.

I’m very social, if you couldn’t tell. There is a real sense of pride [in the R.I. Jewish community], and people are very open with who they are and what’s important.

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

Live ‘Reading With Robin’ event Aug. 24 “Reading With Robin,” in collaboration with “The Rhode Show,” will present Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White, the authors of “The Lost Summers of Newport,” on Aug. 24, 7-9 p.m., at The Greenwich Odeum, in East Greenwich.

This first edition of the “Biggest Book Club, Smallest State” series benefits The Izzy Foundation, a nonprofit that supports children with cancer and their families at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in Providence, and nationwide.

For more information or a ticket to the show, go to GreenwichOdeum. com.

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COMMUNITY VOICES

August tales in little Rhody

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I EARNED A LAUGH long ago when I made the following kvetch to my “boss,” the head of my department at the Rhode Island School of Design: “All seasons are depressing, each for a special reason.”

As I explained about summer, I correctly claimed: “In December the shortest day gives way to lengthening days ahead.” The summer solstice, however, launches the ever-so-slight shortening of the sunbeams.

The writer, in the blue cap.

I guess that is what August is Early this summer, I about. We rememvisited the two wee rocky ber the loss of the grandeur tidal isles in our Bay. Hope of the Temple, but also the is a little green natural blessings of the weddings growth of thriving pines, that follow in the days just beyond the larger beyond. inhabited islands I lost my mother near Block. in August, Despair is a which was also black jagged the month of crag pile that my parents’ you can paddle elopement, over safely at in 1926. As in high tide, espepoetry, with cially under a its dedication full moon, but to nostalgia, MIKE FINK it’s a dangerous melancholy and experiment to metaphor, sorrow negotiate at low or medium turns and translates tomortides. row into hope.

I have my own theory The founder of our tiny about Roger and the Rocks. colony/state, the renowned I think he invented the Roger Williams, named existential movement in every bit of land, rock, his kayak. Before Soren Bay, for certain biblical Kierkegaard, in Denmark, (Torah) virtues: The islands or Jean-Paul Sartre, in of Patience and Prudence postwar Paris, our own R.W. (Benjamin Franklin’s top understood that a lonely choice of strengths), along wanderer, a variation on the with Friendship and Benevidea of the Wandering Jew, olence as street titles, and must endeavor to choose Plenty Street as a prayer wisely, to learn and to teach claiming that enough is like a traveler to Jerusaenough. lem in those “Canterbury But today as I write this Tales,” and then to tell valuhymn to the eighth month, able stories like a rabbi.

I include a mention of our former name, “Plantation,” MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol. because all it meant back com) teaches at the Rhode then was something like Island School of Design.

Eden, just a label of land itself.

I would also like to comment on “Hope” versus “Despair.”

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12 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION Misplaced concerns

Jerry Goldin Sharon, Mass.

Jewish Rhode Island publishes

thoughtful and informative contributors’ columns (op-eds of 500 – 800 words) and letters to the editor (300 words, maximum) on issues of interest to our Jewish community. At our discretion, we may edit pieces for publication or refuse publication. Letters and columns, whether from our regular contributors or from guest columnists, represent the views of the authors; they do not represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or the Alliance.

MY FAVORITE PHILOSOPHER, Yogi Berra, is said to have quipped, “Predictions are hard to make, especially about the future.” Another, related, alleged “Yogi-ism” is: “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

In general, my versions of the future have been no more on the mark than Yogi’s. In the early ’60s, for example, I attended a Joan Baez concert in Asbury Park, New Jersey, during which she introduced her scraggly guitar-playing sidekick, who had a scratchy voice and called himself Bob Dylan.

“That Dylan guy will never amount to anything,” I informed anybody who was willing to listen.

But, when perusing my COVID diary a few weeks ago, I came across my entry for Oct. 30, 2020, which has turned out to be truly prescient. I sensed in my very bones that the coming Election Day, on Nov. 3, just four days hence, would be the most significant election of my lifetime. I noted my sense of foreboding: “Sandy and I have already voted by absentee ballot.

The US Postal Service having been rendered ‘iffy’ by Trump’s shenanigans, I checked my computer last night to learn from the office of the RI Secretary of State that our ballets have been ‘received’ and ‘accepted’.”

I went on to write that “for the first time in my life I have been less concerned with the results of the election – Biden should defeat Trump – than about whether or not the voting results will be treated fairly and freely. Trump and his Republican cronies seem to be running not against Biden but rather against the process of free and fair elections, a process which Trump, without a shred of evidence, has called ‘rigged.’

In his delusional ‘heads I win, tails you lose’ mind, ‘Only I can fix America! Only I can make America great again! Only I deserve to win!’ ” As it turns out, Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump by a wide margin: 306 to 232 electoral votes and by more than 7 million popular votes.

Yet Trump, and many of his most

EM

ardent supporters, insist that the election was stolen and that their task continues to be to “stop the steal.”

Trumpists seem to agree with football coach Vince Lombardi that “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”

While such words might help to fire up a football team, this allor-nothing thinking is poison to our democracy, which depends on losers accepting the validity of their opponents’ victory and taking comfort in the hope that in the next election, to use Dylan’s words, “the loser now will be later to win.” In a democracy, where there are by definition always winners and losers, it is essential that every citizen acknowledge RABBI JAMES and play by the same ROSENBERG rules.

This summer’s congressional hearings on the Jan. 6 insurrection have added significant detail to the somewhat blurry picture that most Americans have carried with them for a year and a half. The witnesses who have testified – almost all of them Republicans – have presented an ever-more damning record of the actions of Trump and his associates leading up to Jan. 6, 2021 – and of their actions and inaction during the day itself.

As of this writing, no witness has proved more significant for the future of our broken country than 26-year-old Cassidy Hutchinson, a senior aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff. Hutchinson served in the White House for most of Trump’s term of office. She was known to be an ardent, hard-working and highly intelligent Trump loyalist; her testimony cannot be shrugged off as a partisan rant.

Under oath, Hutchinson told the world the candid truth about Trump’s out-of-control behavior, his mad insistence that he himself lead the weaponized mob – “his people” – to the Capitol in order to overthrow the newly elected but not yet formally inaugurated Biden adminis-

S TO M

E

Both Mr. Padwa and Mr. Klein [July 2022] point to the fact that mass shootings don’t happen at hard targets such as gun shows or police stations and advance the notion that the solution to these violent incidents is for more common citizens to be armed or to otherwise harden soft targets.

Rather than deterring mass shootings, such a notion at best shifts the venue. If I were so inclined, I could think of several ways of safely overcoming that approach.

Not so long ago, we enjoyed freedom from fear in this country. Mr. Klein’s concern about the erosion of liberties is misplaced. I am far more concerned about the accretion of power by nongovernmental entities than I am about accretion of power by the government.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but, it doesn’t grant one the right to yell “fire” in a crowded theater. Reasonable gun control is NOT at odds with the second amendment any more than limits on free speech are at odds with the first amendment.

Mr. Klein goes on to bemoan the banishment of prayer from public schools, which is an oft-repeated, right-wing talking point.

Perhaps Mr. Klein isn’t as old as I am, but I remember having to sit in class and listen to my first-grade teacher start off our day with readings from Christian scripture and being offered the option of singing Christmas carols along with my classmates or to sit alone and do math problems.

THOSE are the practices that have been banned. I prayed often and fervently all during my years at public school…as a Jew! My prayers were private and personal.

The so-called ban on prayer in public schools prevented school authorities and others from force-feeding me their religious beliefs or to give me unpleasant alternatives. It never banned me or anyone else from praying.

A better tomorrow for America?

IT S E

LETTER

tration.

We learned from Hutchinson that Trump knew that many in the mob were armed, yet he tried to order the authorities to remove the “mags,” the metal detectors, so that “his people” could march with their weapons to the Capitol; after all, they were no threat to him.

What might Trump have done had he succeeded in pressuring the Secret Service to drive him to the Capitol after he finished his incendiary speech? The answer, thankfully, remains in the realm of the mighthave-been.

A huge question hangs over all of us in these un-United States: given all that we now know about President #45, can we find a way to come together in the service of justice? Or will the cornered Trump find a way to finish tearing us apart?

To echo the biblical Amos, “I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet.”

In this moment when the future of America seems to hang in the balance, I take refuge in the words of one of our greatest poets, Walt Whitman. In “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” (1856), Whitman dares to affirm the ties that bind him to the generations of Americans yet to come: “It avails not, time nor place – distance avails not,/I am with you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence,/Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt/Just as any of you is one of the living crowd, I was one of the crowd,/Just as you are refresh’d by the gladness of the river and the flow, I was refresh’d ….”

Whitman sings his trust in future generations of Americans to repair the brokenness of his own day.

If we are to survive as “one nation, indivisible,” we must prevail against the current darkness and echo Whitman’s spirited optimism in both word and deed.

JAMES B. ROSENBERG is a rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington. Contact him at rabbiemeitus@templehabonim.org.

Breakout Sessions: At the Border “WE’VE GROWN UP in our house, and throughout history, hearing stories of people who took in Jewish refugees during the Holocaust, the righteous of the nations,” says Rabbi Barry Dolinger in the latest episode of Breakout Sessions, “and [in Ukraine], people need help – are we really too busy?”

A few weeks ago, Rabbi Dolinger sat down with Jew-

ish Rhody Media to discuss his trip with the Rabbinical Council of America to the border of Ukraine and Poland. Dolinger explained that the impetus for the trip, and his framing for what he witnessed, was grounded in one of the most oftenquoted verses from the book of Exodus: "v'Atem y'da'Tem et-nefesh haGer"– you know the soul of the refugee, because you were strangers

in the land of Egypt.

Dolinger details his visits to the Polish border town of Medyka, to the JCC in Krakow, and parts of the wooded region of Galicia, where Ukrainian refugees have come on foot from across the country to seek refuge as the war rages on.

Listen on the Jewish Rhode Island site, or on Spotify, Apple, or Google Podcasts.

AUGUST 2022 | 13

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION First Person

LETTER

Your dollars are giving young Ukrainian refugees help and hope

Sweet victory

Adam Greenman, president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, and Harris Chorney, chair of the Alliance’s board, recently traveled to Poland to see how funds raised in the campaign for Ukrainian Relief are helping Ukrainian refugees. What follows are Greenman's thoughts at the end of the five-day trip, lightly edited for publication.

BY ADAM GREENMAN

J

uly 20, 2022 — The sun is making its steady climb in the sky above the Warsaw

airport. It is early, 4:50 a.m., and I’m waiting for my flight back to Rhode Island. I’m sitting here, surrounded by others speaking multiple languages, including Ukrainian, trying to process all that I have seen and heard over these last few days.

IT’S A TRIP that I won’t ever forget.

One that’s a reminder that as hard as things sometimes seem, as difficult as life can be, there are others experiencing much worse – and their resilience is extraordinary.

Mostly I’m thinking about the range of emotions this trip has brought out, and the range of emotions I witnessed in others. There was certainly sorrow, heartbreak and fear. But there was also pride and gratitude and inspiration. And yesterday, I had the opportunity to witness and to feel pure joy.

Our day did not start with pure joy. In the morning we took a walking tour of the memorials that commemorate the Warsaw Ghetto and the uprising that took place there during World War II. The memorials exist because the ghetto no longer does. Today, it is a commercial corridor, with apartments, a mall and even some skyscrapers.

Driving through it, it feels like any other city. It feels a bit like history has been erased.

As our guide shared with us, however, it was the Germans who leveled the ghetto after the uprising and after all of its inhabitants were sent to concentration camps and death camps. There are only a few remaining walls from the ghetto, preserved to remember the history.

The memorials scattered throughrefugees themselves. Some were out what was the ghetto commemdrawing, some were reading, and orate major figures in the Jewish a lone boy was kicking a soccer resistance, as well as righteous ball into the net. Others were using gentiles who sought to help Jews the chalkboards or simply talking during the war. with each other. That was before There is also a memorial to all of the scavenger hunt, when the kids, those who lived and died there. It is ages 7-15, all worked together to shaped like a cattle car, symbolizsolve the clues and win a prize. ing the way that As I stood so many Jews there, talking were removed with the from Warsaw, camp’s direcnever to return. tor, I thought We ended that the only our tour at the difference Polish Jewish between this Museum, a beauand other tiful structure amazing that rises out camps I’ve of the ground seen was the as a reminder language Marta Saracyn with Adam Greenman that even in a being spoken. and Harris Chorney at the Warsaw JCC. country where We eventuthe politicians ally left the leading the government would kids to head inside to learn more rather not remember the past, we about the program. It was designed never forget. in three weeks, with the help of a We ended our day at a summer school administrator from New camp run through a collaboration York who felt compelled to volunbetween many of the agencies in teer, remembering her refugee the Warsaw Jewish community, experience after the fall of Commuincluding and primarily by our [the nism in Poland in the early 1990s.

Alliance’s] partners at the Warsaw Learning is embedded in the Jewish Community Center. The bus program, and it is kept fun and dropped us off on a busy Warsaw engaging. Kids made volcanoes street in front of an apartment with baking soda and vinegar. building, which left us confused.

They did science experiments of I expected this camp to be in the all types, they did math, they read, countryside or in a park, with acres they practiced English and Polish, of open space for the children to and they did it all with hands-on play. Instead, we stared at an apart- activities. ment building.

There is no doubt that the war in But as we rounded the corner, I Ukraine has compounded learncould hear familiar sounds. The ing losses for these children, who sound of laughter. The sound of already had suffered through the play. The sounds you hear when COVID pandemic. But it was clear kids are having fun. We heard that this summer experience was them before we saw them, and helping, and that the children were as we entered a large courtyard, helping each other. surrounded on three sides by The camp has been a respite for Communist-era architecture, I the 85 campers (mostly Jewish, but was transported back to our JCC also some non-Jews). Like J-Camp in Providence, because the proat the Alliance’s Dwares JCC, it gramming could have been our infuses Jewish values and customs, programming. focusing on helping all the children This large courtyard, it turns to have fun while learning about out, is a school playground, comJewish culture. Mostly, it offers plete with an artificial-turf area for normalcy to these children. Teachsoccer, a sandpit, a jungle gym, picers shared that they see signs of nic tables and a tree-covered cortrauma in the children – sometimes ner for children who simply wanted through their drawings, sometimes to relax. The walls of the courtyard through what they say at lunch. were chalkboards, adorned with A few days before we arrived, drawings by the children in the lunch was extended because some camp. of the older participants were comThe children were having an paring how long each of them spent incredible time, surrounded by in a bomb shelter before escaping counselors, all of whom spoke the country. The camp has trauma their native language; some were CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever have recently canceled their plans to boycott the sale of their products in Judea and Samaria (aka West Bank), Israel. This is a major setback for the BDS movement and corporate antisemitism.

For the past year the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel (RICI), the only local pro-Israel, grassroots activist organization of Christians and Jews, along with the participation of dozens of other community members, and many other organizations across the country, has been working steadily on many levels to stop the this corporate antisemitism.

RICI has led the fight in RI against the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions), Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, and Unilever for its vicious, antisemitic action to boycott its products only in the Jewish State of Israel.

RICI has taken the following actions: promoted a boycott of all Unilever products; brought awareness to social media, State Treasurer Seth Magaziner, Attorney General Peter Neronha, and our Washington delegation; organized public education protests on the issue; and worked with other organizations and allies.

RICI also appealed to incoming Unilever board member Nelson Peltz, and we believe he was instrumental in forcing the company to cancel plans to boycott.

Ben & Jerry’s will no longer boycott Israel, Unilever announced a few weeks ago, after reaching a business settlement with the ice-cream company’s Israeli licensee Avi Zinger. The settlement will allow him to sell Ben & Jerry’s under its Hebrew and Arabic names throughout sovereign Israel and Judea and Samaria.

The company stated “Unilever rejects completely and repudiates unequivocally any form of discrimination or intolerance. Antisemitism has no place in any society. We have never expressed any support for the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement and have no intention of changing that position.”

Judi Dill RICI Board Member

14 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

Summer in Jewish Rhody WE ALL LOVE the beautiful warm summer and this summer has certainly given us time to experience all that Rhode Island has to offer. Here are some scenes from what’s been happening in the Jewish community.

J-Camp at the Dwares JCC offers indoor and outdoor activities to day campers.

Fun at Camp JORI in Wakefield, Rhode Island’s Jewish overnight camp (above and right).

PHOTOS | GLENN OSMUNDSON

AUGUST 2022 | 15

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Guests of the Kosher Senior Café had a mid-summer celebration July 29 at Goddard Park.

Many congregations, such as Temple Habonim in Barrington, celebration Shabbat outside.

PHOTOS| ROBERT ISENBERG

PHOTO | TEMPLE HABONIM

PHOTO | CONGREGATION BETH DAVID

Congregants from Congregation Beth David in Narragansett enjoy Shabbat services on the beach.

PHOTO | PROJECT SHORESH

In June, the community was represented at the annual Providence Pride celebration.

PHOTO | SARAH GREENLEAF

Project Shoresh had a well-attended community BBQ at Lincoln Woods on July 20.

16 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

BUSINESS 23 | OBITUARIES 25

Sarah Greenleaf: Words, images and tikkun olam go hand in hand Sarah Greenleaf joined the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island in May as the digital marketing specialist. She grew up in Seattle, studied English Literature and Journalism at the University of Washington, earned an MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University, and taught filmmaking in Los Angeles for many years.

BY SARAH GREENLEAF

I

knew I had found my people the first time I attended a Passover seder. As my friend Jess led us

through the 1970s’ Berkeley Haggadah, everyone around the table, almost all strangers to me, thought deeply about the many questions in the Passover story. We discussed the ways in which we had freed ourselves in the past year, and admitted the things or forces we still felt enslaved to.

I HAD NEVER been in a ritual space like this before – open, personal, honest and profound. Passover was suddenly my favorite holiday.

It would take years between that moment reaching for the bitter herb on the seder plate and my conversion to Judaism, but the guiding principles of Judaism had been with me for my entire life.

As a young person in Seattle, I was involved in numerous volunteer and social-justice activities, from working with the YMCA to map resources for pregnant teenagers to serving as the teen documentarian for “The Freedom Crisis Project,” a youth-led advocacy group working on behalf of incarcerated children and teens. I always took tikkun olam seriously. If the world was broken, why couldn’t I help fix it? If not me, then who?

Long before I held the Torah at my synagogue for a Yom Kippur service, I was practicing the values of Torah, seeking knowledge and learning in each stage of my life.

I learned to make films at age 14 as part of a film program for young women, and, for the next few years, I mentored in that program, and had my short film shown at festivals across the country. I went on to eventually earn an MFA in Film and Media Arts and taught filmmaking in Los Angeles for a

Sarah Greenleaf number of years.

While in Los Angeles, I met the woman who would become my wife, and converted to Judaism. As a couple, my wife and I attended an 18-week course covering all aspects of Judaism, from peoplehood to history and theology. We both learned a ton, made friends we still see to this day, and found a religious community that was welcoming and loving.

We also spent time volunteering at the Holocaust Museum LA, learning from survivors, attending film screenings and practicing dor l’dor.

When you convert to proselytizing religions, people are ecstatic for you. When you convert to Judaism, people are worried for you. And it is no wonder, since antisemitism is

PHOTO | ROBERT ISENBERG

surging worldwide. Klal Yisra’el, the people of Israel, have never been more important.

Throughout my life, I have worked with young people as a peer, mentor and teacher. Children and teens are most impacted by the societal choices we make, and although they are unable to vote, they are completely capable of making profound and lasting changes. As a visibly-out teacher and a co-leader of my school’s GSA (Genders & Sexualities Alliance), I make sure to practice Hineni (here I am) whenever I can.

As an artist and creative person, I have brought my skills to kids in Seattle, Philadelphia and Los Angeles and have traveled internationally to bring film screenings to places as far away as Xining,

China. Art is the true universal language and visuals can transcend numerous barriers.

I am bringing all my experiences with me for my new role as the digital marketing specialist at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

As an artist and writer, to me practicing tzedakah means giving people spaces in which to see and be their full selves. Whether it’s an article in Jewish Rhode Island, an Instagram post, or copy on the website, people can tell when you are thinking of them. Words and images matter, because acknowledgement matters, being seen matters and so does knowing that you are not ever, ever alone.

You can see some of my work on my website, sarahgreenleaf.com.

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

R.I.’s new shaliach arrives in Sept.

Nursery through eighth grade • East Providence • gordonschool.org Elihay Skital at Machu Picchu

BY LARRY KATZ SINCE HE HAD ALREADY met teenagers from Rhode Island, the new shaliach (Israeli emissary) for Rhode Island was delighted to be considered for the position here.

As a member of an Israeli chapter of HaZamir, an international Jewish choral program, Elihay Skital, 22, remembered performing with some of the Rhode Island teens and their leader, Cantor Brian Mayer. He said that meeting hundreds of American teens through HaZamir helped him decide to become a shaliach, first in camp settings and now in Rhode Island.

Skital will began his term as our community’s shaliach starting in September. He is currently finishing his second summer at Camp Havaya, in the Poconos, where he is a unit head.

Between the summers, he spent half a year traveling in South America, and he returned to Israel to teach English in an elementary school and to be a trainer for Israelis who work in Jewish summer camps in the U.S. Skital comes from Ashkelon, along the southern Mediterranean coast of Israel. In the Israeli army, he was a psychotechnic inter-

viewer, helping to decide if army candidates should become combat soldiers or serve in other areas.

As a shaliach in Rhode Island, Skital will work for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, serving synagogues and day schools, meeting with college students (particularly at the University of Rhode Island Hillel), and presenting programs at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, in Providence. He also will be available for institutions and groups that are interested in learning about Israel, such as schools, colleges and Jewish organizations.

After spending the summer working at Camp JORI, in Wakefield, current shaliach Amit Moshe Oren is returning to Israel, where he will continue to pursue his career as a graphic novelist.

For more information about the shlichut/emissary program, contact Larry Katz at lkatz@jewishallianceri. org or 401-421-4111.

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

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18 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

Annual Golf Classic is a winner

BY ABI WEINER THE 36TH ANNUAL Dwares JCC Golf Classic on July 11 offered golfers a beautiful day on the links and a chance to raise funds to benefit programs of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

This year’s event at Lake of Isles Golf Course in North Stonington, Connecticut, raised over $85,000 thanks to the generosity of our Eagle Sponsors, Bonnie and Donald Dwares and The Miriam Hospital, and our other sponsors, participants and donors. The Golf Classic, chaired

by Jeffrey Brier, Doug Emanuel and Jeffrey Vogel, was originally scheduled for June 27, but had to be postponed due to inclement weather. Twenty-five foursomes played the 18-hole course.

Contest winners were: MENS: Mark Krauss, Gregory Sherwin, Jason Sherwin, Robert Sherwin MIXED: Joel Maybruch, Lisa Maybruch, Rob Maybruch, Kyle Steinhauer

PUTTING GREEN: Paul Nadeau This year’s fund-a-need beneficiary at the Dwares Jewish Community Center was J-Fitness. The goal was to upgrade some of the equipment in the fitness center in order to help current members meet their health and wellness goals and attract new members.

A multi-item raffle included prizes donated businesses such as M.S. Walker, Providence Diamond, Lake of Isles, and so many more. More than $5,000 was raised to purchase new fitness equipment.

In addition to the chairs, thanks goes out to the golf committee – Stewart Lander, Lawrence Sadwin and Mindy Sherwin – as well as the honorary chairs – Richard Bornstein, Bruce Leach, Alan Litwin, Rose Malkin, Mark S. Mandell, Richard Mittleman and Sam Suls – for their support of this event.

PHOTOS | ROBERT ISENBERG

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

Scenes from the Golf Classic. For more photos, go to jewishrhody.org.

Americans sought to chat online with Israeli English teachers THE ENGLISH Speaking Residents Association (ESRA) in Israel is working with the Israeli Ministry of Education to provide the country’s English teachers with an opportunity to practice their English-speaking skills by

talking with Americans.

The initiative is in response to a great need for Israeli English teachers to have opportunities to improve their own English conversational skills.

No teaching experience is

necessary to volunteer for “ESRA Teacher Chat.” Volunteers commit to 15 weekly sessions of 30-40 minutes on Zoom or WhatsApp with an Israeli teacher of English who has registered for the program. The sessions are one-on-one, and ESRA provides talking points, conversation ideas and more to

create a friendly, supportive environment for the chats.

Interest in the program has been huge among English teachers in Israel.

ESRA was founded in 1979 as a nonprofit volunteer organization, and is Israel’s largest English-speaking community network.

An orientation session for

volunteers will be held on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 1 p.m. and the actual chats will begin at the end of October.

If you are interested in volunteering, please register at bit.ly/3Ok0Un3.

For more information, contact Larry Katz at lkatz@ jewishallianceri.org.

Temple offers no dues for six months TEMPLE SINAI IN CRANSTON is offering a chance for people to get to know the congregation without dues for the rest of 2022.

“Joining a temple is not an automatic choice today, especially for young families,” said Gregg Rosen, the Temple’s president. “We want to give them a chance to get to know us before asking them to be a part of our community.”

The Temple is offering free membership to new members for the rest of the secular year, including tickets to High Holy Days services.

New members would still be required to pay tuition for Religious School for their children from the beginning of the school year.

“I often hear our members say that Temple Sinai is a real community. That’s what they like about it,” says Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser. “I think that is what people are looking for in a Jewish community today. They want to be engaged in a place where people socialize, learn and pray together – a place where we all feel like we belong, no matter what.”

Temple Sinai recently made its message of inclusion more explicit, stating that it is “a community of all ethnicities, races, nationalities, sexual orientations and identities, gender expressions, ages and abilities and are open and welcoming to multifaith and interfaith families.”

The congregation is hoping

that by making the experience of temple membership available to prospective members without upfront commitment, people will like what they see and stay on as members in 2023 and beyond.

For those who want to get a taste of Temple Sinai’s Shabbat service, there will be an open house service, specifically for perspective members, on Friday, September 9, at 7:30 PM. Check the Temple’s website, www. templesinairi.org, for more details.

For more information on Temple Sinai, contact the congregation at 401-942-8350.

The Temple’s email address is dottie@templesinairi.org.

Submitted by Temple Sinai

AUGUST 2022 | 19

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

Flickers’ film fest schedules two showings at JCC

BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF CELEBRATING ITS 40TH Anniversary, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival is world-renowned and has been a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards for the past two decades. Scores of films will be screened during this summer highlight festival, which will take place from Monday, Aug. 8 to Sunday, Aug. 14 at venues around Rhode Island including the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence.

Most of the films shown at the JCC will have one of two basic themes: The Holocaust and coming of age/youth. Some of these are animated, such as the four from Israel. Some will be shown at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11 and others at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14. At press time, the schedules have not yet been finalized, so check jewishrhody. org for more information.

Please be advised that some of these films may include some sexual themes. The Holocaust films are not appropriate for children, and the French film, Women of Valor, not only discusses sexual maturity but contains a secular doctor’s brief social critique of Hassidism.

BLACK SLIDE Directed by Uri Lotan; 11 min.

Israel/United Kingdom, 2021 Eviah, a young and timid kid on the brink of puberty, and his best friend sneak into the Black Slide, the most terrifying ride in Aqua Fun. There, Eviah will gain insight to prepare him for events about to unfold at home.

LETTER TO A PIG Directed by Tal Kantor; 17 min.

Israel/France, 2022 A Holocaust survivor reads a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life. A young schoolgirl hears his testimony in class and sinks into a twisted dream where she confronts questions of identity, collective trauma and the extremes of human nature.

LES VERTUEUSES (WOMEN OF VIRTUE) Directed by Stéphanie Halfon; 30 min. France, 2021 Etel, a 9-year-old girl who lives in the Hasidic community in Paris, gets her period for the first time. Myriam, her mother, finally looks at her as if she were a woman. Etel is blessed, until she finds out that in her religion, women are considered impure

Your dollars are giving young Ukrainian refugees help and hope CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

when they have their period.

MINYAN DUTY

ENTRANCE OF PINK ELEPHANTS

Directed by Ivan Kander; 14 min.

USA, 2021 Hoping to say Kaddish after their mother’s death, Leah and Ariel find themselves one person short of making a minyan. As a result, they turn to an unconventional solution.

Directed by Tatiana Fedorovskaya; 17 min. Ukraine, 2022 Three elephants must entertain superhumans today, so they might live tomorrow. Josef, an artist of the Jewish “Cabaret-Terezin,” performs each week with his dog, Kasper, for an audience of Nazis and their wives.

It's an absurd performance in pink elephant costumes, which Josef invented to ridicule what is happening in the “city donated by the Führer to the Jews.”

SURVIVAL OF A SPIRIT Directed by Patricia Salier; 50 min. USA, 2021 Eva Salier (née Hellendag), a young Dutch Jewish artist, is forced into slave labor by the Nazis. She struggles to stay alive by learning to make radio tubes for German fighter planes and bombers, transported by cattle car to Nazi factories in concentration camps and dangerous underground factories. She clings to the emotional bond created within her group of Dutch women prisoners, like a family, keeping each other’s spirits up. Her occasional glimpse of humorous situations in the concentration camps, shown through animation, makes her laugh and feel human again, if for just a moment and keep her going long enough to survive.

HOLY HOLOCAUST Directed by Osi Wald, Noa Berman-Herzberg; 17 min.

Israel, 2021 “Holy Holocaust!” describes the unusual friendship between Noa, a white Israeli woman and Jennifer, a black German, who for 22 years believed that they easily rise above historical, political and geographical obstacles, but then it surprisingly explodes right in their sarcastic faces, turning them, against their will, into the “Third generation.”

CINEMA REX Directed by Mayan Engelman, Eliran Peled; 8 min.

Israel, 2020 Jerusalem in 1938 is a divided city. At the “cinema Rex,” a Jewish boy and an Arab girl will form a soulful friendship based on one mutual language – the language of cinema.

NANCY Directed by Carlo Ang: 4:31 min.

USA, 2021 Told entirely through voicemail messages saved by her daughter over the span of more than 10 years, Nancy is a short story about a mother’s unconditional (and occasionally overbearing) love for her child – as showcased through the lens of one particularly unique matriarch.

According to George T. Marshall, Flickers executive director and festival founder, “This is our first year since 2020 that we are expanding our hybrid model for the festival with more in-person programming and screenings…

It is long overdue.”

Tickets for each series (Thursday and Sunday) are $10 and are available at the door.

Tickets purchased online have an additional $2 fee. For more information about the festival, please visit www.rifilmfest.org.

The Full Schedule and ticketing can be found at prog.tsharp.xyz/ en/riiff/40

experts on site, working with the children to help them process their experiences. But most important, it is allowing them to create new experiences.

As we said goodbye to the camp, I could not help but feel hopeful. Despite the war, despite what these children had experienced, they still were able to be children. That hope ran through conversations with nearly every refugee we spoke with during the week. And it’s so apt, given that hope is at the center of Judaism, through the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”) and at the center of Rhode Island, as our state’s motto: Hope.

Looking back on the trip in total, it’s hard, given the fact that we were in Poland, not to compare the experience of Ukrainian refugees to that of Jewish refugees 80 years ago. I thought about if I were alive in Poland or Germany 80 years ago, and I wasn’t Jewish, would I risk my life, and the lives and livelihoods of my family

members, to help or to hide Jews. It’s an impossible question to answer.

But today, thankfully, we didn’t have to risk our lives to save and support Ukrainian refugees.

And because of our history, because of who we are and the values we hold, our community resoundingly stepped up to support those in need.

The impact of that support was clear every moment of this trip.

I feel so privileged to have experienced these last few days, to be able to bear witness and bring stories back of fear, of despair, of terror – and of gratitude, of joy, of inspiration and hope.

I’ll return to the United States forever changed by this experience, inspired in the work we do to seek justice, to welcome the stranger, and to stand with others, so no one stands alone.

ADAM GREENMAN is the president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

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20 | AUGUST 2022

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

PROVIDENCE MAYORAL CANDIDATE FORUM Please join the Jewish Alliance as we host a forum with Mayoral candidates for the City of Providence.

STEPH MACHADO

This forum will be moderated

by Steph Machado, who covers politics as an investigative reporter at WPRI 12.

MON, AUG 29 | 5:30PM TH I S F RE E I N - P E R S O N E V E N T W IL L BE H E LD A T T H E D W A R E S J C C 4 0 1 E LM G RO V E A V E , P R O V ID E N C E R I

COMMUNITY

Torat Yisrael installs new president EAST GREENWICH – Michael and the search for a rabbi.

Katz was recently installed He and Ellie also previously as the new board president served as co-treasurers at of Temple Torat Yisrael, the Temple Or Atid, in Richtemple has announced. mond, Virginia.

Michael and his wife, EliWhen they moved to Rocknore, came to Torat Yisrael ville, Maryland, they served shortly after they moved to on the facilities committee Rhode Island seven years at Temple Kehilat Shalom ago. Katz is the associate and volunteered for synavice president for intellecgogue-sponsored community tual property and economic activities such as delivering development at the UniverPesach boxes to shut-ins and sity of Rhode Island. organizing donated food at “The last few the local food bank. years, living Katz said his prewith the risk of liminary goals for COVID, have the upcoming year been challenging include launching a for all of us, but strategic planning under the capaprocess to set and ble leadership of clearly commumy predecessor, nicate priorities; Andrew Sholes, hearing from we continued to congregants across Michael Katz safely provide the demographic for the spiritual needs of our spectrum to better inform congregation,” Katz said. that process; engaging more “Now it’s my challenge to young members to serve help build on that foundaas future leaders; and re­­ tion.” establishing the pre-COVID The Katzes have moved programming and activities several times over the that made Torat Yisrael a course of their careers and substantial contributor not held leadership positions only to the Jewish commuin local synagogues in each nity of Rhode Island, but new location. also to East Greenwich and Katz was president of Beth Rhode Island at large.

Israel Synagogue, in WallSubmitted by Temple Torat ingford, Connecticut, for two Yisrael years, managing the recovery from a damaging flood

AUGUST 2022 | 21

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

Zoom courses to explore Sephardic Jewry and Maimonides

BY LARRY KATZ

D

elve Deeper will offer two Zoom courses this fall, one on the Jews of North Africa

and the Middle East and the second on Maimonides.

THE FIRST COURSE, “Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews: From 1492 to the 20th Century,” will explore the history of Arab/Middle Eastern and Sephardic Jews (the Jews from Iberia) from the expulsions from Spain in the late 15th century to the lives of their descendants in Israel.

The second course will take an in-depth look at Maimonides’ mind-

set, life and cultural world. Maimonides was a deeply influential Sephardic rabbi, philosopher and physician who lived several centuries before the expulsions.

Delve Deeper is an education initiative that offers university-level Judaic courses to adult learners. Delve Deeper programs are presented in cooperation with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and area synagogues, including Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Habonim, Temple Sinai and Temple Torat Yisrael.

The first course will be taught on Monday evenings by Prof. Yaron Ayalon, Ph.D., who is the director of the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program and an associate professor

of Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies at the College of Charleston, in South Carolina. The virtual course will meet 10 times from September through December.

Alan Verskin, Ph.D., an associate professor of history at the University of Rhode Island, will teach “Moses Maimonides: Rabbi, Philosopher, and Community Leader” on Thursday evenings. This course will meet 12 times from September through December.

Both courses will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom, with the first course meeting on Mondays, beginning Sept. 19, and the second on Thursdays, beginning Sept. 15. The cost for each course is $250. Partial and full scholarships are available from the Bliss Gross Horowitz Fund

of the Rhode Island Foundation.

Contact Morty Miller, at mortymiller1945@gmail.com, or the rabbi of a sponsoring synagogue about the scholarships.

To register for Professor Ayalon’s course, go to tinyurl.com/yc49yxfh.

To register for Professor Verskin’s course, go to tinyurl.com/ yfmueh8p. You may also contact Larry Katz, at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org, to register for either course.

For more information about the courses, contact Miller.

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

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PRESENTED BY:

A Night to Honor

CHRISTIANS UNITED FOR ISRAEL JOIN US FOR AN EVENING OF CELEBRATION AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE STATE OF ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE

ADAM GREENMAN PRESIDENT & CEO JEWISH ALLIANCE OF GREATER RI

KIRBY CALHOUN CUFI FIELD COORDINATOR

ALLEN PANGBURN SENIOR PASTOR, PRAISE TABERNACLE RI DIRECTOR OF CUFI

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

KASIM HAFEEZ “MUSLIM ZIONIST”

Kasim Hafeez is a British citiz en of Pakistani M uslim heritage w ho grew up being exposed to radical Anti W estern, Antisemitic and Anti - Israel ideas on a daily basis. During his teenage years Kasim embraced a radical Islamist ideology and became v ery activ e in the anti -Israel movemen t. T han kfully Alan Dershow itz ’s book ‘T h e Case for Israel’ challenged Kasim ’s fundamental beliefs and caused him to undertake a period of research and reflection that led him to Israel in 2007. W itnessing the true nature of the Jew ish state changed Kasim’s perception of Israel. He felt a moral obligation to publicly speak out for Israel and the dangers of radical Islam. He has spoken all ov er the w orld including the 2013 Global Forum on Combatting Antisemitism.

Kasim has appeared on radio and telev ision and print media .

FOR INFORMATION (401)781-1565

AUGUST 2022 | 23

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

BUSINESS

Stronger together at the Jewish Federation Foundation ment/planned-giving with congregants/donors

BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF

R

ecently, both Temple Beth-El, in Providence, and Temple Sinai, in Cranston, chose the Jewish Federation Foundation to help manage

their congregational endowment funds.

AT THE BEGINNING of June, Beth-El moved a significant portion of its endowment, close to $9 million, to JFF. At the end of December, Temple Sinai created a new endowment fund with JFF, aimed at supporting the synagogue in the future.

These synagogues join Rhode Island Jewish agencies and synagogues large and small that have investments totaling more than $16 million in JFF. JFF endowment funds are managed by the Rhode Island Foundation, a relationship that was established four years ago and has significantly benefited JFF. The funds are invested with the foundation’s portfolio of more than $1 billion.

“We are so pleased to have so many synagogues and agencies that have chosen to invest with the Jewish Federation Foundation,” said Adam Greenman, president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. “Moving a fund to the foundation or creating a new fund shows a commitment to being our partner, to investing in the Jewish community.

“Our endowment has a more than 70-year history of supporting the community.

Due to our partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation, our investment returns are stronger than ever.

Thanks to Temple Beth-El, Temple Sinai and the other agencies and congregations that have put their trust in us.”

Tonya Glantz, president of Temple Beth-El, said in an email, “Partnering with the Jewish Federation Foundation provides a thoughtful way for Rhode

Island’s diverse Jewish community to come together to build unity and strength socially, fiscally and communally while still retaining our unique identities and presence in the state.

In this way, I believe that standing together today is sure to bring the promise of a brighter tomorrow.

“As president of Temple Beth-El, the rich history of our synagogue and the strength of our community, which has existed for close to 170 years, humbles me and leaves me hopeful for its future. I am a social worker, and my training and work have taught me about the importance of solidarity, because we are always better and stronger together.”

The benefits and advantages of an organization’s endowment fund at the Jewish Federation Foundation include: • Being part of the investment portfolio of the Rhode Island Foundation, affording access to investment vehicles that are not available to smaller funds • Customer service from the Jewish Alliance • An investment fee that gives back to the community • Tools to encourage donors to think about their legacy • Access to expertise regarding endow-

• Partnership with an organization with shared values that supports communities throughout the state.

In an email, Gregg Rosen, president of Temple Sinai, said, “Who said running a Temple’s donations, special funds and endowments is easy? At Temple Sinai we are so happy to have the JFF available to help us answer challenging questions and give us sound advice on how to invest.

“It is an honor and a mitzvah when you receive a donation that has been given to your Temple. What does the donor want to use it for?

How do we set it up? Who will manage the investment to help it grow? Do they understand how a Temple runs? Will they invest safely and wisely?

“We are lucky to have the JFF. They understand how a Temple runs and the importance and timing of distributing these funds yearly. To have monies you can count on each year for perpetuity to help us continue to operate and serve our congregation is incredible. We are blessed to have donations, and it is our job together as a Temple and the JFF to protect them and grow them to help sustain our future.”

Additionally, JFF offers organizations a lot of operational flexibility: contri-

butions to the fund can be made at any time; organizations can choose to receive regular distributions or request them as needed; organizations can use their own spending policy (the formula to determine how much income can be distributed each year) or the one JFF uses for Alliance endowment funds.

For more information about the Jewish Federation Foundation, contact Sara Masri, chief development officer, at endowment@ jewishallianceri.org or 401421-4111, ext. 223.

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.

www.jewishallianceri.org/report-it/ 401 Elmgrove Avenue | Providence, RI 02906 | jewishallianceri.org

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OBITUARIES Irwin Ackerman, 86

JOHNSTON, R.I. – Irwin Ackerman died July 9, 2022, at Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.

He was the beloved friend and husband of Geraldine (McDonald) Ackerman for 32 years.

Born in Providence, a son of the late Harry and Edith (Galer) Ackerman, he had lived in Johnston for 34 years, previously living in Cranston.

Irwin was an assistant vice president at various Citizens Bank branch locations for 42 years, happily retiring in 1995. He served in the Army National Guard. He was a graduate of Bryant University.

He was a member of Touro Fraternal Association and the Lions. He was known for his raucous sense of humor and devotion to making the world a brighter place.

He was the father of David Ackerman of Florida. He was the brother of Ann Kosofsky and her husband, Howard, of The Villages, Florida, and the late Pearl Berkowitz. He was the uncle of Susan Berkowitz, Ellen Kosofsky and Stephen Kosofsky.

Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or Children’s Cancer Research, 7301 Ohms Lane #355, Minneapolis, MN 55439.

Myrna Aronson, 84

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Myrna Carol (Shore) Aronson, age 84, passed away peacefully on the evening of June 29, 2022. She was the wife of Edward Aronson, with whom she shared 60 years of marriage A daughter of the late Abraham and Rose (Shapiro) Shore, Myrna was born in Providence and lived here for most of her life.

Myrna was a talented jewelry designer, creating costume jewelry for Realm Jewelry and semi-precious, signature jewelry for her namesake line, Myrna Carol Designs.

Before turning to jewelry design, Myrna was a widely respected elementary schoolteacher, working primarily at the Providence Hebrew Day School. An extremely active community member, she volunteered extensively for Temple Emanu-El and, more recently, the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by two children, Louis Aronson, and his wife, Ami, of Potomac, Maryland, and Robin Aronson, and her husband, David Stone, of New York City, and six grandchildren, Caroline

Aronson, Melissa Aronson, Isaac Aronson, Goldie Aronson, Helen Stone and Elliot Stone. She was the sister of the late Paula Cohen.

Memorial contributions in her honor may be made to, Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

Robert Galkin, 95

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Robert Galkin lived every moment of his 95 years. He was a wildly successful businessman, world traveler, spontaneous poet and first man on the dance floor for over seven decades. As a result, he had a few stories to tell. After the loss of his beloved Wini Blacher Galkin, not long before their 63rd wedding anniversary, Bob began a second career at the age of 89, drawing on his wealth of diverse experiences to craft a series of novels that would both entertain the reader and satisfy his continuing wanderlust. Over the past six years, he’s completed 24 novels (that’s not a typo), six screenplays and had two nearHollywood films. He formed Galkin Entertainment with his brother, Warren Galkin, his daughter Debby Krim, and his grandson Ryan Kenner.

Oh, and he built a museum.

He died July 13, 2022.

Bob’s formal education included Brown University in Providence and the University of Oxford in England. He also served in the U.S. Navy. After Brown, he joined his father, Arthur Galkin in the business Arthur started over 100 years ago, Natco Products.

As a businessman, he was intelligent, creative, innovative and fearless. In his early years, he was instrumental in bringing Natco national and ultimately, international. At Natco, Bob worked with his brother Warren for over 70 years. He would be proud to tell you Natco continues as a family business now moving forward to the 4th generation.

He was successful in almost every way a human can be.

His belief that we live on through our “seeds and deeds” put his family at the front of his passions. He left his mark on three daughters and their spouses, Ellen and Harris Kenner, Jane and Michael Litner and Debby and Marty Krim, Six grandchildren, Naomi Cherne, Ryan Kenner, Lisa Litner, Stacey Litner,

David Litner and Stephanie Krim, as well as their spouses.

He also thoroughly enjoyed his eight great-grandchildren. As Bob would have hoped, they all carry his love of life.

Bob was a glorious firework display with unique shapes and colors sparking joy and play to anyone in earshot. If you are one of the lucky ones who got to meet him, you would never forget the man who spoke to you in rhyme. It was spontaneous, sometimes funny, sometimes profound, always astounding. He spread smiles worldwide.

Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to The Miriam Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box H, Providence, RI 02901 or online at lifespan.org/ tmh-giving.

in Providence. He was the beloved husband of the late Marcia L. (Hittner) Kaplan for 58 years. Born in Pawtucket, a son of the late Robert and Ethyl (Glassman) Kaplan, he had lived in Pawtucket for most of his life before moving with his wife and children to Cranston in 1968.

He was a proud Navy veteran who served in the late fifties. Once he left the Armed Forces, he met and married Marcia. He was a dedicated salesman for exactly 55 years.

He provided safe, efficient and reliable home goods and appliances for many Rhode Island businesses. His pride in this job resonated every day until his retirement in December of 2015.

Harry was a proud New England sports fan as well as an avid beachgoer. He thrived when the two passions intertwined, and he was thankful to share these two passions with his incredible children, William D. Kaplan, of Cranston, Gary B. Kaplan, of Los

Deborah Gordon, 76

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. – Deborah J. Gordon, of South Kingstown, passed away on June 30, 2022, at Rhode Island Hospital. She was the wife of Mark S. Blaney, with whom she shared 45 years of life.

Born in Providence, she was the daughter of the late Dr. Phillip Gordon and Judith Silverman Gordon.

After obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, she earned a master’s degree in Art Education from Rhode Island School of Design. She then taught at School One in Providence before moving to Snug Harbor, where Deborah and her husband, Mark, started their lives together at Gooseberry Marina. She was an extremely talented artist and she loved painting. She also bred labradoodles for over 20 years.

Deborah enjoyed many hobbies throughout her lifetime, including cooking, gardening, and horseback riding. She also owned two restaurants with Mark; Long Johns of Wakefield, and Hope Valley Pub of Hope Valley. With her husband, Deborah also invested in real estate.

In addition to her husband, Deborah is survived by eldest daughter Jenny Gordon, son-in-law Sean Reese, and grandsons Jackson and Sheldon Reese; daughter Annie Gordon; and three stepsons, Timothy, Westly, and Joshua Blaney. She is predeceased by her son, Jonathan Gordon.

Harold Kaplan, 85

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Harold Kaplan passed away on June 30, 2022, at the HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center

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

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

OBITUARIES Angeles, California, and Edward S. Kaplan, of Silver Springs, Maryland.

Harold was the dear brother of Ellen (William) Troberman, of Cranston; loving grandfather of Sarah L. Kaplan, of Cranston, and Andrew S. Kaplan, of Cranston, and great-grandfather of Xyler Kaplan.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Rhode Island, 245 Waterman Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

Beverly KantrowitzProsnitz, 75

WARWICK, R.I. – Beverly Faye Kantrowitz-Prosnitz, 75, who distinguished herself as “a champion for people,” according to a prominent community leader, passed away at the Kent Hospital on July 25, 2022, with her loving husband by her side.

Born and raised in Cranston, she was the daughter of the late Morris and Naomi (Gladstone) Kantrowitz. She graduated from Cranston (East) High School in 1965.

She was the beloved wife of Franklin Prosnitz for more than 31 years.

In her four-year battle with cancer, she demonstrated incredible courage, strength and determination, maintaining an amazing positive attitude. She loved her ’60s music, but also acquiesced to her husband’s

devotion to jazz, attending the Newport Jazz Festival for many years.

She held life dear, something to be cherished and never squandered. And Beverly loved people, serving in jobs and on boards that promoted the welfare of individuals. She valued friendships and family, and was a blood donor, proud when she joined the gallon plus club.

Throughout her adult life she served on nonprofit boards, supported charitable organizations, worked in healthcare, Jewish philanthropy, labor and, most recently, for well over 20 years, as office manager of the East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, retiring in 2017.

At the chamber she became well-known among all the area’s businesses, helping facilitate a number of events, and often serving as the liaison between local businesses and the chamber.

She was beloved by many in the area’s business community. As a young woman, she worked for Rhode Island Hospital, the National Education Association, and for many years the Jewish Federation.

She lived in Warwick for more than 20 years, serving as volunteer coordinator for the Greenwich Odeum, volunteering with the American Heart Association, and serving on the board of Temple Torat Yisrael, where she also served with the Chaver (caring) committee. She and her husband later joined

Congregation Beth David.

Beverly was a dedicated stepmother to Frank’s two children, and she loved them as if they were her own, her memory lives on with them, Brian and his wife, Katelyn Prosnitz, of Lincoln, and Sandra Prosnitz and her wife, Nancy Turcotte, of Savannah, Georgia. She was the dear sister of Marty, and his wife, Min Kantrowitz of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She was the proud and loving grandmother of Addison and Zachary.

Contributions in her memory may be made to the American Cancer Society, 931 Jefferson Blvd Ste 3004, Warwick, RI 02886, or Congregation Beth David,102 Kingstown Road, Narragansett, RI 02882.

Michael Stewart, 77

CRANSTON, R.I. – Dr. Michael N. “Mickey” Stewart, of Cranston, passed away on June 27, 2022, at his residence surrounded by his family. He was the husband of Debra L. (Winn) Stewart to whom he has been married for 28 years.

Born in Washington, D.C., a son of the late Kirby I. and Nancy (Mark) Stewart, he lived in Providence for many years prior to moving to Cranston.

A graduate of Classical High School, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Union College in New York and a medical degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. He worked as an Emergency Room physician at Kent Hospital for over 30 years before retiring in 2020. One of his greatest joys in life was caring for his patients.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by one daughter, Amy Stewart of Cranston; stepdaughter, Stephanie Ramos and her husband, Michael, of Cranston; one brother, Robert Stewart and his wife, Linda, of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, and was “Babbo” to Michael and Emily Ramos. He was the brother of the late Ronald M. Stewart, M.D. Contributions in his honor may be made to St. Rocco School, 931 Atwood Ave., Johnston, RI 02919, please add in the memo: Friends of St. Rocco.

Bruce Weinstein, 60

CRANSTON, R.I. – Bruce Weinstein, of Cranston, passed away on July 15, 2022, while aboard his boat, the Fin Reaper. Bruce was doing what he loved most, leading a fishing trip on a beautiful summer day, with family by his side, when he suffered from an unexpected medical emergency.

Bruce was the beloved husband of Lynn (Monteleone) Weinstein for 35 years.

Along with his brother and father, Bruce was a former co-owner of Rialto Furniture on Atwells Avenue. In recent years, Bruce was a real estate broker, property manager, commercial fisherman and charter captain who was always willing to share his expertise and knowledge with any client or friend who needed his help. He was also a proud member of the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association.

Bruce was an amazing friend. His positive attitude, sense of humor and passion for fishing and music helped him foster a diverse community of people who loved him all throughout the state of Rhode Island.

In addition to his wife, Bruce leaves behind his sister Nancy Mills (David) and brother Steve Weinstein (Denise), as well as his beloved father-in-law Michael Monteleone and his sisters-in-law Lisa Schwartz (Robert) and Susan Monteleone. He was predeceased by his parents, Lewis Weinstein and Raylah Reitzas Weinstein, and his mother-in-law Linda Monteleone. He was the loving and devoted uncle to nine nieces and nephews.

Contributions in his memory may be made to St. Jude’s Children Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or House Rabbit Network, P.O. Box 2602, Woburn, MA 01888.

Morris Weintraub, 100

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Morris Weintraub, 100, passed away at his home on June 27, 2022. He died the way he lived – in peace and surrounded by loved ones. Earlier that day, several of his great-grandchildren were beside him whispering “we

love you, great-grandpa.”

Morris was born in Providence on May 21, 1922, the son of David Weintraub and Leah Melamut Weintraub.

He was the eldest of three brothers, surviving the late Albert and Herman Weintraub.

After serving in the military during World War II, Morris married Florence Nadien, of Fall River, Massachusetts. Morris and Florence raised their children in Providence and were together for 55 years until Florence passed away in 2004. Morris worked in a variety of sales positions until 1977, when he launched a successful business, Retail Recruiters, which he ran for 15 years before retiring at age 70. His retirement was short lived. He then served on the RI Parole Board for the next three years and rounded out his career serving as a member and as chair of the Personnel Appeals Board for another 15 years.

Morris served the people of Rhode Island until he was 90.

He enjoyed an active social life, attended Temple Beth-El in Providence, loved playing bocce and dining out with friends, worked out with his trainer and, above all, thrived spending time with his family, including his two children, three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and devoted partner of 17 years, Joan Gelch, and her family. One month before he passed away, he celebrated the Bat Mitzvah of his great-granddaughter Daphne as well as his 100th birthday at a well-attended party in Boston thrown for him by his beloved Joanie.

Morris was a husband, a partner, a father, a grandfather, a great-grandfather, a pillar of the community and, above all, a mensch.

He is survived by his son and daughter Stuart Weintraub and partner Sue Adelhardt, of San Francisco, California, and Taos New Mexico, and Michael W. Fink and her husband Mike Fink, of Providence; his three grandchildren Emily Fink Spunt (Nathan), of Brookline, Massachusetts, Lily Fink Samin (Nadav), of Silver Spring, Maryland, and Reuben Fink (Laura), of Newton, Massachusetts; and seven great-grandchildren as well as his partner Joan Gelch and her family.

Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence, RI 02906.

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2021 Patron PATRON Honor ROLL Roll HONOR Debra B. Abeshaus Marsha Addessi David A. Adelman Cecilia Alkalay Paul & Esta Avedisian, in memory of Ben & Hannah Rabinowitz M. Charles & Elizabeth Bakst Joyce Abrams Ball Esta & Fred Barcohana John J. Barry III Howard & Nancy Bassel In memory of Rabbi Eliezer ben Rabbi Dov Ber Karen Wasser Beraha & Nathan Beraha Francine & Stephen Beranbaum Judith & Arthur (z"l) Bergel Peter & Hana Berman Amy Dworman Bianco Arnold & Ruth Blasbalg Mrs. Sylvia Blazar Rich Brandt Brier & Brier Alexandra Broches Neal Bromley Seymour & Marsha Brooks Rhoda Broomfield Ida & Tom Brown Jeffrey & Barbara Horovitz Brown Cantor Remmie & Marjorie Brown Sandra & Fred Brown Michael Burk & Seena Franklin Edward & Maureen Canner Deborah Josephson Catone Leslie Stern-Charis & Philip Charis Cary J. Coen Dr. David Cohen & Barbara Weindling Dr. Elie J. (z"l) & Mrs. Marcia Cohen Lois Cohen Dr. & Mrs. Martin L. Cohen Pauline Cohen Gloria Covinsky Franklin Curhan Dr. Robert (z"l) & Mrs. Adele Curhan Arline Cusick, in memory of her grandparents, Lillian & Charles Bresler Barry & Rosanne Dana Michael Deaett David & Karen DeForest Ms. Patricia Del Padre-Myers Jane A. Desforges & Michael J. White Sandra Bresler Dolan Sally T. Dowling, Esq. Cantor Steven & Myrna Dress Rona & Max Dressler Neal Drobnis John R. Duhamel Barbara Dunder Alice Eichenbaum Alexander & Mira Eides Benjamin & Marilyn (z"l) Eisenberg

Arline Elman Helga Elsner Lynne Ende Bev & Jerry Engel Janet H. Engelhart (z"l) & Rabbi Leslie Y. Gutterman Ruth & Jonathan Fain Mark Faiola Barbara Feibelman & Kenneth Orenstein Lotte & Ross (z"l) Feinberg Fred Felder Barbara & Edward Feldstein & Family Gertrude Fine Jonathan & Judith Finkle Charles & Billie (z"l) Fischer Natalie & Melvin Fleischer Alan S. Flink Judith Fogel Joan & George Foley Fred J. Franklin Rabbi Wayne & Dr. Anne Presser Franklin Carl I. Freedman & Beverly Ehrich Renee Fullerton Alvin & Lauren Gabrilowitz Mr. & Mrs. Harold Gadon Howard & Sheila Galitsky Robert Galkin (z"l) Michele D. Gallagher Kenneth & Sharon Garber Phillip & Sylvia Geller Marcia Gerstein Norman Getz Mrs. Alan Gilstein Susan & Lawrence Ginsberg Mr. & Mrs. Seymour Glantz Sharen Davida Gleckman Esther M. Gold Herbert & Ruth Gold Sanford & Estelle Gold Beverly Goldberg Robert & Beverly Goldblatt Ellen & Barry Golden Lee & Janice Golden Marian Golditch Arlene Goldstein Professor Richard & Donna Goldstein Sidney (z"l) & Alice Goldstein Judith & Norman Goodman Pearl Gorden Mrs. Charlotte Gorodetsky Lenore Gorodetsky Joan Gray Livia Greenberg David Greene Adam Greenman & Erin Dube Louis & Katherine Gumbiner Rosalie Guttin Judith & Stephen Hay Lawrence Hershoff & Eleanor Mulford Dr. & Mrs. James K. Herstoff Larry Hirsch Eleanor & Robert Hoffman Alan Holoff Walter & Dodi Horowitz Bonnie Houle-Piszcz Sheila & Dom Indindoli

Arleen & Marvin Jacobson Judith Jamieson Dr. Charles Kahn, in memory of Sue Evan Kaiser & Karen Tashima Lila & Kevin Kane Sanford & Esta Karp Lawrence & Marilyn Katz Trudy Katz Norma & Bob Kaufman Marty Kenner Dr. Martin J. Kerzer Donna N. Kimmel Rabbi Andrew Klein & Adam Mastoon Helene Klein Lon Kopit Beth Kovar Hope R. Krichmar Sherry Kriss Bernice & Richard Kumins Dr. Audrey Kupchan & Mr. Sam Havens Greta (z"l) & Bernard Labush Tamara Labush Alan Lappin John G. Laramee Jerrold L. & Barbara S. Lavine Freda Lehrer Dr. David & Peggy Leibowitz Barry & Fran Levin Mitchell & Shirley Levin Ruth Paige Levin Julius Levine Dr. Mayer & Judy Levitt Steven & Donna Levy Maybeth & Jacob Lichaa Mrs. Frank Licht Linda & Joel Licker Robert Lieberman & Peri Ann Aptaker Moshe & Toby Liebowitz Leonard & Barbara Linsky Sheldon Lipson Allen Litchman Mrs. Henry Litchman Alan & Marianne Litwin Toby & David London Louis & Valerie Long Bradford Louison Ellie Lupo Jerome (z"l) & Frances Magner Shlomo Marcovich Sandra Marcowitz Dr. Ronald Margolin Eugenia Marks Ivy & Daniel Marwil Sara Masri Barbara & Benjamin Mer Elaine Miller Lewis & Janet Miller Sanford & Joyce Miller Ms. Elayne Moe Susan Morin Marion l. Myers Dianne & Martin Newman Grace Beiser Novick Seth J. Novick Paula Olivieri Ruth Oppenheim Ronna Orleck

O

n behalf of the Jewish Rhode Island team, I want to thank every contributor to the

annual Patron Campaign. We are grateful for your generosity. Jewish Rhode Island relies on your support, along with advertising revenue and an allocation from the Jewish Federation Foundation, to stay strong and viable.

This year, 380 donors gave $25,279. We hope you like what you are reading. If you do, please tell your friends and relatives. If you have ideas and suggestions, let us know.

– Fran Ostendorf, Editor

Tillie Orleck Dr. Lawrence & Ruth Page Beverly Paris Laura Freedman Pedrick & David Pedrick Marjorie & Robert Pelcovits Sandra & Mitchell Pinsly James & Lezli Pious Miriam & Arthur Plitt Dr. Roy M. & June Poses Ellen & Lloyd Rabinowitz Ried & Mindy Redlich Sanford & Linda Reich Roberta Richman Judy & Arthur Robbins Susan & Michael Rodrigues Dr. & Mrs. Neal Rogol Professor William & Sandra Rosen Rabbi James Rosenberg & Sandra Mattison Rosenberg Judy Rosenberg Mindy Rosenbloom, M.D. & Stuart Schwartz, M.D. Fred & Marcia Rosenzweig Eleanor Ross Mark & Donna Ross Dr. Fred & Sally Rotenberg Mark Rotenberg David & Holly Rothemich Mr. & Mrs. Edward D. Rotmer Daved & Paula Rubien Hilarie Rubin Sandra L. Rubin Noel & Amy Rubinton Beverly Rudman Alan & Laurie Salk Richard A. Saltzman Alan & Sandra Samdperil Elaine & Robert Sandy Dr. & Mrs. Sanford Schatz Dr. Steven & Mrs. Naomi Schechter Ellen & Harold Schein Barry & Libby Schiller Ken & Roberta Schneider Bill Schwartz

Fran R. Scribner Paul (z"l) & Roberta Segal Betty & Michael Seidman Evelyn Seigle Shalom Memorial Chapel, Michael Smith & Adam Smith In loving memory of Laura Fixman, M.D. by Kenath J. Shamir, M.D. Dr. Aaron J. & Rochelle Shatkin Myra B. Shays Ellen & Barry Shepard Anne & Gerald Sherman A. Harvey & Jane (z"l) Silverman Linda & Richard Silverman Max & Ida Silverman Adam Sinel Rita Slom Ronda & Robert Smith William Snell David & Kristin Soforenko Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation Ronald & Marcia Sohn Phyllis B. Solod Hilary Spatz & Max Levine David Spitzman Joyce & Bob Starr Dr. Penney Stein Cliff Stern & Karen Drucker-Stern Dr. Ezra & Varda Stieglitz Jeff Stoloff Marilyn Strauss Sylvia Strauss Daniel & Rose Subotnik Brian Sullivan & Justin Foster Marcia Szymanski & Sharon Friedman David Talan Deborah M. Tate Temple Beth El, of Fall River, Mass.

Cheryl Greenfeld Teverow Joshua & Cindy Teverow

Stephen & Eleanor Thal Jill & Michael Thaler Rabbi Herb & Suzy Tobin Mel A. Topf Jeffrey & Deb Trust & Family Rosa & Victor (z"l) Tulenfeld Moses Mordecai Twersky Lynn & Bruce Vinacco Ilya & Irena (z"l) Vinarskiy Joyce & Larry (z"l) Wacks Dr. Alan & Carol (z"l) Wartenberg Eugene Weinberg David & Ann Weiner Ruth, Audrey & Deb Weinreich, in memory of Irving Weinreich Morris Weintraub (z"l) & Joan Gelch David & Jing Weisberg The Weiss Family: Howard & Elaine Weiss and Jonathan (z"l) & Aleen Weiss Robin Weiss Beverly Wexler Phyllis G. Williams Jerrold & Rita Winer Henry & Arlene Winkleman Sharon L. Yarlas Carol Yarnel Lisa Yorra Rhoda Zaidman, in memory of Sherwin Zaidman Etta L. Zasloff Charles & Rochelle Ziegler Shirley Zier Faye Zuckerman Janet & Melvin Zurier Robert & Carol Zurier Morrisa & Joseph Zwetchkenbaum Anonymous gifts (80) z”l (of blessed memory) Contributions received after July 12, 2022 will be recognized in next year’s Patron Honor Roll.