Meet some of the new rabbis in town RIIC celebrates 5 years of collaboration The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community From garden to table at Tamarisk JEWISHRHODY.ORG SEPTEMBER 2022 | ELUL 5782/TISHREI 5783 L’shanah tovah!
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2 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
EDITOR F ran Ostendorf DESIGN & LAYOUT Alex Foster ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Peter Zeldin | 401-421-4111, ext. 160 pzeldin@jewishallianceri.org Cynthia Benjamin, Larry Kessler, Robert Isenberg, Emma Newbery, Sarah Greenleaf COLUMNISTS Michael Fink, Patricia Raskin, Rabbi James Rosenberg, Daniel Stieglitz
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Editor VOLUME XXIX, ISSUE X
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I’LL LET YOU IN ON a secret: I always feel a little wistful at the end of SummerAugust.isabout over and nights are already cooler. Stores are advertising backto-school items instead of beach toys. Bloggers are writing about pack ing healthy lunches instead of about picnics.Inrecent years, some of that wist fulness has to do with COVID-19, a virus that just doesn’t seem to want to go away. We are trying to learn to live with it while going about our business, but it is still a consideration in most of our lives. This August, I started to think about all the plans I had for the summer that didn’t happen. Trips to the beach and festivals. Hikes on the beautiful trails in Rhode Island and surround ing states. Flights to far-off destinations.Instead,Istayed close to home, or inside, where it was cool and COVID-free. Enjoy able, but not quite what I’d planned.Iheard on the news recently that the coming winter will be our third with COVID, a sobering thought. But now we are in the month of Elul, the lead-up to the High Holy Days and a time of introspection and reflection. So I’m trying to turn my wistfulness into a look at what happened this year and what’s to come. After all, we have come a long way since the start of 5782. This past year, we were talking about incessantlyCOVID-19anddiscussingwhetherHighHolyDaysserviceswouldbein-personorlive-streamed.Thingsweresometimescalm,butonlybetweensurgesthatcausedmanyof us to stay home once again. Happily, this year, in-per son worship and gather ings are again standard in many of our congregations, although many are still offering an online option –and probably will for a long time to come. A year ago, masks were mandatory. Now they are not. No matter how you feel about this change, we can agree that it is a big change. Programming in our Jewish community contin ues to rebound from the COVID-closure days, a posi tive sign for those looking to see their friends and neigh bors and to enjoy a full life. The halls outside my office in the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center were alive with happy camp ers this summer. And while some programming remains virtual, more and more is coming back to the JCC. So it is in the spirit of look ing forward that we bring you our annual High Holy Days edition. Each year, it starts all of us thinking about the new year and its holidays, both solemn and joyous.This year, we have some interesting recipes, starting on page 14 and sprinkled throughout the holiday section. Perhaps you will add one of these dishes to your traditional table. And, as always, we have some articles that offer food for thought.Thisis also one of our biggest issues of the year for advertising. Take some time to look at the businesses and people who support your newspaper by buying an ad to wish you a shanah tovah And make sure you think of our advertisers – many of whom support us year-round – when you need the services theyAdvertisingprovide. is an import ant piece of our budget at Jewish Rhode Island. To every advertiser in this issue, we say todah rabbah, thank you very much! And finally, let me remind you that you still have an opportunity to do your civic duty before the new year: Rhode Island’s primary is Sept. 13. Please participate! From my family to yours, l’shanahFrantovah.Ostendorf,
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ALL SUBMITTED CONTENT becomes the property of Jewish Rhode Is land. Announcements and opinions contained in these pages are published as a service to the community and do not necessarily represent the views of Jewish Rhode Island or its publisher, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. We reserve the right to refuse publication and edit submitted content.
Looking back, looking forward
ON THE COVER: David Perolman, education director and songleader at Temple Habonim in Barrington, blows the shofar at Beavertail State Park in Jamestown PHOTO GLENN OSMUNDSON
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D'VAR TORAH 5 | CALENDAR 6 | COMMUNITY VOICES 8 | OPINION 12 | FOOD 14 HIGH HOLY DAYS 16 | COMMUNITY 24 | BUSINESS 38 | OBITUARIES 40 | SIMCHA 43 From the Quality Fruitland Family to Yours… We Wish You a Safe, Healthy, Happy New Year Like a Farmer’s Market Everyday! Top Quality Local and Organic Fruits and Vegetables at Great Everyday Prices! A Family Business For 4 Generations, Since 1957 Open 8am-6pm Tuesday-Sunday Just 10 minutes from Providence 1487 Fall River Ave (Rt.6) Seekonk 508 336 9111
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 3
Once picked, these items are used in Tamarisk’s Kosher kitchen, where they routinely become ingredients in residents’ meals.“The residents, as well as the kitchen staff, appre ciate the produce that we pick,” said Bob Gold, who is officially the residence’s driver, but who has main tained the garden for about the last three years. Once he’s filled a large open container with fresh vegetables, Gold enters Tama risk’s dining facility to display the harvest, to the delight of lunching residents.“Thereaction is awesome,” he said. “Everybody’s like, ‘This is from our garden outside?’ Yes, and it’ll be tomorrow’s lunch and tomorrow’s din ner – part of it, anyways –and everybody’s got a good response.”Gold,66, grew up in
‘The residents as well as the kitchen staff, appreciate the produce we pick.’
At Tamarisk, it’s garden to table
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
In mid-August, near the end of a busy growing season, Heather Coughlin put the finishing touches on a handmade sign. The sign is composed of rough planks and acrylic paint, and reads: “Garden of Eating.”
PHOTO | ROBERT ISENBERGThe sign on the fence enclosing Tamarisk’s garden.
THE GARDEN IN QUESTION is on the grounds of the The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, in Warwick. Invisible from the parking lots, the Garden of Eat ing is nestled in a grassy stretch behind Tamarisk’s main building. Here, Coughlin helps cultivate vegetables, and – true to its name – those vegetables are used to feed Tamarisk residents.“Idoalittle bit of every thing,” says Coughlin, 39, who serves as Tamarisk’s concierge. But this project is a point of pride; Cough lin is well-known among her colleagues for being artistic and creative, and for her green thumb. The phrase “Garden of Eating” started as an inside joke; now, the sign makes the name official. Coughlin, who grew up in West Warwick, says she’s enchanted by the pastoral lifestyle. “I would love to live on a farm,” she said. The garden is no farm, but it’s a decent substitute: its wire fence encloses six raised beds, each 40 feet in length. This season saw tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and herbs, plus a new row of straw berry bushes that should bear fruit next summer.
Cranston, where his father devoted a portion of the family’s backyard to a greenhouse. Gold worked with his father to grow greens and vegetables, and the tradition continued into his adulthood. Along with his wife Linda, he maintains a garden at home.“Itgot into my blood at a young age,” Gold said. “As I grew up and moved out to my own place, I always kept a piece of the back yard to continue gardening with.”Afew years ago, Gold learned that Tamarisk needed a driver for its shuttle bus. Gold liked the idea of driving folks around, but then he discov ered something more. “As I explored the grounds, I noticed a large garden plot back there, all fenced in, with raised beds, ready to go, only to discover that nobody’s really doing anything with it. So I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get this up and running,’ ” he recalled. The garden took root in 2019, spearheaded by then-Executive Chef Deb Blazer. Blazer both super vised the garden’s initial construction and used its produce to create Tama risk’sFundingmenus.for the garden started with a financial gift, but none of the staff can identify the original donor.Blazer has moved on, but the beds she created are still going strong.
BY ROBERT ISENBERG
UP FRONT
4 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
SARAH MACK is the senior rabbi at Temple Beth-El, in Providence.
Don’t despair: Your efforts make a difference
thehands“Establishendsdisappointment.”The90thPsalmwiththesewords:theworkofourforus.Yes,establishworkofourhands.”RavKook,thefirstchiefrabbiofIsrael,wonderedwhythephrasewasrepeated.Hisanswer:ouractionsmayormaynotadvanceposi
JOIN HADASSAH RI on the next Nature Walk & Talk at The Nature Trail and Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Sept. 11 at 11 a.m. Get out in the fresh air, and enjoy some exercise and friend ship. As you stroll along the half-mile walk and enjoy the scenery, read up on the history and ecosystem. Bogs are low-lying areas where cranberries grow on vines. The 7 acres of bogs at The Nature Trail and Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog at Patriot Place are real, functioning bogs. In fact, they were originally planted in 1928 and have been cultivated by growers ever since. After the walk, the group will talk about recipes that include cran berry products and perhaps get inspired to try some thing new this fall. Bring a few copies of your favorite recipes that include cran berries. There will be some recipes to hand out as well. When you arrive, follow the signs to the parking behind Bass Pro Shop, 1 Bass Pro Drive, Foxbor ough. Meet by the fire pit seating area behind the shop. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the walk. No charge to participate, but donations are always Hadassah.org.ciated. RSVP at ChapRI@appre
Hadassah RI walks the bog, talks berries
“Every year it gets better,” GoldGoldsaid.and Coughlin have put untold hours into the gar den, adding a fabric barrier to prevent weeds, a tall fence to keep out animals and layers of topsoil and compost. “It’s fresh,” Wayne Gauth ier, 57, Tamarisk’s current executive chef, said of the produce. “There’s no pesti cides, there’s no waxes. We use everything organic. We cut it, clean it and serve it. “It doesn’t get beat up or bruised or mangled. Once you pick it, it’s nice and crispy. It’s flavorful. It’s not sitting on a truck, or driving cross-country from Califor nia or Florida. It’s right here. You can almost taste the earth.”Gauthier easily rattles off some of the many meals he’s made this summer with the garden’s yield: green salads, zucchini pie, ratatouille and veggie-topped flatbreads, plus sauces infused with basil, rosemary and thyme. “The residents definitely appreciate it,” he said. Many people know that farm-to-table produce is healthier and helps support local growers, but Gauthier added that the Garden of Eating also helps cut costs at Tamarisk.“Itsaves a lot of money,” he said. “Produce is sky-high, everything is sky-high. We [purchase] a lot of cucum bers, tomatoes. Sometimes they’ll be $20 a case, some times $50 a case. Now we don’t have to order as much of Gauthieranything.”isn’t certain whether residents can taste a difference between produce grown in the garden and pro duce purchased elsewhere. But Coughlin claims that she can, and said she’s glad to know that it’s fresh and pure. “You know everything you put into the soil,” she said. Gold said he gets great satisfaction working the soil, and the nurturing goes both ways. He easily connects his own work to the story of Eden, and God’s command to tend the biblical garden. “It grounds you,” Gold said of the work. “Every time I work in the garden, with my hands, without the gloves, I feel that connection again. And I say, ‘This is what we’re here to do.’ And you share that with your brothers and sisters, of any age, and your families. And that’s what it’s all about. That’s what life is allWatchabout.”the video about the garden at jewishrhody.com. To learn more about The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, go to TamariskRI.org.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Sep 2 6:57pm Sep 9 6:45pm Sep 16 6:33pm Sep 23 6:21pm Sep 25 6:18pm Erev Rosh Hashanah Sep 26 7:18pm Rosh Hashanah Sep 30 6:57pm Greater Rhode Island Candle lighting times September 2022
AFTER WEEKS of tireless watering, I realized that my many tomato plants had yielded only a few tiny, wizened cherry tomatoes. In fact, my garden as a whole had very little to show for the gallons of water lovingly schlepped to it each day. Perhaps it had to do with the drought, I considered, or maybe disease. Then I looked up to see a smug squirrel, tomato in hand, the culprit in this dis appointing garden season.Aproductive garden is the least of it. Haven’t we all had a moment when we pour ourselves into an effort we care deeply about, only to be left empty-handed and disap pointed?Thesearch for significance in our lives transcends the ages. Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime. The Impressionists were shunned by the art estab lishment and saw success only much later. Even figures like Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi – venerated in our time – did not see their endeavors come to fruition in their time. We all search for some validation of our efforts in the world. Some signs that our life makes a difference. That a mitzvah done today makes tomorrow better. That the values we cherish are actu ally passed on to our children andSometimesgrandchildren.wefind satis faction. Other times we do not. It is so easy to become discouraged. To be left with a nagging sense of pur pose. To wonder, why do we bother? To think that our efforts do not matter or have lasting value. One of our central biblical leaders also felt the pull of Mosescouragement.disledour entire people from slavery to freedom to the promised land – he was no slacker, for sure. Psalm 90 is one of 11 psalms that begins “a prayer of Moses.” The psalmist pleads in the voice of Moses, u-ma’aseh yadeinu koneneihu – may the work of our hands endure. (Ps. 90:17) Surely, thousands of years later, we know that Moses’ bequest to our people is rock solid. His legacy clearly does endure.Howincredible to realize that even Moses, in a dark moment, questioned the significance of his work in the world. Leading a kvetching band of Israelites in the des ert for 40 years, with limited food and water, can certainly take a toll. Even great leaders wonder if their day-in and day-out strivings will have lasting value. How true for each of us as well. Discouragement can creep in when we are addled by our failures, demoralized by pettiness and cowed by the sheer volume of our task. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel urged us not to suc cumb to such despair. “Be sure that every little deed counts,” he counseled, “that every word has power, and that we do, everyone, our share to redeem the world, in spite of all the absurdities, and all the frustrations, and all the
RhodeIslandAllianceproducerorg)(risenberg@jewishallianceri.isthemultimediafortheJewishofGreaterRhodeandawriterforJewishIsland.
SARAHRABBI MACK D 'VAR TO RAH
tive and significant goals – we can hope, but there is never any guarantee. The words “u-ma’aseh yadeinu koneneihu” are repeated, he taught, to remind us that our actions themselves should have sweetness as we feel their inner significance in that moment.Rashitoo points out that this phrase is written twice: once for the work itself, and once for the blessings that come from that work.Wemay not always see the actual benefit of our work in the world. Yet we can be mindful of its mean ing to us, to our families and to our community. We can know that our efforts themselves are holy. That our strivings are part of a larger good, no matter what the touch.tofulfillmentourthat5783again.eachthestanding,Inoutcome.thatunderwegainstrengthtorisedayandtryWeenterwiththeprayertheworkofhandsbringstousandallwhoseliveswe
ROBERT ISENBERG
‘It is so easy to become discouraged. To be left with a nagging sense of purpose. To wonder, why do we bother?’
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 5
FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG
Temple Beth-El Brotherhood Dinner & Meeting. 6-8 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Join Brotherhood for dinner and monthly meeting. Open to all men in the Temple Beth-El community. Information, Brotherhood President Mark Helman at m-helman@cox.net. Temple Emanu-El Congregational Dessert Reception. 7 p.m. 99 Taft Ave., Providence. Dessert recep tion to celebrate the completion of the synagogue renovations and donor recognition wall. Information, temple office at 401-331-1617.
Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Fridays 7 p.m., except second Friday of the month 6:30 p.m. when family Shabbat services take place. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and livestreamed on web site, Facebook, Cape Media, YouTube and Community Television Comcast channel 99. Services are in-person with proof of vaccination; masks optional. Information, 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.
Project Shoresh Lively Kabba lat Shabbat. Fridays. Services will begin at the commencement of Shabbat. Be in touch for exact timing each week. Providence Hebrew Day School (side entrance), 450 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Welcome Shabbat with a few inspiring words, melodious songs and traditional services. Open to all. Information, Naftali Karp at nafta likarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.
Lunch and stimulating conversa tion with Baha Sadr, director of Refugee Resettlement at Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island. 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. (No ser vices 9/3.) 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Led by Rabbi David Barnett. Information or Zoom link, Temple@toratyisrael.org.
Temple Habonim Torah Study. Saturdays 10-11 a.m. (No Torah Study 9/10.) Rabbi Howard Voss-Al tman leads weekly study on current portion. Via Zoom. Information, Adina Davies at office@templeha bonim.org or 401-245-6536.
Delve Deeper | Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews: From 1492 to the 20th Century. Mondays 7:30-9:30 p.m. 9/19 – 12/12. No class: 9/26, 10/10, 10/17. Explore via Zoom the history of Arab/Middle Eastern and Sephardi Jews in this course taught by Yaron Ayalon, Ph.D., director of the Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program and associate professor of Jewish and Middle Eastern Stud ies, College of Charleston (South Carolina). Cost: $250 (scholarships available). Presented in cooperation with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Habonim, Temple Sinai and Temple Torat Yisrael. Information, Morty Miller at morty miller1945@gmail.com.
Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs & Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Led by Rabbi David Barnett. Information and Zoom link, Temple@toratyis rael.org.
Sunday | September 11 Congregation Agudas Achim Open House and Block Party. Noon-3 p.m. 901 N Main St., Attleboro, Mass. Relax, share food, play games and enjoy live music. Meet the new spiritual leader, Rabbi Talya Weisbard Shalem. Supervised children’s activities offered. Learn about membership opportunities, the school curricula and more. Out door event; if rain, check website for updates. Information, office@ agudasma.org, 508-222-2243 or www.agudasma.org.
Temple Habonim Lunch and Learn. Thursdays noon-1 p.m. Join Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman via Zoom for weekly Torah Study on Pirke Avot: A Modern Commentary on Jewish Ethics. Free. Information, Adina Davies at office@templeha bonim.org or 401-245-6536.
Wednesday | September 7 Birthright Israel Foundation Presents Dr. Zohar Raviv. 5:30 p.m. Private home, East Side of Providence. Conversation with Dr. Zohar Raviv, International VP of Educational Strategy at Birthright Israel. Discuss why Birthright Israel is critical now more than ever before. Information (including required registration), Caryn B. Gold at caryn.gold@birthrightisrael. org or 857-366-0005.
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 Guta Shaps. RSVP requested or information, text or call Rabbi Shaps at 732822-0028.
Project Shoresh Men’s Partners in Torah Night. Wednesdays 7:458:45 p.m. Providence Hebrew Day School, 450 Elmgrove Ave., Provi dence. Partner-based study group. On-site facilitators available. Free. Information, Naftali Karp at nafta likarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.
Tuesday | September 13 Hadassah presents “It takes Two Villages.” 10 a.m. Part 2 of Yardena Winkler’s Israeli Adven ture. Virtual tour of Hadassah’s Meir Shfeya and Hadassah Neurim Villages, each unique in character and scenery. Hear the stories behind the amazing people of Youth Aliyah. With guest speaker Marcie Natan, National Youth Aliyah Chair and Past National President of Hadassah. Information, chapri@ hadassah.org.
CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
Core Connects RI Presents an Evening of Wine, Schmoozing and Playful Art Making. 7-8:30 p.m. Outdoor patio, Temple Beth-El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Nancy Katz will lead playful art making. Elissa Felder will share inspira tional thoughts. Enjoy a glass of wine and some snacks. Suggested donation: $18. Information and RSVP, coreconnectsri.com or Elissa Felder at CoreConnectsRI@gmail. com or 401-241-9631.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Morning Service In-person and via Zoom. Saturdays 11 a.m. (10:30 a.m. when celebrating a Bar or Bat Mitzvah).
Thursday | September 8
Jewish Alliance Hosts Blood Drive. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Provi dence. Donations by appointment. Walk-ins if availability permits at time of arrival. Eat, hydrate and bring identification with you. Information, Stephanie Hague at shague@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 127.
Saturday | September 10 Congregation Agudas Achim Shabbat Morning Services. 10-11:30 a.m. 901 N Main St., Attle boro, Mass. We will say a mishe berach l’holim, a prayer for healing, as well as Mourners’ Kaddish as part of this in-person gathering. Mask and proof of vaccination required. Information, office@ agudasma.org.
Temple Beth-El Kabbalat Shabbat Services. Fridays 5:45-6:15 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. In-per son, via Zoom or on Facebook live. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Temple Sinai Shabbat Evening Service. Fridays 6 p.m. (7:30 p.m. on 9/9). 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. 942-8350.dottie@templesinairi.orgInformation,or401-
Temple Beth-El Torah Study. Saturdays 9-10:30 a.m. (No Torah Study second Saturday of the month.) 70 Orchard Ave., Provi dence. 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 Sinai Shabbat Break fast & Torah Study In-person and via Zoom. Saturdays 9:30-11 a.m. Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cranston. Breakfast followed by interactive discussion at 10 a.m. with Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser or others in the community. Zoom link at templesinairi.org. 942-8350.dottie@templesinairi.orgInformation,or401-
Temple Beth-El Shabbat Morn ing Service. Second Saturday of the month 9-11 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Shabbat morn ing 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.
Cape Cod Synagogue Shabbat Services. Saturdays 10:30 a.m. 145 Winter St., Hyannis, Mass. With Rabbi David Freelund. In-person and livestreamed on website, Face book and YouTube. Services are in-person with proof of vaccination; masks optional. Information, Cape Cod Synagogue at 508-775-2988 or capecodsynagogue.org.
Torat Yisrael Men’s Club Game Night. Thursdays 6-8 p.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Socialize and play some games including table tennis. Information, www.toratyisrael.org. Delve Deeper | Moses Maimon ides: Rabbi, Philosopher and Community Leader. Thursdays 7:30-9:30 p.m. 9/8 – 12/15. No class: 9/29, 10/6, 11/24. Explore Maimonides’ mindset, life and cultural world in this course taught by Alan Verskin, Ph.D., associate professor of History, URI. Cost: $250 (scholarships available). Presented in cooperation with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Habonim, Temple Sinai and Temple Torat Yisrael. Information, Morty Miller at mortymiller1945@ gmail.com.
Ongoing Kosher Senior Café and Pro gramming. In-person lunches 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, 9/16, at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence; Friday (except 9/16) at Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cran ston. No café on Labor Day, 9/5, or Rosh Hashanah, 9/26 – 9/27. 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 Tues day of the month is “Susie’s Corner” with Susie Adler. The third Thursday of the month is a book chat with Neal Drobnis. “Senior” Prom with live music and dancing on Friday, 9/16 (see listing below). Suggested donation: $3 per lunch for age 60 and older as well as for younger adults with a disability. Other adults $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 Part ners 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.
Temple Sinai, 30 Hagen Ave., Cran ston. Information, templesinairi.org or Dottie at 401-942-8350.
Friday | September 9
Temple Beth-Elders Lunch & Learn with Baha Sadr. Noon-1 p.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence.
Wednesday | September 14 Live Virtual Tour of Jewish Budapest. 10 a.m. Explore areas of Jewish heritage with the Jewish Alliance and Our Travel Circle. Interactive tours include immersive itineraries, local recipes, a drink
Temple Torat Yisrael Tot Shabbat. 4:45-5:30 p.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Join Rabbi Barnett as he leads his first Tot Shabbat (formerly known as TGIS). Family Shabbat with songs and story followed by a free kid-friendly dairy Shabbat dinner. In person only. Information and RSVP (by 9/7), deanna@toratyisrael.org.
6 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
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 understand ing and achieving our purpose in this world” will be the basis for discussions. To confirm time and place for each class, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-6323165.
JCS Connect: Fall prevention. 7-8 p.m. Via Zoom. In-depth conver sation on fall prevention strategies including specific exercises and resources that support overall health and safety for daily living. Includes benefits of having Lifeline RI for those at risk of falls plus time for questions. Information, Jessica Murphy at jessica@jfsri.org or 401331-1244.
Temple Beth-El Brotherhood Breakfast. 8:30-10 a.m. 70 Orchard Ave., Providence. Bagel breakfast with all the fixings and a guest speaker. Information, Broth erhood Activities VP Barry Schiff at seal11@aol.com. Fall Day-at-the-J. 9:30 a.m.-noon. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave, Providence. Fall-themed crafts, games, bounce house, PJ Library (see below) and more. Learn about programming throughout the year at the Dwares JCC and other local Jewish organizations. PJ Library Rosh Hasha nah-themed story time with apples and honey. 10-10:30 a.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave, Providence. Information or to RSVP, Lyndsey Ursillo at lursillo@ jewishallianceri.org. Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) Partner & Career Fair. Noon-4 p.m. Boston, Mass. Opportunity for graduating seniors and recent alumni to connect with and learn about how to stay involved in the Jewish or pro-Israel community, both personally and professionally. ACF harnesses the power of alumni to counter antisemitism. Free. Information, exact location and registration (required), Ally Levine at allyl@campusfairness.com.
CALENDAR
Friday | September 30 Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs & Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Led by Rabbi David Barnett. Information and Zoom link, Temple@toratyis rael.org. the HAVURAH
mix and a music playlist. Upcoming tours include Prague; Whitechapel, London; Odessa; Marrakesh and Seville. Single tour: Dwares JCC members $18, nonmembers $25. Three tours: members $45, non members $60. Information, Larry Katz at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org.
Thursday | September 15 Temple Beth-El Lunch & Learn. Noon-1 p.m. Special Elul session led by Rabbi Rebecca Gutterman. Via Zoom. Information, Joie Magnone at jmagnone@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070, ext. 100.
Friday | September 16 Senior Café “Senior” Prom. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Join the Jewish Alliance and Jewish Collab orative Services for a kosher lunch, live music and dancing. Senior prom attire encouraged. Free. Additional sponsorship provided by the Sandra Bornstein Holo caust Education Center, Bay State Physical Therapy and the City of Providence. Information and RSVP (by 9/2), Becky at 401-421-4111, ext. 115 or Dorothy at 401-421-4111, ext. 152. Congregation Agudas Achim Tot Shabbat. 5:15-5:45 p.m. 901 N Main St., Attleboro, Mass. Celebrate Shabbat with music, dance, stories and fun. A member of the com munity will lead a joyous service for infants, toddlers, pre-K kids and their parents. Older siblings welcome. Stay for the community dinner afterward (prior to Kabbalat Shabbat services). Free. Informa tion, office@agudasma.org.
NEWPORT
Project Shoresh Annual Night of Inspiration. 7 p.m. Congregation Ohawe Sholam, 671 East Ave., Paw tucket. Join Project Shoresh and the entire Jewish community for a night filled with inspiration with Rabbi Avrohom Goldstein. Informa tion, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@ gmail.com or 401-632-3165.
An Association Of Reform Jews Contact newporthavurah1@gmail.comus:401-423-0407
Congregation Agudas Achim Shabbat B’Yachad. 5:45-8:45 p.m. 901 N Main St., Attleboro, Mass. First in-person Shabbat B’Yachad of the year. Dinner followed by Kabbalat Shabbat services. Free. Information, office@agudasma.org.
Saturday | September 24 Congregation Agudas Achim Shabbat Morning Services in Person. 10-11:30 a.m. 901 N Main St., Attleboro, Mass. We will say a misheberach l’holim, a prayer for healing, as well as Mourners’ Kaddish, as a part of this gather ing. Mask and proof of vaccination required. Information, office@ agudasma.org.
Temple Torat Yisrael Friday Night Live (FNL) Service. 6-8:30 p.m. 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich. Service with dinner honoring Rabbi David Barnett. In-person only. Infor mation, temple@toratyisrael.org. Sunday | September 18
Thursday | September 22 JCS State of the Agency Address. Via Zoom. RSVP JCSRI.org
Behind the Book and the Israeli Culture Series present “Fighting Back: Stan Andrews and the Birth of the Israeli Air Force.” 7 p.m. Authors Craig and Jeffrey Weiss will discuss how an assimilated Jewish American WWII veteran became an Israeli fighter pilot who later helped found Israel’s air force before disappearing in a bombing mission. Via Zoom. Free. Informa tion, Larry Katz at lkatz@jewishalli anceri.org.
Business, Real Estate, and Personal Injury Litigation
Tuesday | September 20 High Holy Days Security Training. 6:30-8 p.m. Training conducted via Zoom by Napoleon Brito, the Jewish Alliance’s manager of community security, as the Jewish commu nity prepares for the upcoming holy days. Program will provide a refresher on basics of security as well as offer time for questions. Information, Napoleon “Nappy” Brito at nbrito@jewishallianceri.org or 401-421-4111, ext. 108.
Wednesday | September 21 Live Virtual Tour of Jewish Prague. 10 a.m. Explore areas of Jewish heritage with the Jewish Alliance and Our Travel Circle. Interactive tours include immersive itineraries, local recipes, a drink mix and a music playlist. Upcoming tours include Whitechapel, London; Odessa; Marrakesh and Seville. Single tour: Dwares JCC members $18, nonmembers $25. Three tours: members $45, nonmembers $60. Information, Larry Katz at lkatz@ jewishallianceri.org.
Wednesday | September 28 Live Virtual Tour of Jewish Whitechapel, London. 10 a.m. Explore areas of Jewish heritage with the Jewish Alliance and Our Travel Circle. Interactive tours include immersive itineraries, local recipes, a drink mix and a music playlist. Upcoming tours include Odessa, Marrakesh and Seville. Single tour: Dwares JCC members $18, nonmembers $25. Three tours: members $45, nonmembers $60. Information, Larry Katz at lkatz@ jewishallianceri.org. Flu shot clinic. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. Green Line Apothecary pharmacists will administer flu shots to those over the age of 18. By appointment. Bring ID and insur ance card. Walk-ins only accepted if safe spacing permits at time of arrival. Information, Carissa Hill at chill@jewishallianceri.org.
Friday | September 23 Temple Torat Yisrael Virtual Kabbalat Shabbat Songs & Torah Services. 5:45-6:30 p.m. Led by Rabbi David Barnett. Information and Zoom link, Temple@toratyis rael.org.
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 7
L’SHANAH TOVAH 5783 from
To improve the
Call
• We should try to accen tuate the positive. That’s not easy to do in a country where raw hatred, racism and antisemitism are being zealously promoted by white supremacists, who are more emboldened today than they’ve been in decades.
KESSLERLARRY
• It would be a less conten tious society if people real ized that none of us is getting off this planet upright. It’s a shame that our mortality can’t convince us to treat one another with respect, civility and modesty, instead of the nonstop bickering, complain ing and angry tirades that have dominated the nation for way too long. • Our health is everything. If you didn’t subscribe to that viewpoint before the COVID19 pandemic, you should do so•now.Weshould embrace our friends and neighbors. We need each other. If the isola tion brought on by the pan demic taught us anything, it was that we can’t live a full life by ourselves; we need to be part of a community.
From
THAT’S NO SMALL achieve ment for someone who always has been a major worrywart – to the point where it was tough to enjoy my down time. For instance, during my working days, as soon as I met the deadline for that day’s newspaper, I’d start worrying about the next day’s thetimesomeinstead,funmeoftencomingaboutdencyhazard,occupationalwasAlthoughedition.thatperhapsanmytentoobsesswhat’snexttoopreventedfromhavingonvacations;I’dspendofmyvacationworryingaboutworkawaitingme in the newsroom.Beingaworrywart also diminished my ability to completely enjoy birthdays and celebrations, including my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah 13 years ago. My concerns about the details that had to be taken care of, and dealing with the various problems that cropped up during the event, prevented me from fully enjoying it. That admission was something I only recently acknowledged, and it was cathartic since it’s helped me to gradually learn to savor life’s simple Ironically,pleasures.itwasthepandemic,which put an end to so many activities that helpedrealizemeit untilbutforworkingcies.wartmytoimportantwasovercomeworrytendenI’dbeenonthatawhilenow,itwasn’taweek
8 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
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around the
Our Mission: quality of those
You know you’re really old when:•You remember rabbit ears on your TV and having only three networks. Now there are hundreds of channels and so many streaming services that our entertain ment selections are actually limited.Example: We have cable TV and five streaming services – and still can’t watch movies made by other streaming services, even Oscar-winning films. How about a streaming service that offers the best of all of them? It’ll never happen, because too many people are making too much money from the current restrictive set-up.•Too many athletes, TV personalities, actors and actresses I grew up with are dying. Three recent deaths that made me feel very old were those of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, at age 88, “Star Trek” star Nichelle Nichols, at 89 (Lt. Nyota Uhuru on that iconic ’60s TV show), and Tony Dow, at 77 (Beaver’s brother, Wally, on “Leave It to Beaver”). Russell, who won 11 of 13 possible NBA champi onships during his stint with the Celtics, including two as a player-coach, after he became the first Black coach in professional sports history, was the GOAT –Greatest of All Time – before former Patriots and now Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady was called the GOAT. The NBA said Russell’s fabled No. 6 will be retired league-wide, meaning that no one else will ever wear it except for a few current players, who will be given an exception. (Major League Baseball years ago did the same thing for the No. 42, worn by Dodgers great Jackie Robinson, who broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947.) That’s a fitting tribute to Russell, who was not only a great athlete, but also a pio neering civil rights advocate who marched with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A few things I’ve learned in my 70 years VOICES S PEAKIN G OUT
blogspot.com.at https://larrytheklineup.inis(larrythek65@gmail.com)afreelancewriterbasedNorthAttleboro.Heblogs
we serve.
of providing care for a
Observations at age 70 Besides having an epiphany of sorts over my worrywart tendencies, I’ve had a few other revelations since turn ing 70:
That doesn’t mean that I’m
to schedule a free, non-salesy and no obligation family consultation. We’ll help you create a care plan tailored to your unique needs.
and
Remembering younger days
life for
before turning 70, in mid-Au gust, while doing a 5K race in North Attleboro, that I began to put my worrywart self into perspective. The race was held during early August’s extreme heat wave, and it was a struggle. I told myself that I was for tunate to still be doing races 48 years after first hitting the road, and I took it easy to compensate for the heat. Then, with two-tenths of a mile left in the race, my worries melted away when I saw that my younger daugh ter and her friend, who had long ago finished their races, had returned to the course to exhort me to finish. I was awfully proud of Alana at that moment, and my pride increased later, at the awards ceremony, when it turned out that not only did my daughter win the 20-29 women’s age group, but I had taken second in mine (60-69) – the last time that I’d be racing in that age bracket.
One spontaneously. acting more impulsively,
• companionship a little help house
COMMUNITY
to 24/7 personal care. Providing care all over Rhode Island
LARRY KESSLER
Care Services • Navigate the challenging
• Don’t get into social media spats. I’ve never had a personal Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account and don’t regret it.
of the advantages of growing older has been learning to live more
but it does mean that I’m resolving to appreciate the good times. Let us help you . . .
bors,inwhileItmid-July.year,late–Avenue–aperhaps,named,forpublisherHarcourtalittlethisintookmeatopoponourneighwholivein
Summer gives way to the new year –and it’s all good COMMUNITY VOICES Paid for by Friends of Sam Zurier, Sam Zurier Treasurer Wishing everyone a Samuel D. Zurier Rhode Island Senate Jewish-RI-ad-final.indd 2 8/20/22 6:02 PM Convenient locations throughout RI Lincoln | Warwick | East 401-751-1235Providence www.allergyri.com We focus on the root cause with the ultimate goal of freedom from symptoms and medications. WISHING YOU A Happy New Year MIKE FINK S KETCHB OOK @JewishRhody Follow us on Instagram The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community JEWISH RHODE ISLAND
“THESE PRECIOUS DAYS”: Remember those lyrics to the popular old song sung by Walter Hus ton? It seems right as I report on the past and our hopes for the new year.We got down to Narrow River and our little retreat on a street very small houses but have wondrous yards and views. Maybe they see the river, with its ever-changing wildlife. Otters, groundhogs, egrets and herons, cor morants and gulls, and sandpipers galore. Their backyards may host sunken goldfish ponds, or arbors, and, behind and beyond, an illusion of wilderness, of Eden. I stop by to pay my respects to the couples I have shared breakfasts with over quite a num ber of decades. I seem to stand for Summer Itself In Person to some of them, and although here in little Rhody we are often a mixture of ethnic genes and cousins, I may be the symbolic Jewish house hold, with the memorial candle flickering on the screened porch through theSometimesevenings. a day goes by without much to write about. More often, there are too many events to cover in detail. July, of course, is the patriotic month and I hunt for fresh flags to fly, either the red, white and blue ones or the state’s golden anchor with that blessed word, “Hope.”August means moon high tides, warmerandandsometimescalmerswims.Someofmyfellowswimmersknowmyname,andIcangreettheminreturn.
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 9
MIKE FINK (mfink33@ aol.com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.
Others I know only by smiles and salutes. I love the small fry in their bonnets and also the senior citizens of the coast, and also their shapes: slim, plump, tall andAssmall.thetides change and the clock ticks and the sunsets come ever-earlier – but only slightly so – my thoughts likewise shift gears. Every day, I mix the cocktails of my concerns with melan choly and merriment as these holy hours (precious days) continue through the seventh month, or the ninth month, depending on what calendar or Roman numeral you are con centrating upon. Of course, for us Jews, it’s the first month of the new year.
10 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Max, who had served as an Army medic, was a student at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School. Already married, he had at least one youngster. Rabbi Howard did not write down Kitaj’s contact
A perplexing painting: Los Angeles, London and Providence COMMUNITY VOICES
ON OUR FIRST flying vacation since COVID arrived, Betsey and I recently visited Los Angeles, my hometown. We were eager to see my siblings, their spouses and the tow ering new social hall built by the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, where my sister and her husband are members. I was also eager to visit some of my favorite art muse ums. But a perplexing paint ing also seemed to visit me. Betsey and I went to lunch in a beautiful hotel, whose main dining room was decorated with handsome paintings by such promi nent avant-gardists as Josef Albers, Robert Indiana, Alex Katz, Yayoi Kusama and Sean Scully. On the restaurant’s sparkling patio, there was also a sculptural rendering of Indiana’s favorite image, which is formed by the letters
While walking to our table, I happened to notice a slender oil painting, about 3 feet tall by 2 feet wide, hanging in an alcove near the kitchen. I imagined that the restau rant’s manager placed it in the least conspicuous space he could find. Though the canvas was unsigned and undated, I immediately recognized it as a creation of the deceased American Jewish artist Ron ald Kitaj (1932-2007). I never met Kitaj, who grew up in Cleveland and Troy, New York, but spent most of his life in London. He was closely associated with such major British figurative painters as David Hockney, and some fellow Jews, includ ing Frank Auerbach, Lucian Freud and Leon Kossoff, who began to gain critical acclaim by the early 1960s.
BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
The Executive Committee, Staff and Parents of the Providence Hebrew Day Schoolinerman Rabbi Gidon Goldberg 450 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02906 (401) 331-5327 Ext. 21
A bit later, another Kitaj acquaintance was the Israeli painter Avigdor Arihka, who designed the glorious stainedglass windows in Woonsock et’s B’nai Israel, which were dedicated in 1962. Though Kitaj and Hock ney were loosely associated with the Pop Art movement, they were far less interested in commercial imagery than their retrospectivestellarthewithHockneyain’sinLondontogetherdied.time,London,perhapsAngelesandwastraditionalwerehip,Andystein,contemporariesAmerican-basedRoyLichtenJamesRosenquistandWarhol.Ironically,theLondon-basedpaintersmoredevotedtosuchgenresasportraiture,stilllife,landscapeandallegory.IdonotrecallseeingKitaj’sfirstmuseumexhibition,whichwasheldatthenewLosAngelesCountyMuseumofArtin1965,butIenjoyedseeingsomeofhispaintingsthere,ingroupexhibitions,in1971and1975.Kitaj’sprestigiousdealerwasMarlboroughFineArts,andhispaintings,drawingsandprintswerealreadybeingacquiredbyleadingEuropeanandAmericanmuseums.In1976,Ibeganconductingnumerousrecordedinterviewswithartists,dealers,collectorsandmuseumofficialsfortheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles’OralHistoryProgram.IparticularlyenjoyedgettingacquaintedwithJamesByrnes,aretiredartmuseumdirector,whointroducedmetoseveralofhisartistfriends.TheseincludedEthelFisher,apainter,andhersecondhusband,SeymourKott,whowereJewslivinginthePacificPalisades,notfarfromthenewGettyVilla.Ethelaskedifshecouldpaintmyportrait,andIposedonafewoccasions,butwasnotthrilledwiththeresults.Iframedthesmallwork,butBetseyandIhavedisplayeditonlyinsideacloset.Ethel’sdaughter,Sandra,alsoapainter,andsheKitajhadmetinLosin1970andagain,byaccident,inayearlater.BythisKitaj’sfirstwife,Elsi,RonaldandSandralivedforadozenyearsinbeforetheirmarriage1983atBevisMarks,Britoldestsynagogue,whereservedasbestman.In1994,KitajwashonoredamajorexhibitionatTateGallery,Britain’smodernmuseum.Thewaslatershown at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Unfortunately, it was not well received by many British critics. Sandra was devastated, and that same year, at 47 years of age, she passed away from a brain aneurysm.Nolonger able or willing to live in London, Kitaj decided to settle in Los Angeles, near his mother, Jeanne, and his older son Clem, but also so his younger son, Max David, could live near his other grandmother, Ethel, and Seymour.Fortunately, Kitaj contin ued to paint, but his death in 2007, at 74 years of age, was eventually ruled a suicide. I saw a small memorial exhi bition, “Portrait of a Jewish Artist,” held at the Skirball Cultural Center, a Jewish institution in Los Angeles, the following year. As chair of Temple BethEl’s library committee, I help recommend annual pur chases. Given Kitaj’s prom inence as a Jewish artist, I suggested a book about him to our rabbis. I had already acquired a used copy of the catalog from the artist’s Tate retrospective – it had once belonged to Roger Mandle, the former president of the Rhode Island School of Design. Though the rabbis were not aware of Kitaj, they kindly accepted my recommenda tion.Then a year or two later, Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman told me an amazing story. When a stranger showed up for a Shabbat morning service, Howard introduced himself and asked the fellow’s name. Fortunately, when the visitor said Kitaj, our senior rabbi recognized it. Then he took him into the Braude Library to show him the book about his late father.
MON, SEP 26 — 10:00AM TUES, SEP 27 — 10:00AM Children’s Service MON, SEP 26 — 10:00AM Kol Nidre TUES, OCT 4 — 7:00PM Yom Kippur Services
WED, OCT 5 — 10:00AM
PATRICIA RASKIN , owner of Raskin Businessrecipientinofisandwinninghost,Productions,Resourcesisamediacoachandaward-radioproducerbusinessowner.SheontheboardofdirectorsTempleEmanu-El,Providence.SheisaoftheProvidenceNews2020LeadersandAchieversaward.
A SWEET ABUNDANTYEAR,INPEACE,JOYANDGOODHEALTH
gratitudeBring THIS BE
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 11 COMMUNITY VOICES
Join Hayom for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services for the 5783 (2022) year at Stonehill College, Easton, MA. Rosh Hashanah Services
For more information and for a High Holiday registration form: Denise Heitmann: 401.640.4299 | hayomhh2020@gmail.com
FROM THE SANDRA BORNSTEIN HOLOCAUST
ONE OF THE WAYS that I stay positive is by express ing gratitude. Especially in tough times, looking at the window of opportunity in the obstacle can keep us afloat.During these High Holy Days, we examine the challenges, the successes and the gifts ha-Shem has given us in the past year.We are living in a globallypodcasttelevision’sbestartingcalledseriesbetoinbilitiesingfruitionopportunitygratitudewhatlivesalongfactorsing,suchandthepeopleexample,whatwewhatchallengesthesetonationtheCOVID,includingmanybacksmanyanduncertaintysofilledtimewithmuchsosetinsoareas,politics,economy,discrimiandclimatechange,nameafew.Anantidotetoallofuncertaintiesandistoaccesswedohaveandwhataregratefulfor,versuswedon’thave.ForinUkraine,manyhavelostmanyofnecessitiesweenjoy,oftentakeforgranted,asfood,water,clothhousingandfamily.Gratitudeisoneoftheofbeingresilient,withenjoyingourandappreciatingwehave.Andrightnow,myisfocusedonantobringtomyvisionofshowolderadultsthepossiandopportunitiesfrontofthem:I’mhappyannouncethatIwillhostinganewpodcastonRhodeIslandPBS“PositiveAging,”Sept.20.ThiswillRhodeIslandpublicfirstin-houseandwillbeheardonline.I’mgrateful–and excited! – to be able to interview experts in the areas of health, wellness, relationships, lifestyle and business, and to discuss all of the opportunities that are new and within our reach in our golden years. Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote about the his tory of gratitude through the ages in an excel lent article, “Giv ing embeddedthanks]“Itme.postedThanks,”atAish.com.Sacks’closingparagraphhadmuchmeaningforHewrites,[givingisalso in our collective name. The word Modeh, ‘I give thanks,’ comes from the same root as Yehudi, meaning ‘Jew.’ We acquired this name from Jacob’s fourth son, named by his mother Leah, who at his birth said, ‘This time I will thank (Gen.29:35). JewishnessGod’ is thankfulness: not the most obvious definition of Jew ish identity, but by far the most healing,Wishinglife-enhancing.”youallpeace,happiness,successandloveinthenewyear.
to the forefront in the new year RASKINPATRICIA H EALTHY LIVING MAY
Hayom High Holiday services have a long-standing tradition dating back decades. Our egalitarian community is open to all who are interested in High Holiday Services led by Cantor Denise Heitmann, Lee Andra Jacobs and Dr Marty Abrams, as well as the voices of the Kol Miriam Choir. For those unable to attend in-person, a live stream of the service will be available. High Holiday Passes are required to attend.
EDUCATION CENTER SHANAH TOVAH
Dyanna Morrison White Providence, RI
RABBI ROSENBERGJAMES I T SEEMS TOME
Amendmentmisinterpretactiviststhe2nd
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COMMUNITY
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, wheth er 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. information, but I quickly contacted the medical school and obtained it. Betsey and I were eager to invite the Kitaj family to our home. How many Rhode Islanders felt they were acquainted with his parents? Indeed, how many could claim a portrait painted by his deceased grandmother? I also so much wanted to share someDuringstories.the worst of the COVID pandemic, how ever, Max was quite reluc tant to visit. I extended a few more invitations, but following his graduation in 2021, the Kitaj family returned to Southern Cal ifornia, where Max could pursue further training in psychiatry. We wished each other well, sensing that a personal meeting would probably never occur.Sohere was a Kitaj painting – not in London, New York City or Boston –but in Los Angeles, a city that means so much to the Goodwins and Kitajs. Its major image is a light house, but it includes two mysterious, or phantas magorical, creatures. The larger one, at the top, is a man’s head in profile; the smaller one, at the bottom, is a naked woman standing in a It’sdoorway.tempting, but perhaps foolish, to guess who or what these haunt ing figures represent. By contrast, the restaurant’s cheerful, outdoor sculp ture by Robert Indiana had been so easy to embrace and discard.
JAMES B. ROSENBERG is a rabbi emeritus at Temple Habonim, in Barrington. Contact him rabbiemerituis@templehabonim.org.at
GEORGE M. GOODWIN , of Providence, is the editor of Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes.
Gun rights
The new James Webb Space Tele scope, rocketed into orbit in midJuly, is designed to use a broad spec trum of infrared light to enable us to look back in time 13.6 billion years and to see events that are 13.6 billion light years from us. Light travels almost 6 trillion miles in a year – a trillion being the number 1 followed by 12 zeroes! It is simple arithmetic to multiply 13.6 billion years by the miles light travels in a year, but the result staggers the imagination.
The wonder of Rosh Hashanah VOICES |
OPINION LETTER
12 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
WHEN THE U.S. CONGRESS was drafting, debating and ratify ing the Second Amendment back in the late 1700s, they could have never imagined the advances in technology, weaponry and warfare that comprise our current arse nal of state-of-the-art defense artillery. They used muskets, pistols and cannons! It is absurd to try to make any type of reasonable comparison to these incomparable eras and their means of defense. Nowhere in its verbiage does the amendment “grant” anybody anything. Like all amendments, it simply is either declaratory or restrictive. None are absolutes. Historically, these founding documents typ ically deferred to the states for further interpretation. In the aftermath of over 300 mass shootings in 2022, we briefly keep gun control con versations front and center, but these are short-lived and noth ing meaningful transpires. It’s unfortunate that most gun rights advocates continue to draw such a hard, uncompro mising line about the Second Amendment when they could advocate for stricter gun laws. As our fourth U.S. President James Madison eloquently stated, “There can be no true and lasting happiness without domestic tranquility; the sense of peace that comes with know ing that you, your family and your citizenry live in safety.” Maybe his words will remind our legislators of this basic human right and create a sense of urgency for passing sensible gun laws.
The American radio personality, author and actress Robin Quivers (b. 1952) has said, “It is essential that a part of you not grow up. Child hood wonder gives us our spark and beauty.”Iwould argue that it is because the 20,000 or so individuals who worked on the James Webb Space Telescope over a period of 30 years preserved their childhood sense of wonder that they were able to transform their youthful vision into a such breath taking accomplishment. As we welcome the coming new year of 5783, may we, whatever our age happens to be, strive to preserve our childhood sense of wonder – that essential part of us that must never grow up. Let us learn to celebrate that unanswered and unanswerable question: why are we privileged to live in a world of something rather than nothing?
TOWARD THE END of this month, as the sun sets on Sunday, Sept. 25, Jews throughout the world will be welcoming the new year of 5783. Like all major Jewish holy days, our Rosh Hashanah celebration embodies a multitude of interwoven motifs; nevertheless, the dominant theme of this holy day is the cele bration of the birthday of the world, hayom harat olam, a Hebrew phrase found in just about every machzor, every High Holy Day prayer book. A more literal and suggestive translation of hayom harat olam could be “the day the world was conceived” or even “the day the world became pregnant.” The theme of the world’s creation is so central to the meaning of Rosh Hashanah that in many, perhaps most, Reform synagogues in North America – in contrast to more traditional synagogues – the Torah reading chanted on our new year begins with “Bereysheet bara Elohim et ha’shamayim v’et ha’aret.” – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” While many of us respond in an emotionally positive way to the majesty of our Torah’s opening account of creation, we are well aware of how these ancient words contradict today’s scientific world view. Our ancient author was basing his account on both the cosmology (structure of the world) and the cos mogony (order of creation) accepted throughout the Mesopotamia of his day.Thus, our biblical author assumed that our world was a flat disc, that the sky was a semi-permeable dome (something like a bell jar that we place over a chunk of cheese), that the sun, the moon and the stars were all contained within the roof of this bell jar, and that the rain waters were stored above the sky and would fall to the earth when the sluices of the sky opened up to allow the waters to pour down. Similarly, the order of biblical creation – though, broadly speaking, proceeding from simple to more complex – contradicts what modern science tells us about the evolution of life on planet Earth. To cite but one glaring example, the first chapter of Genesis tells us that vegetation was created on the third day, while the sun, the moon and the stars were not created until the fourth day. Of course, even elementary school stu dents learn that plants need the light of the sun to survive – even though they might not yet have heard the term hescientificbiblicalbeNevertheless,“photosynthesis.”letitsaidthatwhiletheauthorgothisfactswrong,–alongwithnumerousotherbiblicalwriters–managedtocapturethereligiousmeaningofthestory of Increation.theopening chapter of our Torah, the author evinces our sense of awe and mystery at the process of creation, as the world evolves day by day, culminating with the creation of Man and Woman on the sixth day and the Shabbat on day seven. In the beginning, God! Our ancestors’ deep and abiding respect for the processes of our natural world – processes they felt were powered by God – are evident throughout our TANAKH, our Hebrew Bible. Many of our Psalms sing the glories of our natural world. The prophet Second Isaiah (40.26) urges us to “Lift up your eyes on high and see! Who created these?” Commentators on this verse have suggested that within the prophet’s almost ecstatic exuberance lies a series of profound religious and philosophical questions: why is there something rather than nothing? From where has all of the “stuff” of our universe come? How did the beginning begin? How can there ever be yesh me-ayin, something from nothing? Our minds explode with wonder at such questions! Jewish tradition, literally inter preted, tells us that as of this Rosh Hashanah, our world will be 5783 years old. Contemporary astronomy tells us that our universe was born approximately 13.8 billion years ago.
Consider how you should ask for time off on the High Holy Days
First, it doesn’t need to be said. Few Jews in the United States observe the Jewish holidays in ways that clash with their work commitments. Fewer than half of America’s Jews fast on Yom Kippur. Many of those who do fast also abstain from work that day and at least the first day of Rosh Hashanah. But it’s a much smaller minority who won’t work on the first two and last two days of Suk kot. Suggesting otherwise betrays our own diversity. Second, it doesn’t need to be said by those saying it. Actually, let me rephrase: those saying it – shouldn’t. What gives traditionally observant Jews the right to speak in the name of America’s less observant majority? Were a company or organization to black out the 11 (!) dates listed in the meme, it might lead “allies” to wonder why so few of their Jewish colleagues are taking these days off. And that risks exposing any Jew who works as usual on any of the listed dates as somehow less Jewish, or less serious about their Jewishness, than those who observe the holidays. In any case, those who do observe these holidays have many better ways to make the relevant accom modations in ways that don’t lump Jews together or pry them apart. They can arrange with bosses and colleagues to resched ule, make up lost hours or use vacation time. In the unlikely event of such requests being denied, they can appeal to official guardians of employee rights, from HR depart ments to U.S. courts, which are highly accommodating of religious needs. I would also argue that having to raise these issues from time to time – and sometimes make difficult choices – is part of what it means to be an observant Jew, and in some ways is as core to our contemporary identity as the holidays themselves.Buttheproblem is not just who is doing the say ing; it’s also whom they are addressing. In the parlance of our times, “allies” is a dog whistle to the woke, who all too often see Jews as part of the problem rather than the solution – as a white, privileged class rather than an ethnic minority in need of protec tion or support. Worse, by appealing to non-Jews for special consideration on grounds of diversity and inclusion while failing to respect internal Jewish diversity and implicitly excluding non-observant Jews, the meme reinforces the far left’s tendency to view Jews as a religious and political monolith. Third, it doesn’t need to be said now. Uniquely among the biblical festivals, Rosh Hashanah does not commemorate a momen tous event in the life of the Jewish people, such as the Exodus or the Revelation at Sinai. Rather it commem orates the world’s creation and God’s judgment of humanity in its entirety. In other words, whereas all other feasts and fasts in the Hebrew calendar are partic ularist, Rosh Hashanah is universalist. It is, therefore, a time to reflect on what we have in common, not what separates us; to focus on rights and duties we share with all of humanity rather than on securing special treatment for ourselves. So how’s this instead: after making your own arrangements for the upcoming holidays, ask yourself whether there’s anything you can do to make it easier for other Jewish colleagues to observe them in the ways they prefer. Conversations will likely be more effective than social media posts. But if you do choose to post, consider something like this:“Dear friends: Over the next few weeks, many Jews will be observing holidays in a variety of ways. Please be understanding and help ful when a Jewish colleague takes off on some or all of those days, and let us know how we can reciprocate when you observe special days of your own. As Rosh Hashanah teaches us, we’re all in this together.”
COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION
The history of Swastika Mountain predates Nazi Ger many. It was named after the now-defunct town of Swas tika, which in turn acquired its name because a local rancher used to brand his cattle with the symbol. Before the Nazis turned the swastika into a globally recognized symbol of hate, it signified good fortune and well-being in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.
THIS PAST FEBRUARY, a group of Nazis interrupted a book reading at the Red Ink Community Library, yelling slurs and pushing Nazi sym bols to intimidate members of our community. Just a few weeks ago, a restaurant in Tiverton posted a disgust ing, antisemitic meme on their Facebook page. This kind of hate can never be tolerated in Rhode Island. As governor, I will do every thing in my power to ensure that Rhode Island is a safe space for the Jewish commu nity.Starting at an early age, my family instilled in my siblings and me the impor tance of fighting against antisemitism. My grandfa ther, Thomas Dodd, served as the lead prosecutor at Nuremberg and fought to expose the atrocities com mitted during the Holocaust. During the 18 months he spent living in Nuremberg, he brought to light some of humanity’s darkest moments.Mygrandfather taught me the importance of service, justice and a lifelong com mitment to fighting against hate. I am proud to honor his legacy and will always stand in solidarity with Rhode Island’s Jewish community.
ELI GOTTLIEB is a cultural psychologist, advisor to government and nonprofit organizations on vision and strategy, and a senior visiting scholar at The George Washington University. Send your thoughts on this opinion article to jewishallianceri.org.editor@
The “Hey Allies” meme, which bears a badge indi cating it originated with an Orthodox social justice organization, fails on all three criteria.
LETTER antisemitismFighting
This is hardly the first time people have sought a name change for a local landmark named after the symbol. In 2017, the town of Puslinch in Ontario, Canada, voted against renaming a private ly-owned road called “Swas tika Trail,” despite the advo cacy of groups including B’nai Brith Canada. The battle over Swastika Trail continued for years, with a court ruling in 2019 against efforts to force the town to change the name. On the opposite end of the spectrum, an effort in 1933 to change the name of a “Swas tika Avenue” in Montreal was opposed by a Jewish alder man at the time, who said, “The name is carried by a lane which is quite appropri ate to the name… It is infested with rats.”
Show” host Craig Ferguson has a great rule about when and when not to speak. Ask yourself three questions, he sug gests: “Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? And does this need to be said by me now?”
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 13
– “Hey Allies: Please don’t schedule meetings or events on the Jewish holi days!” So says a meme that has circulated widely before about the dates for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah. Seems like a pretty harm less and potentially helpful message to post on social media in the run-up to the High Holy Days, right? I’m not so sure. I, too, have often had to seek special consider ation from employers and colleagues for my religious observance. Indeed, being able to live my life by the rhythms of the Hebrew calendar without having to explain myself constantly or play catch-up on lost work days is one of many reasons I moved to Israel from the United Kingdom in my 20s. However, as a scholar of identity, a builder of pluralistic institutions and an adviser to organiza tions on issues of diversity, I believe posting such mes sages can do more harm thanFormergood.“Late
(JTA) – Fifty miles southeast of Eugene, Oregon, reaching an elevation of more than 4,000 feet, lies Swastika Mountain.It’sunknown how many Jews have climbed it. But the unfortunate name, nearly a century old, will likely soon be replaced thanks to the efforts of a local resident. According to Willamette Week, resident Joyce McClain discovered the mountain’s existence last year and petitioned the volunteer-run Oregon Geographic Names Board to change it. At a meet ing this month, the board said it would support a name change to Mount Halo, named after Chief Halito, who led the area’s Indigenous Yoncalla Kalapuya tribe in the 1800s. The name change is pend ing tribal approval, but could be implemented as soon as next year.
Helena Buonanno Foulkes Helena Buonanno Foulkes is a candidate for governor in the Democratic primary on Sept. 13.
Swastika Mountain will soon be renamed BY ELI GOTTLIEB (JTA)
This article originally appeared on The Nosher. (JTA) – We asked five noted chefs and food writers what they will serve at home to mark the Jewish New Year, and (spoiler alert) they all plan to weave symbols of sweetness – hallmarks of the holiday – into their menus. Long live apples and honey! But the apples may be in the form of a confit, and the honey might be replaced by silan (date syrup). And in place of brisket and Man ischewitz, consider grilled vegetables and an aperitif.
INGREDIENTS 6 ounces (3/4 cup) pomegran ate juice 2 ounces (1/4 cup) sweet white vermouth or Lillet 2 ounces (1/4 cup) dry gin Generous splash Angostura Bloodbittersorange or other orange wheels DIRECTIONS In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, vigorously shake the pomegranate juice, vermouth, gin and bitters. Pour into two ice-filled rocks glasses, add more bitters to taste and garnish with orange wheels. The recipe can be multiplied (minus the ice) and stored in a pitcher for up to one week and can be freshened with more bitters as needed.
ChestnutsApplesPumpkins,Grilledand Reproduced from “Chasing Smoke: Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant” by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich, (2021, Serves:Pavilion)4asastarter or 6 as a side INGREDIENTS 1 small pumpkin or 2 small onion squash 2 Golden Delicious or Pink Lady apples 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
To prepare the fish patty mix ture: Rinse the red snapper and flounder fillets under a thin stream of cool water.
12 chestnuts 1 head of red radicchio or red JuiceForendivethedressing:of1orange2tablespoonscider
Pati Jinich Pati Jinich, cookbook author and host of “Pati’s Mexican Table,” hopes to try all new foods from different parts of the world. If you, too, are looking for something differ ent, Jinich suggests you try her Veracruz gefilte fish. With a piquant, Mexican twist, it celebrates different culinary worlds colliding, inspired by Pati’s grandmother who arrived in Mexico, at the port of Veracruz, from Poland. Serve it hot with slices of challah and pickles.
SrulovichItamar London-based Itamar Sru lovich – podcast host, cook book author and co-founder of the Honey & Co. mini-empire – holds an “orphans’ Rosh Hashanah” each year with his wife and partner, Sarit Packer, for friends who don’t have a New Year celebration of their own. “One thing we never miss out on is apples and honey,” said Srulovich. The couple samples at least a dozen types of honey and several varieties of apples.
SolomonovMichael Solomonov – chef, restaura teur and cookbook author, known for extolling and preparing Israeli food – will return to his roots this year with his Mom’s Honey Cake
Pomegroni Yields: 2 cocktails
Israel-based food writer Adeena Sussmann, author of “Sababa,” will serve a sticky, sheet pan chicken made with honey followed by her grand mother’s honey cake. To kick off the holiday meal, she will offer a “Pome groni” – like a Negroni, but with fresh pomegranate juice substituted for Campari. Pomegranates are in season in Israel in September, and are often incorporated into the holiday meal.
Take off the lid, incorporate the manzanilla olives, pepper oncini peppers and capers. Give it a gentle stir and sim mer uncovered for 20 more minutes, so the gefilte fish will be thoroughly cooked and the broth will have sea soned and thickened nicely.
BYFOODRACHELRINGLER
Here’s what 5 chefs from around the world are making this Rosh Hashanah
GefilteMexican-StyleFish Yields: 20 patties
14 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Incorporate 3 cups water, 2 tablespoons ketchup, salt and white pepper. Give it a good stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and bring sauce to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer while you roll the gefilte fish patties.Place a small bowl with lukewarm water to the side of the simmering tomato broth. Start making the patties. I like to make them about 3 inches long, 2 inches wide and 1 inch high, in oval shapes. Wet your hands as necessary, so the fish mixture will not stick to your hands. As you make them, gently slide each patty into the simmering broth. Make sure it is sim mering and raise the heat to medium if necessary to keep a steadyOncesimmer.youfinish making the patties, cover the pot and bring the heat to low. Cook them covered for 25 minutes.
vinegar 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated 2 tablespoons dried barber ries (or you can use dried currants) 1 tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons olive oil DIRECTIONS Mix all the dressing ingre dients together and set aside until you are ready to serve. If you can, make it at least one hour in advance of serving, for the best flavor. Cut the pumpkin into thick slices or wedges (no need to peel), remove the seeds and place on a baking tray. Slice the apples into 1-inch thick rounds (cut through the core) and add to the tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with the sea salt and pepper. Remove from the tray and place the pumpkin and apple slices on a hot grill to char for about 3-4 minutes on each side, then return them to the oilySlittray.the chestnuts carefully with a sharp knife so they don’t explode and place in a mesh tray or colander over the fire to roast. Shake the tray/colander every 30 sec onds or so, till the skins crisp and start to open – about 12-14 minutes.Breakthe radicchio into separate leaves, place on a large platter and top with the slices of grilled pumpkin and apple. Peel the chestnuts and break them up, scattering the pieces all over the salad, then dress generously and serve.
Srulovich offers a recipe for grilled pumpkin, apples and chestnuts that he discovered during his travels in Turkey, cooked on an outdoor grill (or charred in the oven).
DIRECTIONS
Slice into smaller pieces and place in the food processor. Pulse for 5-10 seconds until fish is finely chopped but hasn’t turned into a paste. Turn fish mixture into a large mixing bowl. Then place the onion, carrots, eggs, matzo meal, salt and white pepper into same bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth and turn into the fish mixture. Combine thor oughly.Toprepare the red sauce: Heat the oil in a large cook ing pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion, and let it cook for 5-6 min utes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Pour the crushed tomatoes into the pot, stir, and let the mix season and thicken for about 6 minutes.
SussmanAdeena
To cook without a BBQ: Roast the oiled, seasoned pumpkin in a hot oven at 430°F for about 20 minutes, then transfer to a griddle pan over a medium-high heat to char for 3-4 minutes each side. Griddle the oiled and sea soned apples on both sides for the same length of time. Roast the chestnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes until the skins start to open, but don’t forget to score them first.
INGREDIENTS For the fish patties: 1 pound red snapper fillets, no skin or bones 1 pound flounder fillets, no skin or bones 1/2 white onion quartered, about ½ pound 2 carrots peeled and roughly chopped, about ¼ pound 3 1/2eggscup matzah meal 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste For the red sauce: 3 tablespoons safflower or corn oil 1/2 cup white onion, chopped 1 28-ounce can crushed toma toes 3 cups fish broth or water 2 teaspoons ketchup 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper or to taste 1 cup manzanilla olives stuffed with pimientos 8 pepperoncini peppers in vinegar brine (chiles güeros en escabeche), or more to taste 2 tablespoons capers
IINGREDIENTS
UNDER WAITE CLAYTON
For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. with a rack in the middle. Line two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans with oiled parchment paper. Combine the flour and baking soda in a bowl and whisk well. In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, eggs, coffee, honey and oil. Mix on low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture and continue mixing just until combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Decrease the oven temperature to 275 degrees F.
1 1/4 cups brewed coffee 2/3 cup honey 6 tablespoons canola oil For the apple confit: 3 apples, peeled and sliced thinly crosswise 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon honey 2 cinnamon sticks 1 vanilla bean, split 3 cloves DIRECTIONS
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 15 with Apple Confit. It’s a classic honey cake, moistened with brewed coffee and lots of honey, topped with an elegant apple confit, sweetened with honey, cloves and vanilla. The confit has savory applica tions, too. It’s great, he said, served with chopped liver.
For the cake: 2 1/2 cups all–purpose flour 2 heaping teaspoons baking soda 1 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt Pinch ground cinnamon 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Szarlotka INGREDIENTS 3-4 (1.5 lb/680 g) medium apples, like Granny Smith Juice of 1/2 a lemon 3 large eggs 1 cup (220 g) sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup (130 g) all-purpose flour Powdered sugar, as needed DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch springform pan with parch ment paper; you can also use a 9-inch round or square baking pan for this recipe.Peel and core the apples. Cut the apples into 1 inch pieces, about ¼ inch-thick. Toss the apples in lemon juice, and then add them to the bak ingIndish.alarge bowl using a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sugar. Alternatively, you can beat the eggs and sugar by hand using a whisk. Beat until the eggs are pale, fluffy and have doubled in size, about 3-4 min utes. Add the vanilla extract and beat for one more minute. Sift in half of the flour and salt to the egg mixture, and fold the dry ingredients into the batter. Sift in the remain ing flour and salt, and fold them in until they are just incorporated. Be careful to gently fold in the dry ingredi ents and to not over mix the batter.Pour the batter over the apples in the baking dish. If needed, use a spatula or spoon to smooth the batter over the top so it evenly cov ers the apples. Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown and firm on top, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool for at least one hour prior to Beforeserving.serving, sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar. Sharlotka can be made a day in advance and stored cov ered at room temperature, the crust will soften as it sits.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2022–23 SERIES, VISIT JewishAllianceRI.com/behind-the-book-2022-2023/
Dorie Greenspan
September 14 7:00PM Free virtual event. December14 7:00PM Free virtual event. February 22 7:00PM In-person at the Dwares JCC. No cost to attend. March 14 7:00PM In-person at the Dwares JCC. No cost to attend. May 11 7:00PM In-person at the Dwares JCC. No cost to attend. December 1 7:00PM Free virtual event. October 12 7:00PM Free virtual event. November 30 6:30PM In-person at the Dwares JCC. $10 per person.
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For the apples: Toss the apple slices with the sugar, honey, cinnamon, vanilla bean, and cloves. Arrange in a single layer in a large ovenproof skillet or a baking pan. Add enough water to just cover the apples. Press a sheet of parchment onto the surface of the Coverwater.theskillet tightly with foil, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and transfer to the oven. Bake until the apples are just tender, about 1 hour. Cool to room temperature, transfer to a lidded container, and refrigerate until cold. Serve with the honey cake.
FOOD Behind the Book a visiting author series FIGHTING BACK: Stan Andrews and the Birth of the Israeli Air Force WITH JEFFREY WEISS & CRAIG WEISS SEPHARDI VOICES: The Untold Expulsion of Jews from Arab Lands WITH HENRY GREEN & RICHARD STURSBERG HOW TO BE A WOMAN ONLINE: Surviving Abuse and Harassment, and How to Fight Back WITH NINA JANKOWICZ WHY DO JEWISH? A Manifesto for 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood WITH ZACK BODNER
Honey Cake with ConfitApple Yields: 2 loaves
Dorie Greenspan, food writer and cookbook author, isn’t sure she will be preparing a holiday meal. But if she were, she knows exactly how she would end it: with Szarlotka, a Polish apple cake that strad dles the divide between pie and crumble. The crust, she says, “is delicious,” the filling of apples and raisins are the flavors of Rosh Hashanah, for her.
Sara Bradley
For the Matzo Balls: 2 cups matzo meal 1 teaspoon ground black 1 teaspoonpepper ground fennel seed 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 1-2 tablespoons salt 1 + 1/2 tablespoon baking 6 tablespoons vegetable6 whole eggspowder oil or schmaltz (liquid) 2-4 ounces club soda
RoastedwithBeets
Water as needed
Sara Bradley loves combining her Southern roots and Jewish heritage at her restaurant freight house, in Paducah, Kentucky. The Top Chef season 16 runner up has earned a loyal and enthusiastic clientele at freight house, where she serves fresh, local in-season ingredients with the goal of providing western Kentucky’s most unique dining experience.
INGREDIENTS For the Eggs: 1 dozen fresh local eggs Roasted beets: 1 large bull blood beet cut in half (or any red variety) 2 garlic cloves 2 sprigs thyme 1 tablespoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper 10 ounces + 2 ounces Ale8One soda (or other ginger soda) 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup red wine
SOME OF BRADLEY’S High Holy Day favorites feature traditional Rosh Hashanah ingredients like pomegran ates, beets and carrots; or make-ahead items for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur. Sara has six differ ent matzo ball soup recipes in her repertoire and prepared one for the Top ChefBradley’sfinale. rela tives emigrated from culinaryinfluencedgrandmothermotherHersoutherninEuropeansotherjoiningaroundPrussia1930,manyEasternsettlingincities.Jewishandherapproach
1/4vinegarcupolive oil For the Toppings: 1 large watermelon radish or other radish (diced small) 2 to 3 baby pickles (can use cornichons) (sliced thin)
BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF Chef
DIRECTIONS Start by preparing the
DIRECTIONS
Pickled Farm Eggs
INGREDIENTS 1/2 white onion, sliced thin 4 large carrots, sliced thin 1 inch of ginger 3 garlic cloves, no butts, smashed 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 Meyer lemon, sliced thin 1 cup white wine 1 quart water For blending: 1 tablespoon orange mar malade 1 teaspoon honey 1/8 teaspoon red chili 1-2flakestablespoons kosher salt 1-2 cups vegetable oil (or any mildly flavored oil)
Rosh Hashanah recipes with Southern flair
— cook ing good food without lots of unnecessary ingredients and wasting as little as possible. She utilizes East ern European and Middle Eastern spices, which give her Southern dishes an interesting twist. She also teaches about Jewish cook ing at area synagogues, feeling strongly that the heritage of recipes passed down orally need to be cap tured before they are lost. Here are a few recipes offered by Bradley. All recipes are courtesy Sara Bradley, chef/proprietor of freight house in Paducah, Kentucky.
Sweat onion, ginger, garlic and carrots in oil until onions are translucent. Then add the Meyer lemon and cook for 2 to 3 min utes. Deglaze with white wine, cook 3 minutes then add water and cook until carrots are soft, about 10 minutes.Inahigh-speed blender, blend the vegetables in small batches with the cooking liquid and orange marmalade, honey, chili flakes and salt. Add oil in to help blend and add water to adjust thickness. Pass through a fine mesh strainer.Thiscan be made days ahead. Check the seasoning before serving hot or cold. At freight house, we serve it warm with butter poached crawfish tails, puffed dirty rice, pickled vegetables and a creole cream.
1 roasted beet (diced small) 5 to 6 mint leaves (torn) 1 teaspoon high-quality salt
Rinse your chicken. Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Add salt, anise and fresh herbs. Let simmer on medium heat until the leg pulls away from the bird. Let the chicken cool in liquid until able to handle. Strain your liquid and reserve. Pick the meat from the bones and reserve. Do not add your chicken back to the stock yet. In a large pot, add stock, cut carrots, onion, celery and mushrooms. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. While stock simmers, make your matzo balls. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the matzo meal, spices, dill, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and melted schmaltz or vegetable oil. Using a fork, mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Just before they are incorporated, add the soda water. Do not over mix. Let matzo mix rest in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat up on the stock and vegetable mixture. You want it to be boiling when you drop your matzo balls into the liquid. Roll the matzo mix into golf ball size pieces. Drop them into the boiling liquid. Cover the pot and let simmer on high for 10-15 minutes. Add reserved chicken and greens to soup. Simmer for 5 minutes. Sea son with salt to your liking. Enjoy!
HIGH HOLY DAYS
freight house Winter Matzo Ball Soup INGREDIENTS
16 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Carrot and Lemon Soup Makes 8 servings
DIRECTIONS
For the Soup: 3-4 pound whole fryer chicken 4 quarts water or stock, may need more to cover chicken 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 star anise 2 sprigs of each: thyme, sage, bay leaf, rosemary 2 orange carrots, cut into 1” discs 1 yellow onion peeled and cut into eighths 2 celery stalks, cut into 1” pieces 8 shitake 4-5cleanedmushrooms,andquarteredstemsblackkaleorcollardgreens,washedandslicedinto1/2”ribbons
chips to garnish (optional)
HIGH HOLY DAYS
DIRECTIONS Start by preparing all the vegetables and other ingre dients except for the avocado andCutlime.the avocado in half and remove the seed. Gently peel away the skin. In a bowl, toss the avocados in the green onion dressing and season with salt and pepper. Arrange cut side down on plate to serve. Be sure to spoon any additional dressing left in the bowl on the avocado. Cut the lime in half and squeeze over the avocados. Sprinkle onions, pomegran ates, red chili flakes, shaved radish, and pumpkin seeds over top. Season with salt and pepper.
If you want a beautiful, color ful starter, but not the same old leafy salad that you usu ally make, this alternative is easy and incredibly flavorful. You could also make it for a healthy-ish snack or a SUPER light lunch. INGREDIENTS 2 1/2avocadoscupgreen onion dressing 1 lime 1 small red onion sliced very 1/2thineach pomegranate, seeds removed 1 teaspoon red chili flake 4 red radishes, sliced very thin 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds toasted at 350 for 8-10 min
TortillaPepperSaltutes
beets — this can be done few days in advance. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the beet halves, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, 10 oz Ale8, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, and olive oil in a baking dish. Wrap tight with foil and roast for 60 to 90 minutes or until the beets are tender when pricked with a knife. Once beets are cooked, remove and separate from juice, but do not get rid of either — you will need both. Place the juice and beets in fridge to cool. While beets are roasting, prepare your eggs. You will want to hard boil your eggs. At freight house, we always say to do it just like you mother taught you —every one does it differently. Most importantly, all eggs end up hardCoolboiled.andpeel the eggs. Leaving them whole, place them in a medium sized bowl. Cover them with the cooled beet juice, an additional 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, and 2 oz Ale8. Let sit for between 2 to 6 hours, flipping every hour. To serve, drain from the pickling liquid and cut in half. Sprinkle on all the listed toppings and enjoy.
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 17
freight RadishAvocadohouseandSalad
THE MONTH OF ELUL IS HERE! It’s a time leading up to Rosh Hashanah when we have the opportunity to tune in to our spiritual concerns, reflect on our dreams and challenges over the year that’s gone by, and consider areas for change and growth in the coming new year. I didn’t grow up with an awareness of a month of preparation leading up to the High Holy Day season. But in discovering Elul as an adult, I embrace this time for spiritual reflection, and I’ve noticed how it’s deep ened my experience of the holiday season. The personal work of Elul feels like the rehearsal period for a play, or the warm-up exercises before a sporting event – it’s the energy and dedication put in before the big day(s) that deepens the ritual experience of Rosh Hashanah worship. Elul arrives as we parents are facing extraordinary demands and anxiety in our back-to-school preparations. Given how full our metaphor ical plates are, is there a way to make time for spiritual reflection in this particular moment, during this particu larly challenging month? Absolutely! I believe that spiritual practice can be infused into our busy and sometimes uncomfortable lives – it doesn’t require us to escape to a retreat center, or ignore the realities that we face on a regular day. My experience is that taking a little bit of time and space for spiritual practice can actu ally give us renewed strength, energy and self-compassion as we navigate this new year, which, like the one before it, we can probably already describe as “unprecedented.” Here are five ways that we busy parents can make some time and space for Elul reflec tion this year. 1. Make a special playlist. Music is one of the most immediate ways that I access my deepest feelings and spiritual connections. I make playlists for occasions like holidays and birthdays, and I listen to them while I’m doing chores like walking my dog, folding laundry or chopping vegetables for dinner –essentially, times when I can tap into the music’s energy and message. I created a Spotify playlist for Elul with songs that really stir my soul and help me think about the big questions.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
right now, similar to craft beers,” she said. “I even heard of a peanut butter banana mead.”Central to the story of Loew Vineyards is Lipman’s grand father, who grew up in Lvov, Poland (now the Ukrainian city of Lviv) prior to World War II. Before the Holocaust, Lvov was home to Poland’s third-largest Jewish popu lation, behind Warsaw and Lodz. The city had a Jewish population of some 200,000 –about one-third of the total – but only some 800 survived the genocide. The region also boasted many wineries, mea deries and distilleries, with the majority owned by Jews. Lipman has spent much time uncovering her family’s mead-making past. During the long months of COVID, she has sifted through Polish documents, periodicals and newspapers to learn more. She discovered that the fam ily meadery was in a district that housed warehouses, vodka distilleries, several meaderies and, yes, even a beer garden. In fact, the family meadery took up the length of an entire city block. The patriarch of the Loew family in the mid-1800s was Meilech Loew, who made mead and distributed it inter nationally. Meilech and his wife, Malka, had 10 sons, two of whom created their own meaderies, while the others ventured into wine distri bution and marketing. One son, Eisig, established the first national meadery and beeswax facility in Poland. He and his wife, Clara, had three sons, one of whom was Wolfgang – Lipman’s grand father, who Americanized his name to William (Bill) upon immigrating to the United States.During the Holocaust, the family’s winemaking busi ness was decimated – as were nearly all the members of the Loew family. Bill survived serving as part of the Under ground, where his multi lingual skills were highly prized. He was imprisoned in a Budapest political prison and two concentration camps, and eventually was liberated during a Dachau death march on April 23, 1945, by the U.S. Army’s 99th Infantry Divi sion. Each year, the family commemorated this special day with Bill — who died in April at 96. Once he arrived in Amer ica, Bill attended night school, married Lois Hendrickson and eventually became an electrical engineer. Yet the sweet smell of the barrels from his family’s meadery always remained a part of him. Upon retiring in 1982, he purchased a 37-acre plot in Frederick County, Mary land, with the aim of planting grapes and continuing his family’s wine and mead-mak ing“Thelegacy.way our family ori ented ourselves, everything was about preserving the past,” Lipman said. “There was little discussion of the future.”COVID-19, however, served as a pivotal moment for the
This Jewish family has been making honey wine for 150 years
2. Reach out to loved ones. Elul is a month to consider our connections to our spiritual lives as well as to friends, family and community. During this past pandemic years, so many social connections were interrupted, and many, many people experienced isolation on a level they had never experienced before. If you have a friend you’ve lost touch with and have been meaning to check in on, this time is a great moment to send a text or email just asking how they are and letting them know you’ve been thinking of them.
5 ways to get into the Rosh Hashanah mindset
BY GABRIELLE KAPLAN-MAYER
This article originally appeared on Kveller.
18 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Holocaust.nearlyfamilyuniquedinaryaboutisindustry.traditionallyingnotwinemakersfuture,oldVineyards,winemakingfifth-generationbusiness,Loewbutthe28-year-iskeepinganeyeonthetoo.AsoneoftheyoungestinMaryland–iftheyoungest–she’spushthroughboundariesinamale-dominatedButthat’snotall:Lipmanalsoeducatingcustomersherfamily’sextraorlegacyofproducingwines–a150-year-oldtraditionthatwaseradicatedbytheAmongthe14winescurrentlyavailableontheLoewVineyardswebsite,fourarenotwinesinatraditionalsense.Theyaremeads,orhoneywines,madefromfermentedhoney–andthere fore are well-suited for the upcoming High Holy Days. Among the available varieties are cyser (mead with apple juice) and pyment (mead with grape juice). A fifth-generation wine maker, Lipman’s method of making mead is not unlike the way her ancestors did it in Europe.“Mygrandfather always says you can’t argue with success,” she said, referring to the family’s proprietary meadTheserecipe.days, Lipman uses modern machinery and loves scouring local farmers mar kets to discover new honey producers with whom she can collaborate.Meadishaving something of a moment. Lipman is nat urally thrilled by the devel opment, though she believes there is a misconception that all meads are sweet. Her fam ily’s mead comes in varieties that are dry, semi-dry and semi-sweet.“Thereis a lot of experi mentation going on with mead
3. Embrace the practice of free writing. Writing is one of the practices that I use to connect to what I call my inner wisdom – the voice that I don’t always hear when I’m busy with the demands of parenting and work. I take 10 minutes several times a week to do some free writing, during which I sit down with my journal or a blank Google Doc and just write about whatever comes to mind. I always feel much better and more connected after those sessions. The easiest way to do this is to schedule a few writing times into your calendar over the next few weeks. Then, simply open a blank document and use prompts like: “This year I hope to…” “One thing I’ve learned this year is…” or “My prayer for the world is…” 4. Reassess your schedule. One thing I’ve learned about myself over the pandemic is that I thrive with more downtime. As such, I am entering this year with the intention and awareness that becoming “too busy” – even with good things – takes me away from feeling my most grounded and healthiest, and it also creates unnecessary pressure in my family. Use Elul to consider what you can take on this year, and what you can say no – or “not yet” – to. 5. Include your family! If your kids aren’t back to school yet, they are probably busy savoring the end of summer. In other words, Rosh Hashanah probably feels very far away. But you can bring your children into your Elul practice in fun, gentle ways. If you’re out enjoying nature, for example, take a moment to mention Rosh Hashanah, the world’s birthday, and invite them to share what they’re most grateful for in the natural world. Bring out your favorite Rosh Hashanah books and start reading them now. This social story can be especially helpful for children with intellectual disabilities to know what to expect on the holiday. If your kids enjoy art, start making some homemade cards to send to family and friends.Ihope that this month brings you and your family many opportunities for con nection and growth!
This article originally appeared on Kveller.
HIGH HOLY DAYS
RACHEL LIPMAN CARES deeply about preserving her Jew ish family’s
GABRIELLE KAPLAN-MAYER is a passionate Jewish educator and author. She serves as the chief program officer at Jewish Learning Venture. Gabrielle teaches online writing workshops at the intersection of creative writing and spiritual growth.
BY STACEY PFEFFER
Temple Emanu-El
Deadlineberequired.livestreamrequired.son worshipLive-streamed99teprov.org401-331-1616info@teprov.orgTaftAve.,Providenceandin-perservices.RegistrationIn-personworshipserviceswithavailable.TicketsareCostis$100andmayappliedtotemplemembership.forticketsisSept.5.
Come to a “FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE” Shabbat Dinner at the Chabad House Jewish Hospitality Center 360-362 Hope St. Providence, RI 02906 Call: 273-7238
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 19
BORUCH ATO ADO-NOY ELO-HAY-NU MELECH HO-OLOM A-SHER KID-SHONU B’MITZ-VO-SOV V-TZI-VONU L’HAD-LIK NER SHEL (on Friday add — SHA-BOS V-SHEL) Pesach, Shavuot and Succot – Yom Tov Rosh Hashanah – Yom-Ha-zi-Koron Yom Kippur – Yom Ha-Kippurim Add this blessing following each of the above blessings except for the last holidays of Pesach. BORUCH ATO ADO-NOY ELO-HAY-NU MELECH HO-OLOM SHE-HEH-CHE-YONU V’KEE-MONU V’HEEGEE-ONU LEEZ-MAN HA-ZEH Special instructions for holidays (but not on Shabbat) It is forbidden to create a new fire by striking a match, lighter, etc., However, it is permissable to use a flame already burning since before the inception of the holiday, such as a pilot light, gas or candle flame. Candle lighting time for the second night of the Holiday is usually about one hour after the candle lighting time of the previous night.
Congregation Sharah Zedek Email form on website 401-345-1544 or website.overare6congregationsharahzedek.org401-596-9951UnionSt.,WesterlyAttendanceisfreeanddonationsaccepted.ToattendvirtuallyZoom,visittheSharahZedek Congregation Tifereth Israel 145tinewbedford.org508-997-3171ti@tinewbedford.orgBrownellAve.,New Bedford, MassachusettsIn-personworship services with streaming available. Tickets are required. Contact Temple office for info.
Blessed are You, G-d our Lord, King of the universe, who has hallowed us through His commandments, and has commanded us to kindle the lights of the holy Shabbos
BY JEWISH RHODE ISLAND STAFF SUMMER IS WINDING down and we are gearing up for the High Holy Days. Our thoughts turn to the start of school and the bright promise of the Jewish New Year! Jewish Rhode Island does not list information regard ing specific services and schedules. This year, we contacted all the synagogues, temples and congregational groups and asked about in-person and virtual ser vices as well as if tickets will be required. What follows is the current information from those who responded along with current contact infor mation from all known syn agogues, temples and groups in our coverage area. For the most up-to-date information on service schedules, please contact the synagogues directly or visit their websites. Keep in mind that COVID-19 continues to influence openings and clos ings so direct contact is your best source of last-minute information. CongregationORTHODOX Beth Sholom 401bethsholom-ri.org401-236-7536office@bethsholom-ri.orgElmgroveAve.(@the Dwares JCC),In-personProvidenceworship services with no tickets required. Suggested donation for nonmembers. Congregation Mishkon Tfiloh In-person203401-421-5074mishkontfiloh@juno.comSummitAve.,Providenceworshipserviceswith no tickets required. Congregation Ohawe Sholam 671401-725-3886dgpliskin@gmail.comEastAve.,PawtucketIn-personworshipservices with no tickets required. Congregation Sha’arei Tefilla no450shaareitefillaprov.orgElmgroveAve.,ProvidenceIn-personworshipserviceswithticketsrequired.
Temple Shalom
CongregationRECONSTRUCTIONISTAgudasAchim 901www.agudasma.org508-222-2243office@agudasma.orgN.MainSt.,Attleboro, Massa chusetts
Synagogues gear up for the High Holy Days
Touro Synagogue (Congregation Jeshuat Israel) tourosynagogue.org401-847-4794cji@tourosynagogue.org
BrownNON-DENOMINATIONALRISDHillel 80brownrisdhillel.org401-863-2805info@brownrisdhillel.orgBrownSt.,ProvidenceLimitednumberoftickets available for members. Info available on Brown/RISD Hillel website. Hillel Foundation at the University of Rhode Island 6urihillel.org401-874-2740amyolson@uri.eduFraternityCircle, Kingston In-person worship services with no tickets required. No cost for students; suggested donation for non-students.
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Candle
BLESSINGS FOR SHABBOS BO-RUCH A-TOH ADO-NOI E-LO-HEI-NU ME-LECH HO-OLOM A-SHER KI-DE-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-SOV VI-TZI-VO-NU LE-HAD-LIK-NER SHEL SHA-BOS KO-DESH BLESSINGS FOR HOLIDAYS
ContactNewport401-423-0407Newporthavurah1@gmail.comfordetailsaboutHigh Holy TempleDays mendedTickets70temple-beth-el.org401-331-6070info@temple-beth-el.orgBeth-ElOrchardAve.,ProvidenceInpersonandvirtualservices.arerequired.Recomdonationfornonmembers.
Temple Habonim
Congregation Sons of Jacob Providencesonsofjacobsynagogue.org401-274-5260congsons@hotmail.com
CAUTION FOR FRIDAYS: DO NOT light candles after sunset so as not to desecrate the Shabbos. It is forbidden to light candles after sunset. 5780–5781 (2020–2021) CANDLE LIGHTING SCHEDULE | Times listed are for Providence, Rhode Island. Other areas around the region may vary by a few minutes. 1 DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS 6 4:13 13 4:06 20 4:01 27 3:57 6 7:37 13 7:27 20 7:17 27 7:06 5 4:46 12 4:55 19 5:04 26 5:12 4 7:56 11 8:00 18 8:03 25 8:04 2 8:03 9 8:01 16 7:57 23 7:52 30 7:45 September 2020 November 2020 December 2020 June 2021 January 2021 July 2021 February 2021 August 2021 7 7:30 14 7:37 16 7:39 EREV SHAVU’OT 17 8:50 SHAVU’OT 21 7:44 28 7:50 5 5:21 12 5:29 14 DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME RESUMES 19 6:37 26 6:44 27 7:49 EREV PASSOVER 28 7:50 PASSOVER 2 6:52 3 7:57 PASSOVER 9 7:00 16 7:07 23 7:15 30 7:23 March 2021 April 2021 May 2021 October 2020 4 6:53 11 6:41 18 6:28 EREV ROSH HASHANAH 19 7:30 ROSH HASHANAH 25 6:16 27 6:13 EREV YOM KIPPUR 4 3:55 11 3:55 18 3:57 25 4:00 1 4:06 8 4:12 15 4:20 22 4:28 29 4:37 2 6:04 EREV SUKKOT 3 7:05 SUKKOT 9 5:53 EREV SHEMINI ATZERET 10 6:54 SIMCHAT TORAH 16 5:41 23 5:31 30 5:22 2 6:57 9 6:45 16 6:33 23 6:21 25 6:18 Erev Rosh Hashanah 26 7:18 Rosh Hashanah 30 6:09 3 4:43 10 4:52 17 5:01 24 5:10 3 5:18 10 5:26 17 6:34 24 6:42 31 6:50 5 6:55 Erev Pesach 6 8:00 Pesach 7 6:57 12 8:07 7th day of Pesach 14 7:05 21 7:13 28 7:20 5 7:28 12 7:35 19 7:42 25 7:48 Erev Shavuot 26 7:49 Shavuot 2 7:54 9 7:59 16 8:02 23 8:04 30 8:04 7 8:03 14 7:59 21 7:54 28 7:48 4 7:40 11 7:31 18 7:21 25 7:11 4 6:02 Erev Yom Kippur 7 5:57 9 5:54 Erev Sukkot 10 6:55 Sukkot 14 5:46 16 5:43 Erev Shemini Atzeret 17 6:44 Erev Simchat Torah 21 5:35 28 5:25 4 5:16 11 Daylight4:09savings time ended 18 4:03 25 3:58 2 3:56 9 3:55 16 3:56 23 3:59 30 4:04 6 4:10 13 4:18 20 4:26 27 4:35 (2022–2023) Lighting Schedule Courtesy of Chabad of Rhode Island Times listed are for Providence, Rhode Island. Other areas around the region may vary by a few minutes. do not deface or discard this paper, for G-d’s name is on.
virtual option available Tickets are required at no cost.
Temple Sinai dottie@templesinairi.org, andCallvirtual30templesinairi.org401-942-8350wasser@templesinairi.orgrabbigoldHagenAve.,CranstonIn-personworshipserviceswithaoption.Ticketsarerequired.thetempleofficefordeadlinecostinformation.
165templehabonim.org401-245-6536office@templehabonim.orgNewMeadowRoad,BarringtonIn-personworshipserviceswitha
Congregation B’nai Israel form.bePostin-person224shalom-cbi.org401-762-3651synagogue@cbi.necoxmail.comProspectSt.,WoonsocketSomeserviceswillbeheldattheAmericanLegioninCumberland,otherswillheldonlyonZoomorinhybrid
HIGH HOLY DAYS
May it be Your will, G-d of our ancestors, that You grant my family and all Israel a good and long life. Remember us with blessings and kindness. Fill our homes with your Divine Presence. Give me the opportunity to raise my children and grandchildren to be truly wise, lovers of G-d, people of truth, who illuminate the world with Torah, good deeds and the work of the Creator. Please hear my prayer at this time. Regard me as a worthy descendent of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, our mothers, and let my candles burn and never be extinguished. Let the light of your face shine upon us, and bring true peace to Israel and the world.
REFORM
Select the proper ending for the appropriate Yom Tov: Pray for Peace
233templeshalomrhodeisland.org401-846-9002comtempleshalomrhodeisland@gmail.ValleyRoad,Middletown
Please
Newport Havurah, an association of Reform Jews
85 Touro St. Newport In person services. Tickets required.
CongregationCONSERVATIVEBeth David 102cbdri.org401-789-3437eadler3@cox.netKingstownRoad, Narragansett In person and Zoom services available, tickets required.
Temple Beth El of Fall River setts385frtemplebethel.org508-674-3529templebethel@comcast.netHighSt.,FallRiver,MassachuInpersonandlivestreamedservices.Masksrequiredforthosenotfullyvaccinated.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
SeptemberOctober November December January FebruaryMarchApril May JuneJulyAugust 5781–5782
HIGH HOLY DAYS family business. Not only did Lipman have to safeguard her grandparents, who enjoyed interacting with customers in their tasting room, she knew she had to implement some operational changes if she wanted a sustainable future. Citing Hillel the Elder’s iconic quote – “if not now, when?” – Lipman and her family made a significant investment in new fermenta tion tanks, which has allowed them to increase production to meet growing demand. They also remodeled the tasting room, created an online reservation system and updated their website to showcase the family’s long history in the business. Lipman credits her grand mother with helping to facilitate a lot of the recent changes.“Sheknows we have something that cannot die,” Lipman said of her grand mother. “Without her, we wouldn’t have been pushing for a Locatingfuture.”historical doc uments about her family required perseverance. Lip man joined a global Facebook group of mead-makers and posted about her family’s long tradition. Doing so helped her locate mead labels from her great-grandfather’s business, and even an article in a Lvov newspaper about how her mead-making great-uncle collected tzedakah She also uncovered many documents that traced the history of mead in Europe – how it was predominantly produced by monks in the 1600s to its heyday in the 1800s through World War II. “These documents just say the businesses disappeared after World War II,” Lipman said. “It doesn’t say that Jews owned these businesses and that is why they were gone. The people and the industry were destroyed by the Nazis. I intend to make that known.” As the oldest grandchild, Lipman spent much of her childhood at her grandpar ents’ vineyard. From cooking Passover meals with her grandmother to riding on her grandfather’s tractors out to the vineyards, Lipman was and remains exceptionally close to her grandparents. As she got older, her grand father taught her chromatog raphy, a technique that allows you to investigate the flavor of the wine. Lipman ultimately decided to study plant science at the University of Mary land and even interned at an organic vineyard in France’s LoireLipmanValley.doesn’t think her grandparents were intention ally grooming her to work in the vineyard, but does believe “they wanted me to love the vineyard as much as they do,” she“Whensaid. you are 21, you think, ‘Sure being in the alco hol business sounds great! I worked at beer and wine stores then, but the more I learned about the industry, the more serious I became about it [as a future career],” sheLipmansaid. hopes to continue to produce wines well into the future and watch the roots that her family planted so long ago continue to flour ish. In the meantime, the Loew family looks forward to saying “L’chaim!” — “to life!” — over their wines this Rosh Hashanah, knowing all too well the meaning of the phrase.
All
will be livestreamed. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 hope (844) 671-4673 HopeHealthCo.org HOSPICE CARE • PALLIATIVE CARE • HOME HEALTH CARE This high holiday, we wish you a healthy and happy new year. Shanah Tovah from all of your friends at JCDSRI Synagogues gear up for the High Holy Days
20 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
Chabad CHAI Center of West Bay tion3871RabbiWarwick.com401-884-7888rabbi@RabbiWarwick.comPostRoad,WarwickFreeandopentoall.Noreservarequired. Chabad of Northern RI I1767401-499-2574islandrabbi@gmail.comOldLouisquissetPike, Lincoln In-person worship services. No tickets required but an RSVP is appreciated. Chabad of Rhode Island Jewish Hospitality Center believeinprovidence@gmail.com 360chabadriprovidence.com401-273-7238HopeSt.,ProvidenceFreeandopentoall.No reserva tion required. Congregation Sons & Daughters of Ruth Block401-466-2861Island United Brothers Synagogue open205unitedbrotherssynagogue.org401-253-3460ubsbristol@gmail.comHighSt.,BristolInpersonservicesarefreetotoall,RSVPsencouraged. services
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Adina JenniferSaraSaraRobertJeffreySharonDaviesGainesIsaacsLandauMeirowitzMiller-PaulOelbaum
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Security Committee Eric Shorr, Chair Kevin Blake Rabbi Barry Dolinger Gary ElizabethNormanRalphJoannaKleinMankinPosnerRosenfeldSandler
Susan
J-Plan Committee William Krieger, Chair Reza AndrewMaraSaraSusanBraunaBreakstoneDoidgeFroehlichMeirowitzOstroPalan
Evening with Bret Stephens Host Committee Dee
Sara Miller-Paul, Chair Stephanie Markoff Cohen Ryan MiriamCharlesSaraSusanFormanFroehlichMeirowitzMeyerEstherWeiner
Jewish Life & Learning Committee Mara Ostro, Chair Michael Baer Elisheva Bielory Rabbi Barry Dolinger Marisa Garber Jeffrey Isaacs Paul MindyNahmeStone Personnel Committee Oswald Schwartz, Chair Harris Chorney Susan Leach DeBlasio Sharon RichardJamesMaraWilliamGainesKriegerOstroPiousSilverman
James
BARNETT SPENT his formative years at Herzl-Ner Tamid, a Con servative congregation in Mercer Island, Washington. There, under the guidance of Cantor Joseph Frankel, young Barnett studied the complex nusach musical scale patterns that so enchanted him.
ROBERT ISENBERG RhodeIslandJewishmultimediajewishallianceri.org)(risenberg@istheproducerfortheAllianceofGreaterRhodeandawriterforJewishIsland.
24 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
“Given the current framework within the Conservative move ment of possibly allowing some changes in rabbinic placements, possibilities may open up for [me] to be able to be retained after the initial envisioned period,” Barnett said, with characteristic delicacy.Barnett had never set foot in Rhode Island before he arrived in East Greenwich, but he has acclimated quickly. The stone architecture of the Torat Yisrael campus reminds him of the walls of Jerusalem, and the East Green wich shore harkens back to the Seattle docklands of his youth.
“It was Cantor Frankel who was able to integrate my love of Jewish music with my first explo rations of Jewish cantorial style,” Barnett, who declined to give his age, said in a recent interview. In his early years, Barnett also cultivated his voice and sang sec ond tenor in several choirs. In conversation, Barnett speaks in carefully crafted sentences, as if dictating memos. Each time he mentions a name, he spells it twice, and he emphasizes phrases or sentences that must be quoted verbatim. Barnett wears an impeccable suit and tie, and he fluidly shifts between interview questions and each of his many cellphoneBarnett’scalls.fastidious person ality is in tune with his family character: His grandfather, Joseph S. Barnett, opened an accounts-receivable business, where his father, Bernerd A. Barnett, also spent his career. His three younger brothers all work in punctilious fields, as an accountant, a liquor distributor and a cardiologist. Barnett said his grandmother hoped he would become a physician, but she was equally pleased when he chose the rabbinate.“Eversince I was young, I was involved in Jewish activities that were positive for generating a healthy self-image as a Jewish person,” Barnett said. Starting in 1978, Barnett spent a year in Israel as part of Mid reshet Yerushalayim, a Jewish studies program hosted by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. The program was a pilot at the time and modeled on a traditional Yeshiva structure. While there, Barnett met and was impressed by Elliott Dorff, a professor from Southern Califor nia. Barnett spent his first year of rabbinical studies in Los Angeles, at the institution now known as Jewish University, where Dorff taught, earning a bachelor’s degree in Hebrew Literature. Barnett then moved to New York City, where he earned a master’s degree and ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. His first pulpit was at Har Zion Temple, just outside Philadelphia, where he served as assistant rabbi under Rabbi Gerald Wolpe.
“I love it,” Barnett says. “I’ve found [Rhode Islanders] to be very open and congenial and very welcoming to me so far.”
COMMUNITY BUSINESS 38 | OBITUARIES 40
Rabbi David Barnett ROBERT ISENBERG
As in many of his past appoint ments, Barnett is a “transitional” rabbi for a year. The temple does not have a cantor, and Barnett will also fill that role.
BY ROBERT ISENBERG EAST
GREENWICH – David Barnett, the new rabbi at Temple Torat Yisrael, first embraced religion through music, learning at a young age to play both classical guitar and violin.
PHOTO |
What followed was a long series of postings – or, as Barnett puts it: “For 25 years, I served a vari ety of West Coast Conservative congregations.” He pauses, then adds: “You could put a comma after that. You could say, ‘Both in a rabbinic and in a cantorial capacity.’ ” In 2011, Barnett crossed the country again, serving several congregations before arriving at Temple Torat Yisrael in August.
New year new rabbis
Rabbi David Barnett brings extensive experience – and music – to Torat Yisrael
A good fit: Shalem and Agudas Achim
Rabbi Talya Weisband Shalem PHOTO | SARAH GREENLEAF
RABBI TALYA WEISBARD Shalem has an impressive col lection of kippot. In addition to the rainbow one she wore during a recent interview, she brought along three others that matched her purple dress.“This one is kind of fun,” she said as she tried on a pur ple kippah. “I enjoy this one.” Shalem became the rabbi at Congregation Agudas Achim, a Reconstructionist temple in North Attleboro, in July. She has been involved in the Jewish world for years; in addition to being a rabbi, she is an educator, a community organizer and the co-founder of a Reconstructionist sum mer camp in South Sterling, Pennsylvania. Her career outside of Judaism has taken her from an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Harvard to working for the Census and training as a data analyst.Growing up in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Wis consin, Shalem was immersed in“MyJudaism.parents are both very involved in the Jewish community, both person ally and professionally,” she said. “They were part of the havurah movement, which is kind of this DIY, you know, very feminist movement. They wrote their own creative feminist Jewish wedding cer emony and wrote a creative baby-naming ceremony for me.”When Shalem’s family joined a synagogue, it was Reconstructionist.“Iwasaround3or 4, and we had a woman rabbi there, and apparently when I was that age, I asked if boys could become rabbis too,” Shalem said with a laugh. “I went to Harvard for college and was in the Con servative minyan, and the Conservative minyan at the time [1996] had a rule that if you were leading services, you could not include the Imahot, the four [founding] mothers, in the Amidah, [it] was not allowed,” she said. “And this was wild to me. I think Imahot only came into published prayer books in the 1990s, but it had been in indi vidual congregational prayer books – photocopied things or handwritten things – my whole life. And just the idea that you couldn’t do it as the leader was so annoying.” Harking back to her child hood in the havurah move ment, Rabbi Shalem founded a Reconstructionist havurah at Harvard Hillel that met for havdalah.“Incollege, I really enjoyed running the havurah and being a spiritual leader,” she said.In her college application essays, Shalem wrote that she wanted to be a lawyer, an aca demic or a rabbi. Once in col lege, she found herself pulled between the debate team and Hillel, and more often than not found herself attending services rather than leaving campus to debate. The choice wasAsmade.partof the havurah movement, Shalem had spent summers at national havurot institutes, where many people were faculty at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, in Wyncote, Pennsyl vania, where she applied to rabbinical school. “I knew it was a warm, nice community where people got mentored,” Shalem said. While visiting the school, she attended a launch party for a student who had pub lished a book of children’s plays, while another student had put out a CD of meditative Jewish music. “I saw the community celebrating her [the writer], and I was like, this is a really cool place where people are celebrated for their different, creative ways of being Jew ish,” she Shalemsaid.also found that her feminism was a good fit with the Reconstructionist move ment.“Reconstructionism rejects chosenness, which aligned well with me. I always found that kind of a troubling con cept,” she said.
RhodeIslandAlliancespecialistorg)(sgreenleaf@jewishallianceri.isthedigitalmarketingfortheJewishofGreaterRhodeandwritesforJewishIsland.
SARAH GREENLEAF
As a rabbi, Shalem said she enjoys working with multi generational families and the varied nature of her days, which might include meet ing congregants, planning a funeral or leading services.
Rabbi
BYCOMMUNITYSARAHGREENLEAF
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 25
“I enjoy being able to use my toolbox to help people,” she said. “I have a toolbox that’s mostly Jewish things, but also some other world wisdom, and I try to meet whoever comes my way with whatever I can use to help them.”Shalem described the Congregation Agudas Achim community as warm and caring.“People have stayed here for a long time, and built really deep friendships and marriagecoupleWhatlikeIitresponded,aiteaboutand-forth.”engagewherecommunitieslikethingsandreallyvices,questionsshegenerations,”acrossconnectionsmultiplesaid.“IfIaskinserpeoplehavethoughtfulinterestingtosay.Iworkinginwecaninaback-Whenaskedherfavorpartofbeingrabbi,Shalem“Oy,feelscliché,butactuallyreallyweddings.Itelltheis,Ithinkisreally hard for everyone, and what I want to do is everything I can to throw glue at you, that is what I’m doing. “Me and the community of your families, and whatever religious traditions they come from, [are here] to help you and strengthen you and be there to support you however we can.”
“Rhode Island Community Covid-19 Reflections” is in RIJHA’s archives, available to be read now and in the future.
grant Aid Society and Jewish Immigration via the Fabre Line to Prov idence”; Ruth Breindel gave a detailed presenta tion on the Moshassuck Cemetery, in Central Falls; Linda Lotridge Levin presented an Underwood typewriter with Hebrew keys that was owned by Solomon Lightman in the 1940s; Elizabeth Bakst reminded everyone of the National Council of Jewish Women’s dispensary, a medical clinic that ran from 1911 to 1938, helping the underserved pop ulations in Providence’s North End; and George Goodwin gave an update on how photographs are selected for RIJHA’s various publications. RIJHA plans to share parts of its collections digitally with members through a social-media outreach ini the association will also make a spe cial effort to reach out on social media to younger generations and all others who are interested in learning about, or participating in, preserving Rhode Island’s Jewish history. RIJHA welcomes active partic ipants as well as observers and supporters. For more information or to view the digital collections, go to www.rijha.org.
RIJHA: Looking to the future as it preserves our past Shanah u-Metukah!Tovah www.teprov.org | 401.331.1616 There's so much going on at Temple Emanu-El that we can't fit it all in this ad! Learn more by scanning the QR code, calling the office, or visiting www.teprov.org. We look forward to welcoming you soon! We wish you a good and sweet new year! Scan Me! Geraldine Foster and Eleanor Horvitz in the old archives of the RI Jewish Historical Association.
• RIJHA assisted in genealogical and scholarly research using materials from its Beryl and Chaya Segal Archives. These archives are currently being catalogued into a digital cataloging software system to make the collection more accessi ble to members, researchers and the general public.
26 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org COMMUNITY
Submitted by the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association
• RIJHA regularly collaborated with other nonprofit historical organiza tions.
THE RHODE ISLAND Jewish Historical Association was chartered in 1951 and is the oldest nonprofit Jewish histori cal society in continuous operation in the United States. RIJHA’s mission is to collect and preserve items related to the history of Jews in Rhode Island, conduct programs that encourage and promote the study of that history, and support research into R.I.’s Jewish history.AsRIJHA members look toward the coming year, the association is proud of its many recent accomplishments:
• RIJHA arranged for the preser vation and restoration of portraits of the first two documented Jew ish settlers in Providence, Dutch immigrants Solomon and Miriam Pareira. Work on the portraits is being done by Gianfranco Pocobene, a specialist in portrait restoration, in Malden, Massachusetts.
• RIJHA published its annual issue of Rhode Island Jewish Histori cal Notes, a journal of carefully researched and documented arti cles, as well as tributes to recently deceased RIJHA members.
IN 1948, Andrews left a comfortable postwar life in Los Angeles to travel to the war-torn Middle East, where a four-front Arab invasion threatened to destroy the newly-declared State of Israel. There he joined the Israeli Air Force and became one of its first fighterAndrewspilots.was an unex pected volunteer in the fight for a Jewish state. He was many things – an artist, writer, assimilated Jew, ladies’ man, pilot and com bat veteran of the Pacific war. He had previously been aloof from the struggle for Jewish independence, but found himself so roused by the antisemitism of 1940s America that he decided to go to Israel and risk every thing.Andrews made the most of his time in the new nation, serving in fighter and bomber squadrons and becoming the stuff of legend in the Israeli Air Force. The Sept. 14 virtual pro gram will feature Jeffrey and Craig Weiss, co-authors of “Fighting Back,” sub titled “Stan Andrews and the Birth of the Israeli Air Force.” Jeff Weiss is a twotime Ironman and ultra marathoner, while Craig Weiss is a venture capitalist and an Andrewstryingacter.moldstoryWeisswrote:from“Fightinggarneredentrepreneur.award-winningThebrothershavemuchpraiseforBack,”includingauthorDanSenor,who“JeffreyandCraighaveuncoveredtheofaJewishherointheofaLeonUrischarReaderswillenjoytokeepupwithStan–atypicalJewish
Israeli Culture Series kicks off
program about a daring Jewish hero COMMUNITY Vote by September 13th | Democratic Primary GreggForRI.com hello@GreggForRI.com 401.203.7195
BY LARRY KATZ
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 27
What would inspire an assimilated American Jewish combat pilot to help found an air force for a country that did not yet exist? On Sept. 14, co-authors who were featured in Nancy Spielberg’s 2014 documentary, “Above and Beyond,” will discuss this question through the eyes of Stan Andrews.
New Yorker turned daring combat pilot – as he chases history from the air force planes of the United States and the nascent state of Israel.”Author Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Insti tute, wrote, “Absorbing and beautifully written, ‘Fight ing Back’ tells the thrilling story of an unlikely Amer ican Jewish hero. At a time when some American Jews are distancing themselves from the Jewish state, this book is a powerful reminder of the deep roots connect ing American Jewry and Israel.”Thefree program will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is the opening pro gram of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Israeli Culture Series, which takes place on the second Wednesday of each month, and it is also the first program hosted by Eli hay Skital, Rhode Island’s new shaliach (Israeli emis sary).For more information about this program, contact Larry Katz, at 401-421-4111 or anceri.org/fighting-back/.program,org.lkatz@jewishallianceri.Toregisterforthegoto jewishalli LARRY KATZ jewishallianceri.org)(lkatz@ is the director of Jewish life and learning at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. with
PHOTO | SHAMOONSAM
Touro Synagogue holds unique celebration of the Washington letter
COMMUNITY L’Shana Tova! From Your Friends at... L’Shana Tova! From Your Friends at...
28 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
BY SAM SHAMOON NEWPORT – The packed audi ence at Touro Synagogue was engrossed on Aug. 21 as two eloquent speakers celebrated, in unique ways, the exchange of letters in 1790 between the Hebrew Congregation of New port and George Washington, the newly elected president of the United States of America. For the first time in the 75-year history of this cele bration, neither guest speaker addressed the letters directly – but the letters’ message of the importance of religious freedom for all rang as loudly asTheever.celebration began with opening remarks and an invocation, followed by a public reading of the two historic letters. The first letter, written on Aug. 17, 1790, by Moses Seixas, Touro Synagogue’s warden, was addressed to George Wash ington and expressed the anx iety of an oppressed minority. Seixas sought assurance that the “children of the stock of Abraham” would find in the new nation, “Liberty of conscience, and immunities of Citizenship.”Inhisresponse, President Washington wrote that the new country “gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance and requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.” With these stirring words, Washington gave his official endorsement to freedom of religion one year before the adoption of the Bill of Rights. Did it make a difference that it was President Wash ington who penned that sec ond letter, asked Kevin But terfield, the keynote speaker and the executive director of the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, in Mount Vernon,ButterfieldVirginia.assured the audience that for Americans of the time, it made a crucial difference. He said Wash ington was a special leader among the Founding Fathers, both a towering figure and so beloved that young couples named their babies George Washington.Furthermore, Butterfield said, Washington was held in such high esteem that he was often compared to Moses bringing his people to the Promised Land. But Washing ton did Moses one better, he said: Moses led the Israelites into sight of the Promised Land, but Washington put the Americans in full possession of their land. In addition, according to Butterfield, Washington brought a sense of perma nence and steadiness to the young nation. He was a “stabi lizing presence” in the newly formed country during a time when many of the laws that would hold us together as a nation were in flux and the state of the nation as a united country felt uncertain to support,withtioncludedButterfieldsome.conhispresentabysayingthatWashington’sthenotion of religious freedom in the new republic was no radical position, but simply the way it should be. The day’s second speaker, New York Times best-selling author Judy Batalion, was presented with the Judge Alexander George Teitz Award, which is given annu ally to an individual or insti tution that best exemplifies a contemporary commitment to the ideals of religious and ethnic tolerance and freedom. Batalion is the author of “The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resis tance Fighters in Hitler’s Ghettos.” In her moving speech, she recounted the harrowing stories of brave young Jewish women who fought the Nazis during World WarSheII.said that after witness ing the brutal murders of their families and neighbors, a cadre of Jewish women in Poland, many still teenagers, transformed Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis. Batalion explained how these “ghetto girls” worked tirelessly, craft ily and relentlessly to oppose the Nazis, paying off Gestapo guards, hiding revolvers in teddy bears, bombing Ger man train lines, destroying their water supplies, and more.Batalion’s dedication to bringing these women’s stories to light exemplifies a commitment to religious and ethnic tolerance and freedom, said Andrew Teitz, son of Judge Teitz and the presenter of the Teitz award. The Aug. 21 celebration also included the awarding of The Aaron and Rita Slom Scholar ship for Freedom and Diver sity, which annually provides $1,000 college scholarships to two high school seniors.
The award winners created an interpretive written work focusing on the ideas in the Washington letter as seen in the present time. The scholarship fund’s co-founder, Rita Slom, was this year’s reader of Washing ton’s letter. David Epstein, son of the congregation’s late beloved member Barbara Epstein, read Seixas’ letter. In the middle and at the conclusion of the day’s program, the audience was treated to musical perfor mances by baritone Trevor S. Neal and pianist Suzanna Laramee. They performed “Zion’s Wall,” by the 20th-cen tury American composer Aaron Copeland, and “My Days Have Been So Won drous Free,” composed by Francis Hopkinton, a friend of Washington’s and a signer of the Declaration of Inde pendence. This song, which set to music a poem by Irish clergyman Thomas Parnell, is considered America’s earli est secular composition, and expresses the joy of freedom from fear and intimidation that the Hebrew Congrega tion must have felt when it received Washington’s letter: My days have been so wondrous free, the little birds that fly with careless ease from tree to tree were but as blest as I. Ask gliding waters if a tear of mine increased their stream. And ask the breathing gales if e’er I lent a sigh to them.
SAM SHAMOON lives in Providence and is a trustee of the Touro Synagogue Foundation. The processional into Touro Synagogue.
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MARC THALER, son Thaler,andFredricofElyseis a ofUniversityatfreshmantheNew Hampshire and is studying liberal arts. His interests include community service through organized and personal volunteer efforts. He has volunteered for Keep Rehoboth Beautiful, Pride Inc., Autism Social Skills Group of Fall River, and as a first grade teacher at Temple Habonim’s religious school in Barrington. He was also captain of both the varsity soccer and lacrosse teams at Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School.
AFTER GOING THROUGH a rigorous selection pro cess, conducted by Touro’s Student Financial Aid Committee, three applicants were each awarded a $5,000 educational grant that will be used to defray the cost of a college education and does not have to be paid back. Five other applicants will share in a total of $17,500 in interest-free loans from Touro’s Leo Greenberg Memorial Scholarship Fund. These loans do not accrue interest and are not repayable until six months after the student graduates or is no longer a full-time student.Additionally, one student was awarded $500 from the Nate Lury Memorial Schol arship Fund, which will be used to reduce his current, outstanding student loan balance. The winners of the grants are: MATTHEW SMITH, son of Adam Smith and PolytechnicRensselaerfreshmanSmith,Allgood-Andreaisaat Institute in Troy, New York, and is studying electrical engineering. His interests include Schoolattendingfixinghospitalalsoandbuildingmathematics,electroniccircuitscomputerdesign.Hevolunteeredatalocalrecalibratingandmachinery.WhileTollGateHighinWarwickand electrical engineering classes at the Community College of Rhode Island, his high grade point average earned him a membership in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.
Harris Board Chair
ZACHARY VANDERHOFF, son of Vanderhoff,Schwartz-andVanderhoffEarlSharon is also a member.TouroHe is a junior at the University of Rhode Island and is studying cell and molecular biology. Zachary, who is a graduate of Cranston High School West, is an Eagle Scout and is the senior patrol leader for his troop. In the field of biology, he is particularly interested in genetics, gene editing and gene modification. He would like to attend graduate school and study research on gene editing and aging. Since the establishment of the student grant and loan program in 1981, Touro Fra ternal Association has made financial awards to ease the cost of higher education. Regular Touro members, their children and the children of deceased Touro members who are enrolled in an accredited institution of higher learning are eligi ble to apply for interest-free loans.Regular Touro members and their children who are enrolled in an accredited institution of higher learn ing are eligible to apply for a one-time $5,000 grant. In both cases, regular Touro members must be members in good standing for at least two years to be eligible. For more information about Touro’s loan grant programs, asandwell as many other benefits offered to its membership, visit the website at www.tourofra ternal.org or send an email to atYouinfo@tourofraternal.org.canalsocalltheoffice401-785-6600.
Chorney
CRANSTON, R.I. –Touro announcedAssociationFraternaltheawarding
Submitted by the Touro Fraternal Association
of $33,000 in student financial aid to eight students who are pursuing higher education degrees for the upcoming academic year.
COMMUNITY Wishing you and your family a year of sweet blessings filled with abundant joy, peace, and happiness. On behalf of the board and staff at the Jewish Alliance, we wish you a happy and healthy 5783!
Touro Fraternal awards student aid
Adam Greenman President & CEO
THERE ARE SO MANY elements to being Jewish: religion, community, culture, experience,friendship,food,etc.
BY GABRIELL LEVY
30 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
My Birthright Israel trip with the University of Rhode Island Hillel let me experience each of these different aspects, which questions and embrace the newness of the jour ney we were on. I never expected to feel such comfort being halfway across the world with a bunch of strang ers, but the dynamic of spending an immersive 10 days with a group of peers built a strong feeling of community time to shop in the mar kets, walk the streets, and absorb anything that interests you. As a whole, this was my favorite part of the trip. I loved waking up in the morning for a hike with the entire group, then having an Israeli soldier guide me and a few friends to their favorite shawarma or the experience Birth right Israel gave me this summer, and I’m even more grateful for the new people in my life, who I can genuinely call my friends.Moving forward, I hope to discover more about my Jewish faith, and plan to return to the land of Israel as soon as I possi trip leads
Birthright Israel
to Jewish self-discovery for URI student COMMUNITY Providence River Animal Hospital Dr. Jane Linden, DVM Our Services · General Wellness & Medicine · Blood & Laboratory Services · Radiology · Dentistry · Surgery · Anesthesia · Pharmacy Providence River Animal Hospital is a state of the art, full-service animal hospital. Our goal is to provide your pet with optimal care in a compassionate and caring manner. Our highest priority is the comfort and well being of your animal. Compassionate care. Modern medicine. May you and your beloved pets be inscribed in the Book of Life. 40 1-274-772 4 (PRAH) | 131 Point Street, Providence, RI | ProvidenceRiverAnimalHospital.com | facebook.com/PRAHvet
HAZAMIR: The International Jewish Teen Choir has added a middle-school preparatory program, HaZaPrep, extend ing the HaZamir experience to seventh- and eighth-grade students, the national office has toandinteractionworksmusicians.nitymovementtionalteenHaZamirannounced.isaprofessionalchoir,Jewisheducaorganization,youthandanopportutodevelopyoungJewishThegroupalsotoincreasesocialbetweenDiasporaIsraeliJews,accordingitsnationaloffice.HaZamir,whichwillsoon celebrate its 30th anniver sary, has some 40 chapters in the U.S. and Israel, bringing together hundreds of high school singers each year for a festival and concert in New York City’s finest concert halls.Students in grades 7-12 who have a high level of musical ability and an interest in meeting and engaging with similarly-minded teens are encouraged to attend a few open rehearsals to see if HaZamir is right for them. HaZamir dence (ninthProvithrough 12th grades) and HaZaPrep Prov idence (seventh and eighth grades) rehearse on Sun days at Temple Emanuel, 99 Taft Ave., Providence. The groups are led by Cantor Brian Mayer and Cantor Joel Gluck, respectively. For more information on HaZamir Providence, email BJMayer@teprov.org. For more information on HaZa Prep, email HaZaPrepProv@ gmail.com.Formore information on HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir, go to www.hazamir.org.
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 31
7-12 Don’t miss the ‘Senior Prom’ COMMUNITY BUILDERS OF THE GOOD LIFE. At Wingate, we build more
ON FRIDAY, SEPT. 16, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Dwares Jewish Community Center and Jewish Collaborative Services will host a “Senior” Prom! Enjoy Kosher lunch, live music and dancing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the JCC. RSVP to Dorothy Retting, dretting@jewishallianceri.org, or Rebecca D'Arezzo, rdarezzo@jewishallian ceri.org, 401-421-4111, ex.152 or 115. Everyone is welcome to attend.
simply beautiful residences. We build communities that let you live to the absolute fullest with compassion and dignity. With two elegant, modern Wingate Residences right
HaZamir seeks talented singers in grades than here
in Providence, the choice is yours. Learn more at wingatehealthcare.com | 1-800-WINGATE Scan to learn more Independent Living Assisted Living Memory Care unday October 2 2022 Becky Khitrik www.
The Hadassah Rhode Island Chapter recently shared a behind-the-scenes look at the operations and facilities of the Hadassah Medical Centers in Israel, which Hadassah says helps help around a million people each year. programs hospitals,
explore Hadassah’s
As
Governor, I am proud of the deep historic legacy of Jewish contributions to our state, and I wish all a happy upcoming new year and best wishes. Shanah Tovah to Members of Rhode Island’s Jewish Community!
THE DIVERSITY of patients and staff and the level of coexistence at the Israeli medical centers is unmatched in the Middle East – and probably the world – with Jews, Arabs and Christians working together on a daily basis, said Barbara Goldstein, deputy director of the Hadassah office in Israel. Together, she said, they have one mission: to serve the public and heal the sick.About 60% of all med ical research in Israel is conducted by Hadassah hospitals, and it is no secret that many discov eries and innovations come out of this small country, Goldstein said. In a Zoom meeting on Aug. 17, Hadassah Rhode Island President Yardena Kapach Winkler pre sented an inside look at the top-rated facilities and staff of the historic Mount Scopus and Ein Kerem campuses, after returning from a private tour of the facilities. Goldstein and Hadassah volunteers were among those who zoomed in for the program.
Submitted by RhodeHadassahIsland
COMMUNITY Zoom
A second part to 10on“IttonitiesimmigrantsofferYoutharoundvillages,theseWarThird1930sAliyahdrivingHenriettastillNeurim,Shfeyatwomatetakeseries,Hadassah-in-IsraelthisZoomonSept.13,willviewersonanintivirtualtouroftheyouthvillages,MeirandHadassahthatHadassahsupports.HadassahfounderSzold,theforceoftheYouthvillagesintheand’40s,duringtheReichandWorldII,ledandinspireduniqueIsraeliyouthwhichsproutedthecountry.Today,theHadassahAliyahvillagesIsraeliyouthandtheopportuandtoolsnecessaryleadwell-roundedlives.TheZoompresentation,TakesTwoVillages,”Tuesday,Sept.13,ata.m.,isopentoall.The program will focus on the villages’ unique character and scenery, as well as former Youth Aliyah resi dents from Yemen, Argen tina and other nations. To register, go to frommadecultureexcellencementandinhealth100workedorganizationAmerica,ZionistHadassah.org/villages.events.Hadassah,theWomen’sOrganizationofisavolunteerthathasformorethanyearstoenhancetheandlivesofpeopleIsrael,theUnitedStatesworldwide.Hadassah’scommittoJewishcontinuity,anddiversityofandfaithispartlypossiblebysupportourcommunity.
32 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
youth villages
Speaker are (clockwise from top left) Ami Magen, CEO, Hadassah Neurim; Elijah Coke, camper and counselor, RI and Israel; Odin Shumaf, head security, Meir Shfeya; Zecharia Shafir, Youth Aliyah village, K’far Batia; Silvia Zymerman, Youth Aliyah village, Nitzanim and special guest Marcie Natan, National Youth Aliyah Villages chair. Rhode Island
grantFoundationsandGoldowskyBernhardt,Silversteinseekapplications COMMUNITY A prepaid funeral plan protects your family. FREE Planning Guide: DignityMemorial.com FUNERALS | CEMETERIES | ADVANCE PLANNING Erica Ann DeNinno, Funeral Director. Sugarman Sinai MEMORIAL CHAPEL 401-331-8094 ON LAND IN WATER OR ONLINE 401 ELMGROVE AVENUE | PROVIDENCE, RI 02906 POWERED BY THE JEWISH ALLIANCE 40 1. 42 1. 4 111 JewishAllianceRI.org “German Motors came highly recommended and they were as exceptional as I was told they would be. My 1987 560SL limped in for service and then drove away like a new vehicle. The pricing was fair, communication was excellent and all efforts were timely. In my opinion it is rare these days to find this sort of excellent service” –Tom B., Warwick, Mercedes-Benz 560SL “1987 560 SL REBORN” BMWAUDI MERCEDES BENZ VOLKSWAGENMERCEDESMINIBMWAUDIMERCEDESBENZPORSCHEVOLKSWAGENMINICOOPERBENZVOLKSWAGENMINIPORSCHEMINICOOPERPORSCHEVOLKSWAGENBENZMERCEDESAUDIBMW “Capable of providing service without any personal contact.” –Gerry and Denis Moreau Sales& Service G ERMAN M OTORS INC 879 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904 401-272-4266 Email us at: germanmotors help@gmail.com
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 33
PROVIDENCE – Are you affiliated with a nonprofit organization in need of grant funds? If so, please consider submitting a grant request to the Helene and Bertram Ber nhardt Foundation, the Gertrude N. and Seebert J. Goldowsky Foundation and/or the Pearle W. and Martin M. throughFoundation.SilversteinEstablishedin2005theestatesof the late Helene and Bertram Bernhardt, the Bernhardt Foundation’s mission is to support nonprofit orga nizations, with a specific preference given to Jewish nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island, and to non profit organizations that Helene and Bertram Ber nhardt supported during their lives. The Foun dation also distributes a limited number of small grants (up to $250) to local charities that support the broader community. Since its founding, the Bernhardt Foundation has distributed more than $5 million to such nonprofit organizations as Tem ple Beth-El, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, Jewish Collabora tive Services, Brown RISD Hillel, URI Hillel and The Miriam Hospital, among others.TheGoldowsky Foun dation was established in 2006 through the estates of Gertrude N. and Seebert J. Goldowsky. Its mission is to support betweenawardsGoldowskyliceducation,localandkyssupportedsiderationorganizations,nonprofitwithcongiventothosebytheGoldowsduringtheirlifetimes,withafocusontheJewishcommunity,medicine,pubhealthandhistory.TheFoundationgrantsinamounts$250and$7,500 to advance these funding priorities.TheSilverstein Foun dation was established in 1989 through the estates of Pearle W. and Martin M. Silverstein. Its mission is to support nonprofit organizations, with consideration given to those supported by the Silversteins during their lifetimes, and with a focus on the local Jewish community, education, the arts and social justice. The Silverstein Foundation awards grants in amounts between $250 and $5,000 to advance these funding priorities.Pleasenote that the Goldowsky and Silver stein Foundations are particularly interested in providing grants to new organizations during the current grant cycle, due to a budgetary surplus that must be closed this year. To receive the applica tion forms and funding guidelines, contact Samuel Zurier, secretary of these foundations, at 123 Dyer St., Suite 135, Providence, RI 02903 or sdz@zurierlaw. com or at 401-861-0200. The deadline to submit applications is Dec. 1, 2022.
LaFortune: “I’m a proud grad uate of Providence Public Schools. … Our teachers are not getting the support they need. … Our schools have been falling apart for years. We need to create 21st-cen tury buildings that will deliver quality education to every student. … We need to transition our schools back to On the rise in hate crimes and antisemitism
action plans and adequate pay. … We need teachers who are professionally and per sonally in our community.”
| JCSofRI | JCS_RI The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence Case Management Lifeline RIKesher Congregational Outreach Adoption Options Jewish Eldercare of RIKosher Nutrition Shalom Apartments The Counseling Center The Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry Have aSweet & HealthyNew Year From the Board of Directors and Staff at JCS 1165 North Main Street, Providence, RI 02904 Providence mayoral candidates have their say at JCC forum COMMUNITY
PROVIDENCE – The roughly 70 people who attended the Prov idence Mayoral Forum on Aug. 29 heard a lot of agree ment from Gonzalo Cuervo, Nirva LaFortune and Brett Smiley, the three Democrats hoping to succeed Mayor Jorge Elorza. The event, at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, was sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater State Nellie LaFortuneGorbea.isonthe Prov idence City Council, repre senting Ward 3. She works in higher education administra tion at Brown University. Smiley was Gov. Gina Raimondo’s chief of staff and director of say.isthethemdateMachadoadministration.askedeachcandisevenquestionsandgavetimetoanswerduringhour-longprogram.Heresomeofwhattheyhadto
Smiley: “It breaks my heart to JCSRI.org
Cuervo: “It is unfortunate and surprising in the year 2022 that this conversation still show we respect everyone. A lot of these people committing these crimes don’t even live in our neighborhood or our city.”
401.331.1244 |
Steph Machado at the podium with (left to right) Gonzalo Cuervo, Nirva LaFortune and Brett Smiley.
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 35
BY FRAN OSTENDORF
36 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org הקדצ השועהמ רתוי הולמה לודג Greater Providence Hebrew Free Loan Association 2845 Post Road / Suite 105, Warwick, RI 02886 (401) 384-7251 Lending a Helping Hand for More Than 110 Years Greater Providence Hebrew Free Loan Association, a member of the International Association of Jewish Free Loans, offers interest free loans to members of the Greater Rhode Island Jewish communities and is ready to serve your needs. Our loans can be used for virtually any purpose including: Call our office if you would like to: Receive additional information / Request a loan / Become a member We offer loans up to $5,000 for first time borrowers. Loan amount determines payback period and other requirements “One who lends money to the poor without interest is greater than he who gives charity” (Talmud: Shabbat AdoptionsFertilityUnexpected63a)BillsTreatments&More...Home Improvements Debt AutomobileConsolidationRepairs College Tuition Medical Expenses Heating Oil Delivery 45 ROLFE SQUARE, CRANSTON, RI • WWW.TOUROFRATERNAL.ORG SHANA TOVA Wishing You a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year (401) 785-0066 5783
“To
Whether it’s treating civilians wounded in terror attacks or responding to any number of at-home medical emergencies, no organization in Israel saves more lives than Magen David Adom. No gift will help Israel more this coming year. Support Magen David Adom by donating today at afmda.org/support or call 866.632.2763.
RIIC celebrates 5 years of success
—
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 37
Shanah tovah. afmda.org/support save one life is to save the world entire.” The Talmud
This High Holiday season, as we seek spiritual and physical renewal for ourselves and our loved ones, let us also remember those in Israel who nurture and renew life every day.
This story originally appeared at theriic.org RIVERSIDE – On Aug. 17, 2022, the Rhode Island Israel Collaborative (RIIC) hosted a dinner and networking event to celebrate the fifth anniver sary of its founding. RIIC was founded by CEO Avi Nevel in 2017, to grow commercial, aca demic and research connec tions between Rhode Island and Israel. The RIIC has connected individuals, start ups and major corporations, growing dozens of productive international partnerships in the process. It is a 501 (c) (6) all-volunteer chamber of commerce.Theevent was held at the Squantum Association; it was attended by more than 90 people, who enjoyed drinks and hors d’oeuvres ahead of a slate of speakers that included Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Israel Consul General to New England, Ambassador Meron Reuben. Acting as the evening’s emcee, RIIC board member Miriam Ross intro duced the entire RIIC board and spoke about the early ties between Rhode Island and Israel, which date back more than 160 years. Ross introduced McKee as “a steadfast friend to our organization.” In his remarks, McKee first acknowledged Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, also in attendance, before speaking in praise of the RIIC and its work in “bringing [Rhode Island and Israel] together in a way that benefits us all.” McKee presented Nevel with a certificate of special recogni tion, from “a personal friend and from the people of Rhode Island.” Nevel returned the gesture by presenting McKee with a plaque from the RIIC, and thanked him for “always having a door open, and for always being welcoming to [theIsraelRIIC].”Consul General and Ambassador Meron Reuben congratulated the RIIC for all it has accomplished “in only five years, two of which were under COVID.” Reu ben pledged the consulate’s ongoing support, saying, “We will continue to be there, sideby-side, to do whatever we can for RIIC.” Reuben was fol lowed by Oscar Mejias, pres ident and CEO of the Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which had pre viously partnered with RIIC and Israeli tech company WIX in 2020 for the RI Latino Web Project. The project is now poised for a nationwide trial. Mejias also hinted at another, upcoming collabo ration with RIIC, and was fol lowed with a recorded video greeting from Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner, who offered congrat ulations and thanks, calling RIIC’s work “truly visionary” and noting efforts that “have led to economic progress for both Israel and Rhode Island.” These greetings were followed by a dinner of Israe li-themed cuisine. Wine was donated by Royal Wine Corp., an Israeli company with roots in Rhode Island, and live entertainment was provided by Israeli accordionist, Sam Gavish.Themeal was followed by a recorded greeting from for mer Rhode Island Governor and current U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Rai mondo, who offered congrat ulations. She noted how the organization “led the effort to strengthen ties between Rhode Island and Israel,” and acknowledged the value of the partnerships created by these collaborations.FormerRhode Island Secretary of Commerce, Stefan Pryor spoke proudly about Rhode Island’s num ber-two position in leading the nation’s post-COVID economic recovery. He said, “Rhode Island is leading the way, and RIIC is a big part of it,” and noted that “innova tion is at the heart of these efforts, and it matters that we have an engine like RIHub,” referring to the Provi dence-based startup incuba tor whose partnership with RIIC is responsible for their successful “Bridge to Israel” program.IsraeliEconomic Minister to North America, Anat Katz praised the RIIC by saying, “When you see something that flourishes, you try to figure out why. I think the vital ingredients are the people.” She said that RIIC’s “outstanding people,” are “at the core of the Collaborative: neshama – soul. This is the reason why this is success ful.”Nevel ended the program, saying that he felt “very hum bled” by the previous speak
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BY MICHAEL SCHEMAILLE
Business DirecProfessional&tory APPLIANCES (401) 474-0735 LicensedRochelle.Ziegler@NEMoves.comRochelle.Ziegler12@gmail.comCELLinRI,MA&CT196WatermanAvenue,Providence,RI02906AmongtheTop50AgentsinNewEnglandROCHELLE ELLEN ZIEGLER Realtor®, ABR, ASP, CNAS, CRS INSURANCE HOME IMPROVEMENTS REALATTORNEYSEDUCATIONESTATEWATCH REPAIR & SALES • Subzero • Wolf • GE • Whirlpool • Electrolux • Verona WE CARRY THE BEST BRANDS SUCH AS EST. izschwartzappliance.com1979 THERAPY Will you be a senior in the fall? Start now. Create your winning applications over the summer. Your application must make you stand out. Lily Trayes Founder and CEO, Ivy League Placement & Lily Trayes College Counseling, LLC 401-234-6174 PROVIDENCE EAST SIDE · Choose which colleges · Create a compelling personal essay · Design a dynamic resumé · Write supplementpersuasiveessays “Ms. Trayes offers advice, comfort and community …she goes a step further.” - THE NEW YORK TIMES Get into your Dream College WE’VE BEEN HERE SINCE 1919 17 3 W IC KE ND EN PVD 401/4 21-51 5 7 www.a dle rsr i.comf WHEN WOODROW WILSON WAS PRESIDENT, 25¢ COULD BUY A GALLON OF GAS, AND A ‘TWEET’ WAS A BIRD TALKING The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community JEWISH RHODE ISLAND
The writer and the cruise ships
Landlubbers, it’s time to venture out of your comfort zone BUSINESS ers’ acclaim for the organi zation’s work. He thanked everyone in the room, empha sizing that each person in attendance had contributed in some way to RIIC’s success. “It’s hard to believe it’s been five years. It feels like yesterday,” he said as he presented a slide show of RIIC highlights and success stories and expressed his confidence in the work still to come. “It’s not what we do,” Nevel said, “it’s what others do because of us. It’s about mak ing that “Tomorrowconnection.morning, we’re going to start on our next five years. Thank you for being partners on this journey.” An award ceremony fol lowed, with certificates of recognition given to individu als who had been significant contributors to RIIC’s success over the last five years. The night ended with networking, as invitees from universities, U.S. and Israeli government, hospitals, chambers of com merce, tech startups, and more mingled and made new contacts and plans for the future.
BY BARBARA KENERSON
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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island
LET’S START WITH this I hate boats. I hate boats of all sizes – little boats and huge boats, often referred to as yachts or cruise ships. They’re boring, you can’t go anywhere, you’re totally trapped by all of that sloshing water. Oh, and I get wicked seasick, as in really sick.So, that being said, I just went on a cruise on a very big, extremely enormous ship that has the capacity to “house” 4,000 guests (there were 3,829 on board, plus about 1,700 staff).Sounds meshugga, right? Believe me, this would never have happened if it weren’t for my beloved second cousin, Eric, and his accomplishedamazinglygirlfriend, Ree, who greatly complimented me by insisting that I go on this trip with them and Ree’s family of grown, highly accomplished children, mates andSonieces.onceI got over myself and my preconceived notions of what a cruise is – how sick I’ll get, all people do is eat and drink too much, blah, blah, blah – I decided to take the plunge (cute, no?) and go! (Full disclosure necessi tates my admitting at this point that I actually have been on most of the river cruises in Europe, and loved them, with their much smaller boats, as in about 150-200 guests, lovely clientele and the very calm waters of those gorgeous rivers. They’re very different in a million ways from the gigan tic “real” cruise ships.) So, I went with low expec tations – often a very good thing. But my generally neg ative attitude changed from the get-go when I attended an outstanding fine art auction as one of my first activities. Three of the paintings that were for sale sold for $73,000, $4,900 and $29,000! Were these the “cruise people” that I had stereotyped? This really helped me bury my snobby opinions!Nevertheless, and despite excellent day trips to Hon duras, Belize and a couple of interesting, historic cities in Mexico, cruises are pretty much all about the chow. But aren’t all trips and vacays about food? (Am I seriously asking a mostly Jewish readership that question?) Cruises, however, focus on food on steroids! I am a self-proclaimed gourmet eater and, when the spirit moves me, a gourmet cook – and I found the chow onboard to be very passable, and at times excellent. Every day, 15,000 meals must be prepared and kept hot, fresh and delicious. At a most informative and inter esting presentation by the ship’s top three kahunas, it was revealed that every week they go through over 58,000 eggs, 60,000+ pounds of veggies and 55,000 pounds of meat, among a zillion other items of comparably impres sive quantities. Not to men tion 58,000 bottles of beer and seemingly unlimited hard booze.This “city” on the waves even has its own recycling department, right down to a crushing machine that efficiently takes care of those sucked-dry beer bottles. The various statistics are mind-blowing, and this isn’t even a mega cruise ship like the Wonder of the Seas, which carries about 7,000 passengers and 2,300 crew! So, think outside the box and venture out of your comfort zone. Life is so short. Stop living with preconceived ideas and too many restrictions that impede your living to the fullest. Tell your intrusive ego to shut up, go away and let you really live. Do some thing different and you’ll never live with regrets.
Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest coaches of all time, made the phrase “Leave no regrets” famous. I have found that you regret things that you didn’t do more than the things you did. So, something doesn’t work out great. So what! Remember Vince and reread the quote above.Live fully with gusto! Live every blessed day! Go on the cruise! You may even like it –or love it, as … here it comes … I did!
BARBARA KENERSON wrote investment and financial articles for Jewish Rhode Island for years and is now, at various times, grappling with, hating and loving retirement. Reach her at Kbarbara5641@ gmail.com.
Eleanor Elbaum PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Eleanor Elbaum passed away quietly at home on Aug. 19, 2022. Ellie was born in Harbin, China to Russian parents Raisa and Zalman Dinaburg in 1932. The family moved to Japan in 1938 and spent the years of World War II in a remote mountain village. After the war she attended U.S. military schools and ultimately Mills College and the University of Toronto to study nursing. In Toronto she met her husband Charles. They were married for 61 years until his passing in 2018. Since the early 1960s, Ellie worked as a pediatric nurse at Rhode Island Hospital and Roger Williams Hospital. She was instrumental in establish ment of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital, where she was director of Pediatric Patient Services until her retirement in 1994. She was widely known in the Providence community for her efforts to promote children’s healthcare and women’s rights issues. She also developed close contacts with the Emeq Hospital in Afula, Israel. After retirement she served as co-chair of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women. She had many friends of all ages and was a role model for younger women in the balancing of family and career, combined with a spirit Certified by the Board of Rabbis of Greater Rhode Island Jacquelyn Aubuchon, Funeral Director
OBITUARIES
Cheryl Brill, 72 WARWICK, R.I. – Cheryl Lee Brill passed away July 27, 2022, comfortedpiceHulitarHopeHealthinHosCenterby her family. She was the wife of Wally Wetherbee, to whom she was married for 19 years. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Jacob A. and Frances (Chusmir) Brill, she was a longtime resident of Warwick.Agraduate of Hope High School in Providence, she earned a degree from Bryant College. Cheryl led a full and colorful life, including careers as owner/operator of Park Avenue Deli and an essential oils boutique until finding her true passion as a real estate agent, most recently at RI Real Estate Services. She was a past president of a local chapter of Women’s American O.R.T. and a former Girl Scout troopCherylleader.garnered deep relationships with everyone with whom she came into con tact. Clients became friends; friends became family. She is best known by all as fun-lov ing, always there with a quick quip and a warm, generous spirit. She loved life, and her family loves her.
In addition to her husband and their beloved dog Ozzie, she is survived by her daugh ter Jill DeLeo, her husband William and their two chil dren Aidan and Phaedra, of South Kingstown; her son Dean Weinberg, his wife Lizzi and their two children Zeke and Thea, of Providence; Wally’s son Nat Wetherbee, his wife Janice and their son Grant; daughter Emily Weth erbee, her husband Jonah Israelit and their daughter Rose; and numerous friends she considered Contributionsfamily.inher honor may be made to Rhode Island SPCA, 186 Amaral St., River side, RI 02915. Marc Davis, 80 WARWICK, R.I. – Marc Sanders “Sandy” Davis, of Warwick, died Aug. 11, 2022, after a short illness. His family was by his side throughout.BorninProvidence, Marc graduated from Classical High School in 1959 and earned a bachelor’s degree from Prov idence College in 1963 and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island in 1968. Marc married Helen Hirsch, his high school sweetheart. Together ever since, they just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary.Marcproudly met his mili tary obligation. He served in the Army as a Battery Com mander and Aerial Observer over the DMZ, deployed to Korea from 1964-1965. Marc was an exceptional entrepreneur, leading United Camera/UNICOM for 54 years through many rounds of evo lution, successfully pivoting a retail camera business into a cutting-edge IT services com pany. Marc cared deeply about his employees and worked mightily to always put them first. A generous and kind mentor, Marc took joy in the long tenure and personal and professional successes of the many who worked together alongside him. We’re all still watching the birdy. Marc had a special relation ship with his grandmother Etta Jagolinzer, in whom he instilled a lifelong passion for fly fishing during their time at the family farm. Nothing made Marc happier than to pass along his fishing enthusi asm and expertise, especially to the many children in his life. Marc found special enjoy ment and peace on the Wood River. He was an environmen tal advocate who worked to protect natural trout fishing habitat.Marc was also an avid skier and world traveler with Helen, with a particular love for New Zealand. He held multiple leadership roles at Temple Torat Yisrael throughout his life, including spearheading the funding and building of a newAntemple.18-year survivor of pan creatic cancer, Marc’s positive attitude, laugh and love for family prevailed. He lived life to the Marcfullest.issurvived by his wife Helen (Hirsch); his three children Michael Davis (Liselle Gottlieb), Lisa Davis and Andrew Davis (Amy K. Johnson); and his siblings, Clare Yaffe (Morris Yaffe) and Robert Davis (Paula Sue Grieve). Marc took great joy in his five grandchildren Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, Rebecca and Benjamin.Thefamily extends their gratitude to Drs. Dennis Cruff, Howard Safran and Ned Gut man and Marc’s entire care team over the last 18 years. Thank you for your skill and care and the many high-qual ity years Marc enjoyed. Marc also benefited from expert and compassionate care from the whole team at the Miriam Hospital and Hope Hospice. The family is extremely appre ciative.Memorial donations may be made to the Wood-Pawcatuck Watershed Association, 203 Arcadia Road, Hope Valley, RI 02832; Dr. Howard Safran’s Oncology Research fund at Rhode Island Hospital c/o The Lifespan Cancer Institute, 139 Point St. Providence, RI 02903; and Temple Torat Yisrael, 1251 Middle Road, East Greenwich, RI 02818.
Howard Backner, 88 CUMBERLAND, R.I. –Howard M. Backner, who lived in Pawtucket for most of his life before moving to Lincoln and then Cumberland, died Aug. 16, 2022, at The Miriam Hospital with his family by his side. He is now reunited with his beloved wife of more than 50 years, Joan E. (Schechter) Backner, who died in 2010. He was the cherished father of Jonathan Backner and his wife Christine of Cumberland, Jill Ciccotelli and her husband David of Methuen, Massachu setts, and James Backner and his wife Lynn of North Attle boro,BornMassachusetts.onAug.6,1934, in Manchester, England, he was the son of the late Jack and Jane (Varley) Backner and brother of the late Dorothy M. Rosen. He worked in the food service industry for 28 years. Howie, especially in his later years, was happiest when surrounded by family and friends – whether it involved going out to eat, traveling, playing cards, watching a ball game or sporting event with family or simply sitting in the sun, listening to music and telling stories. He was a renowned soccer player, bowler and an avid sportsman who enjoyed horse racing and watching sports (and rooting for any team besides the local ones!).Hewas especially proud of his seven grandchildren –Hillary, Rachel, Jared, Jenna, Corey, Brady and Ryan. The family is grateful for the overwhelming support he received while he resided at Chapel Hill Senior Living. A special thanks to his dear friend Claire ContributionsCalonne.inhis mem ory may be made to The Mir iam Hospital.
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Barbara Litowitz, 79 WARWICK, R.I. – Barbara Litowitz died Aug. 7, 2022, at Pawtucket Falls Healthcare Center. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Leonard and Blanche (Cohen) Litowitz, she had lived in Pawtucket for just over a year, previously living in Warwick. She was an assembly worker at John E. Fogarty Center, Johnston, for 40 years, until her retirement. Barbara received numerous awards while working there both for “Outstanding Service” and “35 years of service.” She was the dear sister of the late Elaine Botvin and sister-in-law of the late Paul Botvin. She was the loving niece of the late Sylvia Myrow, cousin of Louis Myrow, cher ished aunt of Lynn (Botvin) Feldman and Scott Botvin, and great-aunt of Justin Batista and Jeremy Batista. Contributions in her mem ory may be made to Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906.
in 1980, and served as the chief of pulmonary medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital, now Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center. During that time, he served on the Board of Directors of the Berks County Chapter of the Amer ican Lung Association and the president of the Board of Directors of the Medical-Den tal Bureau of Berks County. In 1991, Dr. Kaplan earned a Master’s Degree in Health Services Administration from St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, and left private practice in January 1992 to become the vice president of Medical Affairs at Saint Joseph Hospital. In 1995, the Kaplan family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he served as the med ical director of the Michael Reese/Sykes Medical Center on the South Side of Chicago. 1997 brought the family back east to Annapolis, Maryland, where Robin served in vari ous medical administrative positions before becoming involved as a partner and med ical auditor for FairCode Asso ciates, LLC. Robin expanded the reach of the company into the Pennsylvania market, which brought him back to Reading. He worked for Fair Code until Parkinson’s disease forced him to retire in 2019. Robin had a passion for travel and had visited five continents – his favorite travels taking him to Italy and the south of France. He loved opera and classical music, and was a member of the Metro politan Opera Society and the Friends of the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years. Art museums were a great draw to Robin, as were great restau rants all over the world. Robin loved to bake, and his fruit pies were famous among friends and family. He was an avid reader, and took great delight in hosting dinners at home, especially the Seven Fish Feast his wife prepared for numerous guests on Christmas Eve. Of all his accomplishments, he was most proud of his sons. Contributions can be made to the Michael J. Fox Founda tion for Parkinson’s Research at michaeljfox.org or Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank, 117 Morgan Drive, Reading, PA 19608 or helpingharvest.org.
Born in Newport, Sept. 28, 1921, to the late Abraham and Sophie (Newman) Nemtzow, he graduated from Rogers High School and attended the University of Rhode Island. He outlived his siblings: Beatrice Shore, Dr. David Nemtzow and Dr. Dorothy Lippman. He was an 8th Army Air Force veteran of World War II, serving in England and Europe as a Master Sergeant instructing pilots to use Link
Janice was the beloved wife of the late Sheldon D. Heller, devoted mother to Andrew Heller, of Boston, Massachu setts, and Jonathan Heller, of Westport, Connecticut. She was a loving grandmother. Donations may be made in Janice’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association www. alz.org.
Janice Heller, 86 NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Janice S. Heller, of North Providence, died on July 13, 2022, lovingly surrounded by all her Bornfamily.inMalden, Massachu setts, she was the daughter of the late Manuel and Celia (Abramson) Finn and the sister of the late Sumner Finn, of Del Ray Beach, Florida.
Robin was survived by his wife of 33 years, Lori (Staron) Kaplan and two sons: Saul Daniel and fiancée Jennifer Miller of Lemoyne, Pennsylva nia, and Nathaniel John and wife Emma Block Kaplan of Jersey City, New Jersey; his mother, Gladys; two brothers: Drew (wife Bonnie) of Nar ragansett, and Andrew (wife Naomi) of West Warwick; two nephews: Benjamin (wife Krista) and Stuart (wife Dana) and a niece, Lindsay (husband Javier and son, Max) Decima.
Clara Gurwitz, 103 WOONSOCKET, R.I. – Clara I. diedWoonsocket,Florida,ton103,Gurwitz,(Gould)ofBoynBeach,andAug. 20, 2022, in The Grandview Center, Cumberland. She was the wife of the late Milton Gur witz, who passed in 1989 after spending 25 years traveling the world with Clara. Born in Odessa, Russia, she was the daughter of the late Gerson and Fanny (Slate) Goldovsky. Clara was a member of Congregation B’nai Israel and B’nai B’rith, Woonsocket, and a lifetime member of Hadas sah. She volunteered at Magen David Adom, Ambulance for Israel. Clara once stated that the secret to a long life was loving family, exercise, and laughter, which she embodied in her many years here. She was honored by Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt at the Woon socket Senior Center with a proclamation when she turned 100 years young, which she was very proud of. She never wanted to be a burden on her children, and even at 103, she did everything. She enjoyed telling jokes, making people laugh, bingo, mahjong, and canasta.Sheis survived her three children, Gary Gurwitz, husband of the late Jeannette Gurwitz, of Woonsocket, and “Cookie” Rena Levinson, wife of the late Marvin Levinson, and Eddie Gurwitz, both of Boynton Beach, Florida. Her loving grandchildren Ste phen Gurwitz, wife Jennifer, their children the late Macey, Celeste, Meredith, and Sofia, husband Daniel Maine. Grand daughter Melissa Beausoleil, great-grandson, Tyler Beau soleil. She was predeceased by her daughter, Martha Sulima, and her siblings, Morris and David Gould, and Olga Gur witz.Contributions may be made in Clara’s name to a charity of your choice.
Dr. Robin Kaplan, 72 WYOMISSING, PA. –Cottage,Columbia16,awaying,ofLloydRobinKaplan,WyomisspassedAug.2022,atWyo missing, where he had resided sinceBornMay.May 2, 1950, in Prov idence, he was the son of Solomon and Gladys (Wilcon) Kaplan.
Dr. Kaplan was a magna cum laude graduate of Boston University and Boston Uni versity School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship at San Francisco General Hospital and his med ical residency at University of California, San Francisco. From 1977 to 1980, he was a clinical fellow, then senior fellow in Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Colorado Medical Center, where he also served on the faculty. He was board certified by the Amer ican Board of Medical Exam iners, achieving three board certifications in internal medi cine, pulmonary medicine and critical care. He was a fellow of the American College of Physicians, an associate fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians, a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the American Heart Association. Dr. Kaplan started his own medical practice, BerksSchuylkill Carbondale,SpecialistsRespiratoryinReadingandPennsylvania,
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 41
OBITUARIES of social responsibility and volunteerism.Ellieissurvived by three sons and their spouses, Michael and Rivka, Dan and Deborah, and David and Kim berly Cooper. Together they have eight grandchildren, Hannah, Nathan, Noah, Carly, Eliza, Ori, Shira and Ilan. Donations may be made to Hasbro Children’s Hospital, in her name.
Steven Goldman, 66 BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Steven I. Goldman, of Brooklyn, New York, passed away June 24, 2022. Born November 1, 1955, in Providence, the son of Rosa lie Goldman, of Newport, and the late Harvey Goldman, of Warwick.Stevenattended Providence Hebrew Day School and Ner Israel Rabbinical School in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a graduate of Rabbinical Col lege of America, Morristown, New Jersey, and Brooklyn Law School. He maintained a law practice in Brooklyn for many years specializing in immigration law. His love and dedication to Judaism permeated every facet of his life. He was certi fied as a shochet, mohel, scribe andStevenrabbi.is survived by his caring and devoted wife Nava, his loving sons Moshe and Yehuda, his beloved mother Rosalie, his sister Rhonda Goldman, of Florida, half-sis ter Lori Blair, of Connecticut, and half-brother Michael Goldman, of Warwick, uncles Jerald Greenberg, of Armonk, New York, and the late David Greenberg, of Malibu, Cali fornia.Donations may be made to the Chevra Hatzalah of Crown Heights, 383 Kingston Ave., Suite #99, Brooklyn, NY 11213, www.hatzalah.ch.
Simon Nemzow, 100 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Simon I. Nemzow, 100, passed away Aug. 8, 2022. He had been a resident sinceProvidenceof1950.
Contributions in his mem ory may be made to Temple Emanu-El, 99 Taft Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or to the charity of your choice.
42 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org
OBITUARIES
Trainers. He was a co-founder and partner of Allied Fluores cent Mfg. Co. in Providence. As a 32nd degree Shriner, he played the baritone in their marching band for many years and was a subscriber to the R.I. Philharmonic Orches tra and the Boston Symphony for over 50 years. He served on the board of the former Jewish Day School (now Hebrew Day School), RISD/Brown Uni versity Hillel and RI Senior Services (Jewish Collaborative Services as parent of Tam arisk) and was a member of Temple Emanu-El in Provi dence. He was a photography enthusiast with gallery shows on the East Side in 1969. He was married to the late Jacqueline Shirley (Berger) for 40 years and was the cherished father of Sally (Wiesel Nemzow) Esakov and Martin Wiesel Nemzow. He is survived by five grand children (Liyat Ben Shitrit, Nina Cohen, Merav Kachlon, Dr. Sophie Weinberg and Dr. Gabriel Nemzow) and 16 Fonseca“Fatima”great-grandchildren.MariaFreitas,MariaRosa,ElizabethandAngelaCole
He graduated from Hope High School as Valedictorian in 1950, from Harvard Univer sity in 1954 and then from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1958. While studying for the RI Bar, he met Norman Orodenker. The two of them formed the firm Ruttenberg & Orodenker and later joined the firm Licht & Semonoff. Bruce became a senior partner when that firm expanded to become Levy Goodman Semonoff & Gorin. He later broke from that firm to become a founding partner of Chace Ruttenberg & Freed man.He always had a strong interest in politics but no desire to run for office, so he consulted with and wrote speeches for Gov. Frank Licht throughout his political career. Frank often said it was Bruce who got him elected. He was a gifted corporate and estate planning attorney who developed and maintained close, lasting relationships with his clients. His insatia ble intellectual curiosity and engaging personality made him a friend of many. Bruce retired from law in 2005. He went on to establish the Providence Lifelong Learning Collaborative with his friend Barnet Fain. There he taught history and current events classes without ever using any notes. His classes were always full.In the community, he served on the boards of the Gordon School and The Miriam Hos pital.He was a loyal friend who loved Dixieland jazz and reading. All who knew him will miss his humor and the twinkle in his eyes. His family includes his wife Heather MacLeod; his former spouse Barbara Ruttenberg; four children Beth Rutten berg, David Ruttenberg, Jen nifer Shea and the late Laurie Fortin; two stepchildren Autumn Williams and John D. Crouchley; one brother, Jeff Ruttenberg; and 11 grandchil dren.Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to American Indian College Fund, P.O. Box 172449, Denver, CO 80217-2449 or a charity of your choice.
Linda Schleifer, 80 W. GREENWICH, R.I. HulitarHopeHealth2022,onpassedSchleiferLinda–KayeawayAug.11,attheHos pice Center in Providence. She rejoins her late husband Bob and her beloved son Steven Schleifer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she was a daughter of the late Sidney and Eleanor (Solomon) Abrams. She had lived in New York with her husband until 1965; she and her family relocated to Warwick. She and Bob raised their children there for 20 years before moving to West Warwick for another 35 years. After Bob passed, Linda moved to Coventry for a short time before moving in with her daughter in West Green wich. She was a dedicated fos ter mother to many children over the years. She warmly embraced her two foster sons Jonathan and Zack as her own children.Lindawas an advocate for all animals. She always res cued strays who crossed her path. Her latest rescue Angel, a chihuahua, was Linda’s friend and confidant since her husband’s passing. She worked as a bookkeeper for a couple of local construction companies, Hope Building Construction and DiFazio Site Corp. She kept up her book keeping skills by attending the Community College of Rhode Island. Linda also enjoyed garden and knitting projects for her grandchildren. She loved the game of mahjong and spreading the joy of playing the game to others. Linda was the devoted mother and best friend of Elissa Schleifer, of West Greenwich; Johnathan Rodriguez, of Providence; and Zack Kelly, of Massachu setts. She was the dear sister of Ira Abrams and his wife Betsy, of New York, and the late Ken Abrams. Linda was the loving grandmother of Kamron, Sydni and Konor O’Brien and mother-in-law of their father, Ken O’Brien. She was the caring aunt of Eleanor Abrams-Tanzola and her hus band Jay and David Abrams and his girlfriend Hanna. The family of Linda would like to thank all the nurses, CNAs and healthcare workers at Roberts Health Centre and at HopeHealth Hospice. They were extremely caring and compassionate toward Linda and her Contributionsfamily. in her mem ory may be made to: Hope Health Hospice and Palliative Care, 1085 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904; Roberts Health Centre, 25 Roberts Way, North Kingstown, RI 02852; or any animal welfare organization of your choice.
Sruel Oelbaum, 86 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sruel M. Oelbaum died Aug. 26, 2022, at Roger Williams Medical Center. He was the beloved husband of Phyllis Oelbaum for 55 years. Born in Provi dence, a son of the late Henry and Clara (Rubin) Oelbaum, he was a lifelong resident of Providence. He was a pharma cist and owner of the former Hall’s Drug Store, retiring over 15 years ago. Sruel was a member of Temple Emanu-El and was active with their min yan. He was also a member of the Jewish War Veterans. He was the devoted father of Shelley, Douglas, Michael and Ralph Oelbaum, all of Providence. He was the dear brother of the late Dorothy Klein. He was the loving Zadye of Miles, Jameson and Sarah. He of the cherished companion of his dog, Brutus.
Jolanthe Szynkarski, 95 CRANSTON, R.I. –withinatJulypeacefullypassedSzynkarskiJolantheawayon29,2022,herhomeCranstonher loving children by her side. She was the beloved wife of the late Henry Szynkarski for 45 years before his passing in 1993. Born in Berlin, she was the daughter of the late Gustav and Mathilde (Eczy) Kischke. She spent her teenage years watching the horrors of the Holocaust. She witnessed the mistreatment of her friends and community and felt the impact of the war. When the war was coming to an end, she found a way to convert to Judaism and met the love of her life, Henry, who was a sur vivor. She and Henry moved from Germany to Providence in 1951. It was here that they found the safety they needed to begin their family and lives together. She and her husband moved to Cranston in 1961. Jolanthe was a dedicated mother to three incredible children; her profession was in a manufacturing office, but her passions lay with raising her children. She was a caring woman who worked incredibly hard to provide a happy and healthy home to her children. She was a perpetual optimist who only saw the good in individuals. According to her family, she provided the perfect Ozzie and Harriet immigrant household; she and Henry exemplified a happy and healthy marriage to their children.Shewas thrifty and spotless; she always extended her love and kindness to everyone; her generosity was truly without condition. Jolanthe was the mother every child deserves, and we are eternally lucky to have been raised with her unwavering love, support and kindness. Her kindness was fueled by the memories of those who were taken too soon; she was a dedicated Jewish woman who kept the values of Judaism at the forefront of her practice. She taught her family to respect
Donne Nochomowitz, 75 PAWTUCKET, R.I. –18,bornDonneAug.passedofNochomowitz,DonnePawtucket,away4,2022.wasonMarch1947,in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the youngest child to Maish and Millye Nochomow itz and brother to Natalie. Donne attended Marist Brothers High School and graduated from the University of Witwatersand with a degree in accounting. He proudly served in the South African AirOnForce.Aug. 16, 1970, he married the love of his life, Bess (Bortz) Nochomowitz, with whom he shared 52 blissful years of marriage. Together they started their family, welcom ing two daughters, Myrese and Candice, and built a solid life together in South Africa sur rounded by family and many friends. Donne loved a good adventure and decided to take the ultimate adventure and moved his family to the United States in February 1980. Donne worked hard and wore many hats. He was not just an accountant but also a COO. He served as president and treasurer of Congregation Beth Sholom in Providence. He was an usher at the Provi dence Performing Arts Center and was so charming that he was quickly promoted to Aisle Captain.Donne was an avid volun teer, proudly giving his time at the Ronald McDonald House and the Miriam Hospital after his retirement. He was adored by all of his neighbors and loved drinking a cold beer, barbecuing and swimming in his pool. He treasured his 1977 MG Roadster and often referred to it as his third child! Donne was most proud of being a husband, a dad and a grandfather. He is survived by his wife Bess, of Pawtucket, daughter Myrese, of Riverside, daughter Candice Gopin and her husband Ian, of Sha ron, Massachusetts, and his grandchildren Zoe and Jordan Gopin. Donne also leaves behind a loving sister Natalie Blumberg, of Johannesburg, South Africa, and many nieces and nephews throughout the world.Memorial contributions in his honor may be made to Ron ald McDonald House Charities of New England, 45 Gay St., Providence, RI 02905. gland/donation-landing-pagehouse-charities-of-new-enrmhcne.org/ronald-mcdonal-https://
Bruce Ruttenberg, 90 BARRINGTON, R.I. –Ruttenberg,RobertBruce of residence.2022,onpassedBarrington,awayJuly30,athis
were devoted home-health com panions to the family for over 30 years. They were assisted by Karen Burns and later by David Phillips and others from the Right at Home agency. Those wishing to make a contribution in Simon’s memory are kindly asked to consider the Alzheimer’s Association, 245 Waterman St., Providence, RI 02906 or The Phyllis Siperstein Tam arisk Assisted Living Resi dence, 3 Shalom Dr., Warwick, RI 02886.
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Second row: Morris Boch ner (Rhode Island), Tom Brown (New Jersey), Mark Eisenstadt (Florida), Melissa Eisenstadt (Florida), Debbie Rich (Rhode Island), Claudia Buckler Eisenstadt(New(Virginia),(New(Florida).(Florida)Jersey),Follender-Buckler(Virginia), Nancy(NewDebbiEisenstadtandBobTalleyThirdrow: CurtBucklerJersey),DavidBucklerScottBucklerJersey)andKeith(Florida).
togetherCelebrating SIMCHAOBITUARIES
ON JUNE 18, 2022 , family gathered again after several years of absence to share in the marriage of Emily Eisen stadt and Kyle Goodfellow in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ida Bochner-Brown, hold ing Jewish Rhode Island, gathered all the first and second cousins to create a photo of the occasion.
jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island SEPTEMBER 2022 | 43 DAY-AT-THE-J SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 Bring your family and friends and join us in some fun! There will be fall themed crafts, games, bounce house and more. This will also be an opportunity to learn about programming throughout the year at the Dwares JCC and other local Jewish organizations. Michelle Cicchitelli 401.421.4111 ext. mcicchitelli@jewishallianceri.org178 401 ELMGROVE AVENUE, PROVIDENCE RI 02906
Front row: Gail Bochner (Rhode Island), Ida Boch ner-Brown (New Jersey), Donna Neufeld (Rhode Island), Emily Eisenstadt (bride) and Kyle Goodfellow (groom), Carl Eisenstadt and Terri Eisenstadt (parents of the bride) (South Carolina).
PJ StoryLibraryTimeTournamentPickleball us for a day of fun!
and embrace the lessons taught by the rabbis and cantors of Temple Torat Yisrael and beyond. She was the devoted mother of Monika Szynkar ski, of North Kingstown; Jeffrey Szynkarski, of Cranston; and Michael and his wife Marcie Szynkar ski, of Houston, Texas. She was the treasured aunt to five endearing nieces and nephews, Arlene, Donna, Barbara and the two Jacks. She was the loving grand mother of Ross, David and Claudia. She was the cher ished great-grandmother of Chase, Steven Henry, Erin andAsideElias.from her parents and husband, Jolanthe was predeceased by her brother Frank Kischke and her sister Jutta
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Join Temple Beth-El Highfor Holy Day Services L’shanah Tovah Happy New Year daeh dpyl All are welcome! HIGH HOLY DAYS SERVICES 2022/5783 Rosh Hashanah Evening: Sunday, Sept 25, 8 PM Rosh Hashanah Morning: Monday, Sept 26, 10 AM Rosh Hashanah Teen Service: Monday, Sept 26, 3 PM Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service followed by Family Reception: Monday, Sept 26, 3 PM Community Tashlich: Monday, Sept 26, 4:30 PM Rosh Hashanah Second Day: Tuesday, Sept 27, 10:30 AM Rosh Hashanah Luncheon: Tuesday, Sept 27, 12 PM Cemetery Pilgrimage: Sunday, Oct 2, 10 AM Kol Nidre: Tuesday, Oct 4, 8 PM Yom Kippur Morning followed by Musical Interlude: Wednesday, Oct 5, 10 AM Yom Kippur Torah Study: Wednesday, Oct 5, 2 PM Yom Kippur Children’s Service: Wednesday, Oct 5, 2 PM Yom Kippur Afternoon Service: Wednesday, Oct 5, 3 PM Yizkor/Concluding Service: Wednesday, Oct 5, 4:30 PM Break the Fast: Wednesday, Oct 5, 6:30 PM Senior Rabbi SARAH E. MACK Assistant Rabbi PRESTON D. NEIMEISER Rabbi Emeritus LESLIE Y. GUTTERMAN Cantor JUDITH A. SEPLOWIN 70 Orchard Avenue Providence, RI 02906-5402 Office: (401) 331-6070 Fax: (401) info@temple-beth-el.org331-8068www.Temple-Beth-El.org
