November 2020

The Voice of Greater Rhode Island’s Jewish Community

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Honoring our heroes American Jews grapple with profound political shifts

Columnists offer memories of Jewish veterans

We Zoom in on a variety of local events

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

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Giving thanks during a November like no other AS I SIT DOWN to write this column, Election Day 2020 is still several days in front of us.

As you open this issue of Jewish Rhode Island, the election is behind us – but the outcome may still be in question. Let’s hope that our country remains calm and embraces the voters’ choice.

But this is not an election column. Instead, I want to offer my (somewhat) annual list of thanks – which seems more important than ever this year.

After all, even in these difficult times, we still have much to be thankful for in the United States.

ON THE COVER: But, like everything else this year, Part of the Jewish my list of thanks looks a little differWar Veterans ent from usual. memorial at Lincoln Park Cemetery in I am thankful for those who work to help Warwick. everyone stay safe. We have endured PHOTO BY GLENN OSMUNDSON

eight months of a pandemic seemingly without end. In history class, I read about the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. I wonder if people then felt as we do now. We are tired of the constant worry and precautions, and horrified by the rising death toll and number of infections. But there is hope in the form of vaccine trials and medications in development. Teachers, first responders, medical personal and so many others deserve our gratitude. Next month, we will have an interview with a doctor who is working to bring a trial to Rhode Island.

I am thankful for our supportive Jewish community. There is still so much isolation, despite the fact that we do not have to quarantine. Especially among the older members of our community, staying at home often means no socializing, no hugging the grandchildren. It can be a lonely existence, particularly for those who live alone.

But our local community agencies have stepped up to try to help. In the center of this month’s paper, you’ll see photos of a recent socially-distanced gathering organized by the Kosher Senior Café to bring seniors together to share food and fun. This goes on in synagogues too. Read about what Temple Emanu-El is doing in this month’s paper.

I am thankful for everyone who helps to produce this newspaper. It really does take a village to put Jewish Rhode Island in your mailbox every month. We are published by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, which

means more than just funding: Staff jump in to provide stories, proofreading and feedback when necessary. As a small paper trying to cover Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, everyone’s help is welcomed.

Writers, photographers, designers, copy editors – all are committed to helping inform you of what’s happening … even if you are stuck inside. Our little group has gone the extra mile in the last year.

I am thankful for our advertisers. Many have stuck with us through thick and thin. And some are looking at including us as part of their sales and marketing plan for the first time. We thank them, and we encourage you to patronize them and tell them you saw their ad in Jewish Rhode Island. Advertising plays a big part in our yearly budget.

I am thankful for my friends and family. Everyone who knows me knows that being the editor of a small paper is a big commitment. Long hours, singular focus and sometimes obsessive behavior are part of the job (but don’t tell anyone). Without supportive friends and family, I really couldn’t keep up the pace. When I realize that I haven’t talked to someone near and dear for many days, understanding is usually there. And when the house and meals fall apart near deadline day, the family usually understands. I think they realize that I appreciate them. If they don’t, now they should!

In my household, Thanksgiving is a time to sit around the table and talk about gratitude. Thanksgiving and Passover are the two holidays when the entire family gathers at my house.

We celebrated Passover 2020 via Zoom, which worked.

And we thought we’d all be together by Thanksgiving.

But that isn’t going to be possible.

My parents, at 91 and 83, will definitely not be at the table. It’s much too risky to even think about getting on an airplane. Their absence will be felt.

My siblings and I are still sorting out what we will do.

To gather or to distance?

These are difficult choices to make in these extraordinary times. But I think we all agree that we are in this together, and I am thankful for that.

Moving forward, perhaps our battle against this terrible disease will somehow help bring more of us together in the long run – with an understanding that we are all Americans first, regardless of our color, religion or political perspective.

Fran Ostendorf, Editor

BUSINESS 26 | CALENDAR 10 | COMMUNITY 20 | D’VAR TORAH 5 FOOD 18 | OBITUARIES 24 | OPINION 6 | SENIORS 14 THE MISSION OF JEWISH RHODE ISLAND is to communicate Jewish news, ideas and ideals by connecting and giving voice to the diverse views of the Jewish community in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts, while adhering to Jewish values and the professional standards of journalism.

ALL SUBMITTED CONTENT becomes the property of Jewish Rhode Island. 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.

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UP FRONT

GLENN OSMUNDSON/JEWISH RHODE ISLAND

Sean Mercado, 15 years old, of Pawtucket, disinfects the voting stations at Varieur Elementary School in Pawtucket Tuesday afternoon.

With Trump and Biden battling still, American Jews grapple with profound political shifts EDITOR’S NOTE: As Jewish Rhode Island goes to press Nov. 4 at 5 p.m., the 2020 presidential election remains undecided.

Here is some national coverage from JTA with photos of voting in Rhode Island

by Glenn Osmundson.

BY RON KAMPEAS PITTSBURGH (JTA) — Many American Jews woke up on Wednesday [Nov. 4] to a presidential election that is extending their anxiety and to electoral maps that show a Republican Party changed by a president they repudiated with their votes.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump were still locked in a battle for the electoral vote majority early Wednesday, one that might last for days as votes are counted — and potentially litigated.

The first exit poll of Jewish voters showed their most resounding rejection of an American president in 20 years. Jewish voters favored Biden 77% to 21% in the poll of 800 Jewish voters commissioned by J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, which endorsed Biden. That was a seven-point increase for the Democrat candidate over the same poll’s 2016 finding, twice the margin of error.

Trump’s 2016 victory, the largest-ever popular vote loss for an electoral vote winner – Hillary Clinton bested Trump by 3 million votes – might once have been

GLENN OSMUNDSON/JEWISH RHODE ISLAND

Susan Murphy, of Pawtucket, wore an appropriate mask when casting her vote at Varieur Elementary School in Pawtucket Tuesday afternoon. dismissed as an anomaly, one that would be wiped out by a major loss by Trump in 2020.

It was not an anomaly. Trump has transformed the Republican Party and America.

The divide between Trump’s America and American Jewish voters was stark, in numbers and in outlook.

The race could yet go to Biden, who is nar-

rowly ahead in a handful of swing states that would, if the final count favors him, give him enough electoral votes to claim the presidency.

Statements early Wednesday morning from 20 liberal Jewish organizations each appealed to wait out the vote count. Each was suffused with desperation.

“The Jewish people have faced many challenges throughout history, but we have endured,” said Sheila Katz, the CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women. “Though we may need to wait a little longer this year for the final results of the election, we will be patient, we will persevere, we will endure.”

Whatever happens, it’s clear that half of American voters embrace an insular and Christian outlook that most Jews have seen as alien to their understanding of what it is to be an American.

Trump won Florida, a state with one of the country’s largest Jewish populations, by about 400,000 votes, and by a larger margin than when he defeated Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016: 3.5% this year, 1.2% then.

Jews have for years voted disproportionately for Democrats, but the Republican Party they faced in the past was one they recognized as welcoming: President George W. Bush defended Muslim Americans from the blame that some sought to attach to them for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; Trump has said they rejoiced and sought to ban Muslim entry into the county.

Bush instituted celebrations of diversity in his White House, welcoming African American artists and launching Jewish heritage month celebrations. Trump says a signature achievement is returning Christianity to CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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VAYERA: A biblical mystery

IN THE NEWS

shows like “Survivor” and “Big Brother” attest to the notion that our urge to look at the private moments of others has spun out of control. The pillar of salt could stand as a reminder to just mind our own business.

Others offer that we’ll never know what motivated Lot’s wife to turn around and look. But her tragedy highlights our challenge: to develop our own “ethics RABBI of observation.”

The midrash, a colETHAN ADLER lection of folklore that attempts to explain the sometimes inexplicable, adds the following interpretation: The inhabitants of Sodom were known for their cruelty to strangers. In fact, inhospitality was included in their code of law. Lot was the exception. Although he lived in Sodom, the years that he had spent with his uncle Abraham had influenced him, and he had learned to emulate Abraham’s hospitality.

When God sent two angels, disguised as men, to destroy Sodom, Lot invited them to his home and served them food.

His wife, a native Sodomite, disapproved of his actions.

Lot asked his wife for salt for the guests and she replied, “Also this evil custom you wish to introduce into this place?” She had no salt in the house, and went from door to door asking neighbors for salt for her husband’s guests, letting everyone know that Lot had ignored the laws of the city by inviting in strangers. The midrash thus explains, “She sinned with salt, and she was punished with salt.”

Yet another explanation for Lot’s wife being transformed into a pillar of salt offers a gentler approach. It is based on her having four daughters, two married and two betrothed. The two married

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the stately century-old synagogue in abandoned vulnerable allies such as the Squirrel Hill, the Pittsburgh neighborKurds. hood where the shooting took place.

Trump has fortified his support “It’s not just the heated rhetoric,” he among the Orthodox and the minority said Tuesday [Nov. 3] after voting for of Republican Jews who appreciate his Biden. “It’s the acts of violence.” embrace of the right-wing agenda of The contrasts between Israeli Prime Minister the Republican Party Benjamin Netanyahu, Bush led from 2001 to moving the U.S. embas2009 and the one Trump sy to Jerusalem, cutting is leading is stark. Bush off the Palestinians, cultivated Latino voters, brokering normalizaand addressed them in tion deals with some his attempt at Spanish, Arab states and leaving earning unprecedented the Iran deal. support from that comTrump’s deviations munity. Trump swore to from American norms keep Mexicans out with drove Jewish thinkers a wall. who have long sought Bush sought to ento hide their political hance American power affinities to speak out. in the world, a factor Abe Foxman, the forVoting from Israel is Odelia that led to the Iraq war mer Anti-Defamation Kabessa of Providence, who but one appreciated by League national diis spending a gap year on the Jews who believe that rector who for decades Bina program. For information made an art of finding American intervention about Israel travel programs, ended the mass mursomething praiseworgrants and scholarships, der of European Jews. thy in every presidenTrump is retreating tial candidate, openly contact IsraelDesk@ from the world, and has endorsed Biden. jewishallianceri.org.

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GENESIS 19:26 READS as follows: “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

A very curious and enigmatic verse. Biblical commentators find it difficult to accurately ascertain what this means.

And although no one can really and truly interpret this verse, a number of attempts are at least interesting. But first, some background.

Lot, Abraham’s nephew, lived in Sodom, a city that was known for its very evil ways. At some point, it seems that God had seen enough and was about to destroy the city by raining down burning sulfur.

In his kindness, God sent two angels to warn Lot and his family to get out of Dodge to avoid the catastrophe. As they began to flee, God warned them not to look back.

However, as they were running away, and as the sulfuric rain began, Lot’s wife turned to look upon the destruction, and was immediately turned into a Netsiv Melach – a pillar of salt.

How do we interpret this phenomenon? What meaning or lesson can we draw from it? What else could it mean?

These are questions posed by both teachers and students of the Torah.

Here are some of their thoughts: Rashi, a well-known commentator, wrote that it was not fitting that she should have witnessed their doom while she herself was escaping. Therefore, she was punished.

The feminist commentator Judith Antonelli summarizes these verses as reflecting the notion that watching the violent destruction of others is harmful to oneself. This adds to the concept that there are certain things one should not look at.

The voyeurism inherent in television

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preeminence as an American religion and boasts of restoring a phrase never abandoned, “Merry Christmas.”

Trump equivocated multiple times in condemning white supremacist violence (although at times, he condemned it forcefully). Biden centered his campaign around Trump’s failure to unequivocally condemn the deadly neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.

Riding into office on Trump’s heels was Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgian who will be the first member of Congress who has expressed belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory, which is rich in anti-Semitism.

Trump’s abrasive rhetoric has tracked with the rise of bigoted violence, and Jewish voters noticed. In Pittsburgh, where two years ago a gunman spurred by the same anti-migrant myths peddled

by Trump killed 11 worshippers at a synagogue, the bigotry, Jewish voters said, was a feature, not a bug.

Bigotry is part of the political landscape now, said Matthew Falcone, the vice president of Temple Rodef Shalom,

daughters and their husbands remained in the doomed city. When Lot and his wife were saved from the destruction of the city, she took pity on her daughters who had remained in Sodom, and so looked behind her.

One common view of Lot’s wife turning to salt is that it was punishment for disobeying the angels’ warning. By looking back at the “evil cities,” she betrayed her secret longing for that way of life. She was thus deemed unworthy to be saved and turned into a pillar of salt.

Another understanding is that when Lot’s wife looked back, she turned into a pillar of salt upon seeing God, who was descending to rain destruction on the city. And we read in the Torah (Exodus 33:20) that God says to Moses, “no one can see me, and live.”

And some claim that when the Torah relates that “she” turned into a pillar of salt, “she” may have been referring to the city itself, not Lot’s wife.

In 1985, London geologists claimed that they had pinpointed the probable site of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and worked out a theory about why Lot’s wife was reported to have ended up as a pillar of salt.

The geologists said that Lot’s wife did not appear to turn into a pillar of salt because she dared to look back, but because of the briny nature of the Dead Sea. They explained that the Dead Sea was full of salt that might have been thrown up by surging water to resemble a female outline. “Hence a story is created out of what can now be explained as a simple geological phenomenon,” they said.

So, what is the “real” story behind this biblical event? Perhaps we will never know.

RABBI ETHAN ADLER is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth David, in Narragansett.

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Candle lighting times Greater Rhode Island November 2020

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION Anti-Semitism or antisemitism?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Like many newspapers, Jewish Rhode Island follows Associated Press Style, which calls for the hyphenated spelling of anti-Semitism. But style evolves, and we are interested in reader feedback on this spelling and the meaning behind it. Let us know what you think by emailing editor@ jewishallianceri.org.

CORRECTION Thanks to our readers for pointing out that the photo of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on page 8 of the October 2020 Jewish Rhode Island was reversed. The photo of her swearing-in ceremony, was inadvertently reversed when it was printed. We regret the error.

THE DAY AFTER William Jefferson Clinton was inaugurated as our 42nd president, on Jan. 20, 1993, I wrote a poem beginning with these words: “Maya Angelou read a poem/Yesterday, not any day,/Inauguration Day/ Her voice strong and clear and deep/ Out of Arkansas, out of Africa/Out of the angry hopeful soul of America.”

There was a certain level of anger in the air as Clinton took office: deepening partisan strife, a widening gap between the haves and the have-nots, and smoldering racial resentment – that endemic blot on our national character.

Nevertheless, there was a palpable feeling of hopefulness in the words that rang forth from our Capitol’s steps into the sunny winter chill.

To echo the opening words of our Constitution, “We the People of the United States” still sensed that it was within our collective grasp “to form a more perfect Union.” Back then it was still possible to believe that the American Dream was not an impossible dream.

How different this nightmare year of 2020! Today it seems so difficult, so nearly impossible, to muster our national resources to forge a productive togetherness of hope out of our self-defeating, self-inflicted anger directed at each other. Today we stand at the edge of an abyss – despairing, disillusioned, defeated by our fears: fear of COVID-19, fear of economic collapse, fear of environmental catastrophe and – worst of all – fear of our fellow Americans.

To make matters even worse, our political discourse is now utterly debased. We cannot as a nation even agree on the meaning of the word “truth”: you have your truth and I have my truth. And there are those

EM

in high places who are deliberately casting doubt on the integrity of our elections, the very bedrock of our democracy. During these past few months, for the first time in my life, I have begun to worry not about the outcome of the Nov. 3 election but about whether our nation is still capable of holding an election that is free and fair, an election that will ensure a smooth and peaceful transition of power.

I am writing these words about two weeks before Election Day, and I am feeling in my gut the urgency of Benjamin Franklin’s “IF.” As many of you have heard, the story is told that when Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention in RABBI JAMES Philadelphia on Sept.

ROSENBERG 17, 1787, just after the ratification of our nation’s founding document, he told an inquisitive passerby that he and his colleagues had created a republic, “IF you can keep it.” If you can keep it. …

That means you and I must work together with all our might to preserve our now-threatened democracy.

Our knowledge of American history should offer us at least some measure of comfort. The issues that divide us are not new, they are as old as our constitutional republic: we continue to be torn between two fundamental and, in a sense, contradictory values – our demand for individual liberty and our competing demand for equality of opportunity for every citizen, regardless of socioeconomic status.

This competition between personal liberty and social equality turned deadly during our Civil War because, for Southern slave-holders, “liberty” meant the freedom to deprive Black people of their liberty

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In response to the Sept. 4 article, “Despite pandemic, R.I. Coalition for Israel continues to battle anti-Semitism,” I wanted to point out the repeated, yet common, misspelling of word antisemitism.

Though the hyphen has become familiar as accepted by many publications and software such as Microsoft Word, I have learned that the word “anti-Semitism” is a misnomer.

As the ADL explains in their statement about the spelling of Antisemitism (adl.org/spelling), “the word ‘Semitic’ was first used by a German historian in 1781 to bind together languages of Middle Eastern origin that have some linguistic similarities. The speakers of those languages, however, do not otherwise have shared heritage or history. There is no such thing as a Semitic peoplehood.”

As such, to say “anti-Semitism exists” implies the hatred of an entity that does not exist.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (www. holocaustremembrance.com/antisemitism/spelling-antisemitism) explains “The unhyphenated spelling is favored by many scholars and institutions in order to dispel the idea that there is an entity ‘Semitism’ which ‘anti-Semitism’ opposes. Antisemitism should be read as a unified term so that the meaning of the generic term for modern Jew-hatred is clear.“ As the Jewish voice of Rhode Island, it would be appropriate for the paper to reconsider the spelling of this word in the future.

As a Jewish Rhode Islander, I hope and pray that we experience no more acts of antisemitism.

Saara Moskowitz Providence, R.I.

‘The angry hopeful soul of America’

IT S E

LETTER

– and neither side could see a path to compromise. Abraham Lincoln offered his war-weary fellow Americans some much needed perspective in his second inaugural address, on March 4, 1865: “Both [Blacks and Whites] read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces. … The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully.”

When you are reading this column, the results of the Nov. 3 election could still be unsettled; we could still be anxious, angry and dispirited by what feels like an attack on the core of our democracy, the undoing of our electoral process.

If this is the case, let us turn for guidance, for a second time, to Lincoln’s second inaugural address: “With malice towards none, with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds … to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”

If we are indeed to make these United States better than we are today, if we are to form a more perfect union, we need to transform Lincoln’s healing words into our own healing actions – not only for our sake, but for the sake of our children and our children’s children.

Today’s column also appears in the Barrington Times.

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

Jewish Federations’ General Assembly goes virtual for first time

BY RACHEL ALEXANDER LEVY This year’s Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly, held virtually Oct. 25-27, was unlike any national Jewish gathering I have ever attended. Over 10,000 people registered from around the globe for three days of singing, exploring and wrestling with a wide variety of challenges in today’s Jewish community.

In previous conferences, we had

the opportunity to dream big and imagine how we could work more collaboratively across generations and religious spectrums. But this year’s conference was overshadowed by the tremendous impact the pandemic has had on our communities in the 70 countries where Jews live.

Based on conversations with Jewish leaders in Ukraine, Italy and Argentina, it seems that we are all in the same storm, but we are not in the same boat.

This year, my friends and family in Providence have complained that they could not find toilet paper for a few weeks, struggled to find Kosher chicken and beef, and did not know if summer camps would be open.

These are First World problems.

During the conference, we learned about the 80,000 seniors across the former Soviet Union who are homebound and have no one to help CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

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COMMUNITY VOICES | OPINION

Pride in Providence is met with suspicion

BY GEORGE M. GOODWIN AS YOU KNOW from my photo quiz in the October issue, “Roger Williams’ Legacy: Rhode Island’s Holy Places,” I much enjoy exploring our state. Particularly proud of its architectural history, I take zillions of photos, many of which I print and arrange in albums.

Indeed, I now have nearly 100 albums, which reflect our family life, extensive travels and countless other blessings.

For the last couple of months, while also pretending to exercise, I’ve walked up and down Benefit Street, in Providence, to photograph its myriad wonders, which include flowers, trees, birds and vistas. I’ve probably taken more than 1,000 photos on at least six of these micro-vacations.

Early on a Friday afternoon, on June 12, I parked on Benefit, at the western edge of the John Brown House, the Rhode Island Historical Society’s wonderful museum, and began to stroll. A construction or maintenance crew noticed me and became alarmed. Its supervisor thought that I was up to no good. He approached me and demanded an explanation. In light of recent events, I immediately thought of Blacks and other minorities who routinely receive glares – or worse hostility.

I tried to be both philosophical and friendly, explaining to this stranger how much I love our city and this street in particular. I also mentioned

CONTINUED FROM PRECEDING PAGE change their soiled clothes. They go to sleep praying that a volunteer from the Jewish community will put on a mask and gloves, go shopping and bring them a bag of food for the week.

In the U.S., we lament about how slow our Internet is; they are completely socially isolated, without access to computers or Wi-Fi. The Jewish Federations have responded to problems caused by the pandemic with new programs that have connected nursing homes with personal protective equipment (PPE), children with online summer camps and people with disabilities with online friends and jobs.

When I think about the scope of the problem in America compared to the challenges of the most vulnerable populations around the world, I am moved to act. The more I learn, the more I feel compelled to teach others and to share what I have with those who are less fortunate.

As part of the GA, we were able to go inside Jewish homes from Morocco

that I have been a trustee of the Rhode Island Historical Society for more than a decade. I could have added that I’ve been a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for half a century, or that Betsey and I live in a “plaque” house, one honored by the Providence Preservation Society. I also wanted to say that, for decades, I’ve been a devoted supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union and its Rhode Island chapter.

Unfortunately, this guy didn’t buy my spiel. So, using his cellphone, he took photos of me – in case there was a crime to report. He also followed me for several minutes, and I feared a physical encounter.

After admiring the General Ambrose Burnside House, I walked down a side street, where I noticed an attractive young lady standing on a balcony. I thought that she was smiling.

In the spirit of friendship, I asked if I could take her picture. Perhaps she was flattered. She agreed, and then asked to take my photo. Meanwhile, the guy with the cellphone was back, still searching for evidence of trouble.

Despite his forbidding presence, I was enjoying a wonderful journey of rediscovery and relaxation. Indeed, I felt rather selfish because there were no other pedestrians – locals or tourists – enjoying Benefit Street on this picture-perfect afternoon.

Two weeks later, while eating a leisurely lunch, a police detective,

dressed as a civilian, came to our door. He asked Betsey if the car parked on the street was ours. I wasn’t aware of any dents that another motorist or I had caused. Yes, the vehicle was dirty, but could such neglect merit a citation? Then he asked to speak to me.

The detective wanted to know what I had been doing on Benefit Street.

Somebody reported that I was walking with a camera.

The detective was happy to stand on the porch of our 100-year-old home, but I invited him inside to further explain my deep interest in historical architecture and to show him some of my albums.

He was particularly interested in seeing the photo of the young lady standing on her balcony. Perhaps she was the person who had called 911. I easily found the shot.

He also explained that it was probably somebody else who had called the police. It seems that a landlord with several properties on Benefit Street often calls a higher-ranking officer, perhaps a personal acquaintance, to investigate an unending list of complaints.

to the United Arab Emirates to Belarus. We Zoomed into their homes, and they Zoomed into our homes.

On Sunday night, we joined together for a plenary with a creative roll call of all 146 Federations, including 35 delegates from Rhode Island. In addition to music, inspiration and a look at how the Federation system has responded locally and globally to the pandemic, we were able to meet with many world leaders because the conference was virtual. Among those “attending” were Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Alternate Prime Minister Benjamin Ganz and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

One of the highlights of the GA for me was an interview with Robert Putnam about the 20-year anniversary of his book, “Bowling Alone.” I have quoted from that book countless times, and it was fascinating to hear him speak about Facebook and TikTok replacing the bowling leagues of my parents’ generation.

Susan Froehlich, a member of the board of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, was part of the

RI delegation for the first time. She enjoyed two workshops on philanthropy. Based on her experience, she suggested that the GA should always have a virtual option to enable more people to participate. She said she felt strengthened and supported by the workshops and believes that they will give a boost to fundraising plans.

Froehlich said that fundraising has to look different and the GA can provide an infusion of energy. She is looking forward to creating new ways to integrate the endowment based on what she learned.

On Monday afternoon, we gathered together for performances by the Maccabeats, Idan Raichel and Neshama Carlbach. And since we were all learning from our homes, we were able to join together with women from around the world, including Pati Jinich, a Jewish-Mexican chef and host of the popular PBS series “Pati’s Mexican Table,” for a fun and delicious interactive cooking segment.

On Tuesday, I spent the entire day in a workshop titled “If I Forget Thee: Maintaining Connection with Israel

The cop standing in my dining room, with handcuffs hanging from his belt, remarked that he had not been particularly alarmed. I asked myself, “Didn’t he and his colleagues have more pressing concerns?”

As she has counseled me many times, Betsey said I should be more careful when I wander around in our neighborhood, or others, taking photos. Perhaps I should wear a hat that identifies me as a Historical Society trustee? Perhaps I should have an ID in my wallet proving that I’m a past president of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association and have edited its journal for 17 years? Perhaps I should have a bumper sticker that proclaims, “I Love Providence”?

Unfortunately, my bizarre experience shows that, during these frightening times, anybody, and for almost any reason, can be considered suspicious. Though naturally inclined to celebrate American and Jewish history, I was suddenly reminded of dark and disgraceful chapters. Within moments, my world had grown much smaller.

GEORGE GOODWIN lives in Providence.

My bizarre experience shows that, during these frightening times, anybody, and for almost any reason, can be considered suspicious.

Through the COVID Crisis.” Our group included delegates from Tacoma, Washington, to Charlottesville, Virginia. We shared creative ways to organize a virtual walk for Israel, a virtual mission to Israel and virtual Israeli wine tastings. We also learned ways to teach English to Israeli youth through ORT America’s Virtual Volunteers program.

It is amazing how many friends I saw in Zoom workshops at this year’s conference. I missed sitting in the hotel’s lobby and running into old friends. But I did not miss wearing high heels in a large convention center and sitting in meetings for 10+ hours each day.

On Tuesday afternoon, at the conclusion of the virtual GA, I turned off my laptop feeling invigorated and ready to roll up my sleeves to strengthen our Jewish community.

RACHEL ALEXANDER LEVY is the interim director of the Network of Independent Communities, Jewish Federations of North America. She has attended nearly a dozen GAs.

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

Send letters and op-eds to: Jewish Rhode Island, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906 or editor@jewishallianceri.org. Include name, city of residence and a contact phone number or email (not for publication).

8 | NOVEMBER 2020

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY VOICES

Abolishing slavery motivated Jewish War hero

BY GERALDINE S. FOSTER THE GRAY BOX on a shelf in the Beryl and Chaya Segal Archives at the R.I. Jewish Historical Association resembles all the other gray boxes housing memorabilia and artifacts testifying to events great and small – and often personal.

This particular box has an assortment of letters and papers, and a unique award citation. The citation had once accompanied the Medal of Honor presented on April 30, 1870, to Leopold Karpeles, a Civil War veteran and the first Jewish veteran to receive the nation’s highest military award. (Five other Jewish Civil War veterans also received the Medal of Honor.)

Leopold Karpeles was born in Prague, Bohemia, in 1838, the second son of a prominent Jewish family. At an early age, he left Prague to join his older brother, Emile, who had immigrated to Galveston, Texas. The young man planned to enroll in school and apprentice in his brother’s successful

dry goods store.

But the freedom that Karpeles found in the Southwest, so different from the proper society of the Old World, appealed to him and his sense of adventure. He became a familiar figure at the stables where cowboys gathered. Already an experienced equestrian, he learned to ride Western style.

He also became proficient in the use of knives, lassos, sabers and rifles. These skills stood him in good stead when he volunteered to join convoys from Galveston that brought wares to all parts of Texas.

In her memoir of her grandfather (R.I. Jewish Historical Association’s Notes, Vol. 12B), Joyce Blackman, who lived in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, wrote of the tales he would tell about his exploits guarding the convoys from looters, his narrow escapes from harrowing situations and chasing marauding bands of outlaws, often with the Texas Rangers or the Brownsville Guards.

He was leading a life of independence and adventure that he found fulfilling.

Disagreements between the brothers on a number of issues became an open rift over the subject of slavery. Texas, like the rest of the country, was seriously divided on the issue.

Karpeles made no secret of his abhorrence of slavery and could not understand his brother’s acceptance of this Southern tradition. Karpeles is reputed to have participated in the Underground Railway, shepherding escaped slaves to freedom in Mexico or with Seminole tribes.

Emile thought that his prosperity and security were threatened by his brother’s defiant attitude. Using his business contacts, he devised a plan to move Leopold far away, to Springfield, Massachusetts.

Instead of the wide-open spaces and silence of the Southwestern landscape, the young man found himself in a crowded cityscape with roiling political factions. He found the transition difficult, until he was introduced to the Abolitionists. He attended lectures and meetings for a better understanding of the

Leopold Karpeles won the Congressional Medal of honor for rallying retreating troups and inducing them to check the enemy’s advance on May 6, 1864 during the Wilderness, Virginia campaign of the Civil War. slavery conflict. He read all he could about Abraham Lincoln, whose brilliance he admired.

In March 1863, Karpeles enlisted in the 49th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment for a nine-month tour of duty. At his request, he took on the dangerous duty of standard bearer; unarmed, he would carry the unit’s battle flags into combat.

A month after his discharge, Karpeles enlisted in a brigade comprised of veterans from his previous regiment, the 1st Brigade, 1st Division of the 9th Army Corps. Once again he volunteered to carry the standard. He was named color bearer for the regiment and promoted to color sergeant.

By foot and by train, the unit arrived in Washington.

One of Karpeles’ cherished memories was of marching in a parade before Lincoln.

In May, the unit joined Ulysses S. Grant’s Army of the Potomac to serve as lead company in the brutal Battle of the Wilderness.

Withering Confederate gunfire caused heavy casualties. When the right side of the line collapsed, a “disorderly stampede” of retreating men ensued. Karpeles climbed a tree stump, and holding his flag aloft, rallied the men to stand and fight.

For his valor, Karpeles was awarded the Medal of Honor.

He went on to participate in several other major battles before being wounded in the leg. After recovering, he rejoined his unit, only to have the wound reopen and fester.

Hospitalized in Washington, D.C., he faced amputation of his leg until a 16-year-old volunteer named Sara Mundheim

persuaded the doctors to allow her family to care for him at their home in Washington.

Karpeles recovered with only a limp.

Soon after the war ended, he and Sara were married and started a business, but Sara died in childbirth. Two of their three children died at an early age. Karpeles then married Sara’s sister, which was Sara’s dying wish, and raised a family of three sons and four daughters.

Karpeles was well-known in Washington society, with a wide circle of acquaintances that included senators, diplomats and three presidents. He used these contacts to advocate for labor laws, in particular shortening the workday and protecting women and children from abuse. He also joined the Grand Army of the Republic and helped found the Medal of Honor Legion, whose mission was to remove politics from the award to ensure that it would be bestowed only for valor in combat.

A popular speaker at meetings and political events, Karpeles served as a spokesman on behalf of veterans causes.

Leopold Karpeles died in 1909 and is buried in the cemetery of the Washington Hebrew Congregation. His gravestone bears the emblem of the Medal of Honor.

Two of Karpeles’ daughters and one son moved to Rhode Island.

GERALDINE S. FOSTER is a past president of the R.I. Jewish Historical Association. To comment about this or any RIJHA article, contact the RIJHA office at info@rijha. org or 401-331-1360.

NOVEMBER 2020 | 9

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY VOICES

The promise, the hope of ‘Armistice Day’

SKE

T

MY ONLY SURVIVAL SKILL lay in words. I was too myopic to play ball as a boy, with a blind spot that allowed for a blow to my head before I knew what hit me. I could fight back only by being friendly or funny.

Even in my dreams, I could never strike anyone, and a boxing match at summer camp was an utter impossibility for me. And yet, the movies on the screen at the old Hope Theatre, in Providence, glamorized tough-guy courage, noble resistance to oppression, heroic rescues of the victims of wars.

Not that I was a pacifist, no! All my uncles and older cousins, and even my oldest brother, wore uniforms and went overseas to protect our Providence from lands beyond democratic borders and beyond our shorelines. I was fiercely and loyally patriotic – in words, at least.

These words are my prelude to some thoughts about this Veterans Day. Throughout my youth, it was ironically called “Armistice Day,” and the date – Nov. 11 – was an accurate reminder that they started something and we determined to end it, right in their own backyard. (Lyrics, of course, by Providence native George M. Cohan, whose memorial sculpture, inspired by Sy Dill, is right here on Wickenden Street.)

We had labeled our aggression in World War I “A war to end war.” And so, proudly, we put up sculptures and memorial plaques with images of peace: Athena on top of a tall column on the campus of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Well, “armistice” does not mean “victory.” It means something closer to “ceasefire”: Stop firing on people!

And, of course, the holiday was indeed celebrated on Nov. 11, not some Monday off from work to shop or to stretch out a weekend.

There is a great difference between an ideal or a hope versus a fact of life.

We have experienced, either personally or at some safe distance in space, time and circumstance, many battles since 1918. Not just World War II, the Korean “conflict,”

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Vietnam, and the long-lasting Cold War and its aftermath.

But, cynically, instead of living up to the promises of that World War I armistice, we changed the name of the holiday to acknowledge the end of hope, along with the loss even of the language of peace and the pledge of the Four Freedoms.

And speaking/writing of the “pledge,” why did we add the awkward phrase “under God” to the dignity of the Pledge of Allegiance?

Because “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” didn’t suit the Cold War, during which we armed ourselves against MIKE FINK our erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union, which had turned into an “evil empire.”

We have exploited our flag for political reasons, and we have used the very word “God” to gain votes. (In the Bible, throughout the Five Books of Moses, God cannot be spelled, nor is there a name for the creator, leaving it up to us, or rather our youngsters, to figure out the layers of meaning in the tales. Somehow, the Bible is sometimes at its best when read as a children’s book at bedtime.)

I will celebrate what I stubbornly label “Armistice Day” with respect for all those who have valiantly defended us, risking and losing the advantages of civilian life, but also with melancholy and sadness at the absurdity of the prospect of endless bloodshed to gain not serenity and the restoration of Eden but merely to prepare for ever more destructive and extravagant weapons to be used against other human lives. And I will celebrate “life” itself, as the planet plunges madly into chaos and cruelty.

Franklin D. Roosevelt closed his announcement of the Four Freedoms – from want and fear, and of speech and religion – with the allied phrase “all over the world.”

Happy Armistice: politically, ecologically, personally, we need it now more than ever.

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MIKE FINK (mfink33@aol.com) teaches at the Rhode Island School of Design.

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An evening with Guy Raz: American journalist & NPR radio host Wednesday, November 18 7:00pm

Join Rabbi Sarah Mack for an intimate conversation, featuring Raz’s latest release, How I Built This $36 includes an original signed copy of How I Built This, entry to the program, and a contribution to the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund.

Sign up today at: https://bit.ly/3669Nyq Register soon to ensure your book* is available for pick-up prior to the event.

For more information, contact Robin Homonoff at robin.readingwithrobin@gmail.com − with “Guy Raz inquiry” in the subject line. *Books will be available for pick-up at Temple Beth El: 70 Orchard Avenue, Providence

FOR COMPLETE MONTHLY LISTINGS, VISIT JEWISHRHODY.ORG

Ongoing

Kosher Senior Café and online programming. Cold box lunch home delivery upon request while meal sites are closed due to COVID-19. Two lunches delivered on Mondays and Wednesdays; one lunch delivered on Fridays. Zoom programming includes yoga on Tuesdays from 11:30 a.m.-noon followed by lunch and a guest or discussion from noon-1 p.m.

The second Thursday of the month is “Susie’s corner” with Susie Adler from noon-1 p.m. The third Thursday of the month is a book chat with Neal Drobnis from noon-1 p.m. Suggested donation: $3 per lunch. Information, Neal Drobnis at neal@jfsri.org or 401678-6464 or 401-331-1244.

Project Shoresh Partners in Torah. Sundays 7:45-8:30 p.m. thru 12/27. Partner-based study. Choice of texts, English or Hebrew, ancient or modern, with facilitators available via Zoom or phone. “Study-buddy” available. Free. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Project Shoresh Little Live Lunch Loshon Hora Learning. 12:35 p.m.

Monday-Friday thru 12/18. Learn how to protect your relationships and those around you when you “watch ya mouth.” Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Music with Raymond Buttero via Zoom. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 3-4 p.m. Temple Sinai’s pianist performs. Link on homepage of templesinairi.org. Information, Dottie at 401-942-8350.

Conversational Hebrew via Zoom.

Mondays 7-8:15 p.m. thru 12/7.

Three levels offered. Partnership of the Jewish Alliance and Temple Emanu-El. $100 for 8 sessions.

Information, Or Cohen at ocohen@ jewishallianceri.org.

Temple Emanu-El Decoding the Aleph Bet. Mondays 7:30-8:30 p.m.

11/2 thru 11/23. Learn to read and write in Hebrew. For beginners and those looking to re-learn the alephbet. Zoom class collaboration with Shalem. Must attend all four sessions. $36/$25 students and seniors. Information, Rabbi Rachel Zerin at rzerin@ teprov.org or 401-331-1616.

Temple Emanu-El Delve Deeper: “The Lost Books of the Bible.”

Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m. thru 12/15.

Brown University Prof. Michael Satlow teaches Zoom course on the relevancy of certain books that did not make it into the Bible. Cost: $250 per person | scholarships available.

Information, Rabbi Rachel Zerin at rzerin@teprov.org or 401-331-1616.

Temple Emanu-El “iEngage: Together and Apart: The Future of Jewish Peoplehood.” Offered Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m. thru 12/15 or Wednesdays noon-1:30 p.m.

thru 12/16. Zoom course from the Shalom Hartman Institute addresses the complex features of Jewish peoplehood and examines the forces dividing Jews today. $36/$25 students and seniors. Register, teprov. org/form/adultedfall20. Information, Rabbi Fel at mfel@teprov.org or 401-331-1616.

Project Shoresh “48 Ways to Wisdom” with Rabbi Naftali Karp.

Tuesdays 7:45-8:45 p.m. thru 12/22.

The Mishnah describes 48 essential tools to acquire Torah. Rav Noach Weinberg taught these 48 Ways as guidelines to achieving success in every facet of life. Free. Each class self-contained. Information or RSVP, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Project Shoresh Jewish Young Professionals Schmooze.

Wednesdays 7:15-8:15 p.m. thru 12/23. Mishkon Tfiloh, 203 Summit Ave., Providence. Schmooze, snack and have a beer. Free. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Temple Emanu-El Mishnah Beit Midrash – Massekhet Pesahim.

Wednesdays 7:30-9 p.m. thru 12/16.

In partnership with Shel Maala, an internet-based grassroots beit midrash, this course will guide you through learning selections of Mishnah Pesahim. Open to anyone who can read Hebrew. No class: 11/4, 11/25. $36/$25 students and seniors.

Register, teprov.org/form/adultedfall20. Information, Rabbi Zerin at rzerin@teprov.org or 401-331-1616.

Temple Habonim Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman via Zoom. Thursdays noon-1 p.m.

Torah Study on Pirke Avot: A Modern Commentary on Jewish Ethics.

Information, Adina Davies at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

Re/Intro to Judaism. Thursdays 7:30-9 p.m. thru 6/3/21. For those looking to convert and for those looking to learn more about their faith. Led by Rabbi Zerin of Temple Emanu-El, in partnership with the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program of American Jewish University, Temple Torat Yisrael and the Jewish Alliance. $360 as part of Conversion Program; $75 as part of Adult Learning Program. Information, Rabbi Zerin at rzerin@teprov. org or 401-331-1616.

Temple Sinai Adult Education Course: “A Tour through the Torah.” Thursdays 7:30-9 p.m. thru 11/12. Explore the traditions of large letters, small letters, upside-downletters and more with Rabbi Goldwasser. Discover how small details in the scribal arts have reflected and influenced the ways that the Torah is interpreted. Information, templesinairi. org or dottie at 401-942-8350.

NOVEMBER 2020 | 11

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Project Shoresh Parsha Powwow with Rabbi Naftali Karp. Sundays 7:30-8:15 p.m. thru 12/24. Discover via Zoom sessions how topical and relevant the Parsha’s ideas and concepts are. Free. Information, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Temple Emanu-El Parashah HaShavua. Fridays 8:30-9 a.m. (after Z’man Kodesh: Daily Minyan Alternative Experience). Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer leads this study session on highlights from the weekly Torah portion. All welcome. Information and Zoom link, Rabbi Alvan Kaunfer at akaunfer@ cox.net or 401-331-1616.

Temple Sinai Morning Meditation via Zoom. Fridays 10-10:30 a.m.

Rabbi Goldwasser leads meditation that includes reflections on Jewish wisdom and mindfulness. No prior experience required. Information, templesinairi.org or Dottie at 401942-8350.

Temple Sinai Shabbat Services via Zoom. Fridays 6-7:15 p.m. With Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser and Cantor Deborah Johnson. Link on homepage of templesinairi.org. Information, Dottie at 401-942-8350.

Temple Beth-El Remote Torah Study. Saturdays 9-10 a.m. Zoom meeting led by one of Beth-El’s clergy. Information, Jenn Thomas at jthomas@temple-beth-el.org or 401-331-6070.

Temple Habonim Torah Study via Zoom. Saturdays 10-11 a.m. Rabbi Howard Voss-Altman leads weekly Torah study on current portion.

Information, Adina Davies at office@ templehabonim.org or 401-245-6536.

Temple Sinai Torah Study via Zoom. Saturdays 10-11:15 a.m.

Interactive discussion with Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser. Zoom link at templesinairi.org. Information, Dottie at 401-942-8350.

Friday | November 6

JCDSRI and Temple Emanu-El Simchat Tot Live with PJ Library.

9 a.m. Shabbat celebration for children ages 0-5 years old. Sing, dance, play and hear a story. Free.

Open to the community. Hosted both on Zoom and streaming on Facebook Live. Information and RSVP, Shayna Fel at sfel@jcdsri.com or Shoshana Jacob at shosh@teprov.org.

Project Shoresh Lively Kabbalat Shabbat. 4:45-5:45 p.m. Mishkon Tfiloh, 203 Summit Ave., Providence.

Sing, dance and get pumped for the special gift of Shabbos with the Shabbos Project and Rabbi Naftali Karp. Social distancing and masks required. Indoors. Free. Information and RSVP (to ensure a safe set-up), Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail. com or 401-632-3165.

Saturday | November 7

Project Shoresh Virtual Havdallah. 6-6:45 p.m. Join the Rhode Island community and others from around the US for a musical Havdallah via Zoom. Light your own candle, smell your own spices, and enjoy a cup of wine from your Shabbos box as we sing along and say goodbye to the special Shabbos Project weekend. Information and RSVP, Naftali Karp at naftalikarp@gmail.com or 401-632-3165.

Tuesday | November 10

Little States, Big Innovation, Rhode Island X Israel Monthly Webinar Series. Noon-1 p.m.

Interactive session with some of Israel’s startup entrepreneurs. A collaboration of Rhode Island - Israel Collaborative (RIIC), District Hall Providence and RIHub. Information, info@districthallprovidence.org.

Temple Beth-El “Talmudic Queer-Centric Stories.” 7-8 p.m.

Rabbi Sarah Mack and Rabbi Gavi Ruit will lead this Pride Team-sponsored Torah study via Zoom. All welcome. Free. Information, Judith Gilson at jgilson@temple-beth-el.org.

Wednesday | November 11

Israeli Culture Night via Zoom: “A Passion for Israel: Adventures of a Sar-El Volunteer.” 7-9 p.m. Mark Werner, son of a Holocaust survivor and ardent Zionist, will recount tales of his enriching experience. A “Behind the Book” event in partnership with the Jewish Book Council.

Free. Register, jewishallianceri.org/ werner/. Information, Or Cohen at ocohen@jewishallianceri.org or 401421-4111 ext. 121.

over one man’s hatred through the courage of one woman. Free. Register, jewishallianceri.org/solomon/.

Information, Abi Weiner at aweiner@ jewishallianceri.org.

Wednesday | November 18

An evening with Guy Raz: American journalist and NPR radio host. 7 p.m. Rabbi Sarah Mack, moderator.

Cost: $36 includes signed copy of “How I Built This” (pick up at Temple Beth El, 70 Orchard Ave., Providence) and contribution to the COVID-19 Relief and Recovery Fund. Hosts: Temple Beth-El, Reading with Robin and the Jewish Alliance. Information, robin.readingwithrobin@gmail.com with “Guy Raz inquiry” in subject line.

Thursday | November 19

A Community Conversation with Rabbi Isaiah Rothstein. 7 p.m.

Conversation via Zoom about race, inclusion and our own Jewish communities. Growing up in a multi-racial Chabad family in Monsey, New York, Rav Isaiah sees himself as a bridge connecting disparate parts of the Jewish community. Free. Open to the community. Pre-registration required. Information, Stephanie Hague at shague@jewishallianceri. org.

Friday | November 20

JCDSRI and Temple Emanu-El Simchat Tot Live with PJ Library.

9 a.m. Shabbat celebration for

children ages 0-5 years old. Sing, dance, play and hear a story. Free.

Open to the community. Hosted both on Zoom and streaming on Facebook Live. Information and RSVP, Shayna Fel at sfel@jcdsri.com or Shoshana Jacob at shosh@teprov.org.

Saturday | November 21

Temple Sinai Havdalah Services via Zoom. 8-9 p.m. Information, Templesinairi.org or Dottie in the temple office at 401-942-8350.

Monday | November 23 Projects with PJ Library: Hanukkah Drip Trays via Zoom. 6 p.m.

Make a drip tray to place under your menorah. Supplies will be provided in a kit available for pickup at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. This session will also be offered on 11/30. To reserve a kit, for Zoom login and to RSVP, Lyndsey Ursillo at lursillo@jewishallianceri. org.

Core Connects RI: “An Attitude of Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Event.”

7:30-8:30 p.m. Featuring four R.I. Jewish women who will share their personal thoughts on gratitude: what they are grateful for and why, how they view gratitude in their lives and how they practice gratitude. Information, Elissa Felder at CoreConnectsRI@gmail.com or 401-241-9631.

Tuesday | November 24

Temple Sinai: “Preparing for

Winter 2020 with COVID Restrictions.” Noon-1 p.m. Shana Prohofsky and Tara Watkins, from Jewish Collaborative Services, program presenters. Link on temple website.

Information, templesinairi.org or Shana Prohofsky at 401-428-4084.

St. Martin’s Church Interfaith Service. 7-8:30 p.m. Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. A celebration of gratitude in challenging times.

Streamed on YouTube and Facebook.

Information, StMartinsProv.org.

Saturday | November 28

Cape Cod Synagogue: Virtual Jewish Comedy Event with Joel Chasnoff. 7-8 p.m. An evening of Jewish humor direct from Israel.

Joel is clever, hip, daring and edgy – yet 100% clean. Audiences across the spectrum of knowledge and observance find Joel’s humor uplifting, powerful and hilarious. Cost: $20.

Information and RSVP (required), Linda Arnowitt at lindaarnowitt@ gmail.com or 508-542-4830.

Monday | November 30

Projects with PJ Library: Hanukkah Drip Trays via Zoom. 6 p.m.

Make a drip tray to place under your menorah. Supplies will be provided in a kit available for pickup at the Dwares JCC, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. To reserve a kit, for Zoom login and to RSVP, Lyndsey Ursillo at lursillo@jewishallianceri. org.

THE DOR L’ DOR SOCIETY PRESENTS A SPECIAL VIRTUAL EVENT FEATURING AUTHOR, RABBI LAURA GELLER Tuesday, December 1, 2020 | 4:00pm via Zoom

Friday | November 13

JCDSRI and Temple Emanu-El Simchat Tot Live with PJ Library.

9 a.m. Shabbat celebration for children ages 0-5 years old. Sing, dance, play and hear a story. Free.

Open to the community. Hosted both on Zoom and streaming on Facebook Live. Information and RSVP, Shayna Fel at sfel@jcdsri.com or Shoshana Jacob at shosh@teprov.org.

Temple Beth-El K’Tantan Family Shabbat with PJ Library. 5-6 p.m. Informal participatory Shabbat Service followed by songs and a PJ Library story. For families with children under age 5. Open to the community. Information and Zoom link, Rachel Mersky Woda at rmerskywoda@temple-beth-el. org or Lyndsey Ursillo at lursillo@ jewishallianceri.org.

Tuesday | November 17

Behind the Book: “The Book of V.” 7 p.m. Anna Solomon’s book challenges the story of Esther as the triumph of a Jewish minority

HAVE AN EVENT? Go to jewishrhody.org, click on the calendar button and go to "post your event."

The baby boomer generation transformed society in the ’60s and ’70s and changed the way the world saw young people. Now, this generation is in our 60s and 70s, and we are challenging assumptions about aging by living longer, being more active than our parents and grandparents, and simply doing things differently as we age. In the process, we are changing the way the world sees older people.

For more information, contact Claire Uziel at 401.421.4111 ext. 109 or cuziel@jewishallianceri.org.

Kindly RSVP by November 25, at jewishallianceri.org/geller.

Brought to you by the Jewish Federation Foundation in partnership with the Jewish Book Council.

The Dor L’Dor Society celebrates donors who have the foresight to create planned gifts, bequests, or permanent endowments to sustain our community in perpetuity.

12 | NOVEMBER 2020

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

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That was no small accomplishment because even under normal circumstances, my tendency to mumble makes it hard to understand me, let alone when my mouth was still sore from oral surgery.

My good vibes about Lynne continued on our first date, when, after an afternoon walking around in downtown Newport, we had dinner – and LARRY KESSLER much of my pasta wound up back on my plate instead of in my mouth due to the aforementioned dental procedure.

Mind you, I was impressed that she had even agreed to travel to Newport with me – but later I learned that she had taken no chances. She had tucked away $100 in her shoe just in case I turned out to be a creep, and she had to take a cab back to her Taunton apartment.

Fortunately, there was no need to activate that plan, and there was a second date a week later, and a wedding a year later.

Over the years, we’ve endured the usual joys and sorrows that couples face.

We’ve been blessed with two daughters and shared their milestones, including a college and high school graduation in two of the last three years. We had to watch our parents age, clean out their homes and apartments, and then bury them. And, last year, we worked together to get my wife on the mend after she broke her wrist.

Through the three-plus decades of our marriage, the main ingredient that has kept us together is humor; specifically, the ability to laugh at ourselves.

Learning to laugh during tough times has been an especially vital skill this year, when we’ve been socially isolated, told to keep away from activities and close friends we cherish, and forced to grapple with confusing and contradictory rules from our government. Given that atmosphere, maintaining a sense of humor has kept us sane.

That’s why, when we lost the use of our main shower and bathtub for a while due to that broken faucet, and we had to get accustomed to using our downstairs shower, which is similar to the kind found in most hotel rooms, we coped with humor.

“Well, we had better enjoy it, as it might be as close as we get to a hotel room for a while,” I said, “so let’s pretend that we’re on vacation every time we shower.”

We both had a good laugh over that. Hey, don’t knock it; these days, the bar for humor is pretty low.

G OU

T

LIKE JUST ABOUT everything we’ve encountered in this year of the coronavirus pandemic – which even the brilliant mind of “Twilight Zone” creator and writer Rod Serling would have been hard-pressed to imagine – Thanksgiving will be a most unusual holiday, with smaller get-togethers and far less traveling.

But one aspect of the day should remain unchanged (in addition to eating too much turkey): the desire to give thanks.

At the top of my list of things that I’m grateful for is that in late October, my wife and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary.

Given the fact that both of us have seen more of each other in the last several months than we did in many previous years, including those when I was working nights and didn’t get home until 2 or 3 a.m., it seems like, in the midst of a pandemic, reaching that milestone is worth celebrating.

At least that’s my view in this year, when we’ve learned not to take anything for granted.

As our anniversary approached, I realized that I’m the lucky one in our marriage, because over the last three decades, my wife has shown many hidden talents, while I’ve proven myself to be inept at many things. Indeed, after 32 years together, I still can’t put a Tupperware lid on straight or baking dishes back where they belong – and I remain folding-challenged when it comes to laundry.

I recently realized again how lucky I am to be married to Lynne, when a balky bathtub faucet refused to shut off.

I alerted her to the problem, but she didn’t fare any better Oct. 29, 1988 than I did at stopping the flow of water, and it looked like we were going to have to use the nuclear option to prevent a major flood: shut the water off in the house.

And then it happened: She tried one last time and – voila – the deluge stopped.

My wife has been solving our everyday problems for the last three decades. Even before we were married, she helped me clean up my one-bedroom apartment, where the floor was covered by so many newspapers that I had forgotten what color the carpet was. And throughout our marriage she’s been the one who is handy with tools – the running joke is that I’ve been forbidden by law to possess or operate sharp objects; calling me a handy man would be both an oxymoron and dishonest.

So, yes, after 32 years, I’m very thankful for my wife’s expertise, common sense and managerial skills in running our household, and for her patience in putting up with me when we work together on chores such as putting in and taking out the window air conditioners. That became an important joint task years ago, after, while doing it solo, I accidentally bounced an air conditioner off the back-porch steps.

I knew Lynne was a keeper right from

LARRY KESSLER (larrythek65@gmail.com) is a freelance writer based in North Attleboro. He blogs at https://larrytheklineup.blogspot.com.

NOVEMBER 2020 | 13

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COMMUNITY VOICES

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by the airline, everyone had at least one extra seat to themselves. I estimate that the plane was no more than 25 to 33% full; great for the passengers but horrible for the airline.

Upon boarding, we were all handed sanitary wipes – a far cry from the good old days, when we got peanuts. And the preflight instructional video now included details about how the plane was sanitized between flights and the extra precautions passengers should take.

The flight attendants also did a spectacular job helping us feel safe. Aside from meals, passengers DANIEL were required to wear STIEGLITZ a mask at all times. The flight attendants not only reminded passengers of this requirement, but would wake up anyone they saw sleeping mask-less. (I made sure to send a thank you note to Delta Airlines for their excellent service during this difficult time.)

Fortunately, I arrived safely in good old Providence, by way of John F. Kennedy airport, in New York City, and Boston.

A family in our great Rhode Island community was kind enough to let me begin my quarantine in their third-floor guest room, so I could distance myself from my parents until I had a chance to get tested again for the virus. A few times a day, my parents and sister would walk by and talk to me from the street.

Fortunately, my test results came back negative. My family and I agreed that it was time to really, truly, come home – while still continuing the quarantine from my own bedroom.

It goes without saying that these are not easy times. I feel blessed that all I needed was a change of scenery. I know there are people who need much, much more than that while COVID-19 continues to rage.

E

LE T T

IN THE MORE than 13 years that I have lived in Israel, I have tried not to repeat a topic in an article. I last wrote about COVID-19 in September, but since then I’ve had some updates that I think are worth mentioning.

Recently, I felt that I needed a change in scenery. Sleeping and working while staring at the same four walls in my apartment every day had become very tedious. The days seemed to blur together. I needed to be somewhere else. I’m sure that many people can relate to this feeling.

I can count on one hand how many vacation days I’ve taken since the start of the pandemic.

I wanted to visit my family in the U.S. and get some R&R. I quickly discovered that planning a three-week trip to Rhode Island was not as simple as I thought it would be. First, in the age of COVID-19, it was difficult to find insurance for such a trip. Second, the thought of being required to quarantine in Rhode Island for two weeks was not appealing.

After two months of failed attempts, I finally found insurance and got permission from my job to work from the United States for a period that would extend beyond the mandatory quarantine. After discussions with my parents, whose health and safety I was far more concerned about than my own, I decided it was finally time for me to visit.

Soon after I purchased my airplane ticket, the government of Israel announced lockdown measures in reaction to a surge in COVID-19 cases. This included the possible closure of the Ben Gurion Airport. I scrambled to find a way to leave prior to the lockdown, but I had no luck finding an earlier flight.

Fortunately, when the new restrictions were put in place, I learned that this restriction did not apply to passengers who had already purchased a ticket. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I had to do my homework regarding the new travel routine. I learned I had to fill out a form on Israel’s Ministry of Health website confirming that I was feeling fine in the 24 hours prior to my flight and had not come into contact with any virus patients.

Instead of using public transportation, I had to spend extra money to take a taxi to the airport. Upon arrival, I had to wait in line outside the airport.

When I reached the front of the line, I had to show the Ministry of Health form I had filled out, and proof that I had purchased my ticket before the lockdown began. Also, I had to have my temperature taken – and wear a mask, of course.

When I got to the duty-free area, I was surprised to see so many travelers congregating, albeit socially distanced. This created the illusion that more people were traveling than actually were. Then I realized it was because almost every duty-free shop and restaurant was closed. The people were in that area because there was nothing else to do and nowhere else to go!

My greatest fear was my safety on the plane itself, although I’m not normally an anxious traveler. Fortunately, as promised

Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, on the day of the writer's departure.

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16 | NOVEMBER 2020

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

NOVEMBER 2020 | 17

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

SENIORS

Examining our past can help us feel more content now

BY SHANA PROHOFSKY AND TARA WATKINS

Elaine Shapiro, of JCS, was happy to see some of the regulars.

Anita Gordon, of Providence, left, and Ruthann Lombardi, of Cranston, arrive for lunch.

GLENN OSMUNDSON | JEWISH RHODE ISLAND

Harpist Laura Cole plays for a group from the Kosher Senior Cafe as they eat lunch in Lippitt Memorial Park.

Nothing better than lunch with friends

BY FRAN OSTENDORF

L

unch around the table with friends was once the highlight of the day for many guests at the Kosher Senior Café at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Cen-

ter, in Providence, and Temple Sinai, in Cranston. But COVID-19 changed all that.

Seniors can still take part in a lunch program, but it looks a little different since the meal sites closed in March. Lunch is now delivered to their door instead: two lunches each Monday and Wednesday and one on Friday.

It’s the socializing that they say they miss.

On Oct. 9, a warm fall day, a drive-by barbecue was a welcome activity organized by Neal Drobnis and others involved in the Kosher Nutrition program at Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS). The participants picked up lunch from Ahava Catering in its kitchen on Elmgrove Avenue and then went to Lippitt Park in Providence, where Blackstone Boulevard meets Hope

Street, to eat in a socially-distanced way. They were treated to music by JCS’ own Laura Cole, who played the harp during the gathering.

Drobnis, the Kosher nutrition coordinator for JCS, has also been trying to keep the Kosher Senior Cafés’ “guests,” as he calls them, and others involved in a range of online programming.

Susie Adler, of JCS, waves to arriving friends.

Avram Cohen, of Providence, takes a bite out of a hamburger.

There are plenty of activities to stay connected: Zoom programming each Tuesday and Thursday offers yoga, a book discussion, special speakers and time to schmooze.

The Thursday before Election Day, Rep. David Cicilline participated in an online lunchtime Q-and-A

with about 16 people. It was a relaxed get-together with a brief presentation by Cicilline and plenty of time for questions. Topics ranged from Social Security and Medicare to elections and legislation.

Kosher Senior Café meals are available

to anyone age 60 and up for $3. If you would like to order meals, contact Elaine Shapiro at 401-338-1690 at least one day in advance.

The Kosher Cafés are a program of JCS, which also runs Kosher Meals on Wheels.

Shapiro, of JCS, says the program is in need of drivers. If you are willing to give a few hours of your time to help the seniors in the Rhode Island Jewish community, call Shapiro at 401-338-1690.

FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.

MANY OF US SPENT TIME during the High Holy Days reflecting on the previous year. But what if we went even further back and took an extended look into our past? What if this look back could provide us with a new sense of contentment with ourselves?

In the book “Wise Aging: Living with Joy, Resilience, & Spirit,” by Rabbi Rachel Cowan and Linda Thal, the authors propose a life-review exercise that aims to provide a chronologically descriptive, organized method of looking at our life’s journeys. The authors provide specific instructions on how to map out our lives as if they are rivers, and to consider them stage by stage.

Mapping allows us to explore the path of our personal river of life – where it has taken us, and where it might flow in the future – and to interpret the stories of our lives in multiple ways. We engage in nostalgia, we look for and recognize patterns, and we work toward attaining a nonjudgmental relationship with ourselves. This new realization of our past can help us feel more grounded in the present and more comfortable moving into the future.

Let’s explore the methods of interpretation and their benefits more closely.

• ENGAGING IN NOSTALGIA: Reminiscing is a normal reaction to stress and uncertainty. Often, focusing on positive nostalgic moments allows us a temporary escape from emotionally stressful situations.

Some experts, such as Dr. Juliana Breines in her Psychology Today blogpost about coping during COVID-19, state that nostalgia also alleviates loneliness. For example, remembrance of a past event may offer an opportunity to tap into pleasurable experiences that are tied to the people who shared these experiences with us. We are then reunited, if only in our mind’s memory, with our loved ones, thus strengthening our sense of connection.

There are elements of nostalgic moments that we can bring into the present and incorporate into our self-care routines – for example, rediscovering music, books or television shows that we enjoyed in our younger years; partaking in a food that we found comforting in the past; or looking at old photos and reaching out to a family member or friend to share memories of these captured life events. Allow yourself to revel in these rediscovered treasures from your past to help you through this challenging time.

• SEEING PATTERNS: While memories may jumble together, when we look at events across our life, we can see that just like

a river, some periods of time joyously rush by, but there are also slower periods and pools of stagnation brought on by loss or other challenges. We are able to see what came before, what came after and what resources we were able to draw upon to get us to the next stage.

Perhaps these resources were drawn from within ourselves or from external support from family, friends or professional counselors. While some of these external supports may no longer be available to us, such as a loved one who has passed away, we can still draw on what we learned from them.

Additionally, it might be easier to deal with the unpredictable nature of life during COVID-19 when we realize that we have handled many changes and adapted to difficult situations in the past. We can examine what we were able to control, and what was beyond our ability to control. The strength and resilience we gained from working through past struggles will help us to cope with our current situation. (We encourage readers with histories of trauma to get support and guidance from a professional therapist for a deeper review of life moments that might trigger painful memories.)

• FINDING CONTENTMENT: A life review gives us an opportunity to view past events through the lens of greater wisdom and life experience – and perhaps a more forgiving eye. While we cannot change our past, we can change how we perceive events, and what we can learn from them and apply to our lives. For example, maybe now we can see that the loss of a job led to a better opportunity, or the end of a relationship created space for a new love. These realizations give us a more accepting relationship with ourselves.

By moving through these steps, we may find ourselves able to reflect on the events of our lives with a new understanding of who we are and where we have been.

These gains in perspective will help us to feel more secure moving into the future, knowing that we are stronger and more resilient when faced with challenges than perhaps we previously thought.

SHANA PROHOFSKY and TARA WATKINS, LICSW, work for Kesher, a congregational outreach program of Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS). Kesher is currently active at Temple Sinai, Temple Emanu-El, Congregation Beth Shalom and Temple Torat Yisrael. Kesher is made possible through generous funding by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and private donors.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

SENIORS Emanu-El works to keep services, events accessible during pandemic

BY JOHN LANDRY THE PANDEMIC has upset life for everyone, but older people face special challenges. They didn’t grow up with computers, and many of them are not comfortable with digital technology.

As COVID-19 has shifted most services and events to virtual gatherings, Temple Emanu-El, in Providence, has taken several steps to ensure that these congregants can continue to participate.

Emanu-El’s congregants and staff tackled the challenge in multiple ways. The main effort was to help congregants master Zoom and related technologies, but the synagogue also hosted extra outdoor events so people could still see each other in person.

But even before helping people connect online, the temple had to decide on worship services. Shabbat raised a special concern because of its general prohibition against using electronics.

Following rulings by the Conservative movement on the special nature of the pandemic, the congregation is broadcasting, on Vimeo, Shabbat services in the large sanctuary. There

have to be at least 10 people in the sanctuary to make a minyan, but no more than 15 to meet the state’s restrictions on gatherings.

The same rule applied to holiday services. The clergy and others on the bimah kept their distance and wore masks most of the time.

Then the challenge was to make sure that everyone could connect, not just for Shabbat services but for the many gatherings held during the week (on Zoom). Before this year, the synagogue had twice-daily services as well as lectures and performances, adult education classes, weekly study sessions and religious school. Almost everything shifted online.

The congregation formed a technology committee to help. Jon Lentz, who ran an electronics business before recently retiring, chaired it with two other congregants. They fielded dozens of calls for help, mostly from older congregants. Besides helping with logging in, they advised on upgrading hardware and software. They resolved the vast majority of problems over the phone, but in three cases one of them volunteered to make a house

call. Meeting online still isn’t as good as in-person – it’s harder to socialize afterward on Zoom, for one thing. But it has a silver lining. As congregant Maxine Cohen pointed out, “We’re like a captive audience.” She and her husband Avram have found that they are attending more events because of the convenience of tuning in from home.

Rabbi Michael Fel said the constraints brought on by the pandemic are forcing the synagogue, and the Conservative movement generally, to get creative in finding ways to bring people together. Among Emanu-El’s efforts: A “Pop-Up Sukkah” that traveled the state so people could shake the lulav and etrog; on Rosh Hashanah, the shofar sounded in several cities across the state; and on Simchat Torah, house signs for each of the 54 Torah portions were placed along a walkable route near the synagogue.

Some of these efforts have proved so popular that they may continue even after the pandemic ends.

JOHN LANDRY, of Providence, serves on the adult education committee at Temple Emanu-El.

Shabbat raised a special concern because of its general prohibition against using electronics.

Richard and Linda Mittleman in Temple Emanu-El’s pop-up sukkah in Providence’s Lippitt Park.

NOVEMBER 2020 | 17

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

SENIORS

The legacy of our seniors: My grandmother’s message

HEA

TH

movies and plays, historical and chronological time frames are the keys to character development. Just as historical foundations set the stage in the arts, our heritage serves as the foundation for our lives. We cannot fully understand our lives without comprehending the context of our beginnings.

“As we seek to understand and appreciate those who came before us, we step out of our own personal narratives and into theirs. We step back in time intellectually and emotionally to get a sense for what influenced them in their youth and adulthood. We wonder how our ancestors handled their challenges PATRICIA and struggles. Most of all, we begin to understand them as people, as RASKIN human beings trying to find their way in a world that was different, yet strikingly similar to the world we inhabit.

“I think that the importance of knowing our family heritage is that we seek out how the generations before us did it, which helps us to do it better. I encourage you – whoever you are, whatever family background you come from, wherever you are going – to honor the heritage and legacy that is yours and yours alone. Share family stories. Allow your common family history to draw you closer together. Don’t miss any opportunity to visit and vacation with relatives. Let the remembrances you share be monuments to your family’s storied heritage.

“Explore remote, almost forgotten family

Y L I VI

NG

L

THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT is from my self-published book, “Pathfinding: Seven Principles for Positive Living.”

“One of my most memorable moments as a child, was listening to my grandmother tell Russian folk tales as we sat nestled on the bed.

I vividly remember her story about a poor, hungry woman who knocked on the door of a stranger to ask for a piece of bread and some water. When she was turned away, the person who refused to offer her food was plagued with frogs or snakes which jumped out of his mouth whenever he tried to speak. However, if the poor woman was welcomed by the host when she knocked on his door, gold and pearls would come out of the host’s mouth whenever he spoke.

“My grandmother’s message was clear: Perform kind deeds whenever you can. Be loving and kindhearted. Treat people kindly so you will be treated kindly. Speak pearls of wisdom.

Respect people. Be compassionate because the pattern of the human race goes from individual to family to group to community to city to state to nation to the world. What is passed from one is passed to all. What is done to one affects everyone. I cherish the times I spent at her side soaking up the stories and heritage she passed on to me.

“My family heritage is my personal, cultural and professional foundation. It’s my moral, ethical and spiritual compass. In novels,

paths together. Pathfinding is a family-enrichment activity. It has the same effect as family prayer – it holds families together. It establishes the links for passing family torches from generation to generation.

“Each generation has to learn important lessons from the previous one. That willingness to learn from each other and apply the family lessons will produce the dividends of sound family values and philosophies. In this way, each generation leaves its own legacy.”

In my book, I also gathered stories from my late father, who passed at 95. I will always have his stories as a legacy.

PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is a media host, coach and awardwinning radio producer and business owner.

She is on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence.

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Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

FOOD

A chicken stew flavored by tradition

BY LISA MAYBRUCH FAMILY RECIPES: we know them, and we love them, but most of all, we get frustrated with them. Or is that just me?

If you’ve seen my blog posts, Cooking with Lisa, you know that I struggle with vague cooking recipes that tell me to add “a pinch” here and “a dash” there.

No one is a bigger offender of this than my mom, Sally Maybruch, and you’ll see it in her recipe that I give here. She literally instructs you to sprinkle the dish with paprika “like a nice Connecticut snow cover”! Are we talking flurries here, or a nor’easter? And what does that equal in tablespoons?

Although I get frustrated when I can’t duplicate her recipe for Frickin Chicazee perfectly, I always end up feeling nostalgic and laughing. And the dish is always delicious.

This recipe is so special because not only is it being passed down from my mom to me, but it was passed down to her from her mom. That’s double the memories and double the flavor!

For my mom, Frickin Chicazee is a dish that my grandmother made in order to find fun ways to eat different meats. For me, it’s “that dish you made the night you met

that famous guy at Stop & Shop.” Here’s my mom’s story: “A few years ago, I was trying to pick onions from the local grocery store to make the stew. The small onions were not very good quality, and that night, fellow shopper and entertainer Harvey Fierstein agreed.

Could you believe he was just standing right next to me? He suggested we look at the yellow onions instead.

“When I expressed my concern that they might not be the right onions for my special recipe, he inquired what the recipe was. I told him it was my special dish, called Frickin Chickazee. Well, what a belly laugh came from Harvey Fierstein! I was entertaining the entertainer! I explained it was my own twist on a childhood memory.

He sighed and said, ‘You know ... if we could only buy our childhood memories, we would have to be very wealthy indeed.’ And there the entertainer gave me a special memory.”

Here is my mom’s special dish, along with her unique notes.

LISA MAYBRUCH (lmaybruch@jewishallianceri.org) is the manager of adult programs for the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island.

She literally instructs you to sprinkle the dish with paprika “like a nice Connecticut snow cover”! Are we talking flurries here, or a nor’easter?

Frickin Chicazee FOR STEW 1 cup water to start 2 pounds beef cubes (cut into smaller pieces after the butcher does) 1 cube Telma beef flavored stock 1 can tomato paste 1/2 cup Marsala wine 1 to 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon basil 1 clove garlic 1 teaspoon brown sugar 2 small onions, nice, picked Harvey Fierstein style Carrots (sliced, 1 stick for each pound of meat) Flour

1 dozen chicken wings (discard tip of wing and cut remainder into 2) or 1 pound dark-meat chicken 1 pound veal cubes (cut same as above) 2-3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed Paprika Oil

FOR MATZO BALLS 2 large eggs 2 to 3 ounces water 2 to 3 ounces oil 1/2 cup matzo meal (add more matzo meal 1 tablespoon at a time if too liquidy)

DIRECTIONS Crock-Pot method: no need to add additional liquid, slow cook all day on medium heat.

Stove-top method: after initial simmering, turn to low heat, watch, stir every here and there and add liquid as necessary.

We’re talking 6-8 hours.

You may use a skillet to brown the beef and veal in oil first for either method, but who needs the extra calories? If you do brown in a skillet, you may as well sprinkle with a little flour during the process. It will help bind the gravy nicely. But … this dish is tasty enough without browning. I suggest the following:

potatoes are added to the pot.

This method keeps them from getting mushy. If you want the potatoes soft and mushy, or you want to add all to one pot to keep life a little simpler, feel free. If you use the slow-cooker method, the potatoes should go in the bottom layer from the beginning 3. Prepare the matzo ball mixture ahead of time, or at least 30 minutes before adding to the pot: beat eggs gently, add water and oil. Add matzo meal and stir thoroughly. Refrigerate.

4. Now, this is the kick to the whole dish: about 20 to 30 minutes before serving (make 1. Heat water, then add beef sure all the meats are tender cubes, beef flavored stock, toand there is a nice coat of mato paste, wine, bay leaf, basteam on your kitchen winsil, garlic and sugar. Add onions, cut in half, and the sliced dow), it’s time to add the matzo ball mixture. This is for both carrots. When all is simmerthe slow-cooker method and ing, sprinkle a little flour, the stove-top method. Coat maybe a 1/2 teaspoon (skip your palms with a little oil this if you browned the meat), and roll marble-sized matzo add chicken and veal. Covballs. Add straight to the more er with paprika (like a nice liquid sections of the pot. This Connecticut snow cover) and cover the pot. (Leave the cover takes time; have patience, it’s a little open if doing stove top.) worth it. (You may want to double the matzo ball recipe 2. If you are making on the after folks start diving for stove top, cook the potatoes. the matzo balls and leave you Preheat oven to 425 degrees. with none.)

Spray an oven dish with cook5. Continue cooking until mating spray and add the diced zo balls are cooked through, potatoes. Sprinkle with papriadd the baked potatoes to ka and mix in a little oil. Keep the stove-top pot, serve over in oven until potatoes start to wide noodles and enjoy! (My get slightly crispy, 25 minutes, husband also likes the stew flipping halfway. Set aside with rice.) until needed. Eventually the

NOVEMBER 2020 | 19

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

Above all else, stay safe during this pandemic, but on Veteran's Day, November 11th, we ask that you reflect on the way of life that you enjoy and ask yourself if it would have been possible without the efforts of the countless American Veterans who stood at the ready.

The Jewish War Veterans of the USA thank all Veterans for their service Whatis a veteran?

A Grunt, Coastie, Jarhead, Swabbie, Flyboy, WAVE, WAF, WASP, or WAC in service to our country WhatisJWV? Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America is the oldest active Veterans group in the country, established in 1896.

Why should you be a member ofJewish War Veterans?

To be heard. Do you want to have a voice?

What doesJWV do?

Through our activities, we honor our Veterans and let the community know Jewish War Veterans exist.

We do this through our Memorial Day observance, taking part in the Bristol 4th of July Parade and participating in Veterans Day observances in synagogues and temples.

We want you to be part of us.

For information contact: Jewish War Veterans Department of Rhode Island PO Box 100064 I Cranston, RI 02910 by email to: ijinri@aol.com

Behind the Book

a virtual visiting author series

To learn more about the books and authors featured in this series, and to sign up, visit jewishallianceri.org/behind-the-book/

A Passion for Israel: Adventures of a Sar-el Volunteer with Mark Werner November 11, 7:00pm

The Book of V. with Anna Solomon November 17, 7:00pm

*The Ninth Night of Hanukkah with Erica S. Perl December 14, 4:00pm

The Last Train to London with Meg Waite Clayton January 26, 7:00pm

**Going Rogue (At Hebrew School) with Casey Breton February 17, 5:00pm

We Saw Scenery:The Early Diaries of Merrill Markoe with Merrill Markoe February 18, 7:00pm

We Walk: Life with Severe Autism with Amy S.F. Lutz February 23, 7:00pm

*Such a Library!: A Yiddish Folktale Re-Imagined with Jill Ross Nadler May 2, 4:00pm

24/6 with Tiffany Shlain February 4, 7:00pm

The Berkshires Farm Table Cookbook with Elisa Spungen Bildner & Robert Bildner May 9, 7:00pm

This series is in partnership with the Jewish Book Council, with select events sponsored by PJ Library* & PJ Our Way**

20 | NOVEMBER 2020

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

OBITUARIES 24 | BUSINESS 26

‘Tremendous need’ for volunteers on IDF bases

BY FRAN OSTENDORF

PHOTO | JFNA

‘Identity politics have caused us to forget about our common bonds’ Isaiah Rothstein to lead a community conversation about race on Nov. 19

R

abbi Isaiah Rothstein has a lot to say about race, diversity and inclusion in Judaism, and it comes from a place of deep experience – Rothstein grew up in a multiracial Chabad family in Monsey, New York.

Rothstein, who says his was the only multiracial family in Monsey, has been extensively interviewed about his experiences and has written about them as well.

A modern Orthodox rabbi, he is a Rabbinic Scholar and public affairs adviser for The Jewish Federations of North America. He is also a social worker and musician.

Rothstein, who lives with his wife in the Harlem neighborhood in New York City, sees himself

as a human bridge, connecting disparate parts of the Jewish community.

“We all have multiple stories. Identity politics have caused us to forget about our common bonds,” he said in a recent interview.

On Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., Rothstein will lead a community conversation, via Zoom, on race, inclusion and related subjects. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and 11 community synagogue and agency partners.

Preregistration is required. For more information, contact Stephanie Hague at shague@ jewishallianceri.org.

– Fran Ostendorf

Insights from political analyst Wendy Schiller

BY ROBIN KAUFFMAN PROVIDENCE – Take a deep breath and relax. With those words, Brown University Prof. Wendy Schiller began a Zoom webinar about politics, at the Miriam Hospital Women’s Association’s meeting on Oct. 14.

Despite the deeply contentious campaign season, Schiller reassured the audience, “we are a long-standing democracy that has experienced its share of disputed elections and upheaval, [and] we will once again endure.”

So, what exactly made this year’s election different from all others?

According to Professor Schiller, gradual changes in voting practices, the COVID-19 pandemic and protests that are taking place daily across the nation added up to making it difficult to name a winner on election night. Other factors that were likely to add to a delay in naming a winner included heavy mail voting, high voter turnout and late voting in Hawaii.

And then there is the electoral vote. While the Electoral College was created to serve as a type of checks and balances, it too has changed over the years, as state procedures and laws have changed.

While the Constitution doesn’t

require electors to follow their state’s popular vote, many states’ laws do. This past summer, the Supreme Court ruled that those state laws are constitutional – electors in these states must respect the vote tally and follow their state’s popular vote.

For additional information about membership or other questions about The Miriam Hospital Women’s Association, please contact Vickie Scott at 401-793-2520 or Vickie.Scott@lifespan.org.

ROBIN KAUFFMAN is co-chair for programming of the Miriam Hospital Women’s Association.

MARK WERNER WANTS US to know that we can do more to support Israel than just writing a check.

“Our obligation as Jews is to strengthen Israel,” Werner, a self-described Zionist and the son of a Holocaust survivor, said in a recent phone interview. “I believe Israel is very important for the protection of Jews around the world.”

He went on to say that in the 72 years that Israel has existed, there hasn’t been a mass persecution of Jews. “Before Israel, you couldn’t find 72 years without mass persecution of Jews,” he said.

One of the ways that Werner, a retired attorney from Raleigh, North Carolina, supports Israel is by volunteering for Sar-El, an Israeli organization that places volunteers from around the world on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) supply/logistics bases to help in supporting roles. Werner says that by volunteering, you are freeing up a soldier to do his or her job, as well as providing a morale boost to Israeli soldiers.

Werner’s new book about his experiences, “A Passion for Israel: Adventures of a SarEl Volunteer,” relies, in part, on the diaries he has kept in his 18 years as a volunteer.

His first book, “Army Fatigues: Joining Israel’s Army of International Volunteers,” was based on his first four volunteer experiences.

Werner is also the president of Volunteers for Israel, the American organization that partners with Sar-El to enables U.S. citizens to volunteer for the IDF. “I want American Jews to know about these experiences,” he said. “Being there makes the connection.”

He said he wrote the first book because he was frustrated at the lack of publicity for the Sar-El organization.

Werner said a large group from New England has volunteered through the years, including some Rhode Islanders.

“I look forward to it. You are out in the open and the stress goes away,” he said.

His son, David, has volunteered with him for five of the trips.

The program offers one-, two- or threeweek volunteer opportunities. Due to COVID-19, trips have been canceled since March. Werner was supposed to go in June.

This is the first trip he’s missed in 19 years.

“We know the work is piling up for us to do. There will be a tremendous need,” he said.

Werner will discuss his new book and answer questions via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11. To RSVP and receive a link to the program, go to jewishallianceri.org/werner.

The free program is part of the monthly Israeli Culture Series and Behind the Book: A Visiting Author Series.

FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.

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jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

CEO of Big Blue Bug Solutions named Mensch of the Year ON TWO OCCASIONS in October – once online and then in person – Brian Goldman, CEO of Big Blue Bug Solutions, in Providence, was awarded the Sy Dill Mensch of the Year Award by the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel. Goldman received the honor for his “important service to the community for displaying the ‘Stop Anti-Semitism’ banner on the Big Blue Bug.” The 22-foot-wide banner could be seen from interstate 95, in Providence, for four weeks in July and August.

The online presentation took place on Oct. 18 in a regional pro-Israel Zoom event co-sponsored by RICI, Christians and Jews United for

Israel, and New Hampshire for Israel, before an audience of some 60 people.

The next day, the award was given to Goldman during a brief ceremony outside the offices of Big Blue Bug Solutions, and was recorded as a video, which is now available on the RICI website (www. ricoalitionforisrael.org).

Goldman also received a copy of “The New Anti-Semites,” a groundbreaking study authored by StopAntiSemitism. org and the Zachor Institute, which RICI distributes at no cost to interested leaders and community members.

Submitted by Rhode Island Coalition for Israel

Brian Goldman and RICI board member Judi Dill PHOTO | RICI

22 | NOVEMBER 2020

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY

7 reasons to give on Giving Tuesday

BY ABI WEINER ACCORDING TO GIVINGTUESDAY.ORG, Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day when people are encouraged to do good. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate and celebrate generosity.

This year, more than ever, Giving Tuesday is important to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island because it can help support our community in this crazy, tumultuous time.

Here are seven reasons why you should participate in Giving Tuesday, on Dec. 1, and consider donating to the Alliance.

1

Giving Tuesday is a global movement. Giving Tuesday started in the United States but is now a worldwide movement. Last year, people in 145 countries participated.

at their local coffee shop. If you give up buying one cup of coffee a week, and give that money to the Alliance instead, you will be donating $216 for the year. It is easy to set up a monthly gift on your credit or debit card and it helps us to know that we can count on your gift each month.

2

Donations to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island are doubled on Giving Tuesday. This year, we have a donor offering a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $5,000, on the gifts that come in for Giving Tuesday, so your gift will go twice as far in helping the community. For example, if you give a $25 donation, it will double to $50.

3

You can pledge to give monthly. If you give $18 for the month, that breaks down to $4.50 a week.

Most people spend that much on a cup of coffee

4

It’s an easy way to give back to your community. The Jewish Alliance allocates money to many different organizations in the Rhode Island Jewish community and around the world. It is so important to give back to the community that you love and are a part of. This is a great way to do so.

5

You can convince other people to give. By talking about charitable giving with friends, family or on social media, you can help persuade those listening and reading to make their own contributions. Giving Tuesday can be a chance to help start a chain reaction and make the community better.

6

This year in particular is important. Like most nonprofits, organizations in the Jewish community have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we had a successful Emergency Relief Campaign, we need to keep going as there is still a pandemic going on. Your Giving Tuesday gift will go twice as far and can help thousands of people.

7

You can make a difference. Just one gift can help tens of thousands of people in Rhode Island, Israel and around the world. We need your support to help maintain our strong and vibrant community.

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

The year 5780 was certainly a wild ride; we had to find new and creative ways of meeting people’s needs in an ever changing landscape.

In these uncertain times when so many people are finding themselves in need of assistance – many of them for the first time – we are providing programs that help the most vulnerable among us, both locally and globally.

With your support, we keep people safe and cared for. With your increased commitment to the Annual Community Campaign, you will provide continuity and the expanded services that people so desperately need right now.

We appreciate your past support and hope you’ll consider increasing your gift.

2021 ANNUAL COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN JEWISHALLIANCERI.ORG/DONATE

HERE FOR GOOD. 401 Elmgrove Avenue • Providence, RI 02906 • 401.421.4111 • jewishallianceri.org

NOVEMBER 2020 | 23

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt: Don’t let your guard down this winter

BY SETH CHITWOOD PROVIDENCE – Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, an infectious diseases doctor from New York, is asking the Jewish community to be a role model for the rest of the country by following three important guidelines this winter: masking, social distancing and hand-washing.

In a Zoom talk hosted by The Kollel Center of Jewish Studies on Oct. 18, Glatt told about 40 listeners, “We have to take responsibility for what we need to do” and that “God is asking us to be the light unto the nations.”

Glatt said he doesn’t think we need to return to lockdown to fight COVID-19. Instead, he said, we should “reenergize and understand that we can maintain what we have … by not giving up hope.”

The rabbi said he recently led an in-person service where the congregants wore masks and sat 6 feet apart. No infections were traced to the services, he said, showing that gathering to-

gether safely is possible as long as the guidelines are strictly followed.

Even after a vaccine is approved, Glatt said at least 75% of the population will need to be vaccinated to lower the risk of infection.

In the meantime, he said, masking continues to be key to protecting yourself and others.

“No one is safe … and everyone should act like they have it just to be safe,” he said.

Glatt also reported that medical professionals are now seeing patients who have been reinfected with the virus.

“It doesn’t happen right away, but after a certain amount of time, you can get it again. Even if you have antibodies, it doesn’t mean you won’t get it again,” he said.

But Glatt said that “medically… we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.” He is optimistic that there will be a vaccine for health-care workers before the end of the year.

In concluding his talk, Glatt said that we control our own destiny. If we follow the guidelines of masking, social distancing and hand-washing, “things will work out,” he said.

Glatt is the associate rabbi at Congregation Anshei Chesed, in Hewlett, New York, and assistant rabbi at Young Israel of Woodmere, in New York. He is chairman of medicine at South Nassau Communities Hospital, and a clinical professor of medicine at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, both in New York. He is also a spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The lecture was sponsored by the Schechter family in memory of Dorothy Schechter.

SETH CHITWOOD is a freelance writer from Barrington. He recently graduated from the American Film Institute with a Master’s Degree in Screenwriting. He is the Creative Director of the production company, Angelwood Pictures. Reach him at www.sethchitwood.com

PHOTO | GOLDEN FAMILY

Spreading the fun DURING THE SUMMER, the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island offered activity boxes to families, since most Jewish overnight camps were closed, leaving many families without summer Jewish activities. The boxes were available upon request for pick up from the Dwares Jewish Community Center in Providence and some area synagogues, many of which contributed activities for the boxes, as did a few camps. The Jewish Agency for Israel provided cards and a tile project, which Pinchas Golden (age 6) was using just a few weeks ago. Some of the boxes are still available for pick up. If you are interested, contact Larry Katz at lkatz@jewishallianceri.org.

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24 | NOVEMBER 2020

Jewish Rhode Island | jewishrhody.org

COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES Janice Arnoff, 94

Charles Carter, 87

WARWICK, R.I. – Janice S. Arnoff died Oct. 21 at RI Respiratory. She was the wife of the late Lawrence P. Arnoff.

Born in Fall River, Massachusetts, the daughter of the late Samuel and Lena (Weiner) Gertner, she was a longtime resident of Warwick.

She was the mother of Karen DeFelice and her husband, Bob, of Warwick and Steven Arnoff and his wife, Maricris, of Nashua, New Hampshire.

She was the grandmother of Jeffrey, Christopher and Amanda.

Contributions may be made to United Way of RI, Community Impact Fund online at https://www.uwri.org/ take-action/give/community-impact-fund/.

ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. – Charles Nathaniel Carter passed away on Sept. 12 at the Community Hospice Center in St. Augustine.

He was born Aug. 28, 1933, the son of Maxwell and Sarah Carter (née Silverman).

Charles was raised in Providence, attended Hope High School and went on to earn a B.A. from Bryant College. He served in the U.S. Army, where he was stationed in Mainz, Germany, for two years.

After working briefly for the Warwick Beacon, Charles began a long career in sales, first with Castro Convertibles

and eventually with Ethan Allen Furniture, where he remained until his retirement in the early 1990s.

Soon after the death of his wife, Leslie, he relocated to Florida. He led an active life there for many years volunteering for and donating to numerous organizations he cared about such as H.A.W.K.E. Wildlife, the Betty Griffin Center, the Council on Aging, Meals on Wheels and the St. Augustine Public Library.

A soft-spoken and gentle soul, Charles had a passion for books, sports (especially Boston-based teams), film and art and filled his home with an eclectic mix of paintings and prints. Late in life he took up drawing and was particularly fond of creating unique cartoons based on current events as well as portraits of friends and acquaintances and whimsical animal characters. He happily shared these with the community, and it was not unusual to go into an office or home and see his creations on display.

Charles leaves behind his wife, Almadean Williams, a brother, Allan Carter (Gina) of Kingston, a daughter, Lisa Carter of Hamden, Connecticut, and numerous friends at the Allegro Senior Living Community in St. Augustine, where he last resided.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to H.A.W.K.E. Wildlife.

Harold Krasner, 95 WARWICK, R.I. – Harold Krasner died Oct. 11 at Brentwood Nursing. He was the beloved husband of Claire (Gornstein) Krasner, his college sweetheart, for 70 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Jacob and Lillian (Siebel) Krasner, he had lived in Warwick for two years, previously living in Cranston.

Harold was born in Providence and became Bar Mitzvah at Touro Synagogue in Newport, graduating from Rogers High School there. His education was interrupted by World War II, where he served in the Merchant Marine. He returned to earn a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at Rhode Island State College (now the University of Rhode Island) where he was a proud member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. Soon after graduation, he served as an officer in the Navy during the Korean Conflict.

Harold was self-employed during most of his professional career. He was a partner in Alrae Construction, a general contractor based in Provi-

dence, and then the principal at HNK Consulting.

Harold had a lifelong passion for things nautical. He purchased his first powerboat in the 1960s and was an active sailor and fisherman into his 70s.

He was the devoted father of Dr. Jay Krasner and his wife, Sharon Bell, of Sudbury, Massachusetts, and Edward Krasner and his wife, Abbi, of Cranston. He was the dear brother of Frima Marquez of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the late Alvin Krasner, Robert Krasner and Blanche Levine.

He was the loving grandfather of Elliot, Laurel, Samuel and Maxwell.

Contributions may be made to the Rhode Island Food Bank at https://rifoodbank. org/.

Bertha Lisker, 95 WARWICK, R.I. – Bertha Lisker died Oct. 26 at West Shore Health Center. She was the wife of the late Saul Lisker. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Joseph and Fannie (Waldman) Abrams, she was a longtime resident of Warwick.

She was the mother of Lowell Lisker of Warwick and Sherwin Lisker and his wife, Connie, of Oceanside, California. She was the grandmother of Lauren and Callan.

Contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.

Steven Matzner, 67 CRANSTON, R.I. – Steven H. Matzner died Oct. 29 at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. He was the husband of Beth (Simon) Matzner for 41 years. Steve was the father of Evan Matzner and his wife, Ariella, of New York and Shayna Matzner of New York.

Born in Providence, a son of the late Henry and Lena (Chafez) Matzner, he was a longtime resident of Cranston.

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rhode

Island College. Steve was a special education teacher for Cranston West High School for over 35 years. He was also a tennis coach at Cranston West, La Salle Academy and The Prout School for 25 years.

Contributions may be made to Be the Match Foundation to support bone marrow transplants at www.bethematchfoundation.org.

Helene Sondler, 94 WARWICK, R.I. – Helene K. Sondler passed away on Sept. 30 at Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence in Warwick. She was the wife of the late Richard Sondler. Born in Providence, a daughter of Marian and Isadore Kwasha, she proudly raised her family there and helped Dicky through the years at Star Appliance.

Helene was a member of and volunteer at Temple Emanu-El and also volunteered at The Miriam Hospital. She cherished her life on the East Side and beautiful summer days on the shores of Canonchet with family and dear friends.

She was the mother of Jeffrey Sondler of Woburn, Massachusetts, the late Bruce Sondler and the late David Sondler, and Helene was immensely proud of her three sons. She remained close to daughters-in-law Elizabeth Sondler and Susan Bazar. She was the dear sister of the late Edith Feingold, Lottie Seegal and Leonard Kwasha, Helene cherished her childhood years.

Helene was the grandmother of six granddaughters, Meredith, Jordan, Caroline, Chloe, Alexandra and Olivia and great-grandmother to Ariella, Maxwell, Alexander, Beatrice and Georgia.

From Providence’s East Side to the Regency and then on to Warwick, Helene resided at Tamarisk for the past eight years where staff and residents became her extended family. Affectionately nick-

ASK THE DIRECTOR

BY ADAM G. SMITH AND MICHAEL D. SMITH F.D./R.E., Shalom Memorial Chapel

QUESTION: Is there a cost for a burial flag and military honors?

S.A., Providence

Dear S.A., The cost was paid by the veteran when he or she per-

formed service for our country. The funeral director will need a copy of the DD-214 (Honorable Discharge Papers) and a copy of the certificate of death to fill out the proper paperwork; arrange with the military for the rifle volleys; taps; and folding and presenting the flag to the veteran’s family; and replace the flag for the next veteran who has earned the honors.

QUESTIONS ARE WELCOMED AND ENCOURAGED. Please send questions to: ShalomChapel@aol.com or by mail to Ask the Director, c/o Shalom Memorial Chapel, 1100 New London Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920.

NOVEMBER 2020 | 25

jewishrhody.org | Jewish Rhode Island

COMMUNITY | OBITUARIES named Cookie, Helene radiated kindness and gratitude.

Contributions may be made to Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 1165 North Main St., Providence, RI 02904 or online at jcsri.org. Tamarisk is a community of Jewish Collaborative Services (JCS).

Barry Shaw, 76 WARWICK, R.I. – Barry Shaw died Oct. 4 at Rhode Island Hospital. He was the husband of Gail (Winkleman) Shaw for 55 years. Born in Providence, a son of the late Louis and Dorothy (Tolchinsky) Shaw, he was a longtime resident of Warwick. He was a graduate of Bentley College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Barry was the lead tax preparer at H&R Block in Warwick for 10 years and the vice president of Surplex Underwriters Insurance in Warwick for 20 years, retiring in 2015.

He was a member and on the board of directors of Touro Fraternal Association. Barry volunteered at the Trudeau Center, running their Bingo games. He was an avid golfer and was president of several local golf leagues.

He enjoyed watching sports on TV, including golf, football and baseball. Most of all, Barry enjoyed attending the youth hockey, soccer or

baseball games played by his children and more recently his grandchildren.

He was the father of Howard Shaw and his wife, Kelley, Robert Shaw and Steven Shaw. He was the brother of the late Sanford Shaw. He was the grandfather of Kaitlyn, Rachel and Eric.

Contributions may be made to American Diabetes Association, 260 Cochituate Road, #200, Framingham, MA 01701 or www.diabetes.org/donate/ donate-memorial.

Shirley Wasser, 95 WARWICK, R.I. – Shirley Zelda Wasser passed away on Oct. 6 at HopeHealth Hulitar Hospice Center. She was the wife of the late Raymond Wasser. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Joseph and Gertrude (Backman) Epstein, she was a longtime resident of Cranston, recently living in West Warwick and Warwick. Shirley was predeceased by her sister, Ethel Davis, of New York, and her brother, Arnold Elliott, of Tennessee, Florida and Texas.

As an adult, she fulfilled her dream of going to college. When her youngest, Julie, began school, Shirley

was among the first group to attend the URI Extension in Providence. After eight years of part-time study, she earned a BA in History, URI Class of ’75. She was a member of the Cranston Senior Guild.

A member of the League of Women Voters, she always made sure her grandchildren were registered to vote. Shirley volunteered with Rhode Island Historical Society Walking Tours in downtown Providence and also in the library at Temple Beth Torah.

For over 50 years, she had a weekly mahjong game with her best friend and maid of honor, Miriam. She bowled for many years, swam laps at the Grist Mill Pool, went to exercise classes and, at the age of 94, was riding a stationary bike several times a week.

During her 71 years of marriage, Shirley and Raymond traveled extensively to Russia, China, Italy, France, England, Spain, Israel, Egypt and Switzerland, as well as throughout the U.S. They enjoyed many vacation weeks in Aruba in the winter.

She was the mother of Howard Wasser and his wife, Harriet, of West Warwick, Helene Pell and her husband, John, of Ashland, Massachusetts, Sandra Wallis and her husband, Richard, of Holyoke, Massachusetts, and Julie Parker of

Hopkinton, Massachusetts.

She was the grandmother of Jessica Wasser, Melissa Morgan and Michael Pell. She was the great-grandmother of Ariella and Valyn Morgan, and Victoria and Maya Pell.

The family would like to thank the staff of Greenwich Farms Assisted Living in Warwick for the wonderful care provided to Shirley.

Contributions may be made to your favorite charity.

Nancy Weintraub, 95 CRANSTON, R.I. – Nancy Weintraub passed away on Sept. 29, at Cedar Crest.

She was the wife of the late Herman “Hy” Weintraub. Born in Providence, a daughter of the late Angelo and Mary (Gambuto) Giampetro, she had lived in Cranston for over 50 years.

She was the mother of Neil Weintraub of Providence and the late Allen M. Weintraub.

She was the sister of the late Thomas Giampetro and Gloria Wilks. She was the grandmother of Allen, Mitchell and the late Jackson. She was the great-grandmother of Kyle.

Contributions may be made to your favorite charity.

Ruben Zalcberg, 65 COVENTRY, R.I. – Ruben Zalcberg died Oct. 7 at The Miriam Hospital, Providence.

He was the husband of Robyn (Cohen) Zalcberg for 43 years. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a son of the late Israel and Clara (Goldstein) Zalcberg, he had lived in Coventry since 2008, previously living in Freehold, New Jersey. Ruben was a former senior mortgage loan officer, retiring in 2018.

He was the father of Craig Zalcberg and his wife, Kelly, of West Greenwich and Shayna Zalcberg of Coventry. He was the brother of Abel Zalcberg and his wife, Barbara, of Raleigh, North Carolina. He was the grandfather of Jared, Jack and Chase.

Contributions may be made to the Lupus Foundation of America, Inc., 2121 K St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20037.

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BUSINESS

A financial planner or a Certified Financial Planner?

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A person who calls themself

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is, that the recommended security or product fit the client’s investing objectives, needs and circumstances.

When evaluating products that are identical except for their fees, a fiduciary is obligated to recommend the lowest-cost product to the client. A financial professional who’s working under a suitability standard may opt to recommend a higher-cost product, JASON E. because their SIPERSTEIN interests may lie first with the firm and/or the company whose products they recommend and sell.

The distinction is important – it can make a material financial difference to the consumer because the money an investor pays in fees could instead have gone toward the investment, where it would have the opportunity to grow over time.

2. CFP professionals are trained and have demonstrated competency in multiple areas of finance.

To earn their designation, CFP professionals must complete a comprehensive course of study offered by a college or university program that follows a personal-financial planning curriculum approved by the CFP Board. This course of study encompasses more than 100 topics in stocks, bonds, taxes, insurance, retirement planning and estate planning.

In addition, they must have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.

3. CFP professionals emphasize plan over product. Ever felt like you were being sold a product by someone who never really made an effort to determine whether that product was the right fit for you? CFP professionals are trained to look thoroughly at a client’s circumstances, goals, needs and priorities, then to build a plan around those. Any product recommendations they make to clients must fit in the overall context of that financial plan.

4. CFP professionals must disclose how they are paid.

It’s not always clear how a financial planner makes money, because they aren’t always up-front about the fees, commissions and other costs they charge customers. The priority for a Certified Financial Planner is to be completely transparent and forthcoming about how they are compensated. They are required to make certain oral and/or written

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“MARTHA” AND “MATT” have goals. They want to find the time and money to travel with their kids. They want to help pay for their kids to attend college. They want to better manage their household finances. They want to save enough now to eventually live comfortably in retirement. And they want a financial professional to help them develop a plan that puts them on track to meet their goals.

The couple has narrowed their search to two financial professionals, one who is a Certified Financial Planner professional, or CFP, and one who calls himself a “financial planner” but who has not earned the CFP designation.

Both candidates seem experienced and well-qualified.

But now Martha and Matt are wondering if there are distinctions between a CFP and a generic “financial planner,” and, if so, whether those distinctions matter.

Anyone can call themselves a financial planner – for example, that includes people who exclusively sell insurance. However, not everyone can call themselves a CFP professional. “Certified Financial Planner” is a registered trademark indicating that the individual has met a series of substantive criteria demonstrating their professional qualifications to provide unbiased, comprehensive financial-planning advice. This is coupled with ongoing educational, ethics and practice standards.

It is critical for consumers to be aware of the differences between a Certified Financial Planner and a “financial planner.” Here are six that are noteworthy: 1. Certified Financial Planner professionals are held to a fiduciary standard. This means that they are obligated under the terms of their CFP designation to always put the interests of their clients first, above their own interests and those of their firm or the company (or companies) whose products and services they represent.

Professionals who aren’t subject to a fiduciary requirement may do business under a less stringent set of requirements called a suitability standard, which requires them to recommend products that are “suitable” for the client – that

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a “financial planner” may in reality only be qualified to handle a segment of a client’s overall financial needs – insurance, for example, or investments.

6. CFP professionals may work with other advisers as part of a team. When a client’s situation calls for specialized expertise, a CFP practitioner is trained to seek out other professionals to meet the client’s needs. Under the CFP Code of Ethics, CFP

professionals are required to recognize “when consultation with other professionals is appropriate or referral to other professionals [is] necessary,” and to act accordingly.

JASON E. SIPERSTEIN, CFA, CFP, is the president of the Financial Planning Association of Rhode Island and president of Eliot Rose Wealth Management. He can be reached by email at jes@eliotrose.com.

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