2022 July 5782
INSIDE
Ackerman, Schiff to Serve as Lodge Presidents By Larry Berman
Tourography: David Weisman page 3
(l-r): Lodge Presidents Barry Ackerman, Barry Schiff
Finding His True Calling page 5
Winning Battles In Football, Life page 5
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arry Ackerman and Barry Schiff were sworn in as the new presidents of Friendship Lodge and Harmony Lodge respectively at the annual Installation Dinner on May 18 at Touro Hall. Ackerman, a former lodge vice president, is serving as president for the first time. Schiff was a lodge president from 2005 to 2007. Installed to three-year terms as members of the Board of Directors, after a competitive election, were Ackerman, Adam Finkelstein, Max Guarino, Stevan Labush and Ried Redlich. Finkelstein is a board member for the first time. Joining Ackerman as Friendship Lodge officers are David Altman, vice president; Finkelstein, secretary, and Scott Halsband, treasurer. Schiff will be working with fellow Harmony Lodge officers: Alexander Leach,
vice president; David Nicolato, secretary; and Jonathan Finkle, treasurer. All lodge officers serve one-year terms. After the traditional brisket dinner, Larry Berman served as the installing officer and Michael Smith was the master of ceremonies. Berman was presented a plaque and sweater for his three years of service as lodge president, and Jeffrey Stoloff was presented his past president honors at the Steak Fry in June. Labush was re-elected by his fellow directors at a June 8 board meeting to serve for a third year as board chairman, while Jeffrey Davis was chosen as vice chairman for the third year as well. Labush appointed the following association officers: Bruce Wasser, secretary; Jonathan Finkle, treasurer; David Weisman, chaplain; Ried Redlich, faithful guide; and Mitchell Cohen, inside guard.
(l-r): Harmony Lodge officers David Nicolato, Alexander Leach. More photos from Installation, Page 4
Lending a Hand in Ukraine and Closer to Home By Barry Schiff, Chairman, Community Involvement Committee
Bringing Bryant Into Prominence page 6
Salute to Class of 2022 page 6
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he war in Ukraine has been on the mind of Touro members and has been much discussed at our Community Involvement Committee meetings. The committee unanimously voted to approve a $2,500 donation to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. It will be earmarked for evacuating and resettling Holocaust survivors from Ukraine. In addition, we provided $1,000 to the World Central Kitchen Inc. to help provide meals for Ukrainian refugees arriving in Poland and other neighboring countries. Closer to home, we donated $5,000 to Adoption Rhode Island, which was split equally between two ~1~
outstanding programs: Teen Focus and Forever Siblings. We also donated $1,800 to URI Hillel for Shabbat dinners starting in September. We will provide Hillel with signage to be displayed at the dinners noting they were funded by Touro. The committee decided that the monthly raffle donations at our various events will be given for the remainder of this year to Jewish Collaborative Services, to be divided equally between the Heating Assistance Fund and the Louis and Goldie Chester Full Plate Kosher Food Pantry. If you know of any other organizations that could use our financial assistance, have them forward their requests to info@tourofraternal.org
From the Desk of the Chairman By Stevan Labush, Chairman, Board of Directors
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sincerely thank my brothers for re-electing me to the Board of Directors. And I offer deep appreciation to my fellow directors for placing their confidence in me to serve for a third year as board chairman. This is an honor I do not take lightly, and I pledge to always work hard to ensure that Touro remains the best Jewish fraternal organization anywhere. My congratulations go out to my fellow board members and officers for winning their elections. I look forward to working closely with the two new lodge presidents, Barry Ackerman and Barry Schiff. Special thanks are extended to Larry Berman and Jeff Stoloff for doing a great job as lodge presidents these last three years. Both of them always said “yes” to any tasks they were asked to perform. It was truly exciting to see all the smiling faces at the Welcome Back Gala in May at the Crowne Plaza. We had more than 200 brothers and their guests enjoying the evening of great food, music and camaraderie in the first evening couples’ event since the start of the pandemic. This was another sign that Touro life is back to normal. We have initiated 18 new members so far this year, which is the most we’ve had in several years. My hope is that many of the new brothers will become active participants. I have always found that you get the most out of Touro when you attend activities and provide input into what type of events you would like to see in the future. My door is always open to everyone and I look forward to hearing some great new ideas. Call me at 401-529-2810. Let’s keep Touro vibrant and strong!
Social Scene Summer/Fall 2022 By Alexander Leach, Vice President, Harmony Lodge
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he Social Committee, which I am proud to co-chair along with David Altman, has been hard at work putting together new events and improving on existing ones. We have already compiled a full calendar of exciting events for the rest of 2022. Most recently, we held an extremely successful Steak Fry with a captivating talk by former basketball star Chris Herren, a deep sea fishing expedition, and our Block Island excursion and buffet. Get set for a Family Picnic with food trucks at Goddard Park on August 21, and a great night out at Newport Playhouse on September 17 with the play ‘Social Security’ and dinner buffet. We have a great lineup of speakers for our lodge meetings that include Cranston Chief of Police Col. Michael Winquist on September 21, United Way President and CEO Cortney Nicolato on October 19, and Channel 10 news reporter Molly Levine for a Lodge Brunch on November 13. We still have our skeet shooting event to look forward to in early October. Also, we are going to make our December 21 lodge meeting a Community Involvement Night and bring in some of the organizations that we have supported over the years to speak about Touro’s significant impact in the community. The Social Committee meets the first Wednesday of each month at Touro Hall at 7 p.m., and we encourage all of our brothers to attend and bring ideas – the meeting is open to all members. Touro is your organization, and we, the officers and directors, are here to be stewards of your ideas and interests. We look forward to spending an exciting rest of 2022 with our brothers and we will see you at our events.
Fishing Trip Sunday, June 26
Providence Bruins Sunday, March 27 ~2~
TOUROGRAPHY David Weisman Keeps Narragansett Bay Clean By Larry Berman
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ur precious Narragansett Bay is significantly cleaner, thanks, in part, to the dedicated efforts of Touro’s David Weisman. Weisman was recently honored by the Narragansett Bay Commission as the Operator of the Year. According to the commission, the award “is given to an individual who makes outstanding contributions in advancing collections systems and knowledge.” Weisman’s division “is critically responsible for maintaining Narragansett Bay Commission’s combined sewer collection system” throughout the 10 cities in its service area. The commission also cited Weisman for successfully operating all the sewer-cleaning heavy equipment and his efforts as chairman of the Safety Committee. There have been no onthe-job injuries in the past three years. He takes safety very seriously, and has attended many classes to be certified.
A 17-year employee of the commission, Weisman’s job is around the clock. “I’m the one who gets called at 2 or 3 in the morning when there are complaints,” he said. “It’s really challenging when it rains heavily and electricity is lost. When the generators are running at the pump stations, I have to stay there until power is restored. I also clean catch basins and sumps, and I flush lines when the sewage gets backed up.” When not hard at work, Weisman enjoys giving back. He’s a volunteer for Big Brother/Big Sisters, and he’s been an active Touro member for 11 years. After several years as the inside guard, he was recently named our new chaplain. Weisman, who grew up in Cranston and is a graduate of Cranston High School West, lives in Coventry with his wife Lisa and their son Joey.
President's Report By Barry Ackerman President, Friendship Lodge
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t was such a great thrill having the Touro installation held entirely in person for the first time in three years. Probably for the first time in Touro Fraternal history, a Barry was installed as president of each lodge. Touro has been encouraging and developing a cadre of young, enthusiastic, and productive lodge officers. Since this next generation of Touro leaders decided they wanted a little more seasoning, Barry Schiff and I stepped up to provide guidance and mentoring during the next year. We have been active board members for many years and we both have past lodge leadership experience. It was not only exciting to have the installation in person, but more importantly is the gathering of our brothers at the lodge meetings, the Welcome Back Gala, and the other fun events outside the hall. Our goal is to continue to offer great events for you as well as your families, contribute financial support to local and national organizations, and grow Touro to last another 100+ years. Barry Schiff and I are truly excited about this coming year and look for your feedback/suggestions to continue our traditions and develop new ones.
Sam Zwetchkenbaum
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Jonathan Shtaynberger
Howard Shaw
Shtaynberger Wins March Madness Contest
onathan Shtaynberger, one of our newer brothers, was the winner of Touro’s March Madness NCAA basketball contest and the $250 first prize. Howard Shaw and Sam Zwetchkenbaum took home second and third prizes of $150 and $100 respectively. All correctly selected Kansas as the national champion. There were 80 brothers and family members who participated. A big thanks to Max Guarino, who once again coordinated the fun. He also runs Touro’s Fantasy Football and Pro Pick ‘em contests, which will again be offered in September. Watch for emails to join these exciting free contests, with the opportunity to win big prizes!
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Meet Touro's Newest Brothers
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ouro is proud that 18 new brothers have been initiated so far this year – the most in several years. In order to get to know your new brothers, we will be offering brief profiles of new members in the next several issues of Tourogram, including these four:
New brothers initiated in June, front (l-r): Alan Rudolph, Adam Sholes, New brothers initiated in March, front (l-r): Stephen Salinger, Larry Feldman, Anthony Gluck, Dr. Howard Safran, Steve Kaluzny. Rear (l-r): Randy Hershoff, Mark Weiner, Rear (l-r): Howard Wilogoren, Mitchell Woolf, Kevin Goldman, David Mills, Neal Dwares, Harvey Dinerman. Jonathan Cohen, Allen Cowett, Rabbi Preston Neimeiser.
ALLEN COWETT
STEPHEN SALINGER
Allen is the director of financial aid at College Unbound. He would be happy to assist any brothers with questions about FAFSA or any other college financial aid concerns. He was born in Providence and “grew up” at Temple Beth-El. After college in Vermont and a few years in Seattle, Allen moved back to RI. He loves hiking, kayaking and relaxing at the beach. He and his wife, Angela Grant, enjoy cooking and gardening, and this year installed a backyard beehive at their home in Warwick. They hope the apples and honey for Rosh Hashanah will all come from their backyard. Allen was sponsored by his good friend, David Nicolato.
A native of New Haven, CT, Stephen and his wife moved to West Greenwich after retirement to be closer to their two children and three grandchildren who live in Rhode Island. He ran a small paint and hardware store and owned multi-family apartment buildings, as well as serving as a maintenance and repairman for several properties. In retirement, he volunteered for a New Haven food bank, going out on a truck and distributing food to families in need. He still edits his Connecticut temple newsletter remotely. Sponsored at Touro by Michael Field, Stephen enjoys taking long walks, reading detective novels, and keeping very busy with the grandchildren.
LARRY FELDMAN
STEVE KALUZNY
Larry Feldman is a mortgage underwriter for RI Housing who is responsible for assisting firsttime homebuyers achieve their dream of home ownership. He also teaches homebuyer education in the community. He is married to Lynn Botvin, whose father Paul Botvin was a Touro member. They live in Warwick and have three grown children and four grandchildren. Sponsored by Andy Lamchick, Larry is a supporter of the arts and his hobbies are live music and entertainment.
Steve runs an IT company, handling networking and IT security for small businesses in the area. He is the father of three daughters, including twins, and two sons, with his two oldest children in college. He enjoys bowling, watching the Red Sox, visiting Newport, and
traveling. His sponsor is Ron Chorney, a close friend. He lives in North Attleboro.
Installation of Board and Officers Continued from page 1
(l-r): Board members Max Guarino, Barry Ackerman
(l-r): Board members Ried Redlich, Stevan Labush (l-r): Friendship Lodge officers Scott Halsband, David Altman ~4~
Open House a Huge Success
Chris Herren and His True Calling
By Andy Lamchick, Chairman, Membership Committee
By Howard Wasser
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he annual Steak Fry on June 15 returned after a two-year absence and was once again a sell-out. But there likely would have been a full house even without the dinner because our guest speaker was so tremendous – maybe the best we’ve ever had. Chris Herren is the local boy who is now known throughout the nation as a motivational speaker, but it took many years to get to this stage in his life. Chris was one of the biggest basketball stars to ever come out of this area. He played at Durfee High in Fall River from 1990-1994 and was named a McDonald’s All-American. He had the opportunity to go to basketball powers like Duke but stayed close to home at Boston College. He became addicted to drugs early at BC after trying cocaine in his dorm room. Before he even played he had failed a drug test. Within three months he failed two more drug tests and was expelled. L a t e r, C h r i s transferred to Fresno State under Jerr y Tarkanian, a coach known for taking on problem players. He had a successful career there and even with the drug problem, he was drafted 33rd in the NBA by the Denver Nuggets. He was traded to the (l-r): Grill masters Michael Smith, Jeffrey Stoloff, Boston Celtics the Stevan Labush following year with Rick Pitino as coach. He played 70 games for the Nuggets and Celtics from 1999-2001. He continued his basketball journey for a variety of teams in Europe until 2006. All this time he could not kick his drug habit, which had expanded to heroin and Oxycodone. He almost died more than once from drug overdoses. Herren tried several treatment programs but was unsuccessful. Even Chris Mullin, who is in the NBA Hall of Fame, tried to help (Mullin had struggled with his own alcohol addiction). He was ruining his family – a wife and three kids -- who had stuck with him. While Herren was at a New York treatment center, his third child was born, and his family was finally able to get through to him. He has been sober since August 1, 2008. He started his new calling of drug counselor and motivational speaker and created his own non-profit organization and a treatment center in Seekonk. Chris, who lives in Portsmouth, travels around the country 225 times a year telling his story. He is extremely honest, telling us that the problem began with his father, a former Massachusetts State Representative who Chris said “is drinking himself to death.” He also took the time to answer questions and one of our members had the courage to say he has been 43 years sober. Chris gave honest advice to all of us. Throughout his hour-long talk, you could have heard a pin drop.
he New Member Open House on April 27 was a great success, resulting in 12 new Touro members. About 100 members and guests at Touro Hall watched a power-point presentation about the organization, which was updated with current photos. We followed up with overviews from the Social, Community Involvement, Student Financial Aid and House committees. We brought up a couple of brothers, Bob Miller amd David Nicolato, to discuss their love for and participation in Touro. Incentives offered to new regular members who joined that night were $50 gift certificates to Applebee’s, Chelo’s or Gregg’s, selected at random. They receive their gifts upon initiation. After a KBC (Kosher Baked Chicken) dinner, our guest speaker, former Patriots’ guard Joe Andruzzi, wowed the crowd with an amazing presentation.
Andruzzi Brings Remarkable Story to Touro By Larry Berman oe Andruzzi was a “big” hit with Touro brothers and guests, and not just because of his 6-foot-3, 315-pound frame. Andruzzi was a true gentleman, answering everyone’s questions, hanging out afterwards, and posing for pictures while allowing brothers to try on his 4 Super Bowl rings. His success story is truly remarkable, going from a Division II offensive lineman at Southern Connecticut State University to making the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent. After signing with the Patriots in 2000, he earned three Super Bowl rings in five years as a starter (his fourth ring was earned as a Patriots’ strength coach many years later). He played for the Cleveland Browns for two years and was ready to sign with either the Dolphins or the Jets in 2007 when his world turned upside down. Andruzzi was feeling ill and a huge tumor was discovered, with the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s lymphoma. Thanks to a very aggressive form of chemotherapy over three months at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, his life was saved. After a year of recovery at home, Andruzzi and his wife Jen decided to give back to others by founding the Joe Andruzzi Foundation. They are dedicated to tackling cancer’s impact by providing financial assistance to cancer patients and their families as they face their day-to-day struggles. Fortunately for Joe, his wife and their five children, he has been cancer-free since his diagnosis 15 years ago.
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Salute to the Class of 2022 Graduates Sam Ackerman, son of Barr y Ackerman, received his Juris Doctorate from Columbia University Law School, finishing in the top 5% of his class. He previously received his BA from Columbia University, magna cum laude. He is a graduate of Cumberland High School, where he was valedictorian. After taking the bar exam this summer, Sam plans to spend the next year as an Honors Fellow at the RI Office of the Attorney General’s Civil Division. Thereafter, Sam will spend a year as a law clerk for Judge Nathaniel Gorton of the US District Court in Massachusetts before returning as an associate to the Covington & Burling law firm in Washington, D.C. Cortney Nicolato, wife of David Nicolato, graduated with a Master’s of Science degree in nonprofit management from Northeastern University. Cortney also was the student commencement speaker. She is the CEO of the United Way of RI and will begin to teach at Northeastern in the fall.
Anthony Gluck, a new Touro brother and the son of Joel Gluck, received his degree from CCRI. He works at Market Basket and is looking forward to continuing his studies in biotechnology in the future. Elise Dinerman, daughter of Paul Dinerman, graduated from Cranston High School West. Elise is a member of the RI Honor Society and the National Honor Society. Elise participated in tennis, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and was a Westernette. She has been an active volunteer in her community, both in and out of school. Elise will study nursing at Regis College in the fall. Her goal is to provide care for infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Amanda Guarino, daughter of Max Guarino, graduated from MET High School in Providence. She was active at the Media Art Center at the school. She will attend CCRI to pursue her love of visual arts. Cooper White, the grandson of Dr. Jeffrey Jacobson, graduated from Barrington High School. He received the highest honor for his senior project. A member of the RI Honor Society, Cooper will be attending the University of New Hampshire, majoring in biology and life sciences.
Amanda Guarino
Elise Dinerman Cooper White Sam Ackerman
Cortney Nicolato
Anthony Gluck
Bill Smith Has Led Bryant into the Big Time
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By Howard Wasser
he March lodge meeting not only featured a delicious turkey dinner, Division One and the Northeast Conference. During his tenure, Bryant but was followed by an entertaining and informative guest speaker has won numerous titles in a variety of men’s and women’s sports. In 2018, in Bryant University Athletic Director Bill Smith. Bill was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year for his Bill is a native of Auburn, NY, where he was a three-sport athlete in commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and high school. He later played football and lacrosse at Colgate University the surrounding communities. Student-athletes posted their highest GPA from 1985-89. Graduating in 1989 with a degree of 3.41 in 2021, which was higher than the average in political science, Bill then became the assistant GPA of the general student body. football coach at Wagner College. Since a concussion Athletic facilities have also seen a dramatic he sustained while playing football ended his athletic improvement under Bill. Donations have grown career, he went on to pursue a degree from Quinnipiac substantially. This past year saw the men’s basketball College of Law and was admitted to the New York team make the NCAA Tournament for the first State Bar. time, led by Peter Kiss (who may be Bryant’s greatest But his calling was in the world of sports, so basketball player since Tom Smile in 1968). Kiss and he returned to work in the athletic offices Wagner Smile. College, the Patriot League and then Iowa State Smith pointed out that Zev Eckhaus, the University, rising to associate athletic director. He quarterback of the football team, is probably the best became Athletic Director at Bryant University in in school history and was only a freshman in 2021. 2006. Eckhaus is Jewish. Bill led Bryant to the next level of college Bill, his wife and four children, have loved Bill Smith athletics. In 2012 Bryant became a member of being at Bryant for the past 16 years. ~6~
Welcome Back Gala
Saturday, May 28 Crowne Plaza, Warwick
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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Providence, RI Permit #719
P.O. BOX 3562 CRANSTON, RI 02910
2 0 2 2 JULY 5 7 8 2 Bruce Weisman, Production Editor Larry Berman, Content Editor Columnists: Bruce Wasser Howard Wasser
TOURO BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2022-2023
Copy Editor: Jed Brandes Staff Photographers: Jeffrey Davis Stevan Labush Touro Fraternal Association 45 Rolfe Square, P.O. Box 3562 Cranston, RI 02910 Phone: 401-785-0066 E-Mail: info@tourofraternal.org Website: www.tourofraternal.org
HARMONY LODGE Barry Schiff, President Alexander Leach, Vice President David Nicolato, Secretary Jonathan Finkle, Treasurer Ried Redlich, Faithful Guide
Stevan Labush, Chairman Jeffrey Davis, Vice Chairman Jonathan Finkle, Treasurer Bruce Wasser, Secretary David Weisman, Chaplain Mitchell Cohen, Inside Guard Jed Brandes, Chairman Emeritus Alan Lury, Chairman Emeritus Robert Miller, Chairman Emeritus Barry Ackerman Larry Berman Jed Brandes Jeffrey Davis Adam Finkelstein Andrew Gilstein Max Guarino
Stevan Labush Andrew Lamchick Alan Lury Robert Miller Ried Redlich Barry Schiff Michael Smith Bruce Weisman
FRIENDSHIP LODGE Barry Ackerman, President David Altman, Vice President Adam Finkelstein, Secretary Scott Halsband, Treasurer Mitchell Cohen, Inside Guard
HARMONY • FRIENDSHIP • BENEVOLENCE
Touro's FAMILY PICNIC Sunday, August 21
11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Goddard Park, Gazebo B 1095 Ives Road, East Greenwich Food Trucks • Fun & Games Watch for Your Flyer
Touro Helps in the Community
UPCOMING TOURO EVENTS
Bruce Weisman, Barry Schiff and Jeffrey Davis present a $5,000 donation from Touro to Operation Stand Down Rhode Island, which assists homeless and at-risk veterans. The funding will help the organization build a facility in Johnston to store donations of food, clothing, furniture and appliances.
Buffet Dinner, Show at Newport Playhouse September 17 Dinner Meeting with Cranston Police Chief September 21 Dinner Meeting with United Way President October 19 ~8~