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- -EARLIER CHRONICLES - -
JULY
2010 — TAMMUZ/AV 5770
SPRING 2010--NISSAN/IYEAR 5670
DECEMBER
2009 —KISLEV 5770
JULY 2010 — TAMMUZ/AV 5770
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WHAT’S COMING NEXT...
We have many new
programs coming to you in July and throughout the summer.
Our new SHABBAT SHABOOM
for young families at Havens Beach began July 2 at 5 PM...read
more about it in Dasee’s column, below.
Beginning July 5 and
continuing for seven weeks thereafter, on Mondays from 10-11:30
AM, Susan Pashman will lead a class based on Judith Shulevitz’s
new book The Sabbath World. It is available from Amazon.com
and locally from Canio’s and is requisite reading prior to taking
the course which covers a range of historical changes in the moral
and intellectual significance of "the day of rest."
On July 10th,
Tot Shabbat will debut on Saturdays from 10-11AM,
concurrent with adult services and will continue through the end
of August. Dasee describes it in her Education column. She will
lead it along with student-Cantor Julia Rubin-Cadrain and Leah
Opphenheimer
On July 18 at 11 AM,
Prof. Richard Gambino will deliver the third and final lecture in
his series... this one on Henry Bergson.
The Temple will hold a
CELEBRATION OF LIFE AND LEARNING the weekend of July 23-25
to honor Rabbi Morris’s full time commitment to Sag Harbor. Among
the features are Marcus J. Freed, actor, writer performer and yogi
and Rabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Learning, from which Rabbi Morris was graduated and
ordained. It will be a festive weekend and you will receive
specifics at a later date.
On July 30 and August 27
there will be 6:30 PM Potluck Shabbat dinners coordinated by
Andrea Fagin and Myra Peskowitz, followed by 8 PM Shabbat
Services.
Allan Silver will lead a
discussion of Louis Begley’s 1991 novel Wartime Lies (based
on his experiences) on Sunday afternoon August 8 at 5 PM at his
home. Reading the book is a pre-requisite. Call or e-mail the
Temple for directions and to RSVP.
Member Samuel Slipp,
MD, will speak on his new book The Quest for Power:
Religion and Politics on Sunday August 15th at 11
AM. Sam is Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of
Medicine and Past President of the American Academy of
Psychoanalysis and Dynamic Psychiatry. He has written seven books
and spoken around the world.
ADMINISTRATION...MARGARET BROMBERG with Eileen Moskowitz...
Spring always catches
me off guard... I wait... I plan.... I promise myself to get the
deck cleaned and the outdoor furniture spruced before July 4, and
the little vegetable beds planted in a timely way... BUT
nevertheless, I always find myself playing "catch up." Summer is
here! Where did April and May go? So it seems with our Temple office!
The "quiet
months" when Eileen
and I were
going to get a number of "to do’s" off our list have slipped
away... we did get some things done however: a Member Phone
Directory will soon be on it’s way to those members who have
requested it, either as an email attachment or a printed version.
And Leda Goldsmith, our ever-conscientious Editor, has teamed up
with Eileen and her computer skills to design and produce the
Chronicles digitally. As we move forward, look for more
tech-based enhancements in our weekly emails, website and other
communications.
More than half of you
have paid your membership dues and we THANK YOU for that, (second
bills will be on their way to those of you who may need
reminders). We value not only your financial commitment to Temple
Adas Israel, for that is surely needed, but even more, your
participation and sincere interest in the well-being and growth of
our community. Your ideas for nurturing Temple Adas Israel are
always welcome. And, as always, we remind you that you can
participate in blessings both tangible and spiritual by sponsoring
Oneg Shabbat, Kiddush, or flowers for our Bima.
Thank you to those who
have recently shared Simchot with us in this way: the
families of B’not Mitzvah Zoe Diskin, Rebecca Dwoskin and
Rachael Pepper;
the family of
recent middle school graduate Jessica Gruenstein;
Neal Fagin and
Jeff Britz, who welcomed Dasee and Leon to full-time residence in
Sag Harbor; and Dasee Berkowitz’s family, who honored the memory
of her grandfather.
Thanks also to Diane
Lewis, who faithfully updates our schedule on the outdoor message
board
and outgoing phone
message and to Janet Grossman, who keeps us supplied with
delicious Zomick’s challahs from Fairway Market in
Plainview.
Having been required to
acknowledge that summer is here without our having accomplished
all the spring "chores," your Temple workers are trying to face
the fact that The fall Holidays and Festivals begin "early" this
year, right after Labor Day. So it won’t be long before your
mailbox begins to fill up with related information......mail, by
the way which goes out with the help of our "Mailing Team"... new
members always welcome... no experience necessary.... we will
train you... just let us know of your interest!
NEWSWORTHY...
Nice features on Rabbi Morris coming to Sag
Harbor full time in The Sag
Harbor Express and The Long Island Jewish World (thanks
to member/journalist Karl Grossman). And, a chapter by
Rabbi Morris is included in the new book Jewish Theology in our
Time: A New Generation Explores the Foundations & Future of Jewish
Belief edited by Rabbi Elliot J. Cosgrove, PhD.
ANNUAL MEETING... will
be held at the Temple on Sunday August 8 at 10 AM.
ROSH CHODESH from GAIL
GAMBINO...
As we welcome
summer, our Rosh Chodesh group adds its voice in welcoming Rabbi
Morris, his wife Dasee Berkowitz, their son Tamir, and his
upcoming sibling to our Temple community full-time. Our welcome
embraces a heartfelt wish that this new chapter for the Morris
family will include felicitous living in Sag Harbor and
meaningful, rewarding and happy experiences at Temple Adas Israel.
Rosh Chodesh is
enjoying our expanded group of both snow birds and city birds and
welcomes, as a new member, Nancy Abel . Our meetings continue to
focus on themes and topics suggested by group members grounded in
a celebration of the Jewish month. I enjoyed, and the group
benefited from, terrific partnerships with Margaret Bromberg,
Eileen Moskowitz and Janet Grossman this winter and spring and
valued input from Ellen Ruby for the month of Tammuz. Dasee
Berkowitz, our founder, will return to our group as our Jewish
educational resource person.
I’m happy to report that
our discussions on the Nature of God in Reform Judaism culminated
in a letter to Rabbi Morris synopsizing our discourse and an
invitation to join us for our August meeting. We are grateful and
excited that Rabbi Morris can attend and is happy to ‘dialogue’
with us and offer his perspective and wisdom on this complex
subject. We will celebrate our second annual Rosh Chodesh picnic
in July during the month of Av—an occasion when food, and
fellowship are the centerpiece of our meeting. Earlier than usual
this year, we look forward to the inspiration and sustenance of
our third annual Mikveh led by Dasee Berkowitz.
Rosh Chodesh
celebrates two years of monthly gatherings this June. I am
grateful for the opportunity to lead this program and, as well,
for the substance, imagination and friendship of our members.
Finally, I am always happy to trumpet my periodic pitch for Rosh
Chodesh: we are an on-going group for Temple members. If you are
interested in learning, laughter reflection and fellowship, we’d
love to have you join us. Please feel free to email me at
bdwybaby@optonline.net
IN MEMORIAM... RABBI
DAVID FORMAN...
The Temple Adas Israel
community met Rabbi Forman when he flew in from Israel to serve as
our High Holidays rabbi in September 2001. He was larger than life
with an ebullient personality, a quick wit and the ability to
engender warm spiritual feelings within the congregation as he led
services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur following the horrific
tragedy that is now known as the "9/11." Rabbi Forman, who died in
Dallas on May 3rd awaiting a liver transplant, was
revered and eulogized not only by the Progressive/Liberal Jews all
over the globe -but by everyone who was touched by him through his
books, columns in the Jerusalem Post and speeches at synagogues
throughout the U.S. and the world.
He made aliya (from
Boston) in 1972 and served with both Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion and what is now the URJ -Union for Reform
Judaism, where he led the Jerusalem office. He was the founder of
Rabbis for Human Rights -and always a strong voice for religious
pluralism. He leaves his wife, Judy, daughters Tamar, Liat, Shira
and Orly and their husbands and children. He will be sorely missed
by millions.
EDUCATION from DASEE
BERKOWITZ...
Leon, Tamir and I are so happy to be
settling into our new lives in Sag Harbor and our work at Temple
Adas Israel. As many of you know, Leon and I have been on a
"listening tour" with our congregants (by way of a series of focus
groups) to learn more about what you value about our Temple
community and the role you want it to play in your lives in the
future. As educational consultant to the synagogue, I have done a
bit of a "listening" by myself and heard from many of those
leading educational programs at the synagogue including Leah
Oppenheimer, Gail Gambino and Rona Klopman. I see my role as
supporting the already robust array of programs that Temple Adas
Israel offers and to plant the seeds for new programs to take root
to reach an expanding circle of people who could be enriched by
what the Temple has to offer. We have a few interesting projects
underway.
First, Leah, Rabbi
Morris and I will be engaged in a two-day retreat mid-July to
engage in questions of educational vision and curricular
development at the Hebrew school that Leah has so beautifully led
over the years. Second, our Friday evening Shabbat on the Beach
series of half hour family services with songs, stories, challah
and grape juice, in a beautiful setting, began July 2 and will
continue each week through the end of August. And third, our new
student cantor, Julia Rubin-Cadrain, Leah and I are initiating a
"Tot Shabbat" program that will kick-off on Saturday morning July
10th from 10-11am. It will be aimed at families with young
children (but open to everyone!) and will run parallel to the
adult service. Tot Shabbat will be a musical way for young
children and their families to engage with Shabbat morning prayers
in a way that is accessible and fun. Participants will get a
chance to learn new Shabbat songs in English and Hebrew, hear
parts of the Torah read (from the actual scroll!), and engage in
drama activities that bring the meaning of the service and stories
from the Torah to life. I am looking forward to some of these new
projects underway and hope they add to the vibrant Jewish life at
Temple Adas Israel. |
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FROM RABBI LEON A. MORRIS...
It’s been six weeks (at
the time of this writing) since we’ve made Sag Harbor our
full-time home. While we’re still unpacking boxes, our expanded
work with the synagogue is well underway. On my first Friday
night, I spoke of how our arrival is a significant transition not
only for us, but also for Temple Adas Israel. Transitions, I
reminded the congregation, are filled with challenge and
complexity. I am confident that, at the end of the day, this
transitional period will be for you and for us, one that gives
birth to many new possibilities.
There is a great deal of
potential in our congregation, and much that Dasee and I hope to
do, together with the synagogue’s incredibly talented staff and
dedicated lay leadership. We hope to grow our membership, but more
importantly, to deepen the synagogue’s impact on the lives of our
members. We want to develop more intimate relationships with
families and individuals, to be more responsive in times of
illness and death. We seek to help facilitate ongoing and
sustained relationships with Jewish life, with mitzvot, and with
Jewish learning.
We know that lasting
transformation does not happen all at once, but with one
significant step at a time. We are well on our way. We have shared
in the celebrations of three Bnai Mitzvah so far this summer, with
four more occurring in July, August, September and October. We
marked the festival of Shavuot in a variety of modalities,
including a tzedakkah project with our Hebrew school, a potluck
dairy dinner, evening and morning services, and a late-night study
session. We recently launched a new format for Saturday mornings
that includes a brief prayer experience, an expanded Kiddush, and
a Torah study. We held an open-mic "town hall meeting" on Israel
in response to the Flotilla invasion in late May, demonstrating
the need to be responsive in offering programs related to issues
of the day. We have seen the successful completion of a year of
engagement and learning with our Hebrew School.
Additionally, the past
six weeks have given us an opportunity to begin a series of
conversations with our members in various homes, inviting feedback
on some of our ideas, and input into the future of our
congregation. We are learning a great deal from these gatherings
and our findings will help us in shaping a long-term plan for our
work with the congregation. (If you haven’t signed up for one of
these, please contact Margaret or Eileen in the Temple office.
In July, we will launch
our "Tot Shabbat" services on Saturday mornings for young
children, and our weekly "Shabbat Shaboom" celebration on Haven’s
Beach at 5:00 PM every Friday afternoon. We will also have an
opportunity to mark this significant transition in the life of our
congregation with a weekend Celebration of Jewish Life and
Learning, July 23-25 featuring Marcus J. Freed (actor, writer,
performer and yogi) who appears through a generous contribution by
Barbara Freedman. I am pleased that Rabbi David Ellenson,
who as president of Hebrew Union College is one of American
Jewry’s significant public intellectuals and communal leaders is
participating. In refining our own vision of
ourselves and who we want to be as a synagogue, in dreaming
bigger, in expanding the pool of involvement, in cultivating a
culture of philanthropic support for our synagogue, there is so
much we need to learn. I look forward to all that we will become
together.
FROM PRESIDENT NEAL FAGIN...
I want to share with you one of the joys that I
have as president of our Temple. What I erroneously thought was an
obligation, attending the increasing number of Bar and Bat
Mitzvahs, has become a source of great pleasure and satisfaction.
Each of these 13 year olds is excited and well prepared for their
"Big Day." I can feel the love and emotions of each family. I have
had the opportunity to get to know the families as new members of
our adult community. But how do we capture all this enthusiasm and
assure that it will carry one long after the actual celebration?
Rabbi Morris and Hebrew School Director Leah Oppenheimer are
working on a retention program. If you have any ideas you think
might work ...please share them with us. Being President certainly
has its high points... but, for me, always having to ask for money
is not one of them. As we seek to give the children a better
Jewish education and have them better prepared for their Bar/Bat
Mitzvahs our costs have increased. We have a bare bones program
now that definitely needs your support. All of our students get
the best preparation we can give them, but dues and tuition don’t
always pay all the bills. If you are able to give something extra
to help with our expanding program, I hope you will send along a
contribution marked "Hebrew School" that will be dedicated to this
vital part of the Temple Adas Israel experience. And, I am sure
all of the celebrants and their parents would appreciate your
attending a Bar or Bat Mitzvah to share their joy in the results.
We have an exciting summer ahead...I look forward to seeing you
all at our Temple events.
HEBREW SCHOOL: LEAH
OPPENHEIMER..
Kendra Takton -Kent summarized our Fair Trade Chocolate Unit by
saying "I learned that not all chocolate that tastes sweet, is
sweet". The students also learned that more than
60% of the world’s chocolate comes from the Ivory
Coast, is produced with rudimentary equipment and subsistence
farming methods, by an estimated 204,000 children - little older
than themselves. The children protested with letters to the major
chocolate marketers...Mars, Nestles and Hershey. They raised $180
for the International Rescue Committee, which has programs for
women and children in the Ivory Coast.
Tasting chocolate was
the best part of the learning. But with study and thought along
with the pleasure, they learned that you cannot harden your heart
against suffering; like God and Moses, you have to decide to do
something about it. I am very proud of our kids’ application to
that cause.
The other big news this
spring was the amazing success of our Bat Mitzvah students. Three
have already celebrated... Mazel Tov to Rachel Pepper and the
Peppers: Rebecca Dwoskin and the Dwoskins: Zoe Diskin and the
Diskin Family. Like all of our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students, they
learned ritual, Torah and created Tikkun Olam projects. I look
forward to weeping with joy at the services of Oree Livni, Clara
Oppenheimer and Zoe Vatash. These children will become blessings
to their communities wherever they go.
On our other activities:
The Boy’s Study Program has prepared another pair of talented
students for Bar Mitzvah next year: Ben Klinghoeffer and George
Mann. They have done well and contributed to services and social
action. And the Parent’s Circle, a program which offers basic
Jewish education to non-Jewish parents raising Jewish children, is
about to wrap up for the year with a Shabbat Dinner.
Finally, a public thank
you for eight years of teaching excellence and creativity by my
friend and colleague Sue Lichtenstein, who is leaving us for full
time work next year. She is a teachers’ teacher. She pushed the
envelope of creativity to better communicate Jewish concepts to
our students: she taught me how to incorporate art and
spirituality into the work. And when we had problems, her humor
and wit shone through where logic was useless. She is a woman
beyond value in pearls, rubies and very sweet coffee.
WELCOMING OUR NEW STUDENT
CANTOR...
Temple Adas Israel, welcomed JULIA RUBIN-CADRAIN as our new
student Cantor on Friday evening May 28. Ms. Rubin-Cadrain will be
a fourth third year cantorial student at Hebrew Union College’s
School of Sacred Music in the fall.
She grew up in West
Hartford, CT where she started her singing career in community
choirs and local theater groups. She began studying voice at the
Hartt School of Music while still in middle school. She went on to
major in voice at the Greater Hartford Academy for the Arts, also
in Hartford. She later graduated from the New England Conservatory
in Boston as a voice major. She started Cantorial School at Hebrew
Union College in 2005 and her student cantorial duties have led
her to positions in Brookline, MA, Plano,Texas and at B’nai
Jeshurun in Manhattan. In 2008 she traveled to Ukraine where she
led Passover Seders throughout the country. Julia has a lovely
voice and she exudes charm with her gracious smile and exuberance.
DAVE LEE
REMEMBERS...recollections from his 48 years!
In the early sixties we
had fixed the hole in the roof, demolished the outhouse
on the property and stabilized the building with
steel tie-rods. We had removed the bima
and changed the area in front of the Oren
Kodesh. The active members of the Temple at that time were
The Spitzer, Katz/Rosenstein, Kelman, Matles
and Lee families. We bought the empty field
east of the Shul and decided to expand the building on that
side, giving us much needed extra space. The sanctuary then began
to take the shape it is today...but, we had to go into
fund-raising mode. To raise money, the Spitzer family loaned us a
large potato storage building. We cleaned it out and fixed up the
place to host a giant dance. It was a great success attended by
the whole community. We were very proud of the fact that we became
an integral part of this historic town. As soon as it became
public that Temple Adas Israel was holding this gala, all of Sag
Harbor rallied behind us to make it a very successful event. One
of the things that pleased me most was a visit to my store by one
of the elders of the Old Whaler’s (Presbyterian) Church who
brought a check for our Building Fund. He said that Temple Adas
Israel was a very important part of the community and they felt
they should support our efforts.
GRADUATION NEWS ...
Congratulations to High School graduates Nathaniel Oppenheimer,
son of Dr. John and Leah Oppenheimer and Mark Mahoney, son of
Bonnie and John Mahoney; and to Middle School graduate Jessica
Gruenstein, daughter of Nicole and David Gruenstein.
PUBLICATION NEWS...
Erica-Lynn Huberty, daughter of Gail & Richard Gambino has
just published Dog Boy and other Harrowing Tales. It
is available on Amazon.com, BN.com and locally at Bookhampton’s
stores.
NEWSWORTHY...
Board member Jonathan
Glynn and his Wings over Haiti project
received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition
for "outstanding service to the People of Haiti". Jonathan
spoke about his experiences at the Temple on June 4th.
Board member James Dwoskin, one
of the founders of SHINE (Sag Harbor in Nicaragua
Enterprise) and Judy Spencer organized a successful
benefit for SHINE at the Temple on June 13.
There was music, a salsa lesson, sangria and food...tamales along
with lovely veggie and fruit salads that Judy prepared,
and special T-shirts were on sale. Close to 50
attended; awareness was raised in the Community and over $1200
was donated to help the cause. It was a
fun afternoon. |
PERSONNEL
RABBI
LEON A. MORRIS: 631-725-0904
leonalanmorris@ gmail.com
DASEE
BERKOWITZ: Educational Consultant
daseeb@gmail.com
STUDENT
CANTOR: JULIA RUBIN-CADRAIN
Juliarubincadrain@gmail.com
ADMINISTRATOR: MARGARET BROMBERG
631-725-0904
PRESIDENT: NEAL FAGIN -631-835-2902
VICE
PRESIDENT: ALAN LEAVITT -
SECRETARY: DAVID J. LEE
TREASURER: HOWARD CHWATSKY
HEBREW
SCHOOL DIRECTOR: LEAH OPPENHEIMER
EDITOR,
THE CHRONICLES: LEDA C. GOLDSMITH
BOARD
MEMBERS: Jerry Cohen, Don Doctorow, James Dwoskin, Barbara
Freedman, Jonathan Nash Glynn, Leda C. Goldsmith, Janet Grossman,
Richard Hemley, Donald Katz, Howard Maisel, Richard Shapiro.
Honorary Board Member: Sylvia Lieberman
Associate Board Members: Margaret Bromberg, Mindy Cantor, Leah
Oppenheimer, Phyllis Silver, Sandy Slipp
TEMPLE ADAS ISRAEL
Elizabeth Street & Atlantic Avenue...P.O. Box 1378
Sag
Harbor, NY 11963
631-725-0904
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SPRING
20102--NISSAN/IYAR 5770010
DECEMBER 2009 —KISLEV 5770
HAPPY HANUKKAH
and other wonderful news!...
Our Temple’s Hanukkah celebration will begin at 5 PM on
Friday December 11, at the Long Wharf where we will light the first
candle on the Mega-Menorah, a joint effort of the Temple and Charles
Egosi’s Sag Harbor Inn (owners of the Menorah). Afterwards, we will go
directly to the Temple and begin our festivities with a Shabbat/Hanukkah
Service at approximately 5:45 pm. As always, there will be FOOD...latkes
and soufganiot... the traditional Hanukkah fare. Therefore, we need
latke makers to bring their wares. We also need people to bring salads
and other stuff to go with these goodies. Please let Margaret know what
you will bring...631-725-0904.
After we eat,
we’ll sing Hanukkah songs, tell Hanukkah stories and play Hanukkah games
(including dreidel spinning). So come with kids and grandkids, prepared
to "gamble" the night away.
Of course we
all know the other wonderful news...that Rabbi Morris, his wife, Dasee
and their most adorable son Tamir will be with us full time beginning
this spring. This should put a smile on everyone’s face as it will put
our Temple in a whole new league. Functioning full time means lots of
new programs and ideas which both Rabbi Morris and Dasee will be sharing
with us very soon. And Tamir will play happily, being lovingly watched
over by congregants of all ages.
We can’t look
toward the future without a brief mention of the past. Our High Holiday
and Festival services were all very beautiful, meaningful to everyone,
and very well attended. Simchat Torah was especially fun for all since
we not only danced with the Torah –but with Tamir! During that evening’s
service, Temple members were called to the bima for Aliyahs representing
their decades. Since Joshua Gruenstein, age 10, was the only one
representing the under 20 age group -he had the Aliyah for two decades,
despite not having yet been a Bar Mitzvah...a most unusual honor for him
and his family. The following morning, his sister, Jessica read
from the Torah. At an earlier service, members of the Hebrew School
participated in theYom Kippur afternoon service.
Someone found
and sent us a blog from a woman who attended Yom Kippur services and
blogged..among other things...."It is a warm and welcoming place for a
wandering Jew like me". Nice tohear!
MESSAGE FROM RABBI
LEON A. MORRIS...Dec.09
As we
approach Hanukkah, I’d like you to know about an ancient debate between
two famous Rabbinic schools of thought –Hillel and Shammai. It presents
two options for the way candles are lit on the Menorah, both of which
would allow someone from the outside, looking into the window of the
house, to know which night of Hanukkah was being celebrated.
Shammai
suggested that one light eight candles the first night, seven the second
night, and so on, decreasing by one light each night of the
festival...culminating in one light on the 8th night of
Hanukkah. His justification for this position was that it corresponded
to the decreasing number of festival offerings on Sukkot (the much older
Biblical holiday on which Hanukkah was based).
Hillel, on
the other hand, proposed doing it the way we do it today: one light on
the first night, two on the second, continually increasing the number of
lights until there are eight on the last night of Hanukkah. It is
Hillel’s explanation for this that is most pertinent to us. Hillel said
one should increase the number of lights each night because in
matters of holiness one should always increase and not
decrease.
This is an important message for us to incorporate into our observance
of Hanukkah –to re-dedicate ourselves to increasing, and not decreasing
in the areas of life that are most special and most distinctive.
Hanukkah challenges us to increase the time we spend with our families,
the acts of kindness we do for others, the amount of Tzedakah we give
and the amount of time we volunteer. Hanukkah urges us to take on an
additional mitzvah in our lives –to take an additional class about
Jewish life or to attend synagogue more than we did the year before.
For our congregation, Hillel’s injunction seems quite
timely. We are a congregation that continually increases in
matters of holiness. We are developing new ways to coordinate our
efforts in visiting the sick and have in place a team of
volunteers to help families in the immediate aftermath of the death of a
loved one. Also, artists among us are coordinating efforts to add
an aesthetic dimension to our synagogue life.
Nothing could
be a bolder statement of our desire to increase than the Board’s recent
decision that the time has arrived for us to become a fully functioning,
year round congregation with year round rabbinic leadership.
That decision
meant far more than just inviting me and my family to move to Sag
Harbor. Rather it meant an increasing ability to see our yet unfulfilled
potential....what we can become...what kind of community we can be. It
reflected the vision of increase...more members, more programs,
more services, greater responsiveness to our members, and, hopefully, a
deepened sense of Jewish identity and spirituality for all. Hillel would
be proud of Temple Adas Israel’s recent decision to move forward!
IN THE NEWS...
Rabbi Leon
Morris, was one of the first scholars named to the new Hartman North
American Scholars Circle by the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel. This
elite group of prominent Jewish leaders was "created to provide new
ideas and responses to the moral and spiritual challenges facing
contemporary North American Jewry", said Donniel Hartman, son of the
Institute’s founder, and a member of its Israeli faculty.
He represented both TAI and the Skirball Center, as one of only 17
members of the 2009-2010 Scholars Circle all of whom are from
prestigious learning centers including Columbia, Yale, Princeton,
Stanford , Brandeis, Oxford and Temple Universities, Hebrew Union
College and Park Avenue Synagogue.
The Shalom
Hartman Institute, a pluralistic research and leadership institute
founded by Rabbi David Hartman,"is at the forefront of Jewish thought
and education and empowers scholars, rabbis, educators and lay leaders
to develop new and diverse voices within the tradition, laying
foundations for the future of Jewish life in Israel and around the
world."
"I am honored
to have the chance to study with such respected colleagues in a program
only the Hartman Institute could envision," Rabbi Morris said
"I look
forward to sharing ideas that are developed with my congregants and
students."
Mazel Tov to
Mark Mahoney (son of Bonnie Mahoney) who recently earned his
Eagle Scout Badge. He was featured in an extensive interview in The
Sag Harbor Express where he described the Eagle Scout process and
his own route to the award. Mark was honored on October 18 at an
installation ceremony during which Rabbi Morris delivered the Invocation
and Benediction, and Dave Lee sang our National Anthem in his still
quite British accent.
Kudos also to
Temple Board member Jerry Cohen, who was featured in Real Estate New
York for his work as Chairman of the Board of The Realty Foundation,
an organization that offers a lifeline in the form of bridge assistance
for those who have fallen on hard times.
HAPPY HANUKKAH TO ALL!
MESSAGE FROM
PRESIDENT NEAL FAGIN...
By now you should have received letters from me and from
Rabbi Morris and Dasee Berkowitz explaining that we are now a year round
Temple, with our first full time rabbi. Dasee will serve us part time,
as an educator, while continuing her consulting practice. This momentous
change was well thought out, since it means a significant increase in
our expenses. Before finalizing this plan, we reached out to many of you
asking for a three year pledge of support to help us with our finances.
We received a lot of pledges, yet we are still $30,000 a year short of
what we need to sustain our new status. If we missed any of you, who are
able to help, please e-mail me:
Sometime after the beginning of 2010 we will announce
plans for an increase in dues. Also in the works is a major fundraiser
early next summer. We are confident that our decision to move forward
and provide our community with a full time synagogue is right, and that
all of you will help in some way.
I always hate to solicit donations...but right now, in
addition to the above, I am also looking for one or more of you to
underwrite the purchase of 40 very comfortable chairs to be used as
additional seating for members during the High Holidays, to make them
feel like they are in the sanctuary. These chairs will match those we
added a few years ago... beechwood with navy blue upholstered seats. The
cost for the lot is $5400.00. Please help!
I look forward to hearing from many of you soon and to
share all the joy that has come our way.
RONA KLOPMAN
REPORTS...
I am happy to tell you that Temple Adas Israel’s first
Israeli Film Festival at the Bay Street Theatre was well attended. The
audiences especially appreciated the discussions following the films,
led by Prof. Richard Gambino. We are looking forward to offering four
more exceptional films next year.
Sixteen students are participating in the new Judaism 101
class, learning the basics of Judaism on Thursday evenings. It is a
mixed class including Temple members and new students. The classes are
friendly and non-judgmental and explore the fundamentals of Jewish
traditions, customs, holidays and life cycle events. The Jewish
understanding of God, essential Jewish texts and ethics are part of the
20 session course. Rabbi Morris attended a class during Sukkot to
demonstrate the lulav and etrog. He was delighted with the group, since
it fulfills a need for leaning about Judaism within the community.
I’d like to share (with her permission) a few excerpts
from a letter I received from one student, Lindsey Jaffe...a Jew with a
non-Jewish fiancé. ..." we are really enjoying the class and the sense
of community it is providing for both of us...we are so grateful to you
for teaching this class at Adas Israel... I am also grateful for the
other students and a chance to build relationships with these wonderful
people...and a temple so full of history... this network of family,
values and tradition has given me a spiritual connection... it is
something I hoped the class would help my fiancé understand... it is
beyond my wildest expectation...you have created this place for us and
it is such a gift..."
DAVE LEE
REMEMBERS...
As the weather gets cooler I am reminded of a crisis we
had back in the 1950's –- the dim and distant past. It was close to
Hanukkah and we were planning a party to celebrate the festive occasion,
and sing Hanukkah songs.
Our heating system consisted of an oil burner, installed
in an old coal furnace, that heated the shul through a grate in the
sanctuary floor. It was very inefficient at best --but it died
completely just a few days before our party was scheduled.
We had very little money and went to see the local
plumbing firm, R.C. Barry & Sons, on Main Street where we bought a new
oil fired insert to be installed in our old coal furnace. Then we had to
figure out how to pay for it. I remember clearly the price of the
job...$650.00 and that was with a healthy discount. We raised
what we could, about $275.00, and Hap Barry, the store’s owner allowed
us to pay off the balance over a few months, which we did. Nettie
Rosenstein (Gert Katz’s Mom), Ruth Rossuck, Mae Kelman (it was nice to
see her in shul for the holidays), Vera Lee and Mary Matles ran a card
party, as I recall. By the way, we had the furnace back in working order
by Hanukkah, we had a good party and the furnace not only lasted 8 days
for our local Maccabees, but for a long time thereafter. When we bought
the empty lot next to the shul and built our extension, we put in a gas
fired furnace to provide heat for both the new addition and the
sanctuary. The heating -related job on our current agenda is to abandon
the old, buried oil tank by draining it and filling it with special foam
to prevent polluting the ground. Happy Hanukkah to all!
HEBREW SCHOOL NEWS...Leah
Oppenheimer
Jewish
education is at an all time high at TAI this year! In addition to our
regular program, now serving 18 children and their families, we have
several other offerings. The Bat Mitzvah class meets twice a week,
Mondays as usual and Wednesdays to focus on Torah reading and liturgy.
The five girls, Rebecca Dwoskin, Zoe Diskin, Zoe Vatash, Rachel Pepper
and Clara Oppenheimer, are an inspiration to the other students as they
actively move into synagogue life with Tzedakah projects and
participation in Friday night services.
One of our
new programs is Beit Boys for those who missed regular Hebrew
School but who strongly desire a Bar Mitzvah. In 90 intense minutes
these young men learn Hebrew, Tora in assisting at services. Stay tuned
for more from these high energy students and their families. I believe
they are ready for active participation in Temple life.
The
Parents Circle is our other new venture. Using a curriculum from the
Jewish Outreach Program, this 12 week series of classes offers families
comprised of a Jewish and a non-Jewish parent intensive training in
building a Jewish home. So far these families have learned about finding
holy moments with their children, and framing
issues Jewishly. Our first Parents Circle Shabbat, Dec. 4th
examined the "December Dilemma".
Look for our
students at Shabbat services; don’t miss the Hanukkah party December 11th
or the TuB’Shevat Seder on January 29. Be a part of the web of mitzvot
that is Jewish living.
ROSH CHODESH NEWS... FROM
GAIL GAMBINO
The Temple women's Rosh Chodesh group celebrates a year
and a half of monthly gatherings this December. We welcomed two new
members during the summer and are always pleased when another Temple
member joins us.
We inaugurated three annual events this past year
beginning with a summer picnic; then our second annual women's Mikveh,
which was beautifully led by Dasee Berkowitz; and we also celebrated the
East End harvest.
Perhaps stating the obvious, our meetings combine
refreshments, reflection, learning, sharing and deepening friendships.
Celebrating the Harvest allowed us to share some wonderful local food,
to cook for one another and to experience a sense of gratitude for the
unique place in which we live. We also spent some time looking at
member-suggested themes for our meetings.
Under the umbrella of the significance of each month, we
are developing a very interesting and challenging list of ideas which
will serve as the core of our curriculum. For November's meeting, Eileen
Moskowitz offered an intriguing and complex subject: The Nature of God
in Reform Judaism. As she did last year, Eileen provided interesting
research and a thoughtful and provocative outline for our discussion.
Margaret Bromberg requested that we take a look at The Nature of Prayer
which we integrated into our larger topic and focused on more personally
in our circle of sharing.
It has been my goal to heighten abstract concepts with a
personal reality and to integrate the study of Judaism within a larger
secular, spiritual realm. We have reflected deeply upon the concept of
balance--in Judaism and in our lives philosophically and
psychologically. Our meetings will continue to reflect that...two
examples of how we nurture one another... Myra Peskowitz is recuperating
from surgery, so in November we took our monthly gathering to her. We
will move to Sue Fisher's new "digs" in December to celebrate and bless
the Mezuzah we gave her. Our discussions are thoughtful, our sharing is
candid, our laughter is abundant and our connections are heartfelt.
Please contact me, <Bdwybaby@optonline.net> if you would like to join
us.
JANET GROSSMAN
REPORTS...
The first Maureen’s Haven program for the homeless in our
area has just started in the East Hampton Methodist Church. Since the
program runs on Friday evenings, we can’t be there physically, but we
can always help with our donations of goods and money. As one of the
Hebrew School’s Tzedakah projects, the students are collecting packages
of underwear for those who spend the night at the program. Scarves,
gloves and winter hats are also needed. And, since there is no shower,
they need disposable cloths for bathing- -three per person for each
bath. These cloths are available at WalMart; it is estimated that 125
packages will be needed for the season. If you wish to donate any of
these items please call Margaret at the Temple: 631-725-0904. The
"guests" at Maureen’s Haven will be very appreciative. Thank you!
ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT...Margaret Bromberg
Although we used to have a dormant season when our "busy
season" came to an end after Simchat Torah, things around Temple Adas
Israel now are anything but dormant. No time to hibernate as we are
still sorting out and straightening up in the wake of the Fall Festivals
while preparations for Hanukkah are underway.
In addition
to special events, like the Hanukkah Party, our year round commitment to
provide a Shabbat worship experience every Friday also requires
attention and a dedicated core of prayer leaders and "followers" - the
followers every bit as important as the leaders! Myra and Dan Peskowitz,
Dave Lee, Leah Oppenheimer, Margaret Bromberg and Ann and Perry Silver
have accepted the responsibility of leading prayers and we anticipate
that Annette and Harry Heller, having recently returned from Israel,
will share some impressions with us in on a Shabbat evening in the near
future.
Once a month we spend a Friday evening at the home of a
member; and when Student Cantor Donna Mashadi spends Shabbat with us, we
share a meal at the synagogue after the Shabbat service. The Fagins and
the Lees have hosted very successful Shabbat gatherings in their homes
and we look forward to a Hanukkah Shabbat at the home of Allen and
Beverley Fein. Later in the winter, the Zaretskys and the Schwabs will
be our hosts. We need homes for our February and March gatherings, both
on the 26th of the month.
During one of
the workshops at a recent Bikkur Cholim Conference, I listened as we
were encouraged to be sure to engage the talents of all volunteers as
there is a "job for everyone".
I would like
to add a twist to that by suggesting that each member of Temple Adas
Israel think of what he or she might do to participate and support our
Community. There truly is something for everyone and it doesn’t have to
be work... attending a Friday night service is a very important
contribution!
Myra
Peskowitz is recovering from surgery at home. We wish her a full and
speedy recovery.
We will miss
the company and support of Sheila and Jerry Adelberg who will be in
Arizona and California until March. We wish them easy travels and a safe
return.
CALLING ALL
TEMPLE ADAS ISRAEL COOKS...
Myra Peskowitz informs us that preparations are in the
works for a cookbook containing recipes suitable for the Temple’s Pot
Luck Dinners. These can be dishes you’ve already made for a Temple
dinner –or other recipes appropriate for such an event....vegetarian or
fish... NO MEAT, PLEASE. You may e-mail your recipes to Myra at: More
about this in our next issue. And, while you’re writing your recipes,
why don’t you include a snappy title for this cookbook and we’ll come up
with a suitable prize if a winner is chosen from the submissions.
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS...
We are
delighted that the following new members and their families have joined
us and we look forward to meeting all of them soon: Jackie Berg, Faith
and David Diskin, with daughters, Jade and Zoe; Dr. Ira Blaufarb, Dr.
Richard Blum, Marvin and Diana Chudnoff, Robert Fleischer and Susan
Raanan, Rhonda and Arnold Finkelstein, Todd and Shanna France with sons,
Henry and Abraham, Judy Greenwald and James Kyprios, Judith Hollander,
Fred and Greta Kahn, Steve Levy, Wendy Marks, Jolie Parcher and Perry
Burns with sons Baxter and Kai Parcher-Charles; Ellen Ruby, Karen and
Irving Schwab, Shirley Silver, Susan and Bruce Steger and Lorne and Luke
Weil.
REMINDER...
the Bat Mitzvah class is collecting coats for the homeless, to be
distributed by the Southampton Tire Center. PLEASE bring wearable winter
coats for men and big boys to Temple NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 11th.
There is a bin outside to drop them in. That will be a perfect Hanukkah
Mitzvah!
**************************************************************
PERSONNEL
RABBI LEON A. MORRIS: 212-508-0981
<Leon@adultjewishlearning.org>
Student Cantor DONNA MASHADI
<primadonna55@yahoo.com>
ADMINISTRATOR: MARGARET BROMBERG
<adasisrael11963@optonline.net>
PRESIDENT: NEAL FAGIN -631-835-2902
<CaptainFagin@aol.com>
VICE PRESIDENT: ALAN LEAVITT -
<Leavittny@aol.com>
SECRETARY: DAVID J. LEE
<Davelee_11963@yahoo.com>
TREASURER: HOWARD CHWATSKY
<HowardChwatsky@aol.com
HEBREW SCHOOL DIRECTOR: LEAH OPPENHEIMER
<Loppenhe@optonline.net>
EDITOR, THE CHRONICLES: LEDA C. GOLDSMITH
<Leda.gpg@verizon.net>
BOARD MEMBERS: Jerry Cohen, Don Doctorow, James Dwoskin, Barbara
Freedman, Jonathan Nash Glynn, Leda C. Goldsmith, Janet Grossman,
Richard Hemley, Donald Katz, Howard Maisel, Richard Shapiro.
Honorary Board Member: Sylvia Lieberman
Associate Board Members: Margaret Bromberg, Mindy Cantor, Leah
Oppenheimer, Phyllis Silver, Sandy Slipp
TEMPLE ADAS ISRAEL
Elizabeth Street & Atlantic Avenue...P.O. Box 1378
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
631-725-0904
e-mail: <adasisrael11963@optonline.net>
website<www.templeadasisrael.org>
Phone
631-725-0904
On the web
www.templeadasisrael.org
TEMPLE
ADAS ISRAEL
P.O. BOX 1378
Sag Harbor, NY 11963
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