Rabbi Michael D. Howald

Cantor Suzanne Bernstein

Bryn Biren, Linda Brill, Sandy Mazzucco, Felicia Otto

Co-Presidents

APRIL 2023

Nissan-Iyar 5783

Shabbat Morning**#

Torah Study at 10:00 a.m. followed by Services at 11:00 a.m.

Meeting ID: 842 7725 0914

Passcode: 345339

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Saturday April 26th will take place on site AND on Zoom at 9:15 a.m.

The Service will be in person at 10:30 a.m.

**PLEASE CHECK NEWS & NOTES AND THE FRIDAY NIGHT PROGRAM E-MAILS FOR STREAMING LINKS FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS AND FOR ANY CHANGES REGARDING STREAMING AND/OR ZOOM LINKS.

AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OR COPY OF

MISHKAN T'FILAH

MAY BE PURCHASED FROM CCAR

AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OR COPY OF

MISHKAN T'FILAH FOR YOUTH

MAY BE PURCHASED FROM CCAR

         The first book of the Talmud has a long discussion of the prayers different rabbis would recite after they completed the daily services. Rabbi Elazar asked for “love and brotherhood, peace and friendship” to dwell in the midst of the community. Rabbi Yohanan asked God to behold the plight of the Jewish people after the destruction of the Temple and to “clothe Yourself in Your mercy.”  Rav Safra would ask for the establishment of peace in the heavens above and the earth below. Rabbi Alexandri’s prayer, on the other hand, started his prayer with a question: “Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before you that our will is to perform Your will and what prevents us? Rabbi Alexandri was good enough to supply an answer: “It is the yeast in the dough.”

         Rabbi Alexandri’s prayerful question and answer remain relevant today, particularly as we approach Passover. The Torah tells us to remove all leavening or “chametz” from our homes in advance of the first day of Passover. That process has both a physical and a spiritual dimension. In the physical world, we remove all foods containing leavening from our homes. Rabbi Alexandri’s prayer asks us to also focus on addressing and removing the inflammatory passions that separate us from each other and destroy the peace of the community. These passions were, to him, the “yeast in the dough,” the agent whose presence rendered meal offerings unacceptable to God (Leviticus 2:11: “No meal offering that you offer to Adonai shall be made with leaven, for no leaven or honey may be turned into smoke as an offering by fire to Adonai.”) and whose absence was essential to the celebration of Passover. This “chametz of the soul,” he believed, leaves us unable to control our passions or to see the divine spark in our fellow human beings.

         We need to remove “the yeast from the dough” more than even this Passover. After 3 years of living with COVID in all its variants, it sometimes seems that the whole world is angry. War and partisan conflict fill our newspapers and we see evidence of sustained outrage almost every day in our daily lives. Drivers scream at each other over minor delays, customers take out their rage on innocent shopkeepers and friends yell at each other during board meetings. After three years of alternating isolations and reopening’s, of surges and lulls, closures and changes and the constant psychological overhang of a pandemic that is neither over nor continuing, we have accumulated, to use Rabbi Alexandri’s words, a lot of “yeast in the dough.” Doubtless we each brought to this moment our own psychological strengths and weaknesses, but we have also collectively been through an unanticipated period of fear, grief and turmoil that has changed us all. In its wake, the pandemic has left a world less patient, more brittle and angrier than ever. This Passover is an opportunity to remove “the yeast from the dough” that has built up over the past 3 years of Zoom seders, anxious indoor masking and PCR tests.

         We can start by acknowledging our gratitude at reaching this Passover season where we can gather once again in person. May we never take for granted the sweetness of family and friends gathering face to face to celebrate together. We continue by searching within and recognizing the extent to which we have let our passions and fears rule our words and our actions over these past few years. May we forgive ourselves even as we resolve to work on our self-control in the years ahead. We finish by resolving to think the best of our fellow human beings, their actions, and motivations even as we admit that our behaviors and motives are not always above reproach.  May we begin this Passover season by removing the “yeast from the dough.” Chag Pesach Same’ach!

As I write this, we have just enjoyed celebrating Purim and now it is time to look forward to Passover.

Passover is thought to be the most widely celebrated Jewish holiday throughout all of Judaism.  The Torah teaches us that every generation is obligated to tell the story of the exodus from Egyptian bondage into freedom, as if we personally experienced it.  That is a core Jewish understanding.  At the Passover Seder, we gather to retell the story of our original wandering and the freedom we found.  As we step into this historical experience, we cannot help but think about the heartbreaking war in Ukraine.  The Ukrainian people are fighting with such resolve for their freedom, safety, and identity.  As Jewish people, we are all too familiar with these circumstances. 

Passover was always one of my favorite holidays as a child.  We had large seders where we did the service almost “cover to cover”.  My brother, the youngest, always had the honor of asking the Four Questions but as the oldest child I was always itching at the bit to ask them.  We got so excited about being allowed to try a splash of Manischewitz wine with seltzer. We also sooo anticipated finding the Afikomen and negotiating its return for that all important monetary reward!!! It was such a challenge as my father was so creative in finding such unexpected places to hide it. He enjoyed keeping us “busy” for a while. AND …Let’s NOT forget the food…there was SO MUCH to choose from!  Priceless Memories!!! Can you recall your great memories of your past Passovers? We remember the history of Passover and look forward to making new ones with family and friends. 

Speaking of Seders, we look forward to our Jennifer Straniere Memorial Passover Community Seder which will take place on Wednesday April 5^th at 6:00 PM at Temple Israel. Jennifer did so much for Temple Israel and the Seder was so very dear to her. Hopefully you have made your reservations for this wonderful Kosher catered Seder led by Rabbi Howald and Cantor Bernstein. 

Temple Israel is a happening place to be this spring.  There are so many activities for all ages of our Congregation.  So come join us for at least one of the following events.  It’s a good way to make new friends and re-connect with old friends…. AND REMEMBER THAT WE ALWAYS NEED YOUR HELP AND PARTICIPATION FOR THESE EVENTS AND FOR FRIDAY NIGHT IN PERSON SERVICES

We will be celebrating Temple Israel’s 75^th Anniversary on May 6^th at the Temple. It will be an evening of great food and beautiful music. More details and links to this event are in the weekly News & Notes and the E-Shalom Bulletin. Look for the Journal Ad links and encourage your friends and families to take out ads in our VIRTUAL JOURNAL.

You can also find the easy “CLICK HERE” links for the times and places for the following upcoming events in our weekly news and notes and our Monthly E-Shalom Bulletin.

Wishing everyone a most wonderful, delicious and Happy Passover.

Chag Pesach Sameach

Co-President

Sandy Mazzucco

on behalf of Co-Presidents Bryn Biren, Linda Brill, and Felicia Otto

Dear Fellow Congregants,

Thanks to all of you who have already completed your annual commitments to Temple Israel.  Please watch your mail for a reminder regarding completion of outstanding balances on your account.  Please be reminded that notifications for completion of your building fund will be sent as a separate document.

A reminder that your Membership Form provides us with the most current information about you and your family.  If your form was not fully completed, one of our Membership Committee members may be contacting you to secure any information that was omitted.  Please be sure to update changes in email contacts and new phone numbers for all included family members.

Please feel free to contact me directly at 917-873-4739 should you wish to discuss any matter regarding your annual commitment.  Be sure to leave your name and phone number if you are leaving a message.

Again, thank you for your on-going support of Temple Israel.

Alan Siegel

Financial Secretary

Please consider becoming a member of our

KAVOD SOCIETY.

It helps to make membership available to all our families. Speak to our Financial Secretary to upgrade your membership.

On a trip to the former Yugoslavia in 1984, I was surprised to see a beautifully illustrated Haggadah prominently displayed in the shop windows in Dubrovnik. I was a cantorial student at Hebrew Union College at the time.  Curious as to why so many stores were displaying a Haggadah in the middle of the summer, I learned for the first time the amazing story of the Sarajevo Haggadah. Originally handwritten in Barcelona around 1350, the Haggadah survived through the centuries, changing hands and lands until it arrived in Sarajevo in 1894. The new facsimile edition in the shop windows had just been published. Of course I bought one, and learned in the accompanying historical material, how the Haggadah was saved from destruction in World War II by a Muslim librarian. During the break-up of Yugoslavia and subsequent war that began in 1989, the original Sarajevo Haggadah was endangered and saved, thankfully, again. The priceless manuscript is now in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. Geraldine Brooks wrote a fictionalized account of the Sarajevo Haggadah's miraculous journey in her novel, "The People of the Book," published in 2008.  

I treasure my facsimile copy, for its history and beauty, and most of all because the text is the same text we still read every Passover. The four questions, the four children, the cups of wine, are all there. When I look at the words of Dayeinu I feel a connection to people throughout the centuries who have sat around seder tables with their families. We can't know with what melody the original owners of the Sarajevo Haggada sang "Dayeinu." The melody generally used for Dayeinu now was probably written in the mid-twentieth century. It has become a "folk song," which just means we don't remember who wrote it. To know that people have been singing Dayeinu, with whatever melody they used, since at least the ninth century, really makes me feel like I am one of the "People of the Book."  

"Dayeinu" in Cantor Bernstein's facsimile edition of the Sarajevo Haggadah

I am looking forward to being with my Temple Israel family on the first night of Passover, to continue the tradition of singing Dayeinu and all the songs in the Haggadah. Wherever you are for Passover, sing out with joy!  

Chag sameach!  

Cantor Suzanne Bernstein 

APRIL CHOIR SCHEDULE

FRIDAY, APRIL 7

3:30-4:30 p.m.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

APRIL 2023

NISSAN-IYAR 5783

For calendar updates click here....

To print or download a copy of this calendar, click here.

MAZEL TOV TO:

THE FELDMAN & GOLDSTEIN FAMILIES on the occasion of Ma'ayan being called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah.

LISSA & NEIL WINCHEL on the upcoming marriage of their daughter Lisa to Christopher D'Antonio.

GET WELL WISHES TO:

SUE FREEDMAN, recovering from pneumonia.

THINKING OF YOU: 

DR. ALICIA BASKIN, JOE GAMORAN,

SILVIA GORNSTEIN.

April 7, 2023

Edward Marcus *

Florence Sigmund

Alan Trontz

Sidney Sheren *

Stanley Benjamin *

Mitchell (Melech) Gordon *

David Gornstein

Esther Burger *

David Feldhamer *

Earl Gross

Betty Liebowitz *

Murray Mazer

Albert V Rosen *

Dora Selmon

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Siegfried Kohn

Georg Kolp

Irma Rosenthal

Adolf Elias

Boleslaw Michajlow

April 14, 2023

Ira Bankofsky *

Sol Lubin

Benjamin Adler

Clara Vinocur

Michael Doria

Frances Friedman

Glenda Kalish

Ruth Kosnitsky-Feigelman

David Behar *

Etylda Berkowicz *

Klara Berkowicz *

Paul Martin Gross *

Sara Pappert

Abraham Pollak *

Markus Pollak *

Rosa Pollak *

Sofia Pollak *

Herman Schnittman *

Albert David Soren *

Evelyn (Lynne) Benjamin *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Waldemar Werner

Isidor Joseph

Klari Weinberger

Eliezar Zaydman

Christian Bank

April 21, 2023

Mary Goldberg *

Edythe Kahn

Ethel Gershansky

Shirley Shapiro *

Seymour Barris

Dora Flaum

Bertha Schlefstein *

Minnie Pepperman

Charles Ira Salzberg

Rubin Sheren *

Franklin Joseph Stein *

Rhea Greenspan

Maurice Scher *

Erwin Badrian

Estelle Gootenberg *

Larry Littman

Bert Meyerberg *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Gizella Silbermann

Belane Pulitzer

Yosef Tiger

Willi Silbermann

Nochim Kopelowitz

April 28, 2023

Malvina Goldberg *

Murray Lee *

Samuel Richter *

Cornelius Bregoff *

Edith Gloates *

Irving Smith

Carl Berkowicz

Sallie Klaw *

Joseph Kerstein *

Rose Schneider

Jennie Blumenthal *

Abraham Cohen *

Naomi Newhouse Jablons *

Edith Marks

Sonia Outman

Joel Chernoff

James Gamble

Frances Reiss

Julius Schneider

Benjamin Sherman

Arnold Wells *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Wladyslaw Mlot

Mordekhai Ludkewicz

Morne Karpelesz

Anissico Vladesznawa

Wladyslaw Ciecko

The Advance Payment Program allows members to pay in advance for Friday night program ads. Members usually deposit $100 (or less in some cases) and when an ad is placed, $5 is deducted. When the balance gets low (usually to about $10) an e-mail is sent reminding the member that they should consider adding money to their account. 

You may, if you wish, pay in advance for Friday night program announcements. For more details contact the Temple office or contact Deanna Feder dfeder19@aol.com to set up an account. 

Special thanks to Deanna Feder, Linda Hanibal and Blanche Ricci and all the hard-working women pictured above who helped package and wrap this year's incredible Shalach Manot gifts.

Special thanks also go to Alan Siegel for dealing with all the boxes!

Now that Temple has celebrated the joyous holiday of Purim, with the reading of the Megillah, Purim carnival, and Shalach Manot gifts we, at Sisterhood, have planned some more enjoyable events for the coming months. 

Sisterhood is honored that two of our sisters – Linda Brill and Felicia Otto - have been singled out as outstanding women for their extraordinary, many, and various accomplishments.  Linda Brill has been named a Staten Island Woman of Achievement by the Staten Island Advance.  Felicia Otto will be honored at the 14^th Annual Nancy Avis L’Dor V’Dor Awards Luncheon.  Please help celebrate Linda’s and Felicia’s accomplishments by attending one or both of their celebrations. Please see flyers at the end of this E-Shalom if you would like to attend the luncheons.

On Saturday, March 18, Sisterhood held a Bingo/Basket Raffle Night with prizes which was a great success!  Thank you to Stacie Magnus for spearheading this amazing event. Special thanks to the entire Magnus/Kaplan Family and all the volunteers and participants who helped to make this event such a success.

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During the month of March, Sisterhood members have been busy learning Mah Jongg, planing for the Jennifer Straniere Memorial Passover Seder, hearing from Harriet Goodman Grayson, author of The Accidental Gangster, based on her grandfather Goldy's life during Prohibition and the Roaring Twenties, socializing at at "Game Night" meeting, and attending the WRJ Northeast District Convention, where past president Jodi Siegel presented.

If you are available, we could use your assistance to help set up for the community seder on Tuesday, April 4 at 11 am.  Please volunteer as many helpers are needed.

On April 19 we will be having a paid-up membership dinner at 7 pm where we will enjoy Chinese fare. Thank you to our Membership committee for their hard work in arranging this event.  

Would you like to learn how to make the traditional bread of Shabbat?  For Sisterhood’s May General Sisterhood Meeting, Anita Zuckerberg will teach us the art of making challah.

Sue Freedman is chairing Sisterhood's Annual Shabbaton to take place on Saturday, May 20.  Rabbi Howald and Cantor Bernstein will lead Shabbat morning services to be and followed by lunch and entertainment .  We are also doing a community outreach program that day and ask that you bring in new or gently used books for children in need. Men are welcome!

Maxine Cohen is still collecting food for the Kosher Food Pantry.  Please be generous when you donate.  

A big thank you to all those who volunteered to help with Friday night onegs.  We very much appreciate your time and efforts.  Whether you purchased cake and fruit, helped with the wine preparation or serving, or assisted in the kitchen, your time and efforts are very much appreciated.  

Anita Zuckerberg, Pam Rogozin, Judy Lee

Sisterhood Co-Presidents 

Brotherhood at Temple Israel continues….

Once again, the children of our Congregation have enjoyed a playful event at the Purim Celebration that took place on Saturday evening, March 4^th.  A variety of games were made available through the efforts of our children’s parents.  In addition to the basketball shooting hoops, the Corn Hole toss, the football toss and the golf putting games, the children were treated to snacks and treats that enhanced the evening.  It was encouraging to see our children enjoying themselves in the Temple Social Hall while vicariously celebrating a religious event.

Please be reminded that Brotherhood will again be sponsoring the distribution of Yom Ha’Shoah yellow memorial candles to commemorate the memorialization of the Holocaust.  During a recent meeting, various members have volunteered to participate in the delivery of these candles to the homes of our Congregants.  When you receive your candle, please be sure to read the accompanying document and follow the instructions regarding offering a donation in support of the ongoing efforts of the Temple Israel Brotherhood.

Looking ahead, we will be announcing a members’ breakfast where we can gather and enjoy each other’s company with a pleasant meal and good conversation.

Please be sure to keep an eye out for further announcements.  If you have not yet done so, please forward your current email address to us so that we can get in touch with you as we move ahead.  Contact Alan Siegel at ajsiegel1@aol.com.

We thank you for your anticipated cooperation.

Alan Siegel and Bob Zuckerberg



MOST FLYERS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FOR PRINTING BY CLICKING DIRECTLY ON THE FLYER.

Happy Passover! Happy Spring!

On Sunday, April 2nd our school children will enjoy a model sedar/Passover assembly. Families should refer to the email from their Class Parent regarding their child's time in the social hall which will be by age group. When not in the social hall, children will be crafting Passover Afikomen Covers and Sedar plates. Families are urged to take part in this special day with their child's class. 

Following April 2nd, school will be in an extended recess over spring break and returning on Sunday, April 30th. The last day of the school year will be Sunday, May 21st. 

Our school is looking to begin hiring and planning for next school year now. We encourage anyone within our congregation who has a background in education or a love of Judaism and Hebrew, to please consider joining our faculty. We are specifically seeking people who have a background in Special Education and Music to join our team. Should you know someone or want to find out more for yourself, please contact Felicia Otto at 646-425-9524.

Finally, our April family Shabbat date has been changed from Friday, April 7th to Friday, April 21st in response to families who will be vacationing and/or enjoying Passover with their families. We look forward to seeing everyone in the sanctuary together on April 21st at 7:00pm. 

See you soon, 

Felicia Otto

April is the start of Spring. We look forward to Passover, sunny warm days, and beautiful flowers.

Membership is “springing” into action to keep the Congregation active. We had a wonderful program by Rabbi Scott Kalmikoff called, “Box in a Box”. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed his presentation. We will look into more ideas for programs of this kind. 

We continue to need your help and participation at Temple events. There are so many interesting and exciting activities planned but we NEED people TO ATTEND. Please read the weekly News and Notes and the E-Shalom Bulletin for links to upcoming events.

The committee continues their phone contacts to reach out to members with whom we have not had recent contact. Everyone that has been contacted really appreciated receiving the calls.

Finally, we are hoping to work on new programs with all Temple members. The committee chairs are planning to meet with Bryn Biren and Terry Baver to discuss ways to intermingle the Avis Families with long time Temple Members for other intergenerational activities.

The Membership Committee is open to any new ideas from the Congregation.

Let’s all welcome Spring by attending future events and Friday night Shabbat services in person. 

Sandy Mazzucco

Claire Guttsman

The Caring Community

The mission of the Dr. Ronald Avis Foundation for Temple Israel Reform Congregation is:

…. to provide financial support for young families seeking membership in Temple Israel, and to attract new young families by providing learning opportunities, family programming, and social justice initiatives.

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Welcome to April, and the spring!  We look forward to seeing you at our Family service on April 21. The Family Shabbat has moved to then because the 7th is still part of Passover and vacation time for many families.  

The children’s choir will be singing and we continue to remind you all that your children may want to be choir members!

Our Co-President, Felicia Otto, is being honored at the L’Dor V’Dor at the JCC.  The event is April 23rd at 11 am. Each year, extraordinary and dedicated women in our community are honored there. We hope you consider coming. And our Co-President Linda Brill is being honored at the Women of Achievement event on Staten Island. Consider attending that too!

We continue to hope that many of you find ways to volunteer for our community. Keep your eyes open as things come up where volunteers are needed. And also, if you have your own ideas about things you would like the children to be involved with, join the School committee! 

A reminder every month till our celebration: Join us on May 6th as we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of Temple Israel! The night will include a cabaret, speeches from congregants, including those who were members for so many years, and a wonderful journal. Please mark it down on  your calendar and plan to come. And when you receive the Journal please consider purchasing a page (or a part of a page) ! Our congregation only survives by the generosity of our members. 



Sincerely,

Bryn Biren and Terry Baver

Many thanks to Libby Gershansky for leading our Book Discussion on March 8. We discussed “Personal Librarian” by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, a fictionalized telling of the very unique life of Bella Costa Greene, the librarian to J.P. Morgan.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, April 27, at 7:30, on Zoom. Were you born on Staten Island? Did you immigrate? Get ready for a discussion on the “History of the Jews on Staten Island”. Scott Kalmikoff will lead the program. We welcome your memories! RSVP, judithpessah@gmail.com

The next Book Discussion, will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, May 10th at 7:30 p.m. We will be discussing "Once We Were Home" by National Jewish Book Award Finalist Jennifer Rosner. For more information contact cherylmlevine@gmail.com.

And since we live in a diverse world, a program on “The History of Christianity” and its relationship to our people, is being thought of for the Fall.

(Search on your device for “My Jewish Learning”, for some very informative articles!)

The FUNdraising committee is postponing our Karaoke night. We will announce a new date, as soon as possible. It will be a night of music and entertainment, so please save the date, when it becomes available.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

Rhonda Trontz-Allen, Karen Frey-Gamoran, Lissa Winchel

Co-Chairs

Linda Brill

Staten Island Advance Woman of Achievement

We have added new books to the library, especially in the children's area.

Please continue to drop off Jewish Related books in the office. No prayerbooks, please.