In Memory of Norma Kolko Phillips

We are deeply saddened to report that Norma Phillips passed away on Monday, December 2, after a brief illness. Norma was a valued decades-long member of the shul and had been serving as one of our Trustees and Secretary to the Board for the last several years. She loved the Nassau Shul and was passionate about its continued well-being. She contributed generously over the years to our General Fund and specifically to our Hebrew School program. Build it and they will come was her motto. She also contributed her time and intellect to many projects, large and small. Whether she was working on writing a grant proposal she thought might be helpful to us or making egg salad in the kitchen for kiddush or organizing the very popular and meaningful Family Immigration Series these past couple of years, she performed with great dedication and gusto. She sparked ideas and lit a fire under those around her to assist in seeing them to fruition.  

It is no surprise that she felt so passionate about education. Many of you may not have known, because of her modesty, that Norma was a nationally recognized expert, scholar and educator in the social work field and social welfare policy. Dr. Norma Kolko Phillips, as she was known in her “other world,” authored and co-authored numerous books and peer reviewed journal articles, and taught thousands of future social workers during her 37 years at Lehman College in the Bronx. In addition to expanding the undergraduate Social Work program into its own Department, in which she served as the founding department chair for 6 years, she spearheaded the development of the Master of Social Work program. Her last book, The Power of Policy, the Past, Present and Future, was co-authored by her after her retirement from Lehman and just published several months ago. In other words, she was a big deal till the end. 

Norma will be sorely missed. Funny, smart, clever, self-deprecating, spontaneous, caring, caring, caring - she was such a fascinating, wonderful conglomeration of a human being. And we loved her.

Norma was tragically predeceased by her beloved son David, just over a year ago. A more dedicated, concerned and caring mother would be hard to find. We all joined together as a community to help her through that, as best we could.  May her memory be for a blessing.

Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet

Norma with her beloved son, David (deceased) and her grandson, Dylan.

CONDOLENCES to our members Faith Schottenfeld and Ellen Schottenfeld on the passing of their mother, Elayne Schottenfeld. Elaine was frequently in attendance at our High Holiday Services with Faith and Ellen and grandson Matthew. Elaine was one of our best kitchen helpers! Until more recently, she was very active. Elayne passed away peacefully on November 9^th at the age of 95.

Looking forward to……

Our Annual Volunteer led Yitro service – Saturday, February 15th

On Saturday morning, February 15th, we will be holding a full Shabbat Torah Service for Parshat Yitro, beginning at 10 am.

Please join us at the Shul (or via our Zoom feed) as our Nassau Shul volunteers read Torah and lead Services with lovely melodies.

Attending this service in person would be greatly appreciated. For those of you who live on the other side of the Hudson, not to worry. You don’t need a passport - LOL 

A delicious Kiddush luncheon will be served following Services.

Our Annual Membership Meeting – Sunday, March 2nd 

As always, our meetings begin at 10:00am with a delicious brunch. The meeting begins at 10:30am. It’s a wonderful time for us to get together, review our past year, and discuss plans for the upcoming year. We value the input of our members. We will review our finances from the past year and review our budget for 2025.  

Board member elections will be held. Rhonda Rosenheck graciously stepped in to cover the board position that was held by Norma. Norma’s term was set to expire, and Rhonda has expressed an interest in continuing to serve. Howard and Pam’s terms expire as well and will continue to serve if voted in. All members paid in full by March 2^nd have voting privileges and may also run for a board seat.  This meeting will be available on Zoom but, of course, we hope you choose to attend if you are local.

Your participation is always valuable and much appreciated! 

Israel Copes with Hostage and Terrorist Prisoner releases

by Lynn and David Gross, written on January 29 from Israel

"The deal is complicated and excruciating. The math is abhorrent and morally perverse.....Redemption is never perfect or complete. There is always more work to do." Rabbi Adam Kligfeld

During the weeks of January 11-25, most Israelis had their eyes and ears tuned to the TV, cell phone or computer. On January 25, we witnessed the return of four female hostage soldiers and the week before that we saw the release of three female civilian hostages. To watch these hostages, reuniting with their families with such warm and intense embraces was an unforgettable emotional experience for all of us.

However, this elation was unfortunately mixed with nightmarish horror at the sight of hundreds of jailed terrorists being released at the same time. These terrorists were literally carried through the streets with celebratory praise. This second release was of prisoners, many of whom had life sentences and will most likely again join the ranks of terrorism against Jewish targets wherever they are placed.

In addition, before the four female hostage soldiers were released, they were forced to participate in a publicly humiliating parade that was a cruel charade. Draped in military uniforms, the hostage soldiers waved to thank the crowd of Hamas male terrorists in a public square of thousands who jeered at them, and waved Hamas flags while masked in uniforms. Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Karina Arier and Daniella Gilboa (who had a bullet in her leg) had drawn comfort from each other and were tremendously strong as they faced the crowd. They were undoubtedly drugged in order to get through this ordeal. Even the Red Cross who had been absent from the hostages for a year and a half, as part of this sham of a ceremony where the hostages actually received certificates of completion.

Our hearts were in our throats as we read the details of the harsh conditions these hostages were forced to endure for the past 477 days. The four soldiers and three civilians, Doron Steinbrecher, Romi Gonen and Emily Danon (Emily had lost two fingers) were constantly moved from civilian homes to Gaza tunnels and lived in unsanitary conditions.

The four soldiers were forced to become slaves to Gazan families as cooks, cleaners and looking after children while they lived on a pita or two a day and sometimes no food at all. They spent so much time in the cramped, dark surroundings of the tunnels that their vision was affected.

The four soldiers who were freed were scheduled to have been civilians, but as usual, Hamas did not play by the rules, and they mocked these soldiers with contempt. The expected civilians were supposed to have been members of the Bibas family consisting of a 2 year old and five year old. Kfir Bibas recently turned two in captivity. The IDF, Israeli government and all Israelis are highly concerned about this family.

The ceasefire in Southern Lebanon has been continued for another three weeks .The extension was approved for the Eastern part of Lebanon, an area where the Lebanese army had failed as peacekeepers, so it is not yet safe for the Israelis of the North to come home at this time.

In Gaza, because Arbel Yehoud, Agam Berger and another unnamed hostage will be released on Thursday, January 30th, and three more male hostages will be freed on Saturday, February 1st, Israel agreed to reopen the Nezarim corridor, just south of Gaza City. As a result, Israelis were viewing screens filled with 350,000 Gazans migrating by foot with all their belongings to their homes in Northern Gaza, homes reduced to rubble. There are also no schools, hospitals or any other facilities left standing.

It is important that all of us commend the courageous family members of the hostages who fought tirelessly to get their loved ones home and are still fighting for the hostages that have not been released yet. Many of them travelled around the world speaking on behalf of the hostages.  We need to also commend the staff of Sheba Hospital and Bellinson Hospital for providing top quality medical and psychological care and support for the returning hostages. Israel, as a whole, has upheld the hostages and their families with a powerful spiritual unity. May G-d bless them to come home according to the prescribed agreement. On January 30^th, Gadi Moses, age 80, is expected to be released. In exchange, 80 terrorists will be released, 33 of those were sentenced to life imprisonment. In addition, 5 Thai citizens will be released which is not part of the agreement between Israel and Hamas.

In the recent past….

Sukkot is both an agricultural festival of thanksgiving and a commemoration of the forty-year period during which the children of Israel wandered in the desert after leaving slavery in Egypt, living in temporary shelters as they traveled. It is celebrated by friends and family every Fall. We remain grateful to Michael for having built our permanent sukkah. This year, members enjoyed this annual celebration.  

Chanukah is another holiday we enjoy celebrating together. This year Margo Singer prepared a feast of latkas with apple sauce and sour cream, as well as salad, couscous, and deviled eggs, with sufgonyiot (jelly donuts) and other sweets. Rhonda Rosenheck led us in the candle lighting and afterward Rhonda and Margo read some poetry selections.

• Member Monte Wasch has been elected a the Town Justice in New Lebanon and hopes he doesn’t see us in his court LOL!
• Member Danny Nerenberg announces that his son, Sam Nerenberg, has completed his post-doctoral quantum optics research at University of Glasgow, Scotland and is taking a position at ICFO, the Institute of Photonic Sciences, in Barcelona. Sam will be on the Optoelectronics research team developing cutting edge information, communicating and imaging technologies.  Whew….now that’s a mouthful!!
• Members Linda Pollack & Rick Kessler announce that Linda’s Mom, Adele Pollack, who is 103 years old, is relocating to Daughters of Sarah. They are very excited to have her living nearby. They wish to also announce that their daughter, Armelle, is getting married to John Walsh in July of 2025. 
• Matthew Schottenfeld graduated in May from medical school. His grandmother, Elayne, was able to attend the ceremony. This was especially meaningful since she passed away in November. He is now residency in emergency medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess in Boston. 

Thank you for your generous donations!

• The Sarachan Family in memory of Ann Beth Deily
• Elizabeth Scheer in memory of Larry Scheer
• Edward Edelstein
• Elaine Axler
• Maxine Bogash
• Mindy Pollack Norman in memory of Nathan Pollack and Ron Pollack
• Claire Pollack Falik in memory of beloved father Nathan Pollack, beloved brother Ronald Pollack, cousin Linda Ann Septer, Uncles and Aunts: Mildred Pollack, Bella Ashkenas, Rita Pollack Septer, Herman Pollack, Abraham Pollack
• Ben & Sharon Cohen in honor of Aviva, Naomi, Amit and Ravi
• Marvin & Sharon Freedman
• Bernice Waldman
• Elaine Rubenstein & Malcolm Sherman in honor of the special anniversary of 
• Marvin & Sharon Freedman
• Sid Markowitz in memory of Isadore and Fanny Paley
• Judith Vener
• Robert Stern
• Rhonda Rosenheck
• Ilene Cohn Tanen
• Mariola Strahlberg
• Arnold and Martha Proskin in memory of Paula & Harry Pollack and Rita, Dave and Linda Septer
• Maxine Bogash in honor of sister Maida Bogoslofsky and in memory of parents Gertrude and Isadore Bogoslofsky and grandparents Katie and Nathan Elenzweig
• Marvin Honig
• Ben and Sharon Cohen in memory of Alexander Abrahams
• Nina Loewenstein and Bob Greene
• Sandra Adelman in memory of Joseph Adelman
• Roberta Berko in memory of Sid Schottenfeld
• Douglas M. Fenichel in memory of Norma Phillips
• Ben and Sharon Cohen in memory of Norma Phillips
• Elaine Rubenstein
• Judith Vener
• Nancy Siegel
• Nancy Lord in memory of Norma Phillips and Rita Marokko
• Susan Levine in memory of parents William W. and Ruth Albert Levine
• Carol & Uriel Oko in memory of Norma Phillips
• Judith Fisher Ehrlich and Marc Ehrlich
• James Clevenson
• Robert & Cecelia Elinson in memory of Mildred Amarnick
• Ben & Sharon Cohen in memory of Rhona Abrahams-Bornstein
• Judith Ducktor in memory of her mother, Evelyn Saville

You can convert your loved one’s date to the Gregorian calendar at www.hebcal.com.

Please consider making a donation to the shul in memory of your loved one.

And may their memory

be for a blessing.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15^th at 10:00am – FULL TORAH SERVICE

SUNDAY, MARCH 2^nd at 10:00am – ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING

The Nassau Synagogue tradition is that one need not be a member to attend Shabbat services or to participate in our events and programs.  We do not sell seats for the High Holidays, nor do we auction aliot. How have we been able to do this over the years and still keep membership dues so very low?  It is through your continued support that is essential to keeping us strong.  The Nassau Synagogue relies almost exclusively on the contributions of its supporters and on our membership dues.  So please, help us with a donation, and/or consider becoming a member.  

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PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO THE NASSAU SYNAGOGUE and mail to:  PO Box 670, Nassau, New York   12123