2001 FALL 5762

Touro Donates to theRelief Effort in New York

by Bruce Weisman

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

WHAT'S RIGHT?page 3

Barbara Morse Talks Mental Health to Touroby Richard Glucksman

Inside This Issue

From the Chairman

Page 2

•

Community Involvement

Page 3

•

Charlie's Angels

Page 4

•

Golfing with Touro

Page 5

•

Touro Awards Scholarships

Page 6 What would bring Channel 10’shealth reporter Barbara Morse toTouro on a beautiful Sunday

morning? Was it our delicious brunch ofbagels, lox, and blintzes? It certainly wasn’t thefact that the hall waspacked with so manyvirile Touro members. Itwas the chance to talkhealth.

When the socialcommittee, now headedby Harmony andFriendship lodge vice-presidents SteveDinerman and Jeff Davis,first scheduled herappearance, all thoughts were about bloodpressure and cholesterol levels. But in the wakeof the terrible events of September 11th,Barbara spoke not of physical health but mentalhealth. She teased us about men not crying,but urged us to come to terms with how thetragedy was making us feel – because our healthdepends on it. She also addressed her dual role

as reporter and mother. Proud of the rolethe media has been playing in educating thepublic, she was also concerned about whather children might see and what to tell them.Touching on physical health, she stressed the

importance ofexercise.

Everyone whocomes to a Touroevent knows thatthere is also theopportunity to speakinformally with theguest before or aftertheir formal remarks.One of the funniestmoments of the

morning came during one of those informalconversations, when an unnamed brothertold Barbara she looked just OK on camera,but in real life she was an absolutely beautifulwoman, and if only he was a little younger…

As always, all the Touro members inattendance left well-fed, both physically andmentally.

In recent years, the name of TouroFraternal Association has beensynonymous with giving.

Benevolence is one of the threecardinal principles of Touro. So, inlight of the recent tragedy in NewYork, it was no surprise that at theSeptember board meeting the boardunanimously voted to donate $1,000from the Welfare Fund toward reliefefforts in New York City.

Welfare Committee ChairmanMichael Smith said that hiscommittee was proud to be able tohelp those in need. The money willbe part of a fund set up by radiostation WHJJ and Citizens Bank.

Barbara Morse

• 2 •

From the Chairman

I trust this issue of the Tourogram findsall of you are doing well. By now, themajor Jewish Holidays are over and it

is getting to that time of year of shorter days,longer nights and colder weather.

I am writing this article trying todetermine which course I would like to take.Our illustrious Chairman Emeritus Poultenhas challenged me, in fact has challenged allof us, with his uncanny writing ability andeditorial skills. He was always able to havesomething to say or write that had meaning.

Herein lies my challenge. Whicheverdirection I choose with this writingestablishes a course that goes on until I eitherretire or am replaced as Chairman.Regardless of the outcome, I will have beenfulfilled as a Touro Brother who had his runat helping to further the growth of this greatorganization.

There have been many members of ourorganization, our brothers, who have lefttheir mark on Touro. There are too many ofthem for me to list in this short column. Inmy 23 years at Touro some have left animpression I will never forget.

I remember my first meeting. I wasinitiated at the Ramada Inn in Seekonk.That was a Touro hot spot in those days. Iremember one gentleman, still an active

...to Brother and Mrs. Joel Pressman ontheir 48th anniversary, August 23, 2001.

...to Brother Michael and Marilyn Smith ontheir 33rd anniversary, September 1, 2001

...to Brother Jerry and Joan Tebrow ontheir 33rd anniversary, September 1, 2001

Robert Miller

participant today, giving his opinions duringGood and Welfare and wanting to givesomeone a jab or two to get something stirredup at Association meetings and Boardmeetings.

Mazels, Mitzvahs& Milestones...

buy a building or not? Should we have astudent loan program for our kids? Howabout Educational Grants? How about this?How about that?

We also had many discussions aboutwhat kind of entertainment was good for ourbrothers and their families. What kind offood we should have, koshered or not!!

My brothers, I give you Touro FraternalAssociation. Born in 1917 to help our Jewishbrethren in times of need. In those daysmaybe a bucket of coal, today one of manybenefits is available to our members.

Today Touro is vibrant and thriving inour community. Thankfully, we have beenblessed with dedicated and fine leaders,men who give of themselves freely for thefounding principles of Touro…HARMONY,FRIENDSHIP and BENEVOLENCE.

I invite you to become an activeparticipant in our organization. If you are aregular attendee, I’ll see you next month. Ifyou haven’t been here in a while…c’mondown. Our social committee does a fine job.All of our lodge officers and members of theboard work hard at making this organizationthe best around. We welcome your input,energy and desire to make Touro continueits rise to the top.

Then over the next 23 years, there werethe “lively discussions” about the directionour investments should take. How involvedin the community should we be? Should we

November 14, 2001Friendship Lodge's Dairy Dinner/Make Your Own Sundae Nightfeaturing guest speaker "The Independent Man", John DePetro.

November 28, 2001Saturday Night Fever at PPAC.

December 5, 2001Harmony Lodge KFC Night featuring our annual "Joke Off"

Which lodge will win the coveted title?

December 16, 2001Annual Touro Family Chanukah Party featuring Sparky's Puppets.

December 25, 2001Chinese food and a movie. A Touro favorite!

January 23, 2002Friendship Lodge "Islander Night".

Social SceneWatch your mail for the following upcoming events:

• 3 •

Irving Wolpert –Touro’s “Representative” of What’s Right

By Andy Lamchick

Irving Wolpert

Community Involvement – Even More Involvedby Andy Lamchick

Long before I was on the Board ofTouro, or even a member, I workedin my family’s furniture business.

Throughout the week I would encountermany furniture manufacturers representatives(my Grandfather used to call themDrummers, because they were alwayspounding away at the owners looking for asale). Among them was one guy everyoneseemed to like more than the rest. He wasn’ttoo pushy, knew his product, knew what wasgoing on at all the other stores, and wasgenuinely a nice guy with whom my familyused to like to do business. He was IrvingWolpert.

I remember Irving telling me about mybrother’s involvement with an organizationcalled Touro. It seemed to be some kind offraternity or something, and Irving seemedto have a closeness to my brother becausehe was a member. As time went on, Ieventually joined, and always felt a specialcloseness to Irving at meetings. Later, whenI became the Secretary, Irving welcomed meand seemed to take a special pride in myinvolvement.

F or many years, Touro has beendiscussing and contemplatinginvolvement with Camp Jori. We

always felt that there should be a connection;after all, most of Jori’s campers end up livingin Rhode Island as adults. Didn’t it makesense to start building up name recognitionfor Touro when these campers are in theirformative years?

The answer was always the same. In fact,many years ago Touro actually began theprocess to sponsor the entrance to the currentfacility. Just when we were ready to beginthe process, it was announced that CampJori had purchased its new Campus.

At last, we are pleased to announce that

As I became more involved with theboard, I noticed that Irving was not alwaysthe most visible or talkative member of theboard, but every once in a while, when an

noticed who was not afraid to question theInvestment Committee about a purchase, orif a particular stock had an anti-semitichistory, or if there may be too much risk.Irving was also there to remind us of ourrich heritage when a community issue wouldarise related to Israel.

Irving was born outside of Boston, andcame to Rhode Island 53 years ago when hemarried Shirley Sugarman. They have twochildren and two grandsons who, according toIrving, are the reward of his recent retirement.He has the opportunity to spend a great dealof time with them.

He heads the Assistance Committee,which fortunately, is Touro’s least activecommittee. He has been active on theInvestment, Community Involvement andStudent Aid Committees. He has been avery active member of the board of directorssince 1978, and rarely misses a meeting.

An old advertisement for the NationalGuard used to say” Sleep well, the Guard iswatching.” You can have that same kind ofconfidence with Irving Wolpert on theboard.

Touro’s “Mr. Sunshine” Bob Hodosh

requests that anyone who knows about

a brother or sister who is in the hospital

or a nursing home and would like him

to make a visit, should make their

request through the Touro office by

calling 401-785-0066.

issue was deeply in debate, Irving was often“The Voice of Reason”. He was theconscience of what was the right thing todo. He was also the first board member I

Touro Fraternal Association will sponsor theoffice for the all-new Camp Jori. We felt ofall the facilities at Camp Jori that we mightsponsor, the Camp office was the one thatwould give Touro the most exposure in apositive way. So when you or your lovedones visit the all new Camp Jori, the firstbuilding you will pass will be, “The TouroFraternal Association” Office.

Ground was broken in October, and thenew campus will be in use this summer. Weare pleased that we have formed apartnership with this Jewish Rhode Islandcamp. Once again, Touro FraternalAssociation is a partner with one of NewEngland’s growing legacies.

• 4 •

If you couldn’t attend the annual Touro SteakFry back in June, you missed one of our biggestand best meetings of the year. The recently

expanded social hall was filled to capacity. Themembers and new initiates were entertained by anew edition of the Ocean State Follies, producedby Charlie Hall.

Conducted by the Friendship Lodge officers,the monthly meeting featured the initiation of 16new members, the most in recent memory.Afterwards, we enjoyed a charcoal-cooked steakdinner, prepared and served by Touro members.

After Charlie’s warm-up, he introduced Cheryland Rhonda in “Girl’s Night Out”. FeaturingCheryl and Rhonda, two hair salon operators fromNorth Providence, they offered their opinions (andlack of opinion) on Touro’s furniture, Buddy Cianciand the new polar bear cub. They interacted withthe audience, including a bald-headed member whodonned a wig for one of their routines. Cheryl &Rhonda did several song and dance numbers,including a Streisand medley and one about

Charlie’s Angels Entertainat the Steak Fry

By Lester Nathan

Scarborough Beach, sung to Simon & Garfunkel’s “ScarboroughCanticle”.

An added surprise, between Cheryl and Rhonda’s two acts, wasStephanie Peters. Hers was comedy on the edge, in the same veinas Roseanne Barr’s; it worked and she had the whole room in stitches.Ms. Peters, quite aware of her size, used it to her advantage in makingus laugh with her rather than at her. Perhaps our members gotsome ideas for the next Joke-Off?

Thus, the last lodge meeting of the year concluded on a veryhigh note. We look forward to what the Social Committee willplan for next year’s Steak Fry.

Steak Fry Touro style�����

Charlie and his Angels�����

A willing participant?Can you find another somewhere in this issue?

�����

A full crowd and of course plenty to eat.One of Touro's signatures.

�����

• 5 •

Touro’s Golf Outing Makes aSplash without the Rain

by Bruce Weisman

The date was Monday July 23, 2001. The time: 8:30 am. The place:Cranston Country Club. The event was Touro’s 2nd Annual GolfOuting. More than 50 Touro members and their guests were treated

to a beautiful day of golf. Unlike the first event, which was hampered byseveral rainouts, this one went off without a hitch.

Thanks to Golf Committee Chairman Andy Gilstein, the event was acomplete success.

The afternoon was topped off with a terrific Steak Fry dinner. Therewere prizes awarded for lowest team score, highest team score and closest tothe pin.

Plans are now underway for next year’s event. If anyone is interested inassisting on the committee, please contact the Touro office.

• 6 •

2001 Touro Fraternal Association Scholarships.by Alan Lury, Chairman, Student Financial Aid

Lynne Ucran and Abby M. Weintraub, bothgraduates of Cranston West High School, have beennamed the latest recipients of Touro Scholarships.They were the first double recipients of the grantsoffered each year by the Association. Two scholarshipshave been available in each of the past three yearsbut this is the first time that applicants have qualifiedfor both.

Each year Touro offers two scholarships and upto 10 interest- free student loans to its members andtheir children. Criteria for the grants are much morestringent than for the loans. In addition to these twogrants, loans were approved for seven students.

Ms Ucran, the daughter of Stephen Ucran ofCranston, is enrolled at Wheaton College. Ms.Weintraub, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. AaronWeintraub of Cranston, is a freshman at LivingstonCollege at Rutgers University.

�

What a way to cap off thesummer Touro style. Alleyes were on the Sox, as

Touro members and their familieswere treated to a Labor Day weekendThree-Fer!!! The night consisted ofa bar-b-que, Pawtucket Red Soxgame and a terrific Fireworks display!

Going, Going...Gone

Scholarship recipients Abby Weintraub and Lynn Ucran receive their checks fromCommittee Chairman, Alan Lury and Association Chairman, Robert Miller

• 7 •

September 16, 2001 Initiates (listed alphabetically): Alan Field,Michael Schuster, Peter Shore, Adam Smith, Marty Weissman,Stephen White and Mark Woolf.

First row: Dr. Burton L.Fischman, of Providence, JoelPressman, Cranston, MortonL. Coken, Warwick, directors;Richard Glucksman,Cranston, president, HarmonyLodge; Jeffrey Goldberg, WestWarwick, president,Friendship Lodge; MichaelGlucksman, Warwick,treasurer, Friendship Lodge;Steven Dinerman, Cranston,vice president, FriendshipLodge, and Nathan Lury,Warwick, director.Second row: Gerald Tebrow,West Warwick, Associationsecretary; Richard Land,Warwick, secretary, FriendshipLodge; Gerald D. Hodosh,Cranston, Associationtreasurer; Andrew Lamchick,West Warwick, vice chairman,board of directors; Robert D.Miller, Warwick, chairman,board of directors; ArthurPoulten, Cranston, chairman

Touro Board of Directors for 2001-2002 emeritus, board of directors;Rodney Locke, Warwick;Robert Hodosh, WestWarwick, and Stevan Labushand Barry Shaw, both ofWarwick, directors.Third row: Peter Hodosh,Cranston, treasurer,Harmony Lodge; IrvingWolpert, Providence, BruceWeisman and Michael D.Smith, both of Warwick,directors; Jeffrey Davis,Warwick, vice president,Harmony Lodge; CharlesDressler, Warwick, and AlanLury, Sharon, Mass.,directors; and RonaldBerman, Warwick, secretary,Friendship Lodge.Not present when phototaken: Milton Bronstein,Cranston; Andrew Gilsteinand Dr. Aaron R. Sherman,both of Warwick, directors;and Judah Rosen, Cranston,Association chaplain.

Pictured are the officers and members of the board of directors of TouroFraternal Association and the officers of its lodges, for the year 2001-2002.

23 New Brothersare Initiated at

June and September Lodge Meetings

June 27, 2001 Initiates: (listed alphabetically): Kenneth Adler, Bruce Buckler, Craig Elice, Ira Fleisher, Stephen Gordon, Philip Greenberg,Jeff Horovitz, Harvey Klemer, Max Miller, Richard Perlman, Andrew Port, Frank Prosnitz, Aaron Rosen, Nathan Shapiro, Norman Tobinand Larry Wacks.

HARMONY • FRIENDSHIP • BENEVOLENCE

Touro Fraternal Association45 Rolfe Square, P.O. Box 3562,Cranston, RI 02910Phone: 401-785-0066Fax: 401-941-8781E-Mail: tourofratl@aol.com

HARMONYRichard GlucksmanJeffrey DavisRich LandPeter Hodosh

Milton BronsteinMorton CokenCharles DresslerBurton FischmanAndrew Gilstein

Robert HodoshStevan LabushRodney LockeAlan LuryNathan LuryJoel Pressman

Barry ShawDr. Aaron ShermanMichael SmithBruce WeismanIrving Wolpert

PresidentVice PresidentSecretaryTreasurer

FRIENDSHIPJeffrey GoldbergSteven DinermanRonald BermanMichael Glucksman

Co-Editors: Bruce WeismanAndrew Lamchick

Columnists: Lester NathanRichard GlucksmanJeffrey GoldbergGerald Tebrow

Staff Assistant: Linda Weisman

Chairman: Robert MillerVice Chairman: Andrew Lamchick

Treasurer: Gerald D. HodoshSecretary: Gerald TebrowChaplain: Judah Rosen

Past Chairman of the Board: Arthur Poulten

BOARD OF DIRECTORS • 2001-2002

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDProvidence, RI

Permit #719

TOURO FRATERNAL ASSOCIATIONP.O. BOX 3562CRANSTON, RI 02910

Visit Touro's Website at www.tourofraternal.org

• 8 •

Does this brother get into the act?Only his "hairdresser" knows for sure!

Find out more on page four.