January, 2020Happy New Year!

TEMPLE JUDEATodd Chizner, Rabbi

Deborah Jacobson, CantorAbner L. BergmanZ”L, Rabbi EmeritusEugene J. LipseyZ”L, Rabbi Emeritus

Richard H. Berman, Cantor EmeritusDouglas Weigler, President

333 Searingtown Rd., Manhasset, NY 11030516-621-8049 www.Temple-Judea.com

TempleOffice@Temple-Judea.com

a message fromRabbi Chizner2020 is finally here! I have been waiting a long time to say this: “Maybe this year, with 2020 vision, we will all see things a little clearer.” (He He) But seriously, wouldn’t it be nice if we all could? Seeing clearly in this sense is more about the perception of what is and what isn’t.

From a spiritual point of view, I believe that we can choose how to see life. We can see the good and the bad and not just the bad. We can choose to see the daily miracles and not just the regular miseries. We can choose to see the steps of the journey as a means of maturing and not just the frustration of the hurdles we face along the way.

In a way, with better ‘spiritual vision’ we can be better at counting our blessings. And add to that the idea of New Year’s Resolutions and all of a sudden we have a spiritual practice.

For example, maybe your personal question could be “What am I going to be thankful for today, or this year?” Imagine for a moment how asking this simple question can change one’s focus and intention. I am thankful that today I will be able to help another. On this day, I will be able to tell someone I love him or her. In this year, I hope to learn new skills and life lessons, even if it is a result of overcoming a challenge. In this month, I hope to be able to provide food for the hungry and clothes to the needy. Today, I will say positive and complimentary things to complete strangers.

In truth, we can all open our eyes to what is good and whole in our lives and in the world.

a message fromDouglas Weigler, Temple President

OH, WHAT A NIGHT!

I and approximately 200 other congregants and guests had a very enjoyable evening on December 8th at Temple Judea. Our Cantor headlined a perfor-mance of Cantor Deborah Jacobson & Friends’ Bima to Broadway. Cantor Jacobson was joined on stage by her daughter, Maya Jacobson as well as Michael Bernardi (the son of famed Broadway performer, Herschel Bernar-di), Caitlin Donahue and Beth Styles. It truly was an embracing evening filled with music, warmth, Yiddishkeit and congeniality.

During over some 60 some years of Temple involvement, I have never de-lighted in a performance so much nor have I been entertained at such a pro-fessional level. The Cantor and her friends sang Israeli songs, liturgical music and songs from Broadway for over 90 minutes. The highlights of the show for me were the tunes from Fiddler on the Roof in both English and Yiddish. Backing up the ensemble was a five-piece group of professional musicians.

Opening the concert was Michael Frenkel, the Cantor’s father, who has gained notoriety as a YouTube sensation with his segment, “Old Jews Telling Jokes.” Michael shared some of his humor with us as he warmed up the audience for his daughter, who was the “main event.”

The concert was followed by an elegant collation, graciously provided by our very own Hasson Caterers.

As President of Temple Judea, it was wonderful to hear the audience rave about the evening after the show. The comment I readily heard was “let me know when the Cantor is doing this again, we will be there.”

I wish to thank, the Cantor, her friends and musicians for this great concert. I also thank Linda Ackerman, who chaired the event, along with Maxine Peresechensky for all of the administrative work, and Brett Topel for the Playbill and graphics. And I thank all the volunteers and supporters who helped make the concert such a huge success. Finally, I would like to extend a special thank you to Steve Salsberg for his generosity and all his help as Executive Producer of the evening.

I hope to see you at next year’s concert, but in the meantime, you can enjoy the Cantor’s beautiful voice on our Bimah at selected services throughout the year.

a message fromIrving Roth, Holocaust Resource CenterI am often asked: “What do you feel when you go to Poland and Slovakia? Is it difficult for you to stand in Auschwitz or going through your town of Humenne in Slovakia with all those sad memories?”

I must admit that there are moments when I get choked up but I must stop and pull myself together since my function as a survivor and educator is to transmit the idea of the Holocaust to students and adults that have little or no connection to the events that took place in Europe during the Nazi era.

In December of 2019, I was again in Europe; in Slovakia and Po-land. My trip was not to lead a group of students or adults but to film an upcoming documentary titled “Never Again” that CUFI is producing. The project brought me again to my home town of Humenne in Slovakia and to the Auschwitz camps in Poland. My reaction this time was different than ever before.

During my visit to Humenne, I spoke at the school that I at-tended as a student in the 1930’s. As I began my talk to these 15 and 16 year old Christian students I realized I was not simply giving them a lesson in history, but I was also telling them what their great-grandparents had done.

It was their great-grandparents who participated in every aspect of the destruction of the Jewish community of Hu-menne. They were the ones who participated in the Aryaniza-tion of Jewish businesses; the ones who bid at auctions on the household goods of the Jews that were shipped in cattle-cars to Auschwitz; who continued their daily life while the Jewish community of over 2,000 souls was being gassed and inciner-ated in Auschwitz and Treblinka; the individuals who stood by and did nothing, or worse, who participated while their Jewish friends and neighbors were being brutalized, humiliated, and yes, murdered.

I wanted them not only understand what took place in Hu-menne and who did it, I wanted them to feel the pain that was inflicted by their great-grandparents on the innocent Jewish men, women and children of Humenne.

I asked these students not to stand by when others are being bullied, harassed, and ostracized, but they must be there to ensure that evil is never allowed to take hold on their watch. I also requested that they remember this day and tell of the

Holocaust to their children, grandchildren and even great-grand children. As I was leaving, each of the students shook hands with me, some took photos, and many gave me a hug.

From Humenne, we preceded to Auschwitz. I have been to Auschwitz before with students and adults. In Auschwitz I, which was the slave labor camp, the buildings are still there as they were 75 years ago. They are used as exhibit spaces that contain shoes,

suitcases, hairbrushes and even prosthetic devices that the Jews brought with them. The barbed wire fence is still there but with no 5,000 volts surging through it. Outside of the en-closed portion of the camp is a small (200 people at one time) experimental gas chamber and crematorium that was built and tested as a prototype for those eventually constructed in Auschwitz II, the Death Camp. The testing of the performance of the facility was accomplished primarily using Russian pris-oners. I have taken many groups through both Auschwitz I and II. I have been through the experimental gas chamber and crematorium facility in Auschwitz I countless times explaining the design and operational details. There are always dozens of people around with questions and comments. We usually do not spend more than a few minutes in this death facility since there are hundreds of visitors that are lined up to go through the gas chamber and crematorium.

For the filming of this segment, the facility had to be emp-ty. Hundreds of people were gathered outside waiting until the filming was done. I was inside and totally alone with my thoughts.

I could not wait for the camera to do its job so that I could get out of there.

I was standing in a place where hundreds of humans were murdered and disposed of to ensure that the mass murder machinery where 1.1 million Jews will be annihilated will func-tion as the educated and cultured engineers designed it. In my mind, I saw the efficient movement and burning of human beings on an assembly line. Standing there with my thoughts, I realized what evil humans are capable of and that education without a moral compass can create educated monsters.

January Calendar of EventsWednesday, January 1st

New Year’s DayHappy New Year!

Friday, January 3rd‘Let’s Celebrate’ Shabbat, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, January 7thWRJ Luncheon at Pearl East, 12:30 pm

Rabbi’s 8-10th Grade Class, 7-8 pm

Wednesday, January 8thRabbi’s Torah Class, 10:30-11:30 am

J-Tech Classes, 3:30-6:15 pm

Friday, January 10th‘Let’s Study’ Shabbat, 7:30 pm

Tuesday, January 14thWRJ Executive Board Meeting, 10:30 am

WRJ Board Meeting, 11:00 amFundraising Meeting, 4:00 pm

LGBTQ Singles Group Planning Meeting, 7:30 pm

Wednesday, January 15thRabbi’s Torah Class, 10:30-11:30 am

J-Tech Classes, 3:30-6:15 pmRabbi’s 11-12th grade class (offsite), 6:30-7:30 pm

Friday, January 17th‘Let’s Be Uplifted’ Shabbat, 7:30 pm

Sunday, January 19thBagels & Blox, 9:30-11 am

Monday, January 20thMartin Luther King Day

Office Closed

Tuesday, January 21stCongregation Meeting, 6:30 pm

Board Meeting, 7:30 pm

Wednesday, January 22ndRabbi’s Torah Class, 10:30-11:30 am

J-Tech Classes, 3:30-6:15 pmRitual Meeting, 7:00 pm

Friday, January 24th‘Let’s Talk’ Shabbat, 7:30 pm

Wednesday, January 29thRabbi’s Torah Class, 10:30-11:30 am

J-Tech Classes, 3:30-6:15 pmBrotherhood Dinner (offsite), 7:00 pm

Friday, January 31st‘Let’s Sing’ Shabbat, 7:30 pm

a message fromDavid Martin, Brotherhood PresidentIn October, Brotherhood held our annual Sukkot barbecue. We had fun grilling all types of burgers (beef, turkey, and veggie) and hot dogs. There were also plenty of appetizers, salads, and desserts. We all gath-ered in the beautiful Sukkah decorated by our religious school students to eat and to sing along with the Rabbi and Cantor.

In November, Brotherhood assisted our Social Action committee with their clothing drive. Winter coats and apparel were collected at the Temple and then distributed at the Glen Cove Senior Center. Thanks to all who helped out in organizing and transporting all of the clothing.

Also in November, Brotherhood and Sisterhood co-sponsored a dinner in the Temple ballroom. There was delicious food provided by Hasson Caterers. The entertainment was “A Magical Evening with David Levi-tan”. David performed close-up card tricks at the beginning of the night. After dinner he put on a mentalist act that left us wondering if he really can read our minds.

For the Temple’s Chanukah celebration, Brotherhood shared with Sisterhood in the cost of a candle for the giant menorah on our front lawn. We enjoyed the lighting of the shamash and singing Chanukah songs. Afterwards, we all went inside for latkes and jelly donuts.

Our first event of the New Year will be a dinner on Wednesday, January 29th at 7:30PM at Mara’s Southern Kitchen in Syosset. We will have a three-course dinner served family-style. In addition, each guest can se-lect from a choice of spirits flights, two beers, or wine. Please join us for what will be a wonderful evening.

I would love for more temple members to share their ideas regarding Brotherhood. Do you have an idea for an event? Do have preferred days or times when you are available for a meeting? Please feel free to e-mail me at brotherhood@temple-judea.com with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

David MartinBrotherhood Presidentbrotherhood@temple-judea.com

Our J-Tech students have continued to learn about the cities in Israel, using STEM experi-ments to enhance our learning. This past month, we focused on Tel Aviv and Haifa.

l We participated in a shell lottery like that of the Jewish community that created and settled in Tel Aviv in 1909. We then made kinetic sand to remind us of Tel Aviv’s beautiful beach. lWe also learned about kinetic art as we watched a video of the Agam fire/water sculpture and made our own kinetic Chanukah art. We also saw a selfie Chanukah menorah set up on the Tel Aviv pier. lAmong the places we explored in Haifa was the Technion, a STEM University in Haifa. We watched videos that students there made of Rube Goldberg machines that lit the Chanukah menorah! We also saw chemistry students play Chanukah songs using water- filled beakers. We experimented with water-filled glasses and tried to play the dreidel song.

We really enjoyed our community Chanukah celebration with families from Temple Tikvah. We made latkes and Chanukah menorahs and explored the holiday through movement, music, and games.

January Newsletter

a message fromSocial Action CommitteeSOCIAL ACTION SHABBAT KICKS OFF SOCIAL ACTION WEEKEND On November 15, we started off our Social Action Weekend by hosting two representatives from MOMS DEMAND ACTION, a grassroots movement fighting for public safety measures to protect us from gun violence. Laura Burns, one of the founding members, addressed the congregation from the bima, discussing the origin of the organization which was created immediately after the Sandy Hook tragedy. Beginning with a small group of Long Island women, MOMS DEMAND ACTION now has groups in all fifty states with thousands of members fighting for sensible gun legislation This was an extremely inspirational evening made even more special by our religious school students reading applicable bible passages prepared by Rabbi Chizner. NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS...SOCIAL ACTION WEEKEND CONTINUES...As always, our congregation generously donated a huge amount of warm winter apparel for our annual Neighbors Helping Neighbors campaign. On November 16, a team of excellent volunteers spent hours organizing an incredible amount of sweat-ers, jackets, jeans, gloves, scarves and blankets. At the same time, additional families were making sandwiches and filling snack bags. The next morning, everyone worked together (thank you Brotherhood!) to load cars and shlep it all to the Senior Center in Glen Cove. There our enthusiastic volunteers, working alongside congregants from other synagogues, distributed the cloth-ing, sandwiches and snack bags. The event was handled differently this year -- allowing for more personal contact between the volunteers and the shoppers, making this experience even more memorable...and making us all aware of how fortunate we are! It was a long day and we want to thank all of our volunteers...it was a lot of effort.but well worth it when we saw how the recipi-ents appreciated all that we did. And...we couldn’t have done it without all of you!

THANKSGIVING We continued Temple Judea’s tradition of shopping for the “fixings” for Thanksgiving dinners for those in need in our com-munity. While many organizations donate turkeys, we work with the Great Neck/ Manhasset Economic Opportunity Council to provide the sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, vegetables and dessert that make a holiday meal special. We are grateful to the Castagna Organization and Americana Shops for their donations that make this possible.

ADOPT-A-FAMILYThanks, as always, to chairperson Tami Goodman and her band of shoppers,Temple Judea is continuing to provide holiday meals, birthday gifts and groceries for our Adopt-A-Family. This young Jewish family is comprised of a mom with severe early onset Alzheimers, a physically disabled dad and teenage twins. Please call the office if you are interested in becoming a shopper one month a year....a very meaningful mitzvah!

HOLIDAY GIFT DRIVE...AND HOLIDAY SINGERSOnce again, we collected toys that were donated to St. Christopher Otile Residence for Children. And, our talented holiday singers, led by Spencer Herman, entertained the children at St. Christopher’s. In addition, we collected Target gift cards to purchase an X-box Chanukah gift on a JAFCO teenager’s wish list. JAFCO cares for abused, neglected and special needs children in the Jewish community. Their services include a residential setting in Sunrise, Florida with six group homes for up to 50 Jewish children.

NON-PERISHABLE FOOD COLLECTIONJust because there is no longer a basket in the lobby...there is still a hunger crisis on Long Island! Please bring a donation of non-perishable food items every time you come to the synagogue. You can really make a difference!

UPCOMING EVENTSWe are now beginning our collection for Broken but not Destroyed. This is an amazing organization providing shelter for home-less women and children. Keep an eye out for our flyer.

March 29 is Pack It Up for Hatzilu...mark your calendars. This is a great event for families to work with other synagogues at the JCC providing much needed supplies to the kosher food pantry.

Thank You,WRJ Sisterhood & Brotherhood!

We would like to thank our WRJ Sisterhoodand Brotherhood for “purchashing”

the Shamash candle on Temple Judea’s Chanukiyah.

College ConnectionTEMPLE JUDEAWelcome to

2019–2020Dear Parents and Grandparents of College Students,

WRJ Sisterhood and Brotherhood of Temple Judea are so proud of our college students! We want to remind you that Temple Judea is ALWAYS here for them and will always be their Jewish home. We encourage you to sign up your child or grandchild for our College Connection, which is a great way for them to stay connected to everything happening at Temple Judea. They will receive emails from Rabbi Chizner about exciting programs of interest—including travel to Israel. Twice a year, we will send e-gift cards to the students.

Please complete the form below for each student and return with a check for $36 made payable to WRJ Sisterhood of Temple Judea. Please contact Kathi Kafka with any questions at kathijkafka@gmail.com or 516-410-2096.

Student name: ____________________________________________________________________________

Student email:_____________________________________________________________________________

Student cell phone number*:_________________________ College: ________________________________

Your name:____________________________ Phone number:______________________________________

Your email:_____________________________________ I have enclosed a check for $36________________

* Cell phone will only be used to send a text to the students to notify them when the e-gift card has been emailed.

January Yahrzeit RemindersJanuary 3rd January 10th January 17th January 24th

Rabbi Abner BergmanMax Berman

Ida BloomgardenPearl Epstein Bracker

Issie BresslerShirley Brodsky

Alfred CohenAlfred Comick

Herbert CorwinAlex DavidJack Eisner

Herbert FischBenjamin GalisonMolly Goldman

Stanley GoodmanHarold GrossMinnie Jaffe

Stephen Michael LamsteinGoldie LazarusAbraham Levy

Simon LischWilliam MedoffEugene Munves

Henrietta NielsonToni PadlasoffPhilip PassesJay Polansky

Abraham RavicovitzMadeline Roth

Albert RubinDavid Sadowsky

Harry SafchikGilda Scher

Peter SchwartzAdele WagreichWendell Weisz

Bernard Zeligson

Michael BloomgardenRebecka CarlickSelwyn Cooper

Miriam DenenbergClaire EigenfeldHerbert Fenton

Michael FishmanAnnice Goldberg

Herman GroffmanRuth HannonAlbert HellerPaul HonigIrene Just

Louis KirschbaumRose Klausner

Harry KleinHarold Kugel

Harry LamsteinSherman Lawrence

Alfred LevinsonRochelle LewisRobert MallerArnold Olsen

Jacob RabinowitzLeroy S. Rosenbaum

Robert RubinSaul Schneider

Lorraine SchwartzMildred SchwartzJeanette Seeger

Blanche Levine SitkoffJonathan Scott Sonner

Rose SpielfogelBeverly StroberAnna Tatelman

Herbert WassermanFanny WerbittStella Young

Harold ZaretskyJacob Zuckerman

Evelyn AbraskinLois Brown Alderman

Marcy BaharJean Bak

Dolly BennettMatthew Berger

Shirley CobertMinnie Davidoff

Stephanie DavidsonLeon Esanu

William FeldmanBlanche Forman

Michael GoldsteinRose Goodstadt

Louis GordonPauline Greenberg

Lloyd Paul GreenfieldSheila KesslerRuth Levine

Molly LevinsonMinnie LevittEdward LowyBeatrice LowyGerald Mandell

Meryl MartelJack Mendelwager

Toby NewmanSharon PassesHarry J. PensakDavid Raucher

Ida ReiselBarry Rosenberg

Sam RossSidney Rothberg

Samuel RubinHerman Russek

Jerry SchoenfeldIda ShlanskyEvelyn SmithNathan SmithMurray SpirgelJacob TatelmanNedra WolfsonMurray Wolkoff

Martin WortzmanMorris YesnerPauline Yohay

Helene Zeligson

Julia AronsonDiane Baruch

Rhoda BaumanEstelle Beck

Nathan BermanArthur CohenDebbie Crane

Solomon DellerAnnette Dubin

Lillian EisenbergAlbert EliceJane Glick

Bruce GoldbergSamuel GoldfinePhyllis Goodman

Isidore Greene-HarmelinAlys Hartman

Sadie JaffeSamuel J. KachelCheryl Kashinsky

Hyman KatzJean Klein

Arthur KotzenJack Leffel

Irving LevineHarold Marko

Sam MarkoSam MeisterAlice Meyers

Ethel NassHyman NeedlemanMarvin Rappaport

Joseph RogoffBelle ShubachSamuel SmithHarry SmolinAbraham Star

Edna Roslyn WeiszDorothy Yorkes

Marian Zouderer

Herbert AbramsAnna AdlerTed ArnowCaryl Bank

Bernice CarsonJoel Chait

Maurice ChehebarPaul Cherry

Barbara CohenDorothy Cohn

Rae Comick-KurlandBeverly DavidHarvey Galk

Rose FarahmandpourRobert FenchelFrieda FlaxmanHarry Flaxman

Charles FormanEvelyn GoldsteinSarah Greenberg

Donald HallermanFlorence HornSophie Kagan

George KesslerCharles KoeppelLillian Krivitsky

Sophia LazarusMichael LevineMildred LevineSidney LevineAlfred Levitt

Eugene LitmanRose Mildred Lynn

Rebecca NovickHarriet Rubin

Calia SachsNathan SachsFaye SchwenkLarry Siglinger

Esther SimonoffIsrael Singer

Elaine SonnerSara Talve

Betty VogelAdeline WeiglerAlbert Wershaw

Claire WurtzelIzaak Zipper

Max Zuckerman

January 31st

General Donations to Temple JudeaIn memory of Dolly Bennett Toby Newman

In memory of Abner Bergman Linda Bergman

In memory of Nathan Berman Richard Berman

In memory of Alfred Cohen Susan Gabbay

In memory of Jack Eisner Cheryl Rude

In memory of Herbert Fisch Elinor Fisch

In memory of Nelson Goldberg Diane and Darryl Mallah

In memory of Molly Goldman Roslyn Worobow

In memory of Rhoda Goldstein Laurie Bendell

In memory of Lloyd Greenfield Rhoma Greenfield

In memory of Gloria Handler Eileen Michaels

In memory of Arline Heller Terri Bobrow

In memory of Louis Kirschbaum Jodi Laxer

In memory of Ruth Levine Gilda Bluestone

In memory of Alfred Levinson Alan Levinson

In memory of Molly Levinson Alan Levinson

In memory of Michael London Joan London

In memory of Marvin Margolis Suzanne and Jeff Feldman

In memory of William Medoff Elinor Fisch

In memory of Morris Mild Nancy Fink

In memory of Eugene Munves Russell Munves

In memory of Philip Passes Harvey Passes

In memory of Sharon Passes Harvey Passes In memory of David Raucher Nicole Raucher

In memory of Leroy Rosenbaum Ilene and Peter Rosenbaum

In memory of Ruth Sherr Mr. and Mrs. Marvin Levine

In memory of Eleanor Wachter Diane Mallah

In memory of Max Wachter Diane Mallah

In memory of Adeline Weigler Rena Weigler

In memory of Martin Wortzman Rena Weigler

In memory of Edith Zelman Irving Roth and Myrna Kushner

In honor of Andrea Berman Barbara, Richy, Allison and Jac-lyn Bloch

In honor of a speedy recovery to Jack Groothuis Bea Baitz Barbara, Richy, Allison and Jaclyn Bloch

In honor of Cantor Jacobson Claude Sherman

In honor of celebrating 20 years of membership at Temple Judea Carol and Robert Bernot

In honor of celebrating 15 years of membership at Temple Judea Stephanie and Doug Elgort

Holocaust Center Donations

In memory of Jack Gruber Irving Roth and Myrna Kishner

www.temple-judea.com