1 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

Vol. 72 June 2019 (5779) No. 10

When I drive my car, I try to get the best mileage I can. My car gives me a running score of how many miles per gallon I get. From when I got the car until last summer, I gradually worked the average mpg up. Unfortunately, last winter, it began to fall again. I wasn’t sure if it was because of the places I was going, because the car needed a tune-up, or if it was something to do with the weather. As the weather got better, my mileage went up. Just about then, I read somewhere that summer gasoline and winter gasoline are formulated differently. I realized that it must be the summer gas that gives me good mileage.

As we enter the summer, there is also a change in our most valuable resource, time. Some people have summer vacation and some people don’t, but there does seem to be a change in the way time feels.

Summer time is slower, easier. We seem to have a little more time. We get better mileage on the summer formulation. So the question is this: what do we do with our summer time?

At Riverdale Temple, things are certainly slower. The Simcha Learning Center is off. When the Nursery School is closed, the building seems very quiet. Adult studies are on hiatus, and our bar and bat mitzvah students go off to camp. The cantor and I will be taking our summer vacations, and board meetings and this wonderful bulletin are suspended.

Is the synagogue closed for the summer? Not at all! Take a look at our calendar! Tot Shabbat on June 7, a baby naming the next day, Shavuot services with congregation Tehillah that evening, including study sessions and a dessert potluck. On the next day, Sunday the 9th, we have Shavuot services with Yizkor. The next week we have a bat mitzvah, always a joyful event. On June 28 and 29 we celebrate Pride Shabbat. In July, we will have our Men’s Lay-led Service. Friday, August 2, is Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the month of Av), arguably the beginning of the High Holiday Season, and August 10 is Erev Tisha B’Av.

Lay-led services continue when the cantor and I are away, and we continue to teach our bar and bat mitzvah students via Skype if they are away. While the Nursery School is closed, Riverdale Temple Day Camp is in full swing. Committees continue to meet, the maintenance crew works on big projects, and the KRMH group continues to collect food for the pantry.

Judaism doesn’t stop in the summer, and all of the things that we do here at Riverdale Temple are things that somehow help us to be Jewish.

Worship Services (also see calendar on p. 2)Fridays

June 7 5:00 p.m. Pre-Shavuot Tot Shabbat 7:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service June 14 7:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening ServiceJune 21 7:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening ServiceJune 28 7:00 p.m. Pride Shabbat Evening Service

SaturdaysJune 1 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning ServiceJune 8 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning ServiceJune 15 10:00 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service Tessa Kleinman Bershod Bat Mitzvah

CelebrationJune 22 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning ServiceJune 29 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service

continued on p. 3

The BulletinRiverdale Temple

From the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof, the name of the Eternal One is to be praised.

y:y} μve lL;hum] /abom] d[' vm,v, jræz]Mimi

The Rabbi’s Column

Annual Congregational Meeting Sunday, June 2, 9:30 a.m.

Erev Shavuot Service and Study with Riverdale Temple and

Congregation TehillahSaturday, June 8, 8:00 p.m.in Riverdale Temple’s Sanctuary

Gather with your community for a festive Shavuot dessert potluck in the Riverdale Temple

ballroom, followed by Havdalah and a special Shavuot service with study and discussion,

led by Rabbi Linda Shriner-Cahn and Rabbi Thomas Gardner.

Sunday, June 9, 10:00 a.m., Shavuot Service with Yizkor

Jun

e*

27th of Iyyar 5779Parashat Bechukotai 10:30 am Shabbat Service with Torah discussionExtended Kiddush after service 1

28th of Iyyar 57799:30 am Annual Congregational Meeting

2

29th of Iyyar 5779

3

1st of Sivan 57797:30 pm Liturgical Hebrew with Cantor Sharett-Singer

4

2nd of Sivan 5779Noon Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Gardner

5

3rd of Sivan 57797:00 pm Knitting Club

6

4th of Sivan 57795:00 Pre-Shavuot Tot Shabbat Service7:00 pm Shabbat Evening Service

7

5th of Sivan 5779Parashat BamidbarErev Shavuot 10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service with Torah discussionExtended Kiddush after service8:00 pm Shavuot Service and Study, with Congregation Tehillah

8

6th of Sivan 5779Shavuot I10:00 am Shavuot Service with Yizkor

9

7th of Sivan 5779Shavuot II

10

8th of Sivan 57797:30 pm Liturgical Hebrew with Cantor Sharett-Singer

11

9th of Sivan 5779Noon Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Gardner7:00 pm WRJ Appreciation Dinner

12

10th of Sivan 57797:30 pm Executive Committee Meeting

13

11th of Sivan 57797:00 pm Shabbat Evening Service

14

12th of Sivan 5779Parashat Nasso 10:00 am Shabbat Morning ServiceTessa Kleinman Bershod Bat Mitzvah CelebrationExtended Kiddush after service, followed by Chavurah study group 15

13th of Sivan 5779

16

14th of Sivan 5779

17

15th of Sivan 5779

18

16th of Sivan 5779

19

17th of Sivan 57797:30 pm Board of Trustees Meeting

20

18th of Sivan 57797:00 pm Shabbat Evening Service

21

19th of Sivan 5779Parashat Beha’alotcha10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service with Torah discussionExtended Kiddush after service

22

20th of Sivan 577911:30 am Delivery of RT grocery donations to KRMH Pantry

23

21st of Sivan 5779

24

22nd of Sivan 5779

25

23rd of Sivan 5779

26

24th of Sivan 5779

27

25th of Sivan 57797:00 pm Pride Shabbat Evening Service

28

26th of Sivan 5779Parashat Sh’lach 10:30 am Pride Shabbat Morning Service with Torah discussionExtended Kiddush after service

29

27th of Sivan 5779

30

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

*Please check the online website, https://riverdaletemple.org, and e-blasts for temple events in July and August.

3 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

The CanToR’s Column

The PResidenT’s Column

Through much of the year our time to ‘do Jewish’ is constrained, simply because we have so little free time. In the summer, we get more mileage from the time we have. How can we use that time in the best possible way? What should we do so that our time is well spent?

Summer is known for lingering. We may spend some time this summer watching the sunset, reading books for fun, and catching up with old friends. I suggest we try to do all of those things with a Jewish flavor.

Linger at a Shabbat service, go to dinner with friends from the synagogue, read Exodus or As a Driven Leaf. Spend some of that valuable time learning Torah or Haftarah, and read them at a lay-

led service. If that seems daunting, learn one prayer very well, and lead that prayer at the Men’s Lay-led Service (or at a different service if you are not a man).

Time is our one resource that is not renewable. It is, of course, not only in the summer that we need to learn to spend our time wisely, but in our lives. How we choose to use the time we have determines what kind of people we turn out to be. I hope people will use the lower pressure of the summer to build habits of using time for the things that are really important, important for our Jewish community and for our Jewish souls. With luck, these habits will persist past the summer, into the year 5780 and beyond.

See you this summer!—Rabbi Tom Gardner

Having just come home from this year’s Student Sponsorship Breakfast, I am anxious to write this article expressing the good feeling that this event generated, not only in me but, I think, in everyone who attended. There was electricity in the air, as the children in our religious school, the Simcha Learning Center, were preparing to entertain their families and the temple family by singing and speaking to us. Led by our inimitable clergy, Rabbi Tom

Gardner and Cantor Inbal Sharett-Singer, and by the school’s energetic and enthusiastic leader, Judy Weinberg, the students marched in, waving Israeli flags, took their places on the stage, and proceeded to dazzle us with their beautiful singing and their words of wisdom.

The smiles on their faces, the camaraderie they displayed toward one another, and the precision of their well-rehearsed performances made us feel that Riverdale Temple is doing something right and that there is a bright future for the temple family. We have been told repeatedly, by various parents, that their kids wake up on Sunday anxious to get to the Simcha Learning Center, where learning and fun are blended to their great satisfaction.

To conclude this portion of the morning, Judy Weinberg presented

a slide show that she had prepared illustrating the many fabulous experiences that the students, teachers, assistant teachers, and she had had during this school year. It was informative, aesthetically pleasing, and indicative of the high quality of the temple’s educational system.

The festivities actually began with a very nice breakfast, replete with bagels, cream cheese, lox, fruits, cookies, juice, coffee, and more, and the buzz of affectionate conversations among congregants and guests. Joanne Heyman, the intrepid president of the Women of Reform Judaism, who worked tirelessly on getting everything ready for this event, greeted the audience and read a thank-you message from SLC teacher Cara London, this year’s awardee of the Rita & Charles L. Tenenbaum Hebrew Chair Award. A little later in the morning, Craig Katz spoke, as he has done in the past, about the importance of education, especially a Jewish education, and how well Riverdale Temple has been emphasizing the role of education in its core goals. When Craig talks, people listen—and his son Lev, who read, sang, and spoke tremendously well the day

Shalom Chaveirim,

I have had an incredible seventh year of serving at our wonderful temple, and it was all due to the fantastic staff and congregants we have. What a joy it is to go through the year side by side with

so many of you I consider as family. It is truly a gift to have the opportunity to be your cantor.

Soon I will be traveling to Israel with my family, going back to my original home, where I was born and grew up. In Israel, I love being surrounded by my large family and friends, eating my favorite foods, and enjoying the culture that I have missed. I am excited to take my children to see the Kotel—the Western Wall—in Jerusalem; going to the market, Shuk, in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv; dipping in the Mediterranean Sea; and the Sea of Galilee, Kinneret, and much more. It is always such a special experience in the Holy Land! I look forward to returning after the summer and beginning another year, full of wonderful and meaningful moments, together with you.

Wishing you a fun and healthy summer, and remember the words “wherever you are, there’s always someone Jewish....”

L’hitraot, —Cantor Inbal Sharett-Singer

Family-Friendly Pre-Shavuot Shabbat Service & Pizza!Friday, June 7, 2019

5:00–5:30 p.m. Tot Shabbat—Playground: Partake in a spirited Shabbat service led by our clergy 5:30–6:00 p.m. Pizza—Playground

4 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

Simcha Learning center

Thank you to our energetic students, active parents, dedicated teachers, and devoted clergy for making this year such a success! See you all next September.

—Judy Weinberg, Education and Engagement Specialist

before at his bar mitzvah celebration, was proof positive of everything his dad was saying.

What followed was just as moving as the children’s portion of the event: a tribute to our honoree of the year, Dorothy Kay. Financial secretary, fundraising committee chair, officer in

charge of temple rentals, and the person who donates the dozens and dozens of Shabbat and holiday prayer books that we all use throughout the year, Dorothy was an easy choice for this honor. She is indefatigable in her service to Riverdale Temple and the ultimate model for all the rest of us. A beautiful person in every respect, she was paid tribute in song by Cantor Sharett-Singer, with Jonathan Singer on guitar, in a gorgeous rendition of that golden oldie “Bei Mir Bist Du Shein,” composed in 1932 by Sholom Secunda, with words by Jacob Jacobs, and made famous by the Andrews Sisters five years later.

Spoken tributes were then paid to Dorothy by Co-President L. Michael Griffel and Vice President Steven Rosenfeld. Both stressed her brilliant service to the temple as well as her personal friendship and unwavering dedication to her own family and her temple family. The best speech of all, however, came from Dorothy herself, as she thanked all for attending and doing her such honor and then proceeded to promise a continuation of her work for the temple.

The morning would not have been complete without the award of congressional, New York State, and New York City certificates

and proclamations honoring Dorothy Kay. U.S. Representative Eliot Engel, New York State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (our longtime congregant), and Eric Dinowitz (Jeffrey and Sylvia’s son), a high school special education teacher at the NYC DOE (Celia Cruz School of Music in the Bronx), made these awards. Furthermore, Eric, who was representing NYC Councilman Andrew Cohen, took the opportunity of expounding on the impact that his own education in our temple’s religious school has had on his life. To these awards was added a plaque from Riverdale Temple, presented by Steven Rosenfeld, and so Dorothy certainly had her hands full when leaving the ballroom. Assuredly, family members were only too happy to help her bring her trophies home.

Thus, the annual breakfast came to a wonderful conclusion. Our house of worship is, without a doubt, in the good hands of our members, from the youngest children in our school to the veterans lovingly opening their hearts and pocketbooks for their Riverdale Temple.

–L. Michael Griffel, Co-President

—Photos: top left, bottom right by Margaret Ross Griffel; top right, bottom left by Marla Hurban

—Photos by Marla Hurban

5 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

The Bulletin: Vol. 72, No. 10, June 2019. The Bulletin is published monthly by Riverdale Temple, 4545 Independence Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471, 10 times a year, September through June. The Riverdale Temple logo on p. 1 was designed by Alix Brandwein.This publication is intended for members of Riverdale Temple. Any other use or publication in whole or in part without Riverdale Temple’s prior consent is prohibited.

Riverdale Temple Tele-phone Extensions (718-548-3800)Temple Office 0 or 1Bookkeeper 2Nursery School 3

Rabbi 4Cantor 5Simcha Learning Center 6Emergencies 7General Information 8Other 9

Visit our website: https://riverdaletemple.org Join Us on Facebook!Did you know that Riverdale Temple has a Facebook page? Find us by searching for “Riverdale Temple Bronx, NY” on Facebook and join this page by clicking on “like.” This is a space where we can exchange ideas, blog, discuss events, share photos, etc., and strengthen our bonds as a community. Join and make our numbers grow. To give a contribution to Riverdale Temple, send your donation to Riverdale Temple, 4545 Independence Avenue, Bronx, NY 10471. Please make your check payable to Riverdale Temple. Give the name/category/event to which your donation applies. We now accept payment by credit card; call the office (718-548-3800, ext. 0) or go to www.riverdaletemple.org. You can support Riverdale Temple by buying a mug with our logo for just $10.

If you need transportation to and/or from services at the temple, please call the office at 718-548-3800, ext. 0 or 1, to make arrangements.

Registry of Holocaust SurvivorsIf you are a Holocaust survivor or a family member of a survivor, you can register to be included in the Benjamin and Vladka Meed Registry of Holocaust Survivors, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. For more information and to download the Survivors’ Registry Form, go to ushmm.org/resourcecenter and click on Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center to complete the form. Contact information: Holocaust Survivors and Victims Resource Center, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024–2126; tel: 202-488-6112; fax: 202-314-7820; email: resource-center@ushmm.org.

JuneCongregational Meeting June 2Liturgical Hebrew with Cantor June 4, 11

Sharett-SingerLunch and Learn with Rabbi Gardner June 5, 12

Coming Up in July and AugustMen’s Lay-led Service July (TBA)Erev Tisha B’Av Aug. 10The bulletin resumes publication in September. Dates subject to change. Check www.riverdaletemple.org and

e-blasts for updates.

Riverdale Temple House Committee Our mission is to ensure that the building and grounds of our synagogue best respond to the spiritual, educational, cultural, and social needs and activities of our congregation. We are concerned about safety, cleanliness, comfort, and appearance and maximizing the functionality of our facilities. The committee works closely with the maintenance staff to ensure that the facilities are well managed and meet the needs of our community efficiently and economically. The committee benefits from members with varied experience in facilities management, engineering, construction, and related fields. Please volunteer to serve on this committee by writing to rivtemple@aol.com or president@riverdaletemple.org

Bulletin Board

Copy for the next issue of the Bulletin is due by August 15. You can email it directly to

rivtemple@aol.com (put “Bulletin” in subject line).

Riverdale Temple is now part of the organics/compost pilot program in the Bronx. We can now recycle our food scraps. Please observe the different signs on the garbage receptacles and put throwaways in the proper container. We are pioneers in a wonderful program—please join the effort in caring for our environment. Thank you!

Congratulations!

Lev Katz, Linda Chokroverty, and Craig Katz on Lev’s bar mitzvah celebration Dorothy Kay, on being honored at the Student Sponsorship BreakfastLisa Fischel-Wolovick and David Wolovick on their daughter Sara’s graduation from law school

Recapture the joy of reading through the JBI Library for visually impaired, blind, and reading-disabled individuals,

all provided free of charge and delivered to your doorstep. Call 1-800-433-1531 or visit JBI’s website at www.jbilibrary.org.

6 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

Spring is magical at Riverdale Temple Nursery School!

All the classes are studying butterflies. We have caterpillars, and we are all waiting

for our butterflies to emerge from their chrysalises. Soon our playground will be filled with Painted Lady Butterflies.

One of our classes, the Yellow Room, has baby chicks. The whole school voted on names for the chicks, and we picked Sunday and Monday. Every day all the children visit the chicks to hold them and talk to them. The Yellow Room also has an incubator, so more baby chicks will be coming to Riverdale Temple Nursery School!

Early in May we had Truck Day. Our wonderful Riverdale community helpers came to our parking lot. The children climbed onto fire trucks, ambulances, school buses, and police cars. They looked at garbage trucks and sprayed water from the firemen’s hoses. The best part, of course, was ice cream at the end.

This year 12 teachers were trained in CPR and first aid. We were also trained in the AED (automated external defibrillator). It feels wonderful that so many teachers are prepared if there is someone in our temple who needs support.

We just had our second annual Grandparents/Special Persons Day and Art Show. Each child had their artwork displayed in the lower lobby. Grandparents and special friends came to the classes and played with the children and then went to the Art Show to see the amazing work. The Parents Association had a Bake Sale to raise money for an ice cream social. After the Art Show and Special Person’s Day, we invited grandparents to our sanctuary to have Shabbat with the children and the rabbi. It was wonderful. Grandparents marched around the room with the Torah and made a Torah parade. We all sang together. One of our grandparents said that they had never been to the temple before and how much they enjoyed it and would be coming back. Another couple told us that they were married in Riverdale

Temple 51 years ago and that their father had been the temple’s first treasurer! We all had an incredible time!

On Friday, May 17, we had an ice cream social in our playground. There is nothing better than delicious ice cream on a hot day.

We had our first fundraiser at Menchie’s. We received 20 percent of anything bought at Menchie’s when customers mentioned the Riverdale Temple Nursery School. We are working toward upgrading our playground.

We are having our third year of summer camp. Last year was great fun! It runs from July 1 through August 2. There will be themes each week, animals visiting, special performers, crafts, and ice cream on Fridays. Children who are in our school and outside children are welcome!

We are looking for a new music teacher next year. If you know someone, please have them call or email our school.

EnrollmentOur school is full for next year. We have opened a second Twos class, and that is already full. It is all due to our incredible, loving caring teachers, who give with their hearts!

BooksWe continue to work on building our library. If you have children’s books at home that you are not using, we would love them for our library. We especially need Board Books for our Two-Year-Olds!

Upcoming EventsJune 12: Last day for Twos and Threes—CelebrationsJune 14: Graduation for UPK childrenJune 26: Last day of UPKA lovely quote: “The mind is like tofu. It tastes like whatever you marinate it in.” —Sylvia Boorstein

—Linda Herman, Director

nurSery SchooL newS

June 15, 2019 Tessa Kleinman Bershod is the daughter of Juliette Kleinman and David Bershod and the adored sister of Alexander Hagani; she is also the mom of Schnitzie, her toy schnauzer. She will begin eighth grade at The Hewitt School in Manhattan in the fall and will attend Eisner Camp in the Berkshires, which she has gone to since she was two years old, first as a day camper and then for whole summers for sleepaway. Tessa and her family moved from Manhattan to Riverdale three years ago and

joined Riverdale Temple at that time.

Tessa spends time in many places. She visits her Nanny and Poppy

in Manhattan and the Berkshires, Long Island with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Carri, Mexico over winter holiday with her Cali friends, London to visit her brother and Niamh, Maryland to visit her Uncle Justin and cousins Benjamin and Sarah, and going to as many of her friends’ B’nei Mitzvahs as she can. She loves tooling around Manhattan with her friends, especially in Soho and Tribeca. Tessa has many passions that run from a deep love for everything aesthetic—fashion, pop culture, cosmetics, and music—to sports—gymnastics, cross-country, and track and field—to business and math. From a young age, whenever Tessa had a business idea—she would create one—she made her own slime and sold the product to friends and the public, designed jewelry, and was the top seller at the synagogue’s Passover chocolate sale!

Tessa is filled with a zest for life and having fun—she is eager to try anything new and works hard at all that she does. She is a great friend, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and daughter. We are so proud of her accomplishments and wish her Mazel Tov on this milestone in her life. Thank you all for celebrating with us. We also want to thank Riverdale Temple for all of its support, encouragement, and guidance during this year of preparation.

Bat Mitzvah Celebration

7 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

men of reform JudaiSm (men’S cLub)

Farewell to the Jack of HeartsMy dear friend and colleague Jack Fisher left us on May 12, 2019. Anyone who regularly attended Shabbat services or even sat in on an occasional service would most likely know Jack Fisher.

For years Jack was the “Greeter” at all Shabbat services as well as holiday services. It would be difficult for anyone to attend a service at Riverdale Temple and not receive a personal greeting from Jack Fisher.

In addition, Jack was president of the Men’s Club for three terms, a member of the Board for two terms, and, I believe, he was also a member of the Executive Committee. None of this was considered “work” by Jack. He loved this temple as he loved his family.

And Jack loved his family dearly. He and his wife, Phyllis, who has also been an active member of our Riverdale Temple community, would attend services together. They could always be seen holding hands on their way to and from the temple.

Both of Jack and Phyllis’s daughters had their bat mitzvah celebrations and weddings here at RT. Yes, the Fisher family and, especially, Jack were a part of the backbone of this institution. When volunteers were needed to help out at the temple bazaar or any other event, Jack was the first in line.

Jack was a kind, intelligent, and friendly person. He also possessed a great sense of humor. Truly, Jack Fisher made an impact here at Riverdale Temple. Never one to seek out recognition or expect awards on behalf of his efforts, Jack left a giant footprint here at RT, and he did it quietly.

Jack will be sorely missed by all of us who knew and loved him. Sadly, we now add another name to the honor roll at Riverdale Temple. That name belongs to Isidore Jack Fisher.

May the memory of Jack Fisher be an inspiration to us all.—Steven Rosenfeld, President

How is it already June? The year 5779 has been a whirlwind for WRJ. We started September with “Apples and Honey,” and last month, we had our magnificent Lay-led Service. A special thank-you to

Cantor Inbal Sharett-Singer and everyone else who participated. With the Artisan Craft Fair, registering voters, the Women’s Seder, and our continued support and dedication to Riverdale Temple, we have made a difference. And this could not have happened without you. Again, it is impossible to single out everyone who has helped, but you know who you are. As the summer approaches, lovely beach vacations are on the horizon, but that is not the case for us. WRJ is not stopping. Dorothy Kay is looking for volunteers for the Friday night onegs, and the Honey letters are being dusted off.

On Wednesday, June 12, we will have our Appreciation Dinner. This will be a fun evening, full of good food, games, karaoke,

friends, and laughter. This event is open to all, so please come and find out what being a member of WRJ is all about. Reservations are required!

Have a safe, healthy, and happy summer, and please stay in touch!! We have exciting new events that we will share on the 12th!

—Joanne Heyman, President

women of reform JudaiSm (SiSterhood)

Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, June 2, 10:00 a.m.Our Annual Congregational Meeting will take place on Sunday, June 2, at 10:00 a.m., in the ballroom. We have significant business to discuss, and it is important for members to be there. Please make every effort to attend. As required by our bylaws, the business of the annual meeting shall include the President’s Annual Report to the membership; the Rabbi’s and the Cantor’s Annual Reports; a few other reports; the presentation and submission for approval of the annual budget; and any other business that may properly be brought before the congregation.

—Photos: left column, right column, right by Joanne Heyman; right column, left by Marla Hurban

8 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

As I wish all of you a wonderful summer season, I want to make you aware of a special event to take place at Riverdale Temple after the High Holidays, on Sunday, October 27, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. It is being presented by the YIVO Jewish Culture Series and features a talk on the Vilna Online Collections by Dr.

Jonathan Brent, the YIVO Institute’s CEO/Executive Director. He is a very dynamic speaker.

As some of you may have heard, the YIVO was given a wonderful discovery in May 2017, when some 170,000 pages of previously unknown documents, lost to history for almost 70 years, were discovered in Vilnius, Lithuania. This event significantly expanded the scope of YIVO’s international project, the Edward Blank YIVO Vilna Online Collections, to preserve, digitize, and virtually reunite YIVO’s prewar library and archival collections located in New York City and in Vilnius.

A partnership between the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Lithuanian Central State Archives, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, and the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the project includes the cataloging, conservation, and digitization of documents and books in both New York and Vilnius. These include rabbinical texts, diaries, letters, communal records, literary manuscripts, photographs, eyewitness accounts of pogroms and the Holocaust, and much more. The Vilna

Collections project website unites YIVO’s collections in Lithuania with those in NYC for the first time since 1941.

After the summer, we will announce the classes that will be taught by our clergy, Rabbi Thomas Gardner and Cantor Inbal Sharett-Singer. We also plan to announce special presentations that we hope can be of interest to all of you.

—Dr. Yvette Marrin, Chair, Adult Education Committee

The Chavurah will meet on June 15, following the Shabbat service and communal Kiddush. The portion for that day, read in synagogues around the world, is Nasso. This reading describes the services of the Gershon family and recounts the laws regarding adultery and the vow of the nazerite. Moses and Aaron are told the priestly blessing and the heads of the tribes bring gifts to the Tabernacle. It is incumbent upon us to make the Torah relevant to our daily life, which is sometimes a challenge. But our study and discussion is always lively and gives us opportunities to draw closer to our heritage, so please join us.

The Chavurah will also meet on July 20, when Parashat Balak is read, and on the evening of August 10, for a service commemorating Tisha B’Av. Put those dates in your calendar and make Jewish study a part of your life.

—Dr. Ronna Weber

aduLt education

SociaL action

GRATITUDE: The Social Action Committee is most grateful to everyone who has participated in any way in the donations/collections for the KRMH Food & Hunger Project, Inc., the Pajama Program, the NYCARES coat drive, and Riverdale Temple’s annual Mitzvah Day.

We are especially appreciative of all the help that Eurides Osorio and his staff provide to enable us to do collections and to organize and implement Mitzvah Day each year. Linda Eisenkraft has also been a wonderful supporter of Social Action initiatives.

This year, we were able to send two boxes of new pajamas to hurricane-affected areas and two boxes of new pajamas to needy children/teens in our area at the KHCC in the Bronx via the Pajama Program. Through ongoing donations of needed groceries for the KRMH pantry, we had more than 100 bags for the Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur collection and at least 4–6 bags of groceries per month across the year. We also collected about 25 warm coats/jackets in December for the needy through

NYCARES and the 50th Precinct.

Mitzvah Day gave our children an intergenerational experience in helping others by making 200 bagged lunches for POTS, and 120 grooming kits for the Midnight Run and two shelters at the Society for Ethical Culture and Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. One hundred zinnia seeds were started, and flowering plants will be given to residents in the Five Star Assisted Living Facility; 30 bags of clothing were collected for Big Brothers Big Sisters; students also wrote letters to soldiers and worked on a comforting blanket. These activities encompassed tikkun olam and also green efforts through recycling of clothing and plants.

KRMH Grocery Delivery: June 23, at 11:30 a.m.—Jeff Sklar and David Greenfield

Save the date! Mitzvah Day 2020: April 26, 2020

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy summer!—Frances Segan, Ph.D., Chair, Social Action Committee

The AFYA FoundationFor the past two years on Mitzvah Day, we have collected medical and school supplies for AFYA, but it seems that few people know what AFYA is and what it does. AFYA Foundation distributes medical supplies, equipment, and school supplies to resource poor nations worldwide. I quote from the thank-you letter sent to me by Danielle Butin, the founder and director of the organization.“Since 2008, the Afya Foundation has saved $34,000,000 worth of medical and humanitarian supplies from incineration and shipped them to underserved hospitals in 75 countries around the world. Each year, American hospitals dispose of 3.2 million tons of clean, usable medical supplies; by partnering with medical centers in the New York metropolitan area, Afya has been able to redirect these life-saving supplies from landfill to clinics or hospitals in African, Caribbean, Latin American, and Asian countries. In 2017, in the wake of Hurricane Maria, we shipped over $2 million worth of supplies to Puerto Rico alone.”Please keep this worthwhile organization in mind should you come across medical equipment that is no longer needed. If you have a delivery problem, you can contact me, Helen Krim, at Helen.krim@gmail.com, and I will facilitate delivery. —Helen Krim

9 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

ConTRibuTions The following funds are represented in the entries below: Bible and Prayer Book Fund, Jean P. and Francis J. Bloustein Camp Scholarship Fund, Cantor’s Special Fund, Decorating Fund, Jacob-Fogel Program Fund, Rabbi Stephen D. Franklin Music Fund, General Fund, Dorothy and Joseph Kay Prayer Book Fund, Leon and Beatrice Bereano Pulpit Flowers Fund, Rabbi’s Special Fund, Religious School and Nursery School Parents Associations, Soviet Émigré Fund, Charles Tenenbaum Fund, Torah Repair Fund, Youth Activities Fund.

Donor In Honor Donor In Honor

Shelley Ast Cantor Inbal Sharett-Singer, for my aliyah on April 27 and Yizkor Service

Hermina and Daniel Riverdale Temple, for security needs Birnbaum

Susan and Howard Lev Katz, on becoming a bar mitzvah Birnbaum

Ephraim Bosgang Riverdale Temple

Rochelle Clark Rabbi Thomas Gardner

Dorothy Kay, for her Student Sponsorship honor

Dorothy Kay Lev Katz, on becoming a bar mitzvah

Cantor Inbal Sharett-Singer

Ruth Loebmann Dorothy Kay

For her aliyot for Achrei Mot and Kedoshim

Sherrill Spatz and Sylvia Gottlieb Rob Katz

Donor In MeMory Howard and Susan Fisher Susan Birnbaum

Irene Brenner Sophie Richman, beloved mother

Jean Daniels Marcia Engelsher

Dorothy Feldman Jack Fisher

Michael Friedman Rose Friedman

Maxine Goldberg Murray Goldberg

Bruce and Fay Kagan Dorothy Karsh

Henry I. Kurtz Rose Hindlin Kurtz, beloved mother

Harriet Martin Rose Schwartz

Meryl Meisler Al Meisler

Marc Sawyer Sara Sawyer, dear mother

Deborah Simmons Celia Cantor

Esther Siminowitz

Sherrill Spatz Jack Fisher

Carol Spivack Mae Spivack

Judith Zucker Jack Fisher

AnonymousShelley AstAmy and Henry BensenHoward and Susan BirnbaumPeter and Ginny BeitchmanRussi BohmIrene BrennerRochelle ClarkRochelle Cohen CheifetzFanta Davis and Phil ClarkeSandra and Sheldon

DanzingerSusan Feinberg

Dorothy FeldmanRabbi Stephen F. FranklinMichael FriedmanStuart GoldsheinDavid and Rochelle

Greenfield L. Michael and Margaret

Ross GriffelGary and Mags InwaldSteve KaplanSherry and Carol KasselCraig KatzDorothy Kay

Richard KayRobert KayOlivia KoppellHelen Meltzer KrimNancy LeavittSandra LernerRuth LoebmannYvette MarrinCristin Messinger and Family Audrey OttMac PsachieRachel and Richard RadnaDenise and Paul Resnik

Kathy and Dan RogerFrederick SchweitzerRobin SegalFrances SeganHelen SilberScott Sirkin and Fay StatskySherrill Spatz and Rob KatzSusan and Lester StoneHelene TeppermanRonna WeberDavid and Lisa

Fischel-WolovickJudith Zucker

Student Sponsorship Breakfast Donors

10 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

Condolences

To On the loss ofPhyllis Fisher, Remy Fisher and Harvey Baumann, and family

Jack Fisher, beloved husband, father, and father-in-law; long-time devoted member of Riverdale Temple

1 Marcia Engelsher 1 Sidney Simon Holzman 1 “Allie” Abraham Pochter 1 Rose Reinhart 2 Rose Burns 2 Isidor Rothstein 2 Ilse Spatz 2 Darrell Ray Steele 3 Max Kovitz 3 Melvin Rushfield 4 Charles J. Bensley 4 Pauline Goldman 5 Sheila Brenner 5 Max Handler 6 Jacob Franklin 6 Marcus Lessin 6 Morris J. Levy 6 Celia S. Wendrow 7 Sam Hamada 7 Sitta Spatz 8 William Fuhrman 8 Dr. Charles K. Jaeger

8 Alberto Mejicovsky 9 Ira Arnowich 9 Frieda Blaustein 9 Ettie Brandt 9 Rose Friedman 9 Mary Goldman 9 Mitchell S. Nalitt 9 Rabbi Charles E. Shulman 9 Ilene Zolt10 Debra Evers10 Morris Kolin10 Nathan Sumner11 Irving Bennett11 Donald E. Brotherson11 Alex Gottlieb11 Samuel Hirshowitz11 Philip Hoffman- Levene12 Dorothy Karsh12 Ray Kolin12 Melville C. Levene13 Max Heimowitz13 Rabbi Dr. Arnold Lazarus

13 Rose Morris13 Steven Jay Ott13 Rose Seefer14 Pauline Avedon14 Lillian Fuhrman15 Wolf Avrach15 Dr. Reuben Gell15 Arthur Krilov15 Helen Taig17 Martin J. Brenner17 David Fenster17 Dorothy Giserman17 Rose Hindlin Kurtz17 Dr. Mae Maskit Lord17 Chaim Poster17 Libby Silverman18 Murray Goldberg18 Bertha Lipshultz18 Richard Neubauer18 Rose Noy19 Hyman Bialek19 Louis Feinman19 Harriet Ivers19 Ira Kleinman

19 Isidore Reibeisen19 William Shalof20 Dr. Daniel Brown20 Harry Kalinsky20 William Ripps21 Robin Agusta21 J. Edward Bennett21 Susan Fisher21 Rita Resnick21 Irving Schneeweiss21 Ilyse Segal22 Rose Schwartz23 Mayer M. Ackerson23 Dr. Max A. Bruck23 Rachel Kramer23 Noel Robert Rubinstein23 Morton David Stein24 Louis J. Kovar25 Rose R. Aronson25 Lawrence Fox25 Renee Heyman25 Abraham J. Horowitz

25 Sara Sawyer26 Edith Alin26 Ethel Bernstein26 Philip Carlinger26 Elizabeth Herrup26 Anne Kaiser27 George Rosenblum27 Harry David Wachs27 Dorothy Zwyer28 Nathan Bernstein28 Pauline Kalinsky28 Norman Kane28 Gilya Krutkovich28 Ethel Regan29 Dr. Hyman A. Elman29 Bertha Holzman29 Max Levy29 David Socolof29 Jacob Aaron Stam30 Jean P. Bloustein30 Ruth Richman30 Paul Sandler30 Vera Shatin

The Departed Whom We Now Remember: June Yahrzeit Observances

Go to: https://urj.org for more information.

If you have borrowed a copy of our prayerbook, Mishkan T’fillah,

please return it to the sanctuary. Thank you!

Jewish Infertility Support GroupFor Individuals and Couples

Monday Evenings Monthly, 6:00–7:30 p.m. The Jewish Board

135 W. 50th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10020

Please contact group facilitator Amy Warren, LMSW, for required

prescreening: 212-632-4693 or awarren@jbfcs.org

11 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

1 Ichel Blumenstock 1 Leon Djivre 1 Benjamin Michael Kurtz 2 Mella Blumenstock 2 Morris Cohn 2 Nathan E. Rosenthal 2 Stanley Tenenbaum 3 Joseph Arnowich 3 Hazel Nalitt Kaplan 3 Betty R. Rosenberg 3 Meta Rothschild 4 Irene Kleinberg 4 Abraham Zolt 5 David Rosner 5 Andrew Sandler 6 Herbert Maier 6 Herbert Pinsley 7 Elliot Liskin 7 Roslie Small 8 Mildred Jaffe 8 Ellen Mozlin 8 Ben Rattner

8 Louis Solowey 8 Dora (Devorah)

Wachtel 9 Mary Fisher 9 Paul Hirschl 9 Philip Reaboy 9 Stanley Roger 9 Abraham Wiener10 Irving C. Nachbar10 Samuel Wessler11 Abraham Max

Brown11 Alexander Gordon11 Dr. Charles Mandel12 Joseph Benardo12 Larry Brockman12 Saly Haas12 Alfred E. Hochstein12 Joseph Silverstein13 Caryl Klein13 Dr. Solomon M.

Robinson

13 Susan Angstreich Rosenblum

13 Julia Silberkleit13 David Weiner14 Larry Meisler14 Leah M. Robinson15 Jacob S. Pinsky16 Dr. Henry Horn16 Gary Lichtenstein16 Anny Ross16 Louis Schwartz17 Marsha Blum17 Jessie Glick17 Morris Kramer17 Hellen Tausk18 Esther Amols18 Anna Kaminer18 Alice Krim18 Charles R. Seidner18 Morris Semmel19 Fred Alwaise19 Philip M. Dancis19 David Sadkin

20 Sam Snyder20 Marge Teperman21 Samuel Bloustein21 Sophia Greenberg21 Frederick Kleinman21 Matthew Rosen22 Frances Goldsmith22 Charles H.

Goodman22 Louis Posin23 Annie Eisen23 David Fisher23 Bernard Kramer23 Erwin A. Merson23 Charles Rapaport24 Mac S. Albert24 Philip Knopping24 Dorothy Rafkind25 Frederick David

Bernstein25 Abraham Heisner25 Morton Kleinman26 Martha Lazarus

26 Joseph Sawyer27 Herman Kronman27 Anna Schulman28 Margaret Elkus28 Valeria Gerard28 Irving Margulies29 Rita Fauer Franklin29 Rachel Leah Fritz29 Louis Froehlich29 Harry Schliftman30 Freda Block30 Harry Fuhrman30 Seymour Hirsch30 Harry Kaplan30 Alexander Lessin30 Esther Resnik30 Bea Rosberg30 Mildred Rosenthal30 Samuel Schneeweiss30 Dr. Frederic Stern

1 Mabel Adler 1 Annie Becker 1 Rose Poster 1 David Silverman 1 Zona Silverstein 2 Herman Fein 2 Ida Loveman 2 Fred Rapp 2 Dr. Jordan Tobias Rosenbaum 2 Lena Zwickel 3 Rae Lillian Gillman 4 Eleanor R. Kern 5 Hilda Bensley 5 Dora Brill 5 William Sherit 5 Betty Tager 6 Norma D. Haber 6 Frances Messing 6 Julia Schwartz 6 Yetta Weinberg 7 Lillian Benardo 7 Julia Hartman 7 Rozalya Krutkovich 7 Bessie Solowey 8 Helena Barcia

8 Philip (Skitch) Ivers 8 Judith Leber 8 Sidney Rogofsky 9 Rose K. Fein 9 Albert Feit 9 Abe Spirer 9 Eva Zelkowitz 9 Pearl Zolt10 Gilmore Bales10 Cele Corn10 Phyllis Post Goodman10 Max Shankman, M.D.10 Miriam Yohalem11 Albert B. Avedon11 Frances Selma Siegel12 Philip Greenglass12 Samuel R. Ripps12 Mary Robinson13 Anna Dalick13 Anna Kovar14 Olive L. Rosenfield15 Moe Elias Greisman15 Rhea Katz

15 Yetta Rosner15 Jacqueline Schweitzer15 Julia Sundheim16 Senior Aronson16 Carrie Blumenthal16 Esther Dubinsky16 Harriet Morse17 David Greenblatt17 Henry Groner17 Fannie Haas17 Joseph F. Loveman17 Joan Resnik18 Sophie K. Dancis18 Marcelle Dubrow18 Walter Jaffe18 Julius Samuelson18 Walter F. Spiegel18 Lillian Waill19 Lola Friedman19 Selma Genevive Miller19 Clara Propper20 Harriet Landau20 Sidney Lyman20 Rose Poster

21 Senior Aronson21 Alvin Bender21 Sylvia Denker21 Leo Segan21 Trude Stransky21 Edna Turtletaub22 Hannah Batkin22 Ruth Block22 Constance Gordon22 Toni Rafkind22 David Ungar22 Gene Weissman22 Charlotte Wiener23 Steven Wolfe Alpert23 Marion Harriet Kaplan24 S. Robert Friedman25 Frances W. Aaron25 Susan Dwork25 Helen Knopping25 Herbert A. Lewis25 Emily Felsenthal Loeser26 Abraham Cohen27 Albert Barshatzky27 Susan Gordon

27 Joan Paula Resnik28 Louis Crager28 Jack Frei28 Harry Mendelson28 Jack Schwartz29 Jean Greisman29 Albert Pearlman29 Troy Theodoratos29 Emanuel Traugott30 Tillie Binder30 Rebecca Gluck30 Wallace Ott31 Leo Benardo31 Eric Alan Elias31 Minnie Fass31 Elaine Ruth Isenberg31 Jeanette Krein31 Bernard L. Spanier31 Nathan Turtletaub

The Departed Whom We Now Remember: July Yahrzeit Observances

The Departed Whom We Now Remember: August Yahrzeit Observances

12 Riverdale Temple Bulletin

RiveRdale Temple

4545 INDEPENDENCE AVENUE

BRONX, NY 10471

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

RiveRdale Temple 4545 Independence Avenue

Bronx, NY 10471 affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism,

patron of the Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion

Telephone: 718-548-3800 Fax: 718-543-1492 Email: administrator@riverdaletemple.org

Web Page Address: https://riverdaletemple.org

Rabbi of the Congregation Thomas A. Gardner, B.A., M.A., M.A.H.L.

Cantor of the Congregation Inbal Sharett-Singer, B.Mus., M.S.M.

Rabbis Emeriti of the Congregation Stephen D. Franklin, D.D., D.H.L.

Judith S. Lewis, D.D.

Co-Presidents of the Congregation Rachel Radna, Ph.D.

L. Michael Griffel, Ph.D.

Nursery School Executive Director Linda Herman, M.Ed.

Religious School Education and Engagement Specialist Judy Weinberg, M.A.

Bulletin Editor Margaret Ross Griffel, Ph.D.

Bulletin Proofreaders Shelley Ast, Susan Birnbaum,

Sylvia Gottlieb, L. Michael Griffel, Olivia Koppell, Ruth Loebmann

1 Worship Schedule 1 The Rabbi’s Column 2 Monthly Calendar 3 The Cantor’s Column 3 Tot Shabbat Services 3 The President’s Column 4 Simcha Learning Center 5 Bulletin Board

5 Congratulations 6 Nursery School News 6 Bat Mitzvah Celebration 7 Women of Reform Judaism 7 Annual Congregational Meeting 7 Men of Reform Judaism 8 Social Action 8 Adult Education

9 Contributions 9 Sponsoring an Oneg/Kiddush 9 Student Sponsorship Breakfast Donors10 Condolences10 June Yahrzeit Observances11 July, August Yahrzeit Observances

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