FROM THE RABBI’S STUDY Ten-Year Review It has now been ten years since my family arrived in Westport in July of 2008. Meital was entering the UG JUDGH ODVW PRQWK VKH ¿QLVKHG KLJK VFKRRO $\HOHW ZDV EHJLQQLQJ WKH ¿UVW JUDGH QH[W \HDU VKH ZLOO EH D KLJK VFKRRO junior. Avi was in the “3’s” class of our TCS Preschool; this past May, he became a Bar Mitzvah. Fortunately, Riki and I haven’t aged at all! 5HÀHFWLQJ RQ WKHVH SDVW WHQ \HDUV WKHUH DUH VR PDQ\ ZRQGHUIXO PHPR- ries, moments, and accomplishments that come to mind. I’d like to share MXVW VRPH RI WKHP LQ FHOHEUDWLRQ RI RXU ¿UVW GHFDGH WRJHWKHU There have been magical Shabbat services in which the community has truly come together. Whether it was a tribute to the Beatles, Uruguayan Shabbat, or our annual Lessler award/USY Shabbat, I cherish those )ULGD\ QLJKWV ZKHQ RXU VDQFWXDU\ LV ¿OOHG ZLWK WUHPHQGRXV VSLULW DQG MR\ Our Religious School has become a true “Kehillah,” a community of learn- ers under the leadership of Danny Kochavi. With smaller class sizes, JUHDWHU DWWHQWLRQ WR WH¿OODK DQG +HEUHZ OLWHUDF\ LQWHUDFWLYH IDPLO\ SUR- JUDPV DQG ¿HOG WULSV DQG VRFLDO SURJUDPPLQJ IRU RXU \RXQJHU VWXGHQWV Kehillah has evolved into a program of which we can all be proud. We ORRN IRUZDUG WR WKH QH[W GHFDGH XQGHU WKH WKRXJKWIXO DQG FUHDWLYH OHDGHU- ship of Seth Golob. The TCS Preschool, which was struggling ten years ago, has in many ways become our “crown jewel,” growing in numbers, quality, and repu- tation every year. Jamie Klein-Zoref and her team have built an amazing SURJUDP WKDW LV QRW RQO\ 1$(<& FHUWL¿HG EXW LV DOVR D ZDUP ORYLQJ environment with a curriculum soaked in Jewish tradition, holidays, and values. Continued on page 3 July – August 2018 18 Tammuz 5778 – 20 Elul 5778 F T It W
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FROM THE RABBI’S STUDYTen-Year Review
It has now been ten years since my family arrived in Westport in July of 2008. Meital was entering the
junior. Avi was in the “3’s” class of our TCS Preschool; this past May, he became a Bar Mitzvah. Fortunately, Riki and I haven’t aged at all!
-ries, moments, and accomplishments that come to mind. I’d like to share
There have been magical Shabbat services in which the community has truly come together. Whether it was a tribute to the Beatles, Uruguayan Shabbat, or our annual Lessler award/USY Shabbat, I cherish those
Our Religious School has become a true “Kehillah,” a community of learn-ers under the leadership of Danny Kochavi. With smaller class sizes,
-
Kehillah has evolved into a program of which we can all be proud. We -
ship of Seth Golob. The TCS Preschool, which was struggling ten years ago, has in many ways become our “crown jewel,” growing in numbers, quality, and repu-tation every year. Jamie Klein-Zoref and her team have built an amazing
environment with a curriculum soaked in Jewish tradition, holidays, and values.
Continued on page 3
July – August 201818 Tammuz 5778 – 20 Elul 5778
FT
ItW
NOTES FROM OUR CANTOR When you go out on your way.
Summer.
This is the time of the year when we enjoy more time outdoors and most likely, we go on vacation trips. In our tradition, there is a blessing for almost everything. I would like to present you with this particular blessing that is recited when we are about to undertake a trip.
May it be your will Adonai our God and the God of our ancestors, that you walk with us to peace, and lead us to peace, and guide us to peace, and that we reach the place we want to in life in happiness and in peace. And save us from the paws of enemies and those waiting to ambush and from thieves, and bad animals on the way, and from all kinds of sudden trouble that comes to the world. And send blessing to all the deeds of our hands, and give pardon, kindness and mercy, in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us and hear the voice of our pleas. Because you are God who hears prayer and pleas. Blessed are You Adonai who hears prayer.
This prayer is a simple request to God in which we ask for God to let us get to our destination in peace and return us home in peace as we begin to travel. We ask God to lead us, to accompany us, to allow us to reach our destination, to save us from our enemies, and from thieves, and animals, and anything else that can go wrong. The repetition of the word Shalom works like a litany that helps us achieve the right state of mind. The origin of this prayer can be found in the Talmud where
with the mandatory recitation of the prayers (the three daily services, Maariv, Shacharit and Mincha) in case of
-
protection. According to Rambam (the medieval scholar) this prayer is not necessary because we pray for similar things in our daily prayers, but the power of the need for prayer and strongly rooted tradition has become stronger. We now have different versions of this blessing which can accompany us (in some cases) in small, pocket-sized cards that we take almost like an amulet for protection during our journeys. In fact, that would be a contradiction, because what we pray at the end of the blessing is for God to hear our prayer. With the acknowledgment of the perils, comes the need for prayer. May we all be protect-ed in our journeys, may our pleas be heard. May we all enjoy safe travels during this summer.
This past decade at TCS has seen cholent cook-offs and challah baking, we have put
Abraham and David on “trial” as part of our Adult Education program, and welcomed charismatic speakers such as Brad
Sherre Zwelling, Gary Shteyngart, and Nathan Englander to our bimah. We’ve hosted numerous community programs
commemorations. TCS has also become a place for musical celebrations and concerts. Often partnering with the TCS Chorale, we have sung and danced with Neshama Carlebach,
-ble, among others.
At thirty plus years old, TCS has continued our “old-time” traditions of Shabbat at the Beach, Mitzvah Day, and Share the Pie, while adding many new traditions this past decade such as Full Court for Kindness (USY), Blessing of the Animals, and Kavanah.
When thinking about the highlights of these past ten years, I cannot forget about our three family trips to Israel along with several smaller emergency missions and Masorti trips. Sharing my love for Eretz Yisrael while bonding with members of our
of my career. I know that Cantor Cattan felt the same way during the recent TCS journey to Argentina and Uruguay.
What a decade it has been—and where has the time gone?
about I spoke about strength and balance – two concepts that continue to inform what we do here at TCS between the holidays. Our strength is evident every day in our thriving Pre-school –Jamie Klein-Zoref and her amazing group of teachers
and their families. Our Kehillah remains a cornerstone of our congregation and we recently said L’hitraot to Danny Kocha-
passion for Jewish education was always evident.
I am thrilled to announce that we have hired Seth Golob to be -
ment. We are thrilled that Seth will be joining us, and there will be many opportunities to meet him over the summer and
matures and becomes more demographically diverse, our Kehillah has gotten smaller. This presents an opportunity for the Education Director to have time to work with our entire community. I look forward to sharing more about this in the coming months and to having Seth’s enthusiasm and passion working to help our entire congregation. I would like to thank Susan Arrow and the entire Search Committee for their hard
lead our Kehillah forward.
I can’t talk about strength without mentioning our Youth Pro-gram. Under the direction of Annie Glasser, we are thriving. From Midnight Run to serving at the Gillespie Center, from social events to leading Shabbat services throughout the year, our teens are active and engaged. For the second year in a row, we received the USY Chapter of the Year award for our
- including for the second year in a row, the regional president, are from TCS.
Continued on page 6
FSSSSS
hioo
Abraham and David on
TTco
LPPPPPPPPPP
At AA
PRESCHOOL NEWSWhat a wonderful year we had! We
school-wide picnic and Fours Moving On Ceremony and the installation of our beautiful new edible garden.
Many thanks to Cara Leichter for spearheading our new garden and seeing it to fruition. We are so grateful for this amazing addition to our school! Thank you also to those who helped plant and transport, especially Barbi Jurman’s in-laws who were visiting from Germany! If you haven’t seen the gar-den please come and check it out. There is a sign-up genius going around for those families who would like to participate during the summer months in caring for and “eating the fruits of your labor!” There is no better way to get children to try new fruits and vegetables than picking them right from the garden. Everything planted in the garden is edible!
the Preschool Committee for the past 2 years. As I mentioned during the Moving On ceremony this year, “Ilyssa’s warmth and love for her children and all things TCS radiates in every-thing she does. Ilyssa is the essence of what community is all about. We are so appreciative of her commitment and involve-ment at TCS.” Thankfully this is not goodbye because we still have Sam coming up the ranks!
Thanks also to Liz Leary for chairing the Preschool Committee along with Ilyssa and to the following Preschool Committee
school is great because of the partnership we have with all of you, in addition to our fabulous staff!
Preschool Plus was a blast this year! Thank you to the amazing teachers and counselors who brought so much spirit and energy that we didn’t want camp to end!
8/29 BACKYARD PARTY 2S, 3 TO 4PM BACKYARD PARTY 3S, 4 TO 5PM8/30 BACKYARD PARTY 4S, 4 TO 5PM9/5 VISITING DAY, ALL CLASSES9/6 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, 3S AND 4S NOON DISMISSAL9/7 NOON DISMISSAL9/12 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, 2S
SPECIAL EVENTSTHURSDAY, 7/5 at 7:30 pm “Jews and Crime” with Binghamton Professor Jonathan KarpWILL BE RESCHEDULED
FRIDAY, 7/6 at 6:15 pmCupcakes at Kiddush
SATURDAY, 7/21 at 9:30 pmTisha B’Av Service at Beth El, Norwalk
WEDNESDAY, 8/1 at 12:00 pmMembership Luncheon
WEDNESDAY, 8/1 at 7:00 pmCPR & AED Training with Tamid
THURSDAY, 8/2Tikkun Olam with TCS: Dinner for Gillespie
SUNDAY, 8/5 at 8:00 amTCS Bike Ride
FRIDAY, 8/17 at 6:15 pmCupcakes at Kiddush
FRIDAY, 8/31 at 5:15 pmBack to School, Back to Shul BBQ
SUMMER IS HERE!JOIN US FOR SHABBAT AT
THE BEACHSAVE THE DATES:
7/20, 8/3 AND 8/17
KEHILLAH NEWSShalom TCS!
new Director of Education and Congregational Engagement. I can’t
wait to be a part of this community that has already started to warmly welcome me.
the regional and international levels; running events, creating curriculum, and forging relationships. Before that, I graduat-ed from Ithaca College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Media. I’m a product of the Conservative movement. I was a camper and counselor at Camp Ramah New England, taught religious school in Baltimore, Ithaca and Boston, and led youth programming starting when I was a teen in my hometown of Baltimore, MD.
-tion that Danny has laid, and make Kehillah a vibrant, contem-porary learning community. My philosophy as an educator is to
of traditional classroom learning and informal learning outside of the walls of the classroom. I’m looking forward to meeting all of the Kehillah students, TCS Teens and community in the coming weeks! My door is always open, so stop by when you’re at TCS.
Balancing the youth-centered program-ming with continuing engagement across generations continues to be a
focus. Our annual fundraiser Thriving @ Thirty was a rousing success – we raised funds for our operating budget as we celebrated 3 plus decades of TCS. For me, having the families who have belonged to TCS for over thirty years recognized and standing together was a powerful visual symbol of our strength.
Our Adult Ed programming continues to inspire us – author Nathan Englander was an engaging and dynamic speaker and we have several more programs planned for the summer. None of what I have just mentioned would be possible without
and the Full Board are both comprised of members whose dedication to this community inspires me every day. At our annual meeting, the terms of three of our trustees came to
dedication to our community will continue – and I am grateful to have had them serving on the Board with me. I am thrilled to welcome our new trustees to the Board: Karen Lessler, Lori Popkin and Scott Wofsy. I am looking forward to having their voices at our table!
When speaking about the strength of our community, it is evident every day here in the building. I am endlessly grateful for our wonderful clergy, professional staff, administrative staff and building staff – each of whom works tirelessly to ensure
I am also thrilled to announce that at the Annual Meeting, the
Wiederhorn. I am thrilled to say that Rabbi Wiederhorn will be with us through June of 2023. I look forward to having his dedi-
I hope to see everyone at Shabbat at the Beach this summer!
For sponsoring Kiddush lunch:• The Phillips family in honor of the aufruf of Dara Phillips
and Jared Itkowitz• The Miller/Feldman family in honor of Marissa’s bat
mitzvah• The Weisman family in honor of Sasha’s bat mitzvah• • The Cherry family in honor of Sam’s bar mitzvah• The Levy family in honor of Charlotte’s baby naming• The Birns family in honor of Karenna’s bat mitzvah• The Wiederhorn family in honor of Avi’s bar mitzvah
For sponsoring Kiddush:•
bat mitzvah
For helping with our Annual Meeting mailing:• Debbie Smolka
For the Simha wall engraving:• A to A Studio Solutions and the Wahler family
• Kira Teagan Brogadir, daughter of Nathaniel and Jennifer
MILESTONES
Weddings- Mazal Tov to:• Alan and Barbara Phillips on the marriage of their
daughter, Dara Phillips to Jared Itkowitz• Peter Goldman and LaurieAnn Scher on the marriage of
their son, Zak Goldmanscher to Talia Plotkin• Steven and Karen Cohen on the marriage of their
daughter, Alyssa Cohen to Daniel Lavy
Engagements- Mazal Tov to:• Geoffrey and Orna Stern on the engagement of their
daughter, Abigail Stern to Tanner Tananbaum
Our Condolences• Carole Rosenberg z”l, mother of Nadine (Paul) Tanen• Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven (Sharon) Navarro• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam (Monica) Chusid• Michele Rand z”l, mother of Jordan (Lauren) Rand
Stew Levine, Shari Levy, David Miller, Jeff Miller, Russ Miller, Scott Miller, Jay Rand, Martin Rosenfeld, Abraham Serfaty, Sol Slotnik, Carly Steckel, Mark Steckel, Geoffrey Stern, Carol Wahler, Ayelet Wiederhorn, Meital Wiederhorn and Rabbi Jere-my Wiederhorn
Alan Clement, Matt Landau, Alan Radin, Jay Rand and Larry Schloss
To our recent Book of Ruth readers:Cantor Luis Cattan, Alan Clement & Debbie Smolka
Peter R. Lessler Memorial Community Service Award Recipient:Uri Cattan
Mazal Tov to nominees: Steven Frost, Abigail Genser, Anna Greenspan, Andrew Saun-ders, Meital Wiederhorn, Jacob Wolfe and Rachel Wolfe
A special thank you to the members of the Education Director Search Committee:
-coln, Eric Marshall, Lisa Rozen, Renee Serfaty, Emily Sigalow, and Nicole Wilson-Spiro. Your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated!
ADULT EDUCATION FUNDRick Bitsky & Jason Bitsky in memory of Golda Bitsky z”l, mother of Rick Bitsky & Jason Bitsky
Carol & Jeff Kaplan and family in memory of Albert Kaplan z”l, father of Jeff Kaplan
Shabtai Rueven z”l, father of Mony Rueven
CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUNDMark Kornbluth & Betty Landau in appreciation for your help in preparing Jenna for her bat mitzvah
Scott Miller & Karen Feldman in appreci-ation for all your help with Marissa’s bat mitzvah
Steven & Sharon Navarro
GENERAL FUND Judy Berman in memory of Jack Kahan z”l, father of Judy Berman
Gloria Carvajal
Michael and Lauri FriedlandNeil & Stephanie Gordon in memory of Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven Navarro
GENERAL FUND (CONT.)Michael & Cynthia Lieberbaum in memory of:• Lillian Lieberbaum z”l, mother of
Michael Lieberbaum• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam
Chusid
Richard & Marji Kaplowitz in memory of Bruce Keller z”l, friend of Richard & Marji Kaplowitz
Scott Miller & Karen Feldman in honor of Deb Smolka for tutoring Marissa for her bat mitzvah
Sandy & Mark Rappaport in memory of Donald Feldman z”l, brother of Sandy Rappaport
Milton Silverman
Shellie, Greg, Brian & Jessica Tapfar in memory of Bernice Gorelick z”l, mother and grandmother
Lynda Tucker in memory of Elaine Schwartz z”l, mother of Lynda Tucker
The Waller family in memory of Sandra Waller z”l, mother of Scott Waller
HOSPITALITY FUND Sally Nacht in memory of Leonard Nacht z”l, husband of Sally Nacht
JEWISH CULTURAL ARTS FUNDSara, Phil, Emma & Ava Glick in honor of the baby naming of Charlotte Frances Levy
PETER R. LESSLER SCHOLARSHIP FUNDSusie Blumenfeld in honor of Sam Cherry becoming a bar mitzvah
Susie & Todd Blumenfeld in memory of Marilyn Mestel z”l, mother of Laura Rubin
PRAYER BOOK & CHUMASH FUNDBenjamin & Ivy Gosseen in memory of Irwin Kramer z”l, father of Ivy Gosseen
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND Rick Bitsky & Joni Usdan in memory of:• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam
Chusid• Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven
Navarro
Kenneth & Phyllis Bravo in memory of James Bravo z”l, father of Kenneth Bravo
Eric & Gail Cohen in memory of Mark Cohen z”l, brother of Eric Cohen
Steven & Karen Cohen in honor of their daughter Alyssa’s marriage to Daniel Lavy
Matthew & Melissa Dombrow in memory of Martin Lakoff z”l, father of Melissa Dombrow
FUNDS & CONTRIBUTIONS April 3, 2018 – May 31, 2018
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND (Cont.)Samuel & Amy Gettler in honor of Avi Wiederhorn becoming a bar mitzvah
Nancy Gold in memory of Morton Ilberman z”l, father of Nancy Gold
Jordan & Jennifer Kanfer in honor of:• Karenna Birns becoming a bat
mitzvah• Sam Cherry becoming a bar mitzvah
Jordan & Jennifer Kanfer in memory of:• Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven
Navarro• Michele Rand z”l, mother of Jordan
Rand• Carole Rosenberg z”l, mother of
Nadine Tanen
Ann & Ed Katz in memory of:• Inez Schliff z”l, beloved mother of
Ann Katz• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam
Chusid
Ann & Ed Katz in honor of the wedding of Dara Phillips and Jared Itkowitz
Mark Kornbluth & Betty Landau in appreciation for your help in preparing Jenna for her bat mitzvah
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND (Cont.)The Levi-Berliner family in memory of
Levi Berliner
Joseph & Fern Mayer in memory of Sam Mayer z”l, father of Joseph Mayer
Scott Miller & Karen Feldman in appreci-ation for all your help with Marissa’s bat mitzvah
Susan & Murray Morrison in memory of:• Mildred Morrison z”l, mother of Mur-
ray Morrison• Carole Rosenberg z”l, mother of
Nadine Tanen and grandmother of Noah & Ben
Isabel Moskowitz in memory of Aron Price z”l, father of Isabel Moskowitz
Steven & Sharon Navarro
David & Lori Popkin in honor of the wedding of Zak Goldmanscher & Talia Plotkin
Lee & Eva Rawiszer in honor of Avi Wiederhorn becoming a bar mitzvah
Alan Rosenberg and Nadine Tanen in memory of Carole Rosenberg z”l, wife of Alan Rosenberg and mother of Nadine Tanen
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND (Cont.)Martin & Martha Rosenfeld in memory of Bernard Elowsky z”l, father of Martha Rosenfeld
Paul & Anita Sarno in memory of Peter Sarno z”l, son of Paul & Anita Sarno
Philip & Wendy Schaefer in honor of Avi Wiederhorn becoming a bar mitzvah
Barney Spivack & Robin Oshman in honor of Avi Wiederhorn becoming a bar mitzvah
Stephen Steinbrecher in memory of Robert Steinbrecher z”l, brother of Stephen Steinbrecher
The Udell family in memory of Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven Navarro
James Weisz & Robyn Levy in honor of Avi Wiederhorn becoming a bar mitzvah
Amy & Carl Wistreich in honor of Avi Wiederhorn becoming a bar mitzvah
Please note, contributions received after May 31, 2018 will appear in the September/Octo-
ber 2018 bulletin.
Acknowledgement letters will be sent on a timely basis.
FUNDS & CONTRIBUTIONS (Cont.) SISTERHOOD – COLLEGE CONNECTIONGregory & Amanda Parker in memory of Carole Rosenberg z”l, mother of Nadine Tanen
SISTERHOOD - MITZVAH FUNDJoan & Alan Berlin in memory of Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven Navarro
Steven & Karen Cohen in memory of Zeena Cohen z”l, mother of Steven Cohen
Machlis
David & Lori Popkin in memory of:• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam
Chusid• Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven
Navarro
Lee & Eva Rawiszer in memory ofDonald Chusid z”l, father of Adam Chusid
Philip & Wendy Schaefer in memory of:• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam
Chusid• Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven
Navarro
TIKKUN OLAM FUNDSara, Phil, Emma & Ava Glick in memory of Ethel Elson z”l, beloved mother and grandmother
Joseph & Fern Mayer in memory of Ebolya Mayer z”l, mother of Joseph Mayer
Steven & Sharon Navarro in memory of Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam Chusid
Meredith Poster in memory of:• Donald Chusid z”l, father of Adam
Chusid• Carole Rosenberg z”l, mother of
Nadine Tanen
USY/KADIMA/MACHAR FUNDJon Fraade & Rita Appel
Brian & Jennifer Frank in memory of Murray Navarro z”l, father of Steven Navarro
The Popkin family in memory of Gerry Popkin z”l, father of David Popkin