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NEW BEDFORD, MA
PERMIT #52
Summer 2012
JEWISH MESSENGER
Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford
SouthCoast Celebrates Israel’s 64th
Under a dazzling cloudless sky, a stream of people of all
ages came to the parking lot of Tifereth Israel Congregation
on Sunday June 10 to celebrate Israel’s 64th birthday.
The air was filled with the continual sound of Israeli music
(courtesy of our own DJ Danny Levin), laughter, and conversations. The parking lot was transformed into virtual Israel,
each activity representing an aspect of Israeli life and culture
- a mini petting zoo (Kibbutz), an “archaeological dig,” a giant map of Israel, a bounce obstacle course (IDF), a marketplace (shuk), pita baking, Israeli dancing session, and a
model of the Western Wall. The food tent featured traditional Israeli falafel and hummus. It was a fun-filled day of
community meet-greet-shop-and eat, and an opportunity to
learn about life in Israel. An appropriate tribute of joy to our
Homeland!
Southcoast Celebrates Israel program was sponsored and
funded jointly by all the Jewish organizations in town and
planned and implemented by a great group of hard-working
and dedicated volunteers and professional staff. The program was also supported by a grant from the Harriet Philips
Israel Education Fund.
More information to follow
The petting zoo attracted children of all ages
A big thank you goes to everybody who helped plan
and run the event and donated their services and supplies - Rachel Levinson, Milton Goodman, the Sherman
family – Renee, Stan, Josh, Matt, and Michelle, Alice
and Dan Nussbaum, Andy Barroll, Judy Pollack, Cantor
Nathaniel Schudrich, Liz Klein, Susan Barnet, Ruth and
Marty Gross, the Nelson family – Beth, Ben, Evan, and
Emily, Pearl Bacdayan and her son David, Danny Levin,
Julia Levin, Karen Taylor, Andrew Peppard, Ed Siegal,
Liz and Abby Ackerman, Wendy Friedman, Jerry Levin,
and Kevin Childs.
From the President
Tuesday August 7, 2012
Israel Scouts Friendship Caravan
Visit and Performance
Save the Date
Jewish Federation
of Greater New Bedford, Inc.
467 Hawthorn Street
Dartmouth, MA 02747
DJ Danny Levin
See more photos on page 5
On Sunday April 22, 2012, the Board of
the Federation held a strategic planning retreat. Although our group was
smaller that we would have wished, the
output was great. We reviewed our
mission, vision and value statements;
demographic analysis; service constellation; marketing; and fund raising approaches. Out of
this effort have come a number of task forces, charged
with developing various components of an overall strategic plan. We will have to “populate” these task forces to
enable us to present specific proposals to the Board.
However, we have started already with evaluating our
overall marketing of the Federation, our goals and activities, to the Jewish community as well as the overall
community.
From the president continued on page 5
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Page 2
Visit to Afula-Gilboa Gives Deeper Understanding of Partnership Community
By Michael Russell
As I hope all of you know, the Jewish Federation of
We met with a group of about 20 of these children and were
Greater New Bedford (along with 11 other federations
moved by the utter joy they expressed at seeing us. To walk
in Connecticut and Massachusetts) is partinto a room filled
nered with the City of Afula and the Region of
with smiles beGilboa in Israel. The consortium on the US
cause you helped
side is called the Southern New England
to make these kids’
Consortium (SNEC) of Partnership2Gether
lives better – what
(formerly Partnership 2000), a project of the
more could you ask
Jewish Agency for Israel. The goal of P2G is
for?
to foster relationships between Americans
Another one of the
and Israelis through meaningful interactions.
SNEC-funded proThis has been accomplished by working with
jects is the Tarbut
a steering committee of volunteers from Afula
(Culture) Commuand Gilboa and choosing important social
nity.
Twenty two
welfare programs and “living bridge” proIsraelis
finished
grams which can be funded through dollars
their Army service
raised on the US side.
and decided to do
As some of you know, I was elected Presisomething for the
dent of SNEC this past January. As a regood of the Afula
A volunteer conducts an after-school craft activity sponsponsibility (and a benefit) of this volunteer
community (a comsored by Tarbut Community
position, I visited the region in May (along
munity which is
with the Federation Executive Director Olga
generally very low
Yorish) to evaluate the currently funded programs and
in socioeconomic status.) These energetic young people are
investigate some of the proposed programs for the
committed to effecting social change by bringing education,
coming year. We had a fabulous four-day trip packed art, and culture to the community. Members of the Tarbut
from dawn to dusk with site visits and meetings.
Community engage in a variety of social, educational, culOne of the programs which has been funded by
tural, and artistic activities in Afula, focusing on educating and
SNEC is the “Youth Futures” program. One hundred
empowering disadvantaged youth, youth-at-risk, and the
community as a whole. They have founded a recording studio and music center in the city’s downtown youth center.
They transformed a previously under-utilized community center library into a welcoming place for afternoon activities,
such as arts and music classes. The Tarbut Community considers itself a “kibbutz without walls” – working toward the
common goal of the betterment of Israeli society.
In the next edition of the Messenger, I will write about some
of the other great programs that your annual campaign dollars support. If you want any more information on any of the
programs or how you can visit the region and see your dollars
at work directly, please let me know.
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Federation’s Annual Blood Drive is a Life - Saver
A big thank you to the following individuals who donated blood during
Federation’s 2012 Blood Drive on Sunday May 20, 2012:
Gerardo Atilano
Andrew Barroll
Laura Carreiro
Charles Gorfinkle
Rabbi Barry Hartman
Shoshana Hartman
Todd Herman
Ellen Hull
Luann James
Ilene Levine
Stanley Levine
Efrem Mallach
Michael Russell has donated 87
pints of blood over this lifetime—
more than anybody else in the community. The runner-up is Ellen Hull
with 25 pints.
rd
th
sixty at-risk students in the 3 to 6 grade are partnered with mentors to help break them out of the cycle
of under-achievement. The mentors – who work fulltime in this capacity – meet with the parents, the teachers, and the students on a continual basis throughout
the year – they help them to define and reach individual
goals to achieve academic success. They help the
students to build self-esteem through attention, caring
and love – something they don’t always get at home.
Many of the students come from such poverty that they
rarely have nutritious food available – meals are also
provided by Youth Futures.
Dr. Daniel Nussbaum II is a retired Developmental Pediatrician and
not a Child Psychiatrist. He is also a Vietnam ERA veteran and not a
Vietnam veteran.
Meals-on-Wheels
Hot kosher meals are delivered five days a week to homebound Jewish elderly and disabled persons in New Bedford
and surrounding towns. For questions or to sign up for this
program, please call Olga Yorish at 508-997-7471 or email at
[email protected]. We guarantee full confidentiality.
ADVERTISE IN THE MESSENGER
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REACH THE JEWISH COMMUNITY!
Youth Futures students with their mentor
William Markson
Shelley Martin
Catherine Mindlin
David Novick
James Perez-Dormitzer
Joe Plunkett
Dr. David Rosenberg
Michael Russell
Cantor Nathaniel Schudrich
Marjorie Walder
Cynthia Yoken
Correction from last Messenger.
Advertising Rates Per Issue
Michael Russell with Youth Futures students and
mentors
Page 11
The Jewish Messenger
Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater
New Bedford, Inc.
467 Hawthorn Street
Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747
Tel. (508) 997-7471 - Fax (508) 997-7730
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.jewishnewbedford.org
The Jewish Messenger is now online.
Visit www.jewishnewbedford.org
Page 10
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Page 3
Our Cuban Odyssey
Wander No More: Getting Ready and Learning about Passover
By Mel and Cindy Yoken
By Robin Kaufman
From February 11 to February 18th, 2012, we had the She replied to us that they could use “diapers for adults” and
good fortune to travel to Cuba with a group of Canadian if any group were to come to Cuba, to have each person
librarians and educators traveling there to attend Cuba’s
bring one of these packages. Adela, who has lived all her
International Book Fair. It was interesting to learn about
life in Cuba (her father immigrated here in the 1920s from
Cuba’s libraries, authors, and the literacy campaign in
Poland), insisted that there is no anti-semitism at all. She
1961, the pride and joy of Fidel Castro and his regime even showed us a photo of her and Raul Castro, taken a few
right after the revoyears ago at the synagogue. She then
lution. Even though
noted that even Fidel had been there
the citizens are all
years ago.
literate, the ecoAt 6 pm we went upstairs to the sancnomic situation of
tuary where we attended the Friday
Cuba is extremely
night service which truly brought tears
poor, and the averto our eyes. Almost every one of the
age Cuban earns
180 seats was taken, predominantly by
approximately $20 a
Cubans, and the service was quite spirmonth. Therefore,
ited, with much singing and clapping,
Cubans live for tips
led by a lay person and a teenager.
and everywhere you
There’s no Rabbi serving the congregago in Cuba, you are
tion, but the service was led beautifully
expected to give a
with songs we recognized and joined
tip, one or two Cuin. At the end of the service, the chilban convertible pedren marched in and sang several
sos. This is the cursongs. There were also visitors attendrency that tourists
ing the services and we introduced ouruse, the Cuban conselves to a couple in front of us and a
Mel, Cindy, and Adela Dworin, the President of Beth Shalom
vertible peso, which Synagogue
lady beside us from New York. Adela
is worth three times
had also mentioned that a group from
that of the Cuban peso that the average Cuban uses.
California had visited that afternoon. At the conclusion of
The Cuban convertible peso is used for buying goods
the service at about 7:10 pm, everyone went downstairs , in
from abroad, and is the currency of visitors to Cuba.
the adjoining building, to a large social hall where a Shabbat
Tourism is a big industry for Cuba, and so, hotels are
dinner was to be served. We were invited to partake, but
quite nice and cater to the tourists. The Hotel Nacional
had to join our group at the Hotel Nacional for our last dinwhere we stayed the first three nights, is an old, elegant
ner. Adela brought over to us an extremely congenial young
hotel, the place to stay in the 40s and 50s for honeyman, Wilbert Wilson, a member of the congregation, who
mooners and others visiting Cuba. (The Pope will be
walked us some seven blocks to the hotel. He currently
staying there this month.) At this hotel and others
lives with his mother who prefers to stay in Cuba rather than
throughout our trip, the buffet breakfasts were huge and go to Israel. Wilbert works at the Hotel Raquel, a hotel
sumptuous with everything you could possibly eat and
which caters to Jewish tourists in Havana.
more. The average Cuban does not eat this way.
We didn’t have time to see the other synagogue, but there
On our last evening, February 10th, we took a taxi from is an Orthodox synagogue in Havana, Adath Israel, as well
our hotel to the Conservative synagogue, El Patronato,
as a Sephardic Hebrew center. Synagogues can also be
also known as Beth Shalom. There we met Adela
found in Camaguëy, Santa Clara, and Guantanamo. There
Dworin, the president of this congregation, which celeare 11 Jews in Cienfuegos, but there is no synagogue there,
brated their 100th anniversary in 2006. In the Synaand services are conducted in one person’s home.
gogue’s library, there were several teenagers, and Adela
We enjoyed our week’s stay in Cuba and were enlightened
was seated in back getting a manicure. Once finished,
and enriched by all that we saw and learned.
she approached us, and was most affable and very welcoming; she spoke to us at length about the Jewish
community in Cuba which now numbers about 1500
Federation Tribute Cards are a Great Opportunity
people. Before 1959, it was 15,000. In an adjoining
to Honor a Loved One
room, we glimpsed a room, a veritable pharmacy, filled
and Contribute to a Good Cause
with medicines of all sorts. The doctor, Maria Josefa
Think of the Jewish Federation when celebrating milestone events or
Simon, seated nearby, dispenses medicines to those in
remembering a loved one. A tax-deductible contribution to the Federation’s
need. We also met the Vice-president of the synagogue general fund as well as to one of the scholarship or endowment funds or
and another gentleman, Pepe, who lives across the special programs is a great way to celebrate an important event such as a
street and is an active member. After giving Adela a birthday, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, or an anniversary, to wish a speedy recovery,
small donation, we asked her what the community and to honor the memory of a loved one. Your honoree or his/her family will
receive a beautiful tribute card marking the occasion. To make a secure
needed.
online contribution, visit www.jewishnewbedford.org and click the PayPal
button.
Can you imagine a shipment and receiving area
Shoppers who visited Big Value Outlet were greeted by the
turning into a classroom where young students
Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford’s Executive Direclearned the difference between leavened and
tor and PJ Library Coordinator, Olga Yorish and Robin Kauffunleavened bread by performing their very own
man, and Alice and Dan Nussbaum, both dedicated commuhands-on experiments with yeast, water bottles and
nity volunteers and educators extraordinaire. Shoppers were
balloons? How about learning the order of the Passtreated to samples of charoset, prepared during a live demonover Seder in the aisles of a vast carpeting departstration by Olga, browsed from an abundant assortment of
ment?
articles about the holiday of Passover, and had the opportunity
It wasn’t hard to imagine this on Tuesday, March
to enter a raffle to win a Big Value Outlet gift card.
20th when the Jewish Federation of Greater New
Armed with information about Passover, shoppers navigated
Bedford, in partnership with Big Value Outlet and
Big Value Outlet, the number one rated Outlet store in South
students of the Ziskind School of Judaism joined
Dartmouth, to shop for the disposables, tableware, cleaning
efforts at Big Value Outitems etc. that one needs in
let in South Dartmouth
order to prepare for the holito share with the comday. A well stocked display of
munity ideas and informatzoh, grape juice and
mation to help them
candy, all kosher for Passprepare for the Jewish
over of course, was just
holiday of Passover.
about empty by the days end.
The most widely celeQuietly in the background,
brated of all the Jewish
there was something else
holidays, and also one
going on— Jewish learning.
of the most fun for kids,
Students from the Ziskind
families all over the
School were busy re-creating
world gather on Passthe steps of the seder meal
over to retell the story
and learning about the
of the Jewish exodus
“breads” of Judaism, performfrom slavery in Egypt
ing a scientific based experiand celebrate with a
ment that shows what makes
festive Seder meal.
bread such as Challah and
However, getting ready Students observe the results of a scientific project
bagels different from matzah.
for Passover can be
Alice Nussbaum and Robin
somewhat overwhelming for those preparing their
Kauffman, who created and executed the lesson plans for the
homes and the Seder table for all who are ready to
students (both hold secondary degrees in education), agreed
come and celebrate! Not to mention, the stress for
that the students, who were well behaved and smart, enjoyed
some guests who feel uninformed about the holiday
coming to Big Value Outlet on their regularly scheduled day of
and its traditions.
religious school. They concluded that students can learn about
and be Jewish anywhere, even in Big Value Outlet - not your
traditional place for Jewish learning.
Israel Travel Grants Available
Attention Jewish teens and parents: grants are available
to Jewish teens residing in the Greater New Bedford area
for travel/study in Israel. These grants are made possible
by the Harvey Friedland Israel Youth Experience Memorial Fund and the Evelyn Rosen Youth Israel Travel Fund.
Requests must be writing. For more information, contact
Olga Yorish at (508) 997-7471 or at [email protected].
Alice Nussbaum with a group of Ziskind School students
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Page 4
Community Mourns Terror Victims
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Page 9
Outreach to Jewish Students is Key to Building a Successful Program
By Joanna Korman
On Sunday March 25, 2012, members of the greater
New Bedford community gathered at Tifereth Israel Synagogue to recognize the great tragedy that occurred in Toulouse, France last week. About 70 persons, representing
many faith traditions, spent a brief 40 minutes together
remembering the murder of a rabbi, three Jewish children
attending school, and three French Paratroopers, who
were shot at point blank range by a 24 year old gunman.
The gathering was organized by the Jewish Federation
of Greater New Bedford and was supported by Tifereth
Israel Congregation, the inter-Church Council of Greater
New Bedford, the Diocese of Fall River, the Orthodox
Chavurah Minyan of New Bedford, No Place for Hate
Committee, the National Council of Jewish Women New
Bedford Section, the Jewish War Veterans New Bedford
Post 154, Church Women United of Greater New Bedford,
St. George Greek Orthodox Church, the Baha’i Faith Community, and the Muslin Community represented by Prof.
Sherif Elwakil.
The gathering was addressed by Rabbi Raphael Kanter
who expressed our mutual grief and read the names of the
victims; Jewish Federation President Stuart I. Forman who
spoke about the need to address evil as evil divorced from
hiding it behind the veil of religion or politics; the Rev. Father Constantine Bebis who addressed our communal
events and at all times;
grief and the universal need to stand up against those who
attempt to harm others; Rev David Lima of the Inter-Church
Council who expressed the need for us to mutually care and
support each other in the face of such tragic events; Rev.
Birdilyn Watson of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
and VP of Church Women United who spoke of the solidarity
and identification that women and mothers feel at the loss of
children, especially is such tragic circumstance; and Rabbi
Barry Hartman, who read a letter from the wife of the slain
Rabbi Sandler and mother of two of the slain children, which
told us to kiss our children and appreciate them this moment
in the face of the fragility of the events of life.
Stuart I. Forman read a letter on behalf of Prof. Sherif Elwakil, former President of the Islamic Society of Southeastern MA, which spoke about the communal responsibility to
“enclave radical collective groups, preventing them from
capturing more isolated individuals and transforming them
into radical losers.” The event closed with Cantor Nathaniel
Schudrich chanting the Jewish memorial prayer for the dead
and Rabbi Hartman reciting the Kaddish.
The Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford expresses
its profound thanks to all people and faith communities for
their support in this time of great pain and tragedy.
As a new student coordinator this year,
it was important to me to gain an understanding of the target population, and
how to effectively reach out to these
students. This is why I spent a substantial amount of time in the first half of this
year engaging in outreach work, making
contact with Jewish students and getting
an understanding of where their needs
and interests lie. Having formed meaningful relationships with a core group of motivated students and gained a stronger sense of the kind of campus
Dartmouth is, I believe Hillel is headed in the right direction.
Hillel sponsored a number of programs throughout the
year. Our first official program was a bagel brunch at the
very beginning of the year. This event was beneficial to
our relationship with the staff and students at Unity house,
who have come to recognize and welcome us in their
midst. Unity house, which is intended as a social space
for students of color, is an excellent space for holding
small to mid-scale events, and has the benefit of giving us
exposure to students from other minority groups on campus. Our second event in the fall semester, a Hanukah
party in Unity House, was well-attended by Jewish students and their friends, and also sparked interest in students who happened to be “hanging out” in the Unity
house space.
Jewish Federation Announces 2012-13 College Scholarship Recipients
Tessa Belkin
Julie Leen Memorial Scholarship by the Jewish War Veterans Post 154
Adam Carreiro
Beatrice Epstein Memorial Scholarship
Andrew Florent
Edward S. Leen Memorial Scholarship
Jesse Gotlib
Jonathan Gotlib Memorial Scholarship
Paul Grafov
Ruth Federman Memorial Scholarship
Rebecca Kanter
Jason Martin Memorial Scholarship
Adam Kvietkauskas
Barbara Meltzer Memorial Scholarship and Dr. Sanford Dworkin Memorial Scholarship
Sasha Nochimow
Max and Bertha Scheinman Memorial Scholarship
Raielle Novick
Jenny, Morris and Alvin Glaser Memorial Scholarship
Julia Russell
Sybil and Robert Jackson Memorial Scholarship
Jason Woolf
Sarah Barnet Memorial Scholarship and Bernstein-Zeman Memorial Scholarship
Daniel Zeoli
Marion and Henry Wainer Scholarship
The recipients of the NCJW - New Bedford Section scholarships have not been announced at the time of the printing of this newsletter. Their names will be published in the next issue of the Jewish Messenger.
New Bedford Mayor Jonathan Mitchell and
Cantor Nathaniel Schudrich at the Yom
HaShoah observance
The Hanukah event was successful because it combined
traditional activities (playing dreidel, eating holiday-themed
foods) with a range of activities for students in a lowpressure social environment. While some students received stress-relieving chair massages from a local masseuse, others played board games or a game of driedel.
This environment also drew non-Jewish students with an
interest in Judaism and Jewish culture. In the spring, our
newly formed board began meeting regularly, and engaged
in a number of activities. For Purim, we baked several
batches of hamantaschen for wide distribution around campus. These curious cookies were an excellent conversation
piece for members of the board with their friends and acquaintances. In the final days of Passover, we also tabled
in the student center on several occasions and raised a
small sum selling chocolate covered matzah. This also
proved a great outreach activity, as we encountered a number of Jewish students we had not met earlier in the year,
and were able to let them know about our organization in
an informal setting.
Our final formal event for the year was a movie night,
also held in Unity House. We showed the documentary film
“Trembling before God,” a movie about the struggles of
GLBT individuals in the orthodox community. This event
attracted about seven students, and afforded us an excellent opportunity to reach out to the UMD Pride Alliance, and
the organization was very receptive to the idea of present
and future collaborations over common interests. In this
outreach effort, we also encountered a student member of
the organization who also happened to be Jewish, and expressed a strong interest in being involved in future activities. This movie night is a good model for future crossorganization collaborations.
Although this list of programs and activities is modest, it
is a significant achievement considering that many other
University Hillels benefit from substantially larger budgets,
staffs, and numbers of Jewish students. Since our current
student board formed in the spring, I have made it a priority
to communicate to the students that our student membership is the core of our organization, and that they can make
a huge difference in the college experience of Jewish students by stepping up into leadership roles. All three current
members of the board have responded positively to this
message, and our president, Bradley Nelson, has already
taken on considerable responsibility in the organization with
regard to such issues as budget management. Bradley
even took it upon himself to plan another Hillel movie night
during the spring. All three board members attended
UMD’s Student Leadership Summit in the spring, a conference for student organization leaders that provides information and advice pertinent to running student groups. The
students understand that making UMass-Dartmouth a
warm and welcoming home for Jewish students, present
and future, requires an investment on their part, and that
creating a strong and sustainable organization will not happen overnight. They are eager to take a more active role in
planning a range of programming next year.
Page 8
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Student Participation Central to Yom HaShoah Observance
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Page 5
Southcoast Celebrates Israel Photo Gallery
By Cindy Yoken
On April 29, 2012, our 31st Annual Holocaust MemoEventually, his book, As I Am Presently Known, was
rial Observance was held, dedicated to the memory of
published with the help of Concord author, Emily Rubin.
Jim Wilcox, who passed away on April 4, 2012.
Following the closing prayer by Rabbi Kanter, a dessert
Jim was a passionate Holocaust scholar and educareception was held in the small social hall where all those in
tor, and co-chair of
attendance could view the
the Holocaust com2 0 1 2 S t u d e n t e x h ib i t :
mittee for 10 years.
“Personal Responsibility in
This year’s obserthe Face of Evil: Choices
vance began with a
Matter.” Students from Judith
memorial service at
Klein’s No Place for Hate Art
the Holocaust monuprogram displayed artwork
ment in Buttonwood
they had done and students
Park. Cynthia Yoken
from the 8th classes at Roosepaid tribute to the
velt, Keith, and Normandin
American
soldiers
displayed their essays, pofrom our community
ems, and artwork.
who liberated Dachau
This has been a busy year
on this very date 67
for the Holocaust Committee
years ago.
Nate
and we are appreciative of
Barry, Eli Heimberg,
the help of our dedicated
Walter Lalor, Norcommittee and the teachers
mand Chartier, and
who allowed us to come into
John Kinney were
their classroom. This year,
those heroes who
the 8th grade students of Doentered Dachau on
reen Perry at the Normandin
April 29, 1945. The
Middle School, piloted Abe
mayor, the Honorable
Landau’s book, Branded on
Jonathan
Mitchell,
my Arm and in my Soul with
spoke
about
Mr. Leon Rubinstein with Roosevelt School students and their teacher
the help of Maria Sanguinetti
Kinney who was his Stephen Nowell Jr.
and Cindy Yoken, and stugrandfather. Followdents at Keith Middle School,
ing the memorial prayer chanted by Cantor Schudrich
listened to Maria Sanguinetti and Cindy Yoken who disand the Mourners’ Kaddish by Rabbi Kanter, Rev. Pam
cussed the Holocaust with them at an afternoon assembly
Cole and Rev. Birdilyn Watson led the children from the
in February. We thank Steve Nowell’s 8th grade students
area’s middle schools in a candlelight procession to
for their participation in our Yom HaShoah program this
Tifereth Israel Synagogue for the evening’s program.
year.
These young people began the program by placing
their candles on the bimah in the chapel.
Dr. Stuart Forman gave greetings from the Jewish
Federation followed by Wil Herrup who paid tribute to
Jim Wilcox. After remarks by Rev. David Lima and
Marsha Onufrak, two students from the Roosevelt Middle School, Roy Matos and Liliane Condez, read excerpts from Abe Landau’s book from the chapter on
Dachau. Before Selena Rodrigues, another student
from Roosevelt, introduced the speaker, the Dream Out
Loud Student Music Group, led by their instructor,
Champagne deGrace, sang two songs.
Selena Rodrigues introduced Wade Rubinstein who
then presented his father, Leon Rubinstein who told his
story about growing up in a small town in Eastern Poland during the 1930s. Leon had lost his family but
survived the war by hiding in a potato farm for several
years. After being conscripted into the Russian army,
Leon was then smuggled into British Palestine where
he fought in the Israeli War for Independence. Many
years later, Wade sat down with his father, listened to
Leon Rubinstein with his son Wade and Ruben Goldstein
his stories and recorded them as an oral history.
From the president continued from page 1
Clearly, we are in a time of change. We are not the
same Federation we were 40 years ago – or even 10
years ago. We are committed to live up to these challenges to enable us to have a meaningful Jewish presence in the Greater New Bedford (dare I also say Southcoast) region. The need for us to continue to ensure the
well-being of our people at home, abroad, and in the
State of Israel is just as real and important today as it
was when the Federation was founded 58 years ago.
The components and parameters of well-being, however,
have definitively changed. Our goal is to keep pace with
those changes and realities.
Our Jewish community has so much to offer to the entire community. We heard at this year’s Ziskind Lecture
that in a survey of non-Jewish people in the US, which
religious group they most admired (outside of their own)
that the majority of the people answered – “Jews.” Is it
because of our tenacity towards survival, our general
economic and academic success, the fact that we have
more Nobel Laureates per capita than any other ethnoreligious community…? Perhaps all of the above.
Most importantly, we need to value ourselves. We are
so much more than a persecuted minority throughout the
millennia. We are great contributors to the human experiment. We, ourselves, need to value that and share it with
the world.
That is why we have tried to keep the New Bedford
Jewish Community present in the general media and involved in so many activities throughout the entire community. Our reception in those arenas has been excellent.
As President, I am particularly pleased.
We just need to keep moving forward – keeping pace
with changing demographics, needs, and challenges.
This, we are committed to do.
Page 6
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
J EW IS H ME S S E N G E R
Page 7
2012 Be a Part of it Now Annual Campaign
HONOR ROLL (Gifts received as of June 26, 2012)
KING DAVID
$25,000 and over
Dr. Clinton and Frances Levin
Kenneth Lipman and Evelyn Baum
Kenneth Shwartz and June Smith
Lloyd and Debbie Felder
Rubye Finger (of blessed memory)
Norman and Ronya Glassman
Edward Goldberg
Dr. Robert and Leslea Harelick
Melvyn and Carolyn Holland
Kenneth and Wendy Joblon
Dr. Alan and Lisa Katz
Robert and Linda Lane
Martin Lipman and
Dr. Barbara Pearl
Miriam London
Betty Matathia
Dr. Lee Philips
Dr. Matthew and Laura Philips *
Dr. Bernard and Susan Portnoy
Dr. Ronald and Jenny Rapoport
Elliot and Patty Rosenfield
Donald and Susan Rudnick
Barbara Samuels
Dr. Paul Solomon
Robert and Judith Sterns
Mary Weitzman
Dr. Melvin and Cynthia Yoken *
Michael and Maura Zeman *
CHAIM WEIZMANN
$2,500 - $4,999
MOSHE DAYAN
$500 - $999
Alan and Ruth Ades
Nathan and Judy Barry
Murray Goldberg *
Stanley M. Goldstein
Dr. Jack and Leslie Howard
Stanley and Marcia Revzin *
Dr. Gilbert and Frima Shapiro
Anonymous
Tillie Bederow
David Cohen
Todd and Amy Eisenberg *
Dr. Stuart and Deborah Forman
Dr. Janet Freedman and
Andrew Peppard *
Mark Gitlin
David and Ruth Glicksman
Ruben Goldstein
Wil and Carole Herrup
Charles and Ellen Hull *
Hon. George and Lois Jacobs
Rabbi Raphael Kanter and
Cindy Benson *
Sidney and Barbara Kaplan
Irvin and Ronni Krause *
Melvin and Katherine Levine *
Murray and Andrea Lukoff
Dr. Daniel and Alice Nussbaum
John and Marsha Onufrak
Dr. Ralph Pollack *
Judy Pollack *
Dr. Roger Rosen
Bruce and Judi Roth
Michael and Catherine Russell
Sybil Savit
Edward and Daphne Siegal *
Alfred and Karan Ross *
BEN GURION
$10,000 - $24,999
Dr. Paul and Elaine Chervinsky *
Sheldon and Shulamith (of blessed
memory) Friedland
THEODORE HERZL
$7,500 - $9,999
Samuel Kaplan Charitable Fund
Lillian Shwartz *
Calvin and Sue Siegal
KING SOLOMON
$5,000 - $7,499
CHAI
$1,800 - $2,499
Dr. William and Betty Abesh *
Helen Eisenberg
Dr. Milton and Barbara Glicksman
Dr. Jeffrey and Lee Horowitz
Larry and Louise Shwartz
GOLDA MEIR
$1,000 - $1,799
2 Anonymous
Susan Barnet
Drs. Nina Blumenthal and
Scott Corin *
John and Shelley Day
James and Audrey Falk *
Robert and Janet Feingold *
Louis and Bonnie Silverstein
Alvin and Elaine Youman
MASADA
$250 – 499
Anonymous *
2 Anonymous
Dorothy Aghai
Dr. Rahim Aghai
Lynn Alpert
Louise Felder
Lawrence and Harriet Fletcher
Barbara S. Friedland *
Ellen Gitlin
Goldie Gitlin *
Edward and Barbara Glicksman *
Aaron and Barbara Gotlib *
Dr. Richard and Robin Gross
Rabbi Barry Hartman *
Shoshana Hartman
Dr. Bertram Howard
Barrett and Mary Hurwitz
Edith Kameron
Jeffrey and Karen Martin
Kenneth and Judy Martin
Steven and Silvija Mazza
Shawn and Anne McGuire *
Dr. David and Janet Rosenberg *
Murray and Gladys Rosofsky *
Bernard and Eleanor Roth
Edward and Ilse Rothman
Lorraine Rudnick
Henry and Patricia Saltzman
Cantor Nathaniel and
Melynda Schudrich
Barry and Margo Steinberg *
Alan Zexter
MACCABEES
$100 - $249
5 Anonymous
Kenneth and Elizabeth Ackerman
Drs. Paul and Pearl Bacdayan *
Andrew Barroll
Edith Beserosky
Bernard and Ruth Bier *
Neal and Phyllis Bornstein *
Steve and Laura Carreiro
Dr. Sheldon Davis
Barbara Dennis and Byron Shuster
Marvin Dolinsky
Bob and Esther Eisner *
Ivy Feuerstadt and Barry Becken *
Ida Finger-Case
Gerald and Mary Franklin
Charlotte Friedman
Wendy Friedman *
Louis Giltin and Nora Howard
Glaser Glass Corp.
Rosalyn Glaser-Bernstein
Arthur Glassman
Helen Goldberg *
Dr. Martin and Ruth Gross
Burton Hastings
Ruth Hastings
Sydney and Barbara Jacobs
Hon. Malcolm and Mary Ellen Jones
Leonard and Elaine Kaner
Joel Kaplan
Philip and Dorothy Kates
Ira Katz
Jeffrey and Shirley Katz *
Thomas and Gayle Kiefer
Carol Kivowitz
Nathaniel (of blessed memory)
and Edith Kleger
Steven and Susan Lefkowitz
Fred and Claire Levin
Jerry and Susan Levin
Drs. Eric Levine and Karen Susskind
Abraham and Rachel Levinson
Bruce Lider
Jean Lider
Stanley and Mae Lipp
Elliot Mazza
Sherry Krause Mazza
Michael and Anna Mello
David Meltzer
Nathan Naftoly
National Council of Jewish Women New Bedford Section
Florence Novick *
Edith Pliskin
Barbara Queen and James O’Dwyer
Rex Monumental Works *
David and Rachel Rolston *
Peter and Wendy Russell
Charlotte Salon
Thelma Schwartz
Harris Sederholm
Julius and Iris Shaw
Igor and Emma Shovmer *
Linda Shwartz
Dr. Arthur Sklut
Drs. Jeremy and Wendy Stern
Ida Tatelbaum
Yefim and Gena Tokman
Betty Ussach-Schwartz
Beverly Wainer *
Nonie Walder *
Dr. Robert and Linda Waxler *
Dr. Marc Weiner
Helen Weinshel
Gordon and Irma Wolfe
Jenny Woolf*
Gregory, Julia and Raisa Yurovitsky
Donald and Cheryl Zeoli
CHAVERIM
$1 - $99
3 Anonymous
Dr. David and Carin Adelstein
Doris Alberts
Cecilia Alkalay
Carl and Beth Joy Andrews
Harry and Elyse Baggen
Diane Berube
Myra Besen
Khana Blutshteyn and
Yevgeniy Mirochnik
Martin Bromberg
Raymond and Nancy Castino
Louise Cohen
Louis and Maureen Denault
Gilbert and Peggy Fain
Elliott and Pauline Feinstein
Jonathan Feinstein
Bonnie Feldman
Rose Feldman
Stacy Fournier *
Dr. Irving and Charlotte Fradkin
Howard and Sheila Galitsky
Vera Gassar
Myra Goldberg
Beverly Goldstein
Stanley and Ann Goldstein
Milton Goodman *
Charles and Cheryl Gorfinkle
David and Heidi Gotlib
Vera Grafova
Edith Helfand
Sophie Helfand
Todd and Cheryl Herman
Elliot and Betty Horowitz
Esther Kaplan *
Andrei and Juliana Klein
Alvin Kobrin
Alex and Sandra Koren
Ronni Krasny
Alan and Andrea Kreiss
Boris Kremer
Polina Kremer
Edward and Doreen Kristal
Judith Lederman-Lechan
Martin and Brenda Levin
Doris Levine
Stanley and Ilene Levine
Robert and Elizabeth Levinson
Vladimir and Faina Levitin
Anthony and Rachel Lewis
Myra Lubin
Paul Lubin
RoseAnn Markowitz *
Shelley Martin
Catherine Michael *
Judi Michelson *
Susan Mick *
Barbara Mickelson
Leah Nelson
Osna Nisson
Robert Nochimow
David Novick *
Burton and Marcia Parker
J. Leonard Perler
Shirley Picard
Abram and Sara Piratinskiy
Chris Raber
John Raber
Dr. Eric Radin
Drs. MC and Dora Rosenfield
Suzanne Rubin *
Meryl Russell
Bernice Russo
Dr. Roman Rutman
Harvey Salk
Rakhil Sapir
Daniel Schwartz
Mary Schwartz
Marjorie Seltzer
Frances Shuster
Irma Shuster
Millicent Shuster
Robbin Smith
Carol Smola
Warren and Carol Sterns
Anatoly and Irina Tokman *
Vera and Maria Vasilyeva
Dale Weber and Frank McDonough *
Judy Winet-Florent
Phillip and Sandra Zeitz
Beverly Zexter
* Reflects increased or new gift
We apologize for any inadvertent
errors. Please advise us of any corrections.