Jewish Eagle Scouts: Narragansett Council, 1923-1997

Jewish Rhode Islanders have been actively and proudly involved in Scouting even before the Boy Scouts of America came to the Ocean State in 1913. For example, Walter Adler (1897-1991) joined the Rhode Island Boy Scouts in 1911. Herman Galkin (1898-1979) was so devoted to Scouting that he organized and led at least five troops sponsored by Jewish organizations.

Over the decades, many synagogues sponsored Cub packs and Scout troops. The Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island (JORI) also sponsored a troop. In small towns and suburbs, many Jewish Scouts belonged to troops sponsored by schools and churches. 

In 1941, the Narragansett Council organized its Jewish Committee on Scouting.  Beginning in 1945, wherever they were based, hundreds of Jewish Scouts earned the Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) award for their knowledge of and devotion to Judaism.

For most Jewish Scouts and their leaders, a weekend, a week or a summer spent at Camp Yawgoog, in Rockville, Rhode Island, was a glorious experience.  Founded in 1916, Yawgoog is considered one of the nation’s finest Scout “adventurelands.” Since 1949, it has had two Jewish chapels as well as other facilities donated by Jewish families. Rabbi Sol Goodman is the latest of Yawgoog’s long line of Jewish chaplains.

Help identify Jewish teenagers who earned Scouting’s highest honor but are missing from the Narragansett Council’s roster.  (This list is based on recipients of the Ner Tamid award, members of Jewish-sponsored troops, and Jewish-sounding surnames.)

Contact George Goodwin at geomgood@aol.com or Anne Sherman at the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association at 401-331-1360. A more complete and up-to-date list of Eagles will be published in the 2015 issue of Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes, which has published several articles about Scouting.

Jay Abraham, Troop 66, Garden City – 1977

Wayne C. Abram, Troop 96, Warwick – 1996

Jordan S. Abrams, Troop 2, East Greenwich –1939

Kenneth L. Abrams, Troop 8, Cranston – 1970

Mark S. Abrams, Troop 20, Providence –1969

Mark J. Adler, Troop 66, Garden City – 1979

Matthew Y. Adler, Troop 66, Garden City – 1984

Steven B. Adler, Troop 66, Garden City – 1982

Toby Alterman, Troop 40, Providence – 1957

Donald Aron, Troop 14, Providence – 1948

Jay B. Aron, Troop 1, Pilgrim Park – 1969

Robert Berkelhammer, Troop 15, Providence – 1965

David Berlinsky, Troop 14, Cranston – 1971

Everett Berlinsky, Troop 14, Cranston – 1940

Richard K. Berlinsky, Troop 14, Crompton – 1977

Marc A. Berman, Troop 49, Lakewood – 1997

Harvey M. Bernstein, Troop 82, Providence – 1932

Jack Bernstein, Troop 82, Providence – 1926

Larry Bernstein, Troop 82, Providence – 1976

Brock D. Bierman, Troop 61, Warwick – 1982

Alan W. Blazar, Troop 20, Providence – 1968

Marc W. Blazar, Troop 20, Providence – 1963

Carl S. Bloom, Troop 5, East Providence – 1984

Eric R. Bloom, Troop 5, East Providence – 1983

Gregory P. Bloom, Troop 82, Portsmouth –1986

Jason M. Bloom, Troop 7, Bristol – 1995

Robert E. Bloom, Troop 12, Oakland Beach – 1973

Donald Blumenthal, Troop 1, Pilgrim Park – 1964

Eric Bolusky, Troop 40, Providence – 1964

Howard B. Bromberg, Troop 20, Providence – 1966

Malcolm Bromberg, Troop 20, Providence – 1941

Seth Chernick, Troop 20, Providence – 1973

Warren S. Chernick, Troop 3, East Providence – 1943

David M. Cohen, Troop 1, Kingston – 1987

Gregory A. Cohen, Troop 1, Coventry – 1988

John M. Cohen, Troop 1,

Gaspee Plateau – 1954

Scott Cohen, Troop 8, Barrington – 1993

Earl Cohn, Troop 10, Providence – 1939

Jeffrey G. Cokin, Troop 40, Providence – 1965

Norman J. Cowen, Troop 20, Providence – 1947

Harlan Espo, Troop Unknown – 1968

Alan R. Feinberg, Troop Unknown – 19??

Jonathan L. Feinstein, Troop 20, Providence – 1971

Mark Felder, Troop 20, Providence – 1974

Howard Feldman, Troop 17, Cranston – 1964

Maurice N. Feingold, Troop 20, Providence – 1948

Norbert Fleisig, Troop 20, Cranston – 1954

Julio Friedman, Troop 6, Barrington – 1984

Saul Friedman, Troop 10, Providence – 1930

Robert Gershkoff, Troop 18, Cranston – 1940

David Gerstenblatt, Troop 20, Providence – 1954

Andrew M. Glucksman, Troop 10, Warwick – 1990

Alfred L. Goldberg, Troop 40, Providence – 1957

Kenneth Golden, Troop 86, Providence – 1972

Ronald J. Golden, Troop 17, Warwick – 1969

Lewis Goldenberg, Troop 40, Providence – 1959

Alan Goldman, Troop 33, Providence – 1948

Kenneth Goldshine, Troop 14, Providence – 1945

Abraham Goldstein, Troop 5, Providence – 1923

Jonathan D. Goldstein, Troop 1, Kingston – 1987

Stephen Goldstein, Troop 1, Buttonwoods – 1959

Stephen Goldstein, Troop 82, Providence – 1972

Stuart Goldstein, Troop 3, Cranston – 1973

Stephen A. Gordon, Troop 40, Providence – 1960

William Gould, Troop 40, Providence – 1959

Irwin A. Graubart, Troop 50, Providence – 1936

Steven R. Green, Troop 20, Providence – 1973

Howard Greenberg, Troop 1, Governor Francis – 1973

Melvin Greenberg, Troop 14, Providence – 1945

Michael Greenspan, Troop 10, Providence – 1946

Craig S. Grossman, Troop 4, Barrington – 1963

Richard C. Grossman, Troop 50, Providence – 1947

Alan D. Harlam, Troop 20, Providence – 1976

Gary I. Harlam, Troop 104, Providence – 1984

Mark Hochberg, Troop Unknown – 1961

Howard L. Hochman, Troop 8, Cranston – 1969

Melvin Hoffman, Troop 50, Providence – 1946

Richard N. Hoffman, Troop 31, Crompton – 1971

Robert Hoffman, Troop 31, Crompton – 1972

Kenneth E. Hoffman, Jr. – 1997

Murray Horovitz, Troop 14, Providence – 1944

Harold M. Horwitz, Troop 40, Providence – 1958

Joshua E. Israel, Troop Unknown – 1991

Mark S. Jacob, Troop 1, Central Falls – 1970

George P. Jacobs, Troop 82, Portsmouth – 1974

Eric R. Jacobson, Troop 3, Newport – 1984

Karl R. Jacobson, Troop 3, Newport – 1985

Aaron L. Kahn, Troop 66, Garden City – 1996

Joel A. Kahn, Troop 66, Garden City – 1990

Ronald S. Kahn, Troop 44, Providence – 1963

Seth B. Kahn, Troop 8, Cranston – 1996

Jay Katznelson, Troop 20, Providence – 1971

Bruce J. Kaufman, Troop 1, Diamond Hill – 1983

David Kern, Troop 40, Providence– 1964

Jordan B. Kirschenbaum, Troop 50, Providence – 1947

Edward Krasner, Troop 4, Cranston – 1973

Jay Krasner, Troop 14, Cranston – 1969

John S. Krasner, Troop 13, Rehoboth – 1981

Robert Krasner, Troop 50, Providence – 1947

Stanley Leibo, Troop 20, Providence – 1950

Phillip Lerner, Troop 40, Providence – 1963

Steven Lerner, Troop 40, Providence – 1960

David R. Miller, Troop 40, Providence – 196

Richard Miller, Troop 40, Providence – 1966

Stanley A. Miller, Troop 40, Providence – 1964

Bruce D. Nelson, Troop 40, Providence – 1957

Richard Paisner, Troop 20, Providence – 1963

Neal H. Paster, Troop 20, Providence – 1965

Robert S. Paster, Troop 20, Providence – 1966

Paul R. Persky, Troop 20, Providence – 1966

Edward Robin, Troop 20, Providence – 1950

Douglas Ross, Troop 40, Providence – 1965

Jeffrey A. Ross, Troop 20, Providence – 1967

David C. Rothman, Troop 20, Providence – 1944

Jack Rotman, Troop 20, Providence – 1940

Stanley Rotman, Troop 20, Providence – 1940

Alan F. Sadow, Troop 20, Providence – 1950

David A. Schechter, Troop 20, Providence – 1958

Gerald R. Schneider, Troop 40, Providence – 1958

Ira Schoolman, Troop 10, Providence – 1954

Richard A. Schuster, Troop 20, Providence – 1979

Rene Sternau, Troop 40, Providence – 1961

Mitchell Sugarman, Troop 20, Providence – 1943

Jeffrey Swartz, Troop 40, Providence – 1961

Peter M. Swartz, Troop 40, Providence – 1957

Carles L. Traugott, Troop 20, Providence – 1969

Steven Weisman, Troop 40, Providence – 1958

Fred Wertheimer, Troop 20, Providence – 1973

Peter Workman, Troop 20, Providence –1952

GEORGE GOODWIN, a member of Temple Beth-El in Providence, has edited the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Notes for more than 10 years.