October 2019

Posted

In this issue

  • We Are Read in Israel

    Thursday, October 3, 2019

    We Are Read in Israel – Erica Denhoff of Brookline, Massachusetts, was recently at the Dead Sea in Israel. She is originally from Wickford. The photo was taken by Tammar Truzman.

  • Clean-up time!

    Thursday, October 3, 2019

    Staff members of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island participated in international coastal clean-up day Sept. 23 with Save the Bay at Blackstone Park.

  • Spreading joy!

    Thursday, October 3, 2019

    In Hebrew language class , under the direction of teacher Janice Rosenfield, the middle-school students at Providence Hebrew Day School created beautiful bi-lingual birthday cards for Sam Weinreich …

  • Not going to synagogue or fasting? You can still observe Yom Kippur

    Thursday, October 3, 2019

    (Alma via JTA) – Much to my mother’s dismay, I’m not fasting on Yom Kippur and I’m not going to synagogue. Why? Because I don’t believe in God. But despite my lack of …

  • Author offers in-depth look at Ben-Gurion

    Thursday, October 3, 2019

    Most of us grew up taking the nation of Israel for granted, but for nearly 1,900 years, Israel was only a fantasy.   It was not that long ago that most Jews thought there would never …

  • Hate fliers in Whitefish, Mont.

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    (JTA) – Fliers bearing white nationalist language and hate speech were circulated on Rosh Hashanah to businesses. “The hate literature was not only offensive in relation to the Jewish …

  • Cranston Seniors schedule activities

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Cranston Senior Guild’s next  meeting will take place Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 1 p.m. at the Phyllis Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence, 3 Shalom Drive, Warwick. There will be a short …

  • RI EMA awards security grants

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    The RI Emergency Management Agency recently awarded $150,000 in federal grant money under the FY2019 Department of Homeland Security Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to five nonprofits in the …

  • Israeli windsurfer takes silver medal

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    (JTA) – An Israeli windsurfer is one step closer to qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after earning the silver medal in the world championships. Katy Spychakov, 20, came in second Sept. …

  • Speaking tour highlights benefit of training exchange

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    WARWICK – “I ate the matzo, so I became a rabbi,” joked Rabbi Yossi Laufer on Sep. 13, at the start of the fourth stop on Rhode Island State Police Lt. Col. Joseph …

  • Founder and leader of Cameroon synagogue visits Rhode Island

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    In late August and early September, Betsalel Laurent Elouna, founder and leader of Beith Bnei Yeshouroun synagogue in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, visited Providence, staying for a week at the home of Rabbi Wayne and Anne Franklin.

  • Touro Fraternal Assn. announces student financial aid awards

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    CRANSTON – The Touro Fraternal Association has awarded Ariel Finkle, of East Greenwich, a $5,000 grant to help with college expenses. A freshman at the University of Rhode Island who is …

  • Be good to yourself – it’s part of doing business ethically

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Business almost always involves selling, which seems like a straightforward, simple task. But underneath the surface, selling is a highly complex skill that often involves values, trust and emotion. …

  • Tips for picking the right financial adviser

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    You’ve probably read the headlines about Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi schemes; about people who call themselves financial advisers but are really product-peddling salespeople, neither qualified …

  • Zachary and Shari Weinberger: Active and artful in Providence and Warren

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    When Zachary Weinberger and Shari Fishman met at Hunter College, in New York City, they had no idea of the extraordinary life together that awaited them. They quickly grew close, forming a bond …

  • The 8 must-read Jewish news stories of 5779

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    The Jewish calendar year 5779 was a turbulent and often painful one for Jews around the world. Mounting global anti-Semitism, two deadly American synagogue shootings and two (as yet) inconclusive Israeli elections in the space of just a few months were among the stories that defined and helped frame the communal discussion.

  • Arts Emanu-El presents ‘Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles’

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Since its premiere on Broadway on Sept. 22, 1965, “Fiddler on the Roof” has struck a chord with audiences: it has been shown somewhere in the world every single day since then. A …

  • New exhibit at Bunny Fain Gallery focuses on light, color

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    BARRINGTON – Temple Habonim hosted a wine and cheese reception on Sept. 8 to mark the opening of a new exhibit at The Bunny Fain Gallery. The show, which continues through Oct. 31, features …

  • The etrog is Judaism’s best kept wellness secret

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    (Alma via JTA) – For most Jews, the etrog, a thick-rinded citrus, is relegated to a fleeting, supporting role. Held beside the lulav (palm frond) once a year during the upcoming festival of …

  • 6 tips on eating before the Yom Kippur fast

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    (The Nosher via JTA) – Yom Kippur is one of the most, if not the most, important day on the Jewish calendar. For many Jews, fasting and being in synagogue is the focus of the …

  • All the things we have in common

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    At Bar Ilan University, I learned a conflict resolution exercise that I have since used in group settings. You start by picking a divisive topic. The participants gather on different sides of the …

  • Cruelty and heartbreak at the border

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    In May 2018, the news came out: our immigration system was separating parents from their children. As of June, the number was more than 2,300.   Like countless people, I was horrified and …

  • Memories of autumn in a bygone era

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    It is autumn. Sukkot is near. At our home, this meant we would soon be enjoying the lovely flavor of one of the fruits of the season – plums.   These were not the ordinary kinds …

  • Hamilton House: Where learning never ages

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Your editorial in the August issue (“Learning opportunities are all around us”) provided a great discussion about learning opportunities in our community. A hidden treasure that was not …

  • Friends once and forever

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    They were my Yale classmates and roommates long, long ago.  I took the train to New Haven for a trio reunion/rendezvous on a fine fall day, with egrets on the blue water under the azure …

  • Guns in our synagogues | The Response

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Last month, we asked two community members to offer a response to this statement: “To carry or not: Guns in the synagogue.” And we challenged readers to give us their viewpoint. Here is what you told us.

  • I’m part of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    PITTSBURGH (JTA) – Our sages teach us that “kol hatchalot kashot,” all beginnings are difficult. This phrase feels especially resonant this Rosh Hashanah.   The man …

  • ‘The Wise Men of Chelm’ reimagined

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    During my elementary school days in the 1950s, I attended religious school three days a week at Temple B’nai Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Elizabeth, New Jersey. When our teacher …

  • Celebrate the whole person, including the imperfections

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    “2715 Hits Eclipsed by One Miss” read the headline in the sports section  eulogizing baseball great Bill Buckner this past spring. The mishap in Game 6 of the ’86 World …

  • Campaign event features Ari Melber

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Breaking news is fast-paced and ever-changing. Now more than ever, the news out of our nation’s capital changes by the minute. And news from Washington is getting even more attention these …

  • Dr. Michael Fine: ‘The challenge of our politics is to see ourselves as one people’

    Wednesday, October 2, 2019

    Michael Fine, a past director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, is a physician, writer and community organizer. He is the chief health strategist for the city of Central Falls and the …