HIWP Bulletin Summer 2012 - Hebrew Institute of White Plains

 Summer 5772/2012 Over 200 Honor
Levines, Dunns and Kamerman
Update on HIWP Facility Planning
A total of 206 persons attended the synagogue’s
62nd annual testimonial on Sunday evening, May 20th that
honored Debra Kamerman, Roxanne and Eric Levine, and
Wendy and Brandon Dunn for their outstanding service to
the Hebrew Institute and Jewish education.
In early 2011, the Board of Directors created the Centennial Committee, led by Todd Stern, and charged it with
considering options for the HIWP's future facility needs.
Specifically, the Centennial Committee's charge was to
determine whether or not the synagogue should seriously
consider moving to a new location.
Co-presidents
Beth Hurvitz and
Deborah Weinberger set the tone for
the event. Ms.
Hurvitz pointed out
that “Eric and Roxanne are devoted
to promoting Torah education and
Jewish
identity.
Brandon
and
Wendy
have
Honorees l to r: Debra Kamerman,
brought us new
Wendy and Brandon Dunn,
ways to observe
Roxanne and Eric Levine
and connect with
Judaism,
and
Debra’s leadership has helped to make so many successful
events, like this one, happen.”
Ms. Weinberger noted that the dinner’s theme was
Yom Yerushalayim, “as each of us feels an unwavering
commitment to Yerushalayim and Israel in general.”
A sad moment occurred when Ellen Ungar, the first
presenter, revealed that Debra Kamerman’s grandmother,
Lillian Jacobs, died earlier in the day at the age of 102.
Mrs. Jacobs had been an inspirational figure who established the tradition of community service in Debra’s family.
“She was very proud of you for receiving this honor tonight,” Ellen said.
Continued on page 12
The Committee reviewed previous efforts over the past
ten years aimed at examining renovation and relocation
options. These efforts included: exploring the feasibility
of acquiring the "Sassower" property (located next to Kol
Ami) in 2000; a plan to renovate the existing 20 Greenridge facility, undertaken in 2006-2007; and the acquisition of the church property located in between Temple
Israel and Bet Am Shalom, in 2010.
As many will recall, there were several reasons that the
acquisition of the Sassower property was not advanced,
chief among them that our congregation was divided over
the location of the property and the impact the relocation
would have on members.
The preliminary 20 Greenridge renovation plan produced
by the firm PKSB Architects in 2006 was designed with
input from multiple constituencies throughout the membership, although it was never formally presented to the
congregation. It was suspended as a result of the economic downturn — a time when undertaking an expensive renovation seemed both infeasible and imprudent.
A brief exploration of the acquisition of the church property to the immediate south of Temple Israel Center in
Continued on page 13
In this issue…
From the Rabbi’s Desk
Israeli Day Highlights
From the Co-Presidents
Youth News
Meet the B’nei Mitzvah
2
3
4
5
6
Transitions
7
Mazal Tov to our Graduates 8
Saying Thank You
9
Trip to Mexico
10 -11
Women’s Rosh Chodesh
11
Family News
We Mourn the Loss
Gifts & Contributions
Our Advertisers
HIWP Events
14
15
16-18
19
20
Page 2
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
20 Greenridge Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
www.hiwp.org
Tel: 914.948.3095 Fax: 914.949.4676
Rabbi: Chaim Marder: rabbi@hiwp.org
Chazzan: Yitzy Spinner: chazzan@hiwp.org
Rabbi Emeritus: Murray Grauer
Cantor Emeritus: Eli Berlinger: Rabbinic Intern/
Youth Rabbi: Mordechai Harris
RabbiMoredchai@hiwp.org
Youth Rabbi: Alon Meltzer: rabbialon@hiwp.org
Congregational Intern: Ruthie Braffman
Ruthie@hiwp.org
Congregational Intern: Rivka Soltoff
Rivka@hiwp.org
Shabbat Group Coordinator: Mordechai Harris
Administrator: Teri Kopp: teri@hiwp.org
Co-Presidents Beth Hurvitz /Deborah Weinberger:
president@hiwp.org
Executive Officers—Management Committee
Synagogue Co-President ~ Deborah Weinberger
Synagogue Co-President ~ Beth Hurvitz
Vice President ~ Todd Stern
Secretary ~ Ari Walisever
Treasurer ~ Alan Schulman
Senior Gabbai ~ Doug Hirshon
House Officer ~ Paul Orentlicher
Programming Officer ~ Meira Orentlicher
Women’s Focus Officer ~ Vicky Rubenovitch-Fish
Fund Raising Officer ~Keith Reich
HIWP Committees 2011-12
































Adult Education – Michah Gottlieb, Jess Olson
Bikur Cholim – Len Weinstein
Book Club - Audrey Reich
Bulletin – Diana Gitig, Milt Hoffman
Café night – Jon Madof, Todd Stern
Calendar – Jean Hurvitz
Chavurot – Todd Stern
Chesed – Kara Olsen
CPR/Blood Drive – Marc Guthartz
Exploratory Services – Brandon Dunn
Finance/Investment – Alan Schulman
High Holiday Seating – Teddy Ganzarski,
Jonathan Goodblatt
House – Paul Orentlicher, Mick Gilbert
Israel Action – John Lightstone
Journal – Liz Gabor, Cari Rosenberg
Kiddush – Helen Epstein, David Rosen,
David Kahn
Leisure Thursday – Marilyn Berkowitz,
Jonathan Goodblatt, Bernie Scheiman
Membership – Jerusha Coltof, Rena Rosen
New Baby Meals – Erica Fish
New member event - Rebecca Wolf
Oneg – David Siegel
Programming – Meira Orentlicher, Kara Olson
Religious Services – Gadi Romm
Security – Terence Schwartz
Shiva Meals – Debbie Guthartz, Suzie Marder
Testimonial Dinner – Audrey Reich, Judy Grant
Thrift Shop – Deborah Weinberger
Website – Jon Madof, Dan Hazony, David Kahn
Women’s Rosh Chodesh – Lara Siegel,
Liat Altman
Women’s Tefillah – Michelle Brody,
Carmella Abraham
Youth Committee – Alex Kahn
Youth Outreach – Jana Romm
FROM THE RABBI’S DESK
by Rabbi Chaim Marder
No More Putting Off Dealing With Procrastinating
If you are a “meet the deadline” kind of person, I can be a frustrating rabbi to deal with. Anyone who has managed the shul bulletin will attest to that. There are no hard feelings, no ill will towards me, I hope; I
know that it can’t be easy for someone who gets it done today to rely on
the work of someone who often waits until tomorrow.
I have many good excuses. I teach classes. I meet with people. I’m
blessed with an active and large family (Baruch Hashem). I sometimes
need to deal with emergent situations that really do mean that some things
don’t get done when they were supposed to. But I also know that I have a
tendency not to tackle it head on, but rather to allow it to percolate in the
inner creative zone for a bit too long.
A few months ago, a friend and colleague sent me to a book entitled Getting Things Done. It’s a book about just that. Its premise is that far
too many things remain in our active memory, and we just get overwhelmed by that. The cure is not therapy (although that might be helpful
too); it’s in developing methods for organizing tasks, projects, ideas, life in
ways that are easily accessible, and engagable, while reserving (and preserving) the active brain for the productive work that it is meant to do. It
seems like a great book.
Here’s my problem: I have it on my night-stand next to my bed. For
a week or two, I read it at night before drifting to sleep. That’s a good way
to read poetry or fiction, but not the best way to ponder and activate an
overhaul of the way one goes about every element of his work and larger
life. So, I’ve made a decision — I’m going to devote some of my summer
to that book and its insights. Or, put another way — I’ve put off dealing
with my procrastinating until July.
The irony is not lost on me. But there was no better way to do the
work until things (hopefully) quiet down a bit. That work will join the many
other projects I plan to tackle. Many books to read, Torah to study, material to prepare, and a planning for the year ahead — alongside personal
development goals. The summer will pass by too quickly I know, and I do
worry that even then the challenges of each day will threaten the bigger
work I hope to engage in. Worse, though, than accomplishing only a portion of my summer goals would be not setting any goals — big ones or
small — at all.
Summer is a great time to slow down and be (even though the
work continues). As you relax this summer, take on a personal challenge,
something worth doing, some better way of being. Let’s check in with each
other on Labor Day, or perhaps as we lead up to Rosh Hashanah.
Whether I will be a changed man or not, I hope I will be a little better off.
And I hope I won’t have put it all off for another year. I hope the same for
you as well.
With blessings for a productive summer!
Chaim Marder
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 3
HIWP celebrated Israel’s 64th birthday
with multiple events
The celebration began with a Shabbaton featuring
Rabbi Sharon Shalom, an oleh from Ethiopia who
now serves as a Rav of one of the Tzohar Open
communities in Kiryat Gat. Members welcomed
Rabbi Shalom into the community with a tasty Israeli style Friday night dinner, and the community
was treated to three engaging and enlightening
talks highlighting the Ethiopian immigrant culture
and experience in Israel.
Rabbi Sharon
Shalom
The Annual Yom HaAtzmaut Barbeque the following Wednesday
was a resounding success with over 140 attendees. The evening
started with a special tefillah in commemoration of Yom HaZikaron. Due to the threat of inclement weather, the BBQ that followed was moved inside to the social hall, but that didn’t hamper
the celebration. The highlight of the evening was a Human Bingo
game, where participants mingled and learned all sorts of fascinating facts about members, young and old. Do you know who at
HIWP had their Bat Mitzvah in Israel, or who climbed Ein Gedi?
The Programming Committee would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped to put together a fantastic week: Kara Olson
(chair); Master Grillers Joey Stalbow, Teddy Ganzarski, Todd
Stern, and Dan Lehman; Denise Hurvitz for the fantastic game;
David Rosen, Mitchell and Roger Nadel, Willa Swiller, Vicky
Rubenovitz-Fish, Suzy Toporovsky, Amy Ament, and Diana Gitig
for food prep, set up, and help at the door; Jon Madof for the flyers; and of course Herber, Teri, and the whole office staff.
HIWP
Board of Directors
2011-2012
Liat Altman
Jonathon Ament
Alexis Berkowitz
Ira Berkowitz
Josh Chadajo
Abie Gabor
Debbie Guthartz
Doug Hirshon
Milton Hoffman
Beth Hurvitz
Alex Kahn
David Listman
Alan Neustadter
Kara Olson
Meira Orentlicher
Paul Orentlicher
Keith Reich
Gadi Romm
Rena Rosen
Nicola Rosenstock
Vicky Rubenovitch-Fish
Alan Schulman
Bennett Silverman
Joey Stalbow
Todd Stern
Dean Ungar
Jonathan Waitman
Ari Walisever
Deborah Weinberger
HIWP Bulletin Staff : Milton Hoffman, Leah Weitzman, Meira Orentlicher and Teri Kopp
Managing Editor: Diana Gitig
Contributing Writers: Rabbi Chaim Marder, Deborah Weinberger, Beth Hurvitz, Rabbi Mordechai Harris, Shira
Marder,
Doris Dreyfuss, Kara Olson, Lara Siegel and Milton Hoffman
Photographer: Deborah Weinberger
We welcome photos, articles and information for inclusion in the bulletin.
Submissions can be sent via email to dmgitig@verizon.net or mailed to the HIWP office ATTN: TERI.
All articles are subject to editing.
Page 4
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
A Message From The Co-Presidents
Beth Hurvitz and Deborah Weinberger
It is hard to believe that another
HIWP fiscal year is coming to an end
and our annual meeting is approaching. It seems like yesterday that we
were sitting at our last annual meeting
voting in this slate of officers. It has
been a privilege to serve as CoPresidents this past year.
Last year we laid out four main focus
areas: sustaining and building membership, increasing our volunteer
community, creating an action plan to
enhance our physical space, and
maintaining financial solvency. We
are happy to say that our HIWP community has made progress in all of
these areas.
Sustaining and building membership
is not just increasing the number of
congregants; it is increasing participation from each congregant and ensuring that HIWP is meeting the needs of
our diverse community. We are happy
to report that 19 new households
have joined our kehillah this year. We
have also celebrated 15 B’nei and
B’not Mitzvah and 10 new babies. But
equally important, we have had wonderful and diverse programs throughout the year. Think back with us to our
Sukkot Dinner at the Shuk, Post Chanukah Game Night, Purim Carnival,
Yom HaAtzmaut (inside) BBQ and
Annual Dinner. We also had many
learning opportunities including the
Rabbi’s classes, Shabbat speakers,
Lehrhauses, Chavurot, Isha L’Isha
book group meetings, Shabbat
Onegs, and Tikkun Layl Shavuot
(congratulations to those who made it
all night!). We have had ongoing programs focused on specific sections of
our community including Women’s
Tefillah, Leisure Thursday, and our
youth programs; and we have had
other programs, like Café night, just to
have fun and enjoy each other. As we
are members of our larger Jewish
community we participated in Israel
Action initiatives and five Synagogues
of White Plains events, and we hosted
the Yachad and SAR Shabbatons.
We have continued to try to enhance
our davening experience with instrumental Tefillah, family Kabbalat
Shabbat, exploratory services, and
new practices such as inviting our
children to join us for concluding
services and closing the social hall
during services to decrease the
noise. We reached out to those in
need through Bikur Cholim, Shiva
meals, and baby meals. And we
improved communication within and
outside our community with our new
website. It was a wonderful year but
we can do even better next year. If
you have any input on existing or
new programs/practices/outreach,
please let either of us know.
None of this would have been possible without our wonderful volunteers. We are a fairly small synagogue that relies on volunteers for
virtually everything. Every program,
every event, even our day-to-day
operations has an army of volunteers behind it. If you are reading
this and have volunteered for anything, we thank you. And if you
haven’t, we ask for just a small
amount of your time volunteering
for something that you are passionate about, or want to improve, or
just think would be fun. In this bulletin there is a list of our committees
and committee chairpeople. There
is something for everyone. There
are so many people to thank that it
would take up way too much space
in this bulletin. But there are a couple of people who support all of us
selflessly every week, and they deserve our special thanks. Terence
Schwartz takes all of our security
personally and organizes the shomrim and so much more. Doug Hirshon, Gadi Romm and the other
Gabbayim ensure that all of our
services run smoothly and everyone participates. Paul Orentlicher,
our house officer, is constantly
working to fix and upgrade our
building. Meira Orentlicher, our programming officer, and her programming committee oversee all pro-
gramming. And Helen Epstein, David
Rosen, and Mitchell and Roger Nadel
work every week to ensure we have a
Kiddush. We’d like to thank Helen for
running the Kiddush committee for
many, many years. We will miss you
Helen as you move to a new community. We don’t know how we will get
along without you!
As we grow, the limitations of our
physical space become more noticeable. While we have made basic upgrades (e.g. painting downstairs, fixing
the steps to the Thrift shop, installing
security cameras, etc.), the larger
question needs to be addressed. The
HIWP Facility Planning Committee
has been formed under the leadership
of Todd Stern. Please read the article
in this bulletin about this committee
and the decisions that have been
made leading up to its creation. Thank
you Todd for taking on this very large
task.
And our final focus area is financial
solvency. We are happy to say that we
finished this fiscal year better than
budget and have submitted a balanced budget for 2012-2013. Thank
you to Alan Schulman for your tireless
work on maintaining the budget and
finding creative ways to decrease
costs. Thank you also to Keith Reich,
our fundraising officer, for trying new
ways to bring in money and for so
much more. Keith is celebrating his
13th year on the board and 10th year
on the Management Committee. And
lastly, thank you to the ladies of the
Thrift Shop, as their increased revenue has really helped. The Thrift shop
brought in over $30,000 this year (way
over our budgeted $16,000). As you
may or may not know, our dues cover
less than half of our budget, so please
give where you can, for a specific program/need or just to HIWP overall.
It really has been a great year and we
are looking forward to an even better
one in 2012-2013!
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 5
A Message from the Youth Rabbi
Mordechai Harris
As the youth programming at HIWP winds
down and the 2011-2012 academic year comes
to a close, I look back fondly over my last two
years spent in our wonderful community. Despite
the fact that my family and I are moving to the
next phase in our personal journey, we know we
forever have a home in White Plains with the Hebrew Institute. Along with the personal sense of
gratitude we’d like to convey to the entire community for the amazing support we’ve received as a
family over these past two years, and for all the
individuals who have helped me to grow in my
path to the rabbinate, I’d really like to use this final bulletin piece to reflect on what we have accomplished together in such a brief time, and to
give Chizuk for the even stronger future that I’m
confident lies ahead for HIWP’s youth.
Two accomplishments in particular, I believe, strongly lay the foundation for the continued
sustainment and future growth of our shul’s youth
programming. The first is the successful implementation of a youth committee filled with dedicated and knowledgeable individuals. The consistent care and effort put forth by the youth committee cannot be underscored enough in the impact
it has made, and will continue to make in the future. When I arrived in White Plains the vision for
youth programming was carried by individuals
only and being formulated in the moment, event
by event. As I prepare to leave, there is a fantastic body of dreamers and achievers to carry the
torch, articulate a well thought out long term vision, insure consistency between Youth Rabbis,
and provide the foundation and underpinning to a
vibrant youth centric culture at HIWP. Our children are well cared for in their hands.
The other pieces that will pay dividends for
years in the future are the shifts in culture and
practice that have occurred in the Shabbat Morning Groups. While the full vision for what these
groups can be is still a little ways off in the future,
the conscience change in Groups culture has
taken root. Particularly in the younger groups
where our children have had the advantage of
being “raised” in the new system, we have
been successful in turning play groups into
spiritual and educational spaces. As these
kids continue to grow up, they will bring with
them this changed expectation of Groups into
the ever older age groups, and complete the
culture transformation.
A tremendous amount of credit for
these positive changes lies with the Teen
Group Leaders who bought into the dream of
what groups could be, and who worked hard
to implement their training into their work and
improve their program. While we are going to
miss a few of our star group leaders as they
graduate and head out to college, overall, the
teen leaders are actually quite young, and will
continue to provide strong leadership for several more years to come, after which time the
new leaders will ultimately be from the very
crop of kids currently benefiting from the improved Groups structure. Indeed, there is a
bright future ahead.
Certainly, there are other achievements
that could be spoken about, but my goal is not
to dwell on what was, but rather to look forward to the bright future ahead. While my family and I will miss the youth, families, and
friends we have come to love at HIWP, it is
nice to leave knowing that the time I was privileged to spend here was spent well, and that
the community is in a great position to build on
our joint accomplishments. Thank you for the
opportunity to be a part of all of your lives.
B’Ahava,
Mordechai
Page 6
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
Meet the B’Nei Mitzvah
Alex Feldman
Ayelet Marder
On Shabbat June 2nd Alexandra Talia Feldman became a
Bat Mitzvah. Alex layned Parshat
Naso and the Haftorah at a
Women’s Tefillah service and
then gave her D’var Torah to the
congregation. She celebrated with her parents
Marina and Marik Feldman, her brother Evin
and sister Nina, both sets of grandparents, and
aunts, uncles and cousins. She also celebrated
at a party with her friends and family on the
Sunday following services. Alex has been a
member of Hebrew Institute for the past seven
years and has enjoyed being part of the community.
Alex’s dvar Torah to the congregation
focused on how the life of a Nazir brings one
closer to G-d, and what we learn from the life of
Shimshon. She said that overall Nazirut is all
about appreciation; once we give something up
we can appreciate it more and therefore grow
closer to G-d. The life of Shimshon teaches us
about how to not “judge a book by its cover”
and to realize that we each have a mission in
life. This rings true for Alex as she becomes a
Bat Mitzvah and grows to be a part of the Jewish community.
Alex attends Solomon Schechter School
of Westchester and will be entering 7th grade in
September. During the summer she attends
camp Modin and enjoys spending time with her
family. Her interests include theater, dancing
and playing the piano. She also likes to ride her
bike, sing and spend time with friends.
Ayelet Marder
celebrated her BatMitzvah on June 16th,
Parshat Shelach.
Ayelet loved having the
opportunity to read the
Parsha and Haftarah at
our Women's Tefilla. Having her sisters help lead
davening and her extended family (along with the
entire HIWP community) join in the celebration
were highlights. The morning in shul was aculmination of a series of experiences which included a
special pre-Bat-Mitzvah trip to Israel with her father, a trip which she referenced in her Shabbat
morning dvar Torah.
Ayelet is finishing sixth grade at Westchester Day School, where she is lucky to have
awesome friends and great teachers. She looks
forward each summer to her time at Camp Stone
and has made friends there from all over the
world. She is an impressive basketball player and
was the MVP for the Hebrew Institute team this
past year as its point guard. With her broad smile,
Ayelet shares positive energy with everyone she
engages. Add to that a caring and loving soul,
and you have a very special young woman in
Ayelet.
Mazal Tov to Ayelet and the entire Marder
family.
Mazal Tov to the following on
their Bar and Bat Mitzvah’s!
Jordan Blum
Jesse Blumenfeld
Akiva Listman
Gabrielle Sadinoff
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Transitions
Moving on to wonderful
new opportunities
The Hebrew Institute has had the
great fortune of having two wonderful
people serve our community these
past two years. We wish them the
best as they now head off to new
endeavors.
Rabbi Mordechai Harris has been
our youth rabbi, devoted to our children in any and all ways. He has
made a deep impact on the whole
community. During his time at the Hebrew Institute, he created exciting
programs, bolstered our Shabbat
morning youth program, and cultivated lasting relationships with our
children and teens. In addition, we
have seen him develop as a rabbinic
intern in so many wonderful ways.
Mazal tov to Mordechai on receiving
his smichah from YCT Rabbinical
School earlier this month. We wish
him, along with Nisa and Pliyah,
much success in their new position at
the Baron Hirsch Synagogue in Memphis, Tennessee.
Nisa, Pliyah and Mordechai Harris
Ruthie Braffman has served as congregational intern to our community.
She has engaged us in study in both
formal and informal settings, in shul
and in our homes, and has made a
real impression on so many people in
the kehillah. It was so wonderful to
see her grow as a teacher to all ages,
and as a mentor to our b’not mitzvah.
Ruthie recently received her Masters
in Talmud from the GPATS program at Yeshiva University. Next
year, she and Danny will be spending the year studying in Israel.
We will say farewell to Mordechai
on the Shabbat of July 14th, and to
Ruthie on July 21st.
Danny Shulman & Ruthie Braffman
Page 7
guests over for Shabbat and enjoying
good times.
They are excited to meet our community when they spend Shabbat here
the weekend of June 23rd (there will
be a “meet and greet” oneg with them
Shabbat afternoon), and to making
their home here in White Plains.
Alon, daughter Daliah and Linsay
Meltzer
… and welcome!
We are pleased to welcome Alon
and Linsay Meltzer. Alon will be
joining our staff this August as
youth rabbi for the coming year.
Alon and Linsay hail from Auckland,
New Zealand. Alon grew up there
and met Linsay when she moved
from South Africa with her family.
They ventured to New York in order
to attend Yeshiva University's
Smicha program; Alon is entering
its 3rd year.
In March their first child, Daliah,
was born and they are excited that
they are able to give her the opportunity of starting her life in the suburbs with a community to call home.
Both Alon and Linsay have much
experience with children and youth.
They were madrichim in Bnei Akiva,
ran Bar and Bat Mitzvah Programs
in their shul, and were very involved
in a number of other areas of the
community.
They both look forward to becoming
involved within the Hebrew Institute
of White Plains and engaging our
youth (and people of all ages), running leadership activities, having
In addition, we welcome Rivka Soltoff on board as our new congregational intern. Rivka is a fellow in the
Graduate Program for Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS) at Yeshiva
University as well as a Master’s candidate in the Bible department of the
Bernard Revel Graduate School of
Jewish Studies. She received a B.A.
in Philosophy from Temple University
and is an alumna of Midreshet Nishmat. Rivka has worked as both a Jewish and secular studies educator for
several years. She is looking forward
to being part of the HIWP community
and learning together with us over the
next year!
Rivka Soltoff
Page 8
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
MAZAL TOV TO OUR GRADUATES!
Hannah Cohen, daughter of Marcy & Daniel Cohen, 8th grade, Westchester Day School
Jacob Cohen, grandson of Kay & Arnold Cohen, 8th grade, Bi-Cultural School
Naomi Cohen, daughter of Marcy & Daniel Cohen, 5th grade, Westchester Day School
Nethaniel Cohen, son of Stephanie & Eric Cohen, Westchester Day School Ganon
Yakira Cohen, granddaughter of Kay & Arnold Cohen, 8th grade, SAR Academy
Jeremy Gabor, son of Liz & Abie Gabor, 8th grade, Carmel Academy
Jesse Gabor, son of Liz & Abie Gabor, 5th grade, Solomon Schechter School
Meira Gilbert, daughter of Lisa & Mick Gilbert, 8th grade, Carmel Academy
Ariella Goldman, daughter of Shira Goldman and stepdaughter of David Listman, 8th grade, SAR Academy
Max Goren, son of Rae Merlin & David Goren, Ostrovsky High School
Tori Grant, daughter of Judy & Gil Grant, Solomon Schechter High School
Mordechai Harris, husband of Nisa Harris, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
Dana Hoffman, granddaughter of Milton Hoffman, Princeton University
Rafi Kubersky, son of Carmella Abraham & Steven Kubersky, 8th grade, SAR Academy
Benjy Lieman, grandson of Audrey & Alan Schulman, Yeshiva University High School/MTA
Jacob Madof, son of Jonna Revitz & Jon Madof, Temple Israel Center Nursery School
Julia Malits, daughter of Bella Malits, Solomon Schechter High School
Doni Marder, son of Suzie and Rabbi Chaim Marder, Westchester Day School Ganon
Beruria Olson, daughter of Kara & Jess Olson, Westchester Day School Ganon
Rebecca Rimsky, daughter of Marilyn Kneller-Rimsky & Neil Rimsky, Solomon Schechter High School
Michael Rosenberg, son of Cari & Simon Rosenberg, University of Maryland
Abigail Schwartz, daughter of Marsha Croland & Barry Schwartz, Westchester Hebrew High School
Amitai Schwartz, grandson of Debbie & Stephen Schwartz, Turner Second Generation School
Jessica Schwartz, daughter of Lisa & Terence Schwartz, Scarsdale High School
Teddy Stalbow, son of Tami & Joey Stalbow, Binghamton University
Zachary Ungar, son of Ellen & Dean Ungar, SAR High School
Oriyan Weinberger, daughter of Deborah & Jay Weinberger, Westchester Day School Ganon
Matthew Werner, son of Diane & Michael Werner, Westchester Hebrew High School
Sophie Zimbalist, daughter of Julia & David Zimbalist, 8th grade, Scarsdale Middle School
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 9
Saying Thank You to Your Parents after 73 Years
By Doris Dreyfuss
How does one do this when your parents gave you away to a French organization, OSE
Ovevre des Secure des Enfant (Save the Children), when you were 2 ½ years old and your sister
Bertha was 4?
For many years my husband Leo wondered why he and 5000 Jewish children, including his
sister Bertha, were saved while other children were murdered. In 2000, we attended an OSE meeting for the first time in Washington DC. Leo learned that his parents Whilem and Clara became
aware that children could be saved if they were taken out of the camps and the parents signed
away their rights. Leo was always crying because he was hungry. Food was almost nonexistent.
His parents hoped by giving their precious children to OSE, the children would be spared.
On March 21, 2012 we were invited to SAR to view the film “Names not Numbers”. Our
friend Stefa Hason was very involved in the making of this film. Yaira Kobin and Abigail Shay interviewed Leo, one of six survivors interviewed for the program. Our own Rafi Kubersky, a student at
SAR, interviewed another survivor.
We began the evening by viewing the poster boards displayed in the lobby, sharing information about each survivor. Leo’s included the last letter his mother had written to her sister Recha in
NY, who had saved all of her sister’s correspondence. We then had a delicious dinner in the cafeteria served by SAR students. We sat with Abigail’s parents. They really appreciated that their
daughter had the opportunity to interview Leo. When the meal was over, they gave us flowers for
Shabbat and biscotti for Pesach. What a loving family!
After dinner we proceeded to the auditorium for the program. Leo had not see the film until
that time. It was very traumatic. The film opens with a portrait of his mother Clara, a beautiful
woman, and centers on saying “thank you” to his parents.
As our personal thank you to both our
friend Stefa Hason, who survived in a D.P. camp, and to SAR, Leo and I have established and annual fund for Holocaust education and activities. In June, we will travel to Paris to attend a centennial celebration of this wonderful organization that has saved the lives of Jewish children; look for
my recap of that experience in the next bulletin!
Shalom,
Doris M. Dreyfuss
RECYCLE YOUR GENTLY-USED FURNITURE AND HELP FAMILIES IN NEED:
Do you have good condition gently-used furniture to get rid of? Donate it to Furniture
Sharehouse, Westchester’s Furniture Bank, and they will distribute it DIRECTLY free of charge to
Westchester families in need – those moving out of homeless shelters, escaping domestic violence, reuniting after foster care or struggling to overcome tough times or natural disasters, like
fires and floods. Since 2007, Furniture Sharehouse has provided
over 24,000 items of free furniture to over 4,700 people who couldn’t
afford to furnish their empty apartments.
Go to
www.furnituresharehouse.org for complete Donation Guidelines.
Drop-offs at their Westchester County Airport warehouse are always
encouraged to save expensive trucking fees, but if you can’t drop off,
check the website for pick-up qualifications and procedures. Tax receipt available
Page 10
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
My Trip to the Mexican Jungle
by Shira Marder
This past winter break I flew to Cancun. Well, not
the Cancun that most college students were going to, but
the jungle about a two hour drive away, to the small Mexican village of Muchucuxcah. Through Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future, I went with seventeen
Yeshiva and Stern College students along with two American Jewish World Service group leaders on a humanitarian
mission to Mexico. With the vague idea that we were
sleeping in hammocks and building a fishpond in mind, I
took a chance and jetted off to the most remote place I
have yet been to with the hope that it would be as amazing
as everyone told me it would be.
We arrived in Muchucuxcah in the middle of the
night. The beauty of the place was hidden in the darkness
and exhaustion, but the warmth and excitement of the people who lived there at our arrival was more than palpable.
Our group of huts in the jungle would soon feel like home,
and the strangers greeting us like friends and caretakers.
Every morning we woke up at dawn, washed up at the outside sinks, prayed and then ate a delicious and exotic
breakfast prepared by the local women. These women
served us with kindness and joy, making dishwashing duty
a sought after chore just to spend time with them. We soon
knew their names and they ours, even giving a few of the
more outspoken among us nicknames. Throughout the trip
we had time to learn more about these women’s daily
lives, their roles in their families, their love stories, and
their dreams for themselves and their children. What was
perhaps most surprising was how similar they were to us,
how our goals and values intertwined in the most fundamental ways.
After breakfast, we would head to the worksite.
We lugged what felt like huge rocks out from the woods
and up the hill, where the local men were beginning to lay
the foundation for the fishpond. A fishpond does not
sound very impressive, and I remember thinking before
we came how insignificant our task appeared. But this
fishpond was a fundamental piece of the larger ecosystem,
hopefully providing fish for the local population to eat
while also enriching the water system with which farmland would be watered. In the jungle, each little thing has
an impact.
I enjoyed the physical labor, knowing that
what I was doing served an ultimate purpose. It was exhausting and exhilarating, providing a unique opportunity
to bond with the program participants and the men from
Muchucuxcah working with us. While some of my group
members spoke Spanish, I speak none and was forced to
find translators or to communicate without words. It’s
amazing how much can be said and shared through gestures and smiles. On the second to last day, we all gathered
together and taught them “Wa”, one of my personal favorite camp games that has no words just sounds. Bringing a
game from home to a place like Muchucuxcah would have
never crossed my mind, but the seventy-year old men
seemed to have liked it as much as I do!
My favorite part of the trip was our visits to the
village elementary school and the huge soccer game we
played in the park. Muchucuxcah’s children and teenagers
welcomed us into their homes, holding our hands, teaching
us how to play and sharing their day to day lives with us.
On the soccer field it was no longer the Americans and the
Muchucuxcains. We were all mixed together, united in our
efforts and having a great time laughing at our terrible soccer skills. When we went to the third grade classroom, we
asked what everyone wanted to be when they grew up.
Almost every child said a teacher. Was this because apart
from working in the field they knew no other profession?
How many of these children would accomplish this dream
as only one member of the village had attended college?
These children were only eight, and who knows how much
can change by the time they grow up? It brought home that
changes and improvements were truly needed for any of
these children to accomplish their dreams.
So why would any sane college girl choose to
spend her one week of freedom performing manual labor
for people she has never met, let alone speak the same language as her? Before this trip, it would have taken me too
long to answer that question. The religious, moral, and
human lessons of social justice were taught, discussed, and
implemented in such a way as I had never seen before.
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 11
Women’ Rosh Chodesh Group
By Lara Siegel
Women's Rosh Chodesh and learning initiatives
were in full swing these past few months.
reminding myself that I have both a human and a religious obligation to be a global citizen of the world opened
my eyes to things I had never thought to care about or
knew existed. Walking away from Muchucuxcah, I take
with me an experience, culture, and people I had never
experienced and might never see again. I also believe that
my time with them, exposing them to our religious and
Western lifestyle and just bringing something different to
what can be a hard and insulated life, was enriching for
the people of Muchucuxcah as well. I have a new sense of
purpose and a perspective that reaches beyond my usual
community. Figuring out how to implement the lessons
learned from my trip into everyday life has been difficult.
This past semester I volunteered at the soup kitchen two
blocks from Stern and have found my time there rewarding and enriching. You don’t need to fly to Mexico to find
different cultures and those who could use a helping hand,
but sometimes you need a trip to open your eyes to what’s
right in front of you.
In January, Alexis Berkowitz helped get us in
gear for 2012 with a presentation on "organizing
our lives" and the relationship between our own
organizational skills and G-d's organization of
the world. Participants appreciated the concrete
tips that were offered and the suggested frameworks for evaluating and organizing our daily
routines. Thanks to Rena Rosen for hosting the
evening.
In May, Audrey Reich shared her professional
expertise and insight in a presentation on Judaism and art.
Participants appreciated her
breadth of knowledge and pointed out that the
evening could in fact encompass an entire
course curriculum...! Thanks very much to Shira
Goldman for hosting the evening.
On the second day of Shavuot, Ruthie Braffman
lead an analysis of Shir Hashirim for the annual
women's afternoon of learning. In an effort to
make the most of Ruthie's remaining time as our
congregational intern before she and her husband leave for a year in Israel, Ruthie will also
be leading our next Rosh Chodesh evening,
scheduled for July 19, where she will explore the
topic of women in the Rabbinate.
Finally..., our women's online learning program
will be resuming with our newest text: A Letter
for the Ages (Iggeret Haramban)- The text is an
ethical letter of guidance written by Ramban to
his oldest son. If you would like to sign up, purchase the text ($4) or obtain additional information, please contact Nicola Rosenstock
(nicolarosenstock@gmail.com) or Lara Siegel
(siegel.lara@gmail.com).
We look forward to learning with you!
Page 12
Testimonial Dinner
Continued from page 1
Ellen pointed out that not
only had Debra chaired the dinner
committee several times, but she had
served on the HIWP Board of Directors, chaired numerous Friday night
dinners and Shabbat luncheons, and
even baked the 1,000 hamentashen
that went into the mishloach manot
baskets we distribute. “But I believe
Debra’s favorite role has been that of
The Candy Lady--making many children happy.”
In her reply, Debra said she
was fortunate to have learned from
her four grandparents and her parents the importance of giving back to
the community and thanked the congregation for helping pass the lessons to her sons. Her initial thought
upon learning of her grandmother’s
death was to skip the dinner, but she
decided to accept the award in person after being convinced to do so by
Rabbi Chaim Marder and her friends.
She left the event immediately after
her acceptance.
Rabbi Marder spoke words of
tribute to the Levines and Dunns.
Eric and Roxanne, he said,
moved here as an act of prophetic
faithfulness: “You had an emunah
that the shul, a warm, inclusive place,
could develop as well to becoming a
thriving, modern, and open Orthodox
center--and you made it happen.”
They devoted time, energy and wisdom, the rabbi said, to life long learning, women’s tefillah and other expanding roles, strategic planning,
fundraising training, and leadership
and spirituality in our shul experiences. Meanwhile they also made
their mark in the wider Jewish world,
in Klal, Federation, teaching at Wurzweiller, and with a leadership role at
Touro College. He called them adoring parents who were blessed with a
special neshama, soul, in daughter
Tamar.
Speaking for himself and
Roxanne, Eric said that they had both
learned critical lessons from their
families--Rox’s family was deeply
devoted to Jewish education, building
day and high schools in Vancouver
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
and sending their children away
from home to gain high quality Jewish education. His parents were
deeply devoted to social causes
and civic responsibility. Saying that
Torah without action or action without Torah is, at best, incomplete
Judaism, Eric said “it was the pairing of Torah and action that attracted us to HIWP.” He said they
received many questions and skeptical comments when 23 years ago
they chose White Plains and not
other places. “The point is not why
we came--but why we stayed.”
In many ways, he said, they
are both grateful and fortunate to
have been at the HIWP in terms of
kehillah and values, and that the
shul was a unique place on the
level of community and friendship.
Speaking of the congregation, he
said: “Together we have indeed
created a special shul. But we are
not done yet.”
In his tribute to Brandon
and Wendy Dunn, Rabbi Marder
told them: “We wanted to thank you
for your support of the shul and for
being ambassadors of our kehillah.”
They were blessed to have
experienced a compelling Jewish
world in their years on the West
Side of Manhattan and embraced a
life they continued to develop in
their years at HIWP. Also, said
Rabbi Marder, they helped organize
the exploratory service here that
was developed by Rabbi Ephraim
Buchwald. (Rabbi Buchwald was
present at the testimonial). They
also developed a program for new
members and welcomed them, and
helped on financial matters and on
the synagogue’s renovation project.
Brandon, said the rabbi, was also a
“fantastic coach” of the basketball
team.
The rabbi pointed out that
they each dealt with some of the
“heavy elements of life”, and
through it all their optimism prevailed. What they inherited from
their parents, they have conveyed
to their children --“chein and positive energy.”
Brandon, speaking also for
Wendy, devoted much of his re-
sponse to praising the work done by
others in the shul from the clergy, the
co-presidents, and officers to those
who made the dinner a success. He
thanked all of them for the fact we
have “an open Orthodox environment
that is to be admired.”
“Wendy and I consider ourselves to be blessed to be part of this
truly special place. For us it fits our
needs and core beliefs to a tee. We
so deeply believe in the importance
of unity amongst the Jewish people.”
He also recalled the time when his
daughter, Sarah, told him before her
bat mitzvah that she wanted to layn.
“We are fortunate enough to be part
of an orthodox shul that can provide
Sarah and other women with a beautiful women’s tefillah service to accommodate their wishes.”
In a lighter moment, Brandon
told about the time former president
Keith Reich appointed him house
manager when he wasn’t even house
manager in his own home. The next
day, while working on his busy securities trading floor and fielding dozens
of calls for big blocks of bonds, he
received a call from the synagogue
that someone had lost a key to the
Thrift Shop. By the time he finished
his transaction, the HI caller was
gone. “The next day, although it was
officially called a mutual decision, in
actuality I was the first person in Hebrew Institute history to be impeached and removed from office. So
I stand before everyone here asking
you for forgiveness from my transgressions and poor sense of priorities,” he remarked.
White Plains Mayor Tom
Roach and Assemblyman Robert
Castelli also spoke and presented
each of the recipients with proclamations.
Audrey Reich and Judy
Grant co-chaired the dinner committee. Cari Rosenberg and Liz Gabor
co-chaired the journal committee,
and Paul Orentlicher was journal designer.
The music was provided by
Yitzy Spinner and his band.
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Facility Update
Page 13
Planning
Committee
include:
Continued from page 1
L to R: Debra Kamerman, Wendy & Brandon Dunn,
Assemblyman Robert Castelli, WP Mayor Tom
Roach, Eric & Roxanne Levine
Milton Hoffman
and Marion Chason
Norma Hurwitz, Rabbi and Francine Grauer
Celebrating with our Honorees
2010 was judged impractical because of the cost of the property as
well as the likely cost of the renovation that would have been required
to meet our congregation's needs.
Having reviewed these earlier efforts, the Centennial Committee
then explored the possibility of (1)
identifying geographically desirable
sites within the Highlands, and (2)
the financial feasibility of purchasing those sites and constructing a
new facility from the ground up,
while taking into consideration the
potential proceeds from a sale of
our existing building and various
financing and mortgage
possibilities.
The Centennial Committee concluded that any location for a new
building would likely require a
footprint similar to that of our current parcel, approximately two
acres, accounting for both the building as well as the parking area that
would be required under current
zoning. The Committee decided
that although there would be advantages to relocating the Hebrew Institute and building a new facility,
there was not at that time, nor was
there likely to become available,
parcels of adequate size within the
Highlands area. The Committee, in
consultation with the Board of Directors, also determined that even if
such a site were to be found or become available, that the cost of acquisition and new construction
would be financially prohibitive to
the membership.
A new HIWP Facility Planning
Committee was then formed in the
middle of 2011 to examine our options from that point forward. The
options now before the Facility
Ruth Bausk and Ruth Levine
Do nothing for now, and wait.
Maintain the facility and undertake
no major renovations. The benefits
of this option are that the shul
would preserve its current fundraising capacity, continue to grow its
membership base, and be in a position to explore renovation options at
some point in the future when its
capital base is potentially larger.
The drawback of this option is that
many members believe that the facility in its current state is inadequate (overcrowded and in poor
condition) and requires near-term
major capital repairs.
Implement a “phased” renovation
plan. The rationale behind this option is that we can design a master
plan that can be implemented in
phases over time as financial capability permits. By selectively renovating spaces as funds become
available, we can embrace a vision
for the long-term needs of the facility while not over-extending financially.
Create a master plan that is reduced in overall scope. This approach would allow us to renovate
the facility, but with less significant
changes to the overall design and
layout. Here the focus would be on
spaces in greatest need, and cosmetic changes to all other areas.
As the Committee continues to explore and refine these options in
consultation with the Management
Committee and the Board of Directors, it will update the membership
on its progress.
Page 14
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
Family News
By Leah Weitzman and Milton Hoffman Lois and Danny Laitman on the marriage of their grand(March 1, 2012— May 31, 2012) daughter, Rachel Epstein to Moshe Klausner
MAZAL TOV and Notables Judy and Judah Roher on the birth of a grandson, Steven
Alexander Roher, on March 26. Steven is the son of Janet
and David Roher, and the brother of Eric Roher. His other
grandparents are Barbara and Bob Neustatder
Phyllis Roth and Louis Morris on the birth of their son,
Coby Jordan Morris, on March 28. Coby has a sister, Abigail Farah. His grandparents are Carol and Michael Roth
and Beth and Ed Morris
Ornah and Uriel Heilman on the birth of their daughter,
Maya Sara Heilman, on April 1. Maya has a brother, Matan. Her grandparents are Annette and Paul Rosenberg of
Petach Tikvah, Israel, and Ellin and Samuel Heilman of
New Rochelle, and her great-grandmother is Bernice
Kaufman
Malka and Steve Helft on the birth of a daughter, Liah
Miriam Helft, April 28. She has a sister, Sophia. Her
grandparents are Rifki and Dr. Arthur Helft and Fern and
Chaim Meyersdorf, and her great-grandparents are Bernice and Sol Meyersdorf
Rachel and Yitzy Spinner on the birth of a daughter, Sivan
Hadassah Spinner born on May 31. She has a brother,
Gavriel and a sister Orly
Francine and Rabbi Emeritus Murray Grauer on the birth
of a great-grandson, Josef Shmuel, to Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Grauer
Joanna and Robert Blum on the bar mitzvah of their son,
Jordan Blum
Michelle Brody and Hal Blumenfeld on the bar mitzvah of
their son, Jesse Blumenfeld
Liz and Abie Gabor on the bar mitzvah of their son,
Jeremy Gabor
Barbara and Howard Weiner on the bar mitzvah of their
son, Leo Weiner
Sara and Ken Sadinoff on the bat mitzvah of their
daughter, Gabrielle
Shira Goldman and David Listman on the bar mitzvah of
David’s son, Akiva Listman
Marina and Marik Feldman on the bat mitzvah of their
daughter, Alexandra
Suzie and Rabbi Chaim Marder on the bat mitzvah of their
daughter, Ayelet Marder, on June 16
Hillary and Yosef Feldstein on their marriage
Diane and Fred Bloom on the engagement of their son, Eric
Bloom, to Ariella Wruble, who is the daughter of Simone
and Steve Wruble of Teaneck, NJ
David Kroun on his 70th birthday
Alan Schulman on his special birthday
Len Weinstein on his special birthday
Doris Dreyfuss on being elected vice president of
Westchester Region of Hadassah
Ariana Brody on her performance of Helen Keller in The
Miracle Worker at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls
Karin Hepner, daughter of Anita and Bert Rosenstock, on
being given the Adina Kaufman Eishet Chayil Award of Beth
Jacob Congregation in Irvine, CA at its annual dinner
We extend heartfelt Condolences to: Kay Cohen on the death of her mother, Anita Segal
Yetta Kaplan and her children Phil and Gary Kaplan, Audrey Aborn and Lisa Schwartz on the death of husband and
father, Leo Kaplan
Jack Schwartz and Barbara Aloni on the death of his wife
and her mother, Jeanette Schwartz
Bob Brody on the death of his brother, David Brody
Daniel Altman on the death of his father, Frank Altman
Steven Greenstein on the death his father, Ivan Greenstein
Gail Kabakoff on the death of her mother, Estelle Rothman
Sara Meyers Sadinoff on the death of her mother,
Joan Meyers
Phil Greenberg on the death of his sister, Sadie Perlis
Debra Kamerman on the death of her grandmother,
Lillian Jacobs
David Sperling on the death of his mother
Dorothy Kabakoff on the death of her brother, Gilbert Arian
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 15
We Mourn the Loss
JEANETTE SCHWARTZ
Jeanette Schwartz, a congregant of the Hebrew Institute for more
than six decades, died March 22 at
age 82.
At her funeral, Rabbi Chaim
Marder praised her as a creative
woman. Both she and her husband
Jack were Holocaust survivors, and
the Rabbi commented on her devotion to helping others even when they
were building a life together with
meager means. He also noted how
devoted they were to each other
through 62 years of marriage.
Jeanette was born Feb. 22,
1930 in Rypin, Poland to Eliezer Yohanan and Braina Miriam Schoingart.
With her family, she fled east during
the German invasion and wound up
in Siberia. In a displaced persons
camp in Germany after the war she
met and married Jack Schwartz. He
had been rescued from Auschwitz in
1945 by the American Army and was
working for the Americans. They lived
for a short time in Frankfurt and came
to White Plains in 1948 where he
found work as a tailor and she
worked at many jobs while attending
night school to learn English.
All the time, while trying to
establish themselves here, the
Schwartz couple sent packages of
food to her struggling family that had
gone to Israel. This included her
mother and four of Jeanette’s siblings. Mrs. Schwartz took a job in
food services in the White Plains
school system and she rose to manager of the high school cafeteria.
The Rabbi pointed out that
Jeanette was always active--“she
could not sit and not do. She was
always doing or seeking to do-beautiful floral arrangements, or wonderful cake decorations, or crocheting.” When she retired from her
school job, she volunteered to prepare lunches for the Leisure Thursday group. She and Jack eventually
moved from White Plains to High
Point in Hartsdale.
In addition to her husband,
Mrs. Schwartz is survived by her
daughter Barbara (David) Aloni of
White Plains and her grandson
Zvika and twin granddaughters Revital and Mairav, and by her sister
Betia Galek and brother Israel
Schoingart, both of Ramat Gan,
Israel.
LEO KAPLAN
Leo Kaplan, a 15-year congregant of the Hebrew Institute who
was honored last Veterans Day as
White Plains’ Veteran of the Year,
died March 28 at the age of 94.
Rabbi Chaim Marder stated
at the funeral that “We have lost a
dear friend.”
Said the Rabbi: “Leo, G-d
bless his soul, was proud of having
reached his 94 years as he did, forever mindful that it was not a given
that someone with his heart and
other challenges would do so.
When he stepped forward for an
aliyah for his special birthdays, lifting his voice as he did, to recite the
brachah as he did, you knew that
this was a fine man, a man grateful
for all he had been blessed with -which was much.”
Mr. Kaplan was born in Chicago Feb 25, 1918 to Philip and
Jeannie Kaplan. World War II interrupted his accountant studies at
Northwestern University and he
joined the Army at age 22. He was
wounded on Dec. 1, 1944 in Germany, for which he was awarded
the Purple Heart Medal. The notation on his separation reads:
“Rifleman infiltrated enemy lines,
destroying enemy equipment and
personnel.” After he recovered from
his wounds, he was elevated to sergeant and remained in the Army
until the end of the war.
He graduated from Illinois
College of Optometry and became
an optometrist. On April 3, 1949, he
and Yetta Miller were married in
Chicago where they raised two sons
and two daughters. In Chicago, he
served as commander of a Jewish
War Veterans Post.
In 1997, he and Yetta moved to
White Plains to be close to some of
their children and help with their
grandchildren. They joined the Hebrew Institute where they became
very involved and were regular attendees on Shabbat. Rabbi Marder took
note of the fact that as a kohen Mr.
Kaplan “took pleasure in being able
to extend blessings, whether duchaning on yom tov, or as the doublerolled patriarch kohen at a grandchild’s wedding.”
The Kaplans were also regular attendees in the Leisure Thursday
program where Mr. Kaplan, fond of
music, frequently joined in singing
with entertainers who were featured
in programs.
Mr. Kaplan joined White
Plains Post 191, JWV of the USA.
Last Veterans Day, the city of White
Plains chose him as the city’s Veteran of the Year. Many family members and friends attended the patriotic service where Mayor Thomas
Roach presented him with a proclamation.
Besides Yetta, his wife for
almost 64 years, Mr. Kaplan is survived by his sons Philip (Helen) Kaplan and Gary Kaplan, his daughters
Audrey (Sargent) Aborn and Lisa
(Terence) Schwartz, and six grandchildren--Elizabeth DiPoce, Naomi
Fleisher, Shoshana Aborn, and
Jacob, Jessica and Annabelle
Schwartz, and four greatgrandchildren, Amichai, Yitzy and
Rina DiPoce, and Alona Fleisher.
Page 16
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
Gifts and Contributions
A Message from the Rabbi:
Please be aware that I administer
two special funds here at the shul.
HIWP fund for the Needy
Purpose: This fund assists individuals who come to the synagogue seeking assistance, generally from outside the area. They are
individuals who otherwise fall
through the cracks, perhaps because they do not have employment or family support. Often times
they are people whose origin was
Israel or Russia, although not exclusively. We also assist small
tzedakot, primarily Israeli institutions, whether orphanages or
schools for the needy.
Contribution Source: synagogue
charity boxes; direct contributions.
We greatly need assistance in
keeping this account replenished,
especially as personal hardships
have increased in the present climate.
HIWP Chessed Fund
Purpose: Recently established to
assist congregants who might be in
need of support due to temporary
hardship of one sort or another.
Any assistance will be offered with
complete confidentiality.
Contribution source: direct contributions from members. At present,
the fund has only a small amount of
money in it.
If you have any questions about
these funds, please contact Rabbi
Marder.
2012)
Yetta Kaplan in memory of her husband Leo
Kaplan
Audrey and Alan Schulman
Religious Articles Fund:
Leisure Thursday Fund:
(Received from March 1, 2012 to May 31
Dorothy Kabakoff on the passing of her
brother, Gilbert Arian
Leah Weitzman
Adult Ed Fund:
David Kroun on his 70th birthday
Eileen and Allan Corn
Michelle Brody and Hal Blumenfeld in
honor of the bar mitzvah of their son,
Jesse Blumenfeld
Audrey and Alan Schulman
Betty and Joe Fisch
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Fred and Diane Bloom on the engagement of their son, Eric Bloom, to Ariella
Wruble
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Debra Kamerman on the death of her
grandmother, Lillian Jacobs
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Audrey and Alan Schulman
Alan Schulman on his special birthday
Leah Weitzman
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Leonard Weinstein on his special birthday
Audrey and Alan Schulman
Judy and Judah Roher on the birth of
their grandson, Steven Alexander Roher
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Sondra and Jerry Luxenberg on their
grandson’s wedding
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Lois and Daniel Laitman in honor of
their granddaughter’s wedding
Kay and Arnold Cohen
Kay Cohen in memory of her mother,
Anita Segal
Audrey and Alan Schulman
Yetta Kaplan in memory of her husband Leo
Kaplan
Milton Hoffman
Marion Chason
Crystal Powell
Judith and Andrew Goldstein
Jack Schwartz and daughter Barbara Aloni in
memory of his wife and her mother Jeanette
Schwartz
Marion Chason
Milton Hoffman
Youth Fund:
Sara and Ken Sadinoff on the bat mitzvah of
their daughter, Gabrielle Sadinoff
Deborah and Stephen Schwartz
Happiness Fund:
Births:
Judy and Judah Roher on the birth of their
grandson, Steven Alexander Roher
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
David Kroun
Barbara and Martin Marks
Leah Weitzman
Ethel Kanarfogel
Phyllis and Louis Morris on the birth of their
son, Coby Jordan Morris
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Ornah and Uri Heilman on the birth of their
daughter, Maya Sara Heilman
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Malka and Steve Helft on the birth of a daughter, Liah Miriam Helft
Adina Shoulson and Todd Stern
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Lisa and Terence Schwartz
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Continued on page 17
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 17
Gifts and Contributions
Births:
Natalie and Joshua Chadajo on the birth of
their daughter, Emanuella Pnina Chadajo
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Deborah and Jay Weinberger
Lauren Shapiro and Ari Walisever on the
birth of their daughter, Noa Kayla Walisever
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Barbara and Martin Marks on the birth of
their grandson, Hudson Micah Marks
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs:
Joanna and Robert Blum on the bar mitzvah
of their son, Jordan Blum
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Deborah and Stephen Schwartz
Michelle Brody and Hal Blumenfeld on the
bar mitzvah of their son, Jesse Blumenfeld
Ethel Kanarfogel
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Marilyn and Neil Rimsky
Roxanne and Eric Levine
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
David Kroun
Natalie and Joshua Chadajo
Marilyn and Ezra Berkowitz
Audrey and Keith Reich
Leah Weitzman
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Barbara and Martin Marks
Liz and Yuval Marcus on the bar mitzvah of
their son, Nati Marcus
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Deborah and Jay Weinberger
Wendy and Brandon Dunn on the bar mitzvah of their son, Noah Dunn
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Deborah and Jay Weinberger
Jane and Josh Grauer
Shira Goldman and David Listman on the
bar mitzvah of Akiva Listman
Marilyn and Ezra Berkowitz
Audrey and Keith Reich
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Audrey and Alan Schulman on the bar
mitzvah of their grandson, Josh Lieman
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Mirav and Joey Orzo on the bat mitzvah of
their daughter Joelle Orzo
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Liz and Stephen Schwartz on the bar mitzvah of their son Robbie Schwartz
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Alexis and Alan Berkowitz on the bat mitzvah of daughter Aleeza Berkowitz
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Birthdays:
Hal Blumenfeld on his special birthday
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Alan Schulman on his special birthday
Bea and Ken Werden
Larry Fish on his special birthday
Bea and Ken Werden
Leonard Weinstein on his special birthday
Bea and Ken Werden
Get Well Fund:
David Lehman in honor of the 30th anniversary of his bar mitzvah
Sheila and Wallace Lehman
Beth Hurvitz
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Doris and Leo Dreyfuss
Liz and Abie Gabor on the bar mitzvah of
their son Jeremy Gabor
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Frida Benedeck
Doris and Leo Dreyfuss
Barbara and Howard Weiner on the bar
mitzvah of their son Leo Weiner
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Sara and Ken Sadinoff on the bat mitzvah
of their daughter, Gabrielle Sadinoff
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Audrey and Keith Reich
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Marina and Marik Feldman on the bat mitzvah of their daughter, Alexandra Feldman
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Suzie and Rabbi Chaim Marder on the bat
mitzvah of their daughter, Ayelet Marder
Jean, Beth, Denise and Aviva Hurvitz
Engagements:
Diane and Fred Bloom on the engagement
of their son, Eric Bloom, to Ariella Wruble
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Anita and Bert Rosenstock
Weddings:
Jane and Josh Grauer on the marriage of
their son, Mati, to Elana Leoffler
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Deborah and Jay Weinberger
Phil Greenberg
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Rhesa Berman
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Heda Silverstein
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
In Your Honor / Thank You:
Thank you to:
Yael and Jack Nahmond, Dudi and Erica
Fish, Susan and Steve Wechsler, Idana
Goldberg and Michael Kellman, Lauren
and Dan Hazony, Jamie and Seth Braunstein for the Mishloach Manot Baskets
Roxanne and Eric Levine
Roxanne and Eric Levine on their
Testimonial honor
Lisa Kaufman
Leslie Sellevan
Doris Ullendorff
Debra Kamerman, Wendy and Brandon
Dunn, Roxanne and Eric Levine for being
this year’s Testimonial honorees
Joyce, Reuvaine, Danielle and Sam Kinches
Marcy and Daniel Cohen
Continued on page 18
Page 18
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
Gifts and Contributions
In Your Honor / Thank You:
Wendy and Brandon Dunn on their Testimonial honor
Rebekah and Adam Ingber
Joel Laitman
Remembrance Fund:
Condolences:
Jack Schwartz and daughter Barbara
Aloni in memory of his wife and her
mother, Jeanette Schwartz
Helen Epstein
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Barbara Aloni in memory of her mother,
Jeanette Schwartz
Standard Insurance Co.--Henri and Rick
Yetta Kaplan and family in memory of her
husband Leo Kaplan
Lorri, Mitchell and Roger Nadel
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Vivian Hedaya
Willa and Hillel Swiller
Lynn Sabat
David Kroun
Joyce and Ted Besdine
Roxanne and Eric Levine
Jane and Josh Grauer
Leah and Doniel Ehrenreich
Deborah and Stephen Schwartz
Adina Shoulson and Todd Stern
Joanna and Robert Blum
Suzy Toporovsky
Lisa and Terence Schwartz in memory of
Lisa’s father, Leo Kaplan
David Kroun
Eric and Roxanne Levine
Jane and Josh Grauer
Audrey and Sargent Aborn in memory of
Audrey’s father, Leo Kaplan
Jane and Josh Grauer
Diane and Donald Rosen
Kay Cohen in memory of her mother,
Anita Segal
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Tami and Joseph Stalbow
Doris and Leo Dreyfuss
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Deborah and Jay Weinberger
Bob Brody in memory of his brother,
David Brody
Helen Epstein
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Norma and Gerald Hurwitz
Judy and Gil Grant
Deborah and Stephen Schwartz
Suzy Toporovsky
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Michelle Jasper Brody in memory of her
brother, David Brody
Judy and Gil Grant
Daniel Altman in memory of his father,
Frank Altman
Judy and Gil Grant
Debbie and Dan Lehman
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Barbara and Martin Marks
Adina Shoulson and Todd Stern
Steven Greenstein in memory of his
father, Ivan Greenstein
Shirley and Sydney Levy
Audrey and Keith Reich
Judy and Gil Grant
Lisa and Terence Schwartz
Diane and Laurence Levy
Debbie and Dan Lehman
Helen Epstein
Jerusha Coltof and Douglas Hirshon
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Cari and Simon Rosenberg
Willa and Hillel Swiller
Deborah and Stephen Schwartz
Barbara and Martin Marks
Gail Kabakoff in memory of her mother,
Estelle Rothman
Helen Epstein
Lorri Nadel
Jane and Josh Grauer
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Roxanne and Eric Levine
Cari and Simon Rosenberg
Phil Greenberg on the death of his sister, Sadie Perlis
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Barbara and Martin Marks
Sara Meyers Sadinoff on the death of her
mother, Joan Meyers
Adina Shoulson and Todd Stern
Audrey and Keith Reich
Felicity and Stanley Schwartz
Nancy Dallek and Jeff Pearlstein
Jerusha Coltof and Douglas Hirshon
Roxanne and Eric Levine
Meira and Paul Orentlicher
Cari and Simon Rosenberg
Debra Kamerman on the death of her
grandmother, Lillian Jacobs
Diana and Liron Gitig
Marilyn and Ezra Berkowitz
Joyce and Richard Kinches
Judy Grant in memory of her father,
Rabbi Reuven Siegel
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Linda Lightstone in memory of her
mother, Jean Edelstein
Ellen and Dean Ungar
Ruth Bausk in memory of her husband
Sheldon Bausk
Barbara and Martin Marks
Saul Shapiro in memory of his mother-in
-law, Henrietta Klein
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Willa Swiller in memory of her father,
Rabbi Jacob Radin
Selvia and Leonard Weinstein
Hebrew Institute of White Plains Bulletin
Page 19
Our Advertisers
To advertise in the HIWP Bulletin,
please complete the order form below.
We can create your ad from your business card or camera-ready artwork or
you can email a jpeg or pdf file to
teri@hiwp.org.
For further information, please call
Teri Kopp at 914.948.3095 x305
or contact via email teri@hiwp.org
Hebrew Institute of White Plains,
Attn: Bulletin Advertising
20 Greenridge Ave. White Plains, NY
10605
Half Page Ad (8”x5.25”)
$270 / 4 issues, $145 / 2 issues,
$75 / 1 issue
Business Card (2”x3.5”)
$144 / 4 issues, $75 / 2 issues,
$40 / 1 issue
We accept the following methods
of payment: Cash, Checks and
Credit Card
(Visa, MasterCard,
Amex)
Please make checks payable to
HIWP
Page 20
Hebrew Institute of White Plains
Calendar of Some Upcoming Events at HIWP
June 20 Israel Ambassador Ron Prosor
speaks at Temple Israel Center
June 23 Exploratory Service
Shabbat Oneg
June 24 Annual HIWP Business Meeting
July 8 Fast of Tammuz
July 9 Lehrhaus
July 14 Shabbat Oneg
July 15 Women’s Rosh Chodesh group
July 20 Nine Days begins
July 29 Tisha B’Av
August 4 Joint HIWP/YIWP Oneg
September 8 Bat Mitzvah of
Tamar Levine
Afternoon Oneg
September 17 & 18 Rosh HaShannah
September 19 Fast of Gedaliah
September 26 Yom Kippur
October 1 & 2 Sukkot
October 8 Shemini Atzeret
October 9 Simchat Torah
All events are subject to change
Non Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
White Plains, NY
Permit No. 8
Address Service Requested