We Like to Kvell

 

  • Todd and Pam Sugarman – Jewish Journal 
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  • Rabbi Alex’s My View column in the Buffalo News – A story of a man who truly loved his neighbor
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  • Bruce Corris Receiving the Jennie Pohl plaque at this year’s Walk Off Hunger

  • Cary Moscato Art Opening at the JCC – Join us for Cary Moscato Art Gallery night on September 11 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm! Meet the artist, browse the gallery, and enjoy light refreshments! The artwork is for sale and on display until Oct 27. FREE AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY!
  • Sharon Cramer‘s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “The solo life has its rewards, volunteering among them”
My View: The solo life has its rewards, volunteering among them | Opinion | buffalonews
  • Vickie Rubin’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “Closer than ever to the city that became home”
Vickie Rubin
  • Sharon Cramer‘s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “First, borrowed time but now, bonus time”
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  • Gayle Kerman‘s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “No Downsizing, but plenty of memories”
No Downsizing
  • Rabbi Alex’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “Space age and stone age have similarities”
My View: Space Age and Stone Age have similarities | Opinion | buffalonews.com
  • Gale Burstein at #96 and Scott Weinstein at #205 on the Buffalo Power 205 in Business First
  • Joel Weiss My View Column in the Buffalo News – When principal foiled a middle-school caper
My View: When principal foiled a middle-school caper | Opinion | buffalonews
  • Cantor Frank and Rabbi Alex featured in the event Prayers for peace in Ukraine. Read it here.
  • Robin Raphael – The Mental Health Advocates of WNY will award Robin Raphael, a court appointed special advocate, with CASA Volunteer of the Year Award at their 60th Anniversary Gala.
  • Sharon Kramer’s My View column in the Buffalo News – “Flavors of memory engage our senses”
My View: Flavors of memory engage our senses | Opinion | buffalonews.com
  • Rabbi Alex’s My View column in the Buffalo News – “Ode to Pete Simon , Prince of the My View”
My View_ An ode to Pete Simon, prince of My View _ Opinion _ buffalonews.com
  • Scott Weinstein‘s company Safetec featured in Buffalo Business First
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  • David Weinman‘s My View Column in the Buffalo News – Don’t put off travel, or saying, ‘I love you!’
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  • Rion Kweller‘s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “Opening my eyes to some life lessons”

  • Sharon Cramer’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “Imaginary doughnut shop provides sweet fulfillment”
Sharon Cramer My View
  • Ronna Glickman was published in the Buffalo News under the Another Voice – “Parents Need to Take Charge of Kid’s Online Access”
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  • Robin Raphael’s My View column in The Buffalo News – “Reeling in the years at 50th class reunion”
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  • Al Greene’s My View column in the Buffalo News – “Cheering the cheerers, I’m at a loss for words”

  • Cantor Arlene Frank & Jennie Pohl honored as Women of Distinction by Assemblymember Karen McMahon:

Amherst Bee

Assembly member Karen McMahon recognized nine women as 2021 recipients of the Women of Distinction award during a ceremony at Island Park in Williamsville Aug. 17.


This year marked McMahon’s third annual Women of Distinction recognition. Her office began seeking nominations in March to coincide with Women’s History Month and received hundreds of responses. Women of Distinction celebrates women in Amherst, Williamsville and Pendleton who have made a positive impact in their community in the fields of education, community/civic affairs, military service, health care, volunteerism, or any other endeavor. McMahon congratulated and thanked each recipient for their contribution.


“I am thrilled to be hosting my annual Women of Distinction ceremony,” McMahon said. “I always look forward to this event because it is a truly great honor to meet and celebrate these remarkable women who have dedicated their time and talents to making our community a better place.”


Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein, a 2019 Women of Distinction honoree, provided keynote remarks.


“I am pleased to participate in Assemblymember McMahon’s Women of Distinction ceremony,” Burstein said.
McMahon presented each Woman of Distinction with a New York State Assembly Proclamation celebrating her achievements.


The 2021 Women of Distinction are: Jennie Pohl – A 101-year-old “Super Volunteer” who continues to volunteer her time at Congregation Shir Shalom. Nina Herman-Blumlein – Retired speech therapist and director of Revenue and Related Services for Special Education for the Buffalo Public Schools.


Kathleen Maxian – Founder of the Ovarian Cancer Project. Rhonda Frederick – Chief executive officer of People, Inc. Kathryn Diebold Dudzic – Associate vice president of Care Coordination at Evergreen Health. Mary Lowther – former mayor of the Village of Williamsville. Sheri Scavone – Executive director of the WNY Women’s Foundation. Mamta Bhargava – founder of the Alankar School of Indian Classical Music. Arlene Frank – Cantor at Congregation Shir Shalom.

  • Tom Moscato‘s My view column in the Buffalo News – “The living is easy in a summer cottage”

 

  • Mazel Tov to Dr. Jennifer Cain on the publication of her article “Best Practice Guidelines for Journalist Reporting of Child Trauma and Crimes Against Children” in the Journal of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress.
  • Pete Simon My View column in the Buffalo News – “Gramps set an example for a life well lived”

 

  • Gayle Kerman My View Column in the Buffalo News – “The Pie Baking Gene Skipped a Generation”

 

  • Sharon Cramer’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “Roses, arts, books: My joyful abundance”

  • Vickie Rubin‘s book “Raising Jess: A Story of Hope” – Buy it here
  • Judith Bluestone, My View column in the Buffalo News – “My late mom’s journey through difficult times”

  • Jennie Pohl and Arlene Frank named Women of Distinction
Distinction
  • Paul Bluestein writes a SciFi novel during the Pandemic.

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  • Congratulations to Scott Weinstein – Safetec of America is a manufacturer and packager of infection control and first aid products designed to keep employees safe from cross-contaminationof infectious diseases. Business, as you can imagine, has been exceptionally strong. Read more…
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  • Rabbi Alex’s My View Column – Neighborly Exchanges on Road to Normalcy… Read more…

 

  • Mazel Tov to Dr. Jennifer Cain on her advocacy efforts to change how crimes against children are reported in the media. – Click Here
  • Perry Nicholas – My View: What the world needs now is more poetry | Opinion | buffalonews.com – Click here to read
  • Joel Weiss’s My View column in the Buffalo News: April Fool’s prank was not too cool for school.
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  • Shir Shalom in the news.  Rabbi Alex discusses the second Passover in the pandemic with  WKBW reporter Ed Drantch. Click here to watch.
  • The Jewish Buffalo History Center has a repository of archival pictures and documents regarding our legacy congregations, Temple Beth Am and Temple Sinai, as well as Congregation Shir Shalom. Click here to check it out.
  • Gunilla Theandra Kester’s Poem Published in the Buffalo News
  • Robin Raphael interviewed about the Network of Religious Communities Archiving Project

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpTy0Ej0JCI[/embedyt]

  • Scott Weinstien named to Buffalo First’s Power 250 –
  • Rabbi Alex My View article in The Buffalo News – Yearning for Normalcy in a Changed World.
  • Jeannette Korris Schonfeld celebrating her 100th birthday on Thursday, 1/7/21 with her family and friends on Zoom is violinist Jeannette Korris Schonfeld, who played with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and taught music in the West Seneca schools.

    Born in Buffalo to immigrant parents, she grew up over their store on William Street and was concertmaster of the orchestra at Hutchinson Central High School. She attended the Eastman School of Music on scholarship and taught violin to students in the Rochester schools.

    When the family of a student invited her to their home for the holidays, she met Seymour Schonfeld, who was on leave from the Army, and they were married in 1944.

    After 20 years as an Army family, they returned to Buffalo and she earned a master’s degree in music education from the University at Buffalo. Her husband, who became a stockbroker, died in 1990.

    The mother of three sons and grandmother of four, she has performed with community orchestras and continues to play for friends and family.
  • Elijah Brooks Earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
  • Adam Beiter and Ava Rosenthal is a participant in this Jewish Federation program to introduce jewish people, customs and culture to people without familiarity. Listen on WBFO here.
  • Bruce Corris interviewed by Channel 4 – See it here.
  • Brenda Freedman – “So proud of my mom, Maryann Saccomando Freedman who helped create & launch the Buffalo Presidential Center, newly ensconced at the Central Library”
  • Elizabeth Grady Article in Buffalo Spree.
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  • Max and Liz Sloan – “Moving Pictures” – Sloan’s Antiques – In Buffalo Rising – Read it here
  • Rabbi Alex talks about High Holy Days at the Drive-In. Read it here.
  • Jennie Pohl mentioned in this TV news story about the JCC. Watch it here.
  • Rabbi Alex on Crossroads Radio. –  On this program Rabbi Alex talks about COVID-19 in the US and Israel, how they celebrated the Jewish High Holy Days during a pandemic and how they will celebrated the Feast of Booths.  Finally, we discuss voting and having a safe election. Click here to listen
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  • The Cool Shul – Shir Shalom holds Rosh Hashanah services at Transit Drive-In – See our High Holy Days Story on WIVB TV Click here

  • Rick Cohen – Three generations running the Transit Drive-in, home of our High Holy Days Services – Click Here
  • Rabbi Alex’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “A childhood friendship breaks down barriers”

 

  • Rabbi Alex interviewed by Dr. Bratton for Crossroads Radio – they discuss the challenges of holding Services in the Covid-19 era. Click here to listen.
  • Vickie Rubin’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “When your bosses are very, very young”

  • Rabbi Alex interviewed on the radio by Dr. Stan Bratton for Crossroads Radio. Click here to listen
  • Rabbi Alex’s Another Voice in the Buffalo News – Religious communities like mine go with the flow –
  • Happy 100th Birthday Jennie Pohl
  • Rabbi Alex’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – “Kindness is Spreading in a Time of Contagion”

• Michael Gold Attorney Gold learned Braille to be closer to daughter

• Peter Simon’s My View Column in the Buffalo New – Me, a Yankees legend? Well, there’s a catch

• Rabbi Alex’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – Brave Buffalonian played a support role in Apollo 11

• Shiri Ketster Holocaust remembrance video –

https://youtu.be/VwXc0ottKrc

For one of my classes, we were asked to create an interpretation of a poem using images and sound. I don’t normally share my school projects, but this one seemed too meaningful to just submit for a grade. After spending time in Germany with my grandpa last week and looking at where he grew up before the war and seeing many Holocaust memorials, some specifically about his parents and other relatives, and after hearing him describe his story, I wanted to focus this project on the Holocaust. I used the poem “A Genre” by Merridawn Duckler and combined it with photos I have taken from this trip and past visits to various Holocaust memorials. I intentionally chose not to use music in this video, but other sounds.

As antisemitism continues to rise and with so many heartbreaking events taking place in the world, it is important to think about what happened and always remember. While visiting the town my grandpa grew up, I couldn’t help but think how it looked so normal and that by just looking around, you could never know what people did and what happened to the Jews. You would never know the horrors that took place.

The first image in this video shows the deportation site where my great grandparents were forced onto a train. But it wasn’t the real train station, it was an area where slaughtered animals were normally loaded onto trains for transport. That was how they saw the Jews. From there, people were taken to Theresienstadt and eventually my great grandparents were sent to Auschwitz, where they were murdered. This particular memorial has a large open space in it, symbolizing a destination to nowhere, an emptiness, a loss. 

The next set of images show a memorial in Wiesbaden that sits outlining the old synagogue. My grandfather had been preparing to have his Bar Mitzvah there, but never did, because the synagogue was burned down. His parents’, friends’, and neighbors’ names, along with dozens of other Jews, are engraved into the wall to honor the victims. 

For this project, I also chose to include several images from my visit a few years ago to Theresienstadt where many of my relatives were deported to. The end of the video shows grave sites of my great-great grandparents and great-great-great grandparents, which I was able to see last week.

My grandpa never thought this would happen his family. I visited his old house, the location of his burned down synagogue, where his family’s store used to be, and where his grandparents had once lived. He was told not to come back to school because he was Jewish, his best friend was murdered at sixteen years old, he lost nearly everyone he loved.

These kinds of stories feel too important not to share. 

We must always remember.      

• Ann Marie Carosella is the newly appointed Chair of the Holocaust Resource Center.

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• CSS Congregant and Religious School student Max Goldhirsch was interviewed on Channel 7 to describe his love of acting and his recent performance in the musical Nine produced by the Second Generation Theater here in Buffalo.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Day6qpNOEtY

• Mazel Tov to Jill Rafferty for receiving this year’s CSS President’s Award!

  • Congregant Amy Lyons was awarded Fellow status to the Medical Library Association at the Annual meeting held recently in Chicago, IL. Additionally, she was awarded the 2019 Virginia L. and William K. Beatty Volunteer Service Award from the Medical Library Association.
  • Rabbi Alex’s Another Voice Column in the Buffalo News – Small moments make a big impact on our days – Read it Here
  • Philip L. Glick’s Another Voice Column in the Buffalo News – UB medical students schooled in financial literacy – Read it Here
  • Karen Small’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – A hockey parent puts fond memories on ice – Read it Here
  • Rabbi Alex’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – Bison are the embodiment of Buffalo Strong – Read it here
  • Grace Blustone’s My View Column in the Buffalo News – In Film or Print, Holmes is Where My Heart is – Read it Here
  • Ben Gluck – Sweet accomplishment CSS RS student, Ben Gluck! Kol Hakavod! He was featured on the radio Mix-FM for his anti-bullying song!
  • Pete Simon’s “My View” column in the Buffalo News – “Basketball memories from the Braves” – Read it Here
  • Rabbi Alex’s “My View” column in the Buffalo News – “Remembering the people who built Buffalo” – Read it Here
  • Gayle Kerman “My View” Column in the Buffalo News  “It’s hard when it’s time for your youngest to leave” – Read it Here
  • Chris Cohan named  SUNY Distinguished Professor – Read it Here

  • Alexa Zappia promoting “Rocks of Unity” on The Harry Connick Show/li>
  • Jeanette Schonfeld, at 97!!! Caught playing violin while being accompanied by her son, pianist Barry Schonfeld at Weinberg Campus. 
  • Jenny Pohl Celebrating her 98th
  • Rabbi Alex Speaking at the March for Our Lives

  • Congregation members Gayle and Larry Kerman’s daughter, Mary Lynne, has published her first book – “Oysters are Superheroes“
  • Rabbi Alex article in the Buffalo News – Churches stand together after ‘Black Lives Matter’ sign was vandalized read it here
  • Peter Simon My View column in the Buffalo News – Family photos keep close those who have left read it here 
  • Vickie Rubin My View Column in the Buffalo News – Smartphones make these lives better read it here
  • Cantor Arlene Frank bio in The Buffalo Jewish Journal read it here
  • Dr. Paul Bluestein was Added to the Sweet Home High Wall of Fame read it here
  • Gunilla Theander Kester – My View: Wonderful people keep Buffalo warm read it here
  • Pete Simon My View Column in the Buffalo News – 50th class reunion yields great stories – read it here
  • Rabbi Alex My View Column in the Buffalo News – Community Conquers Windermere Graffiti – read it here
  • Geoff Cohan, son of Julia and Chris, completed an Iron Man Triathlon. The race was in Idaho. 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking and running a 26.2 mile marathon. He did it in 15 hours. Winners took over 10 hours…and he was still smiling after the grueling all-day race. Geoff Geoff had just gotten back from 4 months serving in the Air Force in S. Korea.
  • Here are the words Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein offered on Wednesday at the prayer vigil at Durham Memorial AME Zion in downtown Buffalo. –  Read it Here

  • Harry Connick Jr. is flying Alexa Zappia to NYC next week to be a guest on his show to spread kindness nation-wide with Rocks of Unity. 

  • Former Temple Sinai member ( and Board Member), Rayna Grossman, has recently been ordained as a Rabbi and begun her first job. – Read it here
  • Team Shir Shalom at the Walk Off Hunger

  • Shir Shalom in the Buffalo News for Walk Off Hunger – Read it Here
  • Jewish Federation Woman of Distinction Award for 2017 is Rella Corris. We turned out in full force to demonstrate our respect and admiration for Mrs. Corris!

  • Barry Schonfeld presents Buffalo NY première of Goyescas by Granados at the Seller Theater, JCC Buffalo 
  • Larry Posses receives the President’s award during the Shir Shalom Annual Congregational meeting.

  • Congratulations to Joe Morris, Todd Sugarman, Millie Topper and Mindy Weinman. These folks were honored at the Network of Religious Communities Annual Appreciation Dinner.

 

Last Updated on 03/02/2024 by Marc Slonim