VOLUME XXII, NUMBER 10          WWW.SHALOMPCS.COM                           JUNE 2017

The Rabbi's Column: 
 
Each Person Is a World at PCS

 

by Rabbi Dr. Julie Hilton Danan
 
On Memorial Day weekend I attended my nephew's bar mitzvah in Durham, North Carolina. His Torah portion was Bemidbar, the first in the book of Numbers, and he talked about the meaning of counting people. The Rabbi, Larry Bach, gave a Devar Torah that was almost the same as one that I told our B'nei Mitzvah students here in Pleasantville when we went on our end-of-year hike.
 
Rabbi Bach told my nephew Zac about the Jewish tradition that we don't count people, even the ten that we need for a minyan. People are not numbers but individuals. Instead, the custom is to use a verse from Psalms 28:9 that has exactly ten words. You turn to each person and say one verse from the Psalm. When you get to the last word of the verse, you have a minyan. The nice twist that I had not heard before is that since the last word in this verse, " olam," can mean "world," it reminds us that each person is like a whole world.
 
This story reinforces for me that it's not just the size of a synagogue that matters. True, Pleasantville Community Synagogue is a small congregation, but each person in our midst is valued as a whole world. Each person brings a different Jewish journey, a unique background and their own special gifts and talents to contribute to the community. At an intimate shul like PCS, you should know that you really count to our congregation.
 
One of the things that drew me to PCS was the way that we welcome everyone with equal enthusiasm and treasure our diversity in every sense of the word. Whether you enter our sanctuary or meet us at an event in a home, park or volunteer or social venue, our aim is to see you, hear what you have to say, and connect with you as a person. Here we hope you know that you are not just another member of an institution, but a valued participant in an intentional community.
 
As I look back over my second year as your PCS rabbi, my heart is warmed by all the beautiful moments of community that we have experienced together. First, I'm incredibly grateful to have worked with our dedicated and talented president Amy Gutenplan. She is so considerate and welcoming to everyone, so giving of her time and talents. Our whole board has worked hard, along with chairs of committees, and many dedicated volunteers, to keep our synagogue flourishing.
 
There have been peak moments like our High Holy Day services with Cantor Abbe and so many members participating. There have been deep conversations in my study and shared personal stories over coffee.  We've shared life cycle events where we supported each other through joy and sorrow alike, because as the old saying goes, "Sorrow shared is sorrow halved, while joy shared is joy doubled."
 
We've built up our community customs with wildly fun celebrations like our Simchat Torah Extravaganza or our hilarious Purim celebrations. We've marked moving and solemn times like Yom Hashoah, listening to members share their family's personal stories of loss and survival. My husband Avraham and I have opened our home to PCS members on several enjoyable occasions.
 
We've shared fun celebrations with the Hebrew School thanks to the gifted leadership of our incredible director Galit Sperling, and joyful singing and dancing at PCS Shabbat services of different types for all ages: Prime Time Shabbats for grown ups, Mishpachah and Tot Shabbats for younger families, SNAP for those with special needs (thanks to Vivian Chang Freiheit), and lively community celebrations like Back to Shul Night or Shabbat Shira.  Ed Sperling has brought out the best and highest from every bar and bat mitzvah student.
 
I value our honest, lively, intensive adult discussions about Torah and contemporary issues, whether led by me, knowledgeable and talented members or distinguished guest speakers. Our offerings for young families have blossomed with Growing Jewish Naturally (at farms and parks), home celebrations at the Serebins, and music class with Vivian (we are going to miss her so much!).
 
We have gathered for enjoyable progressive dinners and fantastic themed fundraisers chaired by our generous members . . . as well as for deep meditation, Spiritual Direction with Rabbi David Markus, and Rosh Chodesh gatherings led by Robin Berman. Thanks to Leslie Mack and others, we have volunteered at local agencies and collected for good causes; we've been part of large interfaith events and gatherings to learn about sponsoring refugees, an effort that will be spearheaded by our members Evan and Dara Meyers Kingsley (for more info, click here).
 
And G-d willing, we are just getting started! Please remember that my office door is open so that I can meet with you, or I'm happy to join you for coffee, lunch or a walk in the park so that I can hear more about what's important to you and our community. And when you step through our door or pick up the phone, our amazing administrator Marcy Gray will be there to welcome and support you as she always does for me.
 
Most of all, day to day and week to week, there are those sacred moments that I want you to see with me through my eyes: whether blessing a new family with their first child as the mother tells about her baby's namesake (read about it here), going for a hike with our B'nei Mitzvah class and our youth group director Julia McCarthy (for photos, click  here and talking with our fabulous young teens about things that are important to them, gathering for dessert at Jean-Jacques where (thanks to our UJA grant) we could have a relaxing setting to open our hearts to discussing big questions like end-of-life conversations and mystical Jewish views of the soul's afterlife.
 
Please join us often at PCS and be part of this joyful, inclusive, spiritual and welcoming community where you count, because you are a unique soul and a whole world entire.
 
Hope to see you at summer services and events!
Hebrew letter blocks
HEBREW SCHOOL HAPPENINGS
by Galit Sperling, Principal

 

We had another wonderful year in the PCS Hebrew School. Our students finished off their year of learning and exploration with a fun last day of Hebrew School, filled with games, review, projects and, of course, the traditional last day Ice Cream Party! Their art projects were "for sale" at our craft fair, with all proceeds going to tzedakah. Our last day was also the Hebrew School Open House, and we were happy to have a number of new families and students join us for the festivities. Thank you to all who helped spread the word, and contributed, to making the last day and Open House a great success!
 
Exciting Hebrew School News for Next Year:
  • Free kindergarten! No strings attached. Please spread the word to new families that their kindergartener can attend Hebrew School at PCS next year free of charge! Registration information is the only thing we need to have their child join in the fun from September through May!
  • $100 off tuition, if you register and pay in full by July 15, 2017! Sign up for Hebrew School (grades 1-7) and pay your child's tuition by July 15 to receive a $100 discount off the cost! Open to all, returning and new students alike.
  • 9:00 am - 11:00 am for all Sunday classes! We are happy to announce that students in grades K - 6 will all have class concurrently on Sunday mornings next year. We hope this will make pick-up and drop-off convenient for parents and carpools.
  • Thursdays 4:00 - 5:30 pm. Kitah Hey (5th grade) and Kitah Vav (6th grade) will continue to meet on Thursday afternoons as well as Sundays, with classes on Thursdays shortened to 90 minutes long.
  • Back to Shul Night is scheduled for Friday, September 8, and Hebrew School begins on Sunday, September 17. Mark your calendars for the start to another great year!
We could not have the wonderful Hebrew School program and environment that we do without the support of many people. Thank you to our fantastic teachers Jennifer Chervin, Karen Stamatis, Laurel Romero, Ann Vesei and Judy Fuhrer. Thank you to Rabbi Julie for her leadership and guidance. To all those who filled out the Hebrew School Questionnaire last month, your answers to our survey questions helped us get a sense of what is most successful, and in what areas we can continue to improve.
 
Thank you to our Hebrew School madrichim, teen assistants who are role models to our students, assisting teachers in the classroom, working one-on-one with students, as well as behind the scenes. Some of our wonderful teens who helped this year included Jacob Freiheit, Sydney Schulz and Deborah Johnston. We especially want to thank Ben Klingner and Michelle Siegel, who were with us all year long! We are ever grateful for your generosity, spirit and leadership.
 
Thank you to the amazing Marcy Gray, who keeps everything running wonderfully and smoothly at PCS. Thank you Ben Serebin for acting as the Hebrew School liaison on the Board of Trustees, and to Roberta Korus for creating these great newsletters. Thanks to Amy Gutenplan, Jonathan Goodman and Barbara Doctor; your guidance and support was integral to our success this past year.
 
Thank you to our Hebrew School parents, for their support, assistance and for their wonderful children! We hope to have our Hebrew School continue to grow next year; please spread the word to families and neighbors who may be interested in joining our fantastic community.
 
Wishing you all a happy and healthy summer vacation. See you in September!



PCS students planting flowers...

ICECREAM617

 

 

eating ice cream...

enjoying the crafts fair...

...and dancing!
Thirteenbridges617

The B'nei Mitzvah Class did it!

 

Here they are on their Thirteen Bridges hike to celebrate turning 13 and becoming B'nei Mitzvah!

Youth Programming Milestones at PCS This Year
 
PCS Youth Director Julia McCarthy looks back at the programs this year that have grown out of the increased focus of PCS on its teen and youngest members.

Teens

Fall : Youth Group Kick-Off in the Sukkah, planning for the year ahead and more to come!
 
Fall : Seven of our teens participated in an Interfaith Service at the Edenwald Center, organized by Tikkun Olam/Social Action Committee chair Leslie Mack
 
Winter : Two of our teens attended an MLK Day of Service with J*Teen Leadership and the Afiya Foundation packing crates full of medical supplies to be sent to a Syrian refugee camp.
 
Winter : Discussion of 2016 election results, framed within the rabbinic concept of machlochet l'hem shamayim, or conflict for the sake of heaven.
 
Winter : We went rock climbing at the Cliffs at Valhalla with five PCS teens.
 
Spring : Purim Play with Galit, with Julia as assistant director.
 
Spring : WJTLI Cohort collaborated on an educational workshop about various refugee crises around the world, why advocacy and activism on behalf of refugees is important to the Jewish community, and what teens can do to help. Created public service announcements with a film production educator as the start of an information campaign throughout our three temples and the Jewish community in Westchester.
 
Spring : Planted flowers at the Mann Center with residents.
 
Spring : 13 Bridges for 13 Years: Rabbi Julie and Julia took B'nei Mitzvah students on a hike through Rockefeller State Park; for photos, click here.
 
Tots (Growing Jewish Naturally)
 
1. Fall: Sukkot Celebration at our improvised sukkah at Muscoot Farm.
 
2. Winter: "Land of Milk and Honey" with Chef Suzy Scherr, making ricotta, taste-testing honey, and learning about the importance of bees in our eco-system.
 
3. Late Winter/Early Spring: Sugaring Sunday at Teatown.
 
4. Coming Up: Learning about Shavuot at Camp Sprout Lake with environmental educator Holly Jett; for more info, click here.
THE PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE


How time flies! At the end of this month, my two-year term as PCS president will end. I accepted the position in 2015, filled with optimism as well as trepidation. I was proud and eager to be an active participate in our future. I look back on the past two years, and I am incredibly grateful for the trust that the community placed in my leadership. I am thankful for a board of trustees who are thoughtful, measured, committed and incredibly supportive. I am thankful for the many past presidents who have provided me with direction, advice and countless hours of guidance.
 
There is so much more for which I am thankful. Our incredibly dedicated and talented administrator, Marcy, has been an indispensable ally and friend. Without Marcy, I would have a difficult time accomplishing anything! I am thankful for our energetic and caring Hebrew School principal, Galit Sperling, loved by the students and parents alike. I am thankful for Rabbi Julie, who took a chance with our community, and has become a true partner in realizing our mission and our vision.
 
I am most thankful for our community. I have met so many warm, generous and welcoming people, and I have made some wonderful friends. It has been an honor and a privilege to work on behalf of this community.
 
Although I am completing my role as president, I am remaining a Trustee. I believe I have more work to do for our community, and I would like to focus my time and my efforts on membership, reaching out to new and prospective members, as well as engaging current members. I am actively seeking partners for this committee. Please join me in this endeavor.
 
Finally, I invite you to join us at the Congregational Meeting on Wednesday, June 21, at 7:30 pm to hear my year in review, approve the fiscal year 2017/2018 budget and vote in our new board members. We have had many successes this year, but due to our continuing decrease in membership, our budget will reflect drastic and difficult reductions. Even so, we believe that we have created a budget that will allow us to continue as a warm, welcoming, joyous community. Again, I thank you, the PCS community, for a wonderful two years. I look forward to working together for many more years.
 
- Amy Gutenplan


GOOD NEWS FROM PCS!


Eliana Johnston, daughter of Susan Spraragen and Brad Johnston, will be graduating
from Ossining High School on June 17 . In the fall Eliana plans on attending SUNY Plattsburgh where she earned acceptance to their nursing program.
 
Emma Goodman, daughter of Robin Henry and Jonathan Goodman, recently graduated from Wellesley College, 
magna cum laude,  in Biological Sciences. She will be continuing her studies this fall at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York. 
 
Alanna Shea, daughter of Beth and David Shea, is graduating from Hendrick Hudson High School, where she distinguished herself as co-captain of the Girls' Tennis Team, president of the National Art Honor Society, officer of several other clubs, and active participant in five advanced placement classes. She will attend Brandeis University this fall, where she hopes to pursue a liberal arts education, participate in sports and art, and join various clubs for her own enjoyment.
 
Tal Mintz , son of PCS Administrator Marcy Graygraduated from Ithaca College with honors and recently arrived in Memphis, Tennessee, to teach early elementary school students for two years with Teach for America. Also seeking work as a piano bar singer/songwriter.
 
Gordon Ward, son of Roberta Korus and Steve Ward, will graduate this month from Valhalla High School. Gordon plans to study journalism at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY, where his father is an assistant professor of music technology. In addition, after five years of participating in HaZamir: The International Jewish High School Choir, Gordon is looking forward to singing with Zamir Noded, the Zamir Choral Foundation's choir for young adults ages 18-30.

Jackson Gutenplan, son of Bruce and Amy Gutenplan, graduated in May from Vanderbilt University. J ackson will be traveling in Asia  before he returns to New York to work as an equities trader at Trillium.  

Ava Margot Kingsley, daughter of Dara Meyers-Kingsley and Evan Kingsley, graduated from Barnard College, magna cum laude, and is putting her economics degree to work immediately as she joins the Audi division of Volkswagen of America in northern Virginia. 
 
Congratulations to Charles Danan, son of Rabbi Julie and Avraham Danan, for his acceptance into the University of Pennsylvania Medical School MD/PhD program, which he will begin this summer.
 
Miriam Seiler has had a lot to celebrate recently. Her granddaughter, Gaby Zuckerman, was salutatorian of her high school graduating class and will be attending the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Another granddaughter, Tali Rasooly Speiser, was accepted into the PhD program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. And Miriam's great-grandson, Adam Ilan Speiser, just celebrated his first birthday!

Ken Fuirst's  company, Levitt-Fuirst , won the 2017 Hall of Fame Award for "Family-Owned Business" from the Business Council of Westchester.
 
 
We want to kvell along with you! Please share your simchas and accomplishments, and those of your family, by emailing the information to RKorus@ShalomPCS.com.
 
babyyelena617

Recently, Rabbi Julie and PCS congregants helped Rita Ratner and Geoff Hempill welcome their new daughter, Julia Elena Hempill, to the Jewish community with a baby-naming ceremony at PCS. In a moving tribute, Rita shared with those in attendance the story behind her daughter's name, and with her kind permission, we reprint those words here.
 
Shabbat Shalom, and thank you for coming to our daughter's baby naming today! We're really excited that our friends and family schlepped all the way to Westchester to help us celebrate this really special day.
 
Today is obviously incredibly special for us because we're giving our daughter, Julia Yelena, a Hebrew name; but it's also an interesting coincidence that today is the 18th anniversary of my Bat Mitzvah. When I was 13, I stood on the podium and gave a speech about this exact Torah portion, and in some ways, the speech I'm about to give is the update. It's like the "Where Are They Now?" of Torah speeches.
 
Back then, I explained that the central line in the text is "You should be holy, for I, the Lord your G-d, am holy." The portion makes the point that being holy isn't about being religious, it's about respecting and honoring your family, thinking of others and being charitable; and handling your business affairs in an ethical way. In my Bat Mitzvah speech I talked about the holiest person I knew - my Grandma Yelena. And while she wasn't ever really religious, she spent her life taking care of her family, actively caring about and helping the people around her, and at the same time, accomplishing a lot. Now, 18 years later, it is our honor to name our daughter, Julia Yelena, after my Grandma Yelena, in the hopes that Julia also grows up to be holy in all the ways her great-grandma was.
 
My grandma lived with us. We shared a room, and growing up, she would tell me stories about her life - and her life was incredibly difficult, but also very interesting. She told me about how she talked her way into the pilot training program with the Russian air force during World War II; or that she and her parents had to walk from Minsk in the north of Russia to Uzbekistan in Central Asia to escape the Nazis - I recently Googled the route; it's 4,000 miles, and they definitely didn't have hiking boots. Or the fact that, after the war, my grandma worked for many years as a director of the Kiev Zoo. And on days when the zoo was closed and no one bothered to feed the animals, she'd take a few home to make sure they didn't starve. There are some great pictures of my mom and my uncle when they were little, wrestling a baby tiger in the living room or feeding a baby bear out of a bottle. These big stories are a good picture of the kind of person she was - someone who made stuff happen for herself, who was tough and resilient, but also incredibly kind.
 
My grandma showed me how to take care of people - people she'd known for years, and people she didn't know at all - her motto was "if you can help someone, then help them." It was really that simple for her. And at the same time, she pushed herself and those around her to succeed on their own terms. When I was nine and really wanted to do tae kwon do when little Russian girls are all supposed to want to do ballet, my grandma was my biggest advocate. She told me, when she walked me to my first day of class, that nothing that's worthwhile is easy, and that because I'm going to be the only girl there, I had to make sure to work twice as hard to prove that I belonged. But that all this was totally do-able, because when she was young, she did all that stuff too - and she turned out great. I have two black belts.
 
We hope that in naming Julia after her great-grandma, we can help instill the lessons that she taught me. That we can raise our daughter to be a go-getter, and someone who's not afraid to deal with challenges as they come up. We hope that we can raise her to be thoughtful of those around her, and able to help them along their paths as well. And we hope that we can teach her that she's part of a really rich family history, and that she finds her own place in the world, while remembering where she came from.
 
In order to make it really clear to Julia that she's being named after her Great-Grandma Yelena, we chose the Hebrew name Yelena Malka. Yelena is not technically a Hebrew name, but we're spelling Yelena out in Hebrew letters so it's clear who she's named after. And Malka because that's the name my grandma told me a rabbi had given to her when she was young. We're excited to raise our daughter with stories of this incredible role model, and we want to thank everyone who's here today for helping us welcome our daughter, Yelena Malka, into our lives.
 
Into the Silence
 
I recently spent 10 days in silent meditation deep in the Rocky Mountains. Along with more than 100 others, we agreed to give up all distractions--no phones, no reading material, no writing--in order to deepen our practice and to allow whatever arose for us to simply be there. The sitting part was the hardest part for me, although there were regular breaks and opportunities to walk, but remaining silent turned out to be much less difficult than I had imagined. Part of the discipline was to refrain from looking directly at each other which, strangely enough, didn't prevent real communication from taking place as my other senses were sharpened to a degree where I could tune into the subtle messages I felt in my body. It was a different order of knowing, in many ways deeper and unfiltered by language.
 
As someone who regularly meditates I'm familiar with what is possible when I drop my busyness and allow my mind to empty out and then open to new possibilities. I learn about myself, about my various relationships and about the essential spiritual make-up of the world in which I live. But this was the first time I had done such an extensive exploration, unmitigated by any of my usual distractions. So, I could watch my breath, but also sense the breathing of those around me, paying attention to the occasional cough or throat-clearing as raw information entering my system. I imagined myself as a computer and every sound became input into a system that would record it. I wasn't necessarily drawing conclusions, but I was paying attention to the information I received and holding it in relation to where it came from, even when I didn't know exactly where that was.  There was me, the other and the "we" that was created and I was able to accept this very simple equation.
 
Occasionally someone would give voice to a strong feeling welling up and I could hear a sob or a cry.  It didn't matter who made the sound--I felt a kinship with everyone in the room--rather, there was a real human connection.  I felt the pain or sadness being expressed, at times imagining that I could identify the feeling behind the sound.  Actually, I don't believe it was my imagination; the sense of feeling was strong enough for me to know what was happening, not the particular circumstance, but whether it was sadness or fear or shame. And I knew it because that same feeling registered in me, as my sadness or fear or shame.
 
In the end I had an experience of the oneness of life, our connectedness with each other. I've had this thought many times, but in the silence it became reality, as the words of the Shema became a lived experience.
 
 
                                                                              --Peter Schaffer
 
Bookworm
From the PCS Bookworm... Eileen Jagoda

The Dovekeepers

by Alice Hoffman



This tale of four strong and independent women on Masada (Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shurah) is based on the record of the ancient historian Josephus who wrote the only surviving account of the siege at Masada. As their lives intersect, the women display both fearlessness and secrecy. Through Hoffman's words, their desperation, and the desperation of the other 400 Jews on Masada as they held off armies of Romans, is palpable. Although we know the ending (according to Josephus, only two women and three children survived the night the Jews on Masada committed mass suicide rather than submitting to the Romans), this glimpse of life nearly 2,000 years ago is riveting. The Bookworm could not put this book down!
 
 
Alice Hoffman is the author of more than 30 books, including the bestsellers The Museum of Extraordinary Things, The Marriage of Opposites and Faithful. Hoffman has also worked as a screenwriter and is the author of the original screenplay for Independence Day , a film starring Kathleen Quinlan and Diane Wiest. Her teen novel Aquamarine was made into a film starring Emma Roberts. Her short fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe Magazine, Kenyon Review, The Los Angeles Times, Architectural Digest, Harvard Review, Ploughshares and other magazines.

 * * * * *
 
For your summer reading enjoyment, the PCS Bookworm, Eileen Jagoda, recommends:
 
  • The Walled City by Esther David
  • Between Gods: A Memoir by Alison Pick
  • The Devil in Jerusalem: A Novel by Naomi Ragen
  • Superman Is Jewish? How Comic Book Superheroes Came to Serve Truth, Justice, and the American Way by Harry Brod
  • Jews on the Frontier: An Account of Jewish Pioneers and Settlers in Early America by Rabbi I. Harold Sharfman

GJN6617
Growing Jewish Naturally
 

 
For families with young children ages 0 to 8
 
Meet us at Camp Sprout Lake
Sunday, June 11, 10 am - 11:30 am
500 Yorktown Rd, Croton-On-Hudson, NY 10520
 
Join us for our final "Growing Jewish Naturally" program of the school year as we learn about Shavuot, the ancient agricultural festival marking the transition between
the spring barley festival and the summer wheat harvest
with educator Holly Jett and PCS youth director Julia McCarthy.
 
Free of charge!
RSVP needed: Please contact Julia McCarthy at youthdirector@shalompcs.com
or call the PCS office at (914) 769-2672.
 
"Growing Jewish Naturally" is funded by a grant from UJA Federation.


 
 
refugee617REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT TASK FORCE INFORMATION MEETING AT PCS
Tuesday, June 20, 7:30 pm

 
More than  65 million refugees around the world live displaced lives , often in dire conditions.
Each year, less than one percent find safety in a welcoming new country.
 
PART One, a community group in Pleasantville/Armonk, has been given the privilege of resettling one such family in Westchester County this summer, and PCS is a partner in the process!
 
Volunteers are needed to help secure and furnish housing; assist the family in settling and acclimating; facilitate access to medical and social services; enroll the children in school; connect the adults to an ESOL class and other educational opportunities; provide transportation in the first few months; and work to find employment that will help the family become self-sufficient within a year.
 
PCS members are encouraged to volunteer their time by signing up
at http://volunteer.partone.us or by calling PCS member
Evan Kingsley at 917-929-8556.
 
An information session for the entire Pleasantville community will be held
at PCS on Tuesday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m.
All are welcome.



Be a Host or Buddy Family this Year for Visiting Israeli Soldiers
Apply now for this amazing opportunity!

IDF soldiers

Tzahal Shalom of Northern Westchester has been welcoming active duty IDF Officers to the community since 2006. The soldiers connect our Northern Westchester community to Israel. Friendship and long-lasting bonds are formed as the soldiers live with local families and speak to diverse audiences while in our community for ten days.
 
Be a part of the magic.
Apply to become a Host or Buddy family this year.
 
Program dates are Sunday, October 15 through
Wednesday, October 25, 2017.
 
If you are interested, please click here for the application or copy and paste: https://files.constantcontact.com/3f4d9cca001/5b52add4-fef9-4108-bf39-4538bf645d84.pdf .
 
The deadline to apply is Monday, June 12, 2017.
 
If you have any questions, please email us at TzahalShalom@gmail.com.


Contrib
CONTRIBUTIONS
We appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who support
the Pleasantville Community Synagogue by remembering and honoring
their friends and loved ones through their generous contributions.  
For information on making donations to PCS, including online donations,
please click here.
General Fund
Susan and Malcolm Netburn
Rhea Wolfthal, in gratitude for being approved to make Aliyah
Jonathan Gaines, in memory of his beloved father, Joseph I. Gaines
Roberta Korus, in memory of her beloved grandparents, Max Korus, Morris Itkin and Dessie                   Sliffman Itkin, upon the occasion of their yahrzeits

Kiddush Fund
Rabbi Julie and Avraham Danan in honor of the occasion of the yahrzeits of Avraham's beloved            parents
Anne Tetenman, Scott Tetenman and all the Tetenman and Greenwald families in honor of the            occasion of Jake Tetenman becoming a Bar Mitzvah

Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
Cantor Abbe Lyons, "with appreciation to Rabbi Julie for her gracious leadership" at the funeral          of Ann Lyons, Cantor Abbe's beloved mother.
Marcy Gray, in memory of her beloved father, Stuart Gray, on the occasion of his yahrzeit
Harriet Goldwin-Cohen and Gregory Cohen, to go toward the repair of PCS' sacred Torahs
JUNE YAHRZEITS

Chaim Benattar, father of David Benattar
June 1
Julius Berzin, father of Jodie Rossi 
June 3
Anne Sacks, mother of Jeffrey Sacks 
June 3
Jonathan Pfeffer, brother of Michael Pfeffer
June 5
Martin Klein, father of Eric Klein
June 9
Sylvia LePatner, mother of Gilda Borenstein
June 9
Emanuel Teitel, father of Merrie Teitel-Greene
June 15
Max Korus, grandfather of Roberta Korus
June 16
Morris Itkin, grandfather of Roberta Korus
June 17
Dessie Sliffman Itkin, grandmother of Roberta Korus
June 20
Meyer Spector, uncle of Malcolm Netburn
June 23
Rose Netburn, mother of Malcolm Netburn
June 23
Nadine Aghen, mother of Sean Aghen
June 25
Anna Fuchs, mother of Audrey Lenoff
June 25





















JULY YAHRZEITS

Alvin Sigal, father of Melanie Gordin

July 4

Henry Sperling, father of Edward Sperling 

July 6

Marcus Schwartz, father of Nancy Mayers 

July 10

Joan Gerstler, mother of Deborah Spanierman

July 10

Nathan Cohen, father of Hirsh Cohen

July 11

Hilda Reisman, mother of David Reisman

July 11

Janet Aschkenasy, cousin of Roberta Berman

July 14

Herbert Gutenplan, father of Bruce Gutenplan

July 19

Jerry Chazen, father of Eileen Jagoda

July 21

Bernard Ehrlich, father of Lori Neuburger

July 24

Emanuel Jacobs, stepfather of Barbara Altman Bruno

July 30

 

 

 

 

AUGUST YAHRZEITS

Troy Rutman, brother of Seth Rutman

August 1

Philip Rosen, father of Estelle Rosen Kersh

August 2

Morris Etkin, grandfather of Rhea Wolfthal

August 3

Rosaline Lasher, mother of April Lasher

August 13

Sybil Berman, mother of Roberta Berman

August 14

Michael Weill, husband of Janice Sandbank

August 16

Gertrude Cohen, wife of Hirsh Cohen

August 21

Shulamit Badichi, mother of Ariela Wehrle

August 24

Henry Major, father of Martin Major

August 25

Shalom Badichi, father of Ariela Wehrle 

August 26

Elaine Rutman, mother of Seth Rutman 

August 31



To all PCS members:
If you or another member suffer personal tragedy or loss or are otherwise in need of help, please immediately contact Rabbi Julie at (914) 769-2672 or
Rabbi@ShalomPCS.com, or to our Caring (Chesed) Committee Chair, Susan Friedman at (917) 846-3038, or SFriedman@ShalomPCS.com.


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The PCS Yahrzeit Memorial Board is a beautiful and symbolic place to honor your loved ones while helping to support your synagogue. The anniversary of their passing will be commemorated with a light by their name plate. You will find the appropriate form for purchasing a memorial name plate by clicking here.

Pleasantville Community Synagogue Mission Statement
  
Pleasantville Community Synagogue is a welcoming Jewish community connecting people of diverse traditions and backgrounds who want to share a joyous spiritual and cultural home.
 
PCS officers and trustees:
  
Officers
President: Amy Gutenplan

Secretary: Laurie Hirsch Schulz

Treasurer: Jonathan Goodman

Vice President: Roberta Korus

Vice President: Richard Solomon
 
Board of Trustees
Cristina Altieri-Martinez

Robert Marshak

David Benattar

Leyla Nakisbendi

Gregory Cohen

Karen Neuburger

Jonathan Goodman

Lisa Nicotra

Amy Gutenplan

Laurie Hirsch Schulz

Roberta Korus


Richard Levine

Richard Solomon
Sheila Major

Rabbi Julie Danan


To contact PCS 
Phone: (914) 769-2672;  Fax: (914) 769-1795;  Websitewww.ShalomPCS.com
 
Marcy Gray, Synagogue Administrator: (914) 769-2672;  mgray@ShalomPCS.com
Galit Sperling, Religious School: (914) 773-0043; principal@ShalomPCS.com
Barbara Doctor, Member Accounts: (914) 747-3017; Accounts@ShalomPCS.com
Julia McCarthy, Youth Leader, youthdirector@shalompcs.com
Registration NOW open for 2017 
Open to campers entering Pre-K-6th grade
Located in Croton-on-Hudson
Free Transportation
www.cyj sproutlake.org/ sproutwestchester I 914-271-7563


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Please click for the full PCS calendar for June, July and August 2017. Watch your email for details on Friday night services during the summer!

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Pleasantville Community Synagogue Newsletter  
June 2017         7 Sivan - 6 Tamuz 5777