The CMI Bulletin
More than a place - We’re a community
APRIL 2025
SERIES 109 No. 8
APRIL
Let us honor our history and strength on Passover this year.
Shabbat Services
Join your CMI community for Shabbat Services each Friday evening and Saturday mornings when we have a B’Mitzvah to celebrate!
SHABBAT VAYIKRA
Leviticus 1:1 - 5:26
Friday, April 4
5:30 p.m. Tot Shabbat
6:00 p.m. Shabbat Family Dinner & Service (1st & 2nd grade participating)
SHABBAT TZAV
Leviticus 6:1 - 8:36
Friday, April 11
5:30 p.m. Pre Oneg
6:00 p.m. Shabbat Service
SHABBAT SH’MINI
Leviticus 9:1 - 11:47
Friday, April 25
5:30 p.m. Pre Oneg
6:00 p.m. Shabbat Service (Torah Service)
YOM SH’VI-I SHEL PESACH Exodus 14:30 - 15:21
Friday, April 18
5:30 p.m. Pre Oneg
6:00 p.m. Shabbat Service
TODAH RABAH SHABBAT WELCOME TEAM
Thank you to our April greeters:
Phil Jacobs, Joel Jacobson, Dave Rodnick, Richard & Marie Shaw and Cliff & True Wolff
Chesed Team Outreach
Please also know that our Chesed team is here to help with any congregant in need of companionship/personal visits, food insecurity and rides. ALL information and requests will be kept confidential. If you or someone you know is in need of any of these resources, please contact the CMI office at 203-288-3877.
A Message From Rabbi Schaefer
Can I interest you in a farcical story about a temperamental King and his power-hungry advisor? What if it was set to music from the hit musical Wicked?!
We will be celebrating Purim on Friday, March 14 with programs for all ages. So please join us before services for Arts & Appetizers, a Purim spiel led by our teens, or afterwards at a local brewery to wish each other ah freilichen Purim over a refreshing beverage.
At a time when truth is being distorted and speech is being policed, art and religion are powerful forms of communication and resistance. At the heart of the Purim story are the courageous actions of Mordechai who refuses to bow down to the King’s evil advisor and Queen Esther who risks her own safety and privilege to save her people through wit and charm.
During this month, may we find humor in the stories of our tradition and inspiration in their messages. May we also find the strength to live out the old adage - mishenichnas Adar, marbim b’simcha - When the month of Adar arrives, we increase our joy.
L’shalom, Rabbi Schaefer
MAZEL TOV
CMI EXTENDS A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBERS
Sophia Veltfort & Joshua Macey
CMI would like to wish congratulations to the incredible achievements of congregant and former Religious School student, Justin Finkel!!!!
The following is an excerpt from a Connecticut College bulletin article:
“Justin Finkel ’25 was crowned national champion—twice—after winning the 500 freestyle and the 200 butterfly at the 2024 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, March 20-22. He becomes just the second Conn student-athlete to win multiple national titles, and the first to do so in the same NCAA Championship.
Finkel made his first trip to the top of the podium on the first day of competition. After turning in the fastest time in the morning preliminaries for the 500 free, Finkel swam a controlled race in the finals that saw him power to the finish in 4:21.32, breaking his own school and NESCAC records in the process.
‘I had a lot more in the last half than I thought I would. I went out how I wanted to, but I’m just glad I had that last kick in the end,’ said Finkel, a biology major from Cheshire, Connecticut.
‘It certainly means a lot,’ Finkel added of his first national title. ‘It’s a dream of every swimmer. I’ve been working on this for a while, so I’m glad I’m finally here, and it’s a dream come true.’
Finkel wouldn’t have to wait long for his second national title. After finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle on the second day of competition, he won the 200 fly in NCAA Division III record-breaking fashion on day three.
Finkel is the first men’s swimmer in Camel history to qualify for championship finals in three individual events at the same NCAA Championship, and he earned All-America honors in each. And while he was the only member of Conn’s Men’s Swimming and Diving team to compete, Finkel scored 55 points, which placed Connecticut College 17th overall out of 44 scoring teams.
Last month, Finkel was named NESCAC Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Listing of Justin’s accompishments
Nomination as the 2025 Jay Fieldler National Jewish Athlete of the year.
2024 NCAA division III Swimmer of the year
2024 national champion for the 500 yard freestyle and 200 yard butterfly
2024 NCAA division III national record holder for the 200 yard butterfly
New England small college athletic conference (NESCAC) Swimmer of the Year 2023,2024,2025
CSCAA Scholar All America Athlete
Justin is a senior at Connecticut College majoring in biological studies with a pre-med pathway. He plans to study for the MKATS this summer while working as a medical assistant.
ROSH CHODESH RECEIVES SPECIAL GRANT
It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Sierra Jade Fox as the next Cantor of Congregation MishkanIsrael. She will assume her position on the bimah on July 1. Many of you had the chance to meet Cantor Fox during her interviews here earlier this year, have heard her beautiful voice and have seen how well she fits in with our community.
Cantor Fox graduated with highest honors from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Religion & Society. She completed graduate work towards a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Temple University and towards a Master of Social Work degree at Widener University. She is currently attending Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion where she is a Tisch/Star Fellow. Upon completing a Master of Sacred Music program, her Cantorial Ordination will take place in May 2025.
Cantor Fox held the positions of student cantorial intern, b’mitzvah tutor, Religious School instructor and soloist at
PEAH GARDEN
The Peah garden is a project that grows and delivers organic produce to people experiencing food insecurity. The garden has been a project at CMI for about 30 years. It exists on the CMI grounds adjacent to the main parking lot. Each year 25-30 people participate as gardeners and/or deliverers. There are 15 plots in the garden. One gardener/team tends one plot with the intention of donating half of the produce grown. The other half of the plot is used at the gardener/teams’ discretion to grow produce for their own use or to share/donate. We make deliveries once a week during the spring and fall, twice a week during the summer to one of three organizations: Jewish Family Services, Keefe Community Center, Grace and St. John’s Episcopal Church, (which participates in the Dinner for a Dollar program run by a consortium of Hamden churches). The garden typically donates between 1,500 and 2,000 pounds of produce per year.
If you are interested in participating but cannot commit to a garden plot or are a newcomer to gardening, we can often use support help, especially at the beginning and end of the season, but also when gardeners are away on vacation or otherwise unavailable. We welcome new and experienced gardeners to join us. Most find the work to be very rewarding; some may even enjoy leaving their worries behind through the simple task of weeding. For more information, contact Stephen Grossman at sgrossman01@snet.net or 203-980-4576.
Please join us for our next planning meeting on Sunday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m. We are excited to get the garden prepared and ready to produce a wonderful array of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers!!!
Congratualtions to the Peah Garden for receiving a grant from the Inter-Religious Eco Justice Network!
2024-2025 Chai Holy Day Campaign
Thank you to everyone who has already donated to this year's Chai Campaign! We are getting closer to our annual goal of $180,000, but we need all of our congregants to help reach that goal. The past couple of years have stretched Mishkan Israel financially and we hope that you will contribute as generously as you are able to make sure we can flourish.
Please make a gift today -- increments of Chai are welcome, but we also value participation in ANY amount. Please give what you can!
Below are gifts that we have received at the time of press.
SIMCHA David & Karen Astrachan John Lapides Jerome & Roslyn Meyer
MITZVAH David Silverstone
DOUBLE TORAH Batja Astrachan David Beckerman Ira & Marsha Moses
DOUBLE CHAI Sarah Greenblatt Judith Hahn Jim Horwitz & Sandy Allison Sue McDonald & Corey Stone Hedda Rubenstein & Michael Dimenstein Mark & Judy Sklarz
TORAH Jeffrey & Clarky Sonnenfeld
CHAI Anonymous Betsy Hahn Barnston Irwin Braverman Herb & Elin Brockman Stuart & Hedy Bush Floyd & Letty Caplan David & Julie Chevan Liza Comita & Simon Queenborough Marilyn Fishbone Debbie Freedman & Ben Ledbetter Scott & Abby Friedman Stan & Bobbi Friedman Nathan & Patricia Garland in honor of Sam, Alice, Becky, Jon & Cate Tamar Gendler & Zolan Szabo Steven & Roxanne Glaser Laura Goldblum John & Frances Gordon Avery Grauer & Adam Watsky John & Susan Hoffmann Robert Homer & Susan Fishbein Bill & Nancy Horowitz Ruth Koizim Joan Lakin Madeline Ravich & Scott Gaul William & Elaine Ravich David Schaefer & Janet Hall Larry Schaefer & Lina Lawall Jim & Cis Serling Richard & Marie Shaw Aaron Singer & Elizabeth Caspe Brian & Stephanie Slattery Rabbi Steven & Caryl Steinberg Alan & Jane Sturtz James & Susan Wildes Randy Wingate & Tanya Bilchik
ADDITIONAL GIFTS:
Michele Abrams & Dalton King Brenda Arovas Irma Bachman Amy & Timothy Barry Phyllis Bausher Alice Baxter Alan & Katherine Benard Peter & Nancy Berdon Jay Berger & Barbara Grossman David Berkowitz & Anne Watkins Barry & Peggy Berman Bruce & Tansy Birenbaum Len Brin Dana Brozinsky & John Keegan Richard L. Chorney Robert Cole Confronting Racism Planning Group Jack Crane Rochell Cummings Jeffrey & Susan Dorfman Susan Engelhardt & Family Bob & Tamara Epstein Stephanie Farber Jack & Harriet Fast Burt & Suzanne Finkel Eden & Allan Fisher Steven & Miriam Giskin Leah Glaser & Stephen Amerman Saul & Sonya Goldberg John & Frances Gordon Len & Betsy Grauer Neil & Marlene Greenberg Linda Greenhouse Herbert Hershenson Allan Hillman & Penny Marcus Mark & Sharon Horowitz Joel Jacobson Megan Janoff & Mel Yu Priscilla Jencks Benjamin & Maria Kahn Gerald & Geraldine Katz Ellyn Kaufman Cindy Kissin & John Jacobson
ADDITIONAL GIFTS:
Al Klevorick & Susan Bender Wendy Kohli & Philip Bennett Meir & Barbara Kryger Robert & Ruth Lesser Lawrence Levenson Diane Lublin Barbara Marcus Sheldon & Nancy Messinger Nancy Moss-Racusin Bob & Susan Nobleman Nancy Olins Karen Orzack-Moore & Daniel Moore Shirley Pripstein Dave Rodnick in memory of Sally Levine Michael Ross & Beth Stenger Jeff & Alyse Sabina David & Ruth Sack Rabbi Daniel Schaefer Leslye Schaefer Karen Scholder Jeremy Schwartz & Tracy Rabin Barbara & Jim Segaloff Michael Silverberg Ana Sirota Rabbi Howard Sommer & Dr. Linda Waldman Gennadiy Sorochan Pearl Spodick Jeanne Steiner & William Rosenblatt Karen Scholder Nanette Stahl Milton & Joan Wallack Bert & Martha Weisbart Marian Wexler Patricia Willens & Michael Loewenberg Cliff & True Wolff Jill Wurcel Nancy Yedlin & Peter Blasini Jonathan & Tracy Zabin
Recent Donations
TARGET AREAS - immediate use funds
BUILDING FUND Benjamin Grauer Kruger for the RAISE THE ROOF/MISHKANOPOLY CAMPAIGN Shirley Scholder for the RAISE THE ROOF/MISHKANOPOLY CAMPAIGN Martha Simpson for the RAISE THE ROOF/MISHKANOPOLY CAMPAIGN Erica Spatz & Jeffrey Turner for the RAISE THE ROOF/MISHKANOPOLY CAMPAIGN Jeanne Steinber & William Rosenblatt for the RAISE THE ROOF/MISHKANOPOLY CAMPAIGN GENERAL FUND Richard & Alice Baxter in memory of NORMAN LEVINE Dana Brozinsky & John Keegan in memory of MORTON BROZINSKY The Ganz-Pfister Family in memory of MORTON LOSHER Nancy Alderman Kramer in memory of ANN VENER ALDERMAN Linda Prosco Robert Serow & Family in memory of LEAH UNGER SEROW Carol Shapiro in memory of GEORGE ROMER Richard & Marie Shaw in memory of JENNIFER SHAW Jimmy Shure in memory of GEORGE ROMER Cliff & True Wolff in memory of BARBARA WOLFF HUNGER FUND The DiPietro Family in memory of JACK BEECH Roberta & Dana Friedman in memory of LAWRENCE I. SANDERS MUSIC FUND Marlene & Neil Greenberg in memory of WILLIAM BARKIN David & Ruth Sack in honor of CANTOR GIGLIO SOCIAL ACTION FUND David & Sue Millen in memory of JUDY SHAPIRO
“…who donates much to charity becomes the richer for it…”
Zohar, iii, 110b
ENDOWMENT FUNDS - invested funds for specific purposes
CEMETERY FUND Linda Greenhouse in memory of HERMAN ROBERT GREENHOUSE, MD ROBERT GOLDBURG PEACE & JUSTICE FUND Martin Korn, Dr. Sylvia Betcher & Jeremy Korn in memory of DAVID S. KORN
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND Kate Sacks in appreciation of RABBI BROCKMAN Kate Sacks in appreciation of RABBI SCHAEFER
CMI EVENTS
******CMI & RELIGIOUS SCHOOL CLOSINGS******
Religious School will NOT meet on the following dates Sunday, April 13 Tuesday, April 15 Sunday, April 20
Tot Shabbat - In Person, No oneg Friday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m.
Bring your little ones to our special Tot Shabbat service which focuses on music and movement through fun songs and prayers. Parents and Tots will dance, sing, and have special moments together. We also invite you to stay for a family dinner at 6:00 p.m. Please RSVP so we can provide enough dinner for all to enjoy! There is no charge, but a suggested donation of $18 per family. Sign up here if you can help cook, serve, or clean up.
Judaism: New Interpretations of Old Ideas This class meets on any Sunday that Religious School meets. April class dates: Sundays, 4/6 & 4/27
CMI ANNUAL PASSOVER 2nd NIGHT SEDER SUNDAY, APRIL 13 AT 6:00 PM
Join us to celebrate the 2nd night Passover Seder including a catered dinner by Eli Whitney’s Culinary School. Rabbi Schaefer and Cantor Giglio will lead a traditional seder with lots of song and discussion. $55/adult, $25/ages 6-12, 5 and under free.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, APRIL 1.
Knitted Knockers Support Foundation Sunday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m.
We invite ALL CMI members who knit and/or crochet to participate in this new and rewarding project. Congregant Patti Garland will lead us as we create soft, comfortable prosthetics to be given free of charge to breast cancer survivors. To knit: please bring either Size 4 or 5 double pointed knitting needles. To crochet: please bring a Size G crochet hook. We will meet each month in conjunction with Chevra Hands meetings and knit/crochet independently. No experience is necessary - we will provide full instructions and guidance as well as the yarn. Please contact Patti Garland with any questions or concerns.
CMI Book Club Wednesday, April 23 at 12:00 p.m.
Chevra Hands Sunday, April 6 at 10:00 a.m.
Calling all those who love creating with their hands! Our dedicated group of quilt-makers, called Chevra Hands, makes shawls, baby blankets and lap blankets that we give to members of our congregation including newborns, people in the hospital and those who are home bound. Everyone is always welcome to join us. No experience necessary except a sense of humor. For more information, please contact Susan Millen (203-589-4052) or Lina Lawall (203) 215-9570).
Family Shabbat Dinner & Service
Friday, April 6
Dinner at 6:00 p.m., Service begins immediately after dinner (No oneg)
Join us as we celebrate Shabbat together! We will begin the evening with a lovely Tot Shabbat then dinner followed by our Family Shabbat Service with the 1st & 2nd Grades participating. The Junior Choir & The Oy Street Band will be there as well! The Torah portion for the week is Vayikra.
Please RSVP so we can provide enough dinner for all to enjoy! There is no charge, but a suggested donation of $18 per family. If you would like to help prep, cook, serve, or clean up, please check the box on the registration form AND ALSO please email Corey Stone.
We are looking for a sponsor for the meal who will receive recognition from the bimah. Sponsorship for the dinner will be $360. It is a perfect opportunity to recognize a milestone birthday, anniversary, or other simchah occurring in April. Sponsorship contributions of less than the full amount (at minimum $72 dollars) will also be accepted and recognized. Organize your friends to sponsor as a group!
The Ritual Committee is organizing this member-prepared meal.
Social Action Committee Thursday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m.
Among the exciting topics we will discuss is Alice Baxter’s environmental project and the Confronting Antisemitism program which Rabbinic Intern Ellen VanDyke Bell has joined. If you cannot attend in person, you can join via zoom. If you wish to receive the zoom link, contact Alice Baxter.
Rosh Chodesh - Iyar Tuesday, April 29, at 7:00 p.m.
Rosh Chodesh is the monthly holiday that celebrates the arrival of the new moon, marking the start of a new month in the Jewish calendar. Traditionally, it has become a special holiday for women. Our intergenerational group provides for female identifying and non-binary individuals thirteen and older a place to meet, form bonds, find meaningful ways to worship, and form community through discussion, song, poetry, storytelling, art, dance, and food.
Expressive Writing Workshop Wednesday, April 16, at 1:00 p.m.
Please join Amy Barry for this final session. No previous writing experience is necessary and there is no charge. For planning purposes, please RSVP to Nancy Moss Racusin (nancymr@snet.net) in advance of each session. You may also contact Nancy with any questions or concerns. You can learn more Amy and her writing programs on her website: www.aimwrite-ct.net.
April’s book is "The Last Letter" by Karen Baum Gordon. We will then have the unique opportunity of hearing the author as the keynote speaker when CMI hosts this year's Greater New Haven Yom HaShoah Commemoration on Sunday, April 27. Copies of the book will be available in the CMI Library.
Join Rabbi Schaefer or Rabbinic Intern Ellen VanDyke Bell on Saturday mornings: 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26 at 9:00 a.m. Please watch the E-News for updates. You can also check dates our online calendar.
Yahrzeits
* In perpetual memory
Anna Vener Alderman * Jeanne Kraft Alterman * William Berliner Frances I. Blackman * Emily Borenstein Henry C. Bretzfelder * Lillian Brochin * Irving J. Calechman * Ethel Lederman Chazen John H. Feinstein * Julius I. Friedman * Dr. Louis R. Gans * Max Garland Mattie Lapides Ginsburg * Margo Gold Saunders Isidor Goldberg Carol Block Haberman Sigfried Herrmann * Gertrude Rabinowitz Homer Luba Khait Rose Klein * Sally Osterweis Kopman David S. Korn * Louis B. Kronick Lena Lapides * Ben Ledbetter, Sr. Benjamin D. Levine * Sara Schwey Maskel * Assunta Patrizio Martin Rubin Helen Sanders Sonya Saxe Glaser * Magda Schneider Robert Schnitman * Sylvia W. Scholder * Norman Shemitz Adolph Ticotsky Valentine (Val) Tuckell * Sylvia Vinick Gertrude Weinstein Fannie Weissman
April 4
Donald Berkowitz Harry L. Berman * Karl A. Bretzfelder * Nathan B. Burness * Rosalie Michlin Byer Aaron Cohen Sylvia Barkan Danza * Beatrice Dunn Leonard Farber Kalman Fibel Sol Freed * Lewis Henry Freedman * John M. Goldhamer * George Greenstein Emma Lambert Hahn Marion Harward Miriam Brownstein Haut Solomon Heller Frances Yudkin Henchel * Julius (Jack) Jacobson A. Allen Johnson * Dr. Bud (Saul) Kapel Beatrice Koizim Edith Lakin Saul Levine Lena Lichtenstein * Blanche B. Lipsher Sidney Lurier * Herman Machol * Elizabeth Maizell Dr. Robert E. Maizell * Rita Malkin Susan Oberstein Aaron Racusin Frances Rittner Marion C. Sachs * Alfred Schindler Deborah Shapiro Jennifer Shaw Samuel Shukovsky Anna Fenn Shure * Marion Silberberg Enid Weisz Stone Benjamin Sugenheimer * Marc Switko Renee E. Toffler * Jack B. Tropp Anita Turner Pearl S. Weinick * Isidore Zakar
April 11
Dorothy Alpert Adler * Morris Borenstein Nancy Bostin * Hyman Calechman * Samuel Chauser * Louis Chernosky * Sarah J. Cohen Rhoda Cohn * Jacqueline Isaacs Eder Herman Fleischner * Barnett P. Freedman * Lucy Goldfarb Linda Ann Goldstein Philip Goodman * Dollie Haber * Edith C. Hall * Vernon Harward Dorothy Hilcoff * Vilma Hoffmann Edward I. Jacobson * Mary B. Katz Henrietta Koch * Ilse Hess Krevit * Molly Krug Max Kruger Morris Landowne Michael Lebson Myrna Batter Leslie * Sylvia Lesser Benjamin Levin Marcia O'Brasky Levin * Ellis Lincoln Henrietta H. Machol * Sydney Marcus Daniel Ominsky Ruth Ostfeld * Rosalyn Sylvia Prosco * Dr. Bernhard A. Rogowski * Sally Swirsky Rosenthal Anna Schaefer Elizabeth (Betty) J. Scholder * Stephanie Schwait Michael Sonnenberg * Morris Stromfeld Thomas J. Ullmann Rose (Rae) Webber Robert C. Weisselberg
April 18
Milton Adnopoz Dora Alterman Rose Baser * Melissa Batter * Jacob Belford Martha Johnson Caeser * Barbara Arman Cohen Eva Cooperstock * Florine Spear Davidson * Julie Drabkin Mary Evans George Feinn * Pearl Fierman Haiy Flit Bertram Frankenberger, Jr. Thelma Friedman Sally Gendler S. Michael Gompertz Michael Hozer Sylvia M. Jacobs Sherman Jacobson Mary Kleiner * Estelle A. Kone * Morris Korman * Bernard Krug Sadie Liftig * Anna Lipin Max Lipsher Louis S. Loeb * Lawrence Loeb Daniel Marcus Louis Mohill Abbey Perlman Ralph Riverso Libby R. Rudnick Frances Schaefler * Ida Schub Claire R. Setlow Evelyn Shapiro Sarah Silverman Ned Thomas * Sophie B. Weil * Samuel Weinstein Samuel Weinstock * Evelyn S. White * Clara Dorothy Wrubel *
April 25
In Sympathy
Joan Shapiro on the loss of her sister, Judy Shapiro
In Memoriam
Shirley Fiedler
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THE CONGREGATION MISHKAN ISRAEL BULLETIN
April 2025 Series 109 No. 8
THE CONGREGATION MISHKAN ISRAEL
785 Ridge Road, Hamden, CT 06517
Phone: (203) 288-3877 Fax: (203) 248-2148
http://cmihamden.org
Rabbi Daniel Schaefer x236 dschaefer@cmihamden.org
Rabbi Emeritus Herbert N. Brockman, Ph.D. D.D. x238 cmirabbi@cmihamden.org
Cantor Arthur Giglio x244 cantorg@cmihamden.org
Steven Jacober, Executive Director x241 sjacober@cmihamden.org
Michelle Goldstein, Religious School Director x237 mgoldstein@cmihamden.org
Jennifer Verrier, Early Childhood Director x246 jverrier@cmihamden.org
Alan J Sturtz, Ed.D, President president@cmihamden.org