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TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL
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CONTENTS President's Letter Annual Appeal Update Upcoming Programs Community Archive Poultry Farmers? Mazel Tov, Elsie! On Our Bookshelf Yiddish Page Yahrzeits High Holidays Tkhines LEADERSHIP Norm Berman, President Paula Rosenberg Bell, Pres Emerita Joel Rosenberg, Pres Emeritus Evert Gawendo, Vice President Rosa Goldblatt, Treasurer Sheri Abrams, Secretary Dora Glinn, Exec Committee Leah Abrams, Exec Committee Alicia Pion, Exec Committee Rachel Berman Eric Blumenthal Jeffrey Blumenthal Martin Drobiarz Richard Dvorin Sari Elston Trzepacz Elsie Fetterman Jack Helfgott Jack Hodys Jacob Gawendo Michael Gawendo Matthew Goldblatt Rachel Goldblatt Martin Israelit Henry Mondschein Bailey Rosenberg Nascimento Alan Turner Heather Drobiarz Waters Sherry Wiener Claire Zweig ADVISORS Judy Engel David Fetterman Rachel Sheppard Rubin James Alan Weiss |
President's Letter - Norm BermanA Tribute to Earl McWilliams
Every community is fortunate if it has even a handful of people who quietly dedicate themselves to making life better for others. In northeastern Connecticut, Earl McWilliams is one of those people. A longtime friend of the Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society community, Earl has been a familiar and welcome presence at many of our Interfaith Community Seders, Interfaith Thanksgiving services and our educational programs. As a member of the Killingly-Brooklyn Interfaith Council, he has worked tirelessly to build bridges among people of different faiths and backgrounds, helping to foster understanding, cooperation, and mutual respect. Earl’s commitment to service extends far beyond interfaith work. He has devoted countless hours to addressing some of our community’s most pressing challenges, particularly homelessness, hunger, and energy insecurity. Through his leadership of the Danielson Methodist Church Fuel Fund, he has helped struggling families keep their homes warm and their lights on during times of financial hardship. He has also been involved in numerous local efforts to support those facing economic and personal crises, always approaching his work with compassion, humility, and determination. It is not unusual to see Earl drop everything he’s doing to run to the local Walmart to buy a tent, a sleeping bag or a backpack which he fills with essentials to help folks in crisis get through another day or night. You can support Earl’s efforts by contributing to the Danielson Methodist Church Fuel Fund at 9 Spring Street, Danielson CT 06239. What makes Earl especially remarkable is not simply the breadth of his service, but the spirit in which he serves. He asks for little recognition, focuses on the needs of others, and consistently demonstrates the values of kindness, justice, and human dignity that lie at the heart of our faith traditions.
Annual Appeal UpdateOur Annual Appeal for 2026 is still underway. Maintaining our historic building, keeping it insured and heated, and sustaining the programs that bring our community together all require ongoing support. Early results are encouraging and we are approaching a midpoint in our goal for this year.
Temple Beth Israel has always depended on the generosity of its friends and supporters. Your contributions make it possible for us to preserve this special place and continue the educational, cultural, and community programs that keep its spirit alive. We hope you will consider making a contribution. Your support truly makes all the difference. |
Upcoming Programs – Don’t Miss This One!
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On Saturday evening, August 1, 2026 at 7:00 pm, the Temple Beth Israel
Preservation Society invites the community to a fascinating and unforgettable program at historic Temple Beth Israel featuring Dr. Merryl Goldberg, co-author of the soon-to-be released book Notes of Deception. This extraordinary true story recounts the daring efforts of four Jewish American musicians associated with the New England-based Klezmer Conservatory Band who, during the height of the Cold War, undertook a clandestine mission to aid Soviet Jewish “refuseniks” and dissidents living under oppression in the Soviet Union. Traveling to Moscow in 1985 under the watchful eye of the KGB, the musicians used their sheet music as a covert means of transmitting encoded information—an ingenious plan devised by Dr.Goldberg herself. |
Co-authored with Vince Houghton, Director of the National Security Agency’s National Cryptologic Museum, Notes of Deception has already received high praise:
“Human freedom, the sweet music of the soul, is at the heart of Notes of Deception—a remarkable, highly entertaining tale of spy-like deception in the cause of helping Soviet Jews and dissidents escape the grip of Russian oppression during the 1980s Cold War.”
— Thomas Maier, author of The Invisible Spy
“A lively memoir of how four plucky American musicians sought to bring hope to Soviet Jewsand wound up playing cat and mouse with the KGB.”
— David E. Hoffman, author of The Billion Dollar Spy
Dr. Goldberg has ties to the Danielson-Brooklyn area and to Temple Beth Israel, making this presentation especially meaningful for our community. Attendees will hear her remarkable firsthand account of courage, creativity, Jewish identity, music, resistance, and survival during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War.
Following the presentation, guests will be invited to remain for refreshments featuring non-alcoholic beverages and Russian desserts while socializing, schmoozing, and speaking informally with Dr. Goldberg.
Although the book will not officially be released until August 25, 2026, it is currently available for preorder through major booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and independent bookstores. Bring your proof of purchase—whether hardcover, Kindle, or Audible—and you will receive a personalized autographed book plate from Dr. Goldberg featuring a reproduction of one of the actual coded messages used during the mission. Dr. Goldberg will generously donate a portion of all book sales associated with this event to the Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society.
When: Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Where: Temple Beth Israel, Killingly Drive, Danielson, CT
Admission: Free (donations greatly appreciated)
“Human freedom, the sweet music of the soul, is at the heart of Notes of Deception—a remarkable, highly entertaining tale of spy-like deception in the cause of helping Soviet Jews and dissidents escape the grip of Russian oppression during the 1980s Cold War.”
— Thomas Maier, author of The Invisible Spy
“A lively memoir of how four plucky American musicians sought to bring hope to Soviet Jewsand wound up playing cat and mouse with the KGB.”
— David E. Hoffman, author of The Billion Dollar Spy
Dr. Goldberg has ties to the Danielson-Brooklyn area and to Temple Beth Israel, making this presentation especially meaningful for our community. Attendees will hear her remarkable firsthand account of courage, creativity, Jewish identity, music, resistance, and survival during one of the most tense periods of the Cold War.
Following the presentation, guests will be invited to remain for refreshments featuring non-alcoholic beverages and Russian desserts while socializing, schmoozing, and speaking informally with Dr. Goldberg.
Although the book will not officially be released until August 25, 2026, it is currently available for preorder through major booksellers including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and independent bookstores. Bring your proof of purchase—whether hardcover, Kindle, or Audible—and you will receive a personalized autographed book plate from Dr. Goldberg featuring a reproduction of one of the actual coded messages used during the mission. Dr. Goldberg will generously donate a portion of all book sales associated with this event to the Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society.
When: Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Where: Temple Beth Israel, Killingly Drive, Danielson, CT
Admission: Free (donations greatly appreciated)
Community Archive Update
We continue to record interviews with descendants of our founders and our Archive content continues to grow. We have completed many new interviews including Henry Mondschein and Farra Swan, and we are working with members of the Rose, Hodys, Drobiarz, Hertzberg and Zekzter families.
Why Were So Many of Our Founding Families Poultry Farmers?
The Story Behind a Remarkable Postwar Community
As we continue to record the histories of the families who built Temple Beth Israel, a fascinating pattern has emerged. Again and again, the stories lead us to dozens of poultry farms scattered across Foster, Rhode Island, and nearby communities in northeastern Connecticut.
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The Seigal and Hodys families farmed in Foster, joined by the Roback, Lindenfeld, Berkowitz, Zektzer, and Elbaum families, who also established poultry farms there. The Lew and Rubin families farmed in Sterling, while the Berman family operated a poultry farm in Moosup. The Israelit and Levine families settled on farms in East Killingly; the Drobiarz family established a dairy farm in Central Village, and the Gawendo family settled in Wauregan. Other families, including the Kivel, Teitelbaum, Cantor, and Sobol families, made their homes in Killingly, while the Bobrow, Hertzberg, Reisman, and Hochbaum families settled in Brooklyn.
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Many more Temple families lived and worked on farms throughout Connecticut’s Quiet Corner and neighboring Foster, Rhode Island. Looking back, one cannot help but wonder: Why were so many Holocaust survivors and displaced persons drawn to poultry farming, and why did so many choose to settle in this particular region?
The answer lies in a remarkable chapter of postwar American and Jewish history.
When Holocaust survivors arrived in the United States after World War II, they faced enormous challenges. Many had lost parents, siblings, spouses, homes, businesses, and entire communities. They often arrived with limited financial resources and little knowledge of English. Starting over in America’s cities was not always easy.
For many displaced persons, farming offered a practical path toward independence. A poultry farm required relatively modest capital compared to other businesses and could be operated largely through family labor. A husband and wife—and eventually their children—could build a livelihood together. Most importantly, a farm offered the opportunity to work for oneself and regain a measure of control over one’s future after years of persecution, displacement, and uncertainty.
Federal immigration policy also played an important role. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 provided immigration opportunities for many refugees, and agricultural placements were often encouraged. Jewish relief organizations, including HIAS and the Jewish Agricultural Society, helped connect survivors with farms and farming opportunities throughout the Northeast.
Fortunately, Connecticut and Rhode Island already possessed something unusual: a well-established network of Jewish farming communities. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, Jewish immigrants had been encouraged to settle on farms throughout the region. By the time Holocaust survivors began arriving after the war, a support system of Jewish farmers, lenders, merchants, agricultural advisors, and communal institutions was already in place.
Perhaps most important of all was the power of personal connections. One family would settle successfully and write to relatives or friends. Another family would follow. People who had known one another in Europe, in displaced persons camps, or through family networks often found themselves reunited in rural New England. What began as a handful of farms gradually became a community.
That community extended across state lines. Foster, Scituate, Moosup, Killingly, Central Village, Sterling, and neighboring towns formed a loose network of Jewish farm families. Although they lived miles apart, they shared common experiences, common histories, and common hopes for the future.
At the center of that network stood Temple Beth Israel in Danielson.
For many families, the synagogue was far more than a place of worship. It was where children attended Hebrew school, where friendships were formed, where holidays were celebrated, and where survivors rebuilt the communal life that had been shattered during the war. Temple Beth Israel became the gathering place that transformed a collection of isolated farms into a thriving Jewish community.
There may be another, less obvious factor that helps explain why so many survivors found a home in rural Foster and the surrounding countryside. A surprising number of Temple Beth Israel’s founding families included men and women who had survived the war by fighting as partisans in the forests of Eastern Europe. Others spent years hiding in woods, swamps, and remote rural areas to evade Nazi capture. The founders of our congregation were not strangers to rugged landscapes. During the darkest years of the war, forests had often been places of refuge, resistance, and survival.
While we can only speculate, it is possible that the wooded hills, stone walls, dirt roads, and relative isolation of Foster and Killingly felt less foreign—and perhaps even more comfortable—to some of these survivors than crowded urban neighborhoods. Having endured years in the forests of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine, they may have found something familiar in the rural landscapes of Rhode Island and Connecticut. What others might have seen as remote wilderness, they may have seen as opportunity, freedom, and peace.
Today, as we collect and preserve the stories of our founders and their descendants, we can see these connections more clearly than ever. What may once have appeared to be a coincidence—the remarkable number of poultry farmers among our members and the concentration of survivor families in Foster—was actually part of a larger story of resilience, adaptation, and renewal.
The farms of Foster and the Quiet Corner were more than businesses. They were places where survivors rebuilt their lives, raised their families, and laid the foundations for the community we inherit today.
Their story reminds us that Temple Beth Israel was not merely built with lumber, bricks, and mortar. It was built by people who, having lost almost everything, found the courage to begin again. In the fields, forests, and farmhouses of rural New England, they created not only new livelihoods, but a new Jewish community—one whose legacy continues to enrich our lives seventy-five years later.
The answer lies in a remarkable chapter of postwar American and Jewish history.
When Holocaust survivors arrived in the United States after World War II, they faced enormous challenges. Many had lost parents, siblings, spouses, homes, businesses, and entire communities. They often arrived with limited financial resources and little knowledge of English. Starting over in America’s cities was not always easy.
For many displaced persons, farming offered a practical path toward independence. A poultry farm required relatively modest capital compared to other businesses and could be operated largely through family labor. A husband and wife—and eventually their children—could build a livelihood together. Most importantly, a farm offered the opportunity to work for oneself and regain a measure of control over one’s future after years of persecution, displacement, and uncertainty.
Federal immigration policy also played an important role. The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 provided immigration opportunities for many refugees, and agricultural placements were often encouraged. Jewish relief organizations, including HIAS and the Jewish Agricultural Society, helped connect survivors with farms and farming opportunities throughout the Northeast.
Fortunately, Connecticut and Rhode Island already possessed something unusual: a well-established network of Jewish farming communities. Beginning in the late nineteenth century, Jewish immigrants had been encouraged to settle on farms throughout the region. By the time Holocaust survivors began arriving after the war, a support system of Jewish farmers, lenders, merchants, agricultural advisors, and communal institutions was already in place.
Perhaps most important of all was the power of personal connections. One family would settle successfully and write to relatives or friends. Another family would follow. People who had known one another in Europe, in displaced persons camps, or through family networks often found themselves reunited in rural New England. What began as a handful of farms gradually became a community.
That community extended across state lines. Foster, Scituate, Moosup, Killingly, Central Village, Sterling, and neighboring towns formed a loose network of Jewish farm families. Although they lived miles apart, they shared common experiences, common histories, and common hopes for the future.
At the center of that network stood Temple Beth Israel in Danielson.
For many families, the synagogue was far more than a place of worship. It was where children attended Hebrew school, where friendships were formed, where holidays were celebrated, and where survivors rebuilt the communal life that had been shattered during the war. Temple Beth Israel became the gathering place that transformed a collection of isolated farms into a thriving Jewish community.
There may be another, less obvious factor that helps explain why so many survivors found a home in rural Foster and the surrounding countryside. A surprising number of Temple Beth Israel’s founding families included men and women who had survived the war by fighting as partisans in the forests of Eastern Europe. Others spent years hiding in woods, swamps, and remote rural areas to evade Nazi capture. The founders of our congregation were not strangers to rugged landscapes. During the darkest years of the war, forests had often been places of refuge, resistance, and survival.
While we can only speculate, it is possible that the wooded hills, stone walls, dirt roads, and relative isolation of Foster and Killingly felt less foreign—and perhaps even more comfortable—to some of these survivors than crowded urban neighborhoods. Having endured years in the forests of Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine, they may have found something familiar in the rural landscapes of Rhode Island and Connecticut. What others might have seen as remote wilderness, they may have seen as opportunity, freedom, and peace.
Today, as we collect and preserve the stories of our founders and their descendants, we can see these connections more clearly than ever. What may once have appeared to be a coincidence—the remarkable number of poultry farmers among our members and the concentration of survivor families in Foster—was actually part of a larger story of resilience, adaptation, and renewal.
The farms of Foster and the Quiet Corner were more than businesses. They were places where survivors rebuilt their lives, raised their families, and laid the foundations for the community we inherit today.
Their story reminds us that Temple Beth Israel was not merely built with lumber, bricks, and mortar. It was built by people who, having lost almost everything, found the courage to begin again. In the fields, forests, and farmhouses of rural New England, they created not only new livelihoods, but a new Jewish community—one whose legacy continues to enrich our lives seventy-five years later.
Happy 99th Birthday, Elsie! Mazel Tov!
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This month, we celebrate a truly extraordinary milestone: the 99th birthday of Dr. Elsie Fetterman.
Elsie holds a unique place in our community. She is our oldest board member, one of the original founders of the Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society, and one of the original founders of Temple Beth Israel itself. For generations, she has been a steadfast presence in our congregation and community, helping to shape the institution we cherish today. |
Elsie’s remarkable life journey is beautifully captured in The Elsie Blumenthal Fetterman Story, recently published by Elsie Fetterman and Martin Herman. It is a story of perseverance, commitment, and service—a story that continues to unfold.
One of Elsie’s favorite expressions is, “Every day is a gift.” She has lived those words. Through her discipline, energy, and sense of purpose, she has demonstrated how a life devoted to family, community, learning, and service can inspire others across generations.
Even today, Elsie remains one of the Preservation Society’s most dedicated and active board members. She is unwavering in her support of our mission and has played a vital role in securing grant funding for both building preservation and educational programming. Indeed, it was Elsie who insisted that we pursue listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that has helped secure the future of our historic synagogue and honor the legacy of its founders. It was also Elsie who pursued and secured two separate grants from the DAR. Go figure!
As we celebrate this special birthday, we thank Elsie for her vision, her leadership, her friendship, and her enduring commitment to preserving the history and values of our community.
We wish her heartfelt congratulations, continued good health, and many more happy years. May she continue to inspire us all with her example of a life lived with meaning and purpose.
Bravo, Elsie!
One of Elsie’s favorite expressions is, “Every day is a gift.” She has lived those words. Through her discipline, energy, and sense of purpose, she has demonstrated how a life devoted to family, community, learning, and service can inspire others across generations.
Even today, Elsie remains one of the Preservation Society’s most dedicated and active board members. She is unwavering in her support of our mission and has played a vital role in securing grant funding for both building preservation and educational programming. Indeed, it was Elsie who insisted that we pursue listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that has helped secure the future of our historic synagogue and honor the legacy of its founders. It was also Elsie who pursued and secured two separate grants from the DAR. Go figure!
As we celebrate this special birthday, we thank Elsie for her vision, her leadership, her friendship, and her enduring commitment to preserving the history and values of our community.
We wish her heartfelt congratulations, continued good health, and many more happy years. May she continue to inspire us all with her example of a life lived with meaning and purpose.
Bravo, Elsie!
On Our Bookshelf: The Last Million by David Nasaw
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For many readers, the story of World War II ends with liberation in 1945. David Nasaw’s compelling and deeply researched The Last Million: Europe’s Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War reminds us that for more than a million survivors, liberation was not the end of the story—it was the beginning of a new struggle.
Nasaw chronicles the experiences of the millions of displaced persons left stranded across Europe after the war, including Holocaust survivors, forced laborers, prisoners of war, and refugees who could not or would not return home. Through vivid personal stories and meticulous historical research, he explores life in the Displaced Persons camps, the political battles over resettlement, and the difficult choices faced by people whose families, communities, and homelands had been destroyed. |
Particularly moving is Nasaw’s portrayal of Jewish survivors. Having survived ghettos, concentration camps, hiding, or partisan warfare, they found themselves facing years of uncertainty in DP camps while the world debated where they would be allowed to rebuild their lives. For many descendants of Holocaust survivors—including members of our own community—the book provides important context for understanding the experiences of parents and grandparents who passed through camps such as Föhrenwald, Wildflecken, and Eschwege before beginning new lives in America, Israel, Canada, and elsewhere.
Nasaw challenges the comforting notion that the Allies had a clear plan for Europe’s refugees. Instead, he reveals a world shaped by competing political interests, restrictive immigration policies, and the emerging tensions of the Cold War. Yet amid these challenges, the resilience and determination of the displaced shine through.
The Last Million is not only a history of refugees and resettlement; it is a powerful reminder that survival did not end with liberation. For those interested in Holocaust history, immigration, or the origins of many postwar Jewish communities—including our own—it is an essential and illuminating read.
Nasaw challenges the comforting notion that the Allies had a clear plan for Europe’s refugees. Instead, he reveals a world shaped by competing political interests, restrictive immigration policies, and the emerging tensions of the Cold War. Yet amid these challenges, the resilience and determination of the displaced shine through.
The Last Million is not only a history of refugees and resettlement; it is a powerful reminder that survival did not end with liberation. For those interested in Holocaust history, immigration, or the origins of many postwar Jewish communities—including our own—it is an essential and illuminating read.
What’s New on Our Yiddish Page?
Our own Norm Berman performed with A Besere Velt, the Yiddish chorus of the Boston Workers Circle in a concert this past Mother’s Day featuring Yiddish songs of social change. The performance featured the Golden Thread Ensemble led by violinist Craig Judelman and vocalist Lorin Sklamberg.
Yahrzeits
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We pause to remember these members of the TBI family whose yahrzeit we observe in July:
Sarah Levine, Irving Fetterman, Charles Ditman, Rose Wiener, Millie Ende, Morris Yutko, Asher Novoschiki, Johannan Novoschiki, Morris Kranc, Henry Berkowitz, Bernard Mopsik, Jacob Berman, Sarah Rebecca Berman And in August: Jentel Bobrow, Melvin Bernstein, Roy Fetterman, Ida Schneider, Miriam Kranc May their memories be a blessing! |
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High Holiday Services 2026 / 5787 – Join Us
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The High Holidays invite us to pause, reflect, renew, and gather as a community. We warmly welcome members, friends, neighbors, and visitors to join us for this year’s High Holiday observances. Please mark your calendars. |
Rosh Hashanah
Saturday, September 12, 9:30 a.m.
Following services, we will gather at a nearby riverbank for Tashlikh, the symbolic casting away of the burdens and shortcomings of the past year as we enter the New Year with hope and purpose.
Kol Nidre (Erev Yom Kippur)
Sunday, September 20, 6:30 p.m.
Yom Kippur
Monday, September 21, 9:30 a.m.
We Remember!
As we do each year, we will invite members of our community to submit the names of loved ones to be remembered in our annual Yizkor Book, which will be used physically and digitally during our Yom Kippur memorial service. Information about submitting names will be provided separately.
Saturday, September 12, 9:30 a.m.
Following services, we will gather at a nearby riverbank for Tashlikh, the symbolic casting away of the burdens and shortcomings of the past year as we enter the New Year with hope and purpose.
Kol Nidre (Erev Yom Kippur)
Sunday, September 20, 6:30 p.m.
Yom Kippur
Monday, September 21, 9:30 a.m.
We Remember!
As we do each year, we will invite members of our community to submit the names of loved ones to be remembered in our annual Yizkor Book, which will be used physically and digitally during our Yom Kippur memorial service. Information about submitting names will be provided separately.
Our High Holiday services offer a refreshing blend of traditional and contemporary prayers, songs, poetry, and readings. Together, they create a meaningful spiritual experience that honors Jewish tradition while speaking to our lives today.
All are welcome. Whether you attend regularly or have not joined us in some time, we hope you will be with us as we welcome the New Year and embrace the opportunities for reflection, remembrance, and renewal that these sacred days provide.
Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.
All are welcome. Whether you attend regularly or have not joined us in some time, we hope you will be with us as we welcome the New Year and embrace the opportunities for reflection, remembrance, and renewal that these sacred days provide.
Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.
Tkhines: Bringing Our Own Voices to the High Holidays
Tkhine of the Matriarchs - published 1874
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Last year, our High Holiday services introduced a tradition that is both ancient and remarkably contemporary: tkhines—personal prayers offered in the language of everyday life.
Historically, tkhines were heartfelt supplications written primarily in Yiddish, allowing ordinary people, especially women, to express their hopes, fears, gratitude, and spiritual longings in their own words. Rather than formal communal prayers, they reflected the intimate concerns of daily life and the search for a personal connection with God. Today, the tradition of tkhines has been revived and expanded. Modern tkhines speak to healing, family, memory, justice, community, gratitude, loss, hope, and the challenges of living meaningful lives in a complicated world. They remind us that prayer need not be limited to the words of the prayer book—it can also emerge from our own hearts. |
This year, we again invite members of our community to write and submit their own tkhines—long or short. Selected prayers will be translated into Yiddish and shared during our High Holiday services, where they will be read in both English, our current vernacular, and Yiddish, the vernacular of our founders and ancestors. In this way, we will continue a tradition of personal prayer while honoring the language and spirit that helped build our community.
We hope you will add your voice to this meaningful tradition.
We hope you will add your voice to this meaningful tradition.