|
TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL
|
|
CONTENTS President's Letter Annual Appeal Update Upcoming Programs Community Archive Update On Our Bookshelf Yiddish Page Yahrzeits 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 BermanAs we look toward a new year for the Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society, I am pleased to announce the election of a new slate of directors who will help guide and strengthen our
organization in the months ahead. We are especially delighted to welcome new board members Jack Hodys, Jack Helfgott, and Sari Elston Trzepacz to our leadership team. Our complete leadership roster appears in the sidebar of this newsletter. We are fortunate to have such dedicated and talented individuals willing to devote their time, energy, and vision to the Preservation Society and its mission. Together, they will help propel our efforts to honor the founders of our community, preserve and celebrate our unique local history, and contribute to the rich social, spiritual, and cultural fabric of northeastern Connecticut. At a time when preserving memory, heritage, and community connections feels more important than ever, we are deeply grateful for the commitment of those who have stepped forward to lead. 
We look forward with enthusiasm and optimism to another year of meaningful programming, educational initiatives, preservation work, and community engagement.
Norman Berman, President Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society Annual Appeal UpdateOur Annual Appeal for 2026 is well 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!
|
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 Jews and 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. Those who bring proof of purchase—whether hardcover, Kindle, or
Audible—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)
Reserve your seat on Eventbrite for a remarkable evening of history, espionage, music, Jewish resilience, and community.
“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 Jews and 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. Those who bring proof of purchase—whether hardcover, Kindle, or
Audible—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)
Reserve your seat on Eventbrite for a remarkable evening of history, espionage, music, Jewish resilience, and community.
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 Drobiarz, Hertzberg and Zekzter families.
|
An important character in the story of TBI is the town of Danielson and the area surrounding the town of Killingly. Let’s see if we can provoke some memories of places that played a role in the growth of the community. The businesses on Main Street, (Woodward Drug Store, Lords Shoes, DelPesco Shoes, Oliver’s Music Shop, the Plainfield Drive-In Theater, Blumenthal Hardware, Danielson Surplus, Alexanders
Lake, Moosup Pond, The Orpheum Theater, Deary Brothers, Shady Acres, A&W Root Beer, more? |
Danielson in the 60s
|
Send your recollections of noteworthy places to [email protected]. Even better if you have photographs or specific memories to share. Thank you to folks who have sent us photos. If you haven’t yet, please do so.
On Our Bookshelf: Speaking Yiddish to Chickens
Seth Stern’s Speaking Yiddish to Chickens offers a vivid and deeply human portrait of Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives on poultry farms in southern New Jersey. This is a deeply researched account of a little-known chapter of American Jewish life. Stern captures both their resilience and the harsh realities they faced—grueling labor, economic uncertainty, and often profound isolation.
|
When Norman Berman interviewed Stern in 2023 in a program sponsored
by CT Voices of Hope, he reflected on the book’s personal impact: “I felt sad when I finished reading your book. I came to know the people you described intimately. These were people who reminded me of my parents and the community where I grew up. Our tradition calls on us to honor them by telling their stories and understanding their struggles. Your book is a gift to children who grew up on farms with survivor parents. It gives us a broader context for appreciating the richness and nuance of our parents’ lives in America, validating our experiences and helping us better understand ourselves.” You can view the full interview here. |
For those connected to Jewish farming communities in northeastern Connecticut, the book invites both recognition and contrast. While Stern’s New Jersey families often struggled in isolation, many who settled in the Killingly–Danielson area benefited from a more cohesive and supportive environment.
Here, families built not only farms, but a community—anchored by institutions like Temple Beth Israel, strengthened by shared experience, and sustained by mutual support. The result was a degree of stability and continuity that stands in contrast to the more fragile existence depicted in the book.
Speaking Yiddish to Chickens reminds us that there was no single path for survivors rebuilding their lives. Stern illuminates one powerful story; our own community reflects another—equally shaped by resilience but rooted in enduring connection.
Together, these narratives deepen our understanding not only of the past, but of the values—mutual support, perseverance, and shared purpose—that continue to guide our work today.
Here, families built not only farms, but a community—anchored by institutions like Temple Beth Israel, strengthened by shared experience, and sustained by mutual support. The result was a degree of stability and continuity that stands in contrast to the more fragile existence depicted in the book.
Speaking Yiddish to Chickens reminds us that there was no single path for survivors rebuilding their lives. Stern illuminates one powerful story; our own community reflects another—equally shaped by resilience but rooted in enduring connection.
Together, these narratives deepen our understanding not only of the past, but of the values—mutual support, perseverance, and shared purpose—that continue to guide our work today.
… and Speaking of Speaking Yiddish
As part of our continuing commitment to preserving and celebrating the heritage of the Jewish community of northeastern Connecticut, the Preservation Society will be developing a new section of our website devoted to Yiddish arts and culture.
For the founders of Temple Beth Israel and the immigrant families who built this community, Yiddish was far more than a language. It was the sound of home, family, humor, music, literature, storytelling, and memory. It connected them not only to the towns and villages they left behind in Eastern Europe, but also to the parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family members who were lost in the Holocaust. Yiddish carried with it the voices of loved ones and the cultural world that had been shattered.
At the same time, Yiddish linked these families to the vibrant immigrant neighborhoods of New York, Boston, and other American cities where many first settled before eventually making their way to rural Connecticut. In tenements, storefronts, union halls, synagogues, and kitchens, Yiddish remained the language of everyday life, political discussion, music, humor, and community.
For the founders of Temple Beth Israel and the immigrant families who built this community, Yiddish was far more than a language. It was the sound of home, family, humor, music, literature, storytelling, and memory. It connected them not only to the towns and villages they left behind in Eastern Europe, but also to the parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family members who were lost in the Holocaust. Yiddish carried with it the voices of loved ones and the cultural world that had been shattered.
At the same time, Yiddish linked these families to the vibrant immigrant neighborhoods of New York, Boston, and other American cities where many first settled before eventually making their way to rural Connecticut. In tenements, storefronts, union halls, synagogues, and kitchens, Yiddish remained the language of everyday life, political discussion, music, humor, and community.
|
Here is a sneak peek at what you will find on our Yiddish page: Daniel Kahn performing "This Land is Your Land" in Yiddish
|
Through this new initiative, we hope to honor that legacy by featuring Yiddish songs, recordings,
oral histories, photographs, translations, cultural essays, and educational resources that illuminate the rich world our founders carried with them to the Danielson area. In doing so, we celebrate not only a language, but a vibrant and deeply life-affirming culture that helped sustain identity, continuity, and memory across continents and generations. |
Yahrzeits
|
We pause to remember these members of the TBI family whose yahrzeit we observe in June:
Richard Kopely, Ben Peskoff, Abraham Katz, Isidore Baker, Max Schneider, Rose Swan, Joel Kranc, David Rosenberg, Freida Ditman, Jack Berman, Denise Blumenthal May, Lucille Malchman, Lillian Savage, Charles Mersky, Bernard Cantor, Ben Goldstein, Ellie Doff, Mildred Helfgott and William Riseman. May their memories be a blessing! |
|