The Buzz

What Does “Defiant Joy” Look Like?

Defiant joy looks like: …wide, open faces stretched into glowing smiles, lit by determination. …a vibrant spectrum of people, from very young to long-seasoned adult, cheering and shouting with every passing banner. …arcs of colorful balloons, streets strewn with leis and flag fragments. …a quarter-mile of humanity all along the road to show their support for the belief that every individual deserves to live authentically and openly.

That is what I saw at the Long Island Pride Parade.

For the second year in a row, I had the honor of marching, representing TBE. This year, it felt essential to “show up” – perhaps even more than last year – particularly in light of the positions taken by our current President, his administration, and several U.S. states. Plus, as a member of the clergy, I felt it was especially important to be visible.

At a Pride Flag-raising ceremony the day before the parade, one of the event’s founders announced the theme for this year: Defiant Joy. The small crowd outside the Heckscher Museum roared in approval – and so did I, internally. I understood “defiance.” But “joy”? That felt harder to grasp.

Not much these days fuels joy. The images of cruel immigration enforcement turn my stomach. The war raging now between Israel and Iran sets me further on edge. Antisemitism – too often cloaked as anti-Zionism – keeps many of us in the Jewish community feeling vigilant and uneasy. And the tragic, high-profile deaths of a Minnesota state representative and her husband have left me grieving a vision of our country and world that currently feels so far out of reach. Joy? Not exactly.

But then…we turned the corner onto Main Street in Huntington.

And as our TBE delegation stepped onto the main parade route, I saw it. I heard it. I felt it. Defiant Joy. Lining both sides of the road was a sea of humanity – strong, warm, and powerfully supportive. The air was filled with palpable energy along with laughter, cheers, and applause. Two of our own young people, Julia and Lauren Kellerman, led the way, rallying the crowd with their loud voices and spirit. Rainbow colors swirled everywhere – on shirts, on hats, on faces. Signs declared pride, resilience, and the unwavering commitment to be fully, openly oneself – gay, lesbian, transgender, queer, bisexual, and beyond.

I am deeply grateful to the 28 members of Temple Beth El who joined our marching group. The passion of LGBTQ+ individuals and allies who made a point to stand up and be counted inspires me. Your presence gives me hope.

The prophet Micah famously said, “Every person shall sit beneath their vine and fig tree, and none shall make them afraid.” We continue to pray for that day to come. Until then – we march. And we do so with defiant joy.

Singing: It’s Good For You!

Many of us like to sing, whether it is in the car, in the shower, or doing karaoke. But did you know that singing is good for you and that singing in a group provides even more benefits than singing alone? According to Stacy Horn, a reporter for Time Magazine, “Group singing is cheaper than therapy, healthier than drinking, and certainly more fun than working out. It is the one thing in life where feeling better is pretty much guaranteed.” Here are some of the many benefits of singing in a group:

Physically:
•Exercises our lungs and tones up our intercostal muscles and diaphragm.
•Can improve our sleep.
•Benefits our hearts and circulation by improving our aerobic capacity and decreases muscle tension.
•Tones facial muscles and improves posture.
•Causes us to become more mentally alert.
•Opens up sinuses and respiratory tubes.
•With careful training, recent evidence suggests that it can help decrease the problem of snoring.
•Releases pain-relieving endorphins.
•Boosts our immune system, enabling us to fight disease.
•Can help to reduce anger, depression and anxiety.
•Can help people to regain balance if affected by illness such as Parkinson’s disease.

Emotionally:
•Increases our self-esteem, confidence and feelings of well-being.
•Enhances mood and reduces stress; group singing can be healing.
•Uplifts our spirits, energizes us and increases positive feelings.
•Encourages creativity and evokes emotions.
•Promotes bonding and increases understanding and empathy between cultures.

Socially:
•Enables you to meet more people.
•Is a forum for sharing, support, fun and laughter.
•Encourages a sense of community.
•Offers an opportunity for giving and receiving positive feedback.
•Provides a safe environment to try new skills.
•Brings people together – give it a try!

How Do I Join the Temple Beth El Adult Choir?
Our Adult Choir is always looking for new members! All are welcome from 8th graders on up. Starting on August 5th, our Adult High Holy Days Choir rehearsals will be every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. No previous choir experience is necessary and there’s no auditioning. Just bring your voice and an enthusiasm to sing Jewish music. And yes, there will be chocolate! If you are interested in joining the Adult Choir please email me at cantoralison@tbeli.org. I look forward to hearing your beautiful voices soon!

Excerpts taken from www.moresingingplease.com.

Update on Updating Our Lawn

In early June, the “Landscaping Sub-Committee,” along with numerous volunteers, met to start the process of sprucing up the temple property. We had an extremely productive weekend working on the front lawn. This included lots of weeding and trimming, replacing the dead roses in front of the synagogue, splitting and moving the daylilies, splitting and expanding the fountain grasses along the temple driveway, planting lots of hostas and other flowers that our members donated from their own yards. And, of course, spreading a lot of mulch.

Our Sub-Committee consists of Rob Seiler, Barry Schwalb, Barry Dutchen, Ellen Siegel, Joan Yakuboff and Julie Kaplan. We met earlier in May to plan out the weekend. Accompanying us was Marcia Schwalb, Dan Bernzweig, Jill Plosky, Alan Yakuboff, and members of the Rothman/Polizzi family (Amy, Nick and Cody). Not only did we do lots of work over the initial weekend, but many of our members have continued to make trips to the temple to continue the work throughout the month.

If you haven’t yet seen the front of the temple during daylight hours, please drive through and take a look. This is an ongoing project; we will be planning additional workdays and would love to have more volunteers. Please come and join us; no gardening experience is needed! Feel free to contact any of us on the committee. We welcome ideas, plants, and additional hands, arms, backs and legs!

Sisterhood Visits the Anne Frank House Exhibit

In March, TBE Sisterhood organized a tour of the Anne Frank House Exhibition, at the Center for Jewish History in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. A group of 20 travelled together on the LIRR and ate lunch at the Hollywood Diner (very close to the museum) before the entry time.

The exhibit featured a re-creation of the tiny attic apartment where Anne Frank, her parents, sister, and four other Jewish inhabitants spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture. The rooms were furnished authentically (see photo), which was a departure from the parent exhibit in Amsterdam Holland. The Frank Family, and the others hidden with them, were sent to the camps where all but one family member, Otto Frank, perished. Having survived, Anne’s father made it his life’s work to see her diary published and read throughout the world. Ironically, young Anne had always dreamed of being a famous writer.

It was a great history lesson, and went into exhaustive detail about the Nazi rise to power, and the plans, bureaucracy and systemic machinery used in their attempt to annihilate the Jews during World War II. A large part of the exhibit covers Anne Frank’s diary and mentions its theatrical and movie adaptations. The exhibit ends with a huge display showing that her famous diary has been translated into a staggering number of languages.

This exhibit runs through October 31st and it appears that there are plenty of tickets available for about $40 each. Don’t miss this historical and emotional exhibit. Go to www.annefrankexhibit.org/visit for more information on the exhibit.

TCC Wrap-Up

Yes, it truly was a magical night! But then again, I might be partial. You see, I was the Co-Chair (along with Harlee Richmond) as well as the Emcee and, oh yeah, I was also one of the honorees!
On Saturday night, May 17th, more than 130 people (with many more watching via live-stream) gather in the Social Hall for our 7th Annual Temple Community Celebration, where we honored Mike Heiberger, Elyse Pimsler and myself for years of dedicated service to our congregation. The event highlighted this year’s theme of SERVICE – PHILANTHROPY – COMMUNITY.

Who could have guessed seven years ago that our Temple Community Celebration would grow into the biggest social event on the Temple Beth El calendar, as well as becoming the temple’s single largest fundraiser?! The evening began with everyone gathering at the temple at 6:00 for a small-plate dinner, passed hors d’oeuvres, and drinks. The program started at 7:15 with tributes, videos, introductions and speeches, all contributing to a fun-filled atmosphere. The evening wound down with an incredible assortment of special desserts.

The 2025 TCC raised more than $94,000! Combined, all seven TCC’s have raised close to $700,000! Wow! Our membership’s tremendous generosity has helped to fund so many of the programs here at Temple Beth El. We’re looking forward to the Eighth Annual TCC next spring. You won’t want to miss it.