The Buzz

Calling All Chocolate Lovers!

Mark your calendars for Chocolate Shabbat on February 6th! Who doesn’t love chocolate?!  I, for one, adore all forms of chocolate.  Mark your calendars because I will bringing in Rabbi Deborah Prinz as a Scholar-In-Residence.  Rabbi Prinz is the author of On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao, a book which explores Jews and their relationship to chocolate and is full of stories and contemporary and historical chocolate recipes.  Rabbi Prinz is also the co-author of the children’s book The Boston Chocolate Party, a story of friendship, freedom and the love of chocolate set against the backdrop of Chanukah during the American fight for independence. Rabbi Prinz will be our guest at Shabbat services where she will be sharing her book The Boston Chocolate Party, which will be followed by a delicious chocolate-themed oneg. Then, Rabbi Prinz will also be our guest of honor at Wisdom and Wine as she leads an Adult Education conversation about what is the best chocolate?  After that, Rabbi Prinz will be signing copies of her books.  Feel free to order them ahead of time online or wherever you buy books.  It should be a great time for chocolate lovers of all ages!

About Rabbi Deborah Prinz

Rabbi Prinz has held a number of leadership positions in the national and regional Reform movement, having recently served the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) as Director of Program and Member Services and the Director of the Joint Commission on Rabbinic Mentoring. She has mentored rabbinical students through the Mayerson program at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and was also a Senior Fellow at HUC-JIR’s Center for the Study of Ethics and Contemporary Moral Problems (2015-2016). She has consulted for HUC-JIR, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), and other organizations. Elected by her colleagues, Rabbi Prinz held each office of the Board of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis and assumed its presidency in 2005. She was honored to conduct the worship services at regional and national biennials of the URJ. Along with Rabbi Karen Fox, she served as a founding Co-Coordinator of WRN. The Rabbi Emerita of Temple Adat Shalom, San Diego County, California, she held the position of Senior Rabbi for almost twenty years. Prior to that she was, for seven years, the Rabbi of a synagogue in Bergen County, New Jersey, and also the Assistant Rabbi of Central Synagogue in Manhattan. She frequently delivers talks to community organizations.

Midnight Run 2025

What happens when 20 teens, plus their amazing families, band together to help provide much-needed clothing, toiletries, food, and human compassion to people who are struggling?  Something really special.

For the past few years, Temple Beth El teens have participated in a Midnight Run, a program that brings volunteers into New York City to interact with some of the unhoused population.  On a coach bus, loaded with bins of supplies, we head to assigned locations where those in need can find us.

This year, 16 teens from TBE teamed up with a few from Temple Beth David for an incredible trip.  After a dinner at Eddie Bergman’s delicious restaurant, Hill & Bay, we headed out on the mission, going from site to site.  At each stop, we encountered thoughtful and appreciative individuals who were happy to see us arrive.

While it is true that our efforts benefitted those we served, even more inspiring was seeing our teens interact with them.  It is a simple but powerful gift to treat someone with kindness and understanding, especially when they are having a tough time.  For our teens, it is a reminder to be thankful for what they do have, but also an opportunity to live our Jewish values in a very tangible way.

My thanks to all the people who worked so hard, to the teens who gave so much of their time to organize mounds of clothes, shoes, underwear, socks, and hats.  And a special thanks to the generosity of many congregants who made it possible, including Dana and David Plosky, Florence and Steve Roffman, Michael Heiberger, the Sisterhood of Temple Beth El, and the Mina and Irving Klein Fund.

Religious School News

Hi from the Religious School, where we have been very busy!

• On Friday, November 7th, we had a very successful Seventh Grade Shabbat service that was well attended by their families. After services, everyone enjoyed an ice cream bar with toppings and whipped cream.
• On Sunday, November 9th, the Third and Fourth Grade students helped Jack Schatten make sandwiches for families in need and children in an after-school program. The children had a wonderful time making them. Plus, they learned who they were making them for and the mitzvah they were doing. Throughout the year, the other grades will be going to make sandwiches, starting on January 17th with the Fifth and Sixth grades.
• During November, the students collected canned goods and groceries for the Helping Hands “Fill a Box, Feed a Family” for Thanksgiving project. Each class was given a box to fill with a list of groceries. The students decorated the boxes and I delivered them to Helping Hands. And instead of the six boxes we started with, we were able to fill 10 boxes!  In addition, we donated 25 grocery store gift cards and
• On Friday, December 5th, we had the Fifth and Sixth Grade Shabbat; it was also well attended by the students and their families. Since the ice cream bar was such a hit, we did it again; the children loved making their own sundaes. Thank you to the class parents and other volunteers that made the evening so successful. Mark your calendars: the Third and Fourth Grade Shabbat is on Friday, March 6th. Everyone is invited and you can also enjoy some ice cream!
• On Sunday, December 14th, we had a school wide Chanukah party: Light Up the Lights, It’s Chanukah. Held in the Social Hall, the Third through Seventh Graders enjoyed relay races, spinning dreidels, and playing soccer in the dark with glow-in-the-dark lights. Towards the end, we gathered to light the Chanukiah, and to enjoy latkes and soufganiot.  Each child received a gift bag filled with Chanukah gelt, dreidels and other goodies.

Mark your calendars for our Religious School Welcome Back Breakfast on Sunday, January 11th; all parents are invited to come schmooze and eat.  We hope everyone has a Happy, Healthy New Year in 2026!

Catching Up With Brotherhood

The Temple Beth El Brotherhood is about social activities and service. Join Brotherhood and meet TBE members and help around TBE. It’s a mitzvah…and its known, you will feel better, be healthier, live longer and prevent/delay dementia.   Join a temple and your kids will be Jewish…participate and your grandkids will be Jewish. So “kenahora” – even if you can’t now participate – join anyway…to offer your support for the Brotherhood. You will be helping with the Chanukah Bash, the Purim Party, pancake breakfasts for the Religious School, ushering on the High Holy Days, building the Sukkah and so much more.

Brotherhood assisted with the Chanukah Bash and gave out Chanukah Gelt.  Cooking the latkes and goodies were Barry Schwalb and Harley and Karen Kudler. Staffing the ever-popular Brotherhood Dreidel Table were Cliff Lester, Art Mont, Mark Goldman and Ian Weitz.

Brotherhood helped Social Action with the Community Thanksgiving Celebration. Assisting with the meal and/or driving were Algis Anilionis, Tom Cohn, Mike Dannenberg, Mark Goldman and Joe Perlman. Assembling bicycles presented as gifts were Brad Harmon, David Hirsch, Mitch Kittenplan, Sal Levi, Barry Schwalb, Alan Wachtel, Ian Weitz and Bob Zucker.

Brotherhood’s ROMEO – Retired Old Men Eating Out – continues to meet for lunch at the Golden Dolphin one Monday a month at noon, having last met on November 10th and December 5th. Join us and let’s support the Golden Dolphin which supports Israel.  And you don’t have to be retired…leave work, have lunch, go back to work.  And Brotherhood’s “Hebrewnians” continues to meet over dinners at Finnegan’s Bar in Huntington occasionally for Tuesday evening get-togethers, having recently met on November 25th.

Brotherhood hosted a trip to a Long Islanders Hockey game on Thursday, November 21st at UBS arena in Elmont with discount tickets facilitated by Jeff Rosen. The Ducks were soundly defeated. And you should have been there.

Brotherhood continues to participate with the MRJ (Men of Reform Judaism) in activities with other Reform Temple Brotherhoods. The recent MRJ meeting with dinner and a speaker on Men’s Health at Temple Sinai in Roslyn was on November 5th. And we met with the Brotherhood of Temple Beth El in Great Neck with a speaker on Emotional Self Care on November 24th.

Upcoming events include an overdue bagels and lox luncheon at TBE, a pastrami tasting at the Lido Deli and possibly a comedy night and/or a whisky tasting at TBE.  And we still need a venue for Superbowl Sunday with a large screen TV and a kitchen.  Got a plan for an event? Let us know and help to make it possible. Member or not, kindly get on the Brotherhood email list: let Mike know via email to michaelwidawsky@yahoo.com.

Social Action Update

Social Action had a really busy Fall!  In September, we held our Annual High Holy Days Food Drive. We distributed 300 shopping bags (donated by Trader Joe’s) and collected nearly 200 full grocery bags, plus enough food to fill our own pantry and still have enough to also donate to Tri-CYA, a Huntington agency dedicated to supporting local youth and their families, and to the Huntington Food Pantry, an all-volunteer food pantry serving the Huntington area.  We started our Winter Coat and Blanket Drive on November 3rd.  All the warm items collected were donated to the Helping Hands Rescue Mission.

Then we jumped right into our HIHI Drive.  Temple Beth El has been participating in the Huntington Interfaith Homeless Initiative since its inception in 2004. We have been providing meals and a warm place to sleep for those who can’t afford shelter and 3 meals a day.  Since COVID, our program has transitioned into a single space where our guests can reside the entire day. We will be providing dinner for 24 men on Wednesdays from December 1st to March 31st. We share these nights with Huntington Jewish Center and East Northport Jewish Center.  For those who would like to provide the dinners, in part or fully, please contact Paula Klein at paulakhome@gmail.com.  Look for flyers requesting donations for the program.

We held our Annual Thanksgiving Day Dinner and Boutique on Sunday, November 23rd. It was well attended by around 200 community members, many of whom left happy with their boutique finds and/or their raffle prizes, ranging from bikes and toys to dishware, appliances and even art!

Social Action could not provide the community support that we do without the support our temple and our temple partners.  You have all been extremely generous in these very trying times. Let’s continue to work together to make a difference to our neighbors.

Let’s Raise a Glass…at Purim

Purim is one of the Jewish holidays most closely tied to wine.  Unlike holidays that mainly use wine for Kiddush, Purim highlights drinking wine as an expression of joy and gratitude.

The story of Purim takes place in the Persian Empire, under King Ahasuerus (aka Xerxes I).  King Ahasuerus hosted lavish feasts that included copious quantities of wine.  It was at these banquets, hosted by Queen Esther, where the downfall of Haman was set in motion. Wine played a key role in these feasts and established wine as a symbol of Purim’s joy and divine providence.

The Talmud even suggests drinking ad d’lo yada – until one cannot distinguish between “Blessed is Mordechai” or “Cursed is Haman.”

Drinking wine with festive foods is a central element of the Purim holiday.  For your celebration, choose wines that balance joy, tradition, and accessibility.  Moderately priced bottles like Moscato, Pinot Noir, and Morad Passion Fruit Wine offer festive joy without breaking the bank. Pair them with hearty dishes or sweet hamantaschen, and you’ll have a Purim table that honors tradition while delighting every palate.

Tips for Choosing Purim Wines:

• Balance tradition and fun: Include at least one sweet or fruit wine alongside classic reds.
• Labels of OU, OK, or Kof-K indicate a Kosher wine.
• Pairing logic: Sweet wines for desserts, structured reds for meats, crisp whites for fish and lighter fare.
• Whites and sparkling wines: Chablis: a dry, low oaked chardonnay; or Champagne. These bring brightness and elegance, perfect for balancing rich foods and adding a celebratory flair.
• Classic reds: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah blends are bold and hearty. Pinot Noir is a lighter red. These wines pair well with hearty Purim dishes such as lamb, brisket, or stuffed pastries.
• Sweet and playful wines: Moscato and fruit wines (like Morad’s Passion Fruit Wine from Israel) These wines are popular for their festive, dessert-friendly character.