Message from National Shomrim President Henri Portner
We are less than three months away from the National Shomrim convention in January and although we still are waiting to hear if the cruise will sail our Convention Chairpersons have begun preliminary plans for our 2022 Convention. We have one confirmed speaker for our Signature Speaker Series and are always looking for other convention attendees to share their experiences on any topic that would be of interest and informative, such as careers, health, finance, history, spiritual, etc. Please contact Convention Co Chairperson Betty Astrizky at BAstrizky@aol.com if you’d like to put yourself into the schedule.
I am also planning a Zoom National Shomrim Meeting sometime in November, so as soon as the date and time are set all chapters and associate members will be notified. This will be a lead in to our meetings at the Convention.
Conditions keep changing for the better and I am looking forward to resuming our National Shomrim activities. I know we all missed marching in the Celebrate Israel Parade the past two years, including me, as it was a great source of pride for me to lead our delegation up Fifth Avenue in New York City or to hold in person meetings. I definitely missed attending the annual convention. Seeing our Shomrim friends was always the best part. Now as restrictions are being loosened I’m very encouraged that chapters are starting to have events again and we can meet up again soon.
National Shomrim News
As per our constitution, elections for the Executive Board will be held in January 2022 and candidates will be voted on at the Convention. The current board has expressed an interest to continue serving in their respective positions. If any member in good standing with their chapter or associate member would like to serve, please let the Corresponding Secretary know as soon as possible. We always welcome the help to continue keeping National Shomrim a great organization. If anyone would like to submit their names for consideration for any Executive Board positions please do so before October 30, 2021. The current Executive Board is as follows:
- President – Henri J. Portner
- Executive Vice President – David Rosenzweig
- First Vice President -Spenser Strauss
- Second Vice President – Ben Gelber
- Treasurer – Marty Turetzky
- Recording Secretary – Scot Pomerantz
- Corresponding Secretary – Betty Astrizky
- Sergeant-at-Arms – Jeff Grossberg
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms – David Appel
- Marshall – Shevy Berkovits
Regional Vice Presidents will be voted in by their respective chapters.
Chapter News and Events
The Port Authority Police and Port Authority Shomrim President Lt. Scot Pomerantz were instrumental in the planning the 20th Anniversary Commemoration of 9/11. Acting Israeli Consul General of Israel, Israel Nitzan, and dignitaries were greeted by PAPD Superintendent Ed Cetnar, PA Shomrim member Capt. Steven Yablonsky, Lt. Pomerantz, PAPD and PA Shomrim Chaplain Rabbi Mendy Carlebach who led the service, and various other executive staff from the agency. After the ceremony Acting Consul General Nitzan presented police officials with challenge coins as a token of appreciation for their service. The group also toured the memorial after the official program. A few days after 9/11, Lt. Pomerantz and Capt. Yablonsky were part of the security detail that escorted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle, on their first visit to New York. Their stop included a visit to the 9/11 Memorial.
Shomrim of D.C. is proud to announce that the NLEOMF has the approved the Annual Kaddish Service at National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial on Thursday, October 14, 2021, from 0900 to 1000. A collation will follow at the D.C. Lodge #1, 711 4th Street NW, Washington D.C. 20001. Shomrim of D.C. Senior Chaplain Michael Shochet, who is also the Senior Cantor at Temple Rodef Shalof in Falls Church, Virginia, will be coordinating the religious service. If you are planning to attend please contact Shomrim of D.C. Sheldon Levi at nodonuts@me.com.
NYPD Shomrim will be holding their 96th Louis Weiser Annual Memorial Service and Scholarship Breakfast on Sunday, October 24, 2021, at Temple Emanuel, Fifth Avenue and 65th Street, New York City. The service will begin at 0830 and all members are asked to attend in dress uniform. After the service there will be a collation at the Central Park Precinct, located in Central Park in the 86th Street Transverse. There will be no charge for the collation, however, NYPD Shomrim requests that attendees RSVP no later than October 17, 2021 due to restrictions on gatherings. Donations are gratefully accepted. Please be aware that both venues require attendees to be vaccinated and to wear masks. Please use the following link to RSVP: theticketing.co/events/shomrim96. They are also planning their Annual Chanukah Menorah lighting for Monday, November 29, 2021 at One Police Plaza in New York City. Details will be in a future newsletter.
South Florida Shomrim Society is getting a great response to their 2021 Annual Dinner Dance, set for Wednesday, November 10, 2021, at Temple Solel in Hollywood, Florida. Tickets are still available and are $90.00 each (cash or check), $95.00 credit card or paypal, or $100.00 at the door. A table of ten is $875.00. For tickets please visit their website, www.southfloridashomrim.com, or email their Treasurer Randi Meshel at treasurersouthfloridashomrim@gmail.com. South Florida Shomrim is a 501 (c)(3) registered organization so your ticket is tax deductible and they have been instrumental in numerous charitable causes and events this past year, including their daily presence at the Surfside building collapse. Sponsorships are also available and donations over $125.00 includes one ticket and your name or organization listed in the sponsorship slide show.
Port Authority Shomrim Society is planning their Annual Menorah Lighting for Thursday, December 2, 2021, the fourth night of Chanukah, at the Oculus at the World Trade Center. Details will be in the next newsletter.
FDNY Ner Tamid is selling great swag on their Facebook page. Please support them by checking out their assortment of T-Shirts and sweatshirts. You can also email them, FDNYNTS@gmail.com. They also have a great Instagram page!
Member News
Congratulations to past Shomrim of Maryland President Jeremy Silbert and his wife Jill who became the parents of a baby girl in July. Big brother Jordan adores his sister Annie Judith. Mazal tov to the Silbert family!
Congratulations to Port Authority Shomrim Secretary Sean Pomerantz on his promotion to the rank of Sergeant on September 5, 2021. Sgt. Pomerantz has been assigned to LaGuardia Airport. Sgt. Sean also worked with big brother Lt. Scot at the 9/11 20th Anniversary Commemoration at the WTC.
Big promotion for our Associate Member Sheila Lambie! Sheila was rewarded for her hard work over the past year with the position of Senior Commander with the St. Paul (MN) Police Dept. Now only 4 deputy chiefs, one assistant chief and one chief outrank her. Shatter that glass ceiling Sheila!
Mazal Tov to FDNY Ner Tamid Member Lt. Elise Hanlon from EMS Queens Tactical Response Group on her retirement. Thank you for your 30 years of service to our city and the people of New York City. The best is yet to come!
FDNY Ner Tamid was sad to announce the passing of Dennis Weintraub, father of member Lt. Craig Weintraub, on September 19, 2021. Services were private. May the Weintraub family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Israel.
Port Authority Shomrim was heartbroken to learn of the sudden passing of past president Neil Pisk in September. Neil led the organization in the late 1970s to early 1980s and his charismatic, big personality helped Shomrim continue to grow and be a force in the Port Authority. He loved doo-wop music and had a singing group with other PAPD officers called Memories. Neil lived in California for many years after his retirement, pursing an acting career, and appeared in many shows and movies in supporting roles. He was also very proud of his original play “People vs. Beanstalk” and recently was part of a team as a writer and actor in the San Diego 48 Hour Film Project. Neil is survived by his wife Sharon and his sister Ann Schoenfeld-Rodkin, also a retired Port Authority employee, and many family and friends. Rest in peace Neil, and we’ll see you in the break room.
CHAPTER PRESIDENTS! We are hoping to hear that you can plan events based on conditions in your areas. Members are anxious to travel, and visiting members in their home cities, as many of us have done in the past, has always been a great way to connect. As always, if there is any change in your leadership, any changes to your contact information, or any news that you want publicized – such as planned meetings, events, member accomplishments – please post them to the National Shomrim Facebook page. This is the best way to get your message out quickly, especially if they are time sensitive. All your members should ask to join our Facebook page and of course they should be sent the Newsletter as soon as possible. If your chapter doesn’t have a social media presence, please designate a member who can post items for you. Let’s all get as media savvy as possible!
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS! Thanks so much for keeping your membership active. We appreciate your trust in our organization. If you haven’t sent in your dues please take care of this oversight as soon as possible. We don’t want to drop any associate members, we want you to be active and involved, whenever it will be possible to do so. And you should also ask to join the Facebook page. Your accomplishments and updates are just as important as our chapter events.
Thank you to several associate members who made donations to National Shomrim. Your generosity and thoughtfulness is appreciated. As a reminder, National Shomrim and our chapters are registered 501(c)(3) organizations, so your donations are tax deductible.