NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SHOMRIM SOCIETIES
NEWSLETTER – SUMMER/FALL 2018
WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY BETTY ASTRIZKY, CORRESPONDING SECRETARY,
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SHOMRIM SOCIETIES
THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE
NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SHOMRIM SOCIETIES
WISHES ALL OUR CHAPTERS, ASSOCIATE MEMBERS,
THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY,
HEALTHY AND SWEET NEW YEAR 5779.
MAY WE ALL BE INSCRIBED AND SEALED IN
THE BOOK OF LIFE
NATIONAL SHOMRIM NEWS AND INFORMATION
There will be a National Shomrim meeting on Sunday, October 28, 2018, at 11:30 a.m., at Temple Emanu-El, Fifth Avenue and 65th Street in New York City. All chapter presidents or their representatives and all National Shomrim board members are requested to attend, as we need to have a quorum for an official meeting. As always, associate members are invited to attend as well, and we welcome your input to help us coordinate the activities of the organization. This meeting will take place immediately after the NYPD Shomrim Breakfast (see below under Chapter Information). Please RSVP no later than October 22, 2018 to the Corresponding Secretary at BAstrizky@aol.com.
Any chapter that has not paid its 2018 National Shomrim dues will not be able to vote on any upcoming matters at this meeting, so please make sure your chapter is up to date. 2019 dues are also coming up, so please think about sending them in as well. If you are unsure if your chapter is paid up for 2018 please contact the National Shomrim Treasurer Marty Turetzky at rmturetzky@aol.com.
Our official Shomrim cruise planner, Tony Lostumbo, has advised us that all the cabins he had secured for our group on board the Celebrity Silhouette for our National Shomrim convention in February 2019 are sold out. Our guaranteed rate is no longer available and anyone wishing to join us at the convention will now have to pay the rate that Celebrity is charging all their regular guests. As we get closer to the October 15, 2018 date, when final payments are due, if there are any cancellations, Tony will be able to get our Shomrim members and friends who are on a waiting list booked into a cabin.
We are also looking for speakers who would be willing to give a short lecture on a topic of interest to our members who will be attending the convention. Topics could include health, history, law, current events, Judaism, Israel, really anything relevant to our group and our mission. We already have one great speaker lined up and are hoping several of our attendees will step up to talk about any topic that our group would be interested in learning about. If you have a subject that you think might be interesting, please email our cruise coordinator Marty Turetzky at rmturetzky@aol.com, and let him know that you’d like to share your expertise at the upcoming convention.
All associate members should have received National Shomrim membership cards by now. We will continue to send National Shomrim cards as dues are renewed or as new associate members are signed up. Any associate member who does not renew their dues will not receive future cards and will be dropped. So we encourage all our associate members to please renew your membership in National Shomrim. As we continue to expand our outreach and recruit members who have no organized chapter in their areas, we always find those lone Jews who are looking to connect with Jewish members of our public services. If we can and if it’s not out of the way, we always direct them to a chapter. Sometimes that’s not possible due to their locations and lack of any Jewish community. We consider our associate members just as important as our chapters and we’re very lucky that we have many associate members in far flung areas of our country. Remember, if you ever meet a Jewish police officer, fire fighter, parole/probation/court/postal police officer, ADA, EMTs, etc., in your business or vacation travel, or at an event, or even in your day to day comings and goings, please get their email address and forward it to the Corresponding Secretary at BAstrizky@aol.com.
CHAPTER NEWS AND INFORMATION
Shomrim of Maryland will be holding a membership meeting on Thursday, September 6, 2018, at 7:00 p.m. at the Weinberg Park Heights Jewish Community Center, 5700 Park Heights Avenue. A complimentary dinner will be served. Shomrim of Maryland will also be remembering fallen Baltimore Police Officer Ira Weiner at a brief graveside memorial service on Friday, September 21, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at Oheb Shalom Memorial Park, located at Nicodemus Road and Berryman’s Lane in Reistertown, Maryland. Please join then as they remember a public servant who gave his life to protect others. For information on both of these events please contact Shomrim of Maryland President Jeremy Silbert at silbert@shomrimmd.org.
Rabbi Chesky Tenenbaum, who is the chaplain for Shomrim of Maryland, has arranged with the Jewish Uniformed Services Association of Maryland (JUSA) to host free Rosh HaShana services for law enforcement, public safety officers and members of the military at their center, 2316 Sugarcone Road, Baltimore, MD 21209. Services will be held on Monday and Tuesday, the first and second days of Rosh HaShana, September 10 and 11, 2018, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Shofar blowing will be approximately 11:30 a.m., and after services conclude there will be a kiddush with traditional holiday foods. JUSA wants to make sure every one of our Jewish men and women in uniform has a seat for the High Holidays, so please call them at (301) 541-8770 or email Rabbi Tenenbaum at rabbict@jewishusamd.org to reserve a seat.
Shomrim of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley will be having a meeting at The Pub Diner on Thursday, September 13, 2018. Please contact Merrill Kelem at sgtmk@yahoo.com for more details and if you would like to attend.
The NYPD Shomrim Society will be holding its 94th Annual Lou Weiser Memorial Service, Scholarship and Awards Breakfast on Sunday, October 28, 2018, at 8:15 a.m. at Congregation Emanu-El, Fifth Avenue and 65th Street, New York City. Tickets are $35.00 in advance, $40.00 at the door. Please contact breakfast chairpersons Murray Ellman at (718) 543-4825 or Marty Turetzky at (917) 774-7809 for reservations.
South Florida Shomrim Society’s 2018 Annual Dinner Dance will be held on Thursday, November 8, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. at the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center, 20400 NE 30th Avenue, Aventura, Florida. Among the honorees at the dinner will be local firefighters who volunteered to fight fires in Israel. Ticket information is as follows:
- Individual tickets $90.00 in advance, $100 at the door, $95.00 credit card/PayPal
- Gold: $3,600.00 includes 30 tickets, name on 3 tables, Shomrim website & events 2017/18 & slide show
- Silver: $1,800.00 includes 20 tickets, name on table, and any dinner dance advertising/publications & slide show
- Bronze: $850.00 includes 10 tickets, name on table
- White: $36.00 includes individual business card in sponsorship slide show
- Blue: $18.00 includes name in sponsorship slide show listing
All other donation amounts over $125 includes 1 ticket and name listed in the sponsorship slide show listing
Please contact South Florida Shomrim Society President Harvey Meshel at (954) 445-8143 or harvey@hsmconsulting.net to purchase tickets.
Shomrim of Illinois will be holding their 2018 Award Reception at the Larry and Lillian Goodman Conference Center located at the Jewish United Fund, 30 South Wells Street, Chicago, IL. The Awards Reception will be recognizing the Jewish United Fund with its “Organization of the Year” Award, and will recognize their longtime member Charles Halpern as the “Person of the Year.” The event will take place on Thursday, November 15, 2018, and tickets are $100.00 per person. Please make checks payable to Shomrim Society of Illinois Endowment Fund, or contact their Event Chairman, David Appel, at dapple9029@hotmail.com. You can also visit their website, shomrimillinois.org, for more information.
The Port Authority Shomrim Society is in the early stages of planning their annual Chanukah Menorah Lighting on Monday, December 3, 2018, the second night of Chanukah, at the Oculus in the World Trade Center. Food and entertainment will be provided. Details will be published in a future newsletter.
Shomrim of Illinois and NYPD Shomrim are in the planning stages of their annual trip to Israel. The dates are set for April 1 to 11, 2019. For details and prices please contact Elliot Cohen at (847) 778-7272, Sam Miller at (347) 723-6708, or Joe Cohen at (914) 316-6279.
MEMBER NEWS AND INFORMATION
We wish hearty mazal tovs to the following members:
Shomrim of Maryland President Jeremy Silbert on his engagement to Jill Collier, a nurse manager at GBMC Hospital. A fall 2018 wedding is planned.
NYPD Shomrim Society Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Ben Gelber (Sergeant, NYPD) on his engagement to Dr. Marcie Lebercov. Marcie is a previous NYPD Shomrim Society scholarship winner and the granddaughter of NYPD Shomrim Society Life Member Archie Sayles, a WW2 veteran and a member of the greatest generation. A December wedding is planned.
Two longtime members of Shomrim of Illinois, Judge Megan Goldish and Chicago Police Officer Matt Savage tied the knot on July 28th. Congratulations!
We celebrated several birthdays over the summer!
Happy 60th birthday to past National Shomrim President and past NYPD Shomrim President Steven Litwin. Steve’s wife Julia threw him a surprise party with many Shomrim, NYPD, friends and family in attendance, and for once Steve was speechless!
Happy 75th birthday to past NYPD Shomrim President Harold Schiffer. Many people, including NYPD Shomrim Chief Chaplain Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass, came together to celebrate with Harold’s family and friends.
Past NYPD Shomrim President and current National Shomrim Treasurer Marty Turetzky also threw a surprise birthday party for his wife, Rebecca, and family and friends came from as far away as Florida to celebrate with her.
Happy birthday to South Florida Shomrim President Harvey Meshel.
Congrats to National Shomrim Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Jeff Grossman for completing seven years of service with Texas A&M University – San Antonio, Police. He is also a certified Public Safety Supervisor, having taken the training offered by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension services. Jeff is a SAG/AFTRA union member, so BOLO for him as an extra in many TV shows and movies, including Law & Order.
Mazal tov to Associate Member Jed Dolnick, who retired after over 40 years of service with the West Bend, Wisconsin, Police Dept. Jed was the Chief of Police when he retired. Jed, the best is yet to come!
We wish a refeuah shelemah to Murray Weiner, father of fallen Shomrim of Maryland member Ira Weiner, who had surgery during the summer. Murray is home and recovering well.
We sent our condolences to:
NYPD Shomrim Life Member Ted Newman on the passing of his daughter in law Michelle Newman
Nassau Shomrim member Esther Feldman on the passing of her mother Lillian Feldman
The family of past Shomrim of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley President Judi Buch, who passed away after a valiant fight against breast cancer.
National Shomrim is a group of Jewish professionals scattered across the country and in other parts of the world, but we are also a family. We celebrate simchas together, care for each other during times of sickness, and comfort each other in times of sorrow. We are together in good times and bad.
So What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation?
Several members were spotted out and about over the summer, including…Associate Member Ryan Mann, of the Des Moines, Iowa Police Dept., who came to New York to escort his daughter who was attending the Joffrey Ballet school. Ryan and his daughter visited several iconic New York landmarks, including the 9/11 Museum, and stuffed themselves with the best food in the world! A big shout out to several Shomrim members who greeted him and gave him a tour of One Police Plaza…National Shomrim President Scot Pomerantz went back to boy scout camp, sort of. He participated with his son Chad in a weeklong father-son boy scout camp…Betty Astrizky (Port Authority Shomrim First Vice President and National Shomrim Corresponding Secretary) and Murray Ellman (National Shomrim Recording Secretary and NYPD Shomrim Financial Secretary) cruised in style with their friends Marty Turetzky (past NYPD Shomrim President and current National Shomrim Treasurer) and his wife Rebecca on board the Queen Mary 2 the week of the Fourth of July. They visited New Brunswick, Canada and Boston, where they were able to see the fireworks from the top of the luxury liner. Murray was joined on the cruise by his two sons and their families, NYPD Shomrim member retired Lt. Steven Ellman, and Dr. Marc Ellman, also a past Scholarship award recipient…Esther Feldman of Nassau Shomrim loves the theatre, concerts, even ball games! She attended the Yankee game in July, and they won! She saw an off Broadway show, My Life on a Diet, Shania Twain at the Barclay Center, U2 at MSG, Foreigner at the Jones Beach Theater and, of course, her absolute favorite musical, On Your Feet. Esther is also an advocate for Holocaust education…Past National Shomrim President and Past Nassau Shomrim President Scott Bresalier and his wife Bonnie installed hurricane shutters in their home in West Palm Beach, Florida. I know where the next hurricane party will be!
Job Opportunities!
- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City has several job openings in the MaBSTOA and NYC transit lines. Please go to their website, www.mta.info, for details on how to apply, exam dates and filing fees.
- San Francisco, California has an open and continuous recruitment for police officers. Please visit their website, SanFranciscoPolice.org for details.
- The City of Chicago, Illinois is holding an open recruitment for police officers from August 1 thru October 1, 2018. Please visit their website, www.chicagopolice.org, for all the information you need on how to apply, requirements and other facts. For additional questions please contact David Appel, Shomrim of Illinois’s Director of Special Events, at Dapple9029@hotmail.com
- The City of Pembroke Pines, Florida, has openings for certified and non certified police officers, police service aides and school resource officers. Please visit their website, www.ppines.com, for information.
- The City of Miami Beach, Florida, has an open continuous recruitment for certified police officers. Please check their website, www.miamibeachfl.gov, for the requirements
- The City of Coral Gables, Florida, has openings for fire inspectors, certified and non certified police officers. Please check their website, www.coralgables.com, for requirements and signing bonuses.
- The Hollywood, Florida Police Department is recruiting for certified and non certified police officers and school resource officers. Please visit their website, www.hollywoodpolice.org, for details and requirements.
- The Los Angeles Police Dept. will be having a job fair for candidates interested in joining their organization on Saturday, September 15, 2018. Please go to their website, www.joinlapd.com, for details. Please contact Shomrim of Southern California President Barry Poltorak at Barry@poltorak.net with questions.
- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state government agency headquartered at 4 WTC, has numerous openings in the fields of Technology, Aviation, Human Resources, Engineering, Security, Management, Corporate, Rail Transit and Law. There are also many opening for trades positions, including electricians, plumbers, steam and sprinkler fitters, HVAC and General Maintainers. The agency is also recruiting for toll collectors. Many of these positions are represented by specific unions. Please visit their website, jointheportauthority.com, for details and descriptions of these positions, the salaries and how to apply.
Gentle reminder to all chapter presidents! Please forward the newsletter to your membership. We occasionally hear from members of different chapters who were unaware of National Shomrim and chapter activities. It’s important to have all members informed, you never know when you’ll get people inspired to participate in Shomrim! Feel free to post it on your chapter’s Facebook pages and websites.
All chapter dues and associate member dues should be mailed to:
National Shomrim Treasurer Marty Turetzky
264 East Broadway, C1905
New York, NY 10002
Please make checks payable to: National Conference of Shomrim Societies