Voices of Joy at Adath Israel

This Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., Congregation Adath Israel presents "A Jewish A Cappella Concert" featuring Magevet (Yale) and Shir Appeal (Tufts).  Both groups have a long history of performing on campus, in Congregations and concert halls in the United States and around the world.  The concert takes place in the small sanctuary on the first floor of the synagogue.  If you look closely at the poster above, you'll see that the concert is being billed as "Elephants and Towels" -  read on.

Shir Appeal (pictured above) was founded in 1995 and is the only mixed-gender vocal group on the Tufts campus.  They perform a wide range of material, from Israeli classics (such as "Yerushalayam Shel Zahav" to Sabbath prayers ("Lecha Dodi") to contemporary songs ("Like The Dawn" by The Oh Hellos) by arranged by members and former members of the ensemble.   The mix of voices, harmonies, beats, and more makes Shir Appeal's music attractive to listeners of all ages and faiths. The ensemble has issued 10 CDs with the latest being 2016's "Perspective."  To find out more, go to www.shirappeal.com.  Tufts University mascot is Jumbo the Elephant - go to www.tufts.edu/about/jumbo to find out more about the monicker and the story behind it.

Magevet (above) has also been in existence since the mid-1990s, one of many vocal groups on the Yale campus.  Their repertoire also ranges from liturgical melodies to contemporary Israeli pop songs to pieces sung in Ladino (a combination of Spanish and Portuguese with Hebrew, Aramaic, Ottoman Turkish languages) to Yiddish classics.  Various versions of Magevet, (a Hebrew word that translates to "towel" - maybe they will explain - well, they better), have recorded eight albums since 1995, the latest being "Naveh Katan (a Small Oasis)" released in late 2016.  For more information, go to magevet.weebly.com.  

The concert is free and open to the public.  Thanks goes to the Edythe and Arthur Director Family Music Fund for sponsoring the concert. The goal of the Fund is to provide members of the Adath Israel community as well as the Greater Middletown community access to entertainment from around the world, artists and performers who work to illustrate the great scope of Jewish culture.  

Parking directly behind Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street, is not allowed but there is plenty of free on-street parking as well as several parking lots in the area (for instance, the lot behind the former Wesleyan bookstore on William Street or several lots off of Church Street). 

For more information, call the Synagogue office at 860-346-4709.  

The Peggy Stern Trio comes to Russell Library May 18th

On Thursday, May 18th at 7:00pm, concert goers will be delighted by the music of The Peggy Stern Trio at the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library. Sponsored by The Friends of the Russell Library and the Arthur & Edythe Director Family Fund of Congregation Adath Israel, the concert is the last of the library's concert series this spring. 

Peggy Stern. (photo by Brenda Ladd)

In this concert, The Peggy Stern Trio explores the Great American Songbook - a timeless soundtrack written almost entirely by Jews, which gave voice to a saga of love, determination, and assimilation. A few examples include: Cheek to Cheek, My Romance, White Christmas, Embraceable You, Easter Parade, Stormy Weather, and dozens of other songs we all know and love.
Peggy Stern is a musician's musician. She has made her mark in Philadelphia, San Francisco, New York City, Europe, Seattle and now Austin. Her multi-hued musical world view also includes classical, salsa, Latin rock, jazz and Rhythm and Blues. She has toured throughout Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan. She is joined in this concert by bassist Rich Syracuse and saxophonist George De Leon.

Peggy Stern’s musical adventure has been rich and varied: from Machito to progressive jazz, she has a particularly broad and eclectic background. Peggy is well known as a composer, with four of her tunes featured in the Sher Real Book series. She has worked extensively with Lee Konitz, Emily Remler, Jay Clayton, Diane Schuur, Stanley Turrentine, Gary Peacock, George Mraz, Billy Drewes, and Thomas Chapin, to name a few. Most recently she was featured at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center.

George De Leon is a noted psychologist in the addiction treatment field. He has also maintained a parallel career in Jazz.Tenor saxophonist in the house band of the Art Directors Club, New York City, during the 1970s, he shared the stage with guest artists including Roy Eldridge. Teddy Wilson, Zoot Sims and Joanne Brackeen. As producer of the ' Jazz vs. Junk” series at Phoenix House drug rehabilitation center he led the house band that included Billy Hart, Lyn Christie and Hal Galper with guest headliners such as Clark Terry, Al Cohn, Lee Konitz and Phil Woods. In recent years he was a regular member of the Jazz at Noon series in NYC and has been 'giggin” and recording in Hudson Valley venues with area Jazz colleagues.

Rich Syracuse has been a mainstay in the New York area scene for more than three decades. He received a Bachelor of Music degree from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He has performed with numerous jazz groups which included Pianist's John Mehegan, Joey Calderazzo, and Ted Rosenthal. He is the Bassist in the 'Nick Brignola Quartet' playing at numerous clubs, festivals, and precipitating in many recording sessions. Besides his years with Brignola, Rich has performed with Mose Allison, Kurt Elling, Dave Liebman, Brubeck Brothers, Warren Bernhardt, Sumi Tonoka, David Torn, Mike DeMicco, Peter Levin, Sam Morrison, Bernard Purdy, Jeff 'Siege' Siegel, Dena DeRose, John Medeski, Michael Musilliami and Ali Demogli. For the past 22 years, Rich has been the Bassist for Pianist Lee Shaw.

The Sounds of Music at Adath Israel

The poster above says most of what you need to know; this coming Saturday evening, Congregation Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street in Middletown, is hosting concert featuring Cantor Isaac Yager and his wife Meredith.  Cantor Yager is in the midst of a six-month assignment serving as the Interim Rabbi while Rabbi Seth Haaz is on sabbatical.  Cantor Yager is a graduating senior at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City where he is not only part of the Cantorial program but also studying Jewish education.  A graduate of Bard College, where he majored in theater, and Boston University, where he earned his Master's Degree in vocal performance, Cantor Yager has sung in the Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir and has also been a member of the chorus of the Boston Lyric Opera.

His wife Meredeth also graduated from Boston University, is a soprano with a love of "art song" and opera.  Those of us in the Congregation who regularly attend services on the weekends the Cantor who possesses a handsome tenor voice, is in town really enjoy listening to both of them singing and, especially for me, their lovely harmonies.  

The concert is open to the public. Call 860-346-4709 to make reservations. If you are attending, remember that there is no parking directly behind the synagogue but plenty of spaces nearby.  

Dr. Tal Becker at Adath Israel

You may not be able to read the fine print so here's the basic information from Rabbi Seth Haaz of Congregation Adath Israel:

Dr. Tal Becker will deliver a talk on Sunday June 7 at 1 p.m. about the future of the State of Israel and our aspirations for the future of the Jewish homeland. Dr. Becker teaches at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and is a senior member of the Israeli peace negotiation team who works on the front lines of many of Israel's most pressing diplomatic, legal, and policy challenges. Because Dr. Becker lives and teaches in Israel and travels to the United States primarily for diplomatic business, it is rare for synagogues to host him.  The talk is free and open to the public.

Logbooks, Slavery, Racism, Middletown & Loss of Memory

Anne Farrow, author of "The Logbooks: Connecticut's Slave Ships and Human Memory" (Wesleyan University Press), will speak this Thursday evening (12/040 at 7 p.m. in the small sanctuary of Congregation Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street in Middletown. The author conducted research at the Middlesex County Historical Society and the Society is sponsoring this event.

This from the press release: "In 1757, a sailing ship owned by Gurdon Salstonstall, an affluent Connecticut merchant, and captained by John Easton of Middletown, sailed from New London to the tiny island of Bence in Sierra Leone, West Africa, to take on fresh water and slaves. On board was the owner’s son, Dudley Salstonstall, on a training voyage to learn the trade. "The Logbooks" explores that voyage and two others documented by young Salstonstall. When writer Anne Farrow discovered the significance of the logbooks for the Africa and two other ships in 2004, her mother had been recently diagnosed with dementia. As Farrow bore witness to the impact of memory loss on her mother’s sense of self, she also began a journey into the world of the logbooks and the Atlantic slave trade, eventually retracing part of the Africa’s long-ago voyage to Sierra Leone. As the narrative unfolds in The Logbooks, Farrow explores the idea that if our history is incomplete, then collectively we have forgotten who we are—a loss that is in some ways similar to what her mother experienced. Her meditations are well rounded with references to the work of writers, historians, and psychologists."

Having read the book on my recent trip to Chicago, which happened to coincide with the grand jury decision in Ferguson, MO, Ms. Farrow touches on a number of issues that the United States is still coming to terms with, particularly how this country has treated and continues to treat African Americans in the years since slavery was banned.  Also, the book was researched and written during the time that the author's mother was slipping into dementia, totally losing her memory save for jumbled recollections from her childhood. In the book, the loss of personal memory is compared to the loss of "national memory", the ability or, perhaps, the desire to forget or ignore traumatic events or worse, trivialize them.  

The talk is free and open to the public - a good will donation is always welcome.  Parking is on the street and in the north side of the parking lot behind Adath Israel that is directly behind the former First United Methodist Church.  

For more information, call the Historical Society at 860-346-0746. To learn more about Ms. Farrow's book, go to www.upne.com/0819573056.html.

The Book on Prudence Crandall

Donald E. Williams, Jr., the author of the recently published book Prudence Crandall’s Legacy: The Fight For Equality in the 1830s, Dred Scott, and Brown v. Board of Education, will be the featured speaker at a program sponsored by the Middlesex County Historical Society at 7:00 pm on Thursday, November 13, at Congregation Adath Israel.  Williams will be joined by Kazimiera Kozlowski, the curator of the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, Connecticut, who will offer remarks about the museum.

Prudence Crandall, Connecticut’s Official State Heroine, was a schoolteacher who fought in the early nineteenth century to integrate her school in Canterbury and educate black women.  Her acceptance of black girls into the school unleashed a storm of controversy that catapulted her to national notoriety and drew the attention of the most prominent pro- and antislavery activists of the day.  Crandall was arrested and jailed, and Williams’ account details her legal legacy.  Crandall v. State was the first full-throated defense mounted for civil rights in United States history.  The arguments by attorneys in Crandall played a role in two of the most fateful Supreme Court decisions, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education.

Williams served as the President of the Connecticut State Senate from 2004 through 2014, and represented the 29th Senate District of Connecticut from 1993 through 2014. In addition to his career in public service, he has served as an attorney, educator, and journalist. He graduated from Syracuse University and earned his law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and inscription.

Congregation Adath Israel, located at the corner of Broad and Old Church Streets, is handicap accessible plus there is parking in the rear of the building.  The program is free and open to the public, although donations are welcome.  For further information, contact the Historical Society at 860-346-0746.

"Driving Miss Daisy and More This Sunday

Congregation Adath Israel and Vintage Players present "Driving Miss Daisy", the play by Alfred Uhry first produced Off-Broadway in 1987 at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Carolyn Kirsch (pictured left) stars in the title role along with Rick Nelson as Hoke Colburn (her driver) and Nat Holmes as her son Boolie Werthan.  The story opens as Miss Daisy's son takes away her driving privileges and hires a driver.  At the heart of the play is the relationship of the elderly white Jewish Daisy and the African American Hoke.  We watch it unfold over 25 years as the main characters and citizens of Atlanta, Georgia, (where the play is set) deal with issues of segregation, racism, and assimilation.

After the play, there will be a panel discussion on African American/Jewish relationships in Middletown, the state and the country.  Scheduled to appear will be several members of the clergy (including Adath Israel's Rabbi Seth Haaz), Professor Ron Schatz of the Wesleyan University History Department, and Debbie Shapiro, Executive Director of the Middlesex County Historical Society.  To cap off the event, members of the Afro-Semitic Experience, an ensemble started by bassist David Chevan and pianist Warren Byrd to play a mix of spiritual music, world beat, jazz, salsa, gospel, funk, cantorial and more, inspired by the liturgical music of the Black Church and the Jewish continuum.

The play starts at 4 p.m., the panel discussion at 6 and the music at 6:30. Ticket price is $10 per person and can be reserved by calling Adath Israel at 860-346-4709.  Rabbi Haaz will appear on WLIS & WMRD's Phil Mikan Show Wednesday May 28 at 10 a.m..  The show will be archived at www.philmikan.com.

The Israelis are Coming! The Israelis Are Coming!

Yes, this coming weekend the Israelis indeed are coming to Middletown.  On Saturday, The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street, presents pianist Alon Nechustan and his Trio.  The first time that the pianist was scheduled to come to town, the City and the rest of the state was covered in several feet of snow.  Joining him will be Shareef Taher (drums) and Javier Moreno Sanchez (acoustic bass) and they'll be playing a program of the Israeli-born musician's original music with a few standards.  Nechustan's music is a smart blend of mainstream jazz, Middle-Eastern influences, classical music and more.  He's also a fine pianist whose solo work is rhythmically forceful while also quite melodic.

All goes well, the 8 p.m. performance will not be canceled due to inclement weather.  For more information, go to www.buttonwood.org or call 860-347-4957.

Congregation Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street, presents the duo Isra-Alien in concert at 2 pm on Sunday, May 5.


Powered by the masterful technique and close friendship of jazz guitarist Oren Neiman and rock guitarist Gilad Ben-Zvi, the duo's acoustic music moves effortlessly from rootsy to refined on their second album, "Somewhere is Here!", released in late 2012.

Meeting on a remote base during military service and then reuniting years later in New York, Ben-Zvi and Neiman found an unexpected common ground in music that grew from the complexities of their shared heritage. By finding new sounds and settings for old forms and melodies, they hint at the diverse facets of Israeli music.

The concert takes place in the large Social Hall - the suggested donation is $10 per person and $18 per family, children 13 and under can attend for free. For reservations, please call the Synagogue office at 860-346-4709.

Middlesex County Historical Society Annual Meeting

Lois Brown to Lecture at Annual Meeting of the Middlesex County Historical Society

“So at any cost I will go”: Nineteenth-Century African American Journeys to the Civil War South will be the topic of this year’s Arthur M. Schultz Memorial Lecture to be delivered by Lois Brown at the annual meeting of the Middlesex County Historical Society on Tuesday, April 23.  Brown, the Class of 1958 Distinguished Professor at Wesleyan University, was recently seen by millions as a scholarly contributor and series advisor for the three part American Experience documentary series on PBS entitled The Abolitionists.

Saturday Night "Red" Fever

The Post Office motto used to be "Neither rain, nor sleet or snow will keep the mail from getting through" but it will stop the show.

Last night's torrential rain, vivid lightning, powerful winds and scattered power outages cancelled the Vintage Players' staged reading of Eric Bentley's "Are You Now or Have You Ever Been."  The Middletown-based troupe will try again Saturday evening at 8 p.m. in the Main Auditorium of Congregation Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street. Donations will be accepted at the door after the performance and refreshments will be served.  

To make reservations, call Richard Kamins at 860-632-1067 or Jane McMillan at 860-346-1377.  

A Correction

Yesterday, I posted about tonight's signing ceremony and re-dedication at Congregation Adath Israel taking place at 6:30 p.m.  I mentioned that Nathan and Shirley Shapiro were the driving forces behind the impressive collection of Judaica - in fact, the impetus for the Museum was from Nathan's father (and founder of Shapiro's department store) Harry and you should also know that Stephen Shapiro (son of Nathan) is currently in charge of acquisitions for the collection.  Thanks to Attorney Debbie Shapiro for setting me straight.

Only the books are being moved to Olin Library's Special Collections & Archives but there is movement afoot to update, re-catalogue and re-organize the entire collection.  The event is open to the public.  Adath Israel is located at 8 Broad Street and there is parking in the rear of the building on the left side of the driveway. 

Shakespeare and Saving Manuscripts

The Middlesex Community College Drama Club presents an abridged version (approximately 60 minutes) of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on Wednesday May 11 at 4:30 p.m. and Thursday May 12 at 5 p.m. in the Grove behind Founder's Hall.  The cast, students in MxCC's Theater 121 Class, invite everyone to check out its production - the weather looks to be just fine for a late afternoon theatrical repast.  Bring lawn chairs and/or blankets, probably a jacket (I know from experience that there is always a breeze up at the Grove) and be ready to have a fun time.  The event is free.  MxCC is located on Training Hill Road and there is, usually, plenty of parking.

Also on Wednesday, Congregation Adath Israel and Wesleyan's Olin Library Special Collection & Archives will enter into an agreement in which the rare books from the Middletown synagogue's Museum of Judiaca will be stored in the archive to better preserve them for future generations.  The collection, the life-long passion of Middletown businessman Nathan Shapiro and his wife Shirley, is made up of many fascinating artifacts and books, mostly from Eastern Europe.  The Shapiros have both passed on but the collection has outgrown its home at CAI and the books, many in delicate condition, have been in need of special attention.  Thanks to Wesleyan Associate Professor of History Magda Teter (she's also the Director of the Jewish and Israel Studies Program), the Congregation has agreed to "loan" the books to the Wesleyan's Archives. Not only will the books be in a more hospitable environment, experts from the University will clean, restore and protect the items. Students from Professor Teter's Jewish History classes (and others) will be able to use the books for research.

The agreement will be signed in a ceremony to be held at 6:30 p.m. at Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street.  Both Professor Teter and Head of Special Collections Suzy Taraba will speak about the books and how they will be used and cared for in Special Collections & Archives.The event is free and open to the public. 

13 Years of Brotherhood and Beats

The Afro-Semitic Experience came into existence in 1998 whenAfrican American pianist Warren Byrd and Jewish-American bassist David Chevan performed for an Interfaith Memorial Service for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Their blend of gospel music, jazz and Jewish liturgical music is informed by their belief that one can create a better world through communication and song. 

In the early years of the 21st Century, the duo expanded to a sextet with the addition of Stacy Phillips (dobro, violin), Will Bartlett (reeds), Baba David Coleman (percussion) and Alvin Carter, Jr. (drums, percussion). And their sound expanded as well.  While the material continued to plumb the same sources, rhythms from Central and South America, funk, classic jazz, swing, Eastern Europe and more informed the music.  Middletown residents may remember that, for several years, the group held monthly rehearsal/workshops at The Buttonwood Tree, trying out new material and staying fresh between gigs.  They now have toured throughout the United States and parts of Europe, performing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, the International Festival of Arts and Ideas (in New Haven), the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the Charles Wright Museum of African-American History in Detroit, the Amsterdam Festival of Jewish Music and the Paris Festival of Jewish Culture.
 
Byrd and Chevan have issued 2 CDs as a duo, the band has released 3 CDs as a unit (since 2003) and accompanied Chevan on 3 of his solo projects - all recordings are on the Reckless DC label and are available through the ensemble's new website, www.afrosemiticexperience.net. 

The Afro-Semitic Experience comes back to Middletown this Saturday to perform at 8:30 pm. in the main auditorium of Congregation Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street.  The concert is open to all music lovers and the suggested donation is $10 per person.  For more information, call 860-346-4709. 

Clergy News

After an exhausting and exhaustive search, Congregation Adath Israel has a new Rabbi. Rabbi Seth Haaz begins his work on August 1 and a formal installation will take place in the fall.

Here's more information about Rabbi Haaz:

Rabbi Haaz has been the Rabbinic Intern at Congregation Sons of Israel in Amsterdam, NY from the summer of 2008 to the spring of 2009 where he delivered sermons, chanted Torah and Haftarah, and led Shabbat and holiday services. He also counseled families through life-cycle events. Rabbi Haaz was a Rabbinic Intern from the fall of 2007 to the spring of 2008 at Town and Village Synagogue in New York City. He also led High Holy Day services in the fall of 2007 and 2006 at Dix Hills Jewish Center, Dix Hills, NY and Congregation Ahavat Shalom in Jeffersonville, NY, respectively. His pastoral experience at Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, PA and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in NYC includes completing 800 hours of Clinical Pastoral Education, serving as Chaplain for the Heart Failure, Oncology, Intensive Care, and In-patient Rehabilitation Units. The Rabbi has also served in the US Navy as Chaplain Candidate Program Officer Lt. Jr. Grade since the summer of 2006. His experience in Youth and Young Adult programs includes Camp Ramah, Tribeca Hebrew in New York City and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Rabbi Haaz received his Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City this past May. He has an MA in Interdepartmental Studies from JTS and a BA in Economics from Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts.

The Torch Bearers

Today (Sunday) is your last chance to catch the Vintage Players' production of The Torch Bearers. The performance is at 3 p.m. at the Congregation Adath Israel Auditorium, 8 Broad Street, Middletown.

Last night's show had the audience, and some of the cast, falling out of their seats. It was a riotous good time!

For reservations, call 632-1067 or 346-1377.

Play Time in Town

The Middletown-based Vintage Players is getting ready to present "The Torch-Bearers", a satirical comedy written in 1923 by George Kelly (uncle of actress Grace Kelly and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his 1925 play "Craig's Wife.") That's Charles Rich, who plays the laconic stage manager, awaiting the beginning of rehearsal.

The story revolves around an amateur theater group putting on a serious play and how one woman gets involved, much to the dismay of her husband. We enter the play the night before its final performance, the same night the husband returns home from a truncated business trip to find the troupe rehearsing in his living room. Some of the actors are serious but not talented, some are silly and not talented but all are under the spell of their hyper-active director and the lure of the stage lights.

The second act (out of 3) shows the performance in all its glorious ineptitude. The actual stage is split between the "play"and the events backstage. It's marvelously silly (note: I'm in the cast so expect some bias here) and is followed by a very funny ending.

Cast members include Terri Klein, Naomi Kamins (also assistant director), John Hall, Pat Farrell, Peter Sipples, Jane McMillan, Maria Madsen Holzberg, Lynne Fiducia, Bob Alexander, Charles Rich , Richard Kamins and Danny Glazier. Director Carolyn Kirsch (an experienced dancer and actress) leads the "behind-the-scenes" crew that also includes Marian Katz (set designer and costumer), Pat Murray (lighting, props and stage crew) and Cora Rodenhizer (costumes and makeup.)

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursday March 19, 8 p.m. Saturday March 21 and 3 p.m. Sunday March 22 in the main auditorium of Congregation Adath Israel, 8 Broad Street. The suggested donation is $10. and the proceeds will be shared by the Amazing Grace Food Pantry, Oddfellows Playhouse and the synagogue. For reservations, call 632-1067 or 346-1377.

People, Special People

2008 is swiftly coming to a close, a year with many highs and lows. The EYE has done a strong job covering local events, staying atop situations such as the Army Base and the elections as well as paying close attention to the vibrant downtown scene, the public schools and Wesleyan.

2009 probably will be a difficult year; tax revenues in the state are dwindling meaning that the city's budget will be heavily impacted. Services will be affected; The Board of Education, the Middletown Commission on the Arts, the Board of Health and The Russell Library will all feel the pinch. Many people have pinned their hopes on the Obama administration to help right the ship of state and his administration will have much to do. One aspect of this economic meltdown and its consequences that has been encouraging is that a good number of people in our city are willing to work together.

2008 was also notable for the loss of 2 very special people. You may not have been aware of Sybil Paton but chances are very good she impacted upon your life in a positive way. She was involved in the creation of Wesleyan Potters and the Middletown Commission of the Arts while working tirelessly for other organizations. One of her long-term relationships was with The Russell Library. She served on the Board of Directors for many years, helped hire the present director Arthur Meyers and boosted the work of the Library Friends Committee. Much of what Sybil Paton did was behind the scenes, the way she liked it; bringing people together was a strong point. Once she started a project, you can be sure it got done. As most of you know, the Library is a focal point of Middletown, a gathering place, a venue for free programs that range from readings to concerts to writers groups and gallery space.

Paula Lawson came to Middletown in the late 1990s to work as the Associate Provost at Wesleyan University. Slowly but steadily, she made herself indispensable to the staff and faculty. With her husband Richard and son Jack, she joined Congregation Adath Israel and within several years began serving on the Board of Directors. In her position as Recording Secretary, Paula Lawson became a member of the Executive Board and started to make a positive impact on the lives and welfare of the congregation. Much of what she did was low-key but all of it was positive. Her death at the age of 49 was a harsh blow to her family and a huge loss to both the Wesleyan and Synagogue community.

Both Sybil Paton and Paula Lawson "got things done" with little regard or need for praise. They set a strong example for their families and for the community in which they lived and worked. The year (and, possibly, years ahead) will be difficult but our main priorities should be continuing to work together, helping each other, listening without rancor or judgment, and making sure our voices are heard.