38 Old Country Rd
Garden City,
NY 11530

(516) 741-7304

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• Viewpoint
• Religious Education
• Founders Day Honoree
• American Ethical Union
• Public Affairs Committee
• Amnesty International
• EHS Drama Group
• Planning Your Own Memorial Service
• Personals
• Sunday Coffee Hour
• Board Notice
• Celebrating Human Rights -- At Ethical Humanist Society

One hundred years ago, when Felix Adler spoke to the public on Sunday mornings as leader of the New York Society for Ethical Culture, it wasn't unusual for a summary of his address to appear on the front pages of New York's dailies. Today, most of the news we get about religion seems to be the sensational. In fact, a survey of comments about the alleged scandal swirling around the White House revealed that religious leaders were hardly quoted at all. In other words, religion has been pushed from the center of social concern to the margins, where it competes for attention along with disasters and celebrities.

There are some changes worth noting though, The New York Times devotes a Saturday column to religious news and reflection. And within our own ranks, Richard Kiniry, leader of the Philadelphia and Queens societies has been asked to write a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Recently I attended a breakfast for community leaders at Newsday to meet with the publisher and key editors. I raised the concern that while there was a great deal about business and computers in the paper, there was very little about ethical and religious matters. This theme was taken up by others at the breakfast. A newspaper, as in any business, has a budget and cannot do everything that needs to be done. This is an area that needs attention, we were told, and how to bring in more stories that are about values, ethics, and religion is being considered.

The response only underscored the problem: ethics and religion are simply not a major concerns. At least that's how the editors understand the American scene. They may be right, but if they are, then it is understandable why few people seem to care about the personal rectitude of people in high places. But as one adage reminds us: The fish rots from the head down. Confucius once made the same point. And so did the women's movement, which said that the personal is political.

For many years, parents meetings and children's programs have been an integral part of the Sunday school experience. Opportunities have been presented for the parents to discuss issues around child rearing, as well as how they feel about their roles as parents and their own personal identities. We have studied the five basic principles of Ethical Culture, discussed prejudice, and parents as religions educators.

The children's activities have included planning the Spring Carnival, deciding on the focus of their ethical-action and program, and working on it, as well as discussing certain social issues current in the world. They're also watched videos and had speakers who acquainted them with the work that various organizations do to help others. They've enjoyed interactive games and role playing.

This year our family programs have been held once a month. Susan Teshu has been facilitating the parents meetings. Topics have included discussing social action with your children, developing a respectful attitude toward life, and soon a discussion on body image-accepting myself for who I am.

The children have watched a video on the six pillars of character, discussed the problem of rain forest destruction, and made a rain forest from paper. They have also made African Masks in honor of Black History month.

In April our family program will be the carnival on April 5, to which all are invited.

Our May function is a family luncheon honoring our wonderful teachers.

We will continue to provide programs of education and enjoyment to our parents and children to strengthen their connections with each other and the Society and enrich the Sunday school experience

Our Society president, Richard Rapp, join the Ethical movement in 1963. He and first wife, Paula, were seeking a values-oriented Sunday school for their choice. After two daughters. His wife did the research to find the school of their choice. After attending several platform meetings they presented themselves to the newly appointed leader, Arthur Dobrin, to seek admission for themselves and daughter, Sue Ellen and Lorriane. Thus they became the first family to be interviewed and recommend to the board of directors by Arthur.

Richard was the comptroller of a company that was the largest sequin manufacturer in the world. Here, in what he calls his second home, Richard has been an active and involved member. Very early he was elected to the board, and within five years of joining the Society, was c hosen by the board to be president. He had found a very vibrant community for a exchange of ideas, opportunities for social action, an outlet for his considerable musical talent, and the excellent humanist school for the children.

Unfortunately, Richard and his current wife, Sybil, lost their first spouses to cancer within a month of each other. Both families had been members, shared interests and friends within the Society, and helped each other cope with their losses.

In recent years, retired from paid employment, Richard once again is using his talents and energy towards getting things done to insure that our community is here for future generations. He plans to provide lay leadership for the gifting programs that are essential for the survival and growth of the Long Island Ethical Humanist Society.

Richard Rapp is currently also president of the FDR democratic Club in Queens, where he and Sybil live. And lest you think that this multifaceted man is winding down after thirty-five satisfying years in our midst, we are pleased to report that he is in the process of writing his first novel.

Join us for lunch on Sunday, May 3, 1998, to honor RICHARD RAPP.

We gathered at the NY Society for Ethical Culture at 8:30 am on a Saturday morning and after fueling up on juice, coffee, and bagels, we got down to business.

Many of our concerns are related to the financial health of the AEU and how we should spend our money to make more effective use of AEU's resources. We received a draft report from the auditors that indicates that the value of our assets increased substantially since the previous year-end (9/30/96). We essentially achieved the balanced budget that was adopted at the 1995 Assembly. While this is good news, it is due primarily to one stock that has greatly appreciated.

We debated, and finally approved, keeping Judith Eckerson as consultant to the Ethical Action Committee for $5,000 until the end of the current fiscal year to continue her work as outlined in her report. We also approved a one-time stipend of $1,000 to thank Jone Johnson for her voluntary work as the Web-master of AEU's home page on the Internet. We debated whether to allow temporary alterIn 1937, 16-year-old Hebert Rosenbaum and his mother and brother fled teir hometown Groben-Linden, Germany, to escape the persecution of National Socialism and emigrated to the Us. On that same date 60 years later, Dr. Rosenbaum, now a professor emeritus at Hofstra Unniversity, returned to Gorben-Linden, now known as Linden, to unevil a memeorial to the memory of the six Jews form town who persihed during the Holocaust.

On Wednesday, April 22, at 8pm, Dr. Rosenbaum will tell the story of his return to Germany and how he and another refuge from Linden, Beatrice Theisenbach Israel of West Hartford, Connecticut, achived this memorial. The talk is sponsored by Amnesty International Group 74, which is a project of our society. Dr. Rosenbaum is along-time member of our group. In fact, he is the person who designed and created the stained glass AI symbol that graces our auditorium.

As the meeting will be held in the upstairs lounge where there is limited space, please make a reservation by calling the office at 5167417304, Monday through Friday, between 9:30 am and 3:00 pm, or by leaving a note there with your phone number. nates to the AEU board when the regular regional alternate is not available and decided to allow thepractice, but the AEU will not pay travel allowances in that case.

Other business included a proposal by Howard Terriss for an annual Humanist Day to be established in conjunction with other humanist organizations. He was asked to provide additional information at the April board meeting.

In our go-around of news from the local societies, I reported on the Pastoral Package of Services that our EHS-LI board has put together. This was well received, with several requests for additional details.

In our afternoon session we tackled two major areas for our restructuring discussion: assemblies and communications.

We also reviewed the reports that came out of our interim team meetings, and after some discussion, were able to come to a consensus on our plans for the next assembly. We established that the next assembly will be held at the New York Society from April 22 to 25, 1999. The Board voted to hold assemblies annually after that, with the goals for each assembly to be set by the board. We also established a standing committee on Assemblies. Chairs of this new committee are Mimi Henry of Washington and Mary Ellen Goodman of New York. Interested members who are not on the AEU board are invited to join this committee. Both long-term planning and immediate logistics for the 1999 assembly will come from this committee.

Following a wide-ranging discussion of communications, a committee was stablished, with Steve Meskin of Baltimore as the convenor. They will consider the many facets of communications, including maintaining the Web site, establishing an editorial process for dialogue, establishing a speakers bureau, and reporting back to the board for the April meeting. Here also, interested members who are not on the AEU board are invited to join this committee.

We adjourned at 4 p.m. Our next board meeting will be on Saturday, April 18. In the interim, members of Region 2 will again meet on March 14 at 8 am to prepare a team report on the subject of AEU board committees-what are their functions, how should they be structured, etc.

I welcome your input. Respectfully submitted,

The Suffolk Ethical Society has been involved in the plight of Joe Carson, a whistle-blowing engineer from the Department of Energy (DOE). In his work as a nuclear safety assessor at DOE since 1990, he has claimed to have personally witnessed extraordinary abuses of material as well as two preventable fatalities. Joe Carson has identified serious problems of nuclear mishandling at both Oak Ridge, TN. and Brookhaven National Laboratory here on Long Island. Since his going public, DOE has responded, not by investigating but by attempting to silence him. In an effort to force him out of his job, they have stripped him of job responsibilities, suppressed his findings, and attempted to revoke his security clearance. Remember that DOE is responsible for the safety and security of a nuclear stockpile consisting of thousands of atomic weapons and hundreds of tons of collaborative weapons material. It is also responsible for the safe disposal of millions of pounds of radioactive and other hazardous waste. When you add to this the fact that DOE is exempt from outside regulators (including safety regulations as defined by OSHA), then the prescription exists for disaster.

DOE must be held accountable, and the charges of whistleblowers such as Joe Carson must be investigated with integrity and competence. Joe Carson's Internet site can be ccessed at . It makes for interesting reading. Letters of protest can be sent to Secretary of Energy Federico Pena, 1000 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20585.

Here is an interesting item: I heard a new explanation certainly worth pondering) for how Native Americans came to be called Indians. We've all heard the explanation that Columbus mistakenly thought he had traveled to India. Well here is a new one that comes from a book called The Wind is My Mother written by Bear Heart, a Native American shaman. According to Bear Heart, when Columbus saw the natives, he wrote in his journal that they were gentle "people of God." In his language, the term he wrote was "in dios." "In dios" eventually became the word Indian with its roots saying that they are literally "people of God."

In 1937, 16-year-old Hebert Rosenbaum and his mother and brother fled their hometown Groben-Linden, Germany, to escape the persecution of National Socialism and emigrated to the Us. On that same date 60 years later, Dr. Rosenbaum, now a professor emeritus at Hofstra University, returned to Gorben-Linden, now known as Linden, to unevil a memorial to the memory of the six Jews form town who perished during the Holocaust.

On Wednesday, April 22, at 8 pm, Dr. Rosenbaum will tell the story of his return to Germany and how he and another refuge from Linden, Beatrice Theisenbach Israel of West Hartford, Connecticut, achieved this memorial. The talk is sponsored by Amnesty International Group 74, which is a project of our society. Dr. Rosenbaum is along-time member of our group. In fact, he is the person who designed and created the stained glass AI symbol that graces our auditorium.

As the meeting will be held in the upstairs lounge where there is limited space, please make a reservation by calling the office at 5167417304, Monday through Friday, between 9:30 am and 3:00 pm, or by leaving a note there with your phone number.

The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island Drama Group (Ethical Players) will present the celebrated Edward Albee's Pulitzer Prize winning play A Delicate Balance on May 15, 16,22, and at 7:30 pm Admission: $10 contribution T he idea for the EHS Drama Group was actually conceived on Safari (looking for lions) in Kenya, Africa. While shooting wild animals (with cameras) from the van, Ken Schwartzman, Elsa Javkin, Morris Sukenik, and Lyn Dobrin thought it might be a good idea to start an acting workshop at the Society. That was in the summer of 1986. That fall our first workshop began and has continued every fall since (except for 1996). The workshop extended into the producing of 10 plays, usually in May. Two of those plays were originals written by Arthur Dobrin, the rest were from the Broadway and Off Broadway. Our last production was in May 1996; two one-acters, also by Edward Albee, The Zoo Story and The American Dream. A Delicate Balance is being directed by Ken Schwartzman, and the cast, in alphabetical order, includes Arlene Brown, Elsa Javkin, Adrian Pineda, Ken Schwartzman, Sharon Stanley, and Susan Webster.

Our theatre at the Society has very limited seating, so call in your reservations early to the Society office at 516-741-7304.

BACKSTAGE HELP NEEDED: STAGE MANAGER . . . PROPS . . . LIGHTING . . . HOUSE MANAGER . . . USHERS. IF INTERESTED, PLEASE CALL KEN SCHWARTZMAN AT 516-541-4723

What will happen when you die? Do you have a specific idea of what you would like your memorial service to be? Rather than being morbid, thinking about your memorial service can help you focus on how you live your life.

What are the things you'd like people to be able to say about you when you die? Is there a message you would like to give loved ones? Is there a favorite piece of music or a poem you would like to have shared? Are there things you don't want to have happen? We will meet for a one-hour session with personal follow-up if you choose. I invite your questions and comments.

Jim Lo Presti's son has graduated form Columbia University. Marion Rosenthal's daughter, Susan, has been accepted at the London School of Economics.

Among our recent travelers is Herb Meltzer, chairman of the monthly Ethcial issues in the News discussion group. In early February he went to Beaumont, Texas, to attend the bar mitzvah of his brother's grandson; in early March he could be found in Chicago, his home town, attending another family celebration. Richard and Sybil Rapp spent a brief time in Florida at the end of February. Arlene Baum went west to California to visit two of her daughters. These long distant relationships heed nurturing.

Recent birthdays include those of Barbara Grey, Emily Helden, Lynn Horn, and Renee Silver. Amy Paul and Jessica Feifer, two of our Sunday school student, will have grown a year older this month: Amy on April 8 and Jessica on April 18.

In a three-page article in Newsday's Sunday, February 22 in Long Island section about keeping garden journals, Lyn Dobrin was one of the gardeners pictured and quoted regarding how they keep track of their gardens. Lyn's journal is more like a scrap book with hand-drawn sketches and catalog photos as well as snapshots and notes. Just a gentle reminder that if you put your memorable milestones in writing, you are more likely to be able to share them.

We all like talking to each other after the platform while we enjoy some refreshments. We have a dedicated kitchen committee headed by Bessie Sanchez who make the coffee, set up and clean up. But often there is no food.

You can help make these social gatherings more enjoyable all the time. We will make your special occasion memorable. If you or someone you love have a birthday, graduation, promotion, anniversary, etc., we will help you celebrate if you donate money will go into a special refreshment fund. You can also donate in " in honor of" or "in memory of." The donation will be acknowledged in the Sunday Program if you notify the office at least one week in advance, writing out the of the donor and the occasion.

In addition, there will be a basket near the refreshments. We hope most of you will make a small (or large) contribution each Sunday, so that you can have refreshments while talking to your old and new friends.

Any help in the kitchen is always welcome. Our thanks to Bessie, Lillian, George Romer, Natasha and Noah, Will and all those who have helped already, especially those who clean up.

We can't promise you a reward in Heaven, but you will feel rewarded by our appreciation.

All members are welcome at all Board meetings. They are held on the first Wednesday of each month. Visitors are encouraged to contribute to any subject. If there is something that you wish the Board to consider please try to give us at least two weeks notice.

Holding their books are the authors George Vecsey who assisted Harry Wu in his book Troublemaker: One Man's Crusade Against China's Cruelty (Times-Random House, 1996). and Susan Kuklin, author if Irrepressible Spirit: Conversations with Human Rights Activists (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1996). Both books tell the story of human rights activists and how they have fought to overcome injustices in their own countries.

The books were selected by two Long Island Amnesty International chapters- Group 17 which meets in Great Neck and Group 74 which meets at the Ethical Humanist Society Garden City, where the awards were presented. The Beders and Dobrins are founding members of Group 74, which began 20 years ago. Amnesty International is a worldwide movement, founded in 1961, of people working for the release of prisoners of conscience, for fair trials for political prisoners and for an end to torture and the death penalty. In 1977, the organization received the Nobel Prize for Peace.