38 Old Country Rd
Garden City,
NY 11530

(516) 741-7304

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• Viewpoint
• The President Reports
• Religious Education
• Did You Know?
• Film Nights at EHS
• Food Certificates
• Travel Group for Singles
• Pandora's Box -- Public Affairs Committee
• Personals
• Intergenerational Festival
• Book Group

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So with this adage in mind, here are two recent knock-offs:

The New York Times Magazine has a column by Randy Cohen, "The Ethicist." Each week Cohen responds to an ethical problem sent by one of the readers. Unlike applied ethics found elsewhere, where the topic de jure is almost always bio-ethical or social policy, Cohen's problems are more ordinary, the kinds of things anyone of us may find in our own lives. In a recent column, for example, the problem was a passenger in a taxi who witnessed a cop threatening the driver with a ticket if the cabby didn't hand over $20. The passenger worried that he didn't do the right thing.

The idea of having a form to respond to everyday ethical problems began, as far as I know, at the Long Island Ethical Society more than 20 years ago. It has been revived recently as a regular feature throughout the year on Sunday mornings with the platform meeting devoted to "What Would You Do?" We also have reinstituted our once-a-month discussion group, "Everyday Ethics."

You can stay at home on Sunday mornings and read Cohen's responses, or you can come to the Ethical Society and have a real dialogue with real people who are interested in real problems and want to find real answers. I guarantee that you will get more out of the Society than you will reading the column.

Read about the second bit of minor theft, Food Certificates on page 5.

====== Arthur Dobrin

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The Ethical Humanist Society of Long Island will be fifty years young during the year of the millennium: 2000!

In preparation for this most wonderful event, many plans are being developed to help celebrate this illustrious occasion, to make it a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.

As you are aware, in May of every year, our Society celebrates someone or 'some-two' people who have made a special contribution to the growth and well being of all the rest of us. By the time this reaches you, Joan and Steve Beder will have been honored as our most special members for this year, 1999.

On Sunday, May 7, 2000 we will depart from most of our usual customs for Founder's Day. Instead of honoring one or two humans, we will celebrate us - you and me - our entire Society. 50 is half-a-century; it is an age that demands remembrance; it is truly a time to be set aside and marked off; in all the annals of time, it will never happen again!

We have been in contact with almost all of the men and women who have served as presidents of our Society. They have responded with accounts of their term(s) in office, putting into perspective the times and events of 'their years'. In this way, we have developed a particular and unique view of our history, one that will forever remain as our record. We have planned a journal that will incorporate all these views along with many photographs that we have been able to collect from various sources. The journal is far from complete and I would like to take this opportunity to invite every member to submit their memories in writing with or without photographs they may still have in their possession of people and events from our illustrious past. You can still make a real contribution to this journal and become an extraordinary part of our history. Please send your material to the office at your very earliest convenience.

A vital part of this journal will be advertising to help defray its costs. Rates and contracts are being developed and will be available very soon. You can become a valuable part of this process by taking an ad in our journal and also by selling space to others. Complete details will be available for our May General Meeting, after the platform on Sunday, May 30, 1999.

Our usual practice of having this special event in our building will also change. We will have this luncheon at a facility outside the Society building. Our Board of Trustees has approved the Huntington Town House for this event and a deposit has already been forwarded to save the date.

Please join us - make your plans - save the date - we want every member to participate - no one should be left out.

===== Richard Rapp

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Drew Schofer, son of Andy and Laura rounds out our group of graduating seniors who have been described in this column. Drew is an introspective young man who enjoys literature and watching films. Lately, he also likes spending time socializing with girls. His favorite foods are pizza and his mom's peppered steak. Drew is in 8th grade at Kellenberg Memorial Jr. High School. He's a diligent student who likes history and English.

As a film buff, Drew admires Steven Spielberg. He feels that films are special because they show a unique perspective on life and can visualize what isn't yet real in the world through special effects. Drew hopes to be a film director when he grows up so he can entertain people and have fun at the same time. He is embarking on that dream now in developing his Senior project which we will view in the Fall at his Affirmation. Drew believes one should live life to the fullest and do what makes you feel happy.

Interviewing the Seniors these past few months has been quite enjoyable to me. Each of these young people bears out our philosophy that every person is unique. They are all truly special and we look forward to having them continue their connection to our Society through the EHS youth group.

Graduation for these students, Liz, Justin, Drew, Derek and Jessica will be held on June 6th. I look forward to our membership attending this special event.

======= Linda Napoli

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Members in the news: Three members of our Society were featured in Newsday on the same day in March. There was a major interview with David Sprintzen (photo and all), an op-ed piece by David Fersh and a feature piece on Educational Activities Records, owned by Adele Harris.

Opera Club: Do you enjoy listening to Opera and talking to others about it? On the chance that there are a good number of you, an opera club is being formed. Come to the first meeting on Monday, May 17th. at 8pm at the Ethical Society. Will plan what we want to do at future meetings. For details, call Mel Haber, 718-279-3143.

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Hosted by Paula Grenot and Lisa Saft -- Join us in viewing films that we like, on a giant screen TV, which may or my not present ethical issues ...you be the judge. After the film stay for a brief (but heated?) discussion. Popcorn to be provided, please BYOB (beverage). Schedule as follows:

Thursday May 20,1999 @ 7:00PM- "Cold Comfort Farm" : 1995, 105 min. Upbeat British farce w. wonderfully bizarre characters.

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The Baltimore Ethical Society newsletter reports that "For every $20 you spend on coupons, which you can use like cash at your local supermarket, the Society makes $1. If you spend $80 a week, that's $200 a year that you are contributing to the Society without spending an extra penny!" Well, if we have 150 families in the Society and each spends $80 a week, that's $30,000. That's a lot of money for the Society. And it's no additional cost to you. As the Baltimore newsletter says "you are contributing to the Society without spending an extra penny!"

Economists are fond of pointing out, "There's no free lunch." But in this case there is. Supermarket coupons are available at the Society on Sunday mornings, from Ben Gersten, or during the week from Louise, our super secretary, bookkeeper, person-of-all-work.

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Mark your calendar! Thursday, May 13, 1999 7:30 PM. The meeting will be held at the Ethical Humanist Society. For additional information, please call (516) 594-1992. Travel Club for Singles is open to all widowed, separated and divorced people. Annual membership is available, or, you can pay per meeting. Ethical Humanist Society, 38 Old Country Road, Garden City. Refreshments will be served. Next Meeting: Sunday May 16 10:00 am

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Peggy Jacobs (who has recently been so involved in School of the Americas Watch) has brought the issue of the abolition of nuclear weapons to the PAC. She requested that we endorse a statement written by an organization called Abolition 2000. Abolition 2000 bills itself as "a global network comprised of more than 1,200 citizen action groups." We gave the statement our full support. It is a rather long statement and so I have excerpted parts of it. If anyone would like to see it in its entirety, please see me, Peggy or access it at /www.wagingpeace.org/

The statement: "A secure and livable world for our children and grandchildren and all future generations requires that we achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and redress the environmental degradation and human suffering that is the legacy of fifty years of nuclear weapons testing and production.

"Further, the extricable link between the 'peaceful' and warlike uses of nuclear technologies and the threat to the future generations inherent in creation and use of long-lived radioactive material must be recognized. We must move toward reliance on clean, safe, renewable forms of energy production that do not provide the materials for weapons of mass destruction and do not poison the environment for thousands of centuries. The true 'inalienable' right is not to nuclear energy, but to life, liberty and security of person is a world free of nuclear weapons.

"We recognize that a nuclear weapons free world must be achieved carefully and in a step by step manner. We are convinced of its technological feasibility. Lack of political will, especially on the part of the nuclear weapons states, is the only true barrier. As chemical and biological weapons are prohibited, so must nuclear weapons be prohibited.

"A world free of nuclear weapons is a shared aspiration of humanity. This goal cannot be achieved in a non-proliferation regime that authorizes the possession of nuclear weapons by a small group of states. Our common security requires the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. Our objective is definite and unconditional abolition of nuclear weapons."

====== Janet Rudolph

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• Our deepest sympathy to the family of Joe Kaufman, a cherished member, who passed away April 4.
• Will Baum's 18 year old great nephew, David Glazer, will be going to Poland with a youth group to visit the WWII death camps.
• Gertrude Delson is recovering nicely from hip surgery. Get well soon!
• Jean Bobick's grand-daughter, will be graduating from Lycomin College in Wiliamsport, PA.
• Birthday wishes to Joey Weill 2 on June 2, Natalie Weill 6 on May 14, Emily Weill 9 on May 31 and Mom Mary Weill on May 24.
• Bob and Lynn Horn's son, Daniel, celebrated his 24th. birthday on March 21.
• Jefferson and Dolores Fish have just celebrated their 29th. anniversary on February 28 and their daughter will begin her residency in pediatric medicine at NYU in July.

On Friday, June 4th. at 6pm we'll be having an Intergenerational Festival at the Society. Edith Jason will lead us in folk dances. We will have entertainment from some of our talented Sunday School Students and graduates.

This is a chance for the adults and the children in our Society to come together and enjoy the festivities.

The price of admission is $5.00 plus a dish to share. Please call Arlene Baum at 516-248-4919 if you plan to attend, or you can call the office at 516-741-7304.

======== Arlene Baum

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Do you like to read novels? Do you like to read good novels? Do you like to read good contemporary novels? Do you like to discuss novels with others? Come join us in our fiction book group. We meet every other month on a Friday night. All the books chosen are available in paperback and none is more than about 200 pages. So read for pleasure, read for stimulation, read to break the "frozen seas of soul".

June: Breath, Eyes, Memory, Edwidge Danticat - "Danticat's calm clarity of vision takes on the resonance of folk art." - The New York Times Book Review

The group meets the first Friday of the month at 8 PM. Call for information regarding the place of the get-together.

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