August 2026 CEI Bulletin
Congregation Emanu-El Israel
222 North Main Street, Greensburg, PA. 15601
Av – Elul 5786
August 2026
724-834-0560
The Mission of Congregation Emanu-El Israel is: To support Judaism and the welfare of our community.
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FROM THE DESK OF: Rabbi Lenny
We are approaching the High Holy Days. A time when prayer takes center stage. It occurred to me that we do not spend much time analyzing our prayers. I thought we might take a closer look at Barchu, as it is said at every service. A small few lines, yet it is not talked about at all. The prayer is as follows:
Bar’chu et Adonai ham’vorach! (Praise Adonai to whom praise is due) The congregation, if it is orthodox or conservative, responds, Baruch Adonai ham’vorach l’olam va’ed! (Praised be Adonai who is worthy of praise forever!). The Reform custom does not treat Bar’chu as a call and response, but is read by everyone, in both Hebrew and English.
The history of the prayer is long and involved. The prayer appears in the Mishnah, B’rachot 7:3, in a discussion about how groups of people should be invited to praise God after eating a meal together. Rabbi Akiva presents it as precedent for prayer in the synagogue. The two Talmuds (Yerushalmi and Bavli), both use the prayer as an introduction before reading from the Torah. Bar’chu came to be used in Babylonia to begin the prayer service proper before the recitation of the Sh’ma. This is how we use it today.
In fact, the Barchu prayer actually becomes the formal beginning of the prayer service. The readings done prior to the Barchu are voluntary and will vary congregation to congregation. It is the prayer leading to the Shema, which along with Amidah and, if the right day, Torah, becomes the three cornerstones of all prayer services, regardless of denomination.
The Barchu is the prayer that gets us ready emotionally to pray, that binds us together as a congregation, and connects us as a Jewish family world-wide.
Shana Tova, Rabbi Lenny
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SISTERHOOD NOTES by Shoshana Halden, President
On June 28 Sisterhood went on an outing to the Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh. As we toured the gardens, we saw a variety of plants and herbs and learned about their relationship to the bible. A good time was had by all followed by a Mexican lunch. Thank you to Cori Liptak for arranging this event.
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ALFRED RATNER LIBRARY NEWS by Shirley Shpargel, Librarian
Kaplan’s Plot by Jason Diamond is about a disgraced tech entrepreneur Elijah Mendes who returns to Chicago from the Bay Area after his partners were indicted and his company folded. Elijah worried about how he was going to help his mother since they had a chilly relationship. His mother, Eve, a semi-famous poet, is dying of cancer and Elijah decides to dig into his family’s past. Elijah discovers his family owns a Jewish cemetery and that his great uncle, Solomon Kaplan, is buried in a plot there. With a new sense of purpose, he is inspired to talk to his mother and pursue the family mystery. He discovers a grandfather, Eve’s father, named Yitz Kaplan, was a Chicago Jewish gangster in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
The novel follows two timelines. In the present, Elijah and his mother investigate their family lineage by looking into an old neglected Jewish cemetery. The historical timeline follows young Yitz as he escapes antisemitism in Odessa and flees to Chicago where becomes involved in the Jewish mob and rises during the Prohibition era. As the past and present become intertwined, Yitz’s story forces Elijah and Eve to bond and begin to accept each other. When Elijah returned to Chicago he learned about his family history, his mother, his city, and himself. Kaplan’s Plot can be checked out from WLN Libraries.
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CHATTER
Happy Birthday to: Josh Estner, Bob Halden, Cori Liptak, Mary Ellen Kane, Jonathan Kates, Bruce Kaufer, Karen Kaufer, Vlad Norris, Larry Slone, and Amanda Winters.
Happy Anniversary to: Dave & Deborah Blozowich, Ed & Yvonne Bureau, Robert & Marion Slone.
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CEI LINK PROGRAM
CEI LINK Program – a video conference experience. Even though CEI is open for in-house worshipers, we will continue to video conference the Shabbat Services on Friday at 7:30 PM, so you can continue to attend services from home. Visit our website www.ceigreensburg.org for instructions on how to log into the meeting and for the meeting code (which should be the same each week). If you have any questions, please call and talk with Rabbi Lenny. Songs for the service will be available on the website. The Mishkan T’filah (prayer books) used in the service are available digitally on the website.
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INVITATION TO WORSHIP
Do you know of someone who is Jewish and currently unaffiliated?
Do you know of someone who would like to worship with us as a member?
If so, please give info to Anna Spor.
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ESTATE PLANNING
If you are planning to initiate or change your will or estate plan, please remember to include Congregation Emanu-El Israel (CEI) as part of your legacy. The monies can be used for a specific purpose as designated by you, or added to an Endowment Fund already set up to assure the ability to continue providing a full-service Congregation to serve the Jewish people of the area.
This legacy can be accomplished by a simple bequest in your will, by one of the allowable charitable trusts where you get an immediate tax advantage, or through life insurance.
PLEASE DO IT NOW! Please check with your attorney or insurance agent. If you have any questions or need additional information, contact Gary Moidel (724-244-6421) or Bob Slone (724-836-5468).
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TREE OF LIFE
Share your joy by inscribing simchas on our Tree of Life… an everlasting remembrance of the meaningful happy events that touch us. Inscribe a leaf on our Tree of Life. Leaf – $180 ea. (Price includes engraving)
The golden leaves may be inscribed to commemorate joyous events such as births, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, etc. Share your joy by inscribing simchas on our Tree of Life… an everlasting remembrance of the meaningful happy events that touch us.
Memorial Plaques are for remembering a loved one. You may purchase a plaque for the sanctuary Memorial Boards by contacting the CEI office (724-834-0560). Cost per plaque $300.00.
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WHEN MAKING A DONATION
When making a donation, whether to a CEI Fund or the Remembrance Fund, please provide complete information. This will make it easier and faster to process.
1 The name and address of where to send the response to let them know you made a donation.
2 The reason for the donation (in memory of, in honor of, speedy recovery, etc.) and the full name of the honoree.
3 Name and address of donor.
Example: Please send a card (or accept this donation) to Jane Doe, XXX Main St, Greensburg, PA 156XX. In Honor of the Birthday of Jane Doe! From Jack Jones, XXX Broadway Dr., Greensburg, PA 156XX.
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WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THESE GIFTS
PULPIT FLOWERS: In Memory of:
June 19: Elaine Friedlander Smith by Jody F. Keating & Family. Suzie Mickey by Robin Mickey.
June 26: Larry Brodell by Linda & Jeffrey Reisner. Alan D. Karelitz by Amy Karelitz. Joan Silvis by Teri & Gary Moidel.
July 3: Bradford Powell by Robin Mickey.
July 10: Alan Karelitz by Amy Karelitz. Milton Gespass by Marilyn & Jim Davis. Gloria Glasser by Esther & Stuart Glasser. Harry Feuerstein by Shirley Shpargel.
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CEI FUNDS
CARING FUND: Supports congregants who are experiencing sickness, bereavement & other personal difficulties.
CEI ENDOWMENT FUND: Provides for the continuity of the congregation by subsidizing future operating expenses.
CONGREGATION GENERAL FUND: CEI operating expenses. A donation by Dr. Jonathan Kates.
CONGREGATION YAHRZEIT FUND: In Memory of: Stanley Weiner by Terri & Stan Katzman. Sidney Minushkin, Stanley Tattenbaum & Howard Spiegel by Rachel Minushkin. Barry J. Kane by Mary Ellen Kane & Family. Elaine Friedlander Smith by Bill Friedlander, Jody, Mike, Stacey & Mikey Keating. Joan Silvis by Teri & Gary Moidel. Norman H. Glantz by the Glantz Family, Jeffrey & Cathy Feryus. Harry Feuerstein by Shirley Shpargel. Alan D. Karelitz by Amy Karelitz.
LIBRARY BOOK FUND: Provides for the purchase of books and other resource material for the library.
NEW HIGH HOLIDAY, MISHKAN HANEFESH, PRAYER BOOKS: Provides for the purchase of new High Holiday Mishkan HaNefesh.
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND: Helps individuals and/or org. in need. A donation by Earl B. Raab.
REMEMBRANCE FUND: A special donation to Sisterhood to honor or celebrate an event or person. Virginia Lieberman (724-668-2442) or Yvonne Bureau (724-837-8072). In Honor of: A quick return home to Bob Halden by Terri & Stan Katzman. A “hurry-up” recovery to Josh Estner by Terri & Stan Katzman. In Memory of: Jack Shanks by Virginia & John Lieberman.
TEMPLE EMANU-EL CEMETERY FUND: For beautification and upkeep of the Temple Emanu-El Cemetery. In Memory of: David Richard Gold, Henry Gold, Sadie Gold, & Dr. Philip H. Gold by Andrew & Amanda Gold, Joshua, Benji & Abby Gold. Lawrence & Norma Brodell, Joanne Brodell Alpern, William & Sarah Davis by Linda Reisner.
TREE OF LIFE: A leaf commemorating a happy lifecycle event to be added to the Tree of Life.
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SAVE THE DATE
Please Note: All times & events subject to change.
Friday, September 4: Slichot Service followed by Ice Cream Social Oneg. 7:30 PM.
Monday, September 7: CEI Closed for Labor Day.
Friday, September 11: Erev Rosh Hashanah Service followed by a Dessert Oneg. 7:30 PM.
Saturday, September 12: Rosh Hashanah Morning Service. 10:00 AM. Followed by Tashlich – TBD.
Sunday, September 13: Rosh Hashanah Day II. No Service.
Friday, September 18: Shabbat Teshuvah. 7:30 PM.
Sunday, September 20: Kever Avot Service at the Cemetery, 10:00 AM. Yom Kippur Eve Service at CEI. 7:30 PM.
Monday, September 21: Yom Kippur Service, 10 AM. Yom Kippur Afternoon, 3 PM. Yom Kippur Yizkor, 4 PM. Closing Service, 4:30 PM. Followed by Break-the-Fast.
Friday, September 25: Sukkot Congregational Celebration, 7:30 PM. Office Closed this day.
Friday, October 2: Simchat Torah, 7:30 PM. Office Closed this day.
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CONCERTS IN THE PARK
For the past few summers, we have had early Shabbat Services beginning at 5:30 PM. This allows our Congregants time to enjoy the free Summer Sounds Concert in St. Clair Park offered by the City of Greensburg at 7:00 PM. We will have early services on the following Fridays, after which you can enjoy the concert listed below:
August 7: Mark Milovats (Tribute to Frank Sinatra, Perry Como & Barry Manilow)
August 28: The Plate Scrapers (Upbeat bluegrass music.)
Mark your calendars to join us for the above concerts. For a complete list of performances or to listen to a sample of each band, please visit the website www.greensburgpa.org/summersounds.
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JEWISH HERITAGE NIGHT AT PNC PARK
Tuesday, August 18, 2026. First Pitch at 6:40 PM, Bus leaves CEI at 4:20 PM. Each Lower-Level Seat ticket for $43 includes a Jewish Heritage Night Pirates “Pittsburgh” shirt in Hebrew and bus transportation. This year, the pregame Kosher meal is not available for our seats. If you have any questions, please contact Gary Moidel at 724-244-6421 or tergar2cats@gmail.com or sign-up on the form in the office. Let’s Go Bucs!!
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LULAV AND ETROG FOR SUKKOT
For congregants that would like to order their own lulav and etrog set for Sukkot, we use a New York company called Hadar Etrogim. You can order directly yourself or if you would like us to receive it for you to pick up at the synagogue you can give the rabbi a call. To order yourself, you can go to their website www.hadaretrogim.com. We have found this company to be reliable and their products very good.
Rabbi Lenny
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TENTATIVE HIGH HOLY DAY SCHEDULE
Friday, September 4, 7:30 PM: Slichot Service
Friday, September 11, 7:30 PM: Erev Rosh Hashanah
Saturday, September 12, 10:00 AM: Rosh Hashanah Morning
Sunday, September 13: Rosh Hashanah Day II – No Service
Friday, September 18, 7:30 PM: Shabbat Teshuvah
Sunday, September 20, 10:00 AM: Kever Avot Service at the Cemetery (TBD), 7:30 PM: Yom Kippur Eve Service
Monday, September 21, 10:00 AM: Yom Kippur Morning Service, 3:00 PM: Yom Kippur Afternoon Service, 4:00 PM: Yom Kippur Yizkor Service, 4:30 PM: Yom Kippur Closing Service, Followed by Break-the-Fast, TBD
Friday, September 25, 7:30 PM: Sukkot, Congregational Celebration
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CEI SISTERHOOD 2026-27 STATEMENT
Annual Dues (July, 2026 to June, 2027): $36.00
Annual Support For Weekly Onegs: $10.00
Support For Special Rosh Hashannah: $10.00
Homemade baked goods are preferred, and appreciated, in lieu of oneg fees. Another option is to host an oneg. Please use the form in this month’s bulletin for dues payments or bring your check to our opening dinner.
For additional information please call: Marion Slone, Treasure 724-244-6853.
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CEI SISTERHOOD CALENDAR INFORMATION REQUEST
Please complete and return the Sisterhood calendar form in this month’s bulletin before September 18, 2026, even if you do not wish to purchase a calendar.
Thank you for your generous support of the CEI Sisterhood.
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MEMORIAL BOOKLET
Once again, we are in the process of preparing the Memorial Booklet for the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur, September 21, 2026. This tradition has been well received by our membership and in this time of virtual services, we would still like it to continue as an Online Memorial to your loved one/s.
Only the names of those deceased during the past year (5786: 2025-2026) will be read from the pulpit. If you wish to have the names of deceased relatives included in the Memorial Booklet on our website, please list them on the form in this month’s bulletin. At this time of the year, it is appropriate to make contributions in memory of our loved ones. If you wish to honor your loved ones in this way, kindly indicate the contribution on the Memorial Booklet form.
Please note that due to High Holiday deadlines, forms must be returned no later than September 10, 2026.
May the upcoming year bring you the blessings of love, health and happiness.
Sincerely, Memorial Committee
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SISTERHOOD PULPIT FLOWER ORDER FORM
How praiseworthy are the father and mother that raised this child.
One is duty bound to honor one’s parents, even after their death. Both sons and daughters fulfill this duty by keeping the yahrzeit, by contributing to charity in honor of the deceased, and most importantly by living a life that brings them credit. (Rabbi Hayim H. Donin)
We hope that you will take this opportunity to order pulpit flowers for the coming year for loved ones and friends. Since we update our records annually, we need a new form from you each year if you want to order pulpit flowers.
To order pulpit flowers for a yahrzeit (anniversary of death), Rosh Hashana and / or Yom Kippur use the form in this month’s bulletin.
Forms must be received by August 7, 2026 to be included in High-Holiday Services.
If you have any questions, please call Virginia Lieberman 724-668-2442 or email at virginiagwl@gmail.com.
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HIGH HOLY DAYS GUIDELINES
Attendance at High Holy Day Services
Current Members:
Your Fair Share contribution covers the cost of attending High Holy Day services. To be a member in good standing, your Fair Share contribution should be current.
Because of being able to attend services virtually, we will not send out High Holy Day tickets. For those who attend in-person, make sure that you bring your FOB to enter the building. If you do not have a FOB or choose not to use it, please contact the office ASAP to be put on the Guest List.
Former Members:
We welcome you to return to CEI for High Holy Day Services. Please call Julie Goldstein, Treasurer at 724-261-0896 to discuss restoring your membership status.
Adult children and other relatives of current members who do not live in Western Pennsylvania:
You are invited to be the guests of CEI and join with us for the High Holy Days. It is appropriate to consider a donation to CEI for each attendee to help defray CEI operating costs. To ensure the safety of all attending, you must be on the Guest List to enter the building. Please call the office at 724-834-0560 or an email (office@ceigreensburg.org) ASAP to be put on the Guest List.
Members of other Reform Congregations:
Members of other URJ congregations are invited to be with us for the High Holy Day services as guests of the Congregation under URJ reciprocity arrangements. Please contact your home congregation and have them submit your reciprocity agreement form to office@ceigreensburg.org and contact the CEI office and let us know of your intention to join us in worship. We will place your name on the Guest List when we receive your letter of reciprocity.
Non-Members, including adult children of current members:
We invite you to pray with us on the High Holy Days; and consider becoming part of the CEI family by joining. It is possible to obtain entrance by speaking with our membership chairperson, Anna Spor (412-944-9967) and being put on the Guest List. We hope you will become a full member of CEI and/or make a donation to help defray operating costs.
Please remember to bring your fob to all High Holy Day services for admittance. Entrance to the building will be through the front door only.
Starting Times and Decorum
All services will start promptly at the designated time. Members and guests are encouraged to arrive early and to take seats before the start of the services. For security purposes, entrance to the building will only be available through the front door. New Members, Students and non-member attendees must have their name on the Guest List to be admitted by an usher.
If you arrive after a service has started, we request that you enter as unobtrusively as possible through the door at the rear of the sanctuary. Wait quietly at the back of the sanctuary and enter quickly at an appropriate pause in the service. DO NOT ENTER when the leader is in the midst of a prayer or reading, when the Congregation is in responsive prayer or standing in silent devotion or when the ark is open. Talking and conversations in the sanctuary are discouraged and must always be minimized during services. Please turn off all cell phones, beepers, watch alarms or any item that distracts those around you from the service. There should be no texting or electronic games during services.
The Congregation encourages the attendance and participation of children at all services; however, it is the parents’ responsibility to control the actions and behavior of children to maintain the decorum and solemnity of the services. If this is not possible, the child should be escorted out of the sanctuary as quickly and quietly as possible.
Members and guests are encouraged to remain in the sanctuary until the end of the service. If it is necessary to leave before the end, it should be done at an appropriate break in the service and with the same considerations as a late entry. Re-enter at the back of the sanctuary.
Parking
The available parking locations for each of the services are listed below. Please cooperate with our neighbors by respecting their wishes on availability of their parking spaces. Do not park in Cathedral, Museum, or Greensburg Salem Middle School parking areas at any times other than those listed below:
Blessed Sacrament Cathedral Parking Lot Available on these dates and times only.
Friday, September 4: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, September 11: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Saturday, September 12: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Friday, September 18: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Sunday, September 20: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Monday, September 21: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, 3:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, September 25: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, October 2: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Greensburg Salem Middle School Available on these dates and times only.
Friday, September 4: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, September 11: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Saturday, September 12: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Friday, September 18: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Sunday, September 20: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Monday, September 21: Morning No Parking, 6:00 PM – 10 PM Limited
Friday, September 25: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday, October 2: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
The Westmoreland Museum of American Art Available on these dates and times only.
Friday, September 4: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, September 11: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Saturday, September 12: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Sunday, September 18: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Sunday, September 20: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Monday, September 21: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM, 3:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, September 25: 7:00 PM – 10 PM
Friday, October 2: 7:00 PM -10 PM
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HOSPITAL VISITS
The Rabbi will gladly make visits to local area hospitals to visit sick Congregants. Since hospitals no longer release patient information, your help is needed for these visits to take place. Please notify Rabbi or the CEI office with patient name and hospital.
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OFFICE HOURS
The CEI Office is open Monday, Thursday & Friday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Rabbi Lenny, generally, has office hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Making an appointment is highly recommended, since emergencies and meetings outside the office do occur. The Rabbi can also be available at other times, for your convenience. Please call 724-834-0560 or Rabbi directly at 724-963-0789.
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CEI LEADERSHIP
Rabbi Leonard Sarko
CEI Officers:
President: Joel Last. Vice President: Jamie Kaufer. Treasurer: Julie Goldstein. Recording Secretary: Virginia Lieberman. Sisterhood President: Shoshana Halden. Men’s Club President: Gary Moidel. Bulletin Editors: Mary Ellen Kane, Karen Sarko & Bea Harrison.
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HONORING THEIR MEMORY
Families of the following loved ones will honor their memories and mark the occasion of their family history by reciting the Kaddish this Shabbat.
The following Yahrzeits will be honored at CEI:
August 7: *Meyer Bronk, *Ruth D. Buchman, Cohen Devlin, *Fannie Friedland, Benjamin Glenn, Frank Glenn, Morris Glenn, David R. Gold, *Dora Goldberg, *Minnie Jacobson, *Gordon Kogut, Ruth Leifer, *Myron Lewis, *Gertrude E. Mace, *Abraham Moidel, Yolanda Perusse, Fred Portnoy, Sidney Pripstein and Ruben Rothschild.
August 14: *Frances Altman, *Freida Bleiberg, Janet Cohen, *Louis W. Cohen, *Phyllis L. Davis, Gladys Dunhoff, Bertha Friedman, Eva Hubschman and *Dorothy Werblin Labowitz.
August 21: *Jacob L. Adler, Esther Beber, *Herbert Cohen, *Susan Alana Cohen, *Herbert Cohen, *Beila Donshefsky, William Dunhoff, *William Enelow, *Marcy Lynn Farber, Hannah Gillis, Natalie Kaufer, Phyllis Kramer, *Stanley Arnold Morris, *Lieselotte Rothschild, *Abraham Rubenstein, *Lawrence Taper, *Nathan Weber, Al Werksman, *Louis Whiteman and *Levin Wolinsky.
August 28: *Samuel W. Berk, *Norma Brodell, Harold J. Buchman, *Samuel Diamond, Clara Faas, *Louis Farber, Murray Fischer, *Nathan Glantz, *Dr. Toba Hochberg, *Henry H. Katz, *Bella Kogut, *Roy Laufe, *Isidor Lefkowitz, *Hyman Levine, *Tillie K. Morris, *Sarah Olesker, *Ernst Perlstein, *Rosa Perlstein, *Samuel R. Ratner, *Fannie Schneider, *Benjamin Schwartz, *Jerold Shpargel, *Helen A. Slone, *Dorothy Solomon, Joyce Thomas, Eleanor Werksman, *Freda Wilder and *Mark Alan Young.
September 4: *Henry Baneman, *Phylis Caplan, Mildred Caplowe, Jane Fish, *Lewis Kay, *Morris A. Leff, *Benjamin Liebman, Tina Peter, *Benjamin M. Ratner, *Hinda Rubenstein, Susan Schrag, Howard Schwartz, *Julius Werblin, *Jean Grossman Wolf, *Shirley M. Young and Gertrude Zwibel.
September 11: Brent Adler, *Lena Bayer, Rose Bergad, *Lottie R. Berk, *Anne Bleiberg, *Harry Daniels, David H. Davis, Hannah Fishfeder, *Libbie Gordon, *Jacob Hochberg, *Patricia A. (Jamie Stein) Jurczyk, *Ben Katz, Malka Kaufer, Ruth Lippard, *Albert Oppenheimer, *Wilkoff Osgood, *Lena Samuels, Jerome Valinsky and * Isaac Wolinsky.
* A light will be lit on a Memorial Board.
