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Thursday, September 2, 2010

09/02/10 Preparing for Potential Severe Weather

Dear Friends,

With severe weather quickly approaching, I wanted to share with you some tips to ensure you and your family stay safe and are prepared for whatever may come our way.

First, I urge you to sign up for CT Alert, an emergency notification system operated by the state of Connecticut. You can sign up for alerts via email or to your cell phone to ensure that, no matter where you are, you will know if there is an emergency that could affect you.

Click here to sign up for CT Alert.

Second, every family should have a plan for emergencies, large and small. While we may get lucky and avoid the coming hurricane, we could still experience other severe weather, possibly resulting in extended power outages or downed trees and dangerous road conditions. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has put together a website, detailing everything from what should be included in an emergency supply kit to how to plan for an evacuation. I hope you'll take the time to review this information and make a plan to protect you and your loved ones should the worst occur.

Click here for information on how to prepare your family for emergencies and the storms likely to hit our region this weekend.

Stay safe!
Jim

Box 312 857 Post Road Fairfield, CT 06824

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09/02/10 Greenwich Post Breaking News





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09/02/10 Rabbi's Mitch's Weekly Teaching

Weekly Teaching
By Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz
rabbimitch@templesholom.com


A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to discuss with Jonathan Delikat his recent Birthright trip to Israel. I thought it would be especially appropriate for him to share some of his thoughts on why he felt it was important for young people to go to Israel.

Anyone who would like more information on either Birthright or other Israel travel opportunities, please contact me directly.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Mitch

Shabbat Parashat Nitzavim-Vayeilech
September 3, 2010

Why Send Your Kid to Israel?

By Jonathan Delikat

It's far away, it's supposedly dangerous, and it's surrounded by a (large) group of countries that aren't all that fond of Americans. Why on earth send your son or daughter to Israel right now?

One powerful answer came to me this summer in an unlikely place: Turkey. I was at Nev Shalom Synagogue, a beautiful temple in Istanbul's Galata district, just a few minutes walk from the Bosphorus. The temple, whose name translates to "Oasis of Peace", was struck by deadly terrorist bombings in 1986 and again in 2003, claiming the lives of some 50 people.

After making the necessary appointment, entering the synagogue through an unmarked door on a side street, and undergoing a thorough security screening, my friend Seth and I were introduced to our tour guide, a short Turkish Jew named Avram. We asked Avram as many questions as we could, trying to gain a sense of what it's like being Jewish in a seemingly hostile environment. He assured us that Turkish Jews do not face anti-Semitism in their daily lives. But the more Avram spoke, the more I got the feeling that he, a dual Turkish-Israeli citizen (though he hasn't yet been to Israel) doesn't quite feel comfortable in Turkey. At the end of our tour, Avram mentioned that he hopes to someday move to Israel for good with his family. "It's possible to live a good Jewish life in Turkey, he said, "but I'd still prefer to be able to let my tzitzit show rather than tucking them in."

The subconscious self-consciousness of being Jewish...this idea stuck with me. There are laws in Turkey that prohibit acts of anti-Semitism - but that doesn't mean that Jews feel at home there. That's reality for Avram and for many Jews just like him all around the world.

In the United States, we are fortunate to live in a place where we can practice our religion freely and openly without fear of repercussions. In most senses, this is a blessing. But it also has the potential to allow us to take our Judaism for granted. Think about it. If a stranger were to walk up to you on the street and ask: "Who are you?" - what would be your response?

"I am a student." "I am a doctor." "I am a Democrat." "I am an American."

Yes, perhaps you are all of these things. But what would you say about your Judaism? Would you declare it proudly? How would your children respond to the same question?

Living as comfortably as we do here in America, sometimes we need a reminder. We are many things; we have many titles and we play many roles. But first and foremost: we are Jewish.

That's why going to Israel is so important. Spending 10 days there this summer on Taglit-Birthright's "Israel Outdoors" program, and afterward, another 10 days on my own with Israeli family and friends, completely renewed my sense of Jewish pride. I have been fortunate in my life to have had the opportunity to travel to five continents and experience life in a host of different countries and cultures - but nowhere have I felt as connected to a place, to the people, and to my own roots as I did when I was in Israel.

And this reawakening has come at a time in my life when I find myself at a religious crossroads. Having just graduated from college, I am about to become truly independent. With that independence comes an important choice: whether or not to take my Judaism with me and make it a part of my childrens' lives the way my parents did for me. Every young Jew must make this choice at some point. But no one is truly equipped to do so until he or she has been to Israel and experienced what it's like to be a Jew in a Jewish homeland. It takes being in a place where Judaism is the most important part of life to realize the part it should play in your own.

So my point is this: you need to encourage your children to get to Israel before they graduate from college - while they still have the time, and while their minds are still open. And they need to go with other young Jewish people like themselves. Fortunately, there are plenty of programs that offer this opportunity, and the application processes take just minutes. If your kids can't get a spot on the Birthright trip (which provides groups of young Americans up to age 26 with an all-expenses paid guided trip to the Promised Land) then help them find another way. Try university Hillel organizations, which sometimes lead trips of their own. Or better yet, give generously to the Birthright Israel Foundation, which has suffered diminished funding in recent years, so they can continue to make this experience available to every young Jew who wants to join a trip.

Not everyone will take the same thing away from a trip to Israel. But speaking for myself, and the 39 others on my Taglit trip, I can say with certainty that your child will come home from Israel changed and with a renewed sense of what it means to be a Jew.

~~~

Jonathan is a 2010-2011 Princeton-in-Asia Fellow, and currently lives in Hangzhou, China, where he teaches English at the Zhejiang University of Science and Technology. You can follow his travels at www.jdinchina.blogspot.com



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Greenwich, CT 06830
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09/02/10 A patriotic Greenwich Roundup reader left a comment about Dan Debicella's post 08/31/10 Dan Debicella: My statement on President Obama's....

Kevin has left a new comment on your post "08/31/10 Dan Debicella: My statement on President Obama's address to the nation ...":

What an insincere email.

Debicella skims over a major achievement - the withdrawal of our committed men and women in Iraq - to attack Jim. It's as if he used this major achievement as an excuse to make a political attack instead of giving these soldier and their departure from Iraq the attention it deserves.

Posted by Kevin to
Greenwich Roundup at September 2, 2010 12:54 PM

COMMENT:

Dear Kevin,

I must agree with you 100%.

As a parent of a young man who recently returned from Iraq, I also found Dan Debicella's email in poor taste.

Dan Debicella's attempt to use an address that thank the young brave Americans who served in Iraq, as platform to try score brownie points with political cheap shots was shocking at best.

I just gad to tell myself that my son survived three IED attacks defending Dan Debicella's right to send out grossly insensitive emails.

Perhaps, Dan Debicella might want to send out an email thanking the 4, 117 american families who lost a loved one in the Iraq war.

At least, Dan Debicella would thank the 31,929 men and women who came home wounded defending his constitutionally protected right to free speech.

At the very least Dan Debicella could have honored ...

Connecticut's War Dead


A list of military personnel with ties to Connecticut who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.


6:25 PM EDT, August 24, 2010

Sgt. Steven J. DeLuzio

Steven DeLuzio, 25, of Glastonbury, died August 22, 2010, while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.


Sgt. Edwin Rivera

May 27, 2010

Sgt. Edwin Rivera

Sgt. Edwin Rivera died May 27, 2010 at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., of wounds he received in a firefight in Laghman Province on May 20.

Lance Cpl. Tyler Owen Griffin

April 4, 2010

Lance Cpl. Tyler Owen Griffin

Tyler Owen Griffin, a 19-year-old Marine lance corporal from Voluntown, was recently killed in Afghanistan.

December 31, 2009

Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Jay Spino

As a paratrooper and nurse, Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Jay Spino's job was to help the wounded.

Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre

December 11, 2009

Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre

On Monday, in his Texas hospital room, the gravely ill Cpl. Xhacob LaTorre of Waterbury received a Purple Heart for the wounds he suffered in August from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver

October 5, 2009

Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver

Capt. Benjamin A. Sklaver of Hamden died Oct. 2, 2009 in an ambush while on patrol in Muscheh, Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. He was 32.

June 29, 2009

Sgt. Edward C. Kramer

Sgt. 1c Edward C. Kramer, 39, of Southington, died in Iraq on June 29, 2009.

First Lt. Thomas J. Brown

September 25, 2008

First Lt. Thomas J. Brown

First Lt. Thomas J. Brown, who grew up in Shelton, was killed in Iraq on Sept. 23, 2008 in Salman Pak, Iraq. He was 26.

Cpl. Christian Cotner

June 8, 2008

Cpl. Christian Cotner

Marine Cpl. Christian Cotner of Waterbury died May 30, 2008 in a non-hostile incident in Iraq's Anbar province on his first tour duty in Iraq. Details of his death were not released. He was 20 years old.

Sgt. Jason Lantieri

October 12, 2007

Sgt. Jason Lantieri

Army Sgt. Jason Lantieri of Killingworth, a member of the Alaska-based 725th Brigade Support Battalion of the 25th Infantry Division, died Oct. 10, 2007 of injuries suffered during vehicle maneuvers. He was 25.

Special Warfare Operator Jason D. Lewis

July 8, 2007

Special Warfare Operator Jason D. Lewis

Navy SEAL Jason D. Lewis, a Brookfield native and special warfare operator first class, was killed in combat July 6, 2007 in Baghdad. He was 30 years old, and left a wife and three children in Virginia.

Pfc. Andre Craig Jr.

June 28, 2007

Pfc. Andre Craig Jr.

Army Pfc. Andre Craig Jr. of New Haven was killed when a bomb exploded near the convoy on which he was serving as a gunner in Baghdad. He was 24 years old and left an infant daughter.

1st Lt. Keith Heidtman

May 30, 2007

1st Lt. Keith Heidtman

Army 1st Lt. Keith Heidtman was killed May 28, 2007 - Memorial Day - when enemy fire brought down his helicopter in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. He was 24 years old.

March 25, 2007

Pfc. Orlando Gonzalez

Army Pfc. Orlando Gonzalez, 21, of Bridgeport, died in Iraq on March 25, 2007.

Pfc. Stephen K. Richardson

March 23, 2007

Pfc. Stephen K. Richardson

Army Pfc. Stephen K. Richardson, who grew up in Bridgeport, was killed March 20, 2007 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was 22 years old, and left a wife and daughter in Kansas.

Sgt. Richard L. Ford

February 23, 2007

Sgt. Richard L. Ford

Army Sgt. Richard L. Ford, a decorated soldier from East Hartford, died Feb. 20, 2007 on his third deployment to Iraq of wounds suffered from small arms fire near Baghdad. He was 40 years old.

Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Phaneuf II

December 19, 2006

Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Phaneuf II

Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Joseph E. Phaneuf II of Eastford died Dec. 15, 2006 when the armored vehicle he was driving struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He was 38 years old, and left a wife and three children.

Capt. Jason Hamill

November 28, 2006

Capt. Jason Hamill

Army Capt. Jason Hamill, 31, who grew up in Salem, was killed Nov. 26, 2006 with two other soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad. He was within days of finishing his tour in Iraq.

Pfc. Nicholas A Madaras

September 6, 2006

Pfc. Nicholas A Madaras

Army Pfc. Nicholas A. Madaras of Wilton, a soldier with the 4th Infantry Division, was killed by a bomb while on foot patrol in Baqouba, Iraq, on Sept. 3, 2006. He was 19 years old.

Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson

September 5, 2006

Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson

Lance Cpl. Philip A. Johnson of Enfield, a member of the Young Marines from the age of 11, was killed Sept. 3, 2006, by a roadside bomb near Ramadi, Iraq. He was 19 years old.

Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson

August 27, 2006

Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson

Marine Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson of Milford, 21, died Aug. 25, 2006 from hostile gunfire while on foot patrol in Fallujah. He was a member of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines.

Cpl. Stephen Bixler

May 5, 2006

Cpl. Stephen Bixler

Marine Cpl. Stephen Bixler, a 2003 graduate of Suffield High School, was killed May 4, 2006 while on foot patrol near Fallujah in Iraq. He was 20.

Capt. Brian S. Letendre

May 6, 2006

Capt. Brian S. Letendre

Marine Capt. Brian S. Letendre, a Virginia native who lived in New Britain for 18 months, was killed in combat in Al Anbar province on May 3, 2006, on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He left a wife and 3-year-old son.

Sgt. David Coullard

August 4, 2005

Sgt. David Coullard

Marine Sgt. David Coullard, who grew up in Glastonbury, was killed Aug. 1, 2005 by small-arms fire in Haditha, Iraq, with five others in a sniper team. He was 32 years old.

Maj. Steve Reich

July 1, 2005

Maj. Steve Reich

U.S. Army Major Steve Reich, a West Point graduate and baseball standout from Washington, Conn., died June 28, 2005 with 15 others when militants shot down a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan. He was 34 years old, and had recently married.

Army Spec. Christopher Hoskins

June 26, 2005

Army Spec. Christopher Hoskins

Army Spec. Christopher Hoskins of Killingly died June 21, 2005 in Ramadi, Iraq, when his unit came under small arms fire. He had recently re-enlisted. He was 21 years old.

Lance Cpl. John T. Schmidt III

May 16, 2005

Lance Cpl. John T. Schmidt III

Marine Lance Cpl. John T. Schmidt III of Brookfield died May 11, 2005 in an army hospital in San Antonio of combat injuries he suffered Jan. 30, 2005 in Al Anbar province in Iraq. He was 21 years old.

Lance Cpl. Lawrence R. Philippon

May 11, 2005

Lance Cpl. Lawrence R. Philippon

Marine Lance Cpl. Lawrence R. Philippon of West Hartford was killed by small arms fire May 8, 2005 in Al Anbar province in western Iraq. He was 22 years old.

Staff Sgt. Thomas E. Vitagliano

January 20, 2005

Staff Sgt. Thomas E. Vitagliano

Army Staff Sgt. Thomas E. Vitagliano was killed, along with another member of the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, by a car bomb on Jan. 17, 2004 in Ramadi, Iraq. He was 33 and had been engaged to marry.

Spc. Robert Hoyt

December 15, 2004

Spc. Robert Hoyt

Army Spc. Robert Hoyt, a member of the C Company, 102nd Infantry Battalion from Bristol, was killed Dec. 11, 2004 when his armored vehicle struck a bomb in Baghdad. He was a graduate of E.O Smith High School in Storrs and has family in the Ashford area. He was 21 years old.

Staff Sgt. Henry E. Irizarry

December 7, 2004

Staff Sgt. Henry E. Irizarry

Army Staff Sgt. Henry E. Irizarry of Waterbury died Dec. 3, 1004 in Taji, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle. He was 38 years old.

Lt. Col. Michael J. McMahon

December 2, 2004

Lt. Col. Michael J. McMahon

Army Lt. Col. Michael J. McMahon, who grew up in West Hartford and graduated from Conard High School, died Nov. 27, 2004 in a plane crash in the mountains near Bamiyan, Afghanistan. McMahon, 41, left a wife, also a lieutenant colonel, and three children.

Sgt. Joseph Michael Nolan

November 25, 2004

Sgt. Joseph Michael Nolan

Army Sgt. Joseph Michael Nolan, a Waterbury native and graduate of Wolcott High School, died Nov. 18 in Fallujah. He was assigned to the 312th Military Intelligence Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas. He was 27 years old.

Cpl. Kevin J. Dempsey

November 16, 2004

Cpl. Kevin J. Dempsey

Marine Cpl. Kevin J. Dempsey of Monroe died Nov. 13, 2004 in an explosion in Al Anbar Province in Iraq. Dempsey, a graduate of New Canaan High School, was in the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, attached to the II Marine Expeditionary Force. He was 23.

Chief Warrant Officer William Brennan

October 19, 2004

Chief Warrant Officer William Brennan

Army Chief Warrant Officer William Brennan died Oct. 16, 2004 when the helicopter he was flying collided with another over Baghdad. He grew up in Behlehem, Conn., and leaves a wife and two daughters in Hawaii. He was 36 years old.

Spec. Jacob D. Martir

August 28, 2004

Spec. Jacob D. Martir

Army Spec. Jacob D. Martir, a native of Puerto Rico who grew up in Willimantic and Norwich, was killed Aug. 18, 2004 by small-arms fire while on patrol in a part of Baghdad known as Sadr City. He was 21 years old.

Pfc. Melissa Hobart

June 9, 2004

Pfc. Melissa Hobart

Army Private First Class Melissa Hobart, who grew up in East Haven, collapsed and died June 6, 2004 while serving guard duty in Baghdad. The cause of her death had yet to be determined. She was 22, and leaves a 3-year-old daughter.

Petty Officer Nathan B. Bruckenthal

April 9, 2004

Petty Officer Nathan B. Bruckenthal

Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, who lived in Ridgefield during his teens, died April 24, 2004 in an attack near the Khawr Al Amaya oil terminal. His was the first combat death for the Coast Guard since the Vietnam War. He was 24 years old.

Sgt. Felix Delgreco

April 9, 2004

Sgt. Felix Delgreco

Army Sgt. Felix Delgreco of Simsbury, a member of C Company, 102nd Infantry in Bristol, was killed April 9, 2004 while on patrol in Baghdad, when his vehicle struck an improvised bomb and was attacked with small arms. He was the first member of the Connecticut Army National Guard to die in Iraq. He was 22 years old.

Spec. Tyanna Avery-Felder

April 10, 2004

Spec. Tyanna Avery-Felder

Army Spec. Tyanna Avery-Felder died April 6, 2004, about two days after she was wounded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. She was a cook with the Army's Stryker Brigade, based in Fort Lewis, Wash. She was raised in Bridgeport, and was the first woman from Connecticut to die in Iraq. She was 22 years old.

Sgt. Benjamin Gilman

February 15, 2004

Sgt. Benjamin Gilman

Army Sgt. Benjamin Gilman of Meriden, a combat engineer with the Army's 41st Engineering Battalion, died Jan. 29, 2004, in an accidental explosion while his unit tried to dispose of a weapons cache in Ghanzi, Afghanistan. He was 28 years old.

Capt. Eric Paliwoda

January 7, 2004

Capt. Eric Paliwoda

Army Capt. Eric Thomas Paliwoda, who grew up in Farmington and West Hartford, died Jan. 2, 2004 in a mortar attack on his base at Balad, Iraq. He commanded Company B of the 4th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. He was 28 years old.

Pfc. Jeffrey Braun

December 20, 2003

Pfc. Jeffrey Braun

Army Pfc. Jeffrey Braun of Stafford, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, died December 11, 2003 in Baghdad. The Department of Defense said he died from a "non-hostile gunshot wound." He was 19 years old.

Sgt. Maj. Philip Albert

November 26, 2003

Sgt. Maj. Philip Albert

Army Sgt. Maj. Philip Albert, who grew up in Plymouth, died Nov. 23, 2003 a helicopter crash near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. He was stationed at Fort Drum in upstate New York with the 10th Mountain Division. He was 41 years old.

Pfc. Anthony D'Agostino

November 9, 2003

Pfc. Anthony D'Agostino

Army Pfc. Anthony D'Agostino of Waterbury was one of 16 U.S. soldiers who died after a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down over Iraq Nov. 2, 2003. He was a communications specialist attached to the 16th Signal Brigade in Fort Hood, Texas. He was 20 years old.

Sgt. David Travis Friedrich

August 24, 2003

Sgt. David Travis Friedrich

Army Sgt. David Travis Friedrich of Naugatuck, a member of the 325th Military Intelligence Company in Waterbury, died Sept. 20, 2003 when mortars hit a U.S. base near the Abu Ghraib prison on the western outskirts of Baghdad. He was 26 years old.

Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr.

August 24, 2003

Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr.

Army Staff Sgt. Richard S. Eaton Jr., a counterintelligence analyst who grew up in Guilford, died in his sleep in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on Aug. 20, 2003. The Army reported that he probably died of pulmonary edema. He was 37 years old.

Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr.

July 31, 2003

Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr.

Army Pfc. Wilfredo Perez Jr. of Norwalk was guarding a children's hospital in Baquouba, 45 miles northeast of Baghdad, when he and two other members of the 4th Infantry Division were killed in a grenade attack on July 26, 2003. He was 24 years old.

Cpl. Kemaphoom Chanawongse

April 28, 2003

Cpl. Kemaphoom Chanawongse

Marine Cpl. Kemaphoon ``Ahn'' Chanawongse of Waterford was running to retrieve ammunition when he was killed by an enemy round on March 23, 2003 in a battle in Nasiriyah, Iraq. He was 22 years old.

Gunnery Sgt. Phillip Jordan

March 26, 2003

Gunnery Sgt. Phillip Jordan

Marine Gunnery Sgt. Phillip Jordan of Enfield, a Texas native based at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. He died March 23, 2003 in a battle in Nasiriyah, Iraq. He was 42 years old.

Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman

March 7, 2002

Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman

Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman died on March 4, 2002 along with six other servicemen during a reconnaissance mission in Afghanistan. Chapman, 36, was the first Connecticut native to die in combat in the war in Afghanistan..


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