Rabbi Zoe B Zak
Zoe B Zak has served as the rabbi of Temple Israel of Catskill in Catskill, NY since 2012. She is well matched to her warm, out-reaching community of congregants, being a person with great heart and a passion for service to others. Together Rabbi Zoe and her congregation have created a welcoming home for all, including families of special needs children. Every congregant is included, respected and given a chance to participate at services and other celebrations.
Rabbi Zoe’s first career as a musician is a special gift to her congregation. She has brought her love of music, melodies and instruments as well as her musical colleagues to Temple Israel. She loves and invites collaboration with others, so there is rarely a service without a guest musician, which enhances every occasion. After seeing her in concert, a reviewer said that “she blurs the line between playing and praying.” It is the weaving of those two loves that brought her to where she is today. People come from miles away to be part of the very special community of Temple Israel of Catskill.
Since 2015 Rabbi Zoe has acted as Outreach Chaplain for Jewish Federation of Northeastern NY. In this capacity, she visits Jewish residents and offers holiday celebrations at nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Greene County and part of Columbia County.
A significant part of her calling is to be with people who are at end of life, offering support to them as well as their family members. This extends to being there for families when a death occurs and helping mourners through the mourning process. Rabbi Zoe has been a member of The Greater Kingston Chevra Kadisha since 1998 and Vice President of The Board of Directors since 2017. This organization is devoted to preparing the bodies of those who have passed away for Jewish burial.
Rabbi Zoe co-leads The Peace Ensemble, an Interfaith Initiative whose mission is to spread peace through music. Fellow musicians include Pastor Everett Newton, Hazzan Michael Kasper and Robert Bard. She is an active member of The Greene County Interfaith Community and The Greenville Area Interfaith Council.
Dear Temple Israel of Catskill Family,
We are richly blessed to be a growing congregation, and it is wonderful to be sharing so much with so many of you at our services and celebrations. Today I want to share with you, one of my favorite Chassidic tales. It is a story which helps remind me of the sacredness of words and the care with which our tradition teaches us to guard them.
In a small village somewhere far away, there lived a man named Heshi who loved to tell stories about other people. Whatever he heard about his fellow neighbors, he passed along to anyone who would listen. Many enjoyed hearing and repeating his stories, often adding their own embellishments. One day, one of these stories concerning a local shop owner was told to a man named Shlomo. The man who told Shlomo the story had no idea he was speaking to the man whom the story was about. Shlomo became upset because the events had been distorted, and he began to worry about his reputation which he had spent his life building. Not knowing where to turn, he went to see the local rabbi. The rabbi knew everyone in their village, and had an idea where the rumor might have begun. He walked over to the home of Heshi, and told him about what happened to Shlomo. Upon hearing how distraught Shlomo was, Heshi readily admitted to having told the story and felt very sorry for what he had done. Heshi hadn’t meant to tell false stories about a neighbor, he just enjoyed talking and was not accustomed to thinking deeply about what he said. Heshi implored the rabbi to tell him what he could do in order to repair the damage he had caused.
The rabbi instructed Heshi to take a feather pillow, cut it open and release the feathers into the wind. Heshi dashed into his house, taking the pillow from his bed and did just as the rabbi asked. He watched as the feathers landed on the rabbi’s shoes, and on his own, on plants and branches of trees, he watched as feathers flew to roof tops and down the street, he watched them go in every direction. A little perplexed, he then turned to the rabbi and asked him what he was to do now. The rabbi replied that he should go and collect all of the feathers and put them back into the pillow. When the man exclaimed that this was surely not possible, the rabbi then told him the following,:
“Words, like feathers, once we release them, have a life all their own. We don’t know where they will land, and we certainly cannot take them back. So, we must be mindful of what we say and the power that words have and of the responsibility we all carry to use them well.”
I pray that our community continues to grow and that we find every opportunity to bless each other with kind words whenever we see one another. “…May our hearts meditate understanding, our mouths speak wisdom and our tongues compose song … ” Talmud (Brakhot 17A).
B’shalom,
Rabbi Zoe
rabbizoe@templeisraelofcatskill.org
845-853-5134
zoebzak.com
Steven A. A. Mann, President
Steven Mann is a Catskill native who grew up in Jefferson Heights, where his family built the first Jewish residence in that neighborhood. He is the great-grandson of Temple Israel founding member Joseph Sherman (member #3 for many years), and grandson of Alvin "Abe" Sherman who ran the family produce corporation on Main Street and Church Street in Catskill, and provided Sukkot produce every year at the temple's sukkah until his death. He is the sole 4th generation of his family remaining at Temple Israel.
A graduate of Catskill High School and third-generation graduate of Albany Business College, he worked for the State of New York with field services teams for schools. He was a leading member of the agency's Quality Through Management and Diversity Team in the early 1990s. He had also owned and operated Steven Mann Garden Designs during his decade residing in Rhinebeck where he was the president and curator of the Museum of Rhinebeck History. He is a local historian and genealogist, specializing in Jewish and Quaker genealogy and research.
He is a member of the Rhinebeck Garden Club where he served as president twice, and is again current president of the Athens Community Garden Club in Greene County. He has served as Secretary/Treasurer of the Friends of the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery for over a decade and writes many of their historic articles for the newsletter. He was active in the Starr Library in Rhinebeck in the 1990s and co-chaired the library's book sales for several years. He has developed several walking tours within the village and town of Catskill and offers them to benefit local non-profits and the temple.
Steven is the temple's newly elected president and chairs the temple cemetery in Jefferson Heights. He also chairs the annual tag sale and has run the temple's plant sales when held. He has served as vice president, membership trustee and house trustee over his volunteer career at Temple Israel of Catskill, NY. He is very proud of his family's Sephardic heritage.
Steven Mann’s Update at 2025/5786 High Holy Days
The world has changed since each of us entered it. The Light is just as bright, but we have to be more aware of our surroundings as Jews. We persevere and we are here today in community, doing what our beloved ancestors did so long before us. The temple has been opened, the words are read in Hebrew and English, and we continue to do our best to practice the commandments. The security detail here today and police vehicles that patrol the area now while services are going on is our new reality. Some day may we not need to be so cautious and apprehensive. It all comes at a cost… financially, psychologically, and spiritually, to brave this day. Some of us support multiple local temples to keep the word alive.
Our second home in 101 years…. The skylight, the elegant chandelier and sconces carefully chosen by member and local antiquarian Renee Aboulafia Zwickel, candlesticks, the ark, and the Torah… we have furnished our proper home as prescribed. Our minhags carry forth with new ones Rabbi Zoe has added… we adjust with traditions and add new. I am trying my best to follow the respected footsteps of my late great-grandfather Joe Sherman who was a founder of Temple Israel in December 1923. The difference between he and I, I am a strong advocate for the Reform movement, he was Orthodox. Temple Israel was founded as an Orthodox synagogue. He died December 1953, at the Miami Airport waiting for his daughter’s family to arrive for the holiday visit. It took another five years for Temple Israel to be recognized as a Reform temple as I have been told by numerous sources in town that he was the main holdout.
Imagine a little clumsy kid opening his Nana’s highboy dresser c 1975 in Jefferson Heights and finding in a top drawer this thing with leather straps having boxes attached to it. It was worn, fragile, and looked almost alien. It was probably my grandfather’s Tefilin. And my grandfather’s yamulkas were with it. Nana shooed me away and said nothing more about them. Things so precious she could not bring herself to talk about them. But she always respected his traditions although she was devout Catholic. She lit Friday night candles in his memory. Grandpa had been gone about a dozen years, and she still could not say his name. It was never spoken in my house. In her sleep I’d hear her talking to him in her final months. Then one day prior to her last hospitalization, she told me the secret of his first wife and a son who he had. But the names were never spoken. When my father was killed in a car accident November 1982, his name was never spoken, either. This is how we deal with it.
When I joined Temple Israel in June 2013, following the funeral of my estranged mother, I was thrilled to find my grandfather’s name on one of the memorial boards. Now other family names have been added to his, a brother, and his parents. And I am not done adding the names. Is it odd that Yizkor is my favorite service? I truly enjoyed reading the names of all the dead. I was the one who could pronounce them. Some of them were teachers at our elementary school, family friends who we’d see at The Skyline Restaurant or at The DuBois Pharmacy on Main Street in Catskill which was owned by two pharmacists from Temple Israel where my grandmother worked, or doctors who cared for our extended family.
As Temple Israel Cemetery’s chair, it was the only honor I ever wanted. The Yizkor book is new to me, and I will enjoy reading it in private. The cemetery in Jefferson Heights is my personal obligation and I oversee care of it seriously and with great pride. During childhood it was one of my daily bicycle rides. This year I added my beloved’s remains there after almost 34 years as a couple. My family owns a total of 26 graves, half of them used, sadly more will be. And that is a very small percentage of our family’s total cemetery property in the town of Catskill.
New members arrive at Temple Israel. We are very thankful to them. Times change, and even though I have only been a member here for 12 years, I have had to adjust my wants and expectations. If my late friend former ritual chair Eileen Boltin was still here, she would encourage me. Her judgement always guided me, and it guided me through writing this speech. I always do what is best for the congregation, and not for myself. And she always did the same. Most of you will not have to face the personal challenge which I have had to face too often much of this year. Losing my former boss very recently was just as hard as losing my husband. We are bigger and have a larger presence in the greater Catskill community now. We are larger and wiser with more knowledge and talent. And we have young members to show a future.
This 48 year old building is a big part of what Temple Israel is. It takes a financial commitment to keep it looking its best inside and out. And it takes many volunteers to keep the outside as pleasant for the neighbors to look at as possible. The land was donated by my grandpa’s friends, brothers Milton and Roy Zwickel. The Cole family farm is historic, the old house that stood further up the driveway is long gone, we are the stewards of this part of it. Lawns get moved by our loyal Vice President, flower beds get weeded by several volunteers, the summer flowers are watered by a volunteer, the indoor plants add to a pleasant atmosphere and are watered by volunteers. A beautiful new shed was added to accommodate our growing needs. Our staffing is at its absolute bare minimum which makes for a huge challenge for a congregation of this size. The Board is definitely overworked and stretched to its talented limits. Each member donates funding, time, effort, care, and it is a mitzvah that we do to the best of our abilities. Nobody is perfect, but we do the best we can. It takes faith, personal commitment, and lots of teamwork. Your support is key.
Plans are being made for our future. They will reflect the spiritual needs of the congregation as well as the physical needs of this building. It will take talent, planning, time, effort, and quite honestly money. Planning for Project 2030 at Temple Israel will give us options which we will consider. The beautiful Summer Soiree held at Diamond Mills this July was well attended and enjoyed by many of you here today. Your support is greatly appreciated. The reality of a handicap-accessible bathroom and other necessities will surely come to fruition. Hopefully a more operable kitchen with catering basics will materialize. We are being very creative about space but also very practical. Our committee takes the responsibility very seriously and is working with experts in numerous fields. Their work is admirable, and important.
The faces of our Board of Trustees now includes younger families, and I hope more of their presence will follow. It also reflects the Old Families who supported Temple Israel through the construction of a new building. This is our spiritual center, and that consideration has to always be an awareness. We made it through very lean times and we must remain fiscally prudent so that we have a future. I for one take my fiduciary responsibility for Temple Israel as much as I do my other nonprofit work on the local and State levels. My late boss Carol Anne Stiglmeier who died last week taught me that at age 18, when she hired me during freshman semester of college. I was on my first nonprofit board before age 25, learning from her. We worked together for a decade to make education in New York State the best circumstances allowed it to be. Early mornings, late evening commutes, preparing for Board of Regents meetings, and national conferences, no sacrifice was too big.
Consider as members joining a committee or helping with an activity. Share the gift of time, talent, or knowledge. Take a volunteer role and support our general fund. Come to board meetings and learn more about what it takes to operate. Educate yourself and partake of the opportunities. You deserve the time for yourself. Attend weekly Torah Study, monthly Nosh ‘n Learn sessions, and learn more! Judaism has a lot to offer. Services are an important part of the adventure. Sponsor an oneg or flowers. Be a host, greeter, or a Torah reader.
This year we strengthened an effort we call BUILDING BRIDGES. We are working with congregations on the East side of the Hudson – Congregation Aschne Emeth in Hudson and The Chatham Synagogue. We are sharing the hosting of festivals and celebrations, and the Gesher Hebrew School which alternates weekly between the Hudson synagogue and the Catskill temple. This is similar to an effort between a Reform congregation in Albany and an historic Reform temple in Troy. It is a growing trend in New York and other parts of the nation to strengthen Judaism by sharing resources and audiences. We look forward to more success with it.
In closing, may the new year bring each of you peace, good health, and kindness. Reach for the inner light within each of us and remember we are one. We have no idea how long this journey is. Let’s make it one of fellowship, celebration, and supporting of each other’s travels in exploring and celebrating Judaism. It is our destiny to continue the teachings and to secure a future for the Jewish religion in Catskill, New York. We made it through 101 years, let’s make it an even greater 102!
“Temple Israel of Catskill has always been the spiritual center of our lives. Now, with Rabbi Zoe it has become even more important. She is so kind and considerate and willing to help anybody in the community.”
— Allan & Barbara Oren