1 NEWSLETTER OF THE WORLDWIDE CONGREGATION CHARLAP/YAHYA Vol. 18, No. 1 Av 5767; July 2007 ISRAEL BASEBALL LEAGUE On June 24 the Israel Baseball League held its inaugural game at the Y arkon Sports Complex in Petach Tikvah. Plans call for a 45 game schedule, a mid-season all-star game, and a season-ending championship game. The first professional baseball league in Israel has attracted the attention of such famed Jewish personalities as: Sandy Koufax - Hall of Fame pitcher with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers; drafted by Modi'in Miracle. Art Shamsky - star of the New York Mets, the "miracle" team that won the World Series in 1969. Art manages the Modi'in Miracle. Ken Holtzman - great pitcher with Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. He pitched 2 no-hit games and manages the Petach Tikvah Pioneers. Ron Blomberg - star with the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox; now manages the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox. Daniel Kurtzer - former U.S. Ambassador to Israel; now Commissioner of IBL. · Dan Duquette - General Manager of Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox; now IBL Director of Baseball Operations. Bud Selig - former Major League Baseball Commissioner; Advisory Committee IBL. Randy Levine - President, New York Yankees; Advisory Committee IBL. Marshall Glickman - former President, NBA Portland Trail Blazers; Advisory Committee IBL. ·Perhaps, more importantly for readers of B'rayshit, Ken Holtzman has selected-our own George Chityat (12576,Pl.192) to be on the pitching staff of the Petach Tikvah Pioneers. George, son of Ezra (12573) and Trudy Donchin (12571) Chityat, was born in 1973 in New York Raised mainly in New Jersey, he made aliyah in 1997. In 2004 he married Adi Kisos (18586), who was born in Eilat in 1981. They live in Ramat Gan. George is a right handed pitcher but is a switch hitter. He is 6 feet tall and weighs 190 pounds. To this date, the Pioneers have not done that well. Petach Tikvah is in last place with a record of 3 wins and 14 losses. Oh well, it took Sandy Koufax a while before he found his great form. George's mom, Trudy, is descended directly from the Don Y ahya line. Donchin is a Russified version of the name. Trudy's great-great-great grandfather was Rabbi David ben Baruch Don Yechiya (9800,Pl.172), a Talmudic scholar ofDisna, White Russia. Her grandfather Bernard (Baruch Chaim) (12473) was born in Ludza, Latvia. In 1903 he settled in Lund, Sweden. After eight years, he left for America, becoming a jeweler in Jersey City, New Jersey. Bernard had five children, four of them born in Pikeli, Lithuania. The youngest of the children was Trudy's father, Herman (12516), born in Sweden. Herman was a tough young man who became a police officer and professional boxer. His athletic prowess was apparently inherited by his grandson George, possibly the Sandy Koufax of the IBL. 2 NEXT TIME AROUND WANDERER Desiree Gezentsvey's (1690,Pl.115) bilingual poetry I am the wanderer book Next Tzme Around/La Proxima Vez made its debut on the tom traveler March 7 together with the premiere of the song cycle "An Ocean Between Us" by New Zealand composer Dorothy the one destined for freedom Buchanan. Ms. Buchanan used Desiree's poems as lyrics. yet bound by mortal love To make the event even more special for our family, the music was performed by the New Zealand Piano Quartet, of how delicate the chains which Desi's husband Yury (7447) is the violinist. Yury is that hold me ever so tightly also one of the acclaimed musicians of the New Zealand Symphony. & on this autumn day The new book, written in English and Spanish, I learn I have no choice explores relationships and feelings and how we are affected by life changes such as migration and separation from loved take me, poet, where you will ones. Ms. Buchanan summed it up in saying, "Desiree's lay my path in two horizons poetry inspires the musician in me. It has a special cadence and musicality, and the content spans all life's experiences, breathe your words & weave your message like longing, family, sensuality, joy and sorrow, which swear that nothing else compares resonate within us all." Desi's parents were Wolf Sterentall (1644) and not the first smile of a child Harriet Serr (1640). Harriet's grandparents were Chaim nor the kiss of her eyelashes Hersch Ser (1633), a blacksmith ofNur, Poland and his wife Dvora Beyla Bochko (1634). Desiree was born in Venezuela let me go & let me stay where Harriet was viewed as the country's greatest pianist. set me free, let me exhale Yury, an emigre from the USSR, arrived in Venezuela in 1980. For the next five years he played with Harriet, his new Next TzmeAround/La Proxima Vez is a 103 pp paperback, mother-in-law, in a chamber music ensemble. Then Yury was ISBN 978-1-877448-05-8. It is printed by Publishing Press offered the position of Principal Violin with the New Zealand Ltd for: Symphony and jumped at the opportunity. Yury and Desi Steele Roberts Publishers have three daughters: Michelle (7450), Lara (7451) and Yael Box 9321 (7452). Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand Desiree describes herself as an "artist, violinist's [email protected] wife, mother, Jewish, Venezuelan, American, Kiwi, cultivator www.SteeleRoberts.co.nz of friends and memories, and a believer in providence and synchronicity." After gaining a B.A. in Modem Languages We must also announce the release of a new CD by Yury she studied Creative writing at Whitireia and received an Gezentsvey, as leader of the Dominion String Quartet. M.A. in the subject from Victoria University of Wellington. Recorded with NAXOS, it is Vol. One of six volumes that She has had plays and short films produced in New Zealand. will cover the 17 string quartets of Alfred Hill. Hill, a New Her poetry has been published widely. An excerpt from Next Zealand/Australian composer, created these works about a Time Around follows: century ago in a lavish, romantic style. Volume One contains *************************************************** String Quartets Nos. 1, 2, and 3. The CD can be ordered B'RAYSHIT: THE NEWSLETTER OF either online or from any music store internationally. As has CONGREGATION CHARLAPNAHYA is published been mentioned, Yury is Principal First Violinist of the New intermittently during each year. We encourage submittal of England Symphony Orchestra and Violinist of the New news items, essays, poems, and historical articles. Zealand Piano Quartet. He also teaches at the New Zealand Correspondence should be directed to: School of Music. Arthur F. Menton, Editor *********************************************** P.O. Box 108 The privilege of belonging to an honorable people puts Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. 11724 serious responsibilities on your shoulders. You must Tel. and Fax: (631)754-1742 demonstrate that you are worthy ofyour heroic past. e-mail: [email protected] - S. M Dubnow, 1893 Copyright @ 2007 3 BIRTHS either Czyzewo or Andrzejewo, Poland and later, with his brothers, operated the Mankuta Rubber Stamp Company in Levi Carpenter Bankirer (20017,Pl.75) was boin on April the USA Fred followed his father into the business. Brian is 27 in Morrisville, North Carolina. Levi is the 2nd child of a music teacher and Stacey is in special education. Matthew (7703) and Leslie (16126) and the 3rd grandchild of Harold (7692) and Carol (7686) Bankirer. Carol's mother, Idan Navon (19989,Pl.40) was born in Israel on May 2. He the late Ruth Averbuch (7 679) of Southfield, Michigan was is the 2nd child of Eran (18653) and Tamar (11215) and the an enthusiastic supporter of the family research. Ruth was 2nd grandchild for Tamar's mother Nurit Grechter (9901). the daughter of Minnie Charlip Lipchinsky (7598) who was Tamar's grandfather was the late Amnon Charlap (3314) of born in the Lechowicze/Baranowicze region of White Russia. Rehovoth. Sadie Dahlia Budd (19915,Pl.92) was born in Edinburgh, Ohad Paltter (19918,Pl.40) was born in Israel on April 7. Scotland on Sept. 23, 2006. She is the 2nd child of Adam He is the 3rd child for Nimrod (14044) and Lihi (11210) and (10221) and Nadine (17785) and the 3rd grandchild of Leslie the 7th grandchild for Uri Charlap (9902). Uri is the Budd (10193) of North York, Ontario. Adam is a Professor youngest of Amnon Charlap's children. of English Literature at the University of Edinburgh and Nadine is a psychiatrist with the Edinburgh Royal Hospital. · Jacob.Aaron (Yaacov Aharon) Sahr (20019,Pl.101) was born on June 2 in New York City. He is the 2nd child of Ava Darcy (Avigail) Feldman (20020,Pl.49) was born on Jonathan (28) and Anna (16225) and the 4th grandchild for June 26 in New York City, the 3rd child of Joseph (9787) Donald (24) and Naomi (23) Sahr. Jonathan is in banking and Lorraine (4429). Ava is the 5th grandchild of the late and Anna, who was born in Russia, is an educator. Donald's Albert Jablowsky (4408) whose mother was the noted grandfather was "Yankelflazer" (Yaacov Eliezer) Sahr (3) Yiddish poet Esther Charloff (4392). The expanding family who came to America from Nur/Ciechanowiec, Poland ca is moving into their new home in Scarsdale, NY. 1890. He eventually settled in Schenectady, New York, a stronghold of the Sahr (Ser) family. Raquel Davida Landau (19904,Pl.273) was born on Feb. 11, the 1st child for Keith (8411) and Raquel (13338) and Parker Alexandra Tyre (20015,Pl. 75) was born on Oct. 5, the 1st grandchild for Bernard (8407) and Barbara (8403) 2006 in Charlotte, North Carolina.