Giving Thanks for Property Rights

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November 25 2010 Giving Thanks for Property Rights Yesterday I wrote an OP-ED in the Connecticut Post about our shared libertarian philosophy. I outlined many of the reasons why I am today so thankful for our country and the values we as liberty loving people share. You see, on this Thanksgiving I think about my friends and family who do not share in our free America; my family still stuck in totalitarian Cuba and my friends from childhood still suffering in the false benevolence of the inner-city welfare state. Today I am thankful to having escaped both fates. I am thankful for the freedom that I now have to run my own business, be with my family and practice my faith. But I would have no way to enjoy those great things or any of my life without my right to property. For that right, I am most thankful. I ask that you please take a moment to read my OP-ED and to remember why it is our right to property, above all else, that keeps us free. What is the purpose of government? To a liberal the purpose of government is to "justly and fairly" shape society and its inhabitants. To a libertarian the purpose is to provide for the mutual lawful defense of life, liberty and property and to allow people to freely and lawfully do as they wish. These views are diametrically opposed; the former is dictatorial and requires a large government, the latter celebrates individual freedom, which includes success, failure, philanthropy and hoarding, and needs limited government. Liberalism insists on making laws that favor some groups at the expense of others. Libertarians insist that laws apply to everyone equally. On Nov. 15, David Horsey wrote a lengthy attack against the notion that laws affect everyone equally ("New libertarians exhibit myopic selfishness"). In his column, Mr. Horsey describes libertarians as selfish and rich blockheads who resist the "just" taking of their property by the humanitarian tax collectors who work for a benevolent government that wishes nothing more than to "liberate" the poor. Really? How many of you see the IRS or the local tax collector in that light? Horsey's ideological tome merits a response as his world view is shared by so many, especially in Connecticut. We have gone far astray from our founding in 1776 when we stated clearly and loudly that our government was instituted to secure for all persons their inalienable rights to life, liberty and property. And although we failed to protect all Americans at that time, we righted that wrong with the largest amount of bloodshed in American history. Regrettably today, many people like Mr. Horsey occupy all layers of government, experimenting with social-engineering programs forcing government to increasingly plunder the working population, especially the rich. Taking from some because you can is wrong. Taking from some because they can afford to be robbed is wrong. Taking from some because the government is doing the taking is a perversion of the Constitution's intent. No longer are we a nation that protects all Americans from injustice. Now we use the law to justify theft from some to give to others. This action will not assure our survival, but it will continue to pave our demise. To add insult to unjust injury, the money unjustly taken from the rich and others is used by an incompetent government to do nothing well. Mr. Horsey's claims to the opposite flies in the face of our vision. Witness: the 2008 financial sector meltdown driven by subprime mortgages, the Communities Reinvestment Act, Katrina, Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, the Fed, public housing, welfare, the bankrupt Social Security system, Medicare and Medicaid, the VA, etc., etc., etc. The list of governmental failure delineated by both the left and the right is so vast as to fill an encyclopedia. Governments by their structure, being able to tap into a never-ending feed bag (taxation), have no incentive to do anything well and they never do. However, government has been "successful" in keeping whole segments of the population poor and uneducated; this is quite an achievement. My disdain for government is balanced by my superior respect for the 325 million individuals that comprise our nation. We are great. We the people are great. President Lincoln affirmed that our government was "a government of the people, by the people and for the people." That government was successful and we prospered. Mr. Horsey and others like him have inserted the word "some" into this most effective concept. Horsey would say: a government of some people, by some people and for some people. This is neither natural nor just. An unjust nation must fail as we failed once before. Injustices must be righted so that our great nation may prosper once again. Pragmatically speaking, freedom means being able to keep what you honestly earn. Without this feature, freedom is a naked joke. John Adams warned us that property rights are more important than any other right that man could contrive. What good is freedom of speech if you're hungry? What good is the 2nd Amendment if you can't buy a gun? What good is working hard and innovating if the government is our greedy partner? I take great pride in the rising to prominence of so many libertarians nationwide. I pray that they stay true to our adoration of our founding principles and that there is time to restore the great gift to freedom that our country has been to the world since our founding. _________ Thank you for taking the time to read my article. I wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving. In Liberty,

Rabbi's Special Thanksgiving Teaching

Weekly Teaching By Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz rabbimitch@templesholom.com
Please join us for Sholom Center's 30 minute "Celebration of Light" Thursday, December 2nd, 6:00 pm in front of Christ Church. Come enjoy some hot cider and holiday cheer as each respective religion shares in their ritual of refracting God's light into our world. The Sholom Center is a joint project between Temple Sholom and Christ Church, dedicated to further enriching our interfaith programming and fellowship within our communities. We will also be collecting new, unwrapped toys to donate to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, at the Celebration of Light. Our toy drive is in conjunction with UJA Federation of New York/Westchester and UJA Federation of Greenwich. November 25, 2010 Teaching by Rabbi Mitch rabbimitch@templesholom.com Many of you know that my favorite slogan is, "Cultivate an Attitude for Gratitude!!" Our attitude for gratitude molds and shapes our lives. Our spiritual ancestors understood this, and this is why they offered their daily sacrifices of Thanksgiving. The Psalmist was correct when he noted it is "good for us to give thanks!!" (Psalm 92) When we are successful in the mitzvah to be grateful, we help both ourselves and others feel the presence of God within their lives. Our living a life of gratitude firmly anchors our faith. Whether we are grateful or not for the daily blessings within our lives is one of the leading spiritual indicators to our own spiritual condition. There are many ways we can express our thanks: · Be audibly thankful; say thank you out loud and often; and mean it!! · Offer prayers of gratitude on a regular basis: Before you eat, when you are kissing your children, wearing a warm coat before going outside in the cold, waking up in the morning, laying down to sleep, etc. · Sing with a grateful heart; particularistic music and universalistic music; all can inspire. · Smile. Live a life with joy and share this joy with others. When someone gazes upon a smile, they are witnessing God's mirror within their lives. · Be grateful both privately and publically. Never miss an opportunity to count a blessing, say thank you, and appreciate a blessing. We should try to cultivate our attitude for gratitude in every circumstance possible. Gratitude should be constant and habitual. Be Thankful: · For Kindness and Mercy · For safety and sustenance · For holiness and faith · For the wonders of creation and life. · For truth and justice. · For Physical and Spiritual health. · For the evidence of God's wonders in our lives, and God's spirit within others and ourselves · For Love · For all spiritual gifts; wisdom, freedom, free-will, etc. · For answering of prayers, and for just listening. · For everything in our lives. The secret to a successful attitude for gratitude is to find contentment. Daily and constant acknowledgements of thanksgiving will train the content heart, mind, and soul. Happy Thanksgiving!! -Rabbi Mitch
Temple Sholom 300 E. Putnam Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 203-869-7191

The Byram Sewing Club Gathers Weekly In The Basement Of St. Paul Lutheran Church

Photo: Members of the Byram Sewing Club gather weekly in the basement of St. Paul Lutheran Church to sew lap robes for veterans - including left to right, Antoinette Trartaglia, Rosemarie Nasr, Emma Tattar, and Mary Zalman. Photo by Anne W. Semmes / Heart Newspapers - Greenwich Citizen and Greenwich Time

Blanket Statement - Greenwich Time
Published: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 23, 2010

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, 97-year-old Emma Tattar was leaning over a sewing machine and pushing a swatch of calico beneath the pulsating needle. Taking shape as her hands worked steadily was a lap robe, destined for a veteran, confined somewhere to a wheelchair.

Tattar is one of four women who make up The Byram Sewing Group, which meets every Tuesday afternoon in the basement of St. Paul Lutheran Church. The women make lap robes for veterans in wheelchairs to keep them warm. Tattar, the group's senior member, has been with the group almost from its inception, which dates back to World War II. "I've been doing it for 60 years at least," she said.

She figures the women have sewn more than 1,000 lap robes during that time.

"We're only here one-half day a week," said Tattar. "If it snows, we don't come. We don't sew in summer -- it's too hot. We start after Labor Day."

Tattar explained how the group addresses the needs of veterans through their handiwork. "We send them to different veteran hospitals," she said. The lap robes find their way to hospitals in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. "We used to send them to local nursing homes, too. When we had four or five people running the (sewing) machines, we made more. We try to get them to the veterans by Christmas."

On an adjacent sewing machine was Antoinette Tartaglia, 90, who comes to Byram each week from her home in New York. "I learned to sew in grammar school," she said. "I made my daughter's marriage gown, (my children's) prom dresses. I had five children. I keep busy all the time. That's what you have to do. Before I come here, I do Tai Chi."

"Last spring, we had made 20 lap robes," added Rosemarie Nasr, who is considerably younger than Tattar and who joined the group five years ago. "Since September, we've made 12 or so," she said. "It's not difficult. You just have to put things together. People donate the material, or we get the fabric from the church (St. Paul Lutheran Church) -- they donate the money, and we buy the material. We've made beautiful ones."

"The men enjoy them," said Mary Zalman, 83, who was busy working thread through a needle. She says the robes are warm, look great and that the veterans love them.

Tattar agreed and said some of the veterans send thank you notes, which makes it all worthwhile.

"You just feel so good doing this for them, you know," said Tattar.

Drug Bust At 10 Byram Road

George Ramirez, 19, of 231 Hamilton Ave., and Peter Cavini, 18, of 4 Mianus View Terrace, were arrested and charged with conspiracy at possession of marijuana and criminal attempt at possession of marijuana. Both men were apprehended after they called an undercover narcotics officer seeking to buy drugs.

Byram Watershed Coalition

Jack Stoecker, coordinator of the Byram Watershed Coalition, welcomes a $725,000 grant awarded to Port Chester, N.Y., to improve its storm water runoff system. Stoecker is shown standing on the Mill River Bridge over the Byram River. The bridge connects the Byram section of Greenwich and Port Chester.

Rye New York man arrested on drunken-driving charge at Byram church parking lot

A Rye, N.Y., man found sleeping in the driver's seat of a vehicle in a Byram church parking lot late Saturday morning had nearly three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system, police said.

Keith H. Turco, 50, of 626 Milton Road, Rye, N.Y., was found by police shortly after 10:30 a.m. in a vehicle in the Sacred Heart Church parking lot at 95 Henry St. in Byram.

He recorded blood-alcohol readings of .213 and .204 at 12:19 p.m. and 12:44 p.m., respectively. The legal limit is .08.

He was released on a $250 cash bond and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Nov. 29.

Temple Sholom Weekly E-Bulletin

Temple Sholom E-Bulletin November 19, 2010 Saturday, November 20 Rak Shabbat, YCFS Services Tuesday, November 23 USY Thanksgiving Cooking Thursday, November 25 The Temple is closed Friday, November 26 The Temple is closed Candle Lighting Friday, Nov. 19 4:15 pm Temple Sholom's Worship Schedule Friday, Nov 19 6:30- 7:15 pm Saturday, Nov 20 9:30 am - 12:00 pm Sunday, Nov. 21 8:30 - 9:15 am Temple Sholom Simcha Corner Mazel Tov to: Steven & Debbie Handler, on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Joshua Jeffrey & Cathy Siegal, on the naming of their children, Kelly Elizabeth and Matthew John. Steve Katz, on receiving "The Ernest L. Rothschild Leadership Award" given by the METNY Division of United Synagogue. Temple Sholom on receiving 7 Awards of Excellence at the METNY Convention. Chanukah at Temple Sholom 1st Night of Chanukah is Wednesday, December 1st Toy Drive Wednesday, December 1st - Tuesday, December 21 "Celebration of Light" Candle Lighting/Tree Lighting Thursday, December 2nd, 6 pm at Christ Church Selma Maisel Nursery School Class Parties Thursday, December 2nd & Friday, December 3rd YCFS Latkes & Pajamas Friday, December 3rd, 5:30 pm Religious School Creative Arts Program (CAP) Exhibition Sunday, December 5th,10 am - 12 pm USY Party Sunday, December 5th, 3 - 6 pm Story Time and Music with Rabbi Mitch & Cantor Asa Wednesday, December 8th, 4:30 pm "Keep The Lights Burning" Community Post-Chanukah Party Sunday, December 12th, 3:30 pm For more information about any of these programs, contact Alice Schoen at 203-542-7165 or at alice.schoen@templesholom.com Rabbi Mitch's Weekly Teaching Many of us have had the life challenge of dealing with a loved one who suffers with dementia. Often, we get frustrated by this circumstance, which our loved one can't control. Click here to see the full version of this week's Teaching by Rabbi Mitch. Community of Faith Thanksgiving Monday, November 22nd, 7:00 pm Join Rabbi Mitch, Cantor Asa and Temple Sholom's Youth and Adult Choirs at the Community of Faith Service and Reception at the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich, 1 W Putnam Avenue (top of Greenwich Avenue). USY Thanksgiving Cooking Tuesday, November 23rd, 6 - 8 pm Help prepare a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal for 75 local elderly people. $10 donation suggested. Dinner will be served. To rsvp, contact Josh Altman, 203-542-716 or joshaltman@templesholom.com Selma Maisel Nursery School Bookfair Monday, November 29th thru Friday, December 3rd, 8:45 am - 2:00 pm and 4 - 6 pm on Tuesday, November 30th Lots of books for everyone, pre-school age to adults. Come and buy some Chanukah gifts and support the Selma Maisel Nursery School at the same time. Holiday Toy Drive December 1st - December 21st Bring new, unwrapped toys to our collection bins. All gifts will be donated to the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty. The Toy Drive is in conjunction with UJA Federation of New York/Westchester and UJA Federation of Greenwich. Celebration of Light Thursday, December 2nd, 6 pm at Christ Church Co-sponsored with The Sholom Center, a joint project between Temple Sholom and Christ Church. Come enjoy some hot cider and holiday cheer. We will sing some holiday songs, led by our choir and one of Christ Church's, light a menorah and help our friends next door light their Christmas tree. YCFS Latkes and Pajamas Friday, December 3rd, 5:30 pm Join us for a special Chanukah edition of Young Children's Family Service with Reb Allison and special guest, Sheldon Low. Kids should come in their pajamas! Come sing songs, celebrate Chanukah & Shabbat and enjoy home-made latkes. To rsvp, contact Alice Schoen, 203-542-716 or alice.schoen@templesholom.com Jewish Network of Young Couples (JNYC) 3rd Annual Pan-Asian Dinner Thursday, December 16th, 7:00 pm Join the Jewish Network of Young Couples for the 3rd annual Pan-Asian dinner. This is a great opportunity to socialize with friends old and new! To rsvp, contact Sarah Fradkin at sesamesarah@gmail.com In and Around the Community... Modern Love: Sex, Marriage, Passion and Infidelity with couple's therapist, Esther Perel, sponsored by the UJA Federation of Greenwich Women's Division. Wednesday, December 1st, at 9:30 - 11:15 am. For more information and to rsvp, call Sheila Romanowitz at 203-552-1818 or email her at sheila@ujafedgreenwich.org. Jewish Family Services of Greenwich Adoption Connection Open House & Chanukah Celebration, Thursday, December 2nd at 6:30 pm at JFS, 111 Prospect Street, Greenwich. For more information, contact Debbie Schwartz at 203-622-1881 or email her at dschwartz@jfsgreenwich.org. Discover Schechter Westchester, Tuesday, December 14th at 8 pm. at the home of Steve & Elizabeth Katz. For more information and to rsvp, call Diana Schutt at 914-948-3111 ext. 4370 or email her at dschutt@solomon-schechter.com

Byram has the the sharpest drop-off on assessments

Photo:

Greenwich Assessor Ted Gwartney

Story:

A casualty of the economic downturn and the previously over-inflated real estate market, Byram Property Values have declined more than 13 percent following a just-completed townwide property revaluation.

At the opposite end of the spectrum were waterfront properties in Riverside.

Residential parcels and condominiums represent about 81 percent of taxable property in town, with commercial real estate, motor vehicles and personal property such as office equipment making up the balance.

Commercial property taxes are based on a building's value and a predetermined "capitalization" rate based on income from the property and its capital cost.

Byram property owners should start receiving notices with their new assessments later this week, with informal hearings to follow in December and January for those who have questions or concerns about their valuation.

Assessor Ted Gwartney will hold an informational meeting for the public at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 in the Cole Auditorium at Greenwich Library.

Formal hearings by the Board of Assessment Appeals will be held in the spring of 2011 for aggrieved property owners, who can then go to state Superior Court in Stamford if they are still unhappy.

The new assessments will be applied to taxes owed in August 2011.

10/17/10 Lyon family descendants gather in Greenwich

Lyon family descendants, including granddaughters of the last Lyons to own the historic Thomas Lyon House, joined about 70 other descendants and community members Friday in celebrating the family and the drive to restore the Byram home.

Sisters Julie Pollock, 54, of Wasilla, Alaska, Deborah Loving, 62, of Medina, Ohio, and Barbara Walthall, 59, of Arlington, Va., granddaughters of Julia Lyon Saunders and Chester Saunders, came to Greenwich to reconnect with their Lyon roots.

It was a moving experience for the family members.

"I don't have words how important this is," Loving said about the event and the push to renovate the home. "It is something we have dreamed about all of our lives. It has been an underlying thread in our family discussions."

The sisters also brought items their grandmother kept, including shingles believed to have come from the original home in the 17th century. Some of the items will go on display at an exhibition at the Bruce Museum next year.

http://www.greenwichtime.com/default/article/Lyon-family-descendants-gather-in-Greenwich-708808.php

10/15/10 Rabbi's Weekly Teaching

Weekly Teaching By Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz rabbimitch@templesholom.com
Parashat Lech-Lecha October 15, 2010 Teaching by Rabbi Mitch rabbimitch@templesholom.com This weekend we are blessed to host scholar-in-residence David Keren. David is an incredibly experienced tour guide, and a passionate Jewish educator. He has coordinated and facilitated Israel experiences for thousands of American teenagers over the last 15 years, and serves as the Director for our Conservative movement's youth activities in Israel. David is a certified tour guide with an extensive background in the archeology and history of Israel and Jerusalem in particular. He served as our 2009 Temple's Mission guide, and will do so again with our December 2010 congregational trip. David's presence at Temple Sholom is part of our ongoing initiative for Israel education and advocacy. This initiative is co-chaired by Marshall Cooper and Amy Lipton. They have provided below a note regarding our ongoing efforts. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Mitch It's the Relationship..... "Support us as we grapple with... towering challenges. Back us in our efforts to defend ourselves from terrorist rockets. Uphold us if we have to make painful sacrifices for peace or if we decide that the terms of the proposed treaty fail to justify those sacrifices. Stand with us as we resist Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Respect the decisions we take through our democratic system and respect the risks that we, more than any other nation, take." Thanks to Betty Steinberg for sending us Michael Oren's stirring Yom Kipper sermon, of which the above is an excerpt. Oren makes clear, as Rabbi Mitch did throughout the High Holidays, that Israel needs the support of American Jews and of the United States. Rabbi Mitch stressed that the Jews are a people, and that Israel, the Jewish State, is the Jewish homeland.... our homeland. In the past few months, the media and others have focused on settlements, as if settlements were the only impediment to peace between Israel and the Palestinians. If only this were the case. In fact, settlements are just one of many issues that need to be resolved in "final status" negotiations. We don't know when, if ever, those final status negotiations will occur. If negotiations fall apart, surely the world community and many in the media will blame Israel, which has made unprecedented concessions in its constant quest for peace, and Israel will need our help more than ever. Please, this year, support Israel. If you haven't already and you are able to, visit Israel. Learn more about Israel's history. Come to Temple Sholom and UJA/Federation educational events. Join a pro-Israel advocacy group. "IM" ("Israel Message") your friends and neighbors: let them know Israel matters to you and the United States and tell them why. Pro-Israel activists Ellen Keats, Cindy Masters and Betty Steinberg recently suggested that those concerned with Israel's safety and security: 1)subscribe to the dailyalert.org (to ensure that they stay informed); 2)write to letters@camera.org (to request alerts of biased media coverage); and 3)consult the aipac.org website for clear summaries of current legislative issues and talking points on issues relevant to the pro-Israel community. The peace talks are just one aspect of the US/Israel relationship. Even if those talks fall apart, our relationship with Israel must not. We wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful new year. Marshall Cooper & Amy Lipton
Temple Sholom 300 E. Putnam Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 203-869-7191