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HOD Galil - Monthly Update
February 4, 2019

 


Immediate Past President Bro. Paul W.  toasts incoming Lodge President Bro. Marc P at the Pinot's Pallete evening


Upcoming Calendar

All the exciting details can be found at www.hodgalil.org/events

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Mgmt. Meeting: Feb 12th @ 7 pm

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New Member Coffee Meeting: Feb 19th @ 7 pm

Please invite any potential members to this meeting 

Note: this event is at Bro. Alan Lipman's home

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"Chaverschaft" Lodge Meeting: Feb 21st @ 7.30pm

- raffle drawing (Deadline for raffle sales was 2-1-2019)

- speaker is Jerome Pokroy, he will speak about personal self defense.

This month's lodge will be a "Chavershcaft" lodge. It will begin at 7.30pm with an extended 45 minute time for snacks, drinks and good conversation with fellow brethren and our guests.  The speaker will begin at 8.15pm.

According to HOD Grand President, Alan Rubenstein, these lodges can also be used for "candle" purposes, with those attending able to light two candles the next full lodge you attend.

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Kosher Wine Tasting: Thursday Feb 28th @ 6:15 pm  Total Wine on San Felipe.

Join us at "Total Wine & More" near the Galleria area for a KOSHER wine tasting and a little education about the wine we will be tasting. 

Light KOSHER snacks will be served (not dinner).  

Cost is $ 20 per person for those who RSVP in advance and guests are welcome if you add them to your RSVP.

Maximum capacity is 40 people. Register here:

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Mgmt. Meeting: March 14th

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Houston KOSHER Chili Cook-Off:  March 3rd - in the Beth Yeshurun parking lot.

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Lodge Meeting: Tue March 19th due to Purim. Initiation with dinner


Future Events

Memorial Flag Placement at Houston National Cemetery - Sunday May 26th, 2019

 


President's Column:

Happy February!!

Welcome to the inaugural HOD Galil Monthly Newsletter.  As we grow, we realize that we need multiple ways to communicate with our Brethren, and this is just one more way, along with our official and unofficial Whatsapp groups, our website ( https://www.hodgalil.org ), and periodic reminder emails.  We consider the format a work in progress, so if you have any comments or content you'd like to add, direct them to me at president@hodgalil.org, or our scribe at scribe@hodgalil.org

I'm a bit of a last minute guy - I need deadlines to order my work.  It's 9 pm on the final content deadline and I'm just sitting down to write this.  I've been alternatively considering and procrastinating this task for two weeks now.  But the reason I'm so late today has actually clarified my topic. We have just returned from a vacation, and essentially went right out to a Shiva Minyan for a friend's father.  It occurred to me that the Shiva encapsulates what HOD is, so let me elaborate.

I don't mean to say that all we do is go to Shiva Minyanim.  But the traditions surrounding Jewish prayer require a community - a minyan - to make the prayer most favorable to the Almighty.  Traditionally, "community" was defined minimally as a Minyan for prayer, but I believe that our job as brethren of the order is to try to perform many of the more modern tasks that we define as a community.  Our mission statement is clear on this, but a bit too broad to be of much help in our day-to-day: "serving the community."

But our Aims and Objectives give us more guidance: “To raise funds for local worthwhile charities,” “To support local institutions by the giving of our time,” “To support brethren in time of their difficulties,” “To strengthen bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and the State of Israel,” “To plan initiatives to support our community.”  Service to our community is the core mission of HOD, and we are constantly seeking to provide you with opportunities to do that in a fraternity of like-minded men.

So I will end with an ask - Though we’d love to see you at a monthly Lodge meeting, I realize we all lead very busy lives (hence my absence from the Dec & Jan Lodge meetings).  Please commit to participate in at least one of our service events throughout the coming year. It could be our team for the Houston Kosher Chili Cookoff (contact team captain Bro Ivor for details), a Minyan call that goes out on Whatsapp, flag-planting for Memorial Day, selling Israel Mission Raffle Tickets, helping with Bingo at Seven Acres, or something else that sparks your interest.  

Thanks!

Fraternally,

Bro Marc P


Last Lodge Meeting Summary

Dear Brethren,

The last lodge meeting took place on January 17, 2019. It was attended by 34 brethren. We voted on starting next month’s meeting, which will be held on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 7:00 pm so that our speaker, Jerome Pokroy, would be able to  attend. Worthy Brother Nat spoke about the process of entering the lodge. Please remember to pay for your dues, which can be done online or by check.  The next coffee meeting will be on April 3, 2019 at Brother Alan Lipman’s house. Please continue to send any Bikur Holim needs to Brother Ivor. Brother Manny spoke about keeping our eyes open for any job needs and opportunities. We have sold 322 raffle tickets so far. Please keep selling. The last day will be on February 1st, 2019. Our gravestone project is continuing to be worked on and will benefit all the local Jewish cemeteries. Brother Rabbi Dovid Goldstein is looking for any volunteers interested in prison visits. We have 26 people signed up for the spouse appreciation brunch. The wine tasting is scheduled for February 28th. We ended with our speaker, Dena Marks,from the ADL who spoke on the increase of Antisemitism.


Recent Events

Spouse Appreciation Brunch

A most enjoyable event at the ERJCC. The delicious brunch was catered by Layke, who provided an eye-opening, sumptuous meal.


The honored spouses enjoyed taking part in the annual event.


President Brother Marc welcomed all those present. He then presented some of our brethren with their HOD certificates.


The brethren and their partners took part in a fun but difficult Trivia Quiz.

HOD Galil Vice President Bro Shim presented the winner, Barbara, with a beautiful handmade mezuzah.



New members in the last 3 months:

Mauricio Bielaz

Scott Gardner

Brian Gavin

Yigal Saghian

Joshua Segall

Proposed members:

David Fishman

Gadi Pour

Submitted by - Secretary: Bro. Jeff K


Featured Brother

It is only fitting that our 1st featured Bro is: 

Wor. Bro. Nat Levy

nat-levy

Nat is a real Gem.  A lovable true Mench.  Wise beyond his years.

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What you may not know about “Worthy Brother” Nat Levy

By Brother Steve Levine

Worthy Brother Nat Levy was born in Cape Town, South Africa and spent most of his life there. After getting an LLB degree, Nat practiced law before moving to Houston in 1979. Nat’s dad was a Postmaster, his mom was a beautician, and he grew up with a younger brother, Bernard (6 years his junior).

There were a couple of events during Nat's childhood that would affect his life forever. The first event happened when he was 3 1/2 years old. In October of 1939, Nat and his mom were sitting on the veranda of their home waiting for his dad to return from work. When his dad arrived, he announced, “We are at war with Hitler!” Nat is quick to say about that statement that his dad did not say that the war was with Germany, but, was specifically with “Hitler!”

Consequently, when Nat was 8 years old and attending Christian Boys School, a group of his fellow classmates were bullying another classmate. They shouted, “You are a Nazi!", just because he was German. This upset Nat so much that he stepped in to defend his classmate and let the others know that it was not fair to assume that the boy was a Nazi just because he was German.

In school, Nat excelled in sports and was captain of the debate team. He graduated high school at 16 years old and became an attorney at 21. Eventually, he partnered with his brother, Bernard, in a law practice together.

Convincing a judge or jury was one thing, but convincing Nat's future wife, Jill, to date him was quite another! Jill and Nat met through a mutual friend over tea and when he met her, he was smitten and said to himself that she would make a great wife. Unfortunately, Jill had no interest in him and turned him down for a date the two times that he asked her! Not wanting to face a “third strike”, he waited six months to call her and ask again and, this time, she accepted his third invitation. As the expression goes, "Third time's a charm", because they married a year later. Nat shared, "She was the love of my life. Sadly, she passed away in March of 2018."

The good feeling of philanthropy that Nat has practiced his entire life developed at a very early age. When he was very young, his mother would take him by bus to town to do their shopping and often there were people on the side of the road begging for money. Nat remembers that instead of his mother personally giving these people the money, she would hand it to her young son so he could give the money to them. That feeling is something that he always remembers and is part of his generous nature.

In the lodge, we know that Nat is a “Worthy Brother” who first joined H.O.D. in 1960, became President of Lodge #5, and was on the legal committee for the Grand Lodge. What you may not know about our brother, Nat, was that he was asked to and accepted an offer to be part of Nelson Mandela’s Defense Team! He is now one of the remaining members of that team who is still alive.

When asked. “What was the one thing that most impacted your life”, Nat recalled a memory from first grade at Loretta Convent. He vividly remembers the following as a sign on the wall:

Before I Open My Mouth to Speak, I Must Ask Myself

Is it true?

Is it fair?

Will it hurt someone?

Nat believes that is great advice for anyone before you speak or before you hit the “Send” button, and I totally agree with him, too!


Good Work of the Lodge

 

Bro Manny wants to remind us of this feature to our members.

Always looking to put people to work and places to offer them work.

 

Prison Chaplaincy

Dear HOD Brothers,

Bro. Mannie M. and Myself are looking for volunteers to assist with the Jewish programs at the Stringfellow Prison in Rosharon and the Jester 3 Prison in Richmond.

If you are interested in getting involved by visiting one of the prisons, please send a picture of your Drivers License to rabbi@rabbired.com ASAP.

We will then call a meeting and have a training session which will allow you to be a volunteer.  Need at least 6 people to have an orientation class.

Bro.Rabbi Dovid G. 

 

Gravestone Project

The lodge is embarking on an impressive mitzvah project.

Bro Alan L. and Bro Ivor S. are heading up the start of a large project to get all Jewish Cemeteries to get stones on graves that do not have them. More details to follow soon. These are for burials that occurred many years ago and for one reason or another the deceased either did not have local family or the family themselves might be deceased now.   

So far it looks like most of the Rabbis and Shuls are on board and we are now waiting to get an estimate of how many will be needed, which will enable us to firm up a price for markers.

Let all souls rest in peace with markers.

For anyone interested in helping on this project, please do not hesitate to call us.

Bro Alan and Bro Ivor

 


NEW video of what HOD Galil has done during the last year: 

Here's where to see the video of our activities through 2018.

https://youtu.be/MGRz1xheEqg

 

This video was "Premiered" at the wonderful Spouse Appreciation Brunch held on 1-27-2019 at the ERJCC. 


 

HOD Galil of Houston Officers

Albert Passy - President

Shim Brookman - Vice-President

Paul Wainstein - Past President

Joe Blog - Treasurer

Jeff Klein - Secretary

Josh Sanchez - Preceptor

Mark Katzenellenbogen  - Scribe

Steve Levine - Registrar

Andrew Toubin - Inner Guard

Lawrence Barris - Trustee

Steve Meyer - Trustee

Alan Lipman - Trustee

Nat Levy Honorary - Trustee


HOD Podcast!!!

A Jewish radio station in South Africa has a weekly radio show/podcast on HOD with a former HOD International Grand President, Stan Klaff .  You can listen here:

http://www.chaifm.com/the-hod/

UPDATE: see below as the latest one includes WB Lawrence Barris, our founding President!!... :

HOD Reverse

 

Thursday 31 January 2019

6 to 7pm

Why Our Service Organizations Are Dying (and how to fix them)

Michael Brand from Portland, Oregon

Wor Bro Lawrence Barris founder of Lodge Galil in Houston

 

 

ChaiFM is not only Live on Air it has live streaming as well

http://www.chaifm.com/

Recordings of the show will be available on the site and we will distribute regularly

 We are also selling Advertising during the show in 30 second slots - reasonable rates - just ask - the revenue is part of a fundraising exercise for the Order

 for any queries or suggestions (most welcome)

Wor Bro Stan Klaff

 


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Lodge Galil, Houston, TX

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