The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County

516 Prospect Street, Maplewood, New Jersey 07040  Phone 973-763-1905     Email: ecsec.nj@gmail.com
Board of Trustees:Tom Cunningham, President; Jacqueline Herships, Vice-President; Diane Beeny; Jill Farrer;
William Graves; ; Lisa Novemsky; Bill Stoever, Terri Suess; Peggy Toy. Leader Emeriti: Martha Gallahue, Boe Meyerson, Jim White
Liz Cunningham, Office Manager

Update 5-30-22

We're on Facebook --  Twitter too! -- Folk Fridays -- Events This Month
Last Year's Programs-- Current Newsletter -- Past Newsletters
Snapshots of our Ethical Education Program!
We're in the news!

Ethical Culture is a Humanist Religion--
Try out our programs by Zoom--come and visit us soon!

 

 

June 5, 2002
11:00 a.m. by Zoom

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
About Electric-Cars

Andy Weinberger

Andy Weinberger will speak about electric vehicles and their positive and negative points as well as some general thoughts on why to choose one and what things to consider in selecting one. He will discuss some specifics of the vehicles and some of the myths about them. He will answer questions at the end and notes that, although he is familiar with electric vehicles, he does not maintain he is an expert in all aspects of them!

Andy, a resident of Orange, is also a current ECS Board member and past president, husband of Meredith Sue Willis, father of ex-youth member Joel, and a grandfather of three.

 

 

Sunday, May 29, 2022

Barry Bendar

Ranked Choice Voting

Barry Bendar: Ranked Choice Voting - A Better Electoral Process?

Barry Bendar  is a founding member of Voter Choice New Jersey. He has been involved with various political and environmental causes since his college days in the mid to late '70s, and became much more involved politically in the early 2000s.  He lives in Ocean County and has been active in local politics since 2002. Barry said,  "I observed how our current electoral process has alienated many folks. It wasn't until 2017 that I received my first lesson in Ranked Choice Voting, and I've been an advocate ever since, noting how it can bring more people into the electoral process."  Currently, he is VCNJ'S data management lead, and works on both its outreach team and its speakers bureau.

 

Barry Bendar has been an Information Technology professional for 42 years and specializes in Database Administration.  He’s been a Political Activist since 2002 and can see that the only answer to the mess that our electoral system is in, is ranked choice voting. 

 

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May 22, 2022

11:00 a.m. by Zoom

 

Annual Meeting of our society 

 

Our president, Tom Cunningham, will conduct the meeting, starting with his own president’s report. As always, it will be a chance to get an overview of the state of the society and what lies ahead, in terms of plans and programs (whether on Zoom or in person). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 15, 2022
11:00 a.m.

All Society Platform

Sunday, May 15, 11 am

All Society Meeting - Celebrating How We Got Here In the era of the Third Great Awakening when the Free Religious Association was formed around such moral causes as the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage, a 24-year-old reformed Rabbi, Felix Adler, spoke out: “There is a great and crying evil in modern society… It is that narrowness of vision which shuts out the wider vistas of the soul… where the roots of private virtue are diseased, the fruit of public probity cannot but be corrupt.”  One hundred and forty-six year after the founding platform of Ethical Culture, members, friends and guests will gather from societies across the country to review the major accomplishments of the ethical movement and to share personal reflections about how we got here. There will be an informal interview of 5 or 7 members, followed by breakout groups where members and guests can participate with their own stories and connections. The Platform will highlight a number of musicians in the Ethical Culture movement.  Stay tuned for for information on what will be a reflective and interesting discussion on the past, present, and future of Ethical Culture.     Â

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 8, 2022 11:00 a.m. 11 am Bennet Zurofsky - "May Day"             2 pm Join the St. Louis Society for a discussion on the Future of Ethical Culture Here's the link: https://www.ethicalstl.org/event/does-ethical-culture-have-a-future/

 

 

 

 

May 1, 2022 James Croft's Call for Action ECS member and Social Action committee chair Meredith Sue Willis will lead a dive into the letter by James Croft that has shaken up the American Ethical Culture community.   Croft, the leader of the Ethical Society of St. Louis, proclaimed that the Ethical Culture movement is dead -- or perhaps still on life-support, and resuscitatable if we rally our forces.   Read the letter here: https://onlysky.media/jcroft/ethical-culture-is-dead-long-live-congregational-humanism

 

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2022

11:00 a.m.

 

Sunday, April 24, 11 am

Terri Suess: Earth Day Celebration & Call to Action     Terri Suess will lead a discussion of what Earth Day means in 2022, both as a celebration and as a call to action. Suess, a longtime member of ECSEC, former president of the society and current treasurer, is also an artist and an activist, fighting for social justice, and a sustainable future. She will present: 1) a brief history of EarthDay. 2) the NJ Murphy Administration Climate Goals. 3) a "report card," regarding what has been done so far. 4) what needs to be done! A) Stop fossil fuel infrastructure projects that will destroy our reductions in Greenhouse Gas emissions.    B) Move to Electric Buildings initiatives to re-power homes and businesses for our health and environment!  5) What can you do today? -- Sign petition to Governor Murphy to put a moratorium on Fossil Fuel Projects. -- Help pass a resolution in your town for Clean Energy through Community Choice Aggregation programs. -- Replace Gas or Oil appliances with Electric -- heat pump; electric or solar thermal water heater; induction stove; updated, energy efficient refrigerator (replace if more than 15 years old as newer models are more efficient). -- Work for All Electric Building laws and building code revisions (like the one being considered in NY State, and one passed in NYC, and other municipalities and states). --  Consider Solar Panels to offset electrical generation with clean energy. (Panels are modular, so you can install some, and later add more, if you wish.)_ --  Consider car pooling, combining trips when you do drive, drive less.  Walk or bicycle when possible. Take Public Transit. --   Possibly shift to hybrid car (electric and gas powered) or electric car (all electric operated). --   Be ready for NJ Plastic Bag Ban -- May 4th!  There is something we can each pledge to do this Earth Day to roll-back climate change, improve our health and save our environment!

 

 

 

April 17, 2022

Bart Worden

Executive Director, American Ethical Union

All Society Platform
By Zoom

(Watch here for more information)

OUR PERSONAL HISTORIES: HOW OUR BORROWED IDEAS
AND STORIES AFFECT OUR ETHICS
Bart Worden, Execuitive Director, AEU &
Leader, Ethical Culture of Westchester

As much as we may like to think of ourselves as individuals with our own thoughts, ideas, and feelings, we create our individual selves out of the milieu we live in. Our thoughts are limited by the languages we have acquired, our ideas are(at least for the most part) based upon the work of others, and even our feelings are greatly informed by our culture. In this talk Bart will explore some of the benefits and obstacles of our "borrowed" individuality and offer some ideas for making the most of our situations.

 

 

 

 

April 10, 2022

 

Jeanine Rosh: Seasonal Celebrations

April 10, 2022 Jeanine led us in a discussion on Seasonal Celebrations.
We ranged from the Hindu festival of Holi to Passover, Easter, and much more.

Led by Jeanine Rosh, we will shared the various traditions we and our families observe around this time of the year. Feel free to eat, drink and enjoy whatever refreshments grace your particular celebration.

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April 3, 2022

Tom Cunningham

Tom Cunningham: How Do Adults Grow Up?

You might be familiar with popular theories of childhood development, such as those of Piaget. But what about adults? Do we continue to develop after adolescence? In what ways do we keep growing?

Join Tom Cunningham as he explores the world of adult development with a special focus on the work of Jane Loevinger and Susanne Cook-Greuter. Tom will share a stage theory of adult development that helps us look at our own lives and reflect on how we make meaning in the world. Come prepared to end up with as many questions as you have answers!

Tom Cunningham is the Vice President of People at Pariveda Solutions, an international consulting company. Tom's  responsibilities include oversight of the Talent Development group and the design and teaching of many of the internal courses at Pariveda, as well as leadership of the mentoring program and the executive development program. His professional background also includes undergraduate and high school teaching.

A resident of South Orange, Tom is a regular speaker at the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County and the president of the board of directors.

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, March 27, 2022

11:00 a.m.

Living Ethical Culture - Our Democracy
and the Questions We're Facing

with Terri Suess

 

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Sunday, March 20, 2022

Taking a Closer Look at Reparations

 

"Taking a Closer Look at Reparations" with Laurie Beacham, Esq., Director of Communications at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, and Professor Khalil Muhammad, Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy.

 Alice Robinson-Gilman and Meredith Sue Willis have prepared a shorter version of the much longer zoom presentation from the Community Coalition on Race (CCR). The presentation provided historical context, information about current circumstances, and addressed questions and concerns about how to make a difference in addressing the racial inequities perpetuated by laws, policies, and cultural and segregative practices that cause generational disparities.

We will have a discussion following the showing led by Alice Robinson-Gilman, Ethical Culture Vice President and Meredith Sue Willis, member of the CCR for over 25 years and past  president of Ethical Culture as well.

We suggest that you might want to listen to the entire program prior to our platform since we will only be highlighting the content. You can find the program "Reparations" on the website of the Community Coalition on Race.

 

 

 

 

To follow up: To see the whole Coalition on race "Reparations" video:

 

CLICK HERE.

 

• Laurie Beacham, Esq., Director of Communications at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice

• Professor Khalil Muhammad, Ford Foundation Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy.

• Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, (Democrat, Bergen and Passaic counties)

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Follow-up to 3-20-22 program: CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

March 13, 2022 11:00 a.m.

Paying Tribute to Our Favorite Women

 

Discussing our favorite women: Eleanor Roosevelt and others!

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday March 6, 2022

11:00 a.m. by Zoom

 

 

Sunday, March 6, 11 am ;

Julia Julstrom-Agoyo: Abolishing Prisons in the U.S. Julia will take us through the history of the prison system in the U.S. to show how we came to have the highest number of incarcerated individuals worldwide. Though some advocate for prison reform, is it possible to reform a system that was built to punish as opposed to rehabilitate, and is inextricably linked to racism? Others advocate for "alternatives to incarceration" such as electronic monitoring and extended probation, but these are merely an extension of punishment and control by the state. Why are people uncomfortable with "abolition"? What would truly alternative justice practices look like? Julia will discuss these questions and propose a future without prisons, bringing in observations from her work in the criminal justice/immigration space. Julia holds a BA in International Studies (Human Rights) from the University of Iowa and is currently a Masters of International Affairs Candidate at Columbia University, focusing on human rights policy and international conflict resolution. Previously, Julia completed a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Pahang, Malaysia, worked as a Family Reunification Specialist for unaccompanied immigrant minors in her hometown of Chicago, and assisted in the representation of detained non-citizens facing deportation in New York as a paralegal. Julia grew up in Ethical Culture and serves as the Future of Ethical Societies (FES) Liaison to the AEU and the AHA Youth Representative to the United Nations. She has received the Philip G. Hubbard Human Rights Award and the Burns H. Weston International Human Rights Essay Prize.

 

 

 

Sunday February 27 2022

11:00 a.m. by Zoom

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ECSEC held a Social Sunday on Zoom--
Jeanine Rosh, Master of Ceremonies

Gather your refreshments of choice and settle in for a catch-up, a chance to share views and experiences of this strange time. By Zoom.

 

Sunday, February 20, 2022
11:00 a.m.

Dr. Mike Friedman

Hardcore Humanism

Psychologist and Maplewood resident,
Dr. Mike Friedman, spoke on the
topic ‘Hardcore Humanism’
in music, psychology, and life.

 

 

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Alice Robinson-Gilman and Meredith Sue Willis

Alice Interviews MSW about her long participation with the Community Coalition on Race and how it has affected her life.

 

 

 

Sunday, February 6, 2022
11:00 a.m.

Terri Suess

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Ethical Aspects of Bitcoin and Cybercurrency

 

 

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January 30, 2022

All Societies Platform

 

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Title: "W.E.B. Dubois: Will the Truth Set You Free?"

Description: The author of the address is Dr. W.E.B. Dubois, who spoke to a group at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on February 7, 1949. (Thanks to Carolyn Parker for finding the text of Dr. Dubois' talk!) This very timely address pertains especially to the need to face facts about enslavement and racism and to acknowledge the contributions of people of African descent - and it points out numerous places where that facing of fact has not occurred.

Dr. Dubois' words pertain especially to the resolution passed at the  AEU Assembly in 2017, "Toward Repairing the Harm of Racism" which states: "Therefore, we affirm efforts to study the lasting effects of the heritage of enslavement and racial discrimination especially on living African Americans, but also on other people of color, and on American society as a whole. We also affirm efforts to study ways that such lasting negative effects can be repaired, and to be involved in actions to repair such effects."

Special thanks to the volunteer planners of the 1/30 All-Society Platform: Susan Solomon of the Ethical Society of Northern Westchester, Carolyn Parker of the Ethical Society of Austin, Taty Sena of the Brooklyn Society For Ethical Culture, and Joanna Brandt of the Baltimore Ethical Society!

Date/time: Sunday, January 30, 2022 / 11:00 am Eastern Time

Zoom info: 

Join Zoom Meeting by computer, tablet or smartphone: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89193335697

Join by phone:
Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 891 9333 5697

 

 

 

 

 

Society President Tom Cunningham

Colloquy on Having a Leader--Or Not

 

 

Tom Cunningham will lead a members discussion on the role of a leader in the Ethical movement and our society’s options and preferences going forward.   January 30: All-Society Platform (topic to be announced)   Zoom links will be provided closer to the date.  

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, January 16, 2022

 

Finding Your Inner David to Meet the Challenges of our Present Day Goliaths

A Colloquy Led by Esther Barcun & Alice Robinson-Gilman 

With Musical Interlude by
Aidan Cunningham

 

In his book "David and Goliath," writer and culture critic Malcolm Gladwell speaks to the challenge of taking on an opponent who outmatches you in size, strength and power. Goliath was large and strong but rather slow and clumsy while David was small and slight but agile and excellent in the use of the slingshot. If those two had engaged in close physical contact, David was doomed to fail. However, David changed the terms of battle, played to his own strengths, and used his slingshot rather than engage in physical combat and HE WON!

 

Is there a lesson for us in the story of David and Goliath if we want to take on the Goliaths of our culture? Who are they from your perspective and how can you (and we) harness our inner David to take them on? Our January 16th program will be a Colloquy on this subject. 

 

Esther Barcun has been involved with Ethical Culture since High School and an active member of  the Essex Society since 1985. Over the years Esther has presented a number of Sunday morning platforms, co-chaired several retreats in past years, and served on the Board and other committees. A retired Geriatric Social Worker, Esther is an activist for social justice and good governance. 

elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Sunday Platform January 16
Time: Jan 16, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, January 9, 11 am

  David Rothenberg: The Crime of Punishment     The Fortune Society’s David Rothenberg will join us to speak about what Eric Adams will be facing, along with the rippling effect of the failure of our criminal justice system, including employment, housing, health care, etc. David Rothenberg is a producer, director, author, activist, and the founder of The Fortune Society. He was inspired to start Fortune after producing a play called Fortune and Men’s Eyes which revealed the horrors of life in prison. Over the past 50 Years, Fortune has become one of the nation’s leading reentry service organizations, serving nearly 7,000 individuals annually, with a wide range of holistic services to meet their needs. It has secured a position as a leading advocate in the fight for criminal justice reform and alternatives to incarceration. David has hosted a weekly radio program on WBAI for nearly 50 years. His autobiography is titled Fortune In my Eyes.       Click here for more information and the Zoom link

 

Coat Collection

December 4, 2021 through January 1, 2022

Students for Justice at Columbia High School

Supported by the Social Action Committee of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

 

A Special Last Platform of 2021 Dear members and friends, For the last platform of the year, we invite you to gather on Zoom for music and a story on Sunday, December 19, at 11:00a.m. Birgit Matzerath will perform Mozart's Sonata No 13 in B-flat major K 333, and Zia Durrani will read a story (translated from German by Birgit) - a beautiful story that will give us something to think and talk about. That's all we're giving away. For full enjoyment of the event, grab a hot beverage and some cookies and join us on December 19.Â

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lorraine Jenks & Margaret Kwateng:
Our Climate Emergency: Where Do We Go From Here?

 

 

 

Lorraine Jenks & Margaret Kwateng: Our Climate Emergency: Where Do We Go From Here?

We are invited to join the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture for a personal account of the COP26 environment conference in Glasgow. The Zoom link will be sent later this week.

Margaret Kwateng is the National Green New Deal Organizer at Grassroots Global Justice, where she is working with members to build toward a regenerative feminist economy. Prior to joining GGJ, Margaret worked for years as a community and labor organizer in working class communities of color and with rank and file nurses. In 2014, she co-founded Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, a multi-issue community organization in upstate New York. As a former member of GGJ’s sister alliance, Right to the City, Margaret’s became plugged into GGJ activities such as the CJA conference in 2015, the ITR People’s Caravan in 2016, as well as local and broader actions throughout 2017. She currently lives in Brooklyn, where she was born and raised, though her time in the Hudson Valley led her to an unexpected appreciation of the outdoors and uncommon CSA vegetables

Lorraine Jenks, who addressed our 7/25/20 all-society platform, is a Johannesburg-based environmental expert. She attended the recent Glasgow conference with  help from supporters (including the Brooklyn society). Lorraine isa global TEDx speaker, a greening facilitator and a sustainable procurement, supply chain and circularity specialist.  A teacher by profession (University of the Witwatersrand), she has two additional Montessori Method qualifications.  A certified Climate Reality Leader trained by Former US Vice President, Al Gore, Lorraine also studied under the United Nations Eco-Labelling Project, the National Cleaner Production Programme, Green Building Council’s Interior Design and Décor, Green Leaf Carbon Auditors and is a qualified Procurement and Supply Chain Manager.

   Her career as an activist began in the 1970s during her “hippie” years when she travelled to California and worked with the brand new Environmental Protection Agency.  After returning to South Africa Lorraine spent 15 years as Contracts and Procurement Manager for Africa’s largest hotel chain – working on new builds, refurbishments, management and operations. It became her personal mission to find a more eco-friendly version of every product and service in her Purchasing Manual. Winner of 20 awards and honours in her 70s, along with her indomitable team she also manages two leading non-profit “yellow page” product directories – www.hotelstuff.co.za for all sectors and www.greenstuff.co.za which lists only eco-friendly goods and services. These are used by up to 33,000 buyers every month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Update on Immigration
Detention in New Jersey

Giselle Holloway
Executive Director of First Friends NJ NY

Sunday, November 21, 2021
11:00 a.m.
By Zoom

 

For over 25 years, Giselle has been helping nonprofit organizations achieve their strategic, programmatic and financial objectives.  As Executive Director of First Friends of New Jersey & New York, she is responsible for the overall planning and integration of the organization’s programs, operations, finances, and human resources.

Prior to joining First Friends, Giselle held leadership positions at the International Rescue Committee, United States Golf Association, Thirteen WNET Public Television, God’s Love We Deliver, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Giselle holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the Boston College School of Management and an Executive Certificate in Transformational Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Notre Dame.

 

 

First Friends of NJ and NY is an organization that upholds the inherent dignity and humanity of detained immigrants and asylum seekers. We provide compassion and hope through volunteer visitation, resettlement assistance and advocacy. First Friends of NJ & NY serves immigrants and asylum seekers held in detention in the Elizabeth Detention Center, the Essex County Correctional Facility, the Bergen County Jail and the Hudson County Correction & Rehabilitation Center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW COURSE BY LEADER JIM WHITE: 'FROM EACH ACCORDING TO ABILITY...'

 

What is the most ethical framing of our goal for a future world of justice and peace, where each may flourish to the full extent of their potential? Sadly, Thomas Jefferson's stirring formulation of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" has proved a cruel joke for many. Ethical Culture's philosophy, respect the worth and dignity of each and work for a more humane world, is fundamental, but insufficiently specific as to outcome. Marx and Engels close their 1848 Manifesto with "From each according to ability…to each according to need,” as the ultimate goal of revolutionary society. But the disasters of both Soviet and Chinese movements require in-depth analysis and corrections to theory and practice.

We will meet in three Zoom sessions to explore the critical dimensions of this issue. Then we will share our experiences in the thick of activist struggles, analyzing when and how we raise the issue of ultimate goals, and what kinds of discussions ensued. Then we will evaluate the lessons we’ve learned.

Those interested in attending should choose either Tuesday evenings, Sept. 14, Sept. 28, and Oct. 12, 7-8:30 pm, or Wednesday evenings, Sept. 15, Sept. 29, and Oct. 13, 7-8:30 pm. Let Jim White, james.white173@gmail.com, know of your interest by Sept. 7, including which set of dates works best for you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farewell to Suzanne Gluck Sosis (See her obituary here), long time Society member.

Leader Emeritus Jim White says of her, "Her commitment and gracious presence deeply enriched our community for years and helped to lay the foundation for what we are and will continue to be."

Suzanne above in lavender dress, at memorial for Phil Sosis

 

 

 

 

Sunday, September 26, 2021
The Social Action Committee of the
Ethical Culture Society of Essex County

Honored

Nancy Zak
2020-21 Local Hero

(see all local hero awards)

 

The Social Action Committee of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County decided some years ago that there was a need to recognize the many people doing projects and behind-the-scenes work every day to press forward the arc of justice. We thus instituted a Local Hero Award to be presented yearly to someone, usually from Essex County, New Jersey, who has enriched the lives of our community and region with ethical values and actions. Through this award, we give recognition to individuals and publicity to the work and organizations that the honoree values. For information about our previous Local Heroes, please take a look here. Among our previous local heroes have been Bennet Zurofsky, Ingrid S. Hill, and Widney Brown.

 

 

 

 

This year's Local Hero is Nancy Zak is a Newark resident who has been working for Ironbound Community Corporation as a community organizer for over 35 years. She has been involved with a variety of citywide issues, including affordable housing, tenant rights, city budget issues, the right to speak, preserving the library, planning, zoning and environmental issues. She was a member of the first class of Rutgers Gus Henningburg Fellows, sponsored by the Institute of Ethnicity and Culture. Over the years, she has received many awards, including the Newark Fire Department Community Service Award, Wynona Lipman Award, the City of Newark, The Challenge of Caring Award from the East Ward Councilman, Power 15 Award (Newarks' Most Influential Grassroots Leaders), the EPA Environmental Quality Award, and the Newark Public Schools Excellence Award for Partnership with the Community (elected by parents).

On the neighborhood level, for ICC, she has been active in toxic waste clean up, neighborhood planning and many other quality of life issues for and with Ironbound residents. She published a tri-lingual neighborhood newspaper, Ironbound Voices, for over twenty years.

Two proud accomplishments are coordinating a successful park preservation effort for Riverbank Park, the 100 year old Olmsted park which was threatened with demolition, through a volunteer community group called SPARK (Save the Park at Riverbank) and helping to shepherd the new Riverfront Park to completion (2012-13). Nancy lives in Newark with her husband, Newark native Arnold Cohen, and her daughter Beth.

9-12-21 Opening Program
What lies behind - what lies ahead of us

What lies behind - what lies ahead of us. Reflections in Music, Prose and Poetry, honoring the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and the experience of the Pandemic. Texts by Carrie Wolf-Bragonier, Esther Barcun, Hopi Chief White Eagle, e.e. cummings and others. Music by J.S. Bach: Partita No 1 in B-flat major 

See Social Action Committee minutes here.

July 25, 2021-- Essex Hosted an All-Societies platform!

Lorraine Jenks:
Climate, Ecocide and Sustainability

 

Why are we facing a climate and ecosystem crisis? Can we influence what comes next?

Lorraine Jenks will summarise the science, recent research, reports and targets; draw parallels between Covid and Climate; demystify the hype, tired clichés, corporate-speak and acronyms. She will share tips and techniques that do the work for us around the trending jargon called the "circular economy", conscious procurement and sustainable supply chain… surprisingly simply ways to make better choices… better choices that we should and "they" must make.

An entertaining motivation and a call to action to leave the group feeling well-informed, confident and with the courage to demand actions that will future-proof families and careers.

Lorraine Jenks is a global TEDx speaker, a greening facilitator and a sustainable procurement, supply chain and circularity specialist. A teacher by profession (University of the Witwatersrand), she has two additional Montessori Method qualifications. A certified Climate Reality Leader trained by Former US Vice President, Al Gore, Lorraine also studied under the United Nations Eco-Labelling Project, the National Cleaner Production Programme, Green Building Council's Interior Design and Décor, Green Leaf Carbon Auditors and is a qualified Procurement and Supply Chain Manager.

With her unique style, Lorraine has become a popular international speaker. She runs workshops, consults and manages fully furnished "green" exhibition homes and hotels. Her career as an activist began in the 1970s during her "hippie" years when she travelled to California and worked with the brand new Environmental Protection Agency. After returning to South Africa Lorraine spent 15 years as Contracts and Procurement Manager for Africa's largest hotel chain – working on new builds, refurbishments, management and operations.

It became her personal mission to find a more eco-friendly version of every product and service in her Purchasing Manual. Winner of 20 awards and honours in her 70s, along with her indomitable team she also manages two leading non-profit "yellow page" product directories – www.hotelstuff.co.za for all sectors and www.greenstuff.co.za which lists only eco-friendly goods and services. These are used by up to 33,000 buyers every month. Lorraine will share the latest science, some practical tips, techniques and solutions to help you future proof your family and your career and to feel in better control of an uncertain future.

 

 

 

 

Saturday, June 19, 2021

 

Getting to Know Each Other More Deeply:
A Vital Process for Bringing Out the Best in Each Other

  Zoom Workshop with Essex Ethical Leader Emeritus Jim White

Who is Jim White?

Jim White, leader emeritus of the Ethical Society of Essex County, New Jersey, was born in 1947 in Charlottesville, Va. and grew up a happy farm boy (4-H and all that). Four bad years at an elite university, a year and a half of seminary, a masters at Columbia Teachers College, and a JD from New York Law School. Trained and Certified as an Ethical Culture Leader 1989. Thirty-five years as a mental health lawyer and thirteen years as a part time congregational leader.

Married to the singer and nurse Eileen Karlson. Two outstanding sons and four wonderful grandkids. Since 2016, a full-time activist and granddad.

Co-chair of Harlem's Congregations for Justice and Peace and co-founder of Bronx Climate Justice North and North Bronx Coalition Against Racism.

 

 

Attendees at the 6-19-21 Zoom Workshop

 

Among the exercises the group experienced were:

 

1. Who made you feel respected and secure as a person

2. What experiences were especially fun for you as a child?

3. What mistake did you make that changed your decision making going forward?

4. What were the forces shaping your reasoning as a humanist? How did you find Ethical Culture?

5. Who was a model for you grounding your commitment to work for justice and peace?

6. What helped you survive adolescence? I welcome other suggestions.

 

 

Special Invitation:
Jim Invites Individual Conversations

He says, "I warmly invite each of you to e-mail me suggesting time(s) when we can have a one-to-one phone conversation before Saturday:   james.white173@gmail.com

I offer you my profound thanks for this invitation to grow together in the ethical life!

                     

 In Ethical Growth,
Jim

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This program is part of Essex Ethical's Living Ethical Culture in Today's World initiative,

 

Sunday, June 6, 2021

 

Excellent Program with Evelyn Chu, Aidan Cunningham, Jasper Cunningham, and Julia Sommers about the challenges of remote learning and the uncertainty of school openings under the Covid-19 Quarantine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, June 6, 11 am

School Life During Quarantine A Panel Discussion Moderated by Evelyn Chu Join a panel discussion featuring students and parents who managed their way through the past school year despite the challenges of the pandemic. Evelyn Chu will moderate, asking questions about remote learning, hybrid learning, the challenges of learning from home, and dealing with the uncertainty of school reopenings. Our panel will include local students, parents, and educators who can give a first-hand account of what school life was like under quarantine. elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Sunday, June 6 Platform on Kindness Time: June 6, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)   For zoom url, contact ecsecnj@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, May 9, 2021 11:00 a.m.
Raj Nigam: Kindness

Kindness is an act that enhances the welfare of others as an end in itself and without expecting anything in return. From my Hinduism background, I will present my own version of its hierarchical framework, and take a look at its multi-dimensionality. It is critical that we stay grounded in, and act in, kindness – in whatever shape or form that reflects our self.
--Raj Nigam

 

Raj Nigam grew up in India and has been in the US for more than 55 years. He worked in the Applied Mathematics and Statistics area in business, before retiring in 2004. He enjoys writing, gardening, photography, traveling, tutoring, and support of social action. He and his wife Elaine have been active in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, New Jersey for 45+ years. Thanks to Esther Barcun for this connection. elaine durbach is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.   Topic: Sunday May 9 Platform on Kindness Time: May 9, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

 

 

 

 

 

April 18, 2021
11:00 a.m. by Zoom
Ethical Culture Society of Essex County

Bill Graves
Making Voting Fairer

 

Essex Ethical member Bill Graves will address the question of “Making Voting Fairer”   Many people assume that the right to vote entails the right of any citizen to go to a public place, get an “official” printed ballot or access to a voting machine or, more recently, getting an “official” mail-in ballot, mark one’s choices on the ballot & submit the ballot by mail, machine or into a ballot box. This has not been the case historically.  What we consider normal now is the result of changes that were often considered revolutionary and/or dangerous at the time they were made. In the United states there are proposals to change the way we vote to make voting flexible and fairer and to involve more people in voting. How should we proceed on these proposals in light of the history of how voting has changed over time?

About Bill Graves: I cast my first vote in the 1960 election. I voted for Democrat, John F. Kennedy for President and Republican, Clifford Case for U.S. Senate.  Kennedy won New Jersey by 0.8 % and Case won by 11+%.  Obviously ticket splitting was not unusual at that time. In 1980 I switched my party registration to Republican so I could vote for John Anderson in the Republican primary.  When Anderson dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination, I was left with a choice of Ronald Regan or George H.W. Bush. I voted for Harold E. Stassen of Minnesota. I have often wondered why people don’t take more time and energy with voting. I passed the N.J. bar in 1966. I am now primarily retired from the practice of law.  

 

See Ranked choice voting in NJ.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 13, 2021
Leader Jone Johnson Lewis on
Women in Ethical Culture

As part of the Society's Living Ethical Culture Project and in honor of Women's History Month, Leader Jone Johnson Lewis brings a talk to us on some women who've been part of Ethical Culture and also made a difference in the world.

Jone brings almost 30 years as an Ethical Culture Leader and 19 years writing about women's history for an  online website.

 

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021
Esther Barcun and Zia Durrani
"Colloquy on Race and Caste."

Bbased on books recommended by the AEU that address this issue, particularly Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Ms. Wilkerson prepares a brilliant narrative of how we sustained a system of racial segregation and disempowerment over centuries based mostly on 8 pillars. Please do read this book and be prepared for a dense and disturbing read.

 

Take a look at Birgit's latest blog entry "In Search of Missing Megabits" at Music, Life and other Challenges.

 

December 31, 2021 New Year's Eve individual and team games by Zoom!

Sunday, 12/27/20 11AM - Esther Barcun and Zia Durrani on Why is Quality of Life Falling in the U.S.?

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See Social Action Committee minutes here.

 

Most recent minutes here

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12-13-20 Social Action Committee E-mail letter to ICE and NJ senators re: Bergen County Jail Hunger Strikers

The Social Action Committee of the Essex County Ethical Culture Society is contacting you today to protest the transfer on or about Thursday, December 10, 2020 of Wilson Peña Lojo (A#087392768) and Gabriel Cirio Perez (A#216429610) from the Bergen County Jail to the Batavia Detention Facility near Buffalo, New York. Transfer to the Batavia Facility, which is far away from the detainees' families and supporters, is tantamount to an unfair punishment for participating in the hunger strikes.

Additionally, such transfers exacerbate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Incarceration of individuals awaiting deportation hearings during a public health emergency forces them to endure health risks that far exceed their immigration offenses. Furthermore, these individuals have often proved themselves to be valuable and contributing members of their communities, and their detention causes harm and stress to their families. We feel that such treatment amounts to cruel and unusual punishment and a violation of human rights.

Therefore we write to ask that they as well as the other individuals on hunger strikes who do not pose an imminent threat to public safety be released immediately while they wait for their deportation hearings.

Saturday, November 28, 2020

The final event of the Listening Journey through J.S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier 1 will be Birgit Matzerath's performance of the complete book on Saturday, November 28, 2020 at 3pm.     The link below leads you to the meeting on Zoom. It's recommended that you connect a couple of minutes earlier:

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Topic: J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1, complete performance

Time: Nov 28, 2020 02:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Affraz Mohammed's Story

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Military members and Veterans are falsely arrested and set up just like civilians. We are also mentally and physically abused and killed by law enforcement but nobody cares. My career went down the drain because of the actions of law enforcement. I ask people not to feel sorry for me, because I'm still living. Many people that go through something like this are not around anymore. Civilians today have outlets to cope with these injustices, but for many of my fellow veterans, nobody hears about their abuse at the hands of law enforcement until they are no longer with us. Could this be a part of 22 veterans a day committing suicide? My name is Affraz Mohammed. I'm a United States Marine who served this country for about 7 years. My twelve siblings and I were born in Trinidad and Tobago, and I was raised in Newark, NJ from the age of five by my parents who have been married for 60 years.

I joined the military right out of high school. Over the course of my Marine Corps career, I was instilled with strong core values like honor, courage and commitment. In 2000, I was selected by senior enlisted Marines to represent the Marine Corps by training with the Royal Marines of England at AP Hill in Virginia. I was given the esteemed position of participating in the Bush Inauguration as a driver. The detail was three months long—myself and 14 other Marines were responsible for driving and protecting high ranking military members, congressmen, senators and dignitaries. Another special detail I participated in was at HMX to guard the presidential helicopters in Quantico. I had the privilege to participate in a special assignment as a driver for the General and the Sergeant Major at the Marine Corps University; Although I was not an American citizen, I was hand selected by my superiors because of my positive history, great work ethic, motivation and dedication. I even hand delivered classified documents at the Marine Corps University during the critical time of anthrax attacks.

There has always been anti-muslim sentiment in this country, but after the attacks of 9/11, Muslims were viewed very differently—even those of us who were serving our country with exemplary service records. August 28, 2002 was a day that my Marine Corps achievement were pushed away, and I became just another Muslim in America. NCIS and ATF agents arrested me and accused me of having a fully automatic weapon—which despite my military training would have been illegal. I was interrogated, physically assaulted, and hazed for months. Based on the way I was treated by my fellow marines, I was guilty until proven innocent.

Eventually I was court martialed and unanimously found not guilty. I was honorably discharged, though I continue to live with PTSD from my experiences. Since leaving the Marine Corps I have continued to experience harassment and discrimination, and on some occasions I was even arrested.

I fought for Americans to have their basic rights— rights that were stripped away from me despite my innocence. Still, despite the isolation I felt for years, I'm one of the lucky ones. I will not be a victim, I will continue to speak and advocate so this injustice doesn't happen to someone else.

Below are some links of my experiences and I wanted to ask if you can not help me get some closure or justice for being sexually abuse and Tortured on active duty. Please read the links below and share.

https://www.facebook.com/323800258182582/posts/704634283432509/

https://nyti.ms/2N56775

http://s.nj.com/aJaq0bN

I hope to continue advocating for not only Muslims, but anyone who has experienced profiling, discrimination, or abuse. Veterans just like me have died disgracefully without the chance to prove themselves innocent, and hopefully my story—if told accurstely, completely, and truthfully—can let others know they're not alone.

 

 

 

 

 

Next Social Action Committee Meeting
Friday June 17, 2022
4:00 p.m. by Zoom

 See minutes here.

 

 

We Need

Tech Help
During this time of the pandemic, we've all had to adjust to new technology, like Zoom meetings and virtual platforms, to help us stay connected. We are offering tech help to any members who need assistance in learning how to use these online programs in order to participate in Ethical events and platforms. Please let us know if you would like tech support and we'll connect you with someone who can help. Send an email with a request to ecsec.nj@gmail.com.

Ongoing Collections
Food Bank- Please remember to bring canned or boxed food items for the food pantry box in our front hall. Donations go to the New Jersey Food Bank. (Please be careful not to donate expired items, which could cause adverse effects.)

Please note: we are no longer collecting batteries or children’s books.

Volunteer Opportunities
We need help! Please call the office if you can aid with any of these endeavors:

Occasionally provide local transportation to people who cannot get to events

• Be part of a caring committee to identify/contact those who are ill or ailing
• Lend your expertise to research/grant applications

 

 

Society Friend Affraz Mohammed's story

 

New information about Making Voting Fairer

(Also see the Social Action Committee Resources Page)

 

See the Social Action Committee's  RESOURCES page.

Places to learn more about Making Voting fairer

The Brennan Center

A page on Ranked Choice voting by Martha Howlett from the Social Action Committee

NJ Policy Perspective

A book called Code Red

 

 

 

 

 

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Recent Events & Platforms

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts During the Pandemic:
Living Ethical Culture in Our Time

11-22-20

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More Recent Events:

November Social Action Committee Meeting:

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Sunday, October 26, 2020: a testimonial brunch for long-time lay leader/members Marty and Barbara Cotler. The event was on Zoom, with a bagel platter delivered to Marty and Barbara!

 

 

Saturday, September 26, 2020: 11 members attended a 4 hour Zoom workshop on being a leaderless society led by Bart Worden, Executive Director for the American Ethical Union and the Clergy Leader for the Ethical Culture Society of Westchester in White Plains, New York.

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(Also, check out some Past Programs )

 

Screen shot by Elaine of the Annual Meeting on Zoom,Sunday, August 23, 2020.

 

 

Bee Friendly Yard Signs!

Our essential pollinators are under threat from pesticides and disease. Please join the Social Action Committee of the Essex Ethical Culture Society and commit to making your yard welcoming to bees. We have made Lawn Signs, and only $10 covers the cost. For information on how to get yours, email
Jackie Herships at jackieherships@gmail.com.

 

Bees had their worst summer on record idn 2019, with beekeepers losing 43 percent of their hives during the summer. These precious pollinators play a vital role in our ecosystems, but they face serious threats: pesticides, habitat loss, global warming and more. It's clear that bees need our help -- and that's why we're calling on our state representatives to ban the worst uses of the pesticides that kill bees.

Climate change and habitat loss play a role, but a growing body of evidence shows that neonicotinoids -- a class of pesticides -- are also killing bees. And they're used everywhere from our parks, lawns and gardens to pretreated seeds planted in agricultural fields. They're even allowed in wildlife refuges, where a bee should be safest of all.

Our ecosystems need bees, and now the bees need us. Tell your state representative to ban the worst uses of bee-killing pesticides.

We'll continue to lose bees at an alarming rate -- unless we end the worst uses of the pesticides that are killing them. That's why we're calling on our representatives to support a ban today.

One way we can make a big difference is by banning bee-killing pesticides in the places where we need them least: our parks, lawns and gardens.

Use your voice to save the bees today.

 

 

What Essex Ethical Members are Doing
During the Lock Down!

 

Here's a great offer from
Evelyn Chu and Tom Cunningham!

 

This Week's message from Bart Worden:
Letter from Bart Worden to the Ethical Societies  

 

 

 

Thursday, September 10, 2020

  Session 12 brings us to the end of the Journey through Bach's WTC 1, 

featuring the charming Prelude No 23 in B-major and its more stately partner, the Fugue in B-major. 

With the extensive Prelude and Fugue No 24 in B-flat-minor you'll hear some of the deepest, most amazing music Bach has ever composed.

As if to strike one final blow, UMG (Universal Music Group), a big music corporation, 

has once more muted more than a minute of the music on Facebook, because they claim they own it. 

I've submitted a dispute and I'm confident they will unmute in a week or two. They always have, because their claim is not justified. 

Bach's music is in the public domain. It belongs to everyone.

To watch the unmutilated version of Session 12 on my youtube channel immediately, go to: https://youtu.be/z4PDgkME6kg 

Enojy the music! All the best, Birgit 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Bach Listening Journey
Session 11 on

Youtube

Facebook

 

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2020
Bach Listening Journey on

Youtube

Facebook

 

Monday, September 7, 2020
Bach Listening Journey

on Youtube

on Facebook

Birgit's blog here

The Bach Journey with Birgit Matzerath continues...
On YouTube!

(Birgit Matzerath is leading us
on a Listening Journey with J. S. Bach)

Birgit's Blog

 

 

 

 

             From Bart Worden

                                                                                                              4-11-20

 

Greetings - the coronavirus outbreak is a major concern worldwide and the worry, anxiety, and grief that have come with the spread of the disease is taking a heavy toll on people. For many of the AEU's Ethical Societies, members can connect with the Society's Leader for support during difficult times, and all of our Leaders have been trained to provide pastoral services.

Many of our Ethical Societies do not currently have a Leader on staff, and the American Ethical Union is sponsoring a new support for those Societies. We have named the program "Talk With a Leader" and are inviting your Society's members to participate. Several Ethical Leaders are volunteering hours each week to provide pastoral support in the form of phone or video conversations with Society members during the coronavirus outbreak.

This is a pastoral support program, though not a pastoral counseling program, per se. It is an opportunity for individuals who feel the need for support to speak with one of our Leaders via telephone or video conference.

Individuals who are interested may request a conversation with a Leader by sending an email to twl@aeu.org (a confidential inbox) or calling/texting Bart Worden at (914) 263-6667. When requests are received, Bart will be in contact with a Leader who will reach out to the person who has requested the contact.

We ask that you let your Society's members know the Talk With a Leader program is available to them beginning Monday, April 13th. Next week's "This week..." article will also include a description of the program.

I am happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Feel free to email, call, text, or video conference me.

Thank you,
Bart
914-263-6667
bworden@aeu.org

 

 

 

Meanwhile, here is how some Essex Ethical Culture
members are passing their days during the crisis:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evelyn Chu wrote to say, "I was hoping you might post this and ask folks who are in need of assistance to email me at evelynchumd@gmail.com ....Our family can help run errands or pick up groceries, particularly on weekends.

"Tom and I are working Mon- Fri (and also some weekends) but of course are thinking of the society and whether we can help. If there is a greater need, of course our family ed folks would love to help, too.

"In general, our family is doing well. We feel very lucky to have each other. The boys are on spring break now and spending lots of time playing video games together. They still have their piano lessons with Birgit virtually and are playing all kinds of music.

"Sending hugs to everyone."

 

 

Zia Durrani:

For the first time in my life I have been covered in a bubble wrap. My children will not allow me to go grocery shopping or anywhere else for that matter. My car hasn’t been driven for two weeks. The joke is that gas is cheaper but we have nowhere to go! However, I have caught up with some tidying up of papers, reading stuff I had neglected, and catching up with finishing some knitting projects, while I watch television. And of course I am cooking a lot more. I have also been going out for walks every day it’s not raining. I guess we have to keep this up as long as it is necessary.

I am also working on a project called StoryWorth. It was a Christmas gift from my daughter. They send me a question about my life every week and I have to answer it. The questions have been chosen by my daughter. So I have to dig into my memory and answer one question a week. It has made me think about events I had forgotten about: some good, some sad. At the end of a year they will bind my writings in a book, and give copies to my three children.

So that’s how I am spending this time of isolation.

 

 

Jill Farrar:

I am reading Sapiens, a short history of humankind. Also, I have been enjoying reading my New Yorkers.  I walk in Mews Lane everyday for 45 minutes! It is such a comfort to wave and to talk albeit six feet away! The people in the lane are friendly and fascinating.

I listen to NPR and watch excellent movies. I do not miss PBS news hour.

I do miss my chair yoga course, my international film club with a neighbor of mine, and Ethical. 
Each day I choose one person to call. My best friend from college, Pat Gumo, lives in the city and we have re- connected. Another college friend lost a sister to the virus and proposed a zoom party to all members of our class. It is such a joy to hear from the folks who went to my college.

 

I posted on a Maplewood-South Orange website  to explain why it wasn't safe for me to be food-shopping and in a flash a guy from my college, Connecticut College,In New Lindon, CT immediately volunteered!

My family has a zoom party every other week:15 people spanning three generations. It is absolutely wonderful.. We are close-knit and truly love each other.

I have been at home since the outbreak and am truly enjoying it. 

I recommend A Place Called Home, on PBS, SUNDAY NIGHTS.  If you missed some , it is on PRIME.

I have been listening to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, Monteverdi operas, and everything in between. 

 

I also have been calling prospective members, asking how they are feeling and I tell them what iwas going on at Ethical.

I am avoiding my paperwork like the plague!

I hope everyone at Ethical is healthy and is staying safe.

I cannot wait til we all can come back to Ethical!

My heartfelt best wishes to all.

 

 

Jackie Herships:

I am working on my Instagram blog when time permits and it is a wonderful outlet for me and a support for others.  What a joy :-)  I am also continuing to coach by phone - which is also a joy.  

I’ve decided to offer free sessions once again as I did at the beginning and see if I get any takers. Talking thru practical issues helps my clients and is nourishing for me, too.

Today I hopefully will learn to use my phone as a scanner.  My daughter Jane’s  recommendation.  

Still working on our Bee project which reminds me of my beloved father who loved gardening.
I sold one of Martha’s wonderful signs yesterday afternoon to a friend…six feet apart… and handed her her change w/ tongs.  She chose Pollinator Friendly Yard :-)   I do like the outreach part as usual.  I’m hoping someone who likes record keeping will pick up on keeping track of who these people are so we can build on the list — I’m forgetting the minute I do my pitch.  It also seems there are many bee-keepers out there so we should be able to have some sort of program / speaker to fill us in when we finally come up for air. We are surrounded by so many challenges and out of all of them, this seems to be one of the biggest.  No pollinators, no food.  

 

You can see Jackie's Instagram blog by searching on her name:  Jackie Herships aka the Talent Banque; and if you would like to connect with her offer of free coaching sessions you can reach her at 973-763-7555 or jackieherships@gmail.com   

 

 

Martha Howlett:

I have become become an apartment-bound recluse! Everyday I switch from pajamas to yoga pants and a t-shirt even though there is only a nominal difference between the two. I read the papers  (that's all the news consumption I can handle right now) and then log on for work from home. I end the day with an online Barre workout - I've been doing them for years and my legs still shake during the thigh section so I continue to have a long way to go. Then sleep and repeat: feels like Groundhog Day.

Social action-wise, I have upped my volunteer hours with Crisis Text Line. They are naturally getting higher volume than usual now: a lot of corona anxiety and sadness. Fortunately, most of the time people feel better after talking it out.  My city councilman organized phone calls and 'thinking of you cards' to seniors in the neighborhood so I've been working on those.

Looking forward to the future when we'll be able to go out again, and trying to stay patient for it! :)

 

 

Janet Mangano:

I’m not an official member, but definitely a friend for at least 27 years!

We are all taking Gov. Murphy’s shelter-at-home orders seriously. There are three in our house: my hubby, Charlie, 66; my mother, Dorothy, 91; and me, 66. I think my mother is the healthiest of the lot! She has not left the house since Thursday, March 12. I venture out once a week for essential food, such as milk, some meat, a little grain, and fresh vegetables and fruits. I’ve also purchased wine and cider!

My mother has made a lot of telephone calls to shut-ins, and she tells me they love it! Tomorrow, I will begin calling begin calling parishioners of St. Rose who do not have an email address. (We’ve been active in St. Rose over the past 35 years!) My husband continues counseling small business owners virtually through SCORE in Newark, NJ, and connects via “zoom” with members of the local Wharton School Club. I continue to work virtually with my mentees at Baruch College in NYC and take a “Taubman Approach” piano class virtually from Montclair State. 

I keep practicing, working on Bach, Dvorak, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky. Ed Chu and I will really miss not playing for you on May 3! But, we’ll perform for you soon enough.

Being home so much, I’m noticing more sticky floors and dust than ever! It can stay, for all I care.

My wish is for everyone at ECS to be prudent, healthy, and excited about seeing their dearest friends face-to-face very soon!

 

 

 

Meredith Sue Willis:

     The odd thing for me is that I have many days in normal times that are not that different from these isolateddays.  I write, I take walks with my Nordic Walking Sticks,I weed my garden and plant early greens likearugula, cilantro, mustard, and lettuce. Andy and I cook dinner, eat it, and clean up after.  We go out once a week or so wearing face masks to get groceries.
I prepare my novel writing class, which is taking place digitally.  I go to meditation and my writers' group, also digitally!  I read on my Kindle and borrow more Kindle books from the library and read some more..
What is missing, of course, is face-to-face contact.  The neighbors on our street are out on beautiful days, kids playing and stoop sitting, and we all wave.
I am also sorely missing the stimulation of going into  the city.

 

 

 

Check back here for updates.

 

 

 

 

 

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Ethical Education for Children
At the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County

Family Game Day 2-9-2020

 

Family Ethical Education Program
Check out the new Families for Education Facebook Page!

 

 

 

 

 

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The Ethical Culture Society is a religious and educational fellowship that seeks to achieve the ethical life without dogma; to develop the highest values in human relationships in ourselves, our families, and our community; and to elicit the best in others, thereby eliciting the best in ourselves

Or, listen to a podcast where several of our members talk about what Ethical Culture is--and does (click the microphone):

 

Gloria Torrice lives with her daughter Liana, who reports that Gloria would love visitors (just over in West Orange). Liana is also interested in organizing a brunch or other event that brings folks from Ethical to visit with Gloria. Please call or text Liana at 973-324-1658.