Lynbrook's Temple Am Echad holds women's Seder

Temple Am-Echad in Lynbrook held an unusual women’s Seder on March 9.

The event was a joint effort of three congregations, Temple Am-Echad, Central Synagogue of Nassau County in Rockville Centre and Temple Beth Emmet of Hewlett. Women with no synagogue affiliation also attended. They ranged in age from the very young to 95-year-old Miriam Fine of Lynbrook, who has been a member of Am-Echad — the former Temple Emanu-el — for 75 years. Her parents were also members of the congregation.

“I loved the Seder,” Fine said. “It was a joy to be there.” Fine joined the temple in 1934, when she was 20. “I was Miriam Lack then, single ... and married my husband, William, in December of 1939 at the old temple,” she recalled. “He became an active member, too.”

The Fines attended the synagogue with their family, including their two daughters and three granddaughters. They now have two great-grandsons as well. Miriam’s sister and brother-in-law, who have since died, were also members. Her husband died 24 years ago, just a day before the couple’s 44th wedding anniversary. Miriam was an officer in the temple’s Sisterhood for 10 years and is now an honorary director.

“Passover is a big family gathering, and we’ve had many of those,” she said. “The temple has been modernized. We used to cook all of the meals there, and now we cater. But since we merged recently with Temple Sinai, it’s been doing very well — and I love meeting new people!”

The Seder was led by Sandra Simons, Gilda Deckel and Barbara Stern, all members of Temple Am Echad. Two other members, Vivian Blumstein and Sylvia Dultz, and Central Synagogue’s Amy Datner led the congregation in song.

“The e-mails and phone calls have been coming in every day [since the Seder],” said Stern, “and everyone indicated it was the best women’s Seder they had ever attended. It was put together and led with love and spirit. I think the most important thing was that we had fun doing it.”

“One hundred and 10 women from the South Shore and beyond gathered together to celebrate a women’s experience of Passover,” said Simons, who lives in Lynbrook. “So much hard work culminating in an evening of song, dance, prayers and food, all done with a spirit of community.”

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