THE EXECUTIVE BOARD OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SHOMRIM SOCIETIES WISHES YOU A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR 5786!
MAY WE ALL BE WRITTEN AND SEALED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE!
Message from National Shomrim President Ben Gelber
In July, along with my colleagues from the NYPD, NYPD Shomrim members, Shomrim members from other chapters and police officers from across the region and across the country, I attended the funeral of murdered NYPD Police Officer Didarul Islam, a father of two and with another baby on the way. PO Islam worked in the 47th Precinct in The Bronx, NY, and picked up some off duty security work in a building in midtown Manhattan. He was murdered by a coward with a sick sense of revenge on a perceived slight by one of the businesses in that building. The coward took his own miserable, useless life, but not before killing PO Islam, two Jewish women working in their offices, and a security guard. He was posthumously promoted to detective by the Police Commissioner. We stood shoulder to shoulder, honoring Det. Islam’s work and life and committing to assisting his family. As the cycle of life shows, less than a month later, Det. Islam’s wife gave birth to their third child, a baby boy, who will never know his father but will hear about him from his family, friends and the NYPD family he has been born into.
We’re coming up to the 24th anniversary of 9/11, where we lost over 3,000 people in the worst terrorist attack on American soil in our country’s history. We’re also facing one of the worst epidemics of antisemitism that our country has experienced. With the war in Israel still going on, we see the hate for Jews spreading and it’s becoming almost acceptable to physically and verbally assault Jews. We must not be complacent. Report any incidents of antisemitism you experience at work to your department or agency’s EEO/DEI for their immediate handling. If they are not willing to assist, please let me know. Now more than ever we have to support our Jewish colleagues in their workplaces, their homes, their businesses. We said we’d never forget. May the innocent souls who were murdered on that day 24 years ago continue to rest at the right hand of the Almighty. Never forgive. Never forget.
We are considering attending the March of the Living (MOTL) in April 2026 as a delegation and will need at least 35 people who are willing to commit by the end of October to participating. If you can commit, please email Corresponding Secretary Betty Astrizky at BAstrizky@aol.com ASAP. The dates for the next MOTL are April 12 thru 18, 2026. The preliminary information we have is that it begins in Krakow, Poland, and ends in Warsaw, Poland. The actual event recreates the death march the Nazis forced the Jews in the Auschwitz death camp to walk three miles to the Birkenau death camp, and always takes place on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will be on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Again, for National Shomrim to have a delegation for 2026, the MOTL requires 35 participants, which can include family, friends and colleagues. If we don’t meet that number we will consider planning for 2027.
National Shomrim News
The date to make your final booking for the National Shomrim Convention at Sea is rapidly approaching. Final booking and payment is due October 1, 2025, so please contact our National Shomrim official cruise planner Tony Lostumbo at cruisexpo@gmail.com or call him at (954) 384-7245. The convention will sail on the brand new Celebrity Xcel, which will be launched in November 2025. The convention at sea will be on January 25, 2026, Sunday to Sunday, and will visit the ports of St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Puerto Plata (Dominican Republic). We have one great speaker lined up for our signature speakers series, and are looking for another convention attendee who can present a topic of interest to our members. We also learned that the captain of the Xcel will be Captain “Kirk,” who is a rock star with Celebrity – really! He is an accomplished guitar player and has given standing room only shows on ships he has previously captained. In addition, National Shomrim has our private cocktail party and Sabbath service, which attracts many Jewish cruise ship passengers who hear about our group and are eager to join us. So make your plans quickly and sail with Shomrim!
National Shomrim gets emails from prospective members and questions about chapters and recently got a very interesting one. A woman came across a pin while clearing out the possessions of her late stepmother in Los Angeles. The pin was from the Shomrim Society of Southern California. We put the woman in contact with Lisa Herman, who is restarting the chapter in that area. We asked her about her stepmother and she wrote back that her stepmother was Deena Rosen and worked in Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office from July 1970 to November 1991. Deena worked in different units and her favorite was with the Detective Division and assisting with the Israeli Police. Deena passed away in June 2019 after a long illness and although she had no family, her stepdaughter was close to her and helped her during her illness. We appreciate these Shomrim histories, they show that Shomrim has deep meaning to many people. May Deena Rosen continue to rest in peace.
Everyone is reminded to join the National Shomrim Facebook page. It’s always updated with National Shomrim and chapter news, member news and job opportunities. All chapter members and associate members should ask to join. Please answer the questions first, or you will not be approved. And please don’t refer family or friends who do not have a direct connection to Shomrim. We have to be very careful who is admitted to our Facebook page. We don’t want a bad actor to hack our page.
Chapter News
Nassau Shomrim is asking everyone to assist with a fundraiser for their member Wayne Resnick, who’s son Benjamin was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. There will be a benefit hockey game on September 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.at the Town of Oyster Bay (Long Island, NY) Ice Skating Center. Nassau County F Troop Hockey Club will take on the Suffolk County Lawmen. There is a $10.00 suggested donation at the door. All proceeds will benefit the Resnick family and ALS Ride for Life.
NYPD Shomrim will have their 100th Annual Lou Weiser Memorial Service, Scholarship and Awards Breakfast on Sunday, October 26, 2025 at 0800 at Temple Emanu-El, Fifth Avenue and 65th Street, NYC. Tickets are $50 per person ($60 at the door) and can be purchased on their website, NYPDShomrim.org, or you can send it in to NYPD Shomrim, PO Box 918, Planetarium Station, NY, NY 10024-0918. They will be honoring NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch as their Person of the Year and will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to their longtime chaplain Rabbi Dr. Alvin Kass.
The South Florida Shomrim Society Annual Dinner Dance will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at Temple Solel in Hollywood, Florida. Hors D’Ouvres will be at 6:30 p.m., and following cocktails will be the presentation of awards honoring individuals and organizations and dinner (kosher food will be available for those observing dietary laws). Advance tickets are $175 cash or zelle ($185 at the door or with credit card and paypal) and can be purchased by contacting Treasurer Randi Meshel at treasurersouthfloridashomrim@gmail.com South Florida Shomrim is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so your ticket purchase is tax deductible.
Shomrim of Illinois is making final plans for their Community Heroes Awards Reception on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Skokie, Illinois. Cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m. and a full kosher buffet dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Go to http://www.shomrimillinois.org., and click on “Events.” That will take you to the dinner website where you can purchase your ticket ($145.00 per person). Awards and scholarships are given to the children and grandchildren of Shomrim of Illinois members, so your purchase is tax deductible, as they are a 501(c)(3) registered charitable organization.
Shomrim of Texas has been actively involved in working on security plans for temples and JCCs in Texas. Their Vice President Jeff Grossman, who is also the National Shomrim 2nd Vice President, has been knee deep in many Jewish causes and organizations, most notably with SAR-EL. Jeff has spoken about his involvement with them and his time volunteering with SAR-El. He plans on doing another tour of duty with them in January 2026. Jeff also proudly shared, on his Facebook page, an article that was written in 1991 in the San Antonio Light Newspaper about his late father, Gilbert Grossman, of blessed memory, a WW2 veteran and a member of the greatest generation. As a paratrooper, Mr. Grossman received a Silver Star and a Bronze Star for his service and also witnessed firsthand the horrors of the concentration camps, as he was one of the first liberators of Dachau.
A new Jewish recruit to the NYC Court Officers Academy recently contacted National Shomrim Corresponding Secretary Betty Astrizky when he was denied time off for Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. Betty put him in touch with Norm Turenshine, President of the Shomrim Society of NYS Court Officers, who immediately got to work and got the young recruit the time off needed to observe the holidays. Another Jewish NYC court officer also requested to join a local Shomrim chapter, and once again Norm got the person the information to join his chapter. We love making these connections and introducing Jewish uniformed members to Shomrim.
Lisa Herman, who has been working hard to revitalize the Shomrim Society of Los Angeles, is close to getting the chapter restarted. We are looking forward to welcoming them into the National Shomrim family soon.
San Francisco Ner Tamid, a new chapter in that area, is also in the process of joining National Shomrim. Their list of activities are impressive. They have a San Francisco Giants game on September 9, 2025 at Oracle Park, where the team is celebrating Jewish heritage. They are planning Rosh HaShana services at Temple Sherith Israel, and in December, two amazing events. All first responders are invited to join them for a one week seminar in Israel with Magen David Adom from December 17 to 12, 2025. Cost is $1,450.00 per person (does not include airfare) and will include MDA ridealongs, a visit to the October 7th site, and a trip to Jerusalem. It includes hotel and some meals and the tours. Their Chanukah celebration sounds like a blast! It’s their Second Annual Chanukah Chinese Food Feast and Chinatown Pub Crawl on December 18, 2025. Please contact them directly at sffnertamid@gmail.com if you’d like more information about any of these events. And we know Chinese food for Jews on Christmas is a tradition!
Save these dates!
- Port Authority Shomrim Annual Chanukah Menorah Lighting on Friday, December 19, 2025, at 12:00 at the Oculus in the World Trade Center.
- FDNY Ner Tamid Centennial Dinner Dace on Thursday, May 14, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. Details will be in a future newsletter or on their Instagram page.
Member News
Huge Mazal Tov to NYPD Shomrim Past President David Wagner, who celebrated his 100th birthday in June!
Jeff Grossman is keeping busy. Over the summer he responded to Kerrville, TX, with Chabad Rabbi Yossi Marrus, of Bourne, TX. They brought supplies and purchased refrigerators for food and items that were desperately needed for the flood ravaged town. Additionally, in Jeff’s adopted hometown of San Antonio, he mobilized security for a threat that was made to the San Antonio Jewish Community Center. His work and dedication is never ending and in our current times, badly needed.
Mazal tov to Macabee Society President Michael Picard as he retired after a long and storied career with the NYC Dept. of Corrections!
Great work by Port Authority Shomrim member Police Officer Zach Steinfeld and his co-officers when, on July 19, 2025, a man had a medical episode and became unresponsive while at the Newark Liberty International Airport Airtrain Station. According to witnesses, Port Authority Police officers worked quickly and diligently, providing life saving care that kept the man alive until EMS arrived. Outstanding work by the finest officers at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Great news from Nassau Shomrim! Their chapter President, Joe Oginski, was promoted in July to the Detective Division, Electronics Squad, to the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Public Information Office. Member Craig Finkelman was promoted to Sergeant. And congratulations to member Tyler Goldberg, who was recently appointed to the Suffolk County (NY) Police Department. And more great news – member Devin Gottlieb was promoted from police officer to Sergeant in August.
A tremendous honor was given to past NYPD Shomrim President Marc Wolf when he was recognized as the Veteran of the Game by the New York Mets on August 5, 2025. Congratulations to NYPD Shomrim members Inspector Ari Maas and Sergeant Yevgeniy Brener on their recent promotions.
On July 25, 2025, South Florida Shomrim Co-Secretary and National Shomrim Marshall Lt. Stacy Barasch had the honor of escorting Deputy Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel in and out of Miami International Airport and watched as he was sworn in as an honorary Miami-Dade Deputy Sheriff. Deputy DJ, as he’s known, has been bravely battling brain and spinal cancer since 2018 and his dream was to become a police officer. Surviving 13 surgeries, his story became national news when he was sworn in by the President earlier this year as an honorary Secret Service Agent. Deputy DJ has been sworn into thousands of police departments and agencies across the country, fulfilling his mission to support law enforcement and raise awareness of childhood cancer. DJ was also escorted by the LaGuardia Airport Port Authority Police when he flew into NYC to be sworn in by Mayor Eric Adams as an honorary police officer with the NYPD.
South Florida Shomrim member Brian Fixler, a member of the Cleveland Police Motor Unit, was one of the members of his unit who escorted fallen Lorain Police Officer Philip Wagner, who was ambushed as he sat in his marked vehicle, eating lunch, on July 23, 2025. The Motor Unit escorted the fallen officer from the hospital to the coroner’s office and then to the funeral home, with well over two hundred police vehicles and motorcycle units participating. The suspect was thankfully neutralized.
Wishing NYPD Shomrim Member Corey Fisher a refeuah shelemah as he continues to recover from gunshot wounds he sustained when responding to a violent carjacking in Queens, NY. During the exchange PO Fisher was accidentally hit by friendly fire, but make no mistake, he played an integral part in getting a violent criminal with a long rap sheet who had been terrorizing victims for over ten years off the streets.
National Shomrim Associate Member Fred Kanter (retired Detective, White Plains, NY Police Dept.) recently attended the funeral of White Plains Police Officer Pasquale Barile on August 2, 2025. He was interviewed and photographed by News12 Westchester reporter Lisa LoRocca.
With sadness, we must report the passing of the following individuals:
- Lori Meckler, the mother of South Florida Shomrim member Eric Fox, ATF International Affairs Division Chief, on July 30, 2025.
- FDNY Ner Tamid sadly announced the passing of Linda Kaldor, mother of member paramedic Jessica Kaldor. Shiva was observed at their home in North Bellmore, NY.
- Eileen Zuckerberg, the mother of retired Port Authority Police Lt. Paul Zuckerberg (who was also the Port Authority Shomrim Treasurer until his retirement), and grandmother of Sgt. David Zuckerberg, Port Authority Shomrim Treasurer. Services were held on September 1, 2025 at New Montefiore Cemetery in West Babylon, NY.
- National Shomrim also learned that Marvin Goldsmith, the historian of the organization and founder and past president of the former Southern California Shomrim Society, passed away recently. We have no details but send our condolences to Marvin’s family.
- Heartbroken to hear that Samantha Friedman, the wife of retired NYPD Shomrim member Henry “Hank” Friedman, passed away from complications of a stroke, on August 30, 2025. The funeral was held on September 2, 2025. Shiva was observed at the Friedman residence. Samantha leaves behind her beloved mother, her true love husband Hank and her adored twins Naomi and Marvin.
May the Meckler, Kaldor, Zuckerberg, Goldsmith and Friedman families no know more sorrows, and may they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Israel.
CHAPTER PRESIDENTS! With our annual convention approaching, we are looking for as many members to attend so we can have representation from all chapters. Please attend the convention and encourage your members to join us as well. We’re also looking for speakers to present a topic of interest at the convention, and I’m sure you all have tales to tell. Sign up now, please, and be part of one of our best events. And please don’t forget to forward the newsletter to your members. If they don’t know about National Shomrim and chapter events, it’s really a shame, because we want everyone involved. And start a social media presence. That is the quickest way to get messages out to your members.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS! We’re also asking you to attend as many events as possible, including our upcoming Convention at Sea. You are more important than our chapters, as you manage to maintain your Jewish identity in areas where there is little or no Jewish community. And we also have a few members who have not paid dues. Please send them in immediately. We hate to drop people. We’re also accepting dues for 2026, so you can mail them in to the National Shomrim Treasurer Marty Turetzky, his information is below.