Come to celebrate and dedicate our brand-new Torah ark as we use it for the first time!  The ark was  designed by members of our community Alan Wallis, Risa Aqua, and Ann Lederer, and has been given in loving memory of Alan's mother, Miriam Wallis*.  Cabinetry work was done by Bijan Shadlou, stained glass by Mark Stein, and door panel paintings by Risa Aqua.  Invite your friends and come hear the story of this beautiful new home for our Torah scrolls and some history of our other arks. 

As always, services will include a prayer for healing and an opportunity to say Kaddish.  We invite you to join us for lunch following services; there is no need to bring a dish but please register here so we know how many will be coming and volunteer to help set up and clean up.  

Childcare is available if requested by Wednesday, January 8; please register for that below, as well.  

We look forward to seeing you at this very special Shabbat service!  

*The new ark for B’nai west is a gift in memory of Miriam Wallis, mother of B’nai member Allan Wallis.

Miriam passed away on March 31, 2024 in her home in Delray Beach, Florida. For fifteen years she made annual contributions to B’nai. She also contributed generously to the congregation’s capital fund. She had many congregations near her home in Florida, but she chose B’nai.

Miriam was both a modern and a traditional Jewish woman. During the Second World War she was a “Rosie the Riveter” until she was promoted to bookkeeping. The mother of Sherri and Allan, she was out working again when her children were in elementary school. She went from being the bookkeeper to the general manager of Selected Ribbons in Manhattan. From there she and her husband Al opened three successful stores in New Jersey. In 1984, they retired to Palm Beach, Florida. Although in retirement, for 19 years she was office manager in her daughter’s medical practice.

As for her traditional side, family was everything to her. Miriam loved to entertain for the holidays. Passover was a major event with a big table for adults and a little table for the children. She learned Kosher style cooking from her mother, Ida Petritz, who was a cook at several hotels in the Catskills during the summer and in Miami Beach during the winter. Miriam was renowned for her chopped liver sandwiches which were dipped in egg, fried and topped with mushroom gravy (yummy!). Her cheese blintzes were to die for.

Miriam was fond of saying that “age is just a number.”  That is the way she lived, always busy and engaged with family and friends. She was 101 years and seven months young when she passed. Her calendar was full of future celebrations that she hoped to attend and where she will now be in spirit.

Miriam is survived by her daughter, Dr. Sherri Pinsley, her son Allan, her grandchildren Michelle Sukenik, Jennifer Wallis and Phillip Wallis. She is also remembered by her six great grandchildren: Madison, Ben, Asher and Preston Sukenik, and Dennie and Murphy Wallis.