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Roses from Israel to enhance area Passover tables tonight
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Debbi Grinstein, left, and Rochelle Miller, members of Temple El Emeth in Liberty, admire bundles of colorful and fragrant roses that will adorn Passover tables. Miller, chairwoman of the project for the temple Sisterhood, said the roses fundraiser began as a way to support Israeli entrepreneurs.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
liberty
Roses from Israel will grace the Passover tables of members of Temple El Emeth, 3970 Logan Way.
Rochelle Miller, a temple member and project chairwoman, said the Sisterhood’s rose project began in 2000 at the suggestion of Susan Schonberger, wife of Rabbi Joseph Schonberger. “It was a way to support Israeli rose growers and have special flowers for Passover,” Miller said. Passover begins at sundown tonight.
Schonberger said she happened to see a news program on Israeli entrepreneurs’ expanding their economic markets through creative publicity. “I wondered about what the Sisterhood could realistically use,” she said. Research took her to rose growers.
Miller said when the project began, the El Emeth Sisterhood bought baby tea roses directly from a kibbutz in Israel. The kibbutz is a socioeconomic system in a rural communal settlement based on joint ownership of property and cooperation of production.
“It was a great partnership,” Miller said. Unfortunately, the growers went out of business, and the Sisterhood had to find another source.
The Sisterhood sponsors the fundraiser for Passover and the high holidays. The organization has shared the idea, which other Sisterhoods have adopted.
For the last two years, the Sisterhood has relied on Edward’s Florist Shop, with locations on state Route 304 in Liberty and Elm Street in Youngstown.
Mitch Cohn, Edward’s owner, said he gets short-stemmed, 40-centimeter roses for the temple’s project. “It’s a general rose that comes in all different colors,” he said. Colors include red, pink, yellow, white, lavender and orange.
Cohn said he places an order for the roses from Israel with his distributor, who obtains them from a wholesaler. “Usually, most roses come from Colombia, South America, and California and Florida,” he said. He said he also looks at this as a way to support Israeli growers.
“I’m able to help [the Sisterhood] carry on a tradition of Israeli roses, and it helps me in town,” Cohn said.
Debbi Grinstein, a temple member and endowment director at the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation, said she views the project as a way to support Israel and maintain a connection.