It was good to see your article about Herman Wouk by Annie Wilkinson in the Great Neck News-Record and wonderful to hear about Mr. Wouk’s initiating Synagogues and Jewish prayer groups wherever he lived.
There was no mention of Mr. Wouk’s very first involvement in initiating the first orthodox synagogue on the North Shore of Long Island in July of 1950, when he was living in Great Neck.
Herman Wouk was in touch with Yeshiva University to discuss the possibility of getting an orthodox rabbi to come to Great Neck.
In April 1951, the charter was signed for the Great Neck Synagogue by Herman Wouk and 6 other men and Rabbi Moshe Tendler started as the first rabbi. The first services were held the last days of the Passover holiday in a room above the Squire theater on Middle Neck Road in Great Neck.
I believe the Great Neck News, April 20, 1951, had an article announcing the establishment of the Great Neck Synagogue.
Today the Great Neck Synagogue is a vibrant, active orthodox synagogue known throughout the United States and Israel. See www.gns.org for its history.
In addition, Please note these corrections to your article. Herman Wouk’s last book was not the
Lawgiver. The last book he wrote was “Sailor and Fiddler -Reflections of a 100 year-old Author,” which was published in 2015.
Sharon Goldwyn
Great Neck
