News Briefs

A 51-year-old Philadelphia lawyer gunned down on Feb. 11 outside the Bucks County law firm where he worked was remembered during his funeral service for his strong work ethic and his sense of family.

Northampton Township police, meanwhile, were continuing the search for the killer.

Eric Birnbaum, of Northeast Philadelphia, was shot in the back of the head as he spoke with a co-worker outside the offices of the small firm Terry Goldberg & Associates, which he had joined in June, according to published reports. The firm has offered a $10,000 reward for any information leading to the apprehension of the shooter.

The divorced father of two was a 1975 graduate of the Gratz Hebrew High School program.

Rabbi Craig H. Axler, of Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, performed the funeral service on Feb. 15 at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael-Sacks' Southampton location. The daughter of Birnbaum's longtime girlfriend teaches at Beth Or's preschool.

Axler said that while Birnbaum was committed to his work, his family and those closest to him were his priorities.

He belonged to Temple Beth Ami, a Traditional synagogue in Northeast Philadelphia. Synagogue president Barry Stucker said that Birnbaum joined three years ago and was not highly active, although he occasionally attended services.

"It's one of these tragic incidents that occurs; it reminds me of Harold Kushner's book When Bad Things Happen to Good People," said Stucker, recalling that Birnbaum had a distinctive voice, one that could be heard during services. "We can't comprehend it."

Investigators were reportedly scouring Birnbaum's caseload, looking for leads. His work included personal injury and other miscellaneous cases.

Cherry Hill Synagogue to Venture East

Congregation Beth El -- a Conservative synagogue that's been situated in Cherry Hill, N.J., for more than 40 years -- has announced the date of its long-awaited move east to Voorhees.

On April 5, congregants plan to march with the Torah scrolls the full six miles to its brand-new, one-floor building.

According to synagogue president Eric Boory, the shift eastward of young families precipitated the move, the second in the shul's 88-year history. The congregation got its start in Camden.

The synagogue's Hebrew school fell from a high of about 800 students in the 1970s to roughly 200 in the early 1990s. Nearly a decade ago, Beth El established a Hebrew school in Voorhees, and the number is back up to about 500 students.

The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that the shul planned to sell its Cherry Hill property to a nondenominational Christian center. Boory said that he couldn't comment on the sale until it was final.

Loan Society's Got Money for Certain Needs

Those in need of a helping hand in these perilous economic times should know that alternative sources of loans exist.

One is the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia, which is marking its 25th anniversary in 2009.

"Right now, even in an awful economy, we have money to lend," said co-president Marshal Granor of Elkins Park, who oversees the organization, started by his parents, with his wife, Tamar.

The society offers loans up to $3,000 for various purposes; loans of $5,000 are available for other things like education and adoption. The minimum amount that can be borrowed is $500.

Needs vary among people -- from paying for education or job training to funds required to fix a car or home appliance. One individual even borrowed to pay for a grave marker.

Although once open only to those living in the five-county area, the group expanded two years ago to allow the interest-free loans to go to people who reside in South Jersey.

In order to qualify, a borrower must be Jewish (or have some significant connection to the Jewish community) and be unable to borrow from conventional sources, such as banks.

Once a loan is paid off -- it must be repaid within two years -- a borrower can even seek help again in the future.

Call 267-709-9652 or visit: www.hebrewfreeloanphila.org.

JPS to Fill Other People's Bookshelves

The Jewish Publication Society is planning to donate some 5,000 books -- or 2,500 pounds of materials -- this year to underserved Jewish communities around the globe.

Books have already been sent to such disparate places as Nome, Alaska; Ghana; India; and Argentina, according to Michael Pomante, development officer of the Philadelphia-based JPS.

Packages are sent to small and poor communities, as well as to those that have suffered from natural disasters, such as hurricanes or floods.

According to Pomante, the mitzvah project is an outgrowth of the group's 2005 "Torah for Troops" program, which provided copies of JPS's Torah and Book of Psalms to 13,000 Jewish troops serving in the military.

The books are either new or gently used, said Pomante.

They are paid for by both the JPS general fund, which collects money from donors to send out books, and by the donor member program, where anyone who gives $250 or more to JPS will have five books sent out in their name.