Creative tallit covers Simchat Torah in Great Neck

The Great Neck Synagogue had a colorful Simchat Torah this year, with a huge tallit cloth held up by six poles in the main sanctuary, the work of local couple Ina and Isaac Greszes, in memory of Ina’s father Charles Frankel. “My wife is a graphic designer and I’ve worked with fabrics all my life,” Isaac Greszes said. “We combined out know-how.”

The holiday of Simchat Torah was always special for Frankel, who bought the Kol Hanearim aliyah each year at his Chicago synagogue. In the decade since his passing, Greszes, a gabbai at the synagogue’s beit medrash minyan, has purchased the aliyah for himself, in memory of Frankel.

About five years ago, the shul came to Ina and Isaac, asking them to purchase a giant tallis, in lieu of their usual donation, to enhance the young children’s Simchat Torah experience. “In the past, members would tie their talleisim together to create a large tallis,” Greszes said. “In this two year process, we reached out to 25 shuls between New York and Los Angeles, but their designs did not really encompass what we and our shul are about.”

Ina drafted a design centered on the Beit Hamikdash with a colorful set of buildings facing it. “For us, Jerusalem is our central focus and from there you see different neighborhoods,” Greszes said. Once the design, manufacturer, and size were finalized, the tallit project was announced to the congregation at the shul’s annual dinner.

The project proved successful, contributing to one of the highest-grossing fundraisers in the shul’s history. “Over 120 different families are named in the dedication, that’s over 600 names on the tallit,” Greszes said. Donations for the project ranged from $50 to $36,000. The donors’ names seamlessly wrap around the central image, imposed on an arch brick design that frames the image on the giant tallit. “It was a joint project of so many in the shul, spearheaded by Isaac and Ina,” said Rabbi Dale Polakoff.

Further boosting the connection to ancient Jerusalem, the 18 by 18 foot tallit has techelet fringes hanging from each of its four corners, covering dozens of excited children during the holiday service. “It was a wonderful service. The children were looking up, searching for their family names,” Rabbi Polakoff said.

The strong sense of family unity for Greszes is also evident in his family firm’s name, Charles G. Bailey, the Midtown Manhattan fashion design showroom. “Charles is my father-in-law, and also the name of my son,” Greszes said. “Bailey is the bechor, he had the aliyah this year. And the G is our last name.”

Rabbi Polakoff said that the tallit enhanced the service, fostering unity among the participating members. “Just as the tallit envelops the wearer, this tallit connects all of us.”