Anyone deserving of an 'Honorable Menschen,' can contact Howard Berger via

his e-mail: Howardberger9798@aol.com or by fax: 822-3670. SHUL CHOIRS GROWING REPORTS MASORTI MAGAZINE MENTIONING RALPH GOREN'S SINGERS

Choir music is echoing in more conservative synagogues than ever, reports Masorti magazine, the voice of Conservative Judaism in Israel and - not surprisingly - listing Cantor Ralph Goren's choir at Margate's Congregation Beth El. Said Goren, "Our choir gathers regularly for Sukkah dinners, Chanukah parties, and dinners after they perform at a local nursing home." Congregation Beth Judah (Ventnor) has two choirs directed by Elayne Penn and they perform at many synagogue functions, the major event being the High Holidays. For Beth El to be cited by Masorti, indicates that the Downbeach choir and its guitar strumming director Goren is one of the outstanding choirs in the country. Beth Judah's Friday Night Live musical services add much to the start of Shabbat with Hazzan Alan Smolen's voice adding a melodious sound to the prayers and music. They too have a beautiful sound that is well blended.

EDWARD KNIGHT SWORN INTO SEVENTH FOUR-YEAR TERM AS A U.S. MAGISTRATE

Edward R. Knight is an amazing man. He has a doctorate in psychology and a jurisprudence (law) and at age 91 is still going strong after being sworn in to his seventh four-year term as a South Jersey U.S.Federal Magistrate. He is also one of the area's most prominent Jewish and healthcare leaders with longtime affiliations with AtlantiCare, its Foundation and the Federation of Jewish Agencies. Knight is given the extra honor as Chairman Emeritus of the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center. He recently took his oath of a very responsible Federal law position at the U.S. Court House in Camden from Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph Irenes. Dr. Knight is HM's Mensch of the month for his longevity, dedication and Judaic leadership. Mazel Tov Dr. Knight, who lives in Margate with his wife, Judy.

BERNICE IZES LEADS BEVY OF WRITERS READING ONE-ACT PLAYS DEC. 6 IN OCEAN CITY

We have a group of talented area actors, including Murray Raphel, Bernice Izes, Dr. Joseph Linsk, Jerry Hyman, Rachel Kaplan and Jim Landau, each reading one of six new plays Saturday Dec. 6 in Ocean City at 8 p.m. at Ma France Creperie, 506 East Ninth St. They are members of the Actors and Playwrights by the Sea and says Izes, "the plays are upbeat and entertaining original theater." Reservations are a must and can be made by calling 399-9955 or 214-9232. There is a contribution to the theater group. "It will be a great evening of entertainment," said Izes. LUCY'S ELEPHANT EXEC AND ITS FOUNDATION'S RICHARD HELFANT SEEKS LANDMARK OWNERSHIP

It can be said unequivocally that Richard Helfant is both the voice and face of the Margate Elephant Foundation, whose goal is to establish the pachyderm's ownership. Lucy is considered one of the world's great attractions and Margate's major landmark, and Helfant and the Foundation are in the planning stages of adopting a plan that will determine if Lucy belongs to the city or to the Foundation. "We are willing to make a lease deal to operate Lucy for a half century at a reasonable fee," declared Helfant.

THOUGHTS FROM OUR CLERGY IN THIS MONTH OF HANUKKAH AND LATKES

We can savor the taste of latkes as our Jewish community heads toward the most enjoyable holiday of the year - Hanukkah. We also enjoy the beliefs of our clergy as they express out loud inner thoughts our rabbis feel should be passed on to our community. Beth Judah's Rabbi Aaron Gaber focuses on tzedakah, relating his travels to Argentina, the Ukraine, Israel and other places "seeing first hand the impact that our tzadekah has on others. It's a great feeling." At Beth Israel, Rabbi David Weis speaks about the influence on him of Martin Buber. "I am indebted to Buber for the gift of vision, for enabling me to delve into my soul and presenting a different path to a relationship with the Divine." That's what makes Weis an astounding spiritual leader to his congregants. In future columns HM will report the inner thoughts of Emeth Shalom's Rabbi Gordon Geller and Beth El's Rabbi Shalom Plotkin and other area Jewish clergy.

TAKING CARE OF ELDERLY PARENTS IS STRESSFUL SAYS ELDER LAW ATTORNEY MICHAEL WEINRAUB

It's got to be stressful "big time" to take care of elderly parents declared HM's Elder Law consultant, Michael Weinraub, whose law office is in Ventnor. He said "the annual trek to the family homestead can bring more stress than joy for adults with elderly, disabled or chronically-ill parents," and he adds, "Mom's chronic condition is getting worse and Dad can barely take care of himself, let alone manage mom's needs; the bills aren't getting paid and the house is a wreck." And he points out, "the holiday season is the time when many adults are forced to confront the reality of parents' declining health," Weinraub says you can contact him at 823-4900 and he'll make some suggestions on how to handle this critical problem.