Calendar
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Friday, June 15
6:30 pm - Shabbat Service
House Band
Saturday, June 16
10:00 am - Sylvia Probst Bat Mitzvah
Friday, June 22
6:30 pm - Choir/Todah Rabbah Shabbat Service
June Anniversaries
Saturday, June 23
10:00 am - Andrew Liebers Bar Mitzvah
Monday, June 25
7:00 pm - Knit & Knosh - home of Ronnie Gurney
Wednesday, June 27
7:30 pm - Annual Meeting
Friday, June 29
6:30 pm - Shabbat Service
Saturday, June 30
10:00 am - Jonathan Rubins Bar Mitzvah
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Torah Portion
June 16, 2012
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Shelach
(Numbers 13:1-15:41)
Twelve scouts of Israel are sent to survey Canaan. Collectively, they report that it is a land "flowing with milk and honey." Additionally, ten report the land is "inhabited by giants" and cannot be conquered. Only Caleb and Joshua remain unafraid. The story shows the lack of faith of the people. Therefore, as a punishment, the people are told that their generation will never enter Canaan. |
Happy Birthday to...
| Henry Friedberg
Linda Young
Richard Reice
Jonah Savitz
Kimberly Morgenbesser
Sylvia Probst
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Tree of Life
(Etz Chaim)
| Celebrate the birth of a child, the bar or bat mitzvah of a loved one, the wedding or anniversary of a cherished friend or family member, a graduation or a retirement through a permanent dedication on the GRS Tree of Life! Click here for more information and to place an order.
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Caring Community News
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Ronnie Gurney and Eve Goldberg are co-chairs of this committee. Committee members will be able to provide assistance to temple members in times of need and to celebrate with them in times of joy. If you know of an ill or hospitalized member, please contact the office at (203) 629-0018.
You can help us to help each other. We encourage the participation of volunteers to keep in touch with our members through telephone calls, visits, by sending cards, etc...If you would like to be a part of this committee, please contact Denise Cooper Thomas at denise@grs.org.
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GRS Staff
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Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
rabbisklarz@grs.org
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Cantor Sabrina Lipton
sabrinalipton@grs.org
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Stephanie Glaser
Executive Director
stephanieglaser@grs.org
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Lisa Gittelman Udi
Director of Education
lisargudi@grs.org
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Clarita Agulay
Bookkeeper
clarita@grs.org
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Denise Cooper
Administrative Assistant
denise@grs.org
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Corinne Morrell
Relocation Assistant
assistant@grs.org
Peter Babivskiy
Caretaker
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Shabbat Service
Friday, June 15, 2012
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Please join Rabbi Sklarz, Cantor Lipton and the GRS House Band for a Shabbat Service, followed by an Oneg Shabbat generously sponsored by the Probst Family in honor of Sylvia becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
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Give A Ride, Need A Ride
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|  Are you in need of a ride to services? Or, would you be willing to give someone a ride to services? If your answer to one of these questions is 'YES', please contact Denise Cooper at 203-629-0018 or denise@grs.org. |
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A Message from Rabbi Sklarz
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Dear Friends,
Last night I attended the Annual Meeting of UJA/Federation of Greenwich, in which our terrific Israeli emissaries, Avirom Spies and Liron Yamin, were honored and bid a loving farewell. In fact, a heartwarming tribute with a list of compelling reasons for hosting an emissary for a portion of the year was eloquently offered by the Probst family.
 During my four years in Greenwich, GRS has been blessed to have had amazing young Israelis, fresh out of high school, come into our community for a year. Their presence has indeed enriched life at GRS with their active involvement at every session of our Hebrew and Religious school, as well as with a host of congregational programs throughout the year. As your rabbi, I cannot stress what a joy it has been to have worked with such talented, energetic and caring young people. Moreover, I have witnessed the strong bonds created each year between the emissaries and the students in our Religious School.
Unfortunately, I am told that Greenwich is at risk of loosing the Israeli Emissary program, for we seem to lack, the necessary number of families volunteering to serve as hosts. In truth, all that is required is a loving home with children; no special Judaic knowledge is required! A number of our GRS families have served as hosts, and they have found the rewards to be far greater than the efforts asked of them. The relationships which have developed have been incredibly meaningful on so many levels.
I urge you to consider serving as a host family for a portion of the year. I would be more than happy to share my experiences, and I am certain that our past host families would welcome speaking of theirs with all interested. If this is a possibility for you, please contact Rebekah Raz at UJA/Federation of Greenwich at 203-552-1818.
Let's keep this important program alive in Greenwich!
L'Shalom
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
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Important Update on the GRS
Future Building Plans
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We are delighted to inform you that the deal with the Stanwich School has closed as planned and expected.
Our search teams continue to be in full swing, both to find temporary and permanent locations for our synagogue, religious school, and the future GRS preschool. A number of options are under investigation, and although it's premature to share any details, several look very promising. If you have any questions about the process or would like to suggest possible locations, don't hesitate to let us know. If you have any suggestions for a temporary space, please contact Helen Stark at 203-622-1732 or stark110@optonline.net; if you have any recommendations for purchase options, please contact Sandy Soule at 203-637-7642 or sandy.soule@gmail.com.
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Tzedakah
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Thank you for your generosity...
Circle of Giving
- James A. Bonheur
- Dan & Lynn Friedberg
- Eric & Karen Beiley
- Thomas & Robin Bartholmew
General Fund
- Meryl and Bruce Fern in honor of Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz
A contribution to GRS is a wonderful way to celebrate joyous events and commemorate meaningful occasions.
If you would like to make a contribution, please send your check to GRS, 257 Stanwich Rd., Greenwich, CT 06830. For details on the giving opportunities available, please call the GRS office.
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Todah Rabbah Shabbat
Friday, June 22, 2012, 6:30 pm
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 While every Shabbat is special, our upcoming Todah Rabbah Shabbat on June 22nd at 6:30 pm is even more special than most, because we'll be honoring the scores of members who make GRS a strong, vibrant and growing congregation. Special recognition will be awarded to those who have supported the Annual Circle of Giving and to those regular volunteers who perform the myriad tasks needed to keep Greenwich Reform Synagogue moving forward.
Whether you are a volunteer, a supporter of the Annual Circle of Giving, all or none of the above, please join us at GRS on Friday, June 22nd at 6:30 so that we can welcome this joyous Shabbat together and thank all of our generous volunteers and supporters.
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GRS Annual Meeting
Wednesday, June 27, 2012, 7:30 pm
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TO ALL GRS CONGREGANTS: On behalf of the Board of Trustees, you are invited to attend the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Congregation of Greenwich Reform Synagogue.
In order to ensure that we have a quorum at the meeting, we ask that everyone send in a proxy even if you plan on attending the meeting. If you have sent in a proxy, and desire to change your vote, you can do so in person at the meeting. If you need another copy of the proxy click here.
We thank everyone for their participation during the past year and look forward to seeing all of you at the Annual Meeting, as we begin another exciting year at GRS.
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B'nai Mitzvah Profile - Sylvia Probst
Saturday, June 16, 2012
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Sylvia Rae Probst of Riverside is the daughter of Cheryl and Curtis Probst, sister to Oliver (age 15) and Trevor (age 10). Sylvia is in the 7th grade at Eastern Middle School. This past year, Sylvia has been involved in a variety of mitzvah projects. She has purchased and packed essential overnight items for the Kids in Crisis Stuff-a-Duffel project. She has also delivered Passover baskets to recent Russian immigrants through Project Hope at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven. She has served food at St. Luke's Lifeworks soup kitchen, and after turning 13, she plans to assist children with arts and crafts projects during an after-school program at the Byram Archibald Neighborhood Center. Sylvia was selected by her school to participate in Service for Others, a committee that plans fundraising events at EMS.
This past year, Sylvia had the pleasure of studying Hebrew and learning more about Israel with Liron Yamin, the Israeli emissary assigned to live in her home for three months, in a program organized by the UJA of Greenwich. In addition to being an honor roll student, Sylvia is an aspiring performing artist. She studies jazz and modern dance, plays the flute in the EMS band, and sings in the EMS chorus. She's cheered for the Riverside Gators for the past 4 seasons and won the Spirit Award in 2010. This summer, Sylvia plans on returning to French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts camp for her 4th year, and she also plans on attending the International Gymnastics Camp, where she hopes to perfect her back handspring.
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Knit & Knosh
Monday, June 25, 7:00 pm | | |
Would you like to knit, crochet or sew over good food and drinks, in good company?
Then, the GRS Sisterhood invites you to come and join us. We welcome knitters of any age, gender or ability! We would love to see more new faces!
At the home of Ronnie Gurney:
123 Harbor Drive #612
Stamford, CT 06902 |
| Calling All Mah Jong Players! | | |
Wendy Moldovan-Wilensky and friends are organizing a Ladies Mah Jong players group. If you are interested in joining, please email wendy.e.moldovan@gmail.com
to let her know of your availability (weekdays/ days/evenings) and whether you are an experienced or beginner player. They hope to play once a week on a regular basis. Meetings will be at her home or where ever there is a volunteered home. Please feel free to join them!
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Save the Date: Thursday, June 21, 7:00 pm
Interfaith Young Israeli Concert
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Greenwich Reform Synagogue, The Sholom Center, JCC Greenwich, Congregation Shir Ami & the Greenwich Fellowship of Clergy are co-sponsoring an interfaith concert featuring young Israeli (Arab and Jewish) musicians in Greenwich, on behalf of the Polyphony Foundation.
The concert will take place at First Presbyterian Church at 7PM, followed by a reception at approximately 8:15PM.
This event is FREE and RSVP is required!
Polyphony's mission is to "build a strong and culturally diverse civil society by exposing Arab and Jewish youth living in Israel and in their communities to classical music and by inviting them to participate in music education and training. Polyphony's groundbreaking work has been recognized internationally, and it recently received the prestigious Yoko Ono Lennon Courage Award for the Arts."
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Brotherhood Summer Outing
Sunday, August 19, 2012 | | |
SAVE THE DATE!
The GRS Brotherhood will be holding its summer outing at Harbor Yard - Bridgeport, to watch the Bridgeport Bluefish take on the Maryland Blue Crabs.
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| Need a piano or know someone who does? | | 
GRS owns a spinet piano currently being kept in the room behind the choir nook. When we relocate we are not going to be able to move it into storage. Anyone interested in taking it-- it works-- should contact Stephanie Glaser at stephanieglaser@grs.org.
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Around the Community
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Party in the Park, A Big Event for Small Children
Monday, June 18, 10-11am, Binney Park. We'll get our groove on with "woodwind maestro" and composer Oran Etkin, creator of the Timbalooloo method of teaching children fundamentals of music through games, stories, movement and song. He'll jazz our children with the wonders of the world and Klezmer music at this palooza for ages 9mos.-5yrs. FREE. Call Tracy Daniels at 203-552-1818 or email tracy@ujafedgreenwich.org.
The following are events sponsored by JCC of Greenwich.
JCC CINEMA:
"Noodle", Monday, June 18, 7 pm, Bow-Tie Criterion Cinemas, Greenwich, Adults: $12, Seniors $8. For More Information or to Register Click Here "Journey to Homeland," Monday, June 25, 7pm, Hyatt Regency, Greenwich, $12 For more information or to register please click here. "A Secret (Un Secret)", Thursday, June 28, 7pm, Byram Shubert Library, Greenwich, FREE. For more information or to register please click here.
Jewish Family Services of Greenwich is offering the following programs, support groups and volunteer opportunities (For more information or to register for any of the following, please visit www.jfsgreenwich.org or call 203-622-1881):
Interfaith Conversations: Open Discussions about the Joys & Challenges of Interfaith Living Finding Your Community: The Right Fit. Come join us as we explore "The Right Fit"-from the ideal to the real-and the challenges and opportunities of finding community for your family. Both men and women are welcome. Monday, June 18, 7-9pm in a private home. NO CHARGE! Please RSVP by calling Tatiana Nichiforova at 203-622-1881 to register or email tnichiforova@jfsgreenwich.org
JFS Support Groups: (All groups $10 per session) - Mother and Me: A Discussion Group for Adults: No matter what you do - you just can't get along with your mother? You try to be understanding and patient but something just goes off in your head and you can't control your emotions. Come share your experiences, explore what triggers your reactions, and learn how to deal with it. Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30pm beginning April 3
- Adult Divorce: Wednesdays, 5:30-6:45pm
- Children (Grades 4-6) of Divorce: Weds., 4:30-5:45pm
- Children (Grades 7-9) of Divorce: Tues., 4:30-5:45pm
- Bereavement: Tuesdays, 10:30-11:30am
JFS individual adult, teen, child and family Counseling:
$150 per session, Sliding scales always apply
JFS Volunteer OpportunitiesBikkur Cholim/Friendly Visitors/Grocery Shopper
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