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Join our list
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Spring Break Reminder
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Just a reminder there will be no Religious School on the following days during spring break:
Thursday, April 5
Sunday, April 8
Thursday, April 12
Sunday, April 15
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Shabbat and Holiday
Service Schedule
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April 6: No Service at Or Chadash. First Night Seder. April 13: 7:30 PM Shabbat Evening Service April 20: 7:00 PM Family Service on Israel with 3rd Grade Participation April 27: 7:30 PM Shabbat Evening Service May 4: 7:00 PM Shabbat Family Service with K-2 Participation May 11: 7:00 PM Festival of Shavuot and Confirmation Service
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| Donations | | |
Click here to make a donation to Or Chadash to commemorate your simcha or memorialize the Yahrzeit of your loved one.
General Contribution
Louis & Roberta Walcer, in memory of Ralph Moutner
Education Enrichment Fund
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick, in memory of Morris Newburg, Ralph Moutner, Saul Marder, Arnold Kassanoff
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick, wishing good health to Sonia Sloan
Yahrzeit
Steven & Susan Albert, in memory of Ralph Moutner
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
Hilda Suchow, in memory of David Suchow
Mishloach Manot
Larry & Beatrice Abrams
Myles & Caryn Albert
Steve & Susan Albert
Steven & Susan Albrecht
Neil & Nancy Altshuler
Ken Becker & Sharon Bobnar-Becker
Jeff & Christine Berg
Kurt & Susan Blaicher
Ray Blumenfeld & Audrey Hackel
Jon & Lori Blutfield
Ira & Estelle Breines
Scott & Maryann Breslow
Gary & Jodi Brodsky
Mitch Brody
Steven & Kim Caniano
Matthew Carter & Cheryl Platt
Carl Christensen & Debbie Beer-Christensen
David & Cindy Cohn
Brian & Carol Coriell
Barry & Karen Drill
George Eckelmann & Jane Engel
Craig Erkkila & Ruby Halper-Erkkila
Faith Fuhrman
John & Maria Gendelman
Rabbi Jonathan Gerard
Harvey & Kathy Gold
John Graybeal & Laura Senator
Steve & Sage Grumbach
Chris & Leslie Hann
Phillip & Andrea Harvey
Alan Hecht & Maria Jose De La Hoz
John & Rebecca Hennings
Evelyne Hersch
Mark & Jessica Hodkinson
Chip Hughes & Maxine Boll-Hughes
Susan Ingram
Rusty Johnson & Beth Borowsky
Robert & Annette Kahle
James & Stephanie Kassanoff
Estelle Katcher
Andy & Michele Korfin
Jack Kurlansik
Jeremy Lancer
Robert & Susan Lazar
Russ Lazarek & R. Yevette Hendler
Brian & Susan Lehrer
Perry & Cindy Lehrer
Robert & Shirl Levy
Elizabeth Lewy
Edward & Cheryl Lifshitz
Darren & Elizabeth Loew
Matthew & Amy MacIsaac
Alan Marrus
Sherrie Mazzocchi
Ron & Joan Melanson
David & Katherine Moutner
David & Rita Orlans
Stuart Oxenhorn & Robin Schutz
Nisim & Alexa Parliyan
Randy Price
Stephen & Diana Propper
Ellen Pytlar
Jeffrey & Ellen Rosen
Rick & Jill Rosenthal
Jeff Sandler
Joseph & Carolyn Sansevere
John & Toby Sarinick
James & Barbara Schlessinger
Robert & Alice Schwade
Stephen Sinoway & Beth Golden
Victor Sloan & Sandra Gong
Glenn & Lydia Sokoloski
Louis & Caryn Speizer
Andrew & Jane Stein
Vincent Tevere & Roni Holzberg
Marc & Caryn Tomljanovich
David & Kimberly Turner
Edward Tyler & Renee Trambert
Glenn & Eve Wasserman
Paul & Meredith Weil
Paul & Andrea Weinberg
Paul & Maureen Weiner
Ross & Susan Weinick
Gary & Debbie Weiss
Amara Willey
Richard Willey & Meridith Sigel-Willey
Mark & Kristina Witzling
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick
Donna Zubek
Eric & Naomi Zwerling
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Upcoming Yahrzeits
| | May the memories of the following individuals be for a blessing:
April 6 (will be read on April 13)
Maude Albert
grandmother of Steve Albert Joseph Ettinger father of Shelly Weller Marc Leon uncle of Betsy Zalaznick Robert John Schwade father of Bob Schwade Albert Sperber father of Eileen Berkelhammer
April 13
Katherine Crawford
mother in law of Ruth Crawford
Norman Halper father of Ruby Halper-Erkkila
Richard Landman father of Michele Korfin
Bernice Sherman mother of Louis Speizer
Stanford Bernard Speizer father of Louis Speizer April 20Sarah H. Levin
mother of Ellen Pytlar Joseph Sacks
grandfather of Jodi Brodsky Sadie Sperber
mother of Eileen Berkelhammer April 27
Ralph Amodio
uncle of Leslie Hann Edwin Loewy
father of Susan Ingram grandfather of Andrea Harvey Sidney Stein
grandfather of Stephanie Kassanoff Helen Topf
mother of Alice Schwade Evelyn Zwerling
mother of Eric Zwerling May 4Doris Lerman
loved one of the Mahalick Family Ruth Moutner
aunt of David Moutner Sheldon Weinick
father of Ross Weinick Rose Weinstein
loved one of the Mahalick Family May 11
David Abrams
father of Larry Abrams Esther Adelman
grandmother of Laura Senator Louis Brodsky
grandfather of Gary Brodsky Lillian Golden
grandmother of Beth Golden Robert Hann
father of Chris Hann Kate Hirsch
great grandmother of Betsy Zalaznick Milton Price
father of Randy Price Reva Rothstein
wife of Gerald Rothstein Deborah Schwartz
loved one of Shelly Weller Charlotte Werstein
grandmother of Leslie Hann
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Save The Date: Mitzvah Day - May 20, 2012
| | Or Chadash's Mitzvah Day is an annual event in May where volunteers participate in a day of community service. Members of all ages worki together to foster a relationship with social service agencies that work to improve the lives of people in need. In keeping with Judaism's teachings of tikkun olam, to repair the world, Mitzvah Day strives to inspire its participants to pursue social justice through social activism.
Please Save the Date May 20, 2012 9:00 AM Or Chadash |
"The Sandwich Generation: Wedged Between the Needs of Your Children and Aging Parents" Workshop
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Sunday, April 22, 2012
10:15 AM - 12 NOON
Or Chadash
Classroom 1
Juggling the demands of family members can be overwhelming. The challenges of raising young children or helping adult children transition to independence while helping our parents through the aging process can be an all-consuming undertaking. Come and learn how to balance the competing needs of dependent children and aging parents without getting lost in the shuffle. This program will be led by Jeanne Lankin, a social worker at Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren counties. Bring your concerns and questions, or just sit back and learn about the issues and resources that can help. Jeanne will stay for a little while after the program to answer individual questions.
Coffee and bagels will be provided. RSVP requested but not mandatory. Please RSVP to Leslie Hann at [email protected].
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Clothing Swap at OC
Sunday, May 6
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As you switch out your winter clothes for your summer ones, bring the clothes you no longer want to the first ever
Or Chadash Clothes Swap
Sunday May 6th
10:00-12:30
Classroom #1
It's an easy and fun way to give away what no longer fits your style while finding clothes that are "new to you". Simply bring in women's and children's clothing and accessories (handbags, belts, etc) and lay them out for others to browse through while you look for things you like. More details to come!
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Thank You from Rabbi Steinbrink
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We thank the many members of Or Chadash who sent us Purim greetings and goodies. We reciprocate the good wishes and hope you have a wonderful Pesach.
Rabbi Richard and Diane Steinbrink
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| Volunteer with JFS | |
Senior Friendly
Visitors Needed
JFS is looking for male and female volunteers to visit frail elderly persons to provide socialization and cognitive stimulation. Our program allows choices in assignment. Volunteers report personal benefits in this meaningful activity. We offer orientation and training and ongoing support. Visit our website to meet a volunteer and a senior who has benefitted.
www.jewishfamilysvc.org
Next Orientation and Training May 2012
Call to register:
908 725-7799
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NFTY in Israel
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Teen summer programs in Israel are recognized not only as spectacular opportunities for fun and friendship but as defining and transforming Jewish growth experiences as well. All those who care deeply about ensuring a vibrant Jewish future appreciate the impact of a substantive Israel program on young people.
What can you expect your children to accomplish during their summer in Israel? What are the benefits of this wonderful opportunity?
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Join Us at Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse for Matzah and Pita Baking
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 | | Picture from last year's event. |
We are pleased to once again join with our friends at Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse for a HANDS-ON experience that is a wonderful way to begin Spring Break and to get ready for Passover!
During this program you will learn how to make matzah and pita--including adding well water to whole grains, salt, rolling the matzah and pita out by hand, and baking the matzah and pita on the hot stones of Bobolink's amazing oven as the matzahs and pitas crisp up and get golden in seconds.
This year, Bobolink has found a source of Elmer, the ancestor of modern wheat that was grown in the Nile Valley and elsewhere in the time of the Exodus. The flavor is exceptional and we will be using that to make our matzah and pitas. Also, Mark Drabich, owner of Metropolitan Seafood, will be providing assorted zataar, homemade lebneh, and local honey for us to taste with our freshly baked pita bread.
SUNDAY: April 1 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Nina and Jonathan White, proprietors of Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse will teach you how to make and bake matzah and pita!
This is a hands-on event for all ages, and small children are welcome. It is a wonderful activity for friends to join!
Ages: Children 2 years and older. Adults of all ages!
Click here to RSVP.
Fee: $5 per person, payable at event
LOCATION: Bobolink Dairy and Bakehouse 369 Stamets Road, Milford, NJ 08848.
Click here to learn about bobolink. http://www.cowsoutside.com/
Click here to read blog article and see video about farm.
http://tinyurl.com/3jrtdng
If you have any questions, please contact Betsy Zalaznick at [email protected].
We look forward to baking with you.
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman, Or Chadash
Betsy Zalaznick, Educator, Or Chadash
Yaser El Menshawy, President, The Islamic Center of Hunterdon County
Saba Siddiqui, The Islamic Center of Hunterdon County
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Rabbi's Message
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Dear members of Or Chadash:
In the coming weeks we will usher in the first of the Hebrew months - Nisan. Nisan marks the beginning of spring, the rebirth of the natural world. It is a time when we emerge from the coldness of winter into the warmth of brighter and longer days. It is also a time when we celebrate Passover - our festival of freedom - reminding ourselves of the preciousness of that blessing. Freedom, though, is not only a matter of politics. In our nation we are guaranteed the freedom to worship as we choose, freedom to align ourselves to any political party, freedom from oppression. But not all of us yet enjoy freedom from economic oppression, freedom from hate, freedom from bullying and freedom from so many challenges that are a deep source of dissatisfaction.
One of our traditions at Seder is to fill the cup of Elijah to overflowing - symbolic of the abundance we enjoy as free people. We at Or Chadash are blessed to be able to fill our stomachs - and that blessing demands that we help those still laboring for freedom, still fighting to earn a living wage, still struggling to fill their plates with food.
I hope this spring you will find opportunities to share your abundance with those less fortunate.
As our celebration of Passover approaches, the passage of the Four Children in the Haggadah can provide a wonderful model for us to look inward and discover how this holiday of freedom can address our own needs for person freedom from the tyranny of unrealistic expectations.
In preparing our homes, our families and ourselves for Passover, we might need a bit of reassurance that despite the number of Seders we have either led or been a part of, there is always more to learn. It's the wise part of our personality that reminds us that we don't actually need to know everything. It is OK to say: I don't know. And maybe a bit of rebelliousness that says we don't need to. But gnawing away at us might be a bit of guilt that we should have done more, we should have prepared more, cooked more, cleaned more, learned more. There is so much noise in our heads that by the time Passover does arrive we are already exhausted and have had enough. Dayenu! we say, Enough! And the Seder hasn't even begun. Perhaps if we took a simpler approach - not necessarily a bad thing - it would be better for us and our guests. Next year (in Jerusalem) we will know better. For now, perhaps, the best thing might be to let all who are hungry come and eat and enjoy -- with no questions asked at all.
Writing about the Four Children, Rabbi Miriam Spitzer shares wonderful insights into this section of our Haggadah and reveals that "...each one of us contains aspects of each child; each one of us is sometimes wise and sometimes wicked, sometimes simple and sometimes silent. We are the four children. As such we ask questions and we provide answers, different answers for different needs....By telling us the story of the four children, each with a distinct question and each with a distinct answer, the Haggadah is telling us to accept each person where they are and to begin from there."
This message is one you can teach yourself -- and your children. I encourage you to see the deeper message of this brief section of the Seder. Click here to read her article so you, too, can share in this insightful reading of the Four Children.
Wishing you a Sweet Passover,
Rabbi Joe Forman
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President's Message
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Dear members of Or Chadash:
Spring seems to have arrived in full force and with it the sense of renewal that occurs each year with the early daffodils and first blossoms on the fruit trees. At Or Chadash, this spring's sense of renewal takes on additional meaning as we are about to kick off the celebration of our second quarter century as a congregation. This summer marks the 25th anniversary of the original meetings of the founding members of what would become our congregation. Our first quarter century as a congregation has seen immense changes as we moved from Clinton Town Hall to Allerton United Methodist Church to our own home on Foothill Road; and we have progressed from student rabbis to ordained part time rabbis to full time rabbis. All along the way, our congregation grew. As we enter this new quarter century, we hope the stability we have seen over the last few years not only continues but flourishes like spring time. A small team, lead by Betsy Zalaznick and Caryn Tomljanovich, is busily planning special programming and opportunities to invest in the growing strength of Or Chadash to honor our past as well as secure our future. Many exciting events are on the drawing board. Please be on the lookout for further information, and I look forward to your participating in as much as you can. Also, we always have room for more volunteers to help in planning, so please reach out to Betsy, Caryn, or me if you have any interest. Best wishes for the spring and a healthy Passover to you. Jeff Berg President
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Student Cantor's Message
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Dear members of Or Chadash,
When watching our kindergarten and first grade religious school class bake Matza last Sunday I was warmed by the joy with which they engaged in this Passover tradition. Their smiling faces as they took a big bite out of the piece of matzah which they had rolled out themselves was a sight to behold. In retrospect I am reminded that another name for Matza is the "bread of affliction."
In a few days we will gather with our families at the seder and proclaim, "Ha lachma anya." "This is the bread of our affliction, the poor bread which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat."This bread also represents the haste with which we fled from the oppression of slavery. Not having the luxury of time to give the bread a chance to rise, we baked it on our backs in the heat of the desert sun.
As part of our remembrance of this event, matzah has rightfully played a central role in our observance of Passover. It is for some a staple in their diet for all seven days. There are entire cookbooks dedicated to providing tasty recipes to make matza as palatable as possible.We as Jews have come to revel in our creativity as we include this bread of our affliction in our daily lives for the length of the holiday.We embrace this symbol of our oppression with the conviction that in doing so we will never again allow tyrants to enslave us. But yet, they still do. May we continue to eat until this dream is a reality. As Emma Lazarus, the Jewish poetess who wrote the sonnet engraved on the Statue of Liberty so aptly put it, "None of us are free until all of us are free."
As I witnessed our children's delight in eating the work of their own hands I realize how fortunate we are that they are able to experience this bread separate from the affliction of which it was born. Let them eat. Not because they are hungry, but because this tradition will help to establish their connection as Jews. There will be time enough for understanding.For now, it is enough that they eat. May our children never truly eat the bread of affliction, may we never forget.
Bles-sings,
Kathy Gohr
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| Important Dates to Remember | | |
Saturday, April 7: 5:00 PM - Second Night Seder at Or Chadash
Sunday, April 22: 10:15 AM - Aging Parents Workshop
Sunday, May 6: 10:00 AM - Clothing Swap at Or Chadash
Friday, May 11: 7:00 PM - Confirmation Service
Sunday, May 20: 9:00 AM - Mitzvah Day
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Second Night Seder
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"In every generation let each one feel as if he or she came forth out of Egypt" (from the Haggadah of Pesach)
Each year the Jewish People throughout the world gather around the Seder table, united in our collective memory of the passage from slavery to freedom. It is my pleasure to invite you and your family to join me for our Or Chadash Congregational Seder on Saturday April 7, 2012, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. We will join together in story (Haggadah means "the telling") and song as together we create a meaningful holiday worship experience.
The menu includes tossed salad, gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket, chicken potato kugel, fresh fruit, dessert, and coffee, tea, juice and wine (BYO).
I am looking forward to sharing this experience with you, your friends, family and neighbors.
Click here to RSVP to attend.
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman
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Or Chadash Celebrated Purim!
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Purim is a time to put on a costume and get a little crazy, but there no disguising the good feeling we get when we come together as a community to have some fun! That's what we did at the Purim Carnival on March 4th.
Parents organized and planned, big kids volunteered, and little kids got to enjoy more than a dozen carnival games and activities. From watching the traditional Purim Speil performed by OCTY to finding the lucky key, jailing someone, shooting hoops, and racing Haman's hotrods to making sand art and luxuriating in Esther's Salon, a happy crowd of children and parents had some carnival fun. Throw in some carnival food, like hotdogs, popcorn, and hamantashen (hamantashen? sure! why not!), and you have a recipe for a good time.
Many thanks to our local merchants for various donations and discounts: Shop Rite and Philadelphia Pretzel Factory.
Thank you so much to Bob Levy for firing up the grill and serving up hotdogs for everyone.
And the biggest thank-you goes to all our student volunteers-you helped the morning of the carnival, ran carnival games, worked the Sandy Candy table, and volunteered in the craft room and in Esther's Salon. You made it a great day for the littler kids, and we couldn't have done it without you!
See you at the carnival next year!
The Purim Committee: Kristina Witzling, Audrey Belkin, Elyse Belkin, Karen Tovi-Jones, Susan Lazar, Susan Albrecht, Cindy Stoter, Eve Wasserman, Deborah Mitchell, Amy MacIsaac, Caryn Tomljanovich, Christine Berg
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In Our Community
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Refuah Sh'leima (Get well) to...
Condolences to....
Jim, Stephanie, Teddy and Shane Kassanoff, on the death of their father and grandfather, Arnold Kassanoff
Dave, Kathy, Amanda and Sarah Moutner on the death of their father and grandfather Ralph Moutner
Todah Rabbah (Thank You to)... The following families who volunteered and helped with Interfaith Hospitality Network in March: Dave Lewy Family Schwade Family Perry Lehrer Family Hann Family Rosen Family The following individuals who have recently given of their time and energy on behalf of the the Chesed (Caring) Community:
Leslie Hann, Carolyn Sansevere, Cindy Stoter, Robin Lewy, Estelle Katcher, Carol Corriell, Cindy Stoter, Shelly Weller and Susan Ingram.
Click here to see a Thank You note from Lisa Berkelhammer to the OC Caring Committee. Anyone who is interested in helping the Or Chadash Chesed (Caring) Community by providing meals, calling/visiting homebound residents, paying shiva calls, or any other projects should contact Leslie Hann at [email protected]. All the Or Chadash members who volunteered at Feed The Need. Approximately 2,000 people packed a whopping 427,680 meals last weekend, which will feed and deeply impact 1,172 children in Swaziland!
Occasions and Shoprite for your support of our Mishloach Manot/Purim Project fundraiser.
Everyone for the amazing support our Mishloach Manot/Purim Project received.
Those who contributed boxes of Pasta for our groggers at the Purim Carnival.
7th Grade Religious School Students for helping to assemble our Mishloach Manot bags.
8th, 9th, and 10th Grade Religious School Students for helping bake the fortune cookie hamantashen for our Mishloach Manot bags.
Lyra Tomljanovich, Emily Christensen and their families for ushering at the Saturday afternoon, April 28 service.
In order to help us be a more caring community, please share your lifecycle events with Rabbi Forman. Feel free to click on a hyperlink to send a note and let someone know you are thinking about them.
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| You're Invited to our Festival of Shavuot and Confirmation Service - Friday, May 11 at 7:00 PM | | |
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| Texas Hold 'Em on April 26 | | |
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| Bat Mitzvah - Alexis Antelman | | |
 Alexis Antelman will become a Bat Mitzvah on April 21. She is the daughter of Douglas Antelman and Sandra Poirier. Alexis is a 7th grader at J.P. Case Middle School. She enjoys all subjects, but especially enjoys language arts and studio art. Alexis played Field Hockey for the J.P. Case Tigers junior varsity team and looks forward to playing Varsity in the 8th grade. Alexis participates in road bicycle racing and is a 3-time New Jersey State Champion and won the overall cup for girls age 10-12 in 2011. Alexis especially loves animals, from the smallest animals to horses. Alexis' Torah Portion, Sh'Mini focuses on burnt offerings, dietary laws and the sacred vs. the profane. Alexis participated in her Mitzvah project by volunteering at the Deer Path YMCA, teaching younger children sports. This summer Alexis will volunteer as a junior counselor at Copper Hill Day Camp. Alexis is looking forward to sharing this special occasion with her sister Elissa, her extended family and friends.
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Bat Mitzvah - Mackenzie Carter
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 Mackenzie Sophia Carter, daughter of Cheryl Platt and Mathew Carter, sister of Charlee, will become a Bat Mitzvah on April 28, 2012. Mackenzie enjoys swimming and fashion design. She continues to perform her mitzvah project with the Hunterdon Outreach Program (HOPS) working with special needs children to help teach them how to play a variety of sports. Mackenzie's torah portion is known as V'etchanan and comes from one of the five books of Moses. Lessons contained within this torah portion are: that we should not assume things; do not idolize people you do not know; be kind and get to know people; be smart, do not take a miss-step and mess up your future; and look out for your family because they look out for you.
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| Bat Mitzvah - Sydney Stoter | | 
Sydney Stoter will become a Bat Mitzvah on April 28. She is the daughter of Cindy and Ken Stoter, and older sister of Cassondra Stoter. She is currently a seventh grader at Califon School. Sydney excels in Gymnastics, at the Silver Level, and also finds time to play Clarinet in the school band. Her Torah Portion, M'tzora, focuses on how evil talk, such as slander, lies, gossip, and disrespectfulness are considered a serious wrongdoing. Sydney's Mitzvah project focused around the needs of the elderly. She prepared meals and delivered them to people in need, living alone, or house-bound. She is looking forward to celebrating her special day with family and friends!
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| Save the Date for the URJ East District Spring Kallah | | |
 A Leadership Workshop on the Challenges
Facing Today's Congregations
Saturday/ Shabbat May, 12, 2012
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Temple Shir Ami
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Registration information to follow.
Worship in Shabbat Morning Services led by Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell, Union Rabbi - East District Learn about the Campaign for Youth Engagement with Joy Friedman, Campaign for Youth Engagement Organizer Learn what Judaism says about aging and how congregations can attract and retain their baby boomer membership with Rabbi Richard Address, Congregation M'kor Shalom, Cherry Hills, New Jersey Meet and consult with your URJ Congregational Representative Celebrate in a musical havdallah service |
| Lifelong Learning | | | Jewish Life
The final Jewish LIFE program of the season will be the Community Wide Yom Hashoah Program featuring Felice Cohen, author of What Papa Told Me, Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. hosted by Temple Beth El in Somerset.
Click on the Jewish LIFE page or call the JCC 908-725-6994
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| Jewish Family Services | | |
JFS is a non-profit, non-sectarian social service agency whose mission is to preserve and strengthen the quality of individual, family and community life based on Jewish values.
Betty and Arthur Roswell
Mental Health Counseling Center
Holocaust Survivors Assistance
Refugee Assistance
Special Needs Programs
Family Mentoring
Senior Support Services
Family Life Education
Information and Referral Emergency Assistance
AmeriCorps
Ohr Tikvah
Career Services
For more information contact:
Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties
150-A West High Street, Somerville, NJ 08876
908-725-7799 [email protected] www.JewishFamilySvc.Org
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Or Chadash Newsletter
