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Shabbat and Holiday
Service Schedule
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May 10: 7:00 PM
Festival of Shavuot and Confirmation Service May 17: 7:30 PM Shabbat Evening Service May 18: 10:00 AM
Bar Mitzvah - Jared Belkin May 24: 7:30 PM Lay Led Shabbat Service May 31: 6:00 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat
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Kup O' Joe
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Caffeinated Conversations  ....with Rabbi Forman.
Kup O' Joe takes a coffee break for the summer. We look forward to sharing a cup with you again in the fall.
*Kup is Yiddush for Head/Mind
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| Donations |
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Mishloach Manot
Scott & Maryann Breslow
Brian & Carol Coriell
Victor Sloan & Sandra Gong
General Contribution
Scott & Maryann Breslow
Gerald Jones & Karen Tovi-Jones:
In Honor Of David's Bar Mitzvah
Education Enrichment Fund
Paul & Elyse Belkin
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
Paul & Elyse Belkin
Mitzvah Day
Jeff & Christine Berg
Gary & Debbie Weiss
Oneg Fund
Marc & Caryn Tomljanovich:
In Honor Of Lyra's Bat Mitzvah
25th Anniversary
Kurt & Susan Blaicher:
In Memory Of Joseph Ayrey
Tim & Miriam Blanke
Brian & Carol Coriell
Harvey Gold
Evelyne Hersch:
In Honor Of Jessie Mazzocchi
Mark & Jessica Hodkinson
Joseph & Carolyn Sansevere:
In Memory Of Michael J. Sansevere, Jr.
Robert & Alice Schwade:
In Memory Of Helen & David Topf
Victor Sloan & Sandra Gong
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Upcoming Yahrzeits
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May 17
Lillian Friedman
mother of Hilda Suchow
Hannah Rachel Sandler
mother of Jeff Sandler
Larry Seligman
father of Deb Weiss
Leo Heller
grandfather of Jim and David Lewy
Richard Levy
father of Robert Levy
Bernard Sigel
father of Meridith Sigel-Willey
Shelly Weiss
cousin of Evelyne Hersch
Celia Zalaznick
grandmother of Bruce Zalaznick
May 31
Sheldon Connor
uncle of Ross Weinick
Catherine Malitoris
mother of Nancy Levine
Bessie Sinoway
grandmother of Stephen Sinoway
Avrum Katcher
loved one of Estelle Katcher
June 7
Arthur Horowitz
father of Cindy Stoter
Sylvia Horowitz
mother of Cindy Stoter
Patricia (Whelan) Albert
ex-wife of Myles Albert
Lillian Magid
aunt of Bruce Zalaznick
Ann Gorin
grandmother of Debbie Weiss
Isidor Soodik
stepfather of Harvey Gold
Ethel Pearl
aunt of David Moutner
Ted Pytlar
father of Ted Pytlar
June 14
Minnie Singer
aunt of Harvey Gold
Richard E. Ingram
husband of Susan Ingram and father of Andrea Harvey
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25th Anniversary Donations
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Or Chadash gratefully acknowledges the generous donations to the 25th Anniversary Fund received to date from:
Larry & Beatrice Abrams
Kurt & Susan Blaicher
Tim & Miriam Blanke
Ira & Estelle Breines
Jeff & Christine Berg
Jeffrey D. Charney
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman
Harvey Gold Evelyne Hersch Mark & Jessica Hodkinson Estelle Katcher
Robert & Shirl Levy
Darren & Elizabeth Loew
Stephen & Diana Propper
Rick & Jill Rosenthal Joseph & Carolyn Sansevere John & Toby Sarinick
Stephen Sinoway & Beth Golden
Victor Sloan & Sandra Gong
Louis & Caryn Speizer
Paul & Meredith Weil
Ross & Susan Weinick
Gary & Deb Weiss
Richard Willey & Meridith Sigel-Willey
Mark & Kristina Witzling
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick
Eric & Naomi Zwerling
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| Religious School Thanks | | |
Todah Rabah
Sincere appreciation and thanks to our teaching assistants and faculty of 2013. Your dedication and support to the children and families of Or Chadash is greatly appreciated.
Teaching Assistants
Rachel Albrecht
Jacob Berg
Thuy Blumenfeld
Katie Eckelmann
Aaron Lewy
Aiden Lewy
Erika Lewy
Brianna Lifshitz
Jenna Lifshitz
Rachel Podgorski
Mei-lin Sloan
Ben Weil
Rachel Weil
Matt Weinberg
Josh Weinberg
Abby Weinick
Faculty
Rabbi Joe Forman
Rabbi Jonathan Gerard
Student Cantor Kathy Gohr
Kate Metelitsa
Ellen Rosen
Victor Sloan
Andy Stein
Liz Tracey
Andrea Weinberg
Betsy Zalaznick
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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. We provide our services to a diverse socio-economic client population that includes individuals, children, young adults, families and the elderly.
Click here for information on additional services.
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Rabbi's Message
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 "Shavuot" is the Hebrew word for "weeks." The Torah tells us to count seven full weeks after the second day of Passover to Shavuot. In ancient times, the Israelites were an agricultural people who brought sheaves of grain as gifts to the Temple for these seven weeks. On the fiftieth day, Shavuot, they brought loaves of bread made out of the new grain.
The holiday has several names. It is also called Z'man Matan Torateinu (Hebrew for Season of the Giving of our Torah), as well as Hag HaBikkurim (Hebrew for Holiday of the First Fruit) as it marks the beginning of the fruit harvest when the first ripe fruits were brought to the Temple as an offering of thanksgiving.
In the early part of the 19th in Germany, Bar Mitzvah was replaced in the emerging Reform congregations with a Religious School graduation ceremony called Confirmation. Linking this affirmation of faith with the ancient Israelites' affirmation of faith -- as told in the story of the receiving of the Ten Commandments in the Book of Exodus -- Confirmation has endured as link between the past and the present, as our newest Confirmands represent the first graduating fruits of our academic season.
Below are my introductory words from our Confirmation Service this Shabbat.
Reform Judaism presents a challenge to every one who considers themselves a member of this community. Reform Judaism - Judaism in all it's forms really - has few basic tenets: don't treat others as you yourself would not wish to be treated; never forget that the greatest of all obligations is the preservation of human life; and - the hardest to grasp - that we are free to make choices about all our actions.
These broad notions of Judaism afford each of us the opportunity for creative expressions of our traditions and the challenge of discovering an authentic path to Jewish living.
During these three years of study and shared unique Jewish experiences our Confirmands learned about many core values in Jewish living including the preservation of life, Tzeddakah and Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. We studied familiar topics and new lessons about them. We traveled to the Religious Action Center in Washington, D.C., lobbying on Capitol Hill to try to change the world; we visited Brooklyn to experience the Hassidic Jewish world and to eat some amazing challah; we spent time in Philadelphia at the National Museum of American Jewish History to learn about the communities of earlier generations of Jews who shaped the foundations of American Judaism and saw a play about our nation's history of racism; and we experienced a glimpse into immigrant life as we toured Ellis Island and the Lower East Side; we made and ate challah and hamantaschen - complete with fortunes from Jewish sources; we listened in horror as an Auschwitz survivor shared her story of the Holocaust; and we piloted the Reform Movement's Teen Philanthropy program which enabled our students to explore with professionals and with one another the diversity of needs in our local and global communities and together understand the challenges of smart giving.
As we confirm these graduates of Jewish learning, we hope they will continue the life-long journey of Jewish learning and living and that their voices will contribute to the chorus of voices of contemporary Judaism echoing throughout the generations yet to come. They have been a blessing to our congregation. May they continue to bless ours and Jewish communities wherever they live out their Jewish identities.
Rabbi Joseph M. Foman
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President's Message
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 Last week we welcomed Abby Rutka as our new Office Manager. Abby has a background in computer science and most recently held a similar position as our own at her own synagogue. She fell wonderfully into our lap via a friend of a friend and we could not be happier. She is still getting to know the ropes, but already has been a big help getting us back up to speed on a number of items. If you are in the neighborhood during office hours, stop in and say hello. Or simply call the main office or email her at admin@orchadash-nj.org to wish her a warm welcome. I look forward to seeing you all at Confirmation and Mitzvah Day. Jeff Berg |
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Mitzvah Day
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Rabbi Tarfon said: It is not your duty to complete the work, but neither are you free to avoid it. Pirke Avot 2:21
Please join us and participate in Mitzvah Day at Or Chadash on Sunday, May 19, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. (Mitzvah Day will be held rain or shine.) We will celebrate Or Chadash's 25th Anniversary by engaging in 25 mitzvah projects. This is a wonderful opportunity to get involved in the Or Chadash community and have a huge impact on our world.
The entire Or Chadash community is encouraged to donate just a few hours of time. We have projects for all ages and abilities. Some projects will be done at the Temple and others will be done off-site.
Mitzvah Day will also include a blood drive at Or Chadash. New Jersey Blood Services will have a mobile blood unit on site from 8 am until 2 pm. We will also have a bone marrow registry program.
Click here to RSVP.
If you have any questions, please contact Betsy Zalaznick at bzalaznick@gmail.com or call the Temple at (908) 806-2122.
Betsy Zalaznick, Educator, Or Chadash
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| Important Dates to Remember |
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Friday, May 10 - 7:00 PM - Festival of Shavuot and Confirmation Service
Sunday, May 19 - 9:00 AM: Mitzvah Day
Sunday, June 2 - All Day: Israel Parade
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Confirmation at OC
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This Friday, May 10 at 7PM Join us as we celebrate Shavuot and Confirmation. This is one of the highlights of the year! Our 8th and 9th Graders will be participating as our 10th graders share personal words on their Jewish identities. Please support these dedicated students and join with us for a very moving and memorable evening.   | |
Our Confirmation Class of 2013 are pictured celebrating Sukkot at our Fall 2013 opening program (left to right) Brianna Lifshitz, Katie Eckelmann, Elizabeth Rosen, Austin Goldstein, Rachel Albrecht and Aaron Lewy
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In Our Community
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Refuah Sh'leima (Get well) to...
Eileen Berkelhammer
Muriel Trambert
Todah Rabbah...
We want to express a warm thank you to our teachers and teaching assistants for teaching our children and for all their help in our school.
Mazel Tov...
We wish Rabbi Forman mazel tov for being elected by his Rabbinic colleagues to serve as Vice President of the New Jersey / West Hudson Valley Association of Reform Rabbis.
We wish Sydney Stoter mazel tov for winning third place in the National Society for the Daughters of the American Revolution essay contest. Read more here...
We wish Jared Belkin mazel tov for having his Bar Mitzvah project detailed in the Marco Eagle. Read more here...
We wish Megan Sansevere mazel tov for completing her Girl Scouts Gold Award. Read more here...
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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| Things you may have missed... | |
Temple Tots Celebrate Israel!
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| Or Chadash In The News | | The Rosh Hashanah Debate
Three congregations want Hunterdon Central officials to close the school on Rosh Hashanah. The decision to keep school open on the Jewish high holy day of Rosh Hashanah next fall has not been accepted by everyone in the Hunterdon Central Regional High School community. Read more here...
Hunterdon Central superintendent invites Jewish parents to meeting on diversity. Jewish parents who object to Hunterdon Central High School officials' decision to keep school in session on the Jewish high holy day of Rosh Hashana this coming fall can share their concerns with the superintendent and principal on Wednesday, May 8. Read more here... |
Bar Mitzvah - Max Altshuler
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 Max Altshuler became a Bar Mitvah on May 4th. He is the son of Neil and Nancy Altshuler and a younger brother to Todd and Jake. Max is a seventh grader at. Case Middle School. He loves to play soccer, snow board, and spend time playing outside with his friends. Max's torah portion B'har teaches the importance of rest. Taking a break gives us a chance to rejuvenate and start again fresh. Max organized two piano recitals at Independence Manor Assisted Living Facility for his Mitzvah project. He also spends time helping the kids play soccer through the Hunterdon Outreach Program. Max is looking forward to celebrating his Bar Mitvah with his friends and family.
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Bar Mitzvah - Jared Belkin
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Jared will become a Bar Mitzvah on May 18th. He is the son of Audrey and Adam Belkin and the older brother of Nadia Belkin. Jared is a 7th grade honor student at Readington Middle School in Whitehouse Station, where his favorite subjects are science and math. Jared enjoys track at RMS, specifically the discus following his mother's footsteps, as well as tennis at Courtside Racquet Club. When not on the field or court, he enjoys playing with his friends. Jared's Bar Mitzvah project ties nicely into his Torah portion, called Naso, which is about consequences. For his Mitzvah project, Jared wanted to help those people who, as a consequence of hurricane Sandy, suffered tremendous personal loss. To help them, he designed a t-shirt and raised over $4000 for the Ocean Township Red Cross to give to all the people who suffered from the hurricane. Jared is looking forward to celebrating his Bar Mitzvah with his family and friends.
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Or Chadash Newsletter