Or Chadash Newsletter November 2013 
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In This Issue
Service Schedule
Kup o' Joe
In Our Community
Yahrzeits
Rabbi's Article
Student Cantor's Article
President's Article
Russ & Daughters
Kristallnacht Commemoration
Upcoming Programs
Hanukkah Celebration
What You Might Have Missed
JewishLIFE
Registration Quick Links

Shabbat Service Schedule

Shabbat Window  
November 1:
7:30PM Shabbat Service with Student Cantor Kathy Gohr and Rabbi Jonathan Gerard 
November 8:
7:30PM Shabbat Service with Student Cantor Kathy Gohr 
November 15:
7:00PM Family Service with 6th grade participation. Meg Wiviott, author of Benno and the Night of Broken Glass will be at Or Chadash to read her book, discuss the creative process. It is the 75th anniversary of Kristallnacht.
November 16:
10:00AM Bat Mitzvah of Robyn Wasserman
November 22:
7:30PM Shabbat Service with the Union Prayerbook
November 29:
Enjoy Shabbat and Hanukkah with friends and family. No Services at Or Chadash.
December 6:
7:00PM Celebrate Hanukkah with OC  
Kup O' Joe

Caffeinated Conversations
KOJ
....with Rabbi Forman. 

 

Join Rabbi Forman on selected Sunday mornings at 9AM for a lively conversation on a wide variety of topics: US and Israel politics, theology, Jewish practice, sacred texts and more. 

Feel free to suggest a topic for a future gathering.

Coffee and refreshments always served.

9AM on Sundays
December 8
January 5
February 9
March 9
April 13
May 4


*Kup is Yiddush for Head/Mind

In Our Community


Refuah Sh'leima (Get well) to... 
Eileen Berkelhammer
Ira Breines
Steve Albrecht 
Barry Drill
Susan Blaicher 
Paul Weinberg
Faith Fuhrman
Fred Bernstein 
 
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.

yahrzeit photo

Upcoming Yahrzeits 

May the memories of the following individuals be for a blessing:  

 

October 18 - to be read Nov 1 

Lillian Cart

sister-in-law of Hilda Suchow

Hyman Gorin

grandfather of Debbie Weiss

Seymour Hersch

husband of Evelyne Hersch

father of Sherrie Mazzocchi

Morton Kail

stepfather of Deborah Beer-Christensen

Matthew Ringel

father of Robin Lewy


October 25 - to be read Nov 1 

Marion Chervin

mother of Kim Caniano

Jack Kluft

uncle of Betsy Zalaznick

Meryl Weil

mother of Paul Weil

 

November 1

Benjamin Cohen

grandfather of Paul Weil

Helen Gordon

grandmother of Robin Lewy

Frank Rapp

father of Salena Kern

Joan K. Weinstein

mother of Susan Albert


November 8

Selma Bland

mother of Beatrice Abrams

Blanche Margaret Erkkila

mother of Craig Erkkila

Joseph Kass

grandfather of Leslie Hann

Michael Joseph Sansevere Jr.

father of Joseph Sansevere

Louis Zalaznick

father of Bruce Zalaznick 

 

November 15

Jerome Marrus 

father of Alan Marrus

Greta Platt 

mother of Cheryl Platt

T. Tony Spitzberg 

grandfather of James Kassanoff

David Topf 

father of Alice Schwade

Herman Weinstein 

grandfather of Susan Albert

 

November 22

Mildred Marrus 

mother of Alan Marrus

Ernest H. Zuberer 

father of Jean Frankel

 

November 29 - to be read Dec 6

Martin H. Albert 

grandfather of Steve Albert

Charles Gelb 

father of Shirl Levy

Rose Leon 

grandmother of Betsy Zalaznick

Anna Robbin Smith 

mother-in-law of Connie Smith

Bernard Wolf 

stepfather of Leslie Hann  

 

December 6

Sheila Fisher-Cohen 

cousin of Gary Brodsky

Gertrude Heller 

grandmother of Jim Lewy
mother of Elizabeth Lewy 

grandmother of David Lewy

Bessie Kenyon 

grandmother of Susan Albert

Edward Kurlansik 

father of Jack Kurlansik

Shirley Levine 

mother of Dan Levine

Irving Safier 

father of Cindy Lehrer 

 

December 13

Marilyn Altshuler  

mother of Neil Altshuler

Sylvia Borgman  

mother of Estelle Breines

Harry Breines  

father of Ira Breines

Joseph M. Fish  

grandfather of Rabbi Joseph M Forman

Harry Hackel  

father of Audrey Hackel

Ken Kimberley  

friend of Sherrie Mazzocchi

James Mazzocchi  

father of Nick Mazzocchi

Steven D. Weinstein  

brother of Susan Albert

Milton Wolfson 

  Father of Craig Wolfson

 Donations
7th Grade Bar/Bat Mitzvah Gift
Glenn & Eve Wasserman

Chesed Caring Fund
Steve & Susan Albert
Steven & Susan Albrecht
Faith Fuhrman
Ken & Cindy Stoter

Oneg Fund
Steven & Susan Albrecht
Rick & Jill Rosenthal
25th Anniversary Donations
Or Chadash gratefully acknowledges the generous donations to the 25th Anniversary Fund received to date from:

Larry & Beatrice Abrams

Steve & Susan Albert

Kurt & Susan Blaicher

Tim & Miriam Blanke

Ira & Estelle Breines
Jeff & Christine Berg  
Jeffrey D. Charney  

Brian & Carol Coriell

George Eckelmann & Jane Engel

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

Robert & Alice Schwade

John Graybeal & Laura Senator

Stephen Sinoway & Beth Golden

Victor Sloan & Sandra Gong
Louis & Caryn Speizer

Gerald & Ronda Starr

Marc & Caryn Tomljanovich 
Paul & Meredith Weil 
Ross & Susan Weinick 
Gary & Deb Weiss
Richard Willey & Meridith Sigel-Willey
Mark & Kristina Witzling
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick
Eric & Naomi Zwerling
Jewish Family Services

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.  

 

Meals On Wheels 
Meals on Wheels needs volunteer drivers in our area. Serve your homebound senior neighbors a hot noontime meal. The commitment to drive is only once a month. It will take only an hour or two once a month to get that good feeling of giving. Call our office at (908)284-0735 to offer your time or for more information (and/or check out our website at mowih.org). Help us, help others. Many thanks. 
From the Rabbi's ...Blog
You might have noticed that my photo to the right is a bit different from the usual one.  It was taken two summers ago in Morocco when I was visiting there with the Central Conference of American Rabbis on a Jewish heritage Tour.  This month I am headed to Berlin, again with the CCAR.  We will be meeting with Jewish leaders, Rabbinical students, visiting historic sites and learning more about the Jews there - both those who perished in the Holocaust and those who are rebuilding what was lost.  I invite you to travel along with me -- by following my blog for photos and insights.  You can click on the link on our website or here.  If you have Twitter, just follow @RabbiForman. You will recognize me in the photo! I look forward to sharing insights about this powerful and moving experience when I see you next. 

Rabbi Joe Forman 
Student Cantor's Article
Kathy Gohr
While the Rabbi's away Student Cantor will play... her guitar while leading Friday night services on November 1st 
(with Rabbi Jonathan Gerard) and again on November 8th

During these weeks leading up to the celebration of Chanukkah we will explore two themes which demonstrate the significance of time in the Jewish tradition. Time is a commodity that has historically been held as sacred as we followed the course of the lights in the sky heralding the seasons of our lives. As our lives today have become overcrowded with multiple calendars and time-bound obligations it seems as if our available time has decreased, God knows it feels as if we have less and less each day. Perhaps by becoming more mindful of time we can rediscover the preciousness of each passing moment, effectively slowing us down, giving us the awareness of what's truly important in our lives. Please join me as we bring the week to a close by spending some quality time in community.
 
Friday November 1: Rosh Chodesh: I, along with Rabbi Jonathan Gerard, will explore the celebration of the new moon in Jewish tradition. Traditionally a women's ritual, we will take a look at some of the ways that this celestial mark of time was observed. 
We may even explore some of the ways this ancient ritual can benefit our lives today. NOT for women only. 
 
Friday November 8th: We will look into the meaning of Kabbalat Shabbat. What does it mean to "receive" Shabbat? Where did this idea originate and by whom? These are a couple of questions we will discuss as we seek to understand our history and the source of our traditions.

Bles-sings,
Kathy Gohr 
President's Article
Caryn
In the past month, several people have asked me why Or Chadash needs to fund-raise beyond our dues payments, religious school tuition and building fund commitments.  It's a good question and one that is worth taking a closer look at. I'd like to answer that question from two perspectives; as both your board president and as a professional fundraiser with over 15 years of non-profit experience.

If I'm wearing my professional fundraiser hat, I will tell you that fundraising is just what non-profits do to support their mission and to connect them with their supporters.  In our case that mission is to offer a caring and inclusive congregation that shares the celebration of life cycle events, provides education for all ages, worships and builds Jewish community through acts of Tikkun Olam. Fundraising allows us to do more programming, maintain and improve our building, provide opportunities to share Jewish experiences and continue to grow and flourish.  While it is entirely true that we pay dues and tuition, those funds only pay for some of our fantastic programming and operational costs.   From a purely financial perspective, we need ongoing financial support of our congregation.  Every nonprofit I've worked with relies heavily on support from its members to continue its mission.    

As your board president, I believe fundraising is critical to our ongoing success.  Supporting Or Chadash ties you more closely to our Jewish community and helps us build a strong financial foundation that will let us plant our roots more deeply in Hunterdon County.  Since, like many  non-profits, we don't receive tax dollars, government or federal money, additional fundraising becomes even more important. A strong financial base helps us meet the diverse needs of our members, maintain our building, provide our children a strong Jewish education and continue to attract new members.   

As the secular year winds down, I ask you to consider an end of year financial gift to Or Chadash.  If you were not able to support our High Holy Days Appeal, or even if you were, now is a great time to extend your financial support of our Jewish community. With this in mind, please consider your best gift, whether it is $18, $118 or more, your support is deeply appreciated.  You can make your donation via mail to the synagogue or through our website, http://www.orchadash-nj.org.    
 
Or Chadash also believes in supporting our community.  Each year on the sixth night of Hanukkah, the Or Chadash community shares in the tradition of Ner Shel Tzedakah, or  the "candle of righteousness" when families donate the value of the gifts that would otherwise be exchanged on that night to organizations that assist the poor. 

We will once again be supporting the residents the Sand Hill Boys Home with gifts for this year's holiday season.   Last year we were able to provide each boy with a gift-card and hoodie of their choosing.  We hope to once again make their holiday memorable.  Look for details soon about how to contribute.


I hope to see many of you at our wine tasting on November 23rd.  You can purchase tickets on the front page of our website.  Held at Old York Wine Cellars, from 6-10 pm, it should be a wonderful fundraiser for Or Chadash and a fun night out with friends.   
 
I'd also like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and a joyful Hanukkah!  Enjoy your turkey and latkes!  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.  

Shalom.  Caryn
Jewish LIFE at Or Chadash November 17th at 10:30AM

Click here to RSVP and purchase tickets.
Special reception featuring classic appetizers ...
with thanks to Mark Drabich and Metropolitan Seafood.

Or Chadash commemorates 

the 75th Anniversary of Kristallnacht 

Meg Wiviott, author of Benno and the Night of Broken Glass

A special program featuring

Meg Wiviott, author of 

Benno and the Night of Broken Glass

Friday, November 15th 7:00 PM


Meg Wiviott, author of Benno and the Night of Broken Glass, will join Or Chadash on Friday, November 15th at 7PM.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

 

Benno and the Night of Broken Glass is a gentle introduction to the beginning of the Holocaust. Through the eyes of an orange and white neighborhood cat named Benno, we learn of the astute observations and changes in German and Jewish families in Benno's town during the time leading up to Kristallnacht, known as the Night of Broken Glass. Benno receives fresh milk each day from Hans the Hausmeister, he finds a sunny spot to nap at Mitzi Stein's dress shop, and he walks to school with Inge and Sophie.  Benno spends Friday nights with the Adler family as they light the Sabbath candles, and on Sundays after church he visits the Schmidt's for lunch.

 

But gradually things change. People are not so friendly.  "Men in brown uniforms" build bonfires to burn books.  Some people cheer.  Benno notices the girls no longer play or walk to school together.  The tension builds until "a night like no other" -- Kristallnacht.  The Adler's apartment is destroyed while the Schmidt's remain untouched.  Hans still leaves milk for Benno, but life for Benno has forever changed.

 

Meg Wiviott's choice to tell this story from the perspective of a cat is a unique way to introduce young children to one of history's darkest times. 

This is not a watered down view of the Night of Broken Glass but rather an alternate, impartial view, similar to what a child or innocent observer might have seen and felt. The images and attention to detail demonstrate the research that has gone into the creation of this book. Useful for introducing Kristallnacht, prejudice, and racism, the author has also presented an example of narrative through the eyes of another whom one might not normally expect to hear or see. 

 

The illustrator, Josee Bisaillon, provides cut paper and mixed media illustrations to enrich the text with her striking multimedia artwork composed of paper, fabric, and drawn images in hues of olive, brown, and red. The spreads depict a normal city neighborhood from a cat's-eye view, which is eventually upended by dark shadowy figures with big black boots. Wiviott has included a bibliography and afterword with further information about Kristallnacht.

___ 

 

In addition to reading her book on Friday, November 15 at 7PM, Meg Wiviott will talk about the process of creating a character and developing a story to publication.  Everyone will have the opportunity to create an individual or collective art project using Josee Bisaillon's techniques.  

 

Or Chadash welcomes the entire community to this program.  Meg Wiviott's presentation will follow an abbreviated Shabbat service to which the entire community is welcome.  The evening will conclude with a reception.  Books will be available for purchase and signing.

 

Upcoming Programs at OC
Death and dying is a difficult topic for most of us. Or Chadash wants to help ease the challenges of those inevitable moments by preparing us with information and resources.
This fall we will have two important programs I strongly encourage you to attend.

 

November 14 7PM- 8PM - What Does Judaism Say about Death and Dying? Jewish burial practices have provided comfort to the bereaved for centuries.  Other cultures' practices are sometimes different.  Why do we do what we do and what DO we do?  Funeral Director Bob Smilk from Goldsteins, Rosenberg, Raphael and Sacks, will join Rabbi Forman in this informative conversation.  Everyone is welcome to attend. 

  

December 8  10:30AM- 12PM - The Conversation Project at Or Chadash. 

The Conversation Project is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. Too many people are dying in a way they wouldn't choose, and too many of their loved ones are left feeling bereaved, guilty, and uncertain.
It's time to transform our culture so we shift from not talking about dying to talking about it. It's time to share the way we want to live at the end of our lives. And it's time to communicate about the kind of care we want and don't want for ourselves. The place for this to begin is at the kitchen table-not in the intensive care unit-with the people we love, before it's too late.

We can make these difficult conversations easier. We can make sure that our own wishes and those of our loved ones are expressed and respected.

If you're ready to join us, we ask you: Have you had the conversation?  Please join us for this powerful and important program.
www.theconversationproject.org

Or Chadash celebrates Hanukkah 

 

Featuring Santiago Cohen, 

artist, author and illustrator.

Sunday, November 24th 9:00 AM

 

 

On Sunday, November 24 everyone is invited to the Hunterdon Art Museum at 9 AM for a very special presentation and discussion by the featured artist, author and illustrator Santiago Cohen and the Museum Educator.  This program will take place before the museum opens to the public.    
Following the program at the museum, Santiago Cohen will be joining us at Or Chadash where he will continue his presentation, read several of his books and help participants create their own illustrated stories.

 

____

 

Santiago Cohen: Ex-Vida Project 


In 2006, when Santiago Cohen wanted to tell his two children the story of his life - as a Jew growing up in Mexico, and as a Mexican starting a career and family in New York - he decided to paint it.  When finished, he had 1,150 oil paintings completed in ex-voto style: a narrative form of painting, usually featuring religious imagery, found by the thousands throughout Mexico. Roughly half of the paintings spanning Cohen's life fill the first-floor gallery of the Hunterdon Art Museum.

"People who emigrate from one country to another carry the roots of their origin while trying to build new experiences in their adopted homeland," Cohen said.  "In a way I have to explain to my children that half of my life was created in a different reality. They already heard a lot of stories, and they had to deal with funny accents and costumes. I wanted to explain to them what made their mom and me decide to leave everything behind to start a different life here. They live in a new world, but their parents had to live in both."

The "Ex-Vida Project" is divided into several sections of vignettes, collectively illustrating Cohen's journey through life. Sections detail Cohen's family life in Mexico, his decision to move to the United States and find work as an artist in New York, and having and raising children. The stories are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes controversial. Cohen moves through these illustrations trying to understand the world around him and his place in it.

Cohen doesn't shy away from difficult subjects. He shares the trauma of coping with his father's fatal car accident following an acrimonious parting from Mexico. He deals with the horror of robbers attacking him and his wife while camping on a beach one night, the husband and wife sprinting across the sand to elude further harm.  "As I was painting frame by frame I started to remember the details of what happened," Cohen said.

This happened on several occasions: While painting, forgotten details from his past would spring to life.
"Sometimes when I was painting my siblings, I would remember their clothes and other things like that. When you're trying to put it in a painting, you have to think of these things, but normally you don't need to remember. Why do you need to remember visual details from your life? It's . . . it's a crazy project."

So how -- and when -- does it all end?

"Recently I thought that's it," Cohen said. "I have to finish. I can't go on forever."
Cohen reaches for one of his ubiquitous stacks of paintings, shuffling through it until he finds a specific section. "These are the last paintings I did, and they're all silent (without written descriptions). There are about 20 of them."

"I decided to stop at the point when my kids had a conscience because I don't want to impose my memories into their lives," Cohen said. "They should know what I think of my life, but I should not get into their own lives and memories because they have to build their own."

Cohen's career highlights include working for several major newspapers, designing Christmas cards for the Museum of Modern Art and illustrating children's books. He has also worked in television creating animation for 24
 Troubles the Cat shorts produced by the Cartoon Network and the Children's Television Workshop. He has received numerous awards, including an Emmy for How Do You Spell God? and Emmy and Peabody awards for his work on the HBO special Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales.  

Bat Mitzvah - Robyn Wasserman
Robyn Wasserman will become a Bat Mitzvah on November 16th. Robyn is the daughter of Glenn and Eve Wasserman, and is a seventh grader at Branchburg Central Middle School. She enjoys playing guitar, singing, playing soccer
and dancing. Robyn's Torah portion, Vayishlach, focuses on Jacob, one of the patriarchs of Judaism, and how he learned to be a better person. Robyn enjoyed starting and running a toy drive and book drive for the children of families who lost their belongings to the Oklahoma tornado. Robyn is looking
forward to celebrating her Bat Mitzvah with her friends, family and community.
What You Might Have Missed
Fraidy Reiss, founder of Unchained.org



Wadjda Viewing and discussion




Our trip to New York







Jewish LIFE: Learning Is For Everyone 
Jewish Life

 

Jewish LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone), our community wide adult education program, has an exciting new season of programs and special events planned for the coming year.  A great lineup of special events are scheduled in addition to a wide variety of classes  and films offered at our participating synagogues.  The complete 2013-2014 Jewish LIFE brochure will be available on line at www.ssbjcc.org.  Printed copies will be available at the Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater.

 

Below is a rundown of  the special events coming up this Fall.  We are pleased to also offer two new exciting opportunities for adult learning, The Melton School and iEngage.

  • NEW!!! Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning (A project of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem).   The Melton School will be offered at the Shimon and Sarah Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater on Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30am, from October 2013  through June 2014.  Registration Fee:  Register by September 10:  $650/person; Register after September 10: $700/person.   
  • NEW!!! iEngage:  Engaging Israel:  Foundations for a New Relationship
    Sundays, 9-10:30 AM: 12/15, 1/26, 2/23, 3/23, 4/6, 5/4 (Hosted at Or Chadash, Flemington). Please join me for this remarkable program. Cost for iEngage is $50/person.  Members of Or Chadash are $36. 
  • Thurs., Nov. 14, 7pm: Dr. Joel M. Hoffman, Author of And God Said:  How Translations Conceal the Bible's Original Meaning (Hosted by the JCC)
  • Sun., Nov. 17, 10:30am:  Mark Russ Federman, Author of Russ & Daughters:  Reflections & Recipes from the Hour that Herring Built (Hosted by Or Chadash, Flemington).
  • Wed., Dec. 4, 12 Noon:  Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Author of How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who's Sick.  Program & Luncheon (Hosted by the JCC).
  • Thurs., Dec. 12, 6:30pm:  Irma Horowitz Film Series Featuring Falafel & Films.  The Breakfast Parliament, The Ranch, The Rabbi's Daughter (Hosted by the JCC). 

Please refer to the Jewish LIFE brochure for program fees and additional information.  To register for programs hosted at the JCC, please call 908-725-6994 x201.  To register for programs at other locations, please contact the hosting synagogue or agency.