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Shabbat Service Schedule
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Friday, August 1 - Shabbat at Home
Friday, August 8: 7:30 PM - Shabbat Services
Friday, August 15 - Shabbat at Home
Friday, August 22: 6:00 PM - Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, August 29 - Shabbat at Home
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In Our Community
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Welcome to our new members:
Sergey and Honeylet Wortman-Vayn
Doug Beman and Kimberly Gold
Mazel Tov to Ellen and Ted Pytlar on the engagement of their son Steven to Tori Daniel.
Refuah Sh'leima (Get well) to...
Susan Blaicher
Fred Bernstein
Millie Albert
Estelle Breines
Barbara Sansevere
Dorothy Saks
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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Upcoming Yahrzeits
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May the memories of the following individuals be for a blessing:
July 4 (Will be read on August 8)
Paul Adelman
grandfather of Laura Senator
Marcus Leon
grandfather of Betsy Zalaznick
Harold Smith
husband of Connie Smith
Wayne Wolfson
brother of Craig Wolfson
July 11 (Will be read on August 8)
Ilmari Bernard Erkkila
father of Craig Erkkila
Morton Garb
father of Lori Blutfield
Sarah Winter Lerman
loved one of Isabel Mahalick
Diane Sigel
mother of Meridith Sigel-Willey
Joe Zalaznick
grandfather of Bruce Zalaznick
July 18 (Will be read on August 8)
Israel Louis Levin
father of Ellen Pytlar
Pauline Kyrskowsky
aunt of Lisa Nierenberg
Ida Wolfson
mother of Craig Wolfson
July 25 (Will be read on August 8)
Samuel Barrow
father of Ruth Crawford
Dick Coriell
father of Brian Coriell
Ida Ettinger
loved one of Shelly Weller
Theodore Nierenberg
father of Lisa Nierenberg
Simi Rotter
mother of Naomi Zwerling
Henrietta Weinstein
grandmother of Susan Albert
August 1 (Will be read on August 8)
Albert Berkelhammer
Husband of Eileen Berkelhammer
Ben Bland
Father of Beatrice Abrams
Ada Kadet Levy
Mother of Robert Levy
Ira Korfin
Father of Andrew Korfin
Barbara Vrabel
Cousin of Susan Albert
August 8
Sanford Borgman
Father of Estelle Breines
Rose Breines
Mother of Ira Breines
Jay Gilbert Fuhrman
Grandfather of Jay Fuhrman
Jessie Mazzocchi
Daughter of Sherrie Mazzocchi
Granddaughter of Evelyne Hersch
Barbara Rabiner
Mother of Betsy Zalaznick
Sophie Rabiner
Grandmother of Betsy Zalaznick
Stanley D. Weinstein
Father of Susan Albert
August 15 (Will be read on August 22)
Eugene Bobnar
Father of Sharon Bobnar- Becker
Estelle Frankel
Mother of Gregg Frankel
Lily Jacobsen
Grandmother of Caryn Speizer
John Stoter
Father of Ken Stoter
Helen Viola
Mother of Nancy Beckman
August 22
Yetta Fettner
Grandmother of Bruce Zalaznick
Lawrence Glass
Father of Meredith Schwartz
Helen Halper
Mother of Ruby Halper-Erkkila
Muriel Sinoway
Mother of Stephen Sinoway
Beatrice Suchow
Sister-in-Law of Hilda Suchow
August 29 (Will be read on September 5)
Benjamin Friedman
Father of Hilda Suchow
Dena Harwin
Aunt of Phillip Harvey
Martin Ribler
Father of Andrea Weinberg
Morris Aaron Smith
Father of Connie Smith
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| Donations | |
Thanks to all who contributed
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund:
Gary & Debbie Weiss: In Honor Of Sam's Bar Mitzvah
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| Bat Mitzvah - Jonatha Berg | |
Jonatha Saratoga Berg will become a Bat Mitzvah on September 6, 2014.
 She is daughter of Jeff and Christine Berg and sister to Jacob and Dylan. An 8th grader at Clinton Public School, Jonatha plays soccer and basketball for her school teams and dances at Eleanor Connell School of Dance. Jonatha's Torah portion, Ki Teitzei, is all about doing mitzvahs; together, the mitzvahs described in this Torah portion teach us to be considerate to nature, animals, and people. For her mitzvah project, Jonatha has been baking her grandmother's recipes for the caregivers and patients at the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center.
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| Bat Mitzvah - Julia MacIsaac | | |
Julia MacIsaac will be a Bat Mitzvah on September 13. She is going into 8th grade and goes to Clinton Township Middle School.
Between reading and math, she much prefers reading. Some of her many favorite books are the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games Trilogy. She gets all A's and loves hanging out with her friends. She is the
 eldest of four siblings and has taken hip hop dance for six years. Her favorite color is purple and her favorite food is chocolate ice cream. She looks forward to her special day.
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Grow-A-Row
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America's Grow-a-Row needs your help. If you have room in your car for food for hungry neighbors, free time on Sunday or Thursday mornings, and a desire to help, then please join the ShopRite gleaning program by emailing sally@americasgrowarow.org
to learn more.
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| Health Services Available | | |
The Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center at Hunterdon Medical Center is offering free screening tests for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancer to those who qualify. If you or someone you know is without adequate health insurance, call the Hunterdon Regional Cancer Center at 908-237-5409 to see if you qualify.
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| Jewish Family Services | | |
Invites you to attend a free job-seekers support group presentation:
"Everything You Always Wanted to Know About LinkedIn*
*But were Afraid to Ask"
Presenter: Andy O'Hearn, Communications Coach and Advisor
Wednesday, August 6 at 7:00-9:00 PM
150-A West High Street, Somerville, NJ
Contact the JFS at 908-725-7799 X108 or eprezant@jewishfamilysvc.org to register.
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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| Scrip News | |
Announcing a way to reduce your dues by purchasing scrip!
Just purchase your scrip and for every dollar you earn Or Chadash, you will receive 25% as a reduction of your dues, a "scrip credit." So, that's 25 cents of every dollar your scrip purchase earns Or Chadash that goes back to you, back in your pocket as a scrip credit.
Come give it a try. Click here for the scrip FAQs sheet, and you'll be on your way to making a great contribution to your temple!
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| 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.
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Rabbi's Message
| |  Dear Members and Friends of Or Chadash,
Years ago when I was a kid growing up in Cleveland and then Norfolk, summertime for me meant lazier schedules, lots of time outside, and the dreaded fear of jellyfish or stinging nettle bites from the ocean or a few weeks away at camp. The worst bug problems we encountered were mosquitoes. Today, summertime for many of us - or our kids - involves as many activities as the fall season, worries about ticks and the stress of making sure we can do all the activities we had planned for ourselves or our families or our gardens and houses. A few decades have changed summer for me quite noticeably. There are moments - particularly this summer - when I wish we could return to the simpler days of childhood.
This summer has been a particularly difficult one for many reasons. Despite the relatively nice weather, the images and information raining down upon us has been very disturbing. A civilian passenger jet shot out of the sky in the Ukraine was one atrocious event. And for the past weeks, the incursion into Gaza by Israeli troops in response to more than 2000 rockets fired from there have left us wanting less connection to our world and more of a retreat to the innocence of a child's summer.
I have been watching and reading the stories, the analyses, the commentaries and the projections of what this latest war means for Israel and her neighbors. I have been saddened at the loss of life on both sides, shared in the sense of futility that must be felt by all, and understood the anger that emerges from each retributive act of violence. The cycle seems unending.
Israeli scholar Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, President of Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem and Director of the Institute's iEngage Project (which we presented this past year at Or Chadash), recently wrote of his reflections on the situation in Israel: "I know that this war will come to an end. I do not know when, and at what stage, and at what cost to Israelis and Palestinians. I know that when it does, both Israelis and Palestinians will have to ask ourselves and each other, 'And now, what?' I know that this war will make that stage more difficult. I know that this war has dramatically increased anger, hostility, and mistrust. I know that I have a narrative about this war, but I also know that the Palestinians have one, as well. I know that we will never be able to reconcile these narratives. I know, however, that we must learn to reconcile with each other. While I pray, I do not know if we can."
Rabbi Hartman's sentiment is one that resonates with much of the Jewish community - in Israel and abroad.
This week we begin reading the final book of the Torah - Deuteronomy. The Greek and Latin origins of the title suggest a meaning of "the repetition of the law". But the Hebrew, Devarim, more accurately simply means: words (as in D'var Torah - a word of Torah). The function of this book is to restate the words and stories and laws of the earlier four books. And it does. But in so doing, it changes them - and not a little!
The retelling of what has transpired seems to be a remaking of history. And rather than a precise restatement of the rules, the laws have been changed to meet the then current needs of the author of Deuteronomy. Imagine that - our ancestors had more than one narrative on our own history!
And now here we are again - this time dealing with narratives that are at odds with one another - and it's not history we are confronting, but the lives of people. As members of the Jewish community living in America, watching from afar the actions of one nation responding to attacks and simultaneously watching the suffering of the victims of ineffective and irresponsible leadership, our task is to find a voice of reason that acknowledges there are indeed two distinct narratives at play here. Helping others engaged in dialogue on this topic recognize that there is more than one "truth" is the beginning of reconciliation. And finding a way - as did the rabbis of our past in dealing with Deuteronomy - to bring those two narratives together with those who are willing to engage in such a process, is perhaps the best hope for peace.
Shalom,
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman |
President's Message
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Summer is one of those seasons that at the beginning seems to stretch out endlessly before me on the calendar pages. But then I turn the calendar page to July and there is a sweet urgency to fitting in all of our summer stuff: the beach, bike rides, blueberry picking, the drive in, spending time with friends and family, lazy days reading and laying around. I love it, but I can already feel the pace quickening and the end of August looming.
The first year of my Or Chadash presidency has gone similarly fast. I thought there would months unrolling before me to accomplish my goals and get to know people. But here we are at the beginning of my second year, and I'm wondering where the time went. I've had the opportunity to meet many of our congregation, but there are days I feel like there are so many more families and people to get to know.
I also realized that many of you don't know much about my family and me. This month, instead of talking about synagogue news, I'd like to share a bit about us, and in return, hopefully learn about many of you.
So, let me tell you about the Tomljanovich family. We moved to Clinton in 2006; prior to that we did the small college-town tour of upstate New York and lived in Ithaca, Saratoga Springs, and Hamilton (we honed our knowledge of ice hockey and snow shoveling during those 12 years). Marc is a professor of economics and currently teaches at Drew University. He loves to cycle and has tried his hand at beer brewing (that was interesting...). Lyra is starting at Voorhees High School in the fall. She's a competitive figure skater and loves to read and write. Evan (or just Ev) is starting 6th grade at Clinton Public, is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, runs cross country, and loves anything Pokemon, manga, comic book related. And what about me? I've worked in the nonprofit world for the past 20 years. I've had my hand in marketing, fundraising, program development and strategic planning. I love to cook and bake, and if I'd known myself better when I was in college, I would have become a school librarian or pastry chef (Yes, I know they are totally unrelated). I am an avid runner and love to swim.
As a family, we love to bike ride and travel. On summer Sundays, you can frequently find us on the bike path between Bull Island and Lambertville. We are also quite fond of lazing around together, making cookies and playing ridiculously long games of LIFE.
Now, to see if anyone has read this far, here's my invite to you. Email me back a bit of information about you and your family for inclusion in future columns. If you don't want to write a full bio, here are a few Mad Lib style questions to get you started.
- If I didn't have to work I would_________________
- I (Or my family) would love to learn to __________
- Our favorite summertime activity is_____________
- My perfect day includes______________________
- My favorite thing about Or Chadash is___________
I look forward to hearing from many of you! Have a great summer.
Shalom! Caryn
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| Educator's Message | | 
Many of us well remember Allen Sherman's famous melody, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh! about attending sleep away camp. The lyrics in his song remind us of the mess hall food, rainy weather, and being homesick. Dozens of our Temple members have incredibly positive memories of their summer camping experiences-some of us can still sing (shout!) our camp songs with fervor. I, for one, believe that the six years I attended Nah-Jee-Wah and Cedar Lake were some of the most powerful experiences of my childhood. Just last week I had a very meaningful conversation with Kim Roberts, Director of Education at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, Maryland, and learned about her Religious School's curriculum and program which is called Machane, the Hebrew word for camp! No, the students at Beth Ami are not taking swim lessons and building campfires, but significant amounts of time, resources and energy are directed at
building Kehillah, community. This is accomplished through many different avenues and activities, but the creation of a community, "cabin time"-- a powerful unit-- is fundamental to the core of Beth Ami's successful program. The school's underlying philosophy is the community must know each other first as people before everyone begins to know each other as learners.
As we plan for a new Religious School experience for our families, including students, parents, and faculty, we are incorporating some of these ideas at Or Chadash so that we can become an even stronger community.
We will keep you updated on these activities! Enjoy your summer.
Betsy Zalaznick
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| Student Cantor Kathy Gohr | |  Many of you know that I am studying to be a cantor in a program supported by an organization known as ALEPH, the Alliance for Jewish Renewal. ALEPH is a trans-denominational program that combines Chassidic, or Eastern European Jewish tradition, with more contemplative practices such as meditation, chanting, and movement. It had its beginning in the 1960's, and as a result, some have affectionately coined it as "Hippy Judaism." In any case it is a form of Judaism that suits me well. I have also found that the open atmosphere of Or Chadash's "Big Tent" also suits me well, and together we are able to form a caring community that is a fitting representation of God in the world (and Hunterdon County). ALEPH's ordination programs contain students from all over the world, and once a year, usually around the fourth of July, we gather for a week of intense study and worship. This year we gathered at a retreat center in Canby, Oregon, a community just south of Portland. I took classes in Contemplative Torah and Theodicy (why bad things happen to good people). It was wonderful to see my classmates, many of whom I hadn't seen in over a year. We ate, sang, prayed, and studied together under pine trees taller than any I had ever seen. It is one event that I look forward to every year.
This year, however, held an element of sadness for us all. On Thursday morning we received news that our founder, Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, had died peacefully in his sleep. He would have celebrated his 90th birthday next month. Although he had been preparing us all for this day for many years, the loss still came as a shock to our community. One positive aspect was that we were all together, able to hold each other as we mourned our loss together. As we celebrated our first Shabbat without him, our songs reached higher than they ever had before, singing our souls to God. Zekher tzadik livrakhah, may the memory of this righteous one be a blessing. For more information you can read his story at: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/boulder/ci_26084358/zalman-schachter-shalomi-dies-jewish-renewal
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Summer Schedule
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Our Summer Service Schedule is in effect. Here are some helpful terms to explain our different Shabbat Worship formats over the summer.
Kabbalat Shabbat Services are brief (30-minute) services to welcome the Sabbath and include singing, Mi Shebeirach (healing Prayer) and Kaddish.
Shabbat Experiences begin with song, the blessings for candles, Kiddush and Motzi, and conclude with a program, discussion, film or special dinner event.
Be sure to check out our Summer FAQs on the website -- including info about welcoming casual attire, when Kaddish names are recited, why we have early services and how you can celebrate Shabbat at home when we do not have services at OC. Our updated Summer schedule can be viewed here.
Summer Schedule:
Friday, August 1 - Shabbat at Home
Friday, August 8 at 7:30 PM - Shabbat Services
Friday, August 15 - Shabbat at Home
Friday, August 22 at 6:00 PM - Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, August 29 - Shabbat at Home
If you are seeking different activities for Shabbat, visit 100 Things to do on Shabbat.
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In Our Community
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Welcome to our new members:
Sergey and Honeylet Wortman-Vayn
Doug Beman and Kimberly Gold
Mazel Tov to Ellen and Ted Pytlar on the engagement of their son Steven to Tori Daniel.
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Shana Tova 5775
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The High Holy Days are quickly approaching! Please read the following carefully.
Beginning August 1st, High Holy Day tickets will be mailed to members when at least 25% of the current year's dues are paid, or an on-line payment plan initiated, and there are no Dues in arrears. Direct any questions or inquiries to treasurer@orchadash-nj.org. No tickets are required for Children's Services (interactive services geared toward families with children ages 10 and younger). - Non-members (Guests and Relatives of Members) will need to turn in their tickets at each service. - Forgot your ticket and are half way to Or Chadash? Need to purchase an extra ticket that day? We will have tickets available at the door.
If you are a member of Or Chadash and wish to purchase additional tickets, prayer books, or make an additional donation, please see the email you received upon completion of your membership
renewal form. There you will find the link to the High Holy Days Information form for members.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email Debbie Weiss at treasurer@orchadash-nj.org.
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| High Holy Days Schedule | |
| Rosh Hashanah | | |
Evening Svc, Wednesday September 24
Morning Svc, Thursday September 25
Children's Svc, Thursday September 25
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8:00 PM
10:00 AM
3:00 PM
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Yom Kippur | | |
Evening Svc, Friday, October 3
Morning Svc, Saturday, October 4
Children's Svc, Saturday, October 4
Study Session, Saturday, October 4
Yizkor/Ne'ila, Saturday, October 4
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8:00 PM
10:00 AM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
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Congregational Break Fast will follow at 5:30. All are welcome.
Thank you for supporting our High Holy Day food drive.
You may place your non-perishable food items in Room 1.
As a reminder, parking and seating are limited. Please arrive early.
Shana Tova - Happy New Year
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Religious School
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The Religious School registration form for members is attached to the completion of your membership renewal form. Once you've completed the registration form, you will receive an email confirming your child's registration. If you need help, please contact our administrator at admin@orchadash-nj.org.
If you are a non-member of a child entering K-2 and wish to register your child for Religious School only, please visit the form for Religious School Only
Sunday, September 7 at 9:00 AM - The first day of Sunday School
Thursday, September 18 at 4:15 PM - The first day of 5, 6, & 7 grades
Thursday, October 2 at 4:15 PM - The first day of 8, 9, & 10 grades
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Teaching Assistants for Religious School
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Betsy Zalaznick, our Religious School Director, invites all eligible students to be Teaching Assistants. The link below is the application for the 2014-2015 Teaching Assistant program. Please share this with your kids.
Thanks. Any questions? Please call Betsy at 908-310-9247.
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| Mitzvah Day In the News | | |
Clinton Township's Newsletter includes a very nice account of all we did on Mitzvah Day this year. Below is a screen capture of the first paragraph.
to see what a good job they did.
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What You Might Have Missed
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Annual Meeting:
On June 10, the Congregation held its Annual Meeting. Congratulations to the new Board of Trustees for 2014-15:
President: Caryn Tomljanovich
Treasurer: Deb Weiss
Secretary: Kristina Witzling
Board Members:
3 year term: 2 year term: 1 year term:
Adam Belkin Gerald Jones Larry Abrams
Audrey Belkin Michele Korfin Louis Speizer
Harvey Gold Rick Rosenthal Paul Weil
Kim Turner Laura Senator
Betsy Zalaznick
On June 10, the Congregation held an Art Auction fundraiser at the Stangl Factory.  
On Friday, July 11, the congregation met for Shabbat at Deer Path Park. The YMCA brought a rock climbing wall. Everyone had a great time!
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