Spencer shared the importance of passing things down and he reflected on the importance of being chosen to perform mitzvot. Emily spoke about the spirit being kept alive as we pass the Torah down and Hannah shared her feelings about being the chosen people to pass the Torah down from generation to generation. Dylan spoke about not just passing down the Torah but also passing down the prayers to each generation, and Ilana focused on the importance of teaching Torah and the commandments to our children and grandchildren. Ryan reminded us of the importance of Torah and the Hebrew language needing to be passed on and Nathan reminded us that God, Torah, and the Jews are interlinked to create everlasting life and we cannot let any of these fall for fear of everything disappearing. Ben reminded us of our connection to famous Jews like Abraham and Sarah and he spoke about the importance of passing our knowledge onto our children. Naomi shared the need to teach Torah and she told us that even though we will die eventually, our spirit will live on and we will always have the Torah and this is the responsibility we have as the chosen people. Jacob summed it up when he said quite simply, it is cool because we can pass it on to our children and they can pass it on to their children.

As the last student spoke, I found myself speechless and in awe of what they had just shared; in just a few minutes, this confident and wonderful group of 10 year olds captured the true importance of tradition - if it is Passover or Purim, Yom Kippur or a Shabbat dinner with family, the true meaning of "'L'Dor V'Dor was represented. When our students turn into our teachers we truly appreciate the power of the gift of learning that we give to our children every week as part of our wonderful Congregation Shalom community. I cannot help but think about the Hagaddah that tells the story of the Jews leaving Egypt and the legacy they left behind but also the future they offered L'Dor V'Dor. I wish you all a Chag Sameach-a wonderful and meaningful celebration of Passover.

Purim Social Action successful

Thanks to all who were generous with their donations to the Lowell Wish Project and Yad Chessed during Purim. Through sales of baby rattle groggers at Megillah readings, we raised $122 dollars to donate to Yad Chessed for needy Jewish families in the Boston area. As this newsletter goes to press, we are continuing to collect diapers and other baby goods in our month-long drive to help support the Lowell Wish Project with this ever-present need. We will be donating the 48 baby rattles as part of this drive.

Spring mitzvah activities planned

Look for more details coming soon about plans for a temple cleanup day later in April and of course, Mitzvah Day in June! We are planning many meaningful and fun ways to help make the world a better place.

Blood Drive planned for May 12, 2014

Congregation Shalom will once again host a blood drive on Monday, May 12, from 2-7p.m. Volunteers are needed to help set up, staff, and clean up the drive. If you are interested in volunteering, please email socialaction@congregationshalom.org. If you would like to donate blood, please sign up at www.redcrossblood.org and enter in Congregation Shalom's zipcode (01863) to be directed to our location to sign up.

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Louis Armstrong once said "All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing a song."

The Fundraising Committee is very proud and excited to present an evening of American Jewish Folk Music to be performed by Doc Rachlin, on May 17th starting at 8 p.m. at Congregation Shalom. He will present a selection of songs written by Jewish songsmiths. Many of the songs he will enchant us with you know but didn't know that they were the works of Jewish songwriters. Sure, you have heard of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon but there are many you don't know about. He has shared a stage with Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn.

Please join us for an evening of music and fun. Knowing this congregation, there will be foot tapping and sing-a-longs as the evening progresses.

Dessert and coffee will be served when the entertainment is over.

You can make your reservations at any time - please send a check to Congregation Shalom at 87 Richardson Road, N. Chelmsford, MA 01863 and mark your envelope Fundraising.

Prices are: $15.00 per person. Beer, wine and soda will be available for a small fee.

Our Book and Clothing Deposit Bin

GotBooks.Com has been bought by Recycle That, a company out of Colorado (which is a leading state in its recycling efforts). They are very excited to be in Massachusetts as part of their zero waste / waste reduction initiatives. They are one of the 5 sponsors of SMART's (Secondary Materials and Recycle Textiles Association) Rangers Program, which is an educational curriculum for grades K-5. They recycle everything so if you have clothing that is not suitable for Lowell Wish or Savers, put it in the grey bin next to the recycle bin. This is another way to save the planet and have Congregation Shalom reap the rewards.

Friends,

We here at Congregation Shalom feel that community is an important part of what makes our synagogue unique. We are an extended family, and, like a family, we ask each member family to contribute to the community. As members of Congregation Shalom, we have only a few obligations, such as paying dues and fees to keep our doors open and our staff paid. Another obligation of each member family is to participate in an Oneg a couple times a year.

The Oneg obligation is shared equally by all our families. We know that many families look forward to partaking in the Oneg and view the participation as a simple way to give back to the community. We also know that the Oneg itself is a cherished part of Shabbat services, a time when we get to mingle and "check-in" with each other.

Unfortunately, not all members are pulling their weight. We are very saddened by the fact that all too often we have members who do not want to participate, or who drop off their food expecting other members to do the extra work of setting up and cleaning up. Please keep in mind that we are all volunteers, and if you do not help out, others will have more work. It is not fair to the other members participating in the Oneg when they are asked to do more because others have failed to meet their burden.

We certainly understand that schedules change, but we hope you can work with friends to swap dates. It is each member's responsibility to find coverage if that member is unable to attend an Oneg. The Oneg Committee would be happy to provide contact information, if needed, to assist you in finding a replacement family.

Scheduling for Onegs is done for the entire year in August. In the June and July time frame the Oneg Committee will ask members to send in any Oneg preferences. We are happy to honor your requests at that time. So go ahead, pick a date that works for you - perhaps a yahrzheit, Chanukah, school vacations, whatever you want - just let us know in the summer, before the schedule is finalized.

Together, we can make the Onegs an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Thank you,

            The Oneg Committee (Caren and Rick)

Deadline for the

May Newsletter is

Thursday, April 17.

Please send articles to

newsletter@congregationshalom.org.