NEWSLETTERTOP

November 2014 - 5774

Volume LXIII #2

Member of the Union For Reform Judaism

978-251-8091

www.congregationshalom.org

Congregation Shalom is a Reform Jewish community committed to education, spiritual growth, and Tikkun
Olam (healing the world).  We are proud to be an extended family of equals - welcoming, caring, and inclusive.
 Together, we engage in religious observance, enjoy social activities, and pursue life-long learning.
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Rabbi From our Rabbirabbi

 

Dear Friends:

 

In some religious traditions there is a clear separation between what clergy and lay people can do. Many religions have a steep hierarchy with the clergy clearly at the pinnacle and in these faiths the clergy is seen as "holier" than lay people and closer to God. Meanwhile there are other faith traditions where there is less of a distinction between clergy and lay folk and all people are seen as equally close to God. In these traditions the lay people do not need clergy as intermediaries between themselves and God in terms of prayer and atonement.

 

In Judaism there has been a clear evolution on this topic. In biblical times there was a clear delineation of what the Cohanim (priesthood) was responsible for and responsibilities and privileges of the rest of the Israelites. In fact, the Torah divides the Israelite community into three groups: the Cohanim, the Levites and the Israelites. The Cohanim, who were descendants of Moses and Aaron, were the only group of people allowed to make the sacrifices in the Mishkan (the traveling sanctuary) and then in the Temple. In addition, the Cohanim were responsible for all other religious leadership and spiritual decisions. Within the group of Cohanim, there was one ultimate leader known as the Cohan HaGadol, who was allowed access to the holiest part of the Mishkan or Temple known as the Holy of Holies and this happened only on Yom Kippur when he would quietly say the name of God. During this period the Levites, who had a somewhat lower status than the Cohanim, were given the role of assisting the Cohanim in their priestly functions.

 

In time, especially after the destruction of the first Temple, there began to emerge a more diverse group of religious leaders and these eventually became known as the rabbinic community. Two terms that were used to describe these groups of religious leaders were the Sadducees and Pharisees. Eventually, with the destruction of the second Temple, the rabbinic tradition became the norm and the hierarchical tradition of the priesthood began to flatten. In time, a greater empowerment of lay people emerged and the hierarchy was lessened. Clearly there are still specific responsibilities like weddings, conversions and, within the orthodox world, legal rulings that are the responsibility of the rabbinate alone. In general terms, however, there is an equalitarian approach to ritual within the realm of Jewish life.

 

One area that emphasizes this is how all Jews can educate themselves enough to interpret Torah. The Torah belongs to ALL of us, not just the rabbinic community. Torah study is incumbent on each one of us and we can all find meaning, not only for ourselves but others. When I teach Torah to our Bar and Bat Mitzvah students or to adults, I am always trying to empower them and let them know that their insights and interpretations are clearly as valued as those of any rabbi. I feel the greatest joy in this regard during the Shabbatot when our B'nai Mitzvah students deliver their divrei Torah (speech at their Bar/Bat Mitzvah). I can honestly say that each speech is special and personal and that the insights these kids bring to our community are wonderful. Recently, when I was listening to a Bar Mitzvah student deliver his speech I thought, "This is great, I wish all of our members can read what he had written". With this in mind we are going to begin to archive our student's speeches on our website. Click here to take a look at our first entry by Andrew Reilly. He wrote a great speech about Cain and Abel and in addition to offering some meaningful interpretations, he told a lot of great jokes! For those of you whose children were recently Bar or Bat Mitzvah and they would like to have their speeches on the website, please ask them to send them along to me to include. I hope that people of all ages will take the time to periodically read what our kids have written. I have found them to be spiritually uplifting and meaningful and they can be a fun way to study the week's Torah portion.

 

L'shalom,

Stephen Rodman's photoFrom our PresidentBarryTop    

 

Dear Friends:


Time. It is the essential element given by every member who volunteers to serve our community. No matter what other duties a committee member is responsible for, the gift of one's time is always the most important component. Without a devotion of time, whatever goals are set cannot be achieved.

 

However, time is not always present. We all have commitments in our lives, from family and employment, to activities and causes. Each of us has to make the decision as to how we spend our time and how much of ourselves we can truly commit to our various undertakings.

 

Brad Friedlander, our second vice-president, has come to the realization that due to the time he is required to devote to his employment, he simply is unable to adequately complete the responsibilities required of a second vice-president. In looking ahead to potential first vice-president and president positions, Brad feels that the temple community would be better served by finding someone who has the time to fulfill those responsibilities. As such Brad has submitted his resignation as second vice-president.

 

But we are not done with him! Brad has an unbelievable grasp of our bylaws, the parliamentary procedures under which our meetings operate, and the inner workings of the temple in general. Brad will continue to serve as chair of the committee that is reviewing our bylaws, as liaison to the Break Fast and Oneg supplies committees, and as a member of the group reviewing our membership software package.

 

The Board of Trustees has also appointed Brad to serve as a Trustee in the position left vacant by the resignation of David Brother. This past spring, when David was approached about being re-nominated as a trustee, he indicated that after two years of serving on the Board he was interested in pursuing other goals. However, because the nominating committee was unable to find other candidates at the time, David agreed to serve until someone else volunteered for the position. With Brad's willingness to serve on the Board, David has stepped aside. David, a longtime member of our community, truly deserves our appreciation. Not only has he volunteered to serve on our Board these past two years, David has given of his time to better our community countless times over the course of many, many years.

 

With Brad assuming David's place on the Board of Trustees, the Board has appointed Joanna Myers to fill the position of Second Vice President. Joanna has been involved in many different aspects of Congregation Shalom over the years and currently serves as "publisher and editor-in-chief" of this newsletter. Joanna is a valuable asset to our community and we will all benefit from her time, effort and outlook. I look forward to working with her on the Board as we continue to meet the mission of our congregation.

 

Please join with me in thanking Brad and David for their service and welcoming Joanna to her new position.

 

L'Shalom,

Stephen Rodman's signature 

Stephen   

 

Please click here to read previous columns on our website.

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From Our Education Directoreddir  

 

Outside of my office, we have a simple bulletin board. However, this rectangular piece of wood has come to reflect many of the core aspects of both our school and our larger temple community. You may ask how a bulletin board can yield so much influence. Well, I see this bulletin board as encompassing much of the richness of our school community.

 

Let me give you a brief bulletin board tour. Above the bulletin board is a sign reading, "Inspiring a love of Jewish Life". It is this overarching belief that guides what we offer our children every day. If we as a school community can instill in our children the love of everything Jewish and we can enrich our children with the ability to ask questions and to become critical thinkers, I believe we will truly inspire both this and future generations.

 

As we continue on our bulletin board tour, we come across our Tzedakah Project graphic. This year we are supporting Mill City Grows and our students are collecting money to support education, food growth, and the availability of fresh produce within an urban setting. This tzedakah project has significance in multiple areas of our community. Core to our temple's mission is the idea of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Mill City Grows offers our students the ability to learn about food chains and eco systems, but it also allows our students to delve into the importance of "Shomrei Adamah," taking care of the earth and using the earth's natural resources to grow food and to combat hunger in ways that contribute to Tikkun Olam. In addition, Mill City Grows helps members of the city of Lowell to learn about farming and allows them access to healthy and nutritious food. Although we are supporting Mill City Grows, our Congregation Shalom community also has its very own community garden and our members are encouraged to volunteer there - the food we grow is donated to the Chelmsford food pantry.

 

To the left of the Tzedakah Project graphic is our wonderful Mitzvah Mensch bucket - each day I see a few more notes dropped in the bucket and I am thrilled by the menshes that fill the school every week.

 

Our final stop on the Bulletin Board tour is a poster that hangs above our Mitzvah Mensch bucket with the simple words "ponder this." Every few weeks we will hang up a different Jewish thought from a famous source for our school and the greater temple community to think about. Whether it is from Deuteronomy "A community is too heavy to carry alone" or the Baal Shem Tov who wrote that "From every human being there rises a light" or even the poster that is up there now from Pirkei Avot: "It is not your responsibility to finish the work of perfecting the world, but you are not free to desist from it either," each of these wonderful quotes allows us the opportunity to think and explore Jewish teachings.

 

Please take a minute to visit our bulletin board and watch our garden grow. The richness of this small space reminds me every day that we are a kind and caring community and I am thankful for the opportunity to help your children in their journey to love their Jewish life not just here in this building but in the world.

 Yael Signature
Yael

 

Please click here to read previous columns on our website. 

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Social Action Committeesocialaction

High Holiday Food Drive

Once again, our members showed their generosity to those who are less fortunate. On Yom Kippur members of the Social Action Committee delivered 4 carloads of donated groceries and grocery store cards to food pantries in Chelmsford, Westford, Nashua, and Lowell. Sales of grocery store cards continued afterwards and have now exceeded $2,000. Thank you to all who participated!

Grocery cards will continue to be available for purchase on Sunday mornings in the lobby, or they can be purchased by e-mailing giftcards@congregationshalom.org.

 

Halloween Candy Drive

As this newsletter goes to print, we are preparing to collect donated Halloween candy. The candy will be donated to Operation Gratitude, which sends the candy to US troops overseas. This mitzvah was a great success last year and we look forward to another good year.

 

Monthly Food Donations for Middlesex Transitional Living Center

Congregation Shalom is collecting food for the Lowell Transitional Living Center. It is easy to help out with this mitzvah. Donations of meatloaf, and/or brownies, and/or salad are accepted each month. There will be a cooler chest located by the doors of Congregation Shalom. Simply place your donation in the cooler and know that you have done a good deed! The food will be collected and brought to the Lowell Transitional Living Center in Lowell, where our donations are greatly appreciated each month. You can leave your donations in the cooler beginning on Wednesday, November 19 through Friday, November 21 (until 5pm.) December dates will be December 17 - 19 - mark your calendar now!

 

Blood Drive planned for December 8

Congregation Shalom will once again host a blood drive on Monday December 8, from 2-7 p.m. Volunteers are needed to help set up, staff, and clean up after 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 Congregation Shalom's zip code (01863) to be directed to our location to sign up.

 

Questions? Need more information? Please contact socialaction@congregationshalom.org. Thank you for your participation with this mitzvah. 

 

Fundraising Committeefundraising


 Auction 2014 is about to begin.  We have more restaurants than ever before. The Red Sox have graciously donated a baseball signed by Craig Breslow. We have a fabulous array of gift certificates from many different shops so, if you have never bid, look for the article explaining how to join the fun. Remember, every two weeks the items change so if you bid at 11:59, you'll probably win what you are bidding on. Let the countdown begin!

 

Some special days are coming that will help you fill our Recycle Container in the parking lot. Not only are things recycled, many are repurposed. That is the buzzword for the day! Here are some familiar and not-so-familiar holidays. What can you do to fill our container?

Oct. 31 - Halloween - recycle your old costumes that are in your basement or attic. They are taking up space!

Nov. 2 - End of Daylight Savings - use the extra hour the day before to sort through your closets and clutter. Get your kids involved - have them go through their books and toys that they have outgrown.

Nov. 20 - Use Less Stuff Day - commit to donating the items you really don't need anymore.

Nov. 28 - Buy Nothing Day - while some are out shopping on "Black Friday", clear your clutter before the gift-giving season.

Dec. 2 - Giving Tuesday - the day after Cyber Monday and a good time to give instead of consume - help fill our container. You never know what can be repurposed and given as a gift.

Dec. 12 - Official Lost and Found Day - Everything not claimed that hasbeenresiding in our Lost and Found box goes into the Recycle Container.


 Every time the container is emptied, we receive a check that goes into our treasury.

 
Featured This Issue
New Prayer Book Donations
Welcoming Guests
MOCAs
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Save the Date

 

Nov 1  Tapas, Beer & Jazz

Nov 9  Sisterhood Walk and Coffee

Nov 9  Shalomites sleepover

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GroupsBlockGroups
  
  
  


 

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QuickLinksQuick Links
 
   

Links to Our Website
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

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Donations for New Prayer Books

 

You meant to do it. You put the letter in a pile but now don't remember which pile. Maybe the letter was thrown out with the junk mail. Check the wall opposite the office for more letters. Bookplates are NOT a requisite for donations. As always, the choice is yours.

 

You can click here for all the information.

 

ThankYous
ThankYou


 

Thanks to everyone who made a donation to the congregation in honor of the birth of our granddaughter Brooke Lily. Our happiness is always enhanced by the caring and support of our temple family.

  Alan and Laurie Fidler


Good and Welfaregoodandwelfare


 

We are delighted to extend a warm mazel tov to Sharon and Jim Grier on the birth of their first grandson, Read Arthur Pettitt, who was born Octover 18 to first-time parents Jessica Michele Pettitt and Angel Pettitt.

 

It is with a heavy heart that I write of the passing of Marge Landress, mother of Darren Landress. We send our deepest condolences to the entire Landress family.


Newsletter Ads and You!

 

We are always looking for advertisers for the Temple newsletter. Ads can be placed at any time with special pricing for members. Ads need not be for a year so if you want to try us, we take ads for 3 months as well as six months. If you decide to continue your ad for a full year, we do pro-rate the price. As the saying goes, "Try us, you'll like us!"

 

Youth ScholarshipsYthScholar

Throughout the year, there are many enriching Jewish experiences available to our youth through our synagogue or the community. These include, but aren't limited to, summer camps and trips to Washington, New York, and Israel. Fortunately, there is some scholarship money available through the temple to those families in need of financial assistance for these opportunities. Please contact Margie Berenson at scholarship@concgregationahalom.org with any questions and/or for an application form. 

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Changed Your Address?
Notify us at emailchange@congregationshalom.org and we'll make sure all the right organizations at the Temple are informed. Please include your full name in your request.

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Deadline for the

December Newsletter is

Thursday, November 20.

 

Please send articles to

newsletter@congregationshalom.org.  

 

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Join Our Mailing List
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Welcoming GuestsWelcomingGuests

 

Board members meet every month and one of the items on every agenda is a D'var Torah. Here's the Board D'var Torah from this month. Enjoy!


This summer I went to France and found some surprising things: a bus driver made us welcome by pulling his bus over to direct us as he drove down main street in a little town; a stranger took a look at our stressed faces as we hurried to pick up our eldest daughter in Paris and stopped to give us clear directions to find the hotel so we didn't miss our connecting train. One French family we met through our home swap web site and only exchanged emails and talked once by Skype with, invited us to dinner the night before we returned home. Contrary to all stereotypes, I found French people very kind to us strangers.

 

We decided to attend services - 'wherever you go, there's always someone Jewish." Strangely, the Reform service we attended was the one of few times in France that we did not feel very welcome. At first, I felt deflated, but, later, I thought: at home in Congregation Shalom, I make a beeline for the people I know because that is familiar and comfortable. After my personal experience, I went back to my roots and re-read the many clear directions in the Torah on welcoming strangers -including:

 

"The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God." LEVITICUS 19:33-34

 

Our tradition tells us in the Talmud, that Hachnasat Orchim (welcoming guests) is a higher mitzvah than Torah study or prayer. In the story of Abraham waiting to greet guests - he interrupted the vision of G-d he was having and asked G-d to wait - so Abraham could take care of his guests!

 

Here are some practical ideas on how you can meet this mitzvah (*):

1. Acknowledge visitors - Introduce yourself!

2. Approach people you don't know with an attitude of welcome. Have your body language match your words: Make eye contact, maintain eye contact, smile, nod or show empathy in some other way.

3. Greet visitors. In the synagogue, offer the appropriate greeting in addition to, Hello, how are you? Add: Welcome, Shabbat Shalom etc. If someone is in mourning, greet them with I'm sorry for your loss.

4. Offer assistance, guidance or directions. May I help you? What can I do for you? Do you want to hang your coat? Would you like a kippah or tallit? Lead visitors, don't just point them on their way!

5. Invite visitors to sit with you at services.

6. Questions to break the ice at the Oneg:

a. Do you live in Chelmsford?

b. What brings you to services here today?

c. What's keeping you busy these days?

d. How are you doing today?

7. Introduce new people to others. Build community by connecting people who share a life stage, an affinity or live in the same neighborhood.

8. Thank people for coming.

 

(*) Many suggestions taken from "The Spirituality of Welcoming; How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community".

 

Chag Sameach!

Tamar Wexler


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Sisterhood Newssisterhood

 

Sisterhood's first off-site event of the year was a fantastic success! Fifteen women (and two intrepid dogs) showed up on October 6th at Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, MA for a beautiful afternoon of hiking. There were loops of length and difficulty for everyone, with the most ambitious participants clocking in at 6 miles. A stop at the park ice cream stand further sweetened the day.

 

We have more great events planned. We had so much fun at the park walk that we have added an event to our fall roster: we are planning a "Shabbat Walk and Coffee" at 10 a.m. on Sunday, November 9. Meet at the Java Room in Chelmsford center and we will walk along the bike trail. Then on Sunday, November 16 join us for Dinner and a Movie night.

 

We welcome everyone to our events!

 

Sisterhood

sisterhood@congregationshalom.org 

 

Click here to view the Sisterhood calendar at our Congregation Shalom website.

 

Return to Groups.

 

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Brotherhood Buzzbrotherhood

 

Brotherhood is here to encourage Congregation Shalom men to get together, to support our temple community, and most importantly to have fun. At our new member kickoff event, I was pleased to be able to help welcome a couple of new temple members and one prominent long-time member :). It was fun, tasty, and as always free with your membership. Thank you for all who have joined Brotherhood for this year.

 

Brotherhood led the Sukkah Setup in order to prepare for the holiday of Sukkot. We had a nice turnout, good teamwork, and finished in around an hour and a half. Thank you to all who came out to help! To share, my family attended the informal dinner on Friday in the Sukkah and it was a full 'house.' Rabbi Perry served as a wonderful host, with lights, decorations, and community making full use of the Sukkah.

 

We mixed things up for Guys Night Out at the Peddler's Daughter by combining it with the monthly Brotherhood Board meeting. Thanks Jon for organizing the Guys Night Outs. This worked out well.

 

Next month, we have some fun events on the horizon. Also coming up, we are in the planning phase for the always popular Cooking with Mel!  

 

David Ebersman, Brotherhood President 

brotherhood@congregationshalom.org  

 

Click here to view the Brotherhood calendar at our Congregation Shalom website.

 

Return to Groups.

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Shalomitesshalomites

 

I hope you all had a peaceful and meaningful holiday last month! Thank you to all the participants and leaders of our discussion on Yom Kippur that made our program so successful. We are looking for Shalomite volunteers to help with Congregation Shalom's Tapas, Beer and Jazz Night - volunteers should plan to be there from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Also, on November 9th we'll be hosting other temple youth groups from the area for a sleepover! Lastly, registration is open until November 3rd for NFTY Northeast's Fall Conclavette (November 14-16). For those 9-12 graders eligible, we hope you'll join us!

 

Please send any and all RSVPs to shalomites@congregationshalom.org.

 

Warmly,

 

Hannah Muhlfelder

Shalomites President 

 

Click here to view the Shalomites calendar at our Congregation Shalom website.

 

Return to Groups.

 

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Junior Youth GroupJrYthGrp

 

Calling all parents of 5th, 6th and 7th grade students - WE NEED YOU!!

 

HELP WANTED

Desperately seeking parents to help with the Junior Youth Group.

            Commitment is VERY SMALL

            NO MEETINGS TO ATTEND

            You are in charge of the event you choose to coordinate

            Pick a date that you like

            Tell me the event

I help with the details - email blasts, permission slips, etc.

I hope to have 4 events this year.

Events usually start Sundays at 12:30 p.m. at the temple (right after Religious School), and the kids eat lunch (which they bring) before leaving the temple.

 

Currently we have no events planned for the upcoming year. The following dates are available to plan an event:

            Oct. 19, 26

            Nov. 2, 16, 23

            Jan. 11, 25

            Feb. 1, 8

            March 1, 15

 

Events that have been successful in the past include:

            Hay Maze at Davis Farmland

            Laser Tag

            Movies

            Snow Tubing

            Skyzone (Indoor Trampoline Park)

            Mini Golf-Indoors

However, feel free to suggest something else!

 

Please email Beth Shapiro at JuniorYouthGroup@congregationshalom.org.

 

Click here to view the Junior Youth Group calendar at our Congregation Shalom website.

 

Return to Groups.

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Attention M O C A s

(Members Of a Certain Age)

   

To All MOCAs, new and older, Greetings!  Here is our schedule for 2013-2014...please mark your calendars.

 

MOCA's purpose is to help Members Of a Certain Age (YOU decide the age!) maintain an active association with the congregation and with other MOCAs.

 

We attend a Shabbat Service at Congregation Shalom and, before or after the service, meet for dinner at a nearby restaurant.  Do plan to join us.

 

This year, 2014-15, our meetings will be at the Feng Shui restaurant on the following Shabbat (Friday evening) dates and times:

 

December 19, 6:00 p.m.                     Shabbat Service at 8:00 p.m.

 

February 13th, 7:45 p.m.                    Sunset Shabbat Service at 6:00 p.m.

 

April 17, 7:45 p.m.                             Sunset Shabbat Service at 6:00 p.m.

 

June 19, 6:00 p.m.                             Shabbat Service at 8:00 p.m.


 

Do mark your calendars and plan to join us for some or all!

 

At the Feng Shui restaurant, the MOCA group will have a private room, food will be ordered from the regular menu, and the management will give us separate checks per individual or couple.  Please note that two of our MOCA Shabbat Services are Sunset Shabbats.  This affords us the opportunity to enjoy a leisurely meal, with time to socialize, after the Shabbat Service.

 

Please contact Ethel Kamien if you would like to be added to the MOCA list or if you desire more information. Her email address is moca@congregationshalom.org.

 

Your MOCA Chair, Ethel Kamien  


 

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Caring Yarns Yearlong ProjectCaringYarns   


Calling all knitters! We have a project for you that can be finished in one evening while watching TV. We have a pattern for making slippers for women that we will take to the Lowell Women's Shelter. The pattern comes in 3 sizes, requires size 9 needles, 2 stitch markers, a yarn needle and one skein of worsted weight (#4) yarn. You can make a few sets with this one skein.  Please click here for the pattern.


We will be working on this project through next summer. Thanks for joining us in this project.

 

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Grocery Cards  

 

Food Drive Thank You

Thank you to all the members and guests who supported the High Holy Days food drive. We delivered hundreds of pounds of food and almost $2000 in Hannaford food cards to appreciative food pantries surrounding Chelmsford. (If you haven't sent in your pledge yet, please send checks to the temple office, with Food Drive in the memo line.)

 

Looking For a Few More Families

Do you want to help the temple without spending time or money? Yes, you can! Help while you shop. Get a grocery card for $100 (Hannaford, Stop&Shop or Donelan's) each month, and the temple makes $7 cashback. This leads to thousands of dollars for our program, with no out-of-pocket money from you. I'd like to get 8 more families signed up for the monthly program. Just email Judy Beningson at giftcards@congregationshalom.org and I will get you started. Thank you.

 

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iGiveiGive for Congregation Shalom
Have you ever thought how great it would be to be able to shop online at 783 different well-known stores and still donate money to Congregation Shalom?  Well, you can do that!  It's free and easy so join those of us who have been sending donations to the synagogue for years simply by shopping by first going to the iGive website once you have established the link.  Click here to register for Congregation Shalom to automatically be the recipient cause.
  
If you make a purchase through iGive within 45 days of signing up, an extra $5.00 will go to Congregation Shalom.  If you have any questions, please contact Laura at fundraising@congregationshalom.org.
  

 

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November Yahrzeitsyahrzeits

11/7/14

Celia Brass, Helen Ginsburg, Muriel Hyatt, Carole Reichert, Rose Ried, Hyman Rodman, George Wiener

 

11/14/14

Bernice Bresnick, Gordon Bronson, Alvin Ecker, Michael Glott, Julian Greenfield, Lenore Rambach, Rae Rosen, Celia Singer, Samuel Spiegler, Barbara Weinberg

 

11/21/14

Howard Cravis, Martin A. Gruber, Ray Niedergang, Morris Rosenberg, Irene Segal, Sigmund Weitzman

 

11/28/14

Frances Becker, Blanche Brown, Mildred C. Rainen, Lisa Rothstein


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ExtendedCommunityExtended Community

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From the Merrimack Valley Jewish Federation ...

 

PARENTS         ***        GRANDPARENTS         ***        CAREGIVERS

You Are Invited to Attend This Special Workshop

 

More than the Words:

Teaching Children Jewish Values Through Exploration & Enjoyment of Children's Books

 

Presented by Sharon Cores, Early Childhood Educator

 

Reading with our young children (ages 3-10 years) can create lasting memories and connections, in addition to fostering emerging literacy. Both secular and Jewish children's books can be a vehicle for exploring the values that we want to share with our children.

 

In this workshop we will look at a variety of popular children's books and share ideas about helping children discover and learn Jewish values and make them relevant to their own lives.

 

Congregation Shalom

Tuesday, November 18 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

 

Light Refreshments will be provided

 


Hadassah logo RSVP to Michelle@mvjf.org at the Merrimack Valley Jewish Federation, or call 978-688-0466.

MVJF The Merrimack Valley Jewish Coalition for Literacy brings this program to the community free of charge through the support of the Merrimack Valley Jewish Federation's Annual Campaign. It is co-hosted by Nashoba Valley Chapter of Hadassah.

 

 

  

From the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts ...

 

Bus Tour of Jewish Boston

 

Join us on Sunday, November 2 from 12:30-6:00 p.m. as we celebrate Alan Teperow through SCM's Tour de Teperow, exploring the Jewish stories and places that map his remarkable career.

 

Our itinerary will include stops at the Beth El Cemetery in West Roxbury (visiting the grave of Rav Soloveitchik), the Adams Street Shul in Newton, the old Mishkan Tefila in Roxbury, Temple Shalom of Milton (now Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills), Temple Beth Am in Randolph and some of the other neighborhoods and institutions which have been part of Alan's Jewish journey. We will begin and end at the Synagogue Council's office building in Newton Centre.

 

Our tour will be led by Ellen Smith, historian and curator of Boston Jewish history; and Associate Professor, Dept. of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Director, Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program, Brandeis University.

 

To join us for this exciting tour, advance registration is required ($45 per person). To register, click here.

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From the Merrimack Valley Jewish Federation ...

SAVE THE DATE

Smile into Chanukah at First Light with Shlock Rock

 

Clap to their parodies of Lady Gaga, Elvis, La Bamba, Black Eyed Peas and Michael Jackson!

 

Come to Temple Emanuel, Andover on

Sunday, December 14

2:30 - 5:00 p.m.

Play Driedel, eat latkes and sing along with familiar tunes. Fun for all ages.

For more information, call the MVJF office at 978-688-0466.

 

 
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2014, November
  
 
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From the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston & Affiliates...

 

VNA Hospice Care needs volunteers! Hospice volunteers play a key role in helping to provide caring and compassion to patients and families facing life-limiting illness and loss. A volunteer may provide patients with company and emotional support, give the spouse, partner or other caregiver a needed break from care giving, and/or help caregivers run errands or get to and from appointments. A strong need exists for volunteers who can visit on weekdays. We also seek: musicians who would like to sing or play music quietly at the bedside of nursing home residents; Reiki practitioners who would like to offer Reiki to patients and/or caregivers; and people interested in visiting with their therapy dog. Volunteers who speak both English and a second language are also helpful. We provide volunteer training and ongoing support. Call 781-569-2888 and ask to speak to a Volunteer Coordinator for more information. Or email LPalais@vnab.org.

  


Spiritual Poetry Journal

 

"Soul-Lit" is a new on-line spiritual poetry journal. A number of entries have been from Jews and have Jewish content. Writers are encouraged to submit their own poems which have a level of spiritual content to them. Two volumes have already been published.

 

To check out the website, please click here.

 

Please spread the word to members of the community who are writers / poets, and who may wish to submit their own writings.

 

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