Greenwich Reform Synagogue Newsletter

GRS' Generation J
& Social Action Committee Serving at Inspirica Shelter
Saturday, November 2 

    

November 6, 2013                             Kislev 3, 5774
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Online Payments

authorize.net GRS is pleased to offer our membership the option of making secure payments (via Authorize.net) of their membership dues, fees and school tuition. To begin CLICK HERE. 

 

Check back as we enhance this service in the coming weeks to include donations to more GRS funds.

GRS Office Location

GRS' OFFICES ARE NOW LOCATED AT

1037 E. PUTNAM AVE.,  RIVERSIDE, CT

 

PLEASE CHECK OUR  CALENDAR FOR DETAILS

 

SUNDAY RELIGIOUS SCHOOL AND ADULT ED CLASSES

WILL REMAIN AT

THE STANWICH ROAD LOCATION

 

HEBREW WILL BE TAUGHT AT OUR OFFICE LOCATION TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOONS 

 
In This Issue
Facebook
Online Payments
Office Location
Calendar
Torah Portion of the Week
Happy Birthday
Tree of Life
Caring Community
GRS Staff
Join Our List
Shabbat Service
Message from the Rabbi
Generation J Religious School Registration
Holiday Happenings
Shabbat Service Locations
Annual GRS Sisterhood Membership Dinner
Knit & Knosh
Chanukah Service & Dinner
Warm Clothing Drive
Social Action
Adult Ed
Our Temple Family
Tzedakah
Around the Community
Calendar
calendar

Wednesday, November 6 
3:30 pm - Hebrew School@GRS office 6:30 pm - Sisterhood dinner @ home of Marie Kimmel

Thursday, November 7
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office

Friday, November 8
6:30 pm - Grades 6-7 Shabbat Service @ St. Paul's Episcopal Church

Sunday, November 10
NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
NO ADULT ED

Monday, November 11
GRS OFFICES CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF VETERAN'S DAY

Tuesday, November 12
3:30 pm - Hebrew School @ GRS office
7:30 pm - Executive Board Meeting

Wednesday, November 13
3:30 pm - Hebrew School @ GRS office

Thursday, November 14
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office

Friday, November 15
6:30 pm - Choir/Board Installation Shabbat Service @ St. Paul's Episcopal Church
GRS House Band
November anniversaries

Saturday, November 16 
10 am - New Member Brunch - home of Marc & Lisa Abrams

Sunday, November 17 
9:00 am - Breakfast
9:30 am - Religious School
9:45 am - Rabbi's Advanced Beginner's Hebrew Class
10:30 am - Rabbi Rothman Adult Ed ClassGlobal Day of Learning

Monday, November 18
7:00 pm - Knit & Knosh - home of Marianne Tierney

Tuesday, November 19
11:15 am - Sisterhood Museum Trip
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office
Wednesday, November 20
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office
7:30 pm - Board Meeting

Thursday, November 21
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office

Friday, November 22
6:30 pm - Chanukah Service & Dinner @ St. Catherine of Siena Church

Sunday, November 24
9:00 am - Breakfast
9:30 am - Religious School
9:45 am - Rabbi's Advanced Beginner's Hebrew Class
10:30 am - Rabbi Rothman Adult Ed Class

Tuesday, November 26
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office

Wednesday, November 27
3:30 pm - Hebrew school @ GRS office
1st Night of  Chanukah

Thursday, November 28
GRS OFFICES CLOSED IN OBSERVANCE OF THANKSGIVING

Friday, November 29
GRS OFFICES CLOSED
6:30 pm - Shabbat Service in GRS office 

Torah Portion
November 9, 2013

 Vayetze

 (Genesis 28:10-32:3)

 

Jacob dreams of a ladder to Heaven with angels ascending and descending.  Upon reaching the land of his mother's ancestry, Jacob marries Leah (by her father's deception), and then Rachel.  To these two wives and two maidservants, eleven sons and a daughter are born.  The portion concludes with Jacob's entire family journeying back to Canaan. 


bday
Happy Birthday to...
Norman Heller
Devin Beiley
Daniel Friedberg
Emily Anatole
Leonor Lopez

Tree of Life
(Etz Chaim)
Tree of Life
Celebrate the birth of a child, the bar or bat mitzvah of a loved one, the wedding or anniversary of a cherished friend or family member, a graduation or a retirement through a permanent dedication on the GRS Tree of Life!  CLICK HERE for more information and to place an order.
Caring Community News
Committee members provide assistance to temple members in times of need and to celebrate with them in times of joy. If you know of an ill or hospitalized member, please contact the office at (203) 629-0018.

You can help us to help each other. We encourage the participation of volunteers to keep in touch with our members through telephone calls, visits, by sending cards, etc...If you would like to be a part of this committee, please contact Laura Seltzer at laura@grs.org. 
GRS Staff

Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE

  rabbisklarz@grs.org 

 

Cantor Sabrina Lipton

sabrinalipton@grs.org  

 

Stephanie Glaser

Executive Director

stephanieglaser@grs.org

 

Eliana Hall 

Director of Education

eliana@grs.org

 

Clarita Agulay

Bookkeeper

clarita@grs.org

   

Laura Seltzer

Administrative Assistant

laura@grs.org    

 

Peter Babivskiy

Caretaker


Join Our List
Join Our Mailing List

URJ NEW LOGO

Grades 6 & 7 Shabbat Service
to Commemorate Kristallnact

Friday, November 8, 2013, 6:30 pm

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Parrish Hall 

200 Riverside Avenue, Riverside, CT


The service will be followed by an Oneg Shabbat sponsored by the 6th and 7th Grade Families.

Message from the Rabbi  

Rabbi USE THIS ONE!

Kristallnact Service to be led by 6
th and 7
th Grades of
Generation J

 

Dear Friends,

 

Seventy five years ago, the night of November 9th, 1938 the Nazis stormed through the streets of both Germany and annexed

Austria, ransacking Jewish homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and synagogues with sledgehammers. By the morning of November 10th, over 1,000 synagogues were burned, more than 7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed or damaged and countless Jews became victims of torture and humiliation.  Subsequently, the Jewish community was fined and forced to clean all the remnants of the pogrom known as Kristallnact (Night of the Broken Glass).  Of course, all this was a precursor to what the Nazis would later call, the Final Solution of the Jews.

 

This Shabbat, the students of our Olim class (Grades 6 and 7) will be leading, along with Cantor Sabrina and myself, a service commemorating that terrible night, which is often described as the beginning of the end of two thousand years of Jewish life in Europe. We encourage you to support our Generation J students as we recall this dreadful chapter in Jewish history, pay homage to all those who perished during the Shoah, the Holocaust, and pray for a better future for our people and all humankind.

   

L'Shalom,

 

Rabbi Andy
 
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW

 

Generation J - Exploring Judaism Together
Registration is Still Open
Stanwich School Campus, 257 Stanwich Rd.

After a relaxing holiday weekend with no classes, Generation J came together last weekend to start an exciting new unit on Shomer Adamah, guarding the earth. Our students learned about the mitvot from Torah that charge us with caring for our Earth and its wildlife. They also learned about some of the animals they might find outdoors in Israel. Enrollment is still open, so join us! Click here for complete details. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Eliana Hall, Director of Education, at eliana@grs.org. 

Holiday Happenings

2013 Holiday Happenings

  

2013 Shabbat Service Locations

We want to thank you for your patience during this time of transition.  To make things more convenient, CLICK HERE for the location of our upcoming services.

However, as our calendar is always subject to last minute changes, it's always best to check the website or the newsletter.

Join the GRS Sisterhood for two exciting events!


Annual Sisterhood Membership Dinner

Wednesday, November 6, 6:30pm

**It's not too late to RSVP!!** 

 

sisterhood dinner All members of the GRS Sisterhood* are invited to attend a fun, free, delightful dinner at the home of Marie Kimmel, at 6:30pm on Wednesday, November 6th. You'll enjoy good food and wine, plus great conversations with new friends and old.

 

This GRS Sisterhood-sponsored event is free, but please bring a donation of non-perishable food that we'll share with the less fortunate through our local food pantry, Neighbor to Neighbord. 

 

Please click here to RSVP or email Laura so we'll know much food and wine we'll need. 

 

Sisterhood Trip to

 The Neuberger Museum of Art

Tuesday, November 19, 11:00am

 

Please join us for a docent-led, 

one-hour tour of The Compromised Land exhibit at The Neuberger Museum of Art, located at Purchase College, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY. The group will meet at the museum at 11am.

 

Following the tour, at 12:45pm, the group will enjoy lunch at The Cobble Stone Restaurant also located nearby in Purchase. 

 

The Sisterhood will sponsor entry to the museum, and each person pays for her own lunch. CLICK HERE to RSVP for the tour and lunch.

 

*Not sure if you're already a GRS Sisterhood member or not. You can check with the temple office to be sure. You probably are, but if not, the annual dues are only $36.

Knit & Knosh

Monday, November 18, 2013, 7-9 pm


Would you like to knit, crochet or sew over good food and drinks, in good company?

Then, the GRS Sisterhood invites you to come and join us.  We welcome knitters of any age, gender or ability!  We would love to see more new faces!

Everyone is welcome, even those who just want to nosh!

At the home of Marianne Tierney, 8 Pintail Lane, Greenwich.

CHANUKAH SERVICE & DINNER
Friday, November 22, 2013, 6:30pm 
St. Catherine of Siena Church, Riverside, CT


Join us for Latkes, Dreidels, Menorah Lighting & lots of fun!

Celebrate Chanukah with
Greenwich Reform Synagogue
Friday, November 22, 6:30pm
at St. Catherine of Siena Church,
located at 4 Riverside Avenue in Riverside, CT

$18 for adults; $5 for kids
Includes catered dinner, music and other festive activities!

Bring your Menorah for a group candle lighting!

All are welcome!

Please CLICK HERE to RSVP.

Also, please bring an unwrapped holiday gift 
for a child in need.

Warm clothing drive

As we approach the cold winter months, GRS is undertaking a warm coat drive for those in need. Please bring coats, sweaters and other warm clothing, as well as sheets, towels and blankets, in good condition to the GRS office which we will donate to Neighbor to Neighbor. 
Social Action

Inspirica, one of the largest providers of services to the homeless in Connecticut and the largest in lower Fairfield County, is looking for volunteers on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25.

If you would like to participate, please contact Joy Davis at jomarda@optonline.net.
Adult Ed - Fall 2013

Those who would like to register for Advanced Beginner's Hebrew, or interested in Beginner's Hebrew with Rabbi Sklarz Sunday's at 9:45am , please contact Laura at the GRS office.

Rabbi Robert Rothman, our Scholar in Residence, be leading a seminar on the Study of Jewish Contributions to Daughter Religions: Christianity and Islam.  In addition, throughout the year, we will also discuss current issues impacting on Judaism, the holidays, and other subjects of interest to the group.  
 
Rabbi Rothman, D.H.L., D.D., Ph.D., is the Rabbi Emeritus of Rye Community Synagogue.  He is widely published and has been our Scholar in Residence for many years.  He is a retired Navy Chaplain with the rank of commander.  The Sunday Study Group meets during the second hour of Religious School throughout the year (10:30).  While we generally have a topic for the year, each class is designed to be a stand-alone session, so come to as many as you are able.   All are welcome.
Our Temple Family

yahrzeit plain candle GRS offers its sincere condolences to Michele Greston on the passing of her mother, Wilma Greston.  Wilma and Michele were past Sunday School teachers at GRS for many years.  Wilma passed away on Monday, November 4.  Shiva will be through Friday at noon at the home of Shoshana Shinnar, a friend of Michele, at 3530 Henry Hudson Parkway, Riverdale, NY.

Tzedakah

Thank you for your generosity...
  

GRS Music Fund

  • Bob & Helen Stark in appreciation of the beautiful High Holiday Services 

Rabbi's Discretionary Fund
  • Bob & Helen Stark in appreciation of the beautiful High Holiday Services 
 
A contribution to GRS is a wonderful way to celebrate joyous events and commemorate meaningful occasions.  If you would like to make a contribution, please send your check to GRS, 1037 E. Putnam Ave., Riverside, CT  06878 or payONLINE.  For details on the giving opportunities available, please call the GRS office.
Around the Community

The Support Group Center of Jewish Family Service of Greenwich is offering the following support groups this summer. For more information or to register for any of the following, please visit www.jfsgreenwich.org or call Lisa Smith, LCSW, Executive Director, at 203-622-1881.

 

All groups take place at JFS, One Holly Hill Lane

Please contact Lisa Smith, LCSW, Executive Director,  at llsmith@jfsgreenwich.org or call  203-622-1881 for more information and to register.

  

  • CHAPTER 2: FOR EMPTY NESTERS 
  • BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT GROUP
  • JFS Rosh Hodesh It's a Girl Thing 7thGrade rogram 
  • REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
  • MAMMA MIA!
  • FOR SPECIAL BUBBIES AND ZAYDIES

Interfaith Conversations presents a talk on THANKSGIVUKKAH!  Monday, November 18, 7-8:30 pm.  At a private home in Greenwich, no charge.  RSVP by Friday, November 15 to Tatiana at 203-622-1881 or e-mail her at tn@jfsgreenwich.org to find out location of the program. 

 

The convergence of a Jewish holiday-Hannukah-with the secular holiday of Thanksgiving will bring people together for two big celebrations historically happening at the same time! How will you and your family experience this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence? Join the conversation about THANKSGIVUKKAH and this unique opportunity to combine traditions of food, drink, decorations, desserts, music and more!