ChabadFF November 2021 Appreciation Report

2021 Fall Appreciation Report

‫ב׳׳ה‬

Chabad of Fairfield

INSIDE THIS ISSUE •

You’re Making Wonderful Chanukah Memories

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You Helped Ilana Blossom and Develop into a Leader

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You Gave Dan a Special Bar Mitzvah

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You Gave the Goodman Children a Happy Hebrew School

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You Inspired Rachael to Light Shabbat Candles

You’re Making Wonderful Chanukah Memories Dear Friend,

how to care for others in our community.

Chanukah is right around the corner. The word “Chanukah” has the same root as the word “chinuch,” which refers to both the dedication of the Beit Hamikdosh (Temple), as well as education.

Chanukah offers us a lesson in education.

Chanukah teaches us that it’s not what we say that matters, it’s what we do.

So when we increase our Jewish observance, our children are absorbing that.

And that’s exactly what you do! Your support, generosity and encouragement teach by example

Think of the pride of a child at the Chanukah Village, seeing the large menorah on the green, or watching the Chanukah car parade. These are memories that our children will carry with them into adulthood. You will give them those memories.

So, thank you. Thank you for being a candle. Thank you for spreading light.

Thank you for making a difference.

Have a very happy Chanukah, and keep spreading the light!

Warmly,

Rabbi Shlame & Miriam Landa

You Helped Ilana Blossom and Develop into a Leader Ilana Brown used to be more shy and reserved. Then she was asked

by Miriam Landa to work at Camp Gan Israel.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. I gained a lot of patience,” Ilana says with a laugh. “And we did a lot of Jewish learning at the camp, so that reconnected me.”

Ilana’s father, Wil, says he’s seen changes in Ilana since she started working at the camp. “She was very excited about being with the kids. She would come home and give us a whole run-down of her day. ‘This kid did this, and this kid did that.’ Now she babysits for kids in the camp and she sees the counselors in the community. It’s widened her horizons in terms of the exposure to other members of the wider Jewish community.

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“Ilana has really blossomed.

She’s become more outgoing and more enthusiastic about everything. It’s really helped her emotionally and growth-wise.”

Now Ilana wants to take on more leadership roles. She decided to volunteer at a local Jewish preschool this year.

Wil appreciates that his children are part of the Chabad community. “Most of the synagogues in our area have older populations,” he says. “You’ve created a nonjudgmental space where young people feel comfortable being part of the community.”

Ilana adds, “It’s probably more important than you think. Thank you!”

You Gave Dan a Special Bar Mitzvah Dan is severely autistic and non-verbal, but that doesn’t stop him from participating in Jewish activities.

While the family was living in Fairfield, Dan’s mom Shirley was thrilled to be part of the Friendship Circle. “The thing that was the most special about the Friendship Circle was that everything was about Dan,” says Shirley. “Dan was the celebrity. We would come in and there would be someone waiting at the door with a smile”.

“Rabbi Shlame came to our house, and he talked to Dan about the mitzvot and what bar mitzvah means. Dan responded on the letter board, and there was a whole conversation going on.

“As soon as we decided to make the bar mitzvah, it became the event of the year. My parents flew in from Israel, family came in from Massachusetts and New York, good friends were driving in from all over the place, our community and Dan’s friends came.

When Dan turned 12, Malya, the Director of the Friendship Circle, brought up the idea of doing a bar mitzvah for Dan. “We didn’t know what we would do until then. We didn’t have family living nearby. But Malya insisted that it was a very special occasion and Dan needed to be celebrated.”

“It was the most amazing event.

Additionally, Dan had just started a new method of communication called RPM where the nonverbal person communicates via a letter board. Shirley shared, “We realized just how much Dan really knows and understands, so that made us really want to do the bar mitzvah in a meaningful way.

Thanks to you, Dan had a beautiful bar mitzvah surrounded by friends and family. “It’s the biggest mitzvah for us as a special needs family to feel included in the community,” says Shirley. “You never give up on us. It’s just such a blessing to have you do this for us. It’s such a joy and I’m so grateful.”

“Dan read a little bit from the Torah like we studied in our lessons, and he was so happy and excited that we did this for him. He was the star and everyone cried around him.”

You Gave the Goodman Children a Happy Hebrew School And now they want to help others!

When Brian and Leigh Goodman moved from Australia to the U.S., they knew they wanted to enroll their four children in Hebrew School. “We tried every Hebrew school,” says Brian, “but our children weren’t happy. We got pretty disheartened.”

Then the family moved to Connecticut, and they stumbled on Chabad of Fairfield. “I just wanted my kids to be happy, to be in a place where they could

be in an environment where they’re not judged, and all views are welcome, even if they’re not traditional views. And that’s pretty much what Chabad was. Our kids loved it.”

Brian says the kids looked forward to going to Hebrew school, and they would come home and encourage their parents to keep more mitzvahs.

“They used to push us to do more Jewish traditional things at home—not only Shabbat every Friday and the holidays, but also all the lesser holidays that we weren’t observing. Their joy was infectious, so we were all enjoying it. It reminded me of the traditional way that I grew up. I wanted to give my children that spirituality, that feeling of home, and they got that in spades.

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...continued from page 3 “I’d say the biggest change in my children is their willingness to help others,” says Brian. In fact, the two older children, Zac and Indiana, helped out at the Hebrew school after their bar and bat mitzvahs. They helped teach Hebrew reading, assisted the teacher, and provided 1:1 support for younger children.

Thanks to you, the Goodman children are continuing the traditions. “I know they will pass it on to their kids as well,” says Leigh. “Thank you.”

You Inspired Rachael to Light Shabbat Candles And now she’s honoring her father’s memory Rachael grew up in Westchester, New York. Tragically, her father was working in the World Trade Center and was killed in the September 11 attacks. Her mother remarried, and the family moved to Fairfield and became close with the Landas.

Rachael lives in Manhattan now, but she always makes an effort to come to Fairfield for the High Holidays. “I don’t understand much Hebrew, but I just really connect with the services. Shlame’s sermons really speak to me. Last year, he spoke about the idea of just picking ONE mitzvah that’s a little out of your comfort zone and making it a point to commit to it for an entire year.”

Rachael decided to take upon herself the mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles, and she stuck to it the whole year. “It really made me feel connected. It made me feel like Shabbat was a special separate day from the rest of the week. I knew that it was a special honor that Jewish women get to do. And it’s something that I want to show my kids that I do.

“I like the idea of everyone getting together as a family on Friday. During the week, our schedules are so busy.

So now I’ll get together with my boyfriend or my mom and we’ll light candles and have dinner, and it kind of slows everything down and refocuses us.

“I’ve always wanted to honor my dad in some way and feel connected to him, and I know it’s so important to keep his traditions.

Going to Chabad has helped me keep my father’s memory alive.”

Thank you for helping Rachael keep the mitzvot in a way that’s meaningful for her. Rachael says, “I’m so appreciative that you’ve helped me honor my dad’s memory.”

Donate Online:

ww.chabadff.com/donate

Chabad of Fairfield 452 Brookside Dr Fairfield, CT 06824 Phone: (203) 373-7551