SYNAGOGUE NEWS
April 2022
Federation Star
9A
JEWISH CONGREGATION OF MARCO ISLAND
www.marcojcmi.com / 239.642.0800
April is more than just April Fool’s Day By Sue Baum, JCMI president
I
n April, JCMI continues to offer its meaningful religious programs: • Shabbat Services are conducted every Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. with Rabbi Mark Gross, Cantorial Soloist Hari Jacobson and accompanist Dr. Ron Doiron. • Torah Study takes place at 9:30 a.m. in the Meer Room, offering an in-depth learning experience. The highlight of the month is the celebration of Passover. The Synagogue has conducted Seder virtually during COVID. But on Friday, April 15, 2022, the first night of Seder will be celebrated at the Synagogue once again. Actually, the word April means “to open.”
This is an important moment for our congregants. We thank the task force for cautiously guiding members through COVID as we reopen for this important religious festival. It is interesting to note that historical records of JCMI indicate that the First Seder celebrated by the newly formed Jewish founders took place prior to the opening of the Temple building at the invitation of our good neighbor, San Marco Catholic Church. We are one community — so important. To all our congregants who are present in the area on April 15, let us gather as a family and celebrate Passover.
NAPLES JEWISH CONGREGATION
www.naplesjewishcongregation.org / 239.431.3858
Study, prayer, assembly Charles Flum President
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aples Jewish Congregation (NJC) has resumed in-person services at the Unitarian Universalist church (UU) in Naples. We are in the process of ramping up our programs that had been curtailed by COVID. The sisterhood is having regular get-togethers, such as a visit to the Shangri-La spa and gardens in March. Our adult education courses, led by Rabbi Herman, are ongoing. Our unique Flamingle is a congregational get-together to learn more about each other. Participation numbers are down in organizations of all types. To try to remedy that situation in our synagogue, the president recently sent out the following to the congregation: There are three names in Hebrew for synagogue: Beit Midrash (house of study), Beit Tefillah (house of prayer) and Beit Kenesset (house of assembly). NJC is all three, if we all make it so. Let’s look at each of these in relation to our shul. Beit Midrash (house of study). At this time, we have only one program for study, Rabbi Herman’s adult education. He
works hard to find and prepare talks on interesting subjects. We hold these on Zoom at the current time to 1.) be safe and 2.) make it easy to attend. How many and how often have you attended? I urge you to tune in and learn something new. According to research, one way to keep your brain from atrophying is to learn new information. Beit Tefillah (house of prayer). We hold services to have a communal way of praying to God. Yes, we can pray by ourselves, but there is something very comforting in praying the same prayers with other people. You can only do that by coming to services, now held in person at the UU. Beit Kenesset (house of assembly). The first time we held an in-person service after being on Zoom for a while, quite a number of people expressed how nice it was to be able to see other people in the flesh. Humans are social animals. We need to schmooze with others. We need to be with others. All this is my way of saying, “Come to services.” You belong because you decided to belong and pay dues. Get the most out of your commitment. Come to services. Come to adult education. Come to the various programs as we slowly return to “normal.” Your Yiddish neshoma (Jewish soul) will thank you for feeding it. Check us out at naplesjewish congregation.org. Then, come join us for Tefillah (prayer) at our Friday night services at 7 p.m. at UU. Welcome to the small temple with the big heart.
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stand up...continued from page 8A down to Egypt; 400 years later, in the census at the foot of Mount Sinai, it was the Tribes of Reuven, Shim’on, Leivi and Judah who stood up to be counted. May this season of liberation be a time to stand up and be counted; to identify in
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terms of who we truly are; to share with our children the noble story of our people; and to say our names out loud. Rabbi Mark Wm. Gross serves at Jewish Congregation of Marco Island.
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