Shofar - January 2014 - Tevet/Shevat 5774

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Tevet/ Shavat 5774

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Jewish Family Congregation www.jewishfamilycongregation.org

January 2014

January Service Schedule:

Cantor Kerry Ben-David, Rabbi Amy Schwartzman, and Rabbi Marcus Burstein, Installation Service, December 13, 2013.

Rabbi Marcus Burstein and Cantor Kerry Ben-David, Installation Service, December 13, 2013

Glenn Kurlander, Hal Wolkin, Co-Presidents present certificate to Rabbi Marcus Burstein, Installation Service, December 13, 2013

January 2014

Parshat Bo January 3 7:30 pm Shabbat Service - Free Babysitting January 4 9:45 am Shabbat Service

Parshat Beshalach - Shabbat Shira January 10 5:30 pm Tot Shabbat and Pizza Service

7:30 pm Shabbat Service featuring

Grade 5 and JFC Choir January 11 9:45 am Shabbat morning service

Parshat Yitro January 17 6 pm Tu B’shvat Seder - Potluck Israeli Foods

7:30 pm Shabbat Service - Free Babysitting

Parshat Mishpatim January 24 7:30 pm Family Service featuring Grade 4 January 25 10 am Bat Mitzvah of Ella Zaslow

Parshat Teruma January 31 7:30 pm Shabbat Service February 1 9:45 am Shabbat morning service

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

From the Rabbi’s Desk

I write this article a few days after the death of Nelson Mandela. Most of you have read articles and watched programs detailing parts of his incredible and inspirational life. After his death, I shared with our Sunday School students at our morning service a tiny bit about his amazing life story. Ruth Ossher added more stories, some personal ones to her and her husband Harold, who grew up in South Africa. Even after sharing just a few tidbits of his life, our students grasped some of his power and influence – not just as a world leader, but as a human being.

At that same Sunday School service, I held up a piece of paper that was given to me over 15 years ago by Barbara Gilman, wife of Reverend Bob Gilman. I met the Gilmans when I was a Chaplain Candidate at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Col. Gilman was the Chief of Chaplains at the time, and I was lucky enough to work with him and to meet his wife and three daughters. They are a very special family, and we stayed in touch long after we left our positions in Colorado – they also attended my wedding to Eric eight years after Col. Gilman finished his service in the Air Force.

The paper Barbara gave to me contained part of Nelson Mandela’s 1994 Inaugural Speech. Although many of you have surely heard it before, I feel it is worth sharing here…

Mandela wrote:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most

frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,

Religious School-------------------page 3 President’s Message--------------Page 5 Early Childhood Center----------Page 6

gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you NOT to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World.

There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won’t feel unsure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

That morning, I shared with our students that our goal at Jewish Family Congregation is to make them feel brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous. In some ways, the goal is the same for all members, regardless of age. If we do not succeed in doing this for each other as members of our congregation, then we have failed in our task. In Jewish terms, we believe that we are all created B’tzelem Elohim – in the image of God. Hopefully, by sharing, learning, praying, socializing, and growing together, the clergy, staff, board, and members will nurture the spark of the Divine in each of us.

May the memory of Nelson Mandela – and his courage, passion, tenaciousness, and inspirational life – be a blessing to all of us…

Ritual Committee----------------Page 10 Youth Group----------------------Page 10 January Calendar-----------------Page 15

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

From the Religious School

By Leslie Gottlieb

Remembering and Healing

email: office@jewishfamilycongregation.org website: www.jewishfamilycongregation.org ----------------Rabbi Marcus L. Burstein, D.Min. rabbi@jewishfamilycongregation.org Cantor Kerry Ben-David cantor@jewishfamilycongregation.org ---------------Director of Education Leslie Gottlieb lgottlieb@jewishfamilycongregation.org Administrator Kathleen Sakowizc ksakowicz@jewishfamilycongregation.org Early Childhood Center Director Jane Weil Emmer jemmer@jewishfamilycongregation.org -------------------Glenn Kurlander Co-President Hal Wolkin Co-President president@jewishfamilycongregation.org Richard Mishkin, Vice-President Polly Schnell, Vice-President Robyn Cohen, Treasurer Suzanne Sunday, Secretary executive@jewishfamilycongregation.org Josh Blum, Trustee Karen Conti, Trustee Michael Gitlitz, Trustee Ken Levinsohn, Trustee Robi Margolis, Trustee Paul Storfer, Trustee Bonnie Wattles, Trustee Richard Weiser, Trustee Elisa Zuckerberg, Trustee board@jewishfamilycongregation.org -------------Shofar Editor Bryan Wolkin Shofar Printer Copy Stop Royal Press

Dedicated to All of the Twenty-six Vicitms of Sandy Hook Elementary School and JFC’s Molly and Gregory, Z”L In the prayers we read during a shiva minyan after someone has died, we are taught that grief is a great teacher. So be it, but the kind of grief experienced when children are taken from us is too deep-- as life lesson for most of us. It is a bottomless pit of sadness, and only the strongest survive the calamity. The recovery is difficult and painfully slow-- especially when the damage is close to home, or home. For Jewish Family Congregation and Newtown CT, tragedy found a home-- right on our front doorsteps, home in two quiet towns within a short distance from the other. Our bond is a sad one.

At Jewish Family Congregation, we have felt the enormous weight of loss and it is with this in mind that we have invited our neighbors in crisis to share with us in the process of healing from the pain. We remember the smiles and the sticky fingers of the children. We recall the warmth of their bodies in motion whether running down a hill or moving in to snuggle with a family pet. We think about their favorite meals, their blossoming penmanship, their colorful toothbrushes. The teachers and others lost to us are now in our hearts forever. We cannot look upon their kind faces or the hold the door for them as they pass. We have to learn to say goodbye to them all but goodbyes when they mean forever.

Molly and Gregory were taken from all of us at JFC without warning. In a violent moment, they became the past tense, what was, and what would never become beyond a dream. Molly would have been in our grade seven this school year, in our B’nai Mitzvah program along with her 17 friends. She would have become Bat Mitzvah, and our community would Continued on next page

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

From the Religious School

By Leslie Gottlieb

have welcomed her to the bimah to chant Torah for the very first time. Her mother Amy, also cut down so young in life, would have been planning the reception. Gregory, her brother, was in grade three when we last saw him. He would have been playing dreidel on the carpet of the sanctuary with our other fifth graders this Chanukah, he would have been one of the smiling faces entering our building for school on Sunday mornings, he would have been a hero to someone had he lived.

Instead, we have a permanent memorial for the children created last spring by one of our college-age members. Out in the woods at JFC, there sits a double heart-shaped bench that rests below an opening in the trees so that those who visit it can look at the heavens through the black branches that scar the sky in winter. The bench is a helpful tool for remembering, but it is no substitute for the lives stolen from us. There is no end to the pain and healing is a constant challenge.

The morning of the Sandy Hook Elementary School horror was like any other until it was not. Nothing would ever be the same for anyone with a child, a teacher, a friend. Those who suffered most have the hardest hill to climb. We need to be there for them all and make to changes in the world that help make tragedies like this one few and far between. We need to remember the great teachings now... tikkun olam, the reparation of the world through gestures of love-- and gemilut chasidim, acts of loving kindness that protect us all and generate a sense of humanity.

We invite our friends from Newtown CT, to JFC and open our hearts to them, to share the pain and move forward from it with respect for those who have sacrificed so much. In Judaism, we remember loved ones by asking that their memories become a blessing, an actual act of goodness and sustaining love, and Jewish blessings always require an action, a response to words. Here, the noun, memory, changes to a verb, to become, and so with it a sense of the future is uncovered. We share the hope that because a life was lived, a soul will live on forever. Without this belief, life is unbearable for us all.

Please join us in remembering all of those who have died at Sandy Hook. In their memory, Jewish Family Congregation has engraved a permanent plaque for our Memorial Board that will honor these victims and continue to teach others that to forget is not an option. Their young lives need to teach us something. In that way, yes, grief is a great teacher, just as the sages say.

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Early Childhood Center

by Jane Emmer

Highlights from December On Thursday, December 5, we celebrated Chanukah with the religious school. We made wrapping paper, edible menorahs and listened to a story under the story tent. We ate latkes and lots of other treats. Cantor Kerry came and led us in a Chanukah singalong. It was a great time.

Katonah museum - The blue room visited the Katonah Museum of Art. It was a fabulous trip. We had our own docent tour of the portrait exhibit. We learned all about the history of portraits and we even had the chance to do a fun project in the learning center.

In our classrooms we are learning, exploring and growing together. Thanks to Ken and Myrna Klotzkin we have a wonderful new science center and some new toys for our outdoors.

We have begun Priority Early Bird Registration for Fall of 2014. If you know of anyone who might be interested in our Early Childhood Center please have them contact Jane Emmer, ECC Director at 914-763-3028 x 15.

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Men’s Group

by David Fischer

An Evening of “Manly” Knowledge Want to learn more about what other men know?

Enjoy an evening at Restaurant 123 (with a special menu) and in addition to good food and great company, you’ll have the opportunity to learn something new from members of JFC’s Men’s Group! Some in the group will present for 10-15 minutes each about a hobby, part of their profession (no sales pitch), a review of sports, a book or current events. A way to share information and learn about each other.

Of course, we are also seeking speakers. If you would like to share something you’re an expert or deeply passionate about, please let us know; simply email David.Fischer@SolutionsForGrowthLLC.com with a few details. We are planning 3 presentations of no more than 10-15 minutes each – designed to educate and share knowledge.

Let us know if you’d like to speak (we are open to any subjects!). Nothing formal, just a way to share your knowledge with the group.

Dinner at Restaurant 123 on January 28, 2014 at 6:30 pm - $29 for a 3 course meal, drinks extra. Please RSVP to David.Fischer@SolutionsForGrowthLLC.com. by January 21, 2014 (earlier reply is preferred) to let us know if you’re coming and what you’d like to talk about.

High Holy Day Appeal - The Power of Community Norman and Carole Alexander Phyllis and David Amerling Ken Aufsesser Kerry and Batyah Ben-David Jeff and Debra Page Berg Samatha Berg Richard and Amy Selig Bersch Ted and Lisa Block Lee Blum Neal and Karen Blum Josh and Michelle Blum Andrea Snyder and Robert Bolgar Steven Borden Herbert and Shirley Brown Peter and Liza Breslin Marcus Burstein and Eric Larson Marvine and Yvette Carp Ken and Cindy Carson Adam and Robyn Cohen Ricky and Bobbie Cohlan

John and Karen Conti Jane Emmer Milton and Pearl Feldman David and Sally Firestein Amy and David Fischer Laurence Furic Michael Gitlitz and Rita Landman Lawrence and Jacquelyn Goldman Roy Goldman Allan andEllen Goldstein Larry and Leslie Gottlieb Richard and Lydia Hellinger Doris Hettmansberger Drew and Mindy Hoffman Michael Horwitz and Fran Apfel Tammy Jacobs Shulman Eugene Kahn Jamie and Peter Kaplan

Glenn and Deborah Kurlander Ken Kurzweil and Suzanne Sunday Martin and Henriette Kutscher Mark and Debbie Lavin Ian and Sigal Leitner Sherry Levin Wallach Ken Levinsohn and Ellen Strauss Wendy Lipp Grame and Catherine Lipper Warren and Karen Lustig Robi Margolis Judith Metzger Richard and Cathy Mishkin Andrew and Allyson Rappaport Harry and Sandra Rosenhouse Eric and Meredith Rudin Michael and Rona Salpeter Pat Schaffer Gordon and Polly Schnell

Gregory and Ginger Schwartz Fulvio Segalla and Wendy Lipp Jodi and Anthony Senese Susan and Michael Stillman Paul and Kathy Storfer Robert and Barbara Strongin Suzanne Sunday Bonnie Wattles Mitchell and Jodi Waxman Michael and Emily Wein Richard Weiser Susan Westlake Hal and Laurie Wolkin Fred and Marcia Zuckerberg David and Elisa Zuckerberg

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Use the Shofar to say…

Happy Birthday, Get Well, Thanks, or I Remember Sanctuary Chair Plaque $150 Leaf on Simcha Tree $180 Memorial Board Plaque $450

January 2014

Vsiting JFC? Please stop by the office to say hello!

General Fund Caring Committee Fund Social Action Fund Ground Beautification Fund

JFC—URJ Camp Fund Molly and Gregory RS Scholarship Fund

Rabbi Discretionary Fund Music and Choir Fund Religious School Director Fund Early Childhood Center Fund

Long-time JFC member and teacher

Rona Salpeter

is available to help with: babysitting, before-and-after school driving responsibilities, animal care— & all jobs requiring a loving caring individual! References are available upon request.

Contact Rona at # 914-643-8176.

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Don’t Miss the Purim Carnival This Year!

Save the Date: Sunday, March 16, 12-2 PM

Social Action Committee Article The date of the next Midnight Run is Saturday, February 22, 2014. We will need volunteers to go on the run, sort and label clothing, make bag dinners and a big pot of hearty soup! We ask for the following donations, in MEN’S large sizes only: Pants/jeans Hoodie Belts Shoes/sneakers Toothpaste Disposable razors Washcloths Deodorants.

Packages of NEW men’s jockey-style briefs underwear

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Ritual Committee

January 2014

By Michael Salpeter, Chairman If you were one of the 40 or so attendees of last year’s Tu B’shvat seder, you will be pleased

to hear that we have scheduled a repeat performance for this year’s festival on Friday evening

January 17 at 6 pm. In case you missed it, the seder includes a pot luck dinner of Israeli-themed foods, a myriad of fresh and dried fruits, and four cups of wine. That, combined with the camaraderie of our fellow congregants, presents a mix that is unbeatable. Watch for more details in our forthcoming e-mail blasts.

As you may know, Tu B’shvat celebrates the New Year of the Trees and is celebrated in Israel

as an arbor day with the planting of trees. While thinking about trees, my mind wandered back to the days in the mid 1970s when I was taking a biology course entitled Ecology. One of the textbooks we utilized in that course was a field guide to trees and shrubs, which enabled us to determine the species of a tree by recognizing its characteristics. For example, are the leaves

coniferous or deciduous? Is the bark smooth or rough? Do the branches emanate only from the trunk or do they fork off from other branches? And other such questions.

There was one tree, however, that was glaringly missing from the field guide – that was the eitz chaim, or the Tree of Life, a common reference to the Torah. This description may originate

from a passage in the book of Proverbs which states “It is a tree of life to all who grasp it, and whoever holds on to it is happy; its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all it paths are peace” (Proverbs 3:17-18).

We may also be familiar with the term from the prayer we sing when placing the Torah back

into the ark – “Eitz chayim hi lamachazikim ba “- the English translation being, “It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it.”

So this year when contemplating the meaning of Tu B’shvat, not only will I be imagining chil-

dren in Israel planting trees with money we have donated to JNF, but I will be concentrating on how I can include the eitz chaim in my festival celebration.

The rabbi and the members of the ritual committee are excited to see you at our Tu B’shvat seder again this year.

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Webmaster

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

by Laurence Furic

Jewish Family Congregation’s website has upgraded to its new platform.

Among its new features you will find: • dynamic content and menus • social media integration • multiple media: video, photo galleries, audio, pdf • forms and payments possibilities directly from the website • calendars • soon a registration system that will allow access to members-only content The new website is optimized to be viewed from any type of screen and accessible from your mobile devices.

We hope you enjoy the new appearance, content and features. Please be patient as we continue to add content to the website. Do not hesitate to give us your feedback, so we can continually improve to meet your needs. You can email us at webmaster@jewishfamilycongregation.org.

Evolutions of our website in the last decade

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9th Annual

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Comedy Night at JFC

January 2014

Joe DeVito was born in Manhattan and ran wild on the mean streets of the Bronx until the age of 18 months, when his family moved to the suburbs. Along the way, they instilled in him a love of good food and storytelling, values that have made him an emerging comic who frankly could stand to lose a few pounds. Smart, silly and likeable, Joe performs at venues across the USA and is a regular at New York's Gotham Comedy Club.

Joe DeVito

Tickets

$50 each until Jan. 1—$55 each after Jan. 1

Saturday, Feb.1, 2014 8:00 pm Join us for a night of fun with friends, old & new, drinks, a dessert buffet and lots of laughs!

Raffles: $25 each or 2 for $40 CHANCE TO WIN an iPad Air

Tickets and raffles may be purchased online at www.jewishfamilycongregation.org

Call 914-763-3028 with any questions

Brad Trackman Brad Trackman is a NYC comedian with universal appeal. He has made national television appearances on NBC's "Later" and "Friday Night", CBS's "Star Search", ABC's "NY Comedy Festival," Metro TV's "New Joke City" hosted by Robert Klein, Comedy Central's "Heroes Of Jewish Comedy & Stand Up Stand Up" and MTV's "The Buried Life."

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

The Best of Old World Elegance, Rural Beauty and Modern Amenities Located in a country setting, the newly renovated clubhouse features a stunning ballroom windowed throughout, with panoramic views of a spectacular golf course and surrounding hills.

Parties of all sizes welcome One affair per day Kosher catering available

Salem Golf Club 18 Bloomer Road, North Salem NY 10560 914*669*5485 www.salemgolfclub.org

Notes by

Nancy, Inc.

Nancy Silberstein Invitations and stationery at discount prices tel/fax: 914-232-0835 e-mail: notesbynancy@aol.com www.notesbynancyinvitations.com

Cantor Ben-David is available to our congregants for all life-cycle needs Call/Text: 917-400-4068 Email: cantorbd@aol.com

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

One Year Later...

The Newtown & South Salem Communities Join to Share, Remember and Heal

Monday, January 13 from 7-8:30 pm (snow date: Monday, January 27) Please join us on this special evening at Jewish Family Congregation, 111 Smith Ridge Road, South Salem, NY Program Hosts: Leslie Gottlieb, JFC Religious School & Carol Wakeman, JFC staff and Newtown resident In light of the two year anniversary of our own tragic experience in the JFC/South Salem community and the one year anniversary of the Newtown tragedy, we are coming together to listen and learn from each other about healing. The program is designed for those in grade 7-adults.

This program will include presentations from individuals and representatives from these organizations and more‌ Rabbi Burstein and Cantor Kerry Ben David, JFC, South Salem, NY Pastor Matt Crebbins, Congregational Church, Newtown, CT Rabbi Shaul Praver, Adath Israel, Newtown, CT Heather and Elyse Sherr, Grade 7 students at JFC Members of the Newtown Youth Voices, Choir Rona Salpeter, JFC teacher and co-worker of Sandy Hook teacher, Lauren Rousseau NAA- Newtown Action Alliance JAA- Newtown Junior Action Alliance There is limited seating and all attendees must have a ticket to enter. There is no fee.

To reserve seats and print tickets visit: southsalemnewtown.eventbrite.com

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Join us for the Clothing Swap!

RESCHEDULED… SNOW DATE! January 14, 2013 7:30 pm Jewish Family Congregation

Benefitting the Early Childhood Center

Swap ‘til you Drop!

Bring a bag of clothes you don’t love anymore…

Find something you will adore!

*Remaining clothing to be donated to families in need.

Enjoy wine and snacks while you swap!

Children’s clothing welcome!

$5 donation

includes one raffle ticket

Raffle baskets full of great prizes!

111 Smith Ridge Road, South Salem, NY 10590

Oneg Schedule

Clothing should be in good condition!

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Date: December 11, 2013 To: The Community Center of Northern Westchester Dear Representative: Enclosed please find a charitable donation payable to your organization, in the amount of $142. The funds were collected by the Religious School Kids Knesset (student government) at our synagogue as a part of our tzedakah program. The proceeds came from a school-wide bake sale that was run on several dates and supported by many of our families at Jewish Family Congregation.

We hope these funds in addition to the groceries being dropped off today with this check will help many families to enjoy some special holiday meals this season.

We hope this modest contribution will help The Community Center to pursue its worthy mission now and in the future.

Thank you.

Yours truly,

Leslie Gottlieb, Director of Education

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Pot Luck Dinner

6 p.m. Pot Luck Dinner and Tu B’shvat Seder We will have the opportunity to unwind and dine together with old friends and new at our Pot Luck Dinner in the garden room. Please bring a veggie or dairy Israeli dish to share with 6 people.

7:30 p.m. Shabbat Service with Torah reading

January 17, 2014

Please don›t miss this great chance to celebrate with us!

January 2014

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

January Calendar Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

1

-29 Tevet 5774

5 -4 Shavat 5774

12 -11 Shavat 5774

19 -18 Shavat 5774 -NO RS

26 -25 Shavat 5774

6 -5 Shavat 5774

13 -12 Shavat 5774 -7 pm One Year Later Newtown JFC Event

20 -19 Shavat 5774 -No ECC, No RS, Office Closed

27 -26 Shavat 5774

14

-13 Shavat 5774 -7:30 pm Clothing Swap at JFC

21 -20 Shavat 5774 -Sisterhood Adam Broderick Event

28 -27 Shavat 5774 -6:30 pm Men’s Group Dinner at 123 Restaurant

-7 Shavat 5774

-8 Shavat 5774

16 -15 Shavat 5774

22 -21 Shavat 5774

-2 Shavat 5774 -7:30pm Shabbat Services

-22 Shavat 5774

Saturday -3 Shavat 5774

-10 Shavat 5774 -9:45 am Shabbat Morning Services -10:45 am Jewish BLT

-16 Shavat 5774 -6 pm Pot Luck Dinner - Israeli Food -7:30 pm Shabbat Services

-17 Shavat 5774

17

24 -23 Shavat 5774 -7:30 pm Shabbat Services

-30 Shavat 5774 -7:30 pm Shabbat Services

18

25 -24 Shavat 5774 -10 am Ella Zaslow Bat Mitzvah

31

4

11

-9 Shavat 5774 -5:30 pm Tot Shabbat Services -6 pm Pizza Dinner -7:30 pm Shabbat Shira

30 -29 Shavat 5774

3

10

23

29 -28 Shavat 5774

Friday

9

15 -14 Shavat 5774 -7:30 pm Sisterhood Book Club

2

-1 Shavat 5774 -7:30 pm Board Meeting

8

7 -6 Shavat 5774

Thursday

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

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Donations

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

General Fund David and Phyliis Amerling in memory of Jack Bergson Laurence Furic in gratitude of Karen Conti Doris Hettmansberger in memory of Betty Rubin and Bill Goldman Ken Kurzweil and Suzanne Sunday in honor of Ruth Rothwax Early Childhood Center Kenneth and Myrna Klotzkin Rabbi Discretionary Fund Kenneth and Myrna Klotzkin in honor of Rabbi Marcus Burstein

January 2014

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Anniversaries Allan & Alice Gottlieb Ian & Sigal Leitner

January 2014

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Birthdays

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Sandi Auerbach

Allan Goldstein

Emily Rauch

Robert Bellinson

Brooke Goldstein

Sandra Rosenhouse

Robyn Bellinson

Rachel Gordon

Joshua Rauch

Juliette Bellinson

Jack Haims

Dr. Michael Salpeter

Batyah Ben-David

Gregory Hoffman

Rona Salpeter

Cantor Kerry Ben-David

Kristopher Kahn

Dafne Sanchez-Aldama

Cecelia Bersch

Lisa Katz

Marjorie Schiff

Andrew Blum

Elinor Klein

Savannah Shafer

Michelle Blum

Glenn Kurlander

Eric Sherr

Rabbi Marcus Burstein

Kenneth Kurzweil

Traci Silva

Robyn Cohen

Eric Kutscher

Andrea Snyder

Karen Conti

Dr. Martin Kutscher

Kathleen Storfer

Dr. Donna Finkelstein

Patricia Lerner

Paul Storfer

Emily Fishkin

Matthew Meister

Suzanne Sunday

Marina Fried

Richard Mishkin

Riannah Wallach

Jonathan Glass

Sam Mishkin

Clayton Weisberg

Jacquelyn Goldman

Dr. Adam Ozols

Richard Weiser

Lawrence Goldman

Tamar Rackear-Sturm

Yahrzeits Nathan Bell

Robert Belsky Douglas Birdsall Jeannette Cohen Oliver Cohlan Hughes Stephen Crown Joseph Elias Solomon Fremed

Helene Fuchs Julius Fuchs Helene Kutscher Marcy Cohen Lissau Daniels Lawrence Stewart Raynor Paul Reimer Joseph Rosenhouse

Bernard Shuler Louis Steinhorn Ruth Segel Sunday Davis Arnold Treitman Helen Worster

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework Sunday January 5, 1 -3 pm Temple Shearith Israel 46 Peaceable St. in Ridgefield, CT Jere Moskovitz ( Westport,CT) , Amy Fischer ( South Salem, NY) and Cantor Deborah Katchko-Gray( Ridgefield,CT ) have something in common. They love Judaic crafts, needlework and art projects. Creating kippot, tallitot, and challah covers open up an entire world of creativity, Jewish love of ritual, and spirituality.

The group is named for the fruit that is one of the “ seven species” in the Bible. The pomegranate, said to have 613 seeds symbolic of the 613 mitzvot, provides a colorful theme for many of the guild’s designs.

The Pomegranate Guild has chapters all over the United States and several other countries including Australia, Israel, and England.

The Guild website: www.pomegranateguild.org notes that when members sit down to stitch, “ They are reviving Jewish traditions…Some create their works as heirlooms for their children; others stitch to recreate memories of ceremonial objects of perhaps of family members lost in the Holocaust.” You don’t have to be Jewish to join, you don’t have to be a woman. All are welcome! All levels are welcome- beginner to expert. We are interested in sharing and learning from each other.

If you love stitching, quilting, appliqué, anything done with a needle and thread please join our first meeting on Sunday, January 5 from 1-3pm at Temple Shearith Israel 46 Peaceable St. in Ridgefield, CT. www.tsiridgefield.org

Refreshments will be served. Please bring one of your favorite finished projects and one you are working on to share. Contact Amy Fischer at amyfischer4@gmail.com with any questions.

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

January 2014

Do you have 1-2 hours to spare each month?

JFC could use your help!

On a regular basis, we would love to have your input and help with several projects. We can arrange some activities to fit your schedule, depending on when you are available. Please see below for ways that you might be able to contribute to making our congregation flourish: .

Back Up Oneg Shabbat Hosts – Unexpected events come up in everyone’s life, and sometimes that includes our Oneg Shabbat hosts. If you sign up, we may call you from time to time to see about filling in for a family who cannot host the Oneg Shabbat.

Location: At JFC on a Friday night. Expected time commitment needed: 60 minutes on a Friday during the day, 90 minutes Friday night.

Graphic Designing – In order to reach our members and the greater community, we like to create informative and attractive flyers. Help us design publicity for recurring and one-time events. Location: At JFC or at home. Expected time commitment needed: 60 minutes.

Librarian - Are you very organized? Do you know your ABC’s backward and forward? We could use a little help tidying up our library, as well as creating some publicity to let other members of JFC learn about our literary treasures. No official library experience is needed.

Location: At JFC. Expected time commitment needed: As much or as little time as you can give.

Telephone Help -- Our staff meetings occur each Wednesday morning, 10-12 noon. At that time, we need someone to answer the telephone and to greet any possible visitors to JFC. You can volunteer for one or more Wednesday mornings each month.

Location: At JFC. Expected time commitment needed: 2 hours on Wednesday mornings, 10-12 noon.

Babysitting Co-ordinator: Schedule babysitters for the first and third Fridays of the month. Remind babysitters the Thursday before. Be the contact for last minute cancellations and schedule replacement.

Expected time commitment needed: 1 hour total per month.

Don't forget to stop in and check out the JFC Gift Shop! If you are interested in purchasing anything, please let the JFC office now.

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Torah Chanters Wanted

January 2014

Would you like to chant torah on a Friday night or Saturday morning? Maybe it is the anniversary of your bar or bat mitzvah ceremony, or maybe you would like to learn from a new section of the torah. Either way, we will help provide you with the tools to succeed! You can chant as few as three verses – maybe you will get together with a family member or friend to make it a special Shabbat for all of you? We look forward to celebrating with you…

To volunteer and/or to see which dates are available, please be in touch with Rabbi Burstein: rabbi@ jewishfamilycongregation.org

Todah Rabah, A big thank you to…

The Rauch Family for their donation to the ECC Library.

Laurence Furic for our new and improved website.

Debra Cohen for all of her help with the grade 7 Chanukah party (6th night). Thanks, as well, to all of the grade 7 parents who contributed to the party and for their continued support of the Religious School.

The volunteers for helping to promote and organize the Monday, January 13, 7 pm evening event at JFC: One Year Later… The Newtown & South Salem Communities Join… to Share, Remember and Heal: Leslie Gottlieb and Carol Wakeman, event planners, wish to thank Karen Blum, Laurence Furic and Elisa Zuckerberg for their efforts.

Iris Glass for bringing the check and groceries to The Community Center of Northern Westchester as a result of the Chanu-Giving Event at the Religious School. Thanks to all who made contributions and to the Kids Knesset for creating the program.

Rabbi Amy Schwartzman of Temple Rodef Shalom, Falls Church, VA, for joining us for the Installation of Rabbi Marcus L. Burstein last Shabbat.

Cantor Kerry Ben-David who bought beautiful music, enthusiasm, and warmth to our congregation every week and especially at last week’s Installation Shabbat.

Dayna Kaplan, Liz Klotz, Polly Schnell, Tammi Jacobs- Schulman, Cheryl Chess, Lisa Bloch, and Richard and Cathy Mishkin for arranging our special Oneg Shabbat at the Installation Shabbat.

The JFC Choir for their beautiful music, Barbara Orwick for accompanying them, and David Kane on drums for enhancing the Installation service.

Kathleen Sakowicz and Carol Wakeman, for arranging and assisting with all the details of the Installation Services, and to Leslie Gottlieb and Jane Emmer for all they have contributed to making the Installation a reality.

Our Board of Trustees, Officers, and especially our co-presidents, Hal Wolkin and Glenn Kurlander, for their leadership and for the significant effort that they contribute for the benefit of our community.

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

The Religious School and ECC Celebrating Chanukah Together

January 2014

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Non Profit Organization Postage PAID White Plains, NY Permit No. 9022

Current Resident Or

January 2014