Shofar Sivan/Tammuz 5772
Jewish Family Congregation www.jewishfamilycongregation.org
June 2012
From the Rabbi’s Desk On June 16th, JFC will celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of Jason Kingsley. By itself, that is not a particularly striking statement, since we celebrate Bnai Mitzvah here all the time. What makes this occasion special is Jason, who is 37 years old. And he has Down Syndrome. In 1994, Jason and his friend Mitchell Levitz published a book, Count Us In, about growing up with Down Syndrome. Jason has appeared in the film Please Give, with Katherine Keener, and in several television programs, including Touched by an Angel, and is a proud member of the Screen Actors Guild. He and his mother recently spoke at the United Nations for the first International event focused on Down Syndrome. Jason works for Westchester ARC in Hawthorne, competes in the Special Olympics, and participates in SPARC, Special Program And Resource Connection, where he takes classes in film production, music enjoyment, and fitness.
and Raymond, who also have Down Syndrome. The gang always sits in the front row, and they always pay very close attention to what happens during the service. Many times, Jason has had a list of questions arising from the service, which he poses at the Oneg Shabbat or at our next study session. And some of his questions have stumped me! Jason will chant the last aliyah of the morning as his maftir, his own aliyah. He will of course chant the blessings before and after the reading, too. He’ll read the haftarah blessings and the haftarah itself in English, and, he will do Reader’s Kaddish. And he has picked melodies he likes for parts of the service; it will be lively and fun!
In his speech, Jason will discuss his Torah reading (from Number 15), he will describe some of the many mitzvah projects he has undertaken this year, including the Midnight Run, and he will express his appreciation to all those A couple of years ago, I was approached by Jason’s mom, who have helped him achieve his goal. In the speech, JaEmily Kingsley, to discuss the fact that her son had deson will dedicate his Bar Mitzvah to his father, who passed cided that he wants to have a Bar Mitzvah. Then I met away many years ago; it was his father who originally inalso with Jason, and we committed to a course of action. spired Jason to pursue the goal that he will achieve here Jason came to work with me every two weeks, until April; on June 16. since then we have been meeting weekly. After we had Early on in our work together, Jason decided that he spent some time on Hebrew and some other matters, we wanted to wear a tallit during services, so he learned the selected the date for Jason’s Big Day, and we have been blessing and the correct way of putting on this ritual garment. For his Bar Mitzvah, he will be wearing the tallit he working diligently together on prayers and liturgy. If you have been to a Friday evening service over the past and his mom picked out together. He is absolutely tickled to have his own tallit and a special kippah for the Big Day. year or so, you may well have seen Jason and his entourage: his mom, of course, her “significant other,” Dr. John Stadler, and one or both of Jason’s house-mates, Yaniv From the Rabbi’s Desk President’s Message Service Schedules SITGO Flyer Oneg Hosts Early Childhood Center June Bday/Anniv/Yahrzeits The Religious School Kids Ask the Rabbi
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JFC Sisterhood JiFTY Recent Donations to JFC Donations Form July Bday/Anniv/Yahrzeits Ask the Rabbi JFC’s June Calendar JFC’s July Calendar
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Page 2 Jewish Family Congregation 111 Smith Ridge Road P.O. Box 249 South Salem, NY 10590 Phone: (914) 763-3028 Fax: (914) 763-3069 e-mail: jfc@bestweb.net
jewishfamilycongregation.org
Rabbi Carla Freedman jfc@bestweb.net Cantor Kerry Ben-David cantorbd@aol.com
School Director Leslie Gottlieb lesliejo0312@gmail.com Early Childhood Center Director Jane Weil Emmer jfceccenter@gmail.com Temple Administrator Jolie Levy jfcoffc@gmail.com
Board Of Trustees Richard Mishkin, President 914-764-8305; Mark Lavin, Vice President; Polly Schnell, Vice President; Hal Wolkin, Chief Financial Officer; Diane Richman, Secretary; Carrie Kane Elise Serby Patterson Shafer Debra Verbeke Elisa Zuckerberg and Johanna Perlman, Past President
Shofar Editor Jolie Levy Shofar Printer EnterMarket
Jewish Family Congregation Shofar
June 2012
From the Rabbi’s Desk (cont’d) (Continued from page1)
It has been interesting working with Jason. He focuses very firmly on what he is learning, and he takes great pleasure in mastering each step of the way. He isn’t always receptive to new ideas, but he has a way of adopting them later on.
Alas, my knowledge of those subjects is quite weak, so I am learning a lot from working with him.
So, on June 16, we are going to celebrate Jason’s Bar Mitzvah. And a great celebration it will be! There won’t be an empty seat in the house, so if you’d like to come Jason may be the living authority on Fiddler and congratulate the Kingsley family, on the Roof. And he knows Broadway musi- please join us for the Shabbat service on cals, Disney movies and Sesame Street inFriday, June 15. side out and backwards (it helps that his Do come and enjoy the experience of this mom is a writer for Sesame Street; she has gentleman, who takes his Jewishness and 18 Emmies for all that… and it helps that his responsibilities very seriously. You’ll be Jason has been on Sesame Street many glad you have the chance to meet him. times). These are the resources he cites for examples of things we’ve been discussing.
-- NOTES FROM THE EDITOR -JFC IS NOW POTABLE!!! We have put in a new filtration system, and JFC water is now drinkable! We are phasing out the water coolers and will leave a supply of paper cups by the faucets. The ECC and RS children will also now be using tap water for their cooking projects. The water cooler outside the sanctuary will remain.
JFC WILL BE ISSUING A MID-SUMMER SHOFAR (NOT A JULY & AUGUST ISSUE) Since things are a bit more quiet over the summer, a decision was made to have just one summer edition of the Shofar. Accordingly, you will find the July service schedule, July oneg hosts, July calendar and July birthdays/anniversaries/ yahrzeits are all included in this edition. Watch for the summer edition in the third week of July. Enjoy the summer!!
WHAT PRETTY FLOWERS! Did you ever wonder who takes care of all of JFC’s pretty plants and flowers on the front steps and on our grounds? For several years, Phyllis Amerling has been stopping by with her gardening tools. She weeds, she digs, she plants, she waters, she cuts, ….phew! Dave Amerling has been taking care of the heavier stuff, like schlepping hoses, trimming with power tools, etc. Recently, Emily Wein asked if she too can help, as she walks past these pretty flowers (and weeds!) every day and would like to help maintain them as well. Thanks for being part of our team!
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President’s Message by Richard Mishkin
As previously communicated, the Board determined that it could not renew Rabbi Freedman’s contract because of the need to significantly reduce Pulpit costs in order to bring JFC’s future budgets into balance. As a result, after fifteen years of dedicated service, Rabbi Freedman will be leaving JFC approximately one year from now on June 30, 2013. We are writing now to bring you up to date on our progress to find a new Rabbi for our Congregation. The selection process for a Rabbi is addressed in Section 10.2 of the JFC By-Laws which state “the Congregation shall comply with the rules and regulations of the Joint Rabbinic Placement Commission of UAHC, the Central Conference of American Rabbi’s (CCAR) and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). A Rabbi shall be selected in the following manner: (1) A special committee appointed by the president of the Congregation with the approval of the Board of Trustees shall recommend a candidate to be selected. (2) Upon approval of the Board of Trustees, this recommendation shall be submitted to the Congregation at a regular or special meeting. (3) A majority vote of the voting members at a meeting (whether in person or by proxy) shall be required for the initial election of the Rabbi.” Thus, there is an established protocol for moving forward in this search.
take place by e-mail, phone and ultimately, in person. After completing the interview process, the search committee will make its recommendation(s) to the Board and then the Board will make its recommendation to the entire Congregation. This process and its outcome is unquestionably one of the most significant matters to come before the Congregation in many years. In order to move forward, we must now form a Search Committee and we are therefore reaching out to our membership to seek volunteers to serve. If you are interested in serving on the Search Committee, we would like to hear from you. Ideally, it would be helpful if at least some members of the Search Committee have relevant professional experience that might be specific to this kind of undertaking such as, for example, in the human resources area or management recruiting area. If you are interested in joining the Search Committee, please let me or any Board Member know as soon as possible or you may contact our temple administrator and provide your name and you will be contacted.
We want to assure you that the Board is doing everything it can to ensure that JFC remains vital and vibrant for the entire Congregation and we know that selecting the “right” Rabbi is of critical importance. We will do our very best to make this as smooth a To solicit candidates, an application has been submit- transition as possible, and we thank you for your help ted to the CCAR and will be posted on their web site and understanding. which serves as a clearing house listing positions for Sincerely, Rabbis seeking a pulpit. The Search Committee will receive the names and resumes of applicants from the CCAR that match the criteria that JFC provided. We have been advised to expect to receive applications Richard Mishkin from candidates during July and August. Interviews President for the JFC Board of Trustees
REMINDER: JFC’s ANNUAL MEETING IS THURSDAY, JUNE 7, AT 7:45 P.M. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND. BABYSITTING SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED. IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND, PLEASE BE SURE TO GET YOUR (CONFIDENTIAL) VOTING PROXY TO THE JFC OFFICE BY 4:00 P.M. ON JUNE 5.
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SERVICE SCHEDULES JUNE Friday, June 1/ Sivan 12
6:30 pm 8:00 pm
Pot Luck Dinner*** Parshat Naso
Friday, June 8/ Sivan 19 Saturday, June 9
7:30 pm 10:00 am
Parshat Beha’ alotecha Bat Mitzvah of Shoshanna Chipman
Friday, June 15/ Sivan 26 Saturday, June 16
7:30 pm 10:00 am
Parshat Shelach
Friday, June 22/Tammuz 3
6:30 pm 7:30 pm
SHABBAT IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS^^^ Musical Service/Parshat Korach
Friday, June 29/Tammuz 10
7:30 pm
Parshat Chukat
Bar Mitzvah of Jason Kingsley
***The theme for this dinner will be SALADS…of all varieties: bean salad, tabouli salad, Caesar salad, orzo salad, whitefish salad, faro salad, Waldorf salad, couscous salad, salmon salad, Israeli salad, basil/tomato/mozzarella salad, lentil salad, tuna salad, egg salad, and many others you can find in cookbooks and on-line. Just remember: no meat or shellfish, and enough to serve 6. ^^^This will probably be our last SITGO for a while, because we have some new and different summer offerings, beginning in July. So please bring your own picnic and chairs/blanket etc, and join us for a musical Shabbat outdoors, with the Oneg Shabbat offered indoors (and therefore, not to the mosquitoes!). JFC will provide the candles, wine and challah.
JULY Friday, July 6/Tammuz 17
7:30 pm
Parshat Balak
Friday, July 13/ Tammuz 24
7:30 pm
Parshat Pinhas
Friday, July 20/Av 2
6:00 pm 7:30 pm
JFC’s summer BBQ Parshat Matot/Masei
Friday, July 27/Av 9
7:30 pm
Parshat D’varim
Stay tuned for details about this new wrinkle in our summer plans. We will be grilling burgers and hot dogs and some vegetarian fare. The service and Oneg Shabbat will be indoors.
CHOIR If you would like to join the choir, or for more information, please contact Kathy Storfer at kstorfer@aol.com We welcome all adults -- 13 or older!
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JUNE ONEG HOSTS JUNE 1
JUNE 29
Ian & Sigal Leitner Ken Levinsohn & Ellen Strauss
Wayne Lopkin & Julie Furo Paul & Lorraine Malamet
JUNE 8
Please find a substitute if you cannot host your assigned Oneg.
Peter & Jamie Kaplan Susan Valente
JUNE 15
Mark & Debra Lavin Michael & Heather Levinson
JUNE 22
Gary & Paula Levine Roy & Patricia Lerner David & Erica Levens
We have a Facebook page! If you are on Facebook, go to: http://facebook.com/ jewishfamilycongregation
Please contact the JFC Office with the name(s) of the new hosts. Please contact your Board Host if you have any questions.
JUNE BOARD HOST: Carrie Kane (914) 248-5254
The items in the JFC Gift Shop have changed again. Please stop in and take a look!
and like us!
JULY ONEG HOSTS JULY 6
David & Dara Marceau Robi Margolis
JULY 13 Matthew Meister & Dafne Sanchez-Aldama David & Leslie Moss
JULY 20
Richard & Cathy Mishkin Ken Okamoto & Nita Weissman
JULY 27
John Mucciolo Harold & Ruth Ossher
Please find a substitute if you cannot host your assigned Oneg. Please contact the JFC Office with the name(s) of the new hosts. Please contact your Board Host if you have any questions.
JULY BOARD HOST: TBA
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The Early Childhood Center Jane Weil Emmer, Director
Todah Rabbah The school year has flown by. As we wrap things up; it is time for a list of thanks. Rachel Clott and Dara Marceau – Thank you for leading the Early Childhood Committee this year. You led many wonderful events and helped build our community of parents, teachers and students. Rabbi Carla Freedman – Thank you for being our spiritual leader and leading our Shabbat celebrations with ruach and a smile. Cantor Kerry Ben David –Thank you for sharing your music and spirit… we loved every time you shared your songs with us. Leslie Gottleib - Thank you for mentoring me and being a wonderful support to the ECC. Jolie Levy – Thank you for your support in the office and for all that you do to keep JFC a happy place. Kathleen Sakowicz – Thank you for your early morning help moving furniture, schlepping Challah and being a behind the scenes power house. Laura Vayness and Debra Cohen – Thank you for helping the Yellow Room children learn, grow and flourish. The children are ready to launch into their next school, and that is because you nurtured and encouraged them along the way. Debra Cohen– Special thanks goes to you for keeping all of the parents up to date on our website. Thanks for posting pictures and notices all year long!! Thank you also for preparing the end of the year slide show. We can’t wait to see it! Alison Brodoff and Ellen Goldstein - Thank you for guiding and helping our Blue Room children. You created a community of learners. We are all grateful that you helped us mature and learn each and every minute we were together. Dinah Rader and Lynn Kassel – Thank you for nurturing our youngest tikes. The Green Room children were lucky to have you as their first teachers. You encouraged each of them to grow and thrive every day. Farmer Dale (a.k.a. Dale Saltzman) - Thank you for teaching us about nature, plants, farming and the world around us. We loved our time with you and your passion about the natural world is contagious. Stephanie Goodkind – Thank you for sharing your love of Yoga with us. We really enjoyed it. Class Parents – A big thank you to all for coordinating and organizing each class. Green Room – Gillian Margolin, Blue Room – Jennifer Carter and Marjorie Schiff Yellow Room – Marina Fried and Cassie Hollander Meredith Rudin – Thank you for running our Scholastic fundraiser all year. Bobbie Cohlan - Thank you Bobbie for setting high standards and supporting me in trying to be a good director. I have a lot to learn, but know that I can always call you for guidance and help. Ken and Myrna Klotzkin - Thank you for donating a new camera to our school. It was so very generous of you.
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JUNE BIRTHDAYS Heidi Auerbacher Daniel Berger Newton Bersch Samuel Breslin Maggie Ceisler Brian Chipman Shoshana Chipman Julie Conti Kevin Dorf Roger Drawec Kenny Elias Daniel Feldman Emily Feldman Stuart Feldman Robert Fischman
Alison Ganis Daniela Goldman Lee Goldstein Ava Goodstein Martha Gordon Renna Gottlieb Max Grzymala Milo Hansonbrook Doris Hettmansberger Michael Horwitz Andrew Junquera Jason Kingsley Emily Klotz Mark Lavin Talia Levinsohn
Graeme Lipper Dara Marceau Danielle Ossher Alexander Ozols Lisa Papernik Alex Perlman Raymond Raimondi Abigail Rudin Jonathan Rudin Meredith Rudin Sarah Senese Tony Senese
Alexa Serby Elyse Sherr Heather Sherr Noah Sklarin Andrea Stegman Barbara Stern Samantha Stevelman Steven Sturm Clifford Wallach Julia Warren Hal Wolkin
ANNIVERSARIES Peter & Liza Breslin Rick & Bobbie Cohlan Roger & Jo Drawec Stuart & Elaine Feldman Steven & Melissa Goodstein Jonathan & Jama Hansonbrook Terry Kalter & Marcia Sher-Kalter Glenn & Deborah Kurlander Richard & Catherine Mishkin Allen Gabor & Lisa Papernik Richard & Johanna Perlman Raymond & Hillary Raimondi Alan & Jeanette Sanders Gordon & Polly Schnell Steve & Cheryl Shainmark Alan & Lisa Sheptin John & Barbara Stern Paul & Peri Stevelman Michael & Emily Wein
YAHRZEITS Adolph Auerbacher Yehuda Ayash Helen Bergson Norda Berlin Judith Birnbaum Estelle Bloch Ed Blum Maurice Cohen David Dutka Indy Goldman Lillian Paget Joshua Perl Philip Stein Pearl Weiss Bernard Yegelwel Clarissa Zalzberg
Have you considered celebrating significant birthdays and anniversaries with a leaf on our Simcha Tree of Life? Call the JFC Office for details.
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Don’t forget to check out the JFC Blog! Go to www.jfc.rjblogs.org
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The Religious School Leslie Gottlieb, Director
It may or not be true or relevant that Mitt Romney “giggled hysterically” when decades ago one of his classmates walked a blind prep school teacher into a glass door. What is important to bring to the fore is the issue of character when we talk about raising our children-- youngsters we’d like to become compassionate members of society worthy of making some kind of contribution to the planet. You have to wonder how and where meanness begins. As a parent of three children and an educator for thirty years, I have seen my share of this from a distance—but once I stop to remember my early past, episodes of bullying are not difficult to recall. These faces and moments from the past come back at you like sharp edges on an old cushion that you can ignore… until one protuberance or another finally stabs you with a painful shocking cut. That’s what being bullied feels like and you are sure that no one else has ever experienced just what you are feeling. But where does it originate and how do we recognize it enough to help those in real pain? During this school year, one JFC mother was so distraught about her daughter’s bullying problem at regular school that she spoke of her worst fears. She was worried that the negative impact and toll this would take on her child might one day lead her to view her life as worthless. Can a bully make you define yourself this way? Yes, it is true and we all know this for certain. Suicides in teens is at an all time high and self esteem issues during the period of adolescence is the most tender time researchers tell us. But you can be a lot younger or older than a teen and feel bullied. A colleague just told me the other day that her husband (over sixty now) is so happy to be leaving his employment situation because his boss has bullied him for years. No one stopped that child, now employer, in his tracks to try to change his behavior and so he simply grew older as a mean and angry person. And just to be fair, bullies need just as much help, if not more, than those being picked on. We give much focus on healing the emotional wounds of those treated poorly, but how much energy, in schools anyway, do we give to educate individual terrorists which is what they are in the truest sense?
count the days till graduation.” She had at the time of that writing sixty-four to go. Several years back at JFC, we had a case of bullying that was dealt with with swift responsible action. But in order for the lessons to be effective for the offending child, parents/guardians have to come to the understanding that their child needs to take responsibility. That is not the usual case, sadly. In the case of the mother at JFC mentioned earlier, her daughter’s provoker had parents who did not own up to the fact that their child was a real participant and antagonist in this human drama. Not only did this JFC student have to meet this child twice every day as they were on the same bus, but they are, to this day, neighbors. I have seen this kind of thing play out with friends/ neighbors in my own family and it is a dreadful situation, at best. It is sad, too, because these situations can help everyone to grow. No one child has to take on the complete responsibility for the bullying but if the situation is approached sensitively and wisely, all parties can walk away feeling better and children whose lives have been enhanced by positive coaching can become better people for all of their lives. In the same essay that talked about Romney—with politics aside, adults were polled on the topic of bullying. Do adults think bullying is a problem? Thirty-one percent say yes. That is too low from my experiences. But when asked if bullying is a problem in where adults should get involved to try to stop the behavior, seventy-seven percent agreed. Still too low. Why wasn’t that number closer to 100%? Some adults feel that kids should just work it out on their own. That is precisely the kind of adult who allows their child/ren to deal with these enormous issues without proper guidance and supervision. I am no helicopter parent but at times we need to step in and make sure our kids have the tools to “work it out.” Forty-two percent of adults who were asked say that they themselves have experienced some kind of bullying.
Michael Thompson, Ph.D. writes that school is about three things: development, survival and fitness. This includes: physical development, the development of attachment, social development, cognitive developIn a recent essay contest for teenagers about bullying, one contestant (and winner if you can call it that) ment, academic development, emotional selfsaid that, “For eight years, I have skipped lunch to get regulation, and moral, spiritual and identity develop(Continued on page 14) to the safety of the library, bury myself in books, and
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The Religious School (cont’d) (Continued from page 13)
ment. We get an opportunity at JFC to influence our students in many ways and get them thinking about what is good and bad in the world using established Jewish values to guide them. We try to teach understanding and consideration for others, what justice (tzedakah) means in our lives, how to help others less fortunate, how to feel and show gratitude and appreciation, how to express sadness and loss, and how to be useful in a community. The list goes on. But we only get a small window of time in which to see our young friends each week and they are in school settings every day which bring them expanded opportunities to learn life’s lessons. Of course, the family offers us the greatest exposure and we have limited control over how others choose to teach their children and our ideas are not right for everyone, naturally. It was as camp director in my home town for several years that I learned too much about some of my friends’ and neighbors’ parenting techniques-and I must say that once exposed to what you view as inadequate parenting, it is a difficult if not impossible task to forget the disappointment. It was a heartbreak, truly, and although I do not hold myself out to be a super-parent, I felt my professional and personal experience helped me to understand when parents needed to step in to parent—in that situation especially. Some parents even argued with me and the police defending their children even after illegal activity was involved with witnesses to corroborate a story. It was a sad realization for me. When one of our sons was punched in the face during middle school as he entered the bus years ago, I felt as if I had been given a harder blow. When our other son was tormented (also on the school bus) by boys he knew since kindergarten, one set of parents we reached out to-- in a generous non-threatening way-refused to acknowledge that their son could possibly be involved. You may not be in the room to witness a bully in action, but the scarring on the victim is real enough physically-- but more bruising, I have found, is the emotional piece. The prep school story in the Romney essay talked about a posse of boys who chased down a boy suspected of being a homosexual who achieved their goal—but that hurt was not enough to satisfy their lust for insult. The boys held down this child, if the story is true which several witnesses (those involved, in fact) have verified—and proceeded to cut off his hair. Imagine that? Imagine
if that were your child and you had to witness his/her pain after an episode like that one? As adults and educators, we have to do more. The 2011 Spielberg film, Bully, is a good start and many school districts have opted to share it in an attempt to do more to ebb the problem. A site I recently visited (http://www.bullyville.com/?gclid=CKnxyNIirACFeESNAodM3wDMQ), has celebrities giving advice to those who have been bullied (in it, Dr. Drew says that there are 30,000 teen suicides every year that often stem from being bullied) –a number I find staggering and shocking. In any case, don’t hesitate one minute if you feel this is an issue that affects your family. Speak up, get help and get involved. My door is always open to discuss your child’s needs whether or not the problem is related to Religious School at JFC. Know that kids need us, not to work out all their issues or even most of them. True learned experience will help them make smart choices in the world. But our guidance and protection is something on which they must be able to count. Thanks again for another great school year. I look forward to seeing all of you soon.
Todah Rabbah From The Religious School to… Rabbi Freedman for another great year teaching our children Kathy and Paul Storfer, David Kane and Michael Horwitz for all of their help with grade 7 services this year Jolie Levy and Kathleen Sakowicz for their excellent support all year Karen Blum for her leadership and support as chair of the Religious School Committee… and thanks to the Committee members, as well, for their involvement All of our class parents for their support All of our teachers and mentors… for everything!!!
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Jewish Family Congregation Early Childhood Center Where Family is our middle name
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO REGISTER! Please visit our website at www.jewishfamilycongregation.org
Please Support Our Advertisers Kids Ask the Rabbi Question: I noticed on a clock that it didn’t
A long time later, many hundreds of years in have numbers, just Hebrew letters. Why? fact, the Arabs came along and created a unique set of symbols to represent numbers, And what do they use in Israel? Answer: Good for you, noticing that. In fact, and basically, the whole world has adopted I wear a watch like that, with Hebrew letters those symbols as what we call “numbers”. instead of numbers. In the modern State of Israel, addresses, phone numbers and prices are all written in what we now call Arabic numerals (1,2,3,4,etc). The numbers are identified by their Hebrew names (1-ekhad; 2= shtayim; 3=shalosh; etc).
When our ancestors began to write, they only had one system to work with, and that was the Hebrew alphabet. So they gave the letters numerical values (aleph=1;bet=2, etc), simply because it was available to them…and it worked.
But in traditional editions of the Hebrew Bible, the verses are numbered using the Hebrew alphabet in their numerical function, as they have been for a very long time. Here’s a time question for you: if, on the face of a clock with Hebrew letters, the big hand is pointing to the tet, and the little hand is pointing to the bet, what time is it? Tell me what your answer is!
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The JFC Sisterhood The Scoop from the Sisterhood Issue #1 Our first Sisterhood meeting was held on Thursday, May 10th, at JFC and was a huge success. Twenty two women attended. Their connection to the temple came from either being a long-time member, a new member or an ECC Mom. Many other women have already joined the Sisterhood but could not attend our meeting. We’re off to a fabulous start. The one thing we all have in common is an interest in creating a COMMUNITY OF WOMEN at JFC. Our goal is to have a Sisterhood at JFC that will revitalize our overall feeling of connection, of being a part of something bigger than ourselves. Who better to do this than the WOMEN OF JFC? We will be offering interesting and fun events and meaningful participation for all. Some suggested ideas are: Lunch and Learn, Book Group, Knitting Group, Mah Joong, Cooking Classes and Movie Nights. We will also assume the responsibilities of the Caring Committee by helping our fellow temple members in times of joy (welcome packages and support for newborns), grief (shiva meals) and illness (support for those caring for aging parents or loved ones with health issues) as well as reaching out and welcoming new temple members. Participation in the Caring Committee responsibilities will be shared by all Sisterhood members on a rotating basis similar to the way Oneg hosts are selected.
OUR JOURNEY BEGINS ON Thursday, June 14, WITH A MEET AND GREET
This dinner will be held at Sarah’s Wine Bar in Ridgefield, CT at 7:30pm. The cost is $40/pp plus a cash bar. Please join us at this fun event. Reservations are required. Please email Dina Zusel at drizant@hotmail.com. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
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JiFTY By Jessica Sheptin
Hello my fellow readers! As we all know, the school year is coming to a close, and unfortunately so is JiFTY—for the summer, at least. We had such a wonderful year from planning our shul-in to holding elections. The board can’t wait to start preparing for next year. We have some great ideas brewing in our creative minds! Last month, we had our annual end-of-the-year party. It was very fun! Sam Blum showed us a clip about the Arab/Israeli conflict. It was very interesting, and we learned that, really, it can be resolved if everyone just talked out the issues. For dinner, we had Italian food and then we made our own sundaes! Everyone mingled and talked about summer plans. After dinner, some of us went outside to play Frisbee, one of JiFTY’s favorite pastimes (just ask Jeremy Fischer!).
We hope to see more eighth through twelfth graders participating in JiFTY next year! Have a wonderful summer and stay cool! See you in September!
~Jess Sheptin, CVP
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Did you know… A donation to the JFC-URJ Camp Fund helps send children to summer camp who would not otherwise have this privilege. Memories that will be cherished forever.
Thank you for considering this fund!
Recent Donations to JFC General Fund Holly Lavendar-Hattendorf Heidi Auerbacher and Ilene Benjamin Bari Ziegel David and Phyllis Amerling
In Honor of her daughter’s baby naming In Memory of Adolph Auerbacher In Memory of Steve Margolis In Memory of Helen Bergson
Grounds Beautification Jack Goldberg and Trudy Wood
In Memory of Charlotte Dutka
Molly and Gregory Religious School Scholarship Fund The Third Grade Class Peter and Jamie Kaplan
In Honor of Leslie Gottlieb for a successful year of Religious School In Honor of Leslie Gottlieb on the occasion of the B’nai Mitzvah of Zach and Greg
Music & Choir Fund Ed and Debra Verbeke Peter and Jamie Kaplan
In Honor of Cole Verbeke on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah In Honor of Kathy and Paul Storfer on the occasion of the B’nai Mitzvah of Zach and Greg
Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund Ed and Debra Verbeke The Third Grade Class Peter and Jamie Kaplan Ken and Myrna Klotzkin
In Honor of Cole Verbeke on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah In Honor of Rabbi Carla Freedman for a successful year of Religious School In Honor of Rabbi Carla Freedman on the occasion of the B’nai Mitzvah of Zach and Greg In Memory of Sophie Petrover
Religious School Director’s Fund Ed and Debra Verbeke Jamie and Peter Kaplan Ken Levinsohn and Ellen Strauss
In Honor of Cole Verbeke on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah In Honor of Ruth Ossher on the occasion of the B’nai Mitzvah of Zach and Greg In Memory of Bernice Strauss
Simcha Tree Leaf Ed and Debra Verbeke
In Honor of Cole Verbeke on the occasion of his Bar Mitzvah
IF ANY DONATIONS ARE NOT LISTED, KINDLY CONTACT THE JFC OFFICE AND LET US KNOW.
JFC ANNOUNCEMENTS If you would like to “announce” a Simcha in your family, please send the text (pictures are welcome too!) to Jolie Levy at jfcoffc@gmail.com. Announcements must be received by the 15th of the month to appear in the next month’s Shofar. Please also consider acknowledging your Simcha with an $18 donation to any JFC Fund or with a leaf on our Simcha Tree. Donation forms appear in every Shofar.
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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar
June 2012
JULY BIRTHDAYS Rachel Africk-Clott Maxwell Andrade K. J. Aufsesser Ellen Barth David Berger Stephanie Blum Alexander Carson Samuel Ceisler Chuck Cohen Lucy Dockter Jeremy Fischer
Samuel Fischer David Fried Jacob Furic Jasper Gitlitz Erica Goldberger Kathleen Goldman Alice Gottlieb John Grzymala Lydia Hellinger Spencer Hellinger Laura Kaplan
Susan Kaufman Elizabeth Klotz Deborah Kurlander Linda Lederman Ian Leitner Aaron Lichtman Eliza Lichtman Ruby Lichtman Benjamin Marceau John Mucciolo Ken Okamoto Ryan Pink Hillary Raimondi Nicole Rose Max Sanders
Dory Quoya Schnell Gordon Schnell Elise Serby Sierra Shafer Cheryl Shainmark Curt Shulman Beth Sklarin Frederick Slogoff Ashley Sobel Susan Stillman Debra Verbeke Zachary Waldman Eliza Wein Jay Zaslow
YAHRZEITS ANNIVERSARIES Neil & Holly Alexander David & Phyllis Amerling Joshua & Michelle Blum Gary & Paula Levine David & Dara Marceau Greg & Ginger Schwartz Richard & Beth Sklarin Jeremy Tubbs & Daniela Goldman Marc & Jill Waldman
Rheba Albert Susan Aufsesser Annette Belsky Lillian Benjamin Henry Block Josephine Blumberg Ruth Drawec Richard Dutka Helen Eydenberg Louis Freedman Minnie Fremed Joseph Goldberg Jonas Kardish Lillian G. Kutscher Abe Lederman Anita Mishkin Hannah Rabinowitz Max Schattner Fannie Schoenholz Edith Sherr Hyman Sherr Hannah Vandervelden
Please call the JFC Office when any relevant information arises or changes so all Birthday, Anniversary and Yahrzeit listings are accurate and up to date. JFC can only list names/dates that have been reported to us.
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ASK THE RABBI Question: I am looking for some good Jewish magazines to give as gifts for graduations, etc. Can you please recommend some?
If you know someone interested in archaeology, I recommend Biblical Archaeology Review, which covers recent discoveries, and the scientific, political and Answer: There are many good Jewish magazines out legal issues that arise from such discoveries. there these days. As a member of JFC, you (should) receive Reform Judaism, which does a very good job of exploring the For current events in the Jewish world, with special emphasis on Israel, I recommend The Jerusalem Re- issues and concerns that we Reform Jews face these days; if you are not receiving this quarterly publicaport, not to be confused with its sister publication, tion, please notify the office and we will make sure The Jerusalem Post. you are on the list. For interesting features on evolving Jewish life everyAnother publication that is interesting is The Jewish where, I enjoy Moment Magazine, which discusses Week, a tabloid-style newspaper which covers all literature, art, science, etc from a very Jewish (but sorts of things in the greater metropolitan New York non-denominational) perspective. area. It just received recognition in the New York I think very highly of Lilith magazine, which describes Times for the work done by its staff to cover accusaitself as “frankly feminist and Jewish”. It covers mat- tions of sexual abuse within the Orthodox world (see ters of particular interest to Jewish women, including the Public Editor’s column in the Sunday Review secliterature, art, religious practice, etc. tion, 5/20). I also like Hadassah magazine, which covers things I am certain that you can find all of these publications similar to some of the above publications, but also online, but if you need further info about subscribing, includes recipes and a monthly Hebrew lesson. Of please let me know. course, this magazine is sent to Hadassah members, and is absolutely worth it.
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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar
June 2012
June 2012 Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri 1
Sat 2
ECC ECC Staff Mtg. 12:15
Dinner 6:30 Service 8:00 3
4
5
6
ECC
ECC
ECC
7
8
Annual Bd Mtg 7:45 p.m.
9
ECC ECC PICNICSAll Classes 4’ MOVING UP DAY
Bat Mitzvah Of Shoshana Chipman CASINO NIGHT 7-9 p.m.
Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat 10
11
12
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14
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JFC SISTERHOOD MEET & GREET 8:00 p.m. (Sarah’s Wine Service 7:30 Bar, Ridgefield, CT) Tot Shabbat
Ritual Mtg 17
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Bar Mitzvah Of Jason Kingsley
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23 SITGO
(Shabbat in the Great Outdoors)
Picnic 6:30 Service 7:30 24
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29
Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat
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July 2012 Sun 1
Mon 2
Tue 3
Wed 4
Thu 5
6
Bd Mtg 8
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Sat 7
Service 7:30 13
14
Service 7:30
Ritual Mtg 15
Fri
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Service 7:30 22
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Service 7:30 29
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JEWISH FAMILY CONGREGATION
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Jewish Family Congregation 111 Smith Ridge Rd/Rte. 123 P.O. Box 249 South Salem, NY 10590
CURRENT RESIDENT OR
Non Profit Organization Postage PAID White Plains, NY Permit No. 9022