Or Chadash Newsletter April/May 2017
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In This Issue
Service Schedule
In Our Community
Yahrzeits
Donations
Rabbi's Message
President's Message
Educator's Message
Cantor's Message
What You Might Have Missed
Registration Quick Links
Shabbat  Service Schedule
Shabbat Window  
Apr 21: Shabbat Experience, Holocaust Remembrance Observance, 7 PM  
 
Apr 28 Shabbat Services, 7:30 PM 
 
May 5: Shabbat Family Services, Are You Smarter Than a K/1st Grader? 7 PM
 
May 12: Confirmation and Celebration of Shavuot, 7 PM
 
May 19: Shabbat Experience with Candles, Kiddush, & Motzi, 7:30 PM
 
May 26:  Shabbat Services, 7:30 PM 
In Our Community

Mazal Tov to ...
The Moscowitz family on the occasion of Jordyn becoming a Bat Mitzvah

Thank You to ...
Betsy Zalaznick for her work on Purim Project.

Christine Berg for her work on the Purim Carnival.

Eve Wasserman for helping with the congregational Seder.   
 
 
Refuah Sh'leima (Get Well) to...
Susan Blaicher
Barbara Sansevere
Dorothy Saks
Kimberly Beman
Gary Weiss 
Victor Sloan
Melvin Hecht
Gretchen Surhoff
Ira Breines
Joan Kleinman
  

Condolences to  ...
Beth Golden, Stephen Sinoway, and their children  Rachel and Jordan on the loss of Beth's father Harold J. Golden on March 15th.  
 

In order to help us be a more caring community, please share your lifecycle events with  Rabbi Forman
  
Feel free to click on a hyperlink to send a note and let someone know you are thinking about them.
yahrzeit photo
Upcoming Yahrzeits 
May the memories of the following individuals be for a blessing:   

April 14:
(to be read April 21)
Carol Rosen
Wife of Elliot Rosen
Stanford Bernard Speizer
Father of Louis Speizer
Richard Landman
Father of Michele Korfin
Bernice Sherman
Mother of Louis Speizer

April 21:
Sarah H. Levin
Mother of Ellen Pytlar
Joseph Sacks
Grandfather of Jodi Brodsky
Ralph Amodio
Uncle of Leslie Werstein Hann

April 28:
Hannah Blumenfeld
Mother of Ray Blumenfeld
Albert Goldstein
Father of Robert Goldstein
Isaac Sacks
Cousin of Carolyn Sansevere
Ralph Sacks
Father of Carolyn Sansevere
Ralph Moutner
Father of Dave Moutner
Saul Marder
Father of Susan Blaicher
Myra Rascover
Great Grandmother of Susan Albert

May 5:
Sheldon Rotter
Father of Naomi Zwerling
Sheldon Weinick
Father of Ross Weinick
Ellen Sabio
Mother of Steven Albrecht
Robert Hann
Father of Chris Hann
Deborah Schwartz
Loved One of Shelly Weller

May 12:
Esther Adelman
Grandmother of Laura Senator
Louis Brodsky
Grandfather of Gary Brodsky
Lillian Golden
Grandmother of Beth Golden
Kate Hirsch
Great Grandmother of Betsy Zalaznick
David Abrams
Father of Larry Abrams
Lillian Rapp
Mother of Salena Kern
Charlotte Werstein
Grandmother of Leslie Werstein Hann
Estelle Kern
Mother of Allen Kern

May 19:
Anna Wolf
Grandmother of Leslie Werstein Hann
Larry Seligman
Father of Deb Weiss

May 26:
Hanna Rachel Sandler
Mother of Jeff Sandler

Contributions
Mishloach Manot
Larry & Beatrice Abrams
Steve & Susan Albert
Steven & Susan Albrecht
Ben Atkinson & Faith Fuhrman
Robert & Galia Barlow
Ken Becker & Sharon Bobnar-Becker
Adam & Audrey Belkin
Douglas & Kimberly Beman
Jeff & Christine Berg
Tim & Miriam Blanke
Ray Blumenfeld & Audrey Hackel
Jon & Lori Blutfield
Ira & Estelle Breines
Scott & Maryann Breslow
Carl Christensen & Deborah Beer-Christensen
Brian & Carol Coriell
Jonathan & Alana Dambrot
George Eckelmann & Jane Engel
Craig Erkkila & Ruby Halper-Erkkila
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman
Carmine & Eileen Freda
Dan & Jacquelyn Freedman
Helen Freedman
John & Maria Gendelman
Andrew & Tracy Gold
Matthew & Jaimee Gold
Robert & Julie Goldstein
John Graybeal & Laura Senator
Steve & Sage Grumbach
Edward & Frances Hack
Chris & Leslie Hann
Phillip & Andrea Harvey
Alan Hecht & Maria Jose De La Hoz
Mark & Jessica Hodkinson
Pierce & Stacey Hubbard
Susan Ingram
Gerald Jones & Karen Tovi-Jones
Nancy Kanter
Craig & Sudha Kantor
Estelle Katcher
Andy & Michele Korfin
Jack Kurlansik
John Langer & Annette Ivry
Cindy Lehrer
Perry Lehrer
Barry & Alison Levine
Adam & Jana Levison
Robert & Shirl Levy
Elizabeth Lewy
Edward & Cheryl Lifshitz
Darren & Elizabeth Loew
Matthew & Amy MacIsaac
Steven & Tricia Margolis
Alan Marrus
Vadik & Kate Metelitsa
David & Katherine Moutner
Doug & Stephanie Orr
Stuart Oxenhorn & Robin Schutz
Gary & Susan Parilis
Nisim & Alexa Parliyan
Darren & Yulia Pincus
Stephen & Diana Propper
Matthew Rainey & Michelle Segall-Rainey
David & Randi Roberts
Elliot Rosen
Joseph & Carolyn Sansevere
John & Toby Sarinick
Rebecca Schindler
David & Emily Schipper
James & Barbara Schlessinger
Aaron Schwartz
Stephen Sinoway & Beth Golden
Victor Sloan & Sandra Gong
Wendy Solomon
Louis & Caryn Speizer
Andrew & Jane Stein
Rebecca Stoker
Cindy Stoter
Mike & Lisa Tauscher
Chris & Melissa Tiber
Marc & Caryn Tomljanovich
David & Kimberly Turner
Glenn & Eve Wasserman
Paul & Maureen Weiner
Ross & Susan Weinick
Gary & Debbie Weiss
Amara Willey
Richard Willey & Meridith Sigel-Willey
Mark & Kristina Witzling
Sergey & Honeylet Wortman-Vayn
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick
Eric & Naomi Zwerling

7th Grade BM Gift
Steven & Susan Albrecht
Mark & Nancy Beckman
Daniel & Deborah Mitchell
Don & Sara Schenker

Defibrillator
Ben Atkinson & Faith Fuhrman
Harvey & Kathryn Gold
Craig & Sudha Kantor
Elliot Rosen
Stephen Sinoway & Beth Golden
 
General Contributions
Adam & Audrey Belkin
Jeff & Christine Berg
Gary & Susan Parilis 
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick
IMO Harold Golden 

High Holidays
Richard & Evelyn Kurtzberg
Milton & Harriet Schwartz

Building Fund
Jeff & Christine Berg

Ner Shel Tzedakkah
Bruce & Betsy Zalaznick

Endowment
Darren & Elizabeth Loew: IHO Michael Silber
 

Jewish Family Services

Jewish Family Services 

JFS is a non-profit, non-sectarian social service agency whose mission is to preserve and strengthen the quality of individual, family and community life based on Jewish values. We provide our services to a diverse socio-economic client population that includes individuals, children, young adults, families and the elderly.


 Click here for information on additional services.  

 

Meals On Wheels 
Meals on Wheels needs volunteer drivers in our area. Serve your homebound senior neighbors a hot noontime meal. The commitment to drive is only once a month. It will take only an hour or two once a month to get that good feeling of giving. Call our office at (908)284-0735 to offer your time or for more information (and/or check out our website at mowih.org ). Help us, help others. Many thanks.  

Rabbi's Message
RabbiForman
Judaism Speaks with Many Voices
 
Did you ever stop to ask yourself: "What is it that makes me a Reform Jew?" There are all different kinds of Jews in the world. Some members of your own family might practice a different form of Judaism than you. They might belong to a congregation that is part of a different movement - Conservative, Reconstructionist, Orthodox, Humanist, Chabad, Renewal. Judaism has lots of different expressions. And that's a good thing, as there are all different kinds of Jews!
 
For the past months, I have been teaching an Adult Education class at Or Chadash on alternate Thursday afternoons from 2-3:30PM. (If you want to join us, all you have to do is show up. No preparation. No homework.) We have explored the Jewish roots of Leonard Cohen's songs, read through the Book of Esther to discover the REAL Purim story - it would get an R rating if it were a film due to adult content and violence - and, lately, we have been looking at the Platforms of the Reform Movement to discover what Reform Judaism has stood for and what its Platforms now assert.
 
Since the creation of the Reform Movement in America nearly a century and a half ago, our rabbis have issued only four statements outlining what Reform Judaism is all about. Well, not on every topic, but on the big three: God, Torah and Israel. In 1885 we rejected the historic truth of the Bible, the quest for a Jewish homeland, and practically all rituals that did not elevate our lives. By 1937 we had reversed course and sought to rebuild a Jewish home in Palestine, we encouraged rituals, and we now found meaning in the words of the ongoing revelation of Torah.  
 
This Thursday we will begin to explore the Platform from 1976 called "A Centenary Perspective".  It was written after the Holocaust, the establishment of the modern State of Israel and following advances in gender equality. Reform Judaism evolved yet again from those historic events.  Future classes will explore the Reform Judaism envisioned in the 1995 Platform from Pittsburgh.  It embraces a Reform Jewish community of greater diversity and wide-ranging religious practices, including increased observance of Kashrut and other modes of Jewish living that were discarded a century ago.
 
Judaism speaks with many voices. And we are not only heirs of our sacred traditions, we are also shapers of that ongoing history of Judaism. I invite you to join our class or go online ( http://ccarnet.org/rabbis-speak/platforms/ ) to read the Platforms on your own. I welcome your thoughts on the evolving nature of our Movement, and I look forward to hearing where you see yourself within our tradition.
 
Shalom,
 
Rabbi Joseph M. Forman 

President's Message
OC Friends

When my family joined OC in the spring of 2007 we had just moved from Indianapolis and we didn't know anyone here. We found OC from a website search. Our two boys were ages 4 and 1, and I liked the idea of joining a family-friendly temple. We didn't know Rabbi Joe, we didn't know Betsy, and we didn't have any friends or even acquaintances connected to OC. The following fall we enrolled our older son in Temple Tots and began the process of becoming a part of the OC community. Our first OC buddies were other parents from Temple Tots. After the first  couple of weeks it was nice to have someone to smile at and feel at least like we knew a person or two in passing.

I'll admit it took a long time before I felt like I had friends at OC. Over the years we slowly built up our OC acquaintance circle - families we knew from the two age groups the boys were a part of. A smile from Betsy gave us the feeling that she really cared about our kids. The boys also made friends. They would occasionally see their Hebrew school friends on soccer or baseball fields or on the tennis courts. As only tweenage boys can, they would nod and grunt a greeting at each other (I soon learned that in tweenage boy world those grunts were the equivalent of me and my friends rushing across a store to greet one another with a loud hug!).

Our OC friend circle has grown slowly. Today, I am proud to call many of our members friends. Some are friends that I share life events and news with, others are acquaintances whom I am always happy to see at OC and catch up with. Over the years we have watched our children grow together, we've seen them enter our community as B'nai Mitzvah, we've shared holidays and meals, we've sung together, prayed together, eaten together and once even did some yoga together on the sanctuary floor! These common experiences have made us friends.

As wonderful as our community is, I continue to think we can do more to be friends to one another. In this day and age, when we are talking a lot about "welcoming the stranger" I think that we at OC can do more to help welcome those who are new to our community and to be better friends to one another.

Passover has just ended. One of the traditions my family has always upheld at our home Seders is to "welcome the stranger". My sister and I were always encouraged to invite our non-Jewish friends or Jewish friends who don't have their own Seder to ours. My family continues this tradition. Last year our Seder was graced by a close friend who is a Baptist minister. This year I invited close friends who are Quaker. Our OC Seder welcomes everyone in our community. Passover is the perfect time for us to expand our OC friends. I would encourage you to reach out to someone who might become a friend. Check in with another family in your OC set of acquaintances and see how you can connect with them.

"Welcoming the stranger", both within and beyond OC, is a core principle of the Judaism we celebrate at OC. I encourage you to think about your OC circle of friends and think about one action you can do to expand it. Reach out to someone who is new, spend an extra minute talking to an acquaintance at pickup on Sunday morning, join a committee, take a risk and invite someone to join you in an activity. Our community is only as strong as our connections with each other, and deepening those connections is perhaps the most important thing we can do to live our Jewish life to its fullest. Send me you successes, your thoughts and your stories about how you have "welcomed the stranger" and made friends at OC!

Kim Turner


Religious School Director's Message
Betsy NYC.jpg
ESCAPE FROM EGYPT-Or Chadash style
 
" MOST FUN CLASS EVER!" -- that's the feedback we received from our students (and parents!) at the conclusion of our Escape from Egypt class for our 8/9/10th graders.  We created two identical rooms (Rooms 4 and 5) with objects and clues hidden in the space. Our students received these directions:
 
You are the Israelites in bondage in Egypt and you long to be a free people. With the help of God and Moses you will overcome the plagues, leave Egypt, cross the Red Sea, and sing a song of thanks to God. But first, you'll need the clues from God about how to break free. Start with the instructions below:
   
1) Read about the Israelite Slavery in Egypt in Exodus 1:1-22. Make sure you read the Hebrew too! 
 
3) Remember, the Israelites had to leave Egypt in haste. This exercise is TIMED.
 
4) But the Torah unlocks our greatest mysteries with all of its commandments. (HINT)
 
There were different tasks necessary to open the combination lock (613, the number of commandments in the Torah, was the code. ) That number was found on the bottom of the cranberry juice pitcher which symbolized one of the plagues--the Nile River turning to blood.   At that led the students to another box filled with a black light pen--which helped them solve another clue.    One challenge was to find the sheet of paper with the musical notes (hidden behind the clock) and then the kids needed to "read the music" to figure out what song it was---and then sing it (dayeinu)! 
 
While the escape room concept lends itself particularly well to the holiday of Passover, we are excited to explore a new curriculum from the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland (JECC) that incorporates codes and challenges using a similar escape/breakout model.  The learning focuses around a Jewish text and uses an iterative process that has students digging into a container/box and its core theme for multiple weeks. 
 
 
 
 
 
Stay tuned for more fun, games and creative learning at Or Chadash!
 
I hope you had a Chag Pesach Sameach - a Happy Pesach.
 
Betsy Zalaznick
 
 
Cantor's Message
Kathy Gohr
Reflecting upon this year's Passover I was struck by a particular segment of our congregational seder. After we ate our meal we sang a traditional song, Chad Gadya, which speaks of one small goat (Chad Gadya) purchased by someone's father for "two Zuzim." As the song unravels it tells a tale of perpetuated violence by a cat against the goat, a dog against the cat, a stick against the dog, etc., until the Holy One ends the cycle by destroying the angel of death. This is one of the songs intended to engage the children as the seder continues on into the night.

We sang it in a participatory style, with participants providing various sounds of animals, elements and personifications appropriate for each verse of the song.  As the song progressed the laughter increased, until we had to pause the song until we all caught our breath.

I am curious about the glee with which we sang a song filled with predatory felines, animal abuse and various forms of slaughter all brought about by one little innocent goat. Do we not hear the actual lyrics as we entertain ourselves with moos and meows and musical themes representing deities of life and death? What does this tell us about our response to violence in the world around us?

In my reflection I was reminded of an earlier holiday, Purim, in which we similarly responded to violence against us based solely upon who we are. This type of violence is similar to that inflicted upon the goat simply for who it was. As the violence mounts its circle of influence increases until only The Holy One can stop it. Our response was not one of mockery, but defiance.

Our singing of "Chad Gadya" was the same as our response to Purim, or any other threat to our existence. We are a determined people, determined not to let outside forces take away freedom to be who we are. The larger the threat, the greater our defiance, expressed in our own peculiar way. Making light of our enemies removes some of the sting, reducing the level of fear. As we go about our own lives, may we face our pharaohs with that same spirit of defiance, parting the sea to our own freedom.

May the One who makes peace in the heavens bring peace upon us, Amen.

Bles-sings,
Cantor Kathy 
 
Bat Mitzvah - Jordyn Moscowitz
Jordyn Moscowitz became a Bat
Mitzvah on Saturday, April 1st. She is the daughter of David and Courtney Moscowitz and the sister of Hayden Moscowitz. Jordyn is a 7 th  grade student at J.P. Case Middle School in Flemington. She enjoys reading, gymnastics, drawing, cooking and hanging out with friends. Jordyn's Torah  portion, Vayikra, focuses on how the Israelites performed different types of sacrifices and offerings during ancient times. For her Mitzvah project, Jordyn volunteered at the Family Success Center (FSC) in Flemington. She assisted the FSC with their Homework Helpers program and their monthly Night Out for special needs children. In addition to these events, Jordyn designed and implemented a book club serving preadolescent girls. Jordyn is looking forward to  celebrating with her family, friends and the Or Chadash community. 

Save the Date - Confirmation

Save the Date - Mitzvah Day is Sunday, May 21st

You Are Invited . . . 
Tuesday, April 25th- INTERFAITH AND COMMUNITY LEADERS STANDING AGAINST HATE, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

You are invited to an interfaith prayer vigil against hate at Temple Beth-El, 67 US Highway 206, Hillsborough, NJ  08844.   The vigil will include prayer, words from our civic leaders, songs for peace, pledge to stand up for the other and an affirmation that "Hate Has No Home Here".  Speakers will include State Senator Kip Bateman and Assemblyman Andrew Zwicker among other elected officials along with faith leaders including Rabbi Arnold Gluck, Rev Todd Buurstra, Dr. Ali Chaudry, Rabbi Dan Selsberg, Father Ron Pollack.  Refreshments will be served with sensitivity to all dietary needs.  Please bring your family and friends to join us in solidarity against hate. 

Community Wide Yom Ha' Atzmaut Celebration

You Are Invited . . . 

Thank You From the Purim Carnival Committee
Once again, our Purim Carnival was a fun time for young and old alike!

What a super spiel --"The Greatest Superhero of Them All" by Andy Stein, who played the Narrator and cast OC members as Superhasuerus, Vunder Vashti, palace guards, Bat-Mordechai, Bat-Esther, and Ha-Ha Man.  Thank goodness, that peccant, putrid Punchinello has jibed his last jest!

What a super performance by the TCNJ Circus Club!  Thank you to Mary, Sandra, Mylin, Larissa, and Sam for coming to entertain us with hooping, juggling, and diabolo.

Then, it was time for games like Purim Plinko, Hoops for Haman, the Shekel Pitch, The King's Lucky Key, and Mordechai's March Madness, as well as Esther's Salon, circus tricks with the TCNJ Circus Club, the prize room, carnival food, and the hamantashen-filling station.  Just like last year, the most popular hamantashen filling was chocolate!  We also had a winner for the guessing game:  Amanda Korfin had the closest guess and took home the tub of Twizzlers. Congratulations, Amanda!

Thank you to our local merchants for generous donations:  Wegmans, ShopRite of Flemington, ShopRite of Washington, and Costco.

Thank you to everyone who brought pasta-box-groggers for our food donation to The Open Cupboard.

And the biggest thanks goes to all our student volunteers from 7th to 12th grade, who helped with the carnival games, the food, Esther's Salon, and the Prize Room.  The best is to see the "big" kids making the carnival a great time for the "little" kids.  We couldn't run the carnival without you!  Thank you:   Amanda Albrecht,  Jacob Berg,  Jonatha Berg,  Thuy Blumenfeld,  Julia MacIsaac, Jazzy Parliyan, Tali Parliyan, Ricky Rainey, Emma Sarinick, Jackie Schenker, Emily Schlessinger, An-lin Sloan, Cassondra Stoter,  Sydney Stoter,  Scott Tauscher, Eric Tiber,  Evan Tomljanovich,  Becca Wasserman,  Robyn Wasserman,  Josh Weinberg,  Ben Weiss, and  Sam Weiss.

See you next year! (same Bat-time, same Bat-channel)
The Carnival Committee


Thank You From the Open Cupboard Food Pantry 
Dear Friends,

No single donor is enough to keep the Pantry afloat.  From large corporate donations to individuals giving a few pounds of food at a time, it is the combined effort of the community that provided us with nearly 600,000 pounds of food in 2016.

Thank you for the 100 pounds of groceries you donated to Open Cupboard Food Pantry in 2016.  Your support enables us to continue in the mission we set 23 years ago: feeding the hungry in northern Hunterdon County.

This year we've seen a reduction in volunteers in the Pantry and thrift shop.  If you or someone you know would enjoy spending a few hours a week having fun while helping others, please take a look at our website where you will find the information you need.

Thank you.  We couldn't do it without you.

Gratefully,

Tobey Wodder, Secretary

What You Might Have Missed
Artist Dar James Visits Or Chadash






Super Bowl Pre-Game Postcard Writing Party

Shabbat Shira

Purim Carnival