Chailites 12/2/2020, Chanukkah Chavdalah Under the Stars, Tot Shabbat and Chanukkah Family Celebration, More!

CHAILITES

December 2, 2020

TBC Events Through December 9

Friday, December 4, 7:30 pm - Welcoming Shabbat Together
Saturday, December 5, 9:30 am - Torah Study
Sunday, December 6, 9:30 am - Religious School
Sunday, December 6, 11:30 am - TBC Teens
Wednesday, December 9, 4:30 pm - Hebrew School

Please remember that you must REGISTER for everything that you plan on attending.**

Once you click on the registration link, you will be taken to a webpage where you will enter your name and email address. Once you submit this information, you will receive a CONFIRMATION EMAIL that includes the LINK you will use to join the program and the PASSWORD that you will need to enter after clicking the link to join.

**YOU MUST SAVE THE CONFIRMATION EMAILS THAT YOU RECEIVE. THEY ARE THE ONLY PLACES WHERE THE LINKS AND PASSWORDS WILL APPEAR.**

Tot Shabbat / Chanukah Celebration,

and Family Service next Friday 12/11

Tot Shabbat 5:00 pm

Family Service 6:30 pm

(note this is the 2^nd Friday in December!)

Please join Cantor Harriet at 5:00 pm for an amazing Tot Shabbat experience! Children up to age 7 or 8 along with their families are invited to welcome Shabbat together with singing, dancing, special guests and even some challah and soup making! Make sure to bring an instrument or shaker and a stuffed friend, and get ready for a fun and participatory 25-30 minutes of music, learning and laughs as we welcome Shabbat together!

Then, don’t miss our Family Chanukah Celebration and Shabbat Service! Then join us at 6:30 pm for our Communal Chanukiot Lighting, Chanukah Celebration and Family Shabbat Service! Click here to register for Chanukkah Celebration Family Service. Please bring your Chanukiah (Chanukah Menorah) and 3 candles – a shamash, and candles for the first and second night of Chanukah so we can light together! After we light our Chanukiot and sing some Chanukah songs, we will welcome Shabbat together with a family friendly service geared toward families and children ages 7-107! Please join Cantor Harriet as we welcome the Festival of Lights and Shabbat together. Remember to also bring a smile and your favorite dancing shoes! Click here to register for Tot Shabbat.

"Chanukah Chavdalah" Under the Stars

Saturday, December 12 - 4:00 - 5:30 pm

TBC Parking Lot

Let us gather for some safe, socially-distanced merriment! Bundle up your family for Havdalah and 3rd night Hanukkah lighting. Joyous songs will follow, led by Cantor Harriet Dunkerley. Details: You will be directed to park near the street side of our lot in every other spot. You are welcome to bring Havdalah sets, your Hannukah menorah and a little table if you wish to kindle. We suggest chairs, blankets, hot beverages, etc - anything to keep you and the kids / grandkids comfy and warm. MASKS ARE REQUIRED. Due to Covid restrictions, our building remains closed, so we cannot provide bathrooms or latkes.

RSVP quickly for EACH person in your family/group. We are limiting this event to 50 people in total. Come, let's celebrate Hanukkah together!! Click here to RSVP

Sisterhood's Latkes and Libations

Sunday December 13 at 5:00 pm

Grab your favorite fry pan, grater, potatoes and make sure not to run out of oil!! Bonnie Heft will share fun facts about latkes and will demonstrate! Here is your recipe. If you wish to cook along, peel potatoes and onions and have them grated and in the colander right before class. Don’t forget a favorite beverage as we fry away!!! Click here to register.

Potato Latkes Recipe from: Jewish Holiday Cookbook, by Gloria Kaufer Greene

Vegetable oil; 2 1/2 pounds of baking potatoes, preferably Russet or Idaho, peeled; 1 large or 2 small onions; 3 Large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 teaspoon salt or to taste; 1/8 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste; About 1/4 cup matzoh meal (or 2 to 3 tablespoons all purpose white flour)* (*For gluten free latkes, sub potato flour or potato starch for the flour or matzoh meal.)

Shred or grate onions. Shred or grate potatoes. (Coarse shreds produce lacier latkes. Finely grated shreds produce smoother, denser latkes.) Squeeze the excess liquid from the onions and potatoes. (A cheese cloth lining a colander works well for this.) Transfer to a bowl and add eggs, salt, pepper and matzoh meal or flour. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit more matzoh meal.

In a very large skillet, over medium heat, heat the oil 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep, until hot but not smoking. To form each latke use a large soup spoon to transfer mixture to oil and then gently flatten the mixture with the back of the spoon. Continue this until skillet is full, leaving turning room. Fry until well browned on each side and crisp. Drain well on paper towels. Serve quickly for best taste and texture. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream. Yummy!

Chanukah Menorah Making Extravaganza!

Sunday, December 13 - 9:30 am

Chanukah is coming, and so is our next all-school T’filah and Chanukah celebration! That means, we need YOU to participate in our Family Chanukiah (Chanukah Menorah) Making Extravaganza!!! Your Chanukiah can be functional or not and can be created from whatever materials you have in and around your house. Think outside the box… your Chanukah Menorah can be large or small, edible or inedible, 3D, 2D, even donatable (picture a giant Chanukiah made of cans of food that you can then donate to a food pantry!) What about a chocolate Menorah?!

More info to come, especially from our teachers during our next Sunday School session on 12/6. Until then though… start planning and getting creative! This event is open to our entire TBC community! The big reveal will take place on Sunday morning December 13^th. Let’s see who can be the most creative with Chanukiot and Candles!

Wilton Library Zooming Hanukkah Hoopla

Stories and Fun!

Special Guest Cantor Harriet

Thursday, December 17, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Join the Wilton Library, alongside special guest Cantor Harriet Dunkerley, on Zoom for a fun afternoon all about the festival of lights. You will learn about the holiday, hear stories, do a craft and get the opportunity to see a variety of menorahs. If you have a menorah at home, feel free to have it on hand to share. Registration required. Once you are registered you will be contacted to pick up your kit containing craft supplies and some fun Hanukkah treats. Zoom link will be sent out the day of the program. For children in grades Kindergarten and up. Click here to register.

Chanukah Baked Goods from Jewish Senior Services Kosher Bakery

For more information, click here.

Torah Shabbat

Friday, December 18 - 7:30 pm

Please join us for our next Torah Shabbat, Friday, December 18 at 7:30 pm! In order for all of us to have the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of hearing Torah read, we will be chanting Torah at Shabbat services on the third Friday of each month.

We would love for YOU to be involved! Please click here to sign up to chant 3-6 verses of Torah or to chant the blessings during a future service. A list of dates is provided on the sign up sheet!

TBC's Baby Grand Piano...

We still have a bit to go to raise the $3,000 to replenish the Cantor's Discretionary Fund to cover the purchase price, moving expenses and tuning of our baby grand piano. We are about half way there, so please consider contributing. To make a donation, please click here.

Coffee With the Cantor

If you haven't had the opportunity to meet Cantor Dunkerley and spend some time talking with her and sharing your thoughts about TBC, please email Denise to schedule some time on one of the following dates.

Tue 12/8: noon, 1:00, 4:00, 5:00 or 6:00 pm

Wed 12/9: 10:00 am, noon, 1:30, 2:30 or 6:30 pm

Thu 12/10: 10:00 am, 11:00 am or 4:00 pm

Once you choose your date and time, Denise will send a Zoom link to you.

The Weekly Torah Portion

Vayishlach -[Jacob] Sent

Genesis 32:4−36:43

Jacob prepares to meet Esau. He wrestles with a "man," who changes Jacob's name to Israel. (32:4-33)
Jacob and Esau meet and part peacefully, each going his separate way. (33:1-17)
Dinah is raped by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of the country. Jacob's sons Simeon and Levi take revenge by murdering all the males of Shechem, and Jacob's other sons join them in plundering the city. (34:1-31)
Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin and is buried in Ephrah, which is present-day Bethlehem. (35:16-21)
Isaac dies and is buried in Hebron. Jacob's and Esau's progeny are listed. (35:22-36:43). Click here to learn more

TBC Book Group

The next TBC Book Group will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, January 5 at 7:30 pm. We will be reading Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times by Jonathan Sacks. If you'd like to listen to a lecture by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks in which he discusses the book, please click here.

Yahrzeit Memorial Plaques at TBC

During this challenging time, we know that many of us are thinking of loved ones who have passed away. We invite you to commemorate the lives and blessings of your loved ones with a memorial plaque. A special service of dedication for the entire community will be scheduled at TBC when that again becomes possible. Ordering information is available here.