JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF
LONG BEACH ISLAND
E-LETTER
November 18, 2022
24 Cheshvan 5783
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We look forward to our first Shabbat Dinner
at the JCC this Friday evening.
Reservations for dinner are closed.
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A TORAH MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI
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The first sentence of this week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, interestingly informs us of Sarah’s death by recalling how long her life was. The Torah further intrigues us by providing her age in an interesting way. Instead of saying that Sarah was 127 years old when she died, the Torah says that: “Sarah’s lifetime was 100 years, and 20 years, and 7 years.” The question is posed, why does the Text say it this way? Why is “years” repeated 3 times? (Yes, this is another of those triplicates that I have said keep showing up in our tradition.) The commentators provide many different answers. One is that it is written this way as if to say: When Sarah was 100 years old it was if she were as innocent as when she was 20 years old, and when she was 20 years old she was as beautiful as she was when she 7 years old.
I have a slightly different explanation. I think that Torah intentionally divides up the years into three parts in order to let us know that Sarah changed over the course of her life. Thus, Sarah was not the same at 100 as she was when she was 20; and at 20 she was not the same as she was when she was 7. This sounds like common sense, but how often do we meet someone after a long absence and find ourselves surprised that he, or she, is not the same as the person whom we might have last seen 20 years earlier. Or, how often do we not see the changes in ourselves over the years? Of this much I am certain, one constant in all of our lives is change.
Our JCC has gone through changes as well. Though I have been here for 10 years, I am not yet an official JCC historian. However, I can tell you that the JCC began as a community davening the High Holy Days in a local hotel, then a building was built for services, and later tennis courts were added.
Now we have a bigger and more beautiful facility that affords us a unique opportunity to do new things. Over the last 10 years we have had many firsts. We have had: shabbatons, weddings, B’nai Mitzvoth, comedians, classes, Magic shows, concerts, movies, dances, a hoedown, a few galas, Welcome back brunches, Speakers from Israel, Speakers about Israel, Cultural speakers, Hebrew School, Scholars near the Beach, Lunch and Learns, Interfaith Services, Zoom services, Hybrid services, Friday night children’s services, and more. In addition, we have an incredibly active and engaging Women’s Auxiliary (WAX), and Hebrew School.
Indeed, the JCC has nurtured people’s bodies and the JCC has nurtured people’s souls.
We have weathered 100 year weather events and a once in a lifetime (God willing) pandemic. We have learned from these experiences and we have continued to grow. Indeed, they have made us a stronger community and we have thrived.
We are working to make sure that people continue to come back into the building. In addition to services and Mah Jongg, look for Shabbat dinners, Saturday Luncheons, game days, and movies. As we prepare for the next summer season, look for interesting programs and music. Think over the winter how wonderful it will be to return to our Friday night Beach services and to share Havdalah sing-alongs in the JCC parking lot. Look for our community grow as a learning and retreat center for other Jews who are not lucky enough to be situated two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean and across the street from the bay. We will continue provide a context for Jewish cultural and religious life that other communities cannot offer. All that we have accomplished, given the challenges of the last 3 years, is a blessing. There is more that we can do and more blessings to give and receive. Please join us, help us, and strengthen us. The possibilities are limitless.
Sarah’s was a long life filled with metamorphosis and evolution. I am certain that sometimes she saw it and sometimes she did not, but her positive impact on the world and those around her cannot be denied. Life is not meant to be static. May we, individually and as a community, continue to move and to grow and to open our hearts to those with whom we come in contact. May our Jewish presence on, and around the island, continue to be a blessing.
Change, grow, bless and be blessed.
Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay
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Candle Lighting time
Friday evening
November 18, 2022
4:21 PM
(So. Ocean County)
JOIN US FOR
SERVICES
Friday night
November 18, 2022
IN PERSON
AND
ON ZOOM
SHABBAT DINNER
6:00 PM
SERVICES
7:30 PM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
Saturday Morning
November 19, 2022
9:00 AM
IN PERSON
AND
ON ZOOM\
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
Torah Reading
Parashat Chayei Sara
Genesis 23:1-25:18
Here is the Reading
Chayei Sarah (“The Life of Sarah”) opens as Sarah dies and Abraham buys the Cave of Machpelah to bury her. Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant meets Rebecca at a well, and Rebecca returns with the servant to marry Isaac. Abraham remarries, has more children, and dies at age 175.
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Haftorah
I Kings 1:1-31
Here is the Haftorah
Saturday evening
Havdallah
5:30 PM
ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
Sunday - Thursday
Ma'ariv Service
7:30 PM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
Monday- Friday
Shacharit Service
8:15 AM
Sunday at 9:00 AM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES
SEE LINKS BELOW
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Chanukah Bazaar
11 AM - 2 PM
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism: Practice
A Hartman Class with Rabbi Jay
10:00 AM
NO CLASSES WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
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OCEAN COUNTY FEDERATION FILM FESTIVAL
October/November 2022
THIS WEEK'S FILM..
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iMordecai
Sunday, November 20 1:00pm
Marquee Theater, Toms River
United States, 2022
Marvin (Sean Astin, Lord of the Rings) is an ambitious cigar maker trying to support his own family while still being there for his aging parents, Mordecai (Judd Hirsch, Taxi) and Fela (Carol Kane, Hester Street).When Mordecai's ancient flip phone breaks, he starts to take lessons on his new iPhone, opening him up to all kinds of novel experiences and adventures, which makes him feel like a kid, something he missed out on because of the Holocaust. A dramedy that urges us all to live the one life we have to the fullest.
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ADDED BONUS -
Watch this wonderful 15 minute documentry about Dr. Ruth Westheimer. A great thing to watch with a child or grandchild of appropriate age.
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ABOUT THE TOWN OF WOODBINE |
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The rich heritage of Woodbine New Jersey is truly unique. Begun over 100 years ago, Woodbine was purchased by the wealthy German philanthropist, Baron de Hirsch who established a fund to assist the immigrating Russian Jews coming to America in the 1890's. Woodbine was the experimental agricultural industrial colony envisioned by the Baron de Hirsch Fund trustees. The immigrants could pursue the agricultural lifestyle that they had been denied in Russia. But because of poor soil conditions, Woodbine soon became better known as a factory town, the manufacturing center of Cape May County. Education, religion, tolerance and inclusion were values shared by the community as it grew, diversified and continued.
The Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine Heritage was created to remember and record this past while also actively collecting the materials to preserve its continuing heritage. It is a destination for visitors and a local resource for the entire Woodbine community so that they may continue to use the Woodbine Brotherhood Synagogue building as a place to come together. Built by the early Woodbine colonists, the synagogue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The sanctuary has been restored and is available for special worship services. The lower level, Brotherhood Hall, houses the museum's permanent and temporary exhibitions. Also included is a community sculpture, the Collective Memory Wall, where the Woodbine community has contributed personal memories of Woodbine.
PS The JCC made this trip several years ago. Very inspiring!!!!!
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For more information on The Sam Azeez Museum,
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HERE IS THE FORM FOR YOU TO PRINT, FILL OUT
AND SEND IN WITH YOUR CHECK
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OR
YOU CAN NOW FILL OUT THE INFORMATION ON LINE FOR YOUR PAVER AND MAKE YOUR PAYMENT AS WELL
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The JCC will once again be participating in the PNJ Consortium. An exciting 8-part series is being made available to our congregation.
You need not register.
NEXT PROGRAM DECEMBER 15TH
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JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION
WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM
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Last Wednesday's review of "The Nightingale" was very rewarding thanks the subject matter and the descriptive writing of the author. Many commented that the book was one of the best they have read. Thank you to our discussion leader, Sondi Pripstein for her thoughtful questions. The discussion was dedicated to Hannah Senesh whose yahrzeit it was last week.
Hannah Senesh
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.NEXT BOOK
Florence Adler Swims Forever
by Rachel Beanland
Atlantic City, 1934. Every summer, Esther and Joseph Adler rent their house out to vacationers escaping to “America’s Playground” and move into the small apartment above their bakery. Despite the cramped quarters, this is the apartment where they raised their two daughters, Fannie and Florence, and it always feels like home. After Joseph insists they take in a mysterious young woman whom he recently helped emigrate from Nazi Germany, the apartment is bursting at the seams. Click here to order Florence Adler Swims Forever from Amazon Esther only wants to keep her daughters close and safe but some matters are beyond her control. When tragedy strikes, Esther makes the shocking decision to hide the truth—and pulls the family into an elaborate web of secret-keeping and lies, bringing long-buried tensions to the surface that reveal how quickly the act of protecting those we love can turn into betrayal.
FUTURE BOOKS:
January: Three Sisters
February: House on Endless Waters
March: The Choice
April: Defending Brita Stein
ORDER YOUR BOOK FROM AMAZON AND START READING TODAY
Click here to borrow the book from the Ocean County Library.
A Zoom link will be sent shortly before the event.
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The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening
Harold Eiser
Mildred Greenwald*
Ernst Halpern
Yetta Houzman
Isadore Isaac Levy
Glen Medvin*
Claire Seavey
Irving Shapiro
Eli Starr, MD
Sophie Ehrlich
Nisson Ben-Avraham
Ida Koupf
Richard Pacharz
Julius Rosenthal
Sidney Miller
Dave Rothenberg
Siegfried Brenman
Sol Karpman
Ellis Levin*
Evelyn Smith
Rebecca Josolowitz
Philip Josolowitz
Wilbur Hait
Helen Pripstein*
Anne Reiser*
*Memorial plaque will be lit this week.
In this Zoom era, we have been able to have a daily minyan at 8:15 AM and at 7:30 PM and on Shabbat. We encourage you to join us on the day of your loved one’s yahrzeit. In the morning, the service is about ½ hour beginning at 8:15 and in the evening at 7:30 until about 7:45. Rabbi will be glad to say the traditional El Malei Rachamim prayer for you, which is recited during the funeral, going up to the grave of the departed, Yizkor remembrance day and other occasions on which the memory of the dead is recalled. You are also welcome to share with the minyan some special memories of your loved one.
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Stephen C. Gilbert
November 19
Rima K. Rosenstein
November 22
Renee Van Naarden
November 23
Art Schreer
November 24
Dale Morgenstern
November 25
Judy Nelson
November 25
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Steven & Arlene Silverman
November 23
37th Anniversary
David & Sharon Hendler
November 25
38th Anniversary
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SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
CARING COMMITTEE
This committee acts as a support system for congregation members facing illness and other personal situations that need to be addressed.
Please contact Chairperson,
Debby Schweighardt
if you are in need of assistance or if you know of a JCC member that needs our help. 973-634-5349
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SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
CARING COMMITTEE
This committee acts as a support system for congregation members facing illness and other personal situations that need to be addressed.
Please contact Chairperson,
Debby Schweighardt
if you are in need of assistance or if you know of a JCC member that needs our help. 973-634-5349
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YOU CAN NOW FILL OUT A GIVING FORM AND PAY ON LINE IN ONE SIMPLE PROCESS.
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GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
PAVERS
Inscribe a paver at the front entrance to the building
8" X 4", 8" X 8" and 12" X 12"
SEE UPDATED ORDER FORM:
Become a permanent part of the JCC landscape.
Purchase a personalized paving stone
in honor of your family or in memory of a loved one.
Please contact Diane Hoffman
with your order or with any questions:
PRAYER BOOKS
There are still High Holiday Prayer Books and Chumashim available to be purchased in memory or honor of someone or something. The cost of a Prayer Book is $72 each and $120 for an Eitz Hayim Chumash. The donation includes an affirmation sticker in the book and an acknowledgement letter or letters.
TRIBUTES
SEND ONE OF OUR TRIBUTES IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF
TREE OF LIFE
Add a leaf (leaves) to our beautiful Tree of Life located in the Social Hall. See the order form here: TREE OF LIFE
Bronze Leaf $90
Silver Leaf $126
Gold :Leaf $180
ENDOWMENT FUND
Herb and Selma z”l Shapiro established the first individual Endowment Fund in memory of his father, as part of the JCC’s Endowment Fund portfolio.
Since then, three additional individual Endowment Funds have been established. Other members are encouraged to also provide for the future of our JCC by establishing similar funds. Please consider adding to this number.
A donation of at least $50,000 to the endowment fund will allow the donor to name one of the funds as the donor wishes. All such named funds will be joined together to be part of the Endowment Fund portfolio.
Endowment funds are necessary to ensure the continuation and well being of our congregation. All members are encouraged to help this important effort by contributing to this portfolio, whether as a specific named individual fund, or as a general donation. The donation can be spread over one, two, or three years, and can be paid via check, donation of appreciated stock, wills, or from the RMD of your IRA or 401K account. Your gift to the fund can be sent to the JCC Office. Please mark your check accordingly.
YAHRZEIT PLAQUES
Space is available for memorial plaques on the yahrzeit boards in the Sanctuary.
Here is the order form:
KOL HAKAVOD
Please consider being a part of this campaign to supplement the clergy needs of our congregation. This is a separate, voluntary commitment and is additional to our low annual dues obligation. HERE IS THE LINK TO BRING UP THE DONATION FORM KOL HAKAVOD
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2022 MEMBERSHIP FORMS
Your support is so important to the continued success of the JCC.
Here is form for renewal:
And if you have been reading our Shabbat Reminder and other communications and have not yet joined our congregation, here is the new member form:
To pay on line
Fill in your information and then
go to Donation Details - then
Other and type in 2022 Membership
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JCC FUNDS
Your gift to the JCC supports our Clergy, our Congregation and the Community.
ENDOWMENT FUND
This fund was established to assure the continuity of our JCC, and our ability to continue providing a full-service congregation to serve the Jewish people of the area. While a donation of any amount is encouraged, a donation of at least $50,000 allows the donor to name a special or specific Endowment Fund in memory or honor of a specific person event, or family.
GENERAL FUND
Donations to this fund are not earmarked but placed in the general administrative account. Donations to this fund can be in honor or memory of a person, event, or family.
KOL HAKAVOD FUND
Donations to this campaign supplement the clergy needs of our congregation.
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
This fund, managed by the rabbi, allows donors to enable the rabbi to do the work of tzedakah in response to the needs of individuals, organizations and the community.
ZENA & JERRY JAY KIDDISH FUND
The Zena and Jerry Jay Kiddush Fund was established in memory of Rabbi Jay's parents to help provide funds for our Saturday morning kiddushes.
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JCC LEADERSHIP
OFFICERS
President- Phil Rosenzweig
1ST Vice President-Sherry Fruchterman
2ND Vice President-Diane Hoffman
3RD Vice President- Rose Valentine
Treasurer- Ira Morgenthal
Secretary- Cliff Denker
Immediate Past President -Michael Babst
BOARD MEMBERS
Howard Babbitt
Diane Buskirk
Mitch Frumkin
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Jon Geier
Paul Levine
Donald Pripstein
Terri Robinovitz
David Shatz
Rob Van Naarden
WOMEN'S AUXILIARY
President - Diane Buskirk
Co-Vice President - Noralyn Carroll
Co-Vice President - Jill Denker
Treasurer - Suzy Geier
Secretary - Joanne Babbitt
Immediate Past President - Irene Babst
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JCC INFORMATION
THE JCC OF LBI IS LOCATED AT
2411 Long Beach Boulevard
(24th Street)
Spray Beach, NJ 08008
Telephone: 609-492-4090 FAX: 609-492-7550
THE OFFICE IS OPEN
MONDAY - FRIDAY
CLOSED THURSDAY
FROM 10 - 2
Staff:
Leslie Dinkfelt, Office Manager
Mary Beth Krieger, Staff Member
Diane Parzych, Staff Member
Susan Berube, Kitchen Manager
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LATEST
BULLETIN:
PRAYER BOOK:
WEB SITE:
PAVERS:
TREE OF LIFE
YAHRZEIT PLAQUE FORM:
KOL HAKAVOD DONATION FORM
TRIBUTES:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Rabbi Michael S. Jay
Phil Rosenzweig, President
E-mail Editor: Rose Valentine
Graphics by
Irene Babst
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