Volume 3 | Issue 9

JUNE 2023

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From Rabbi's Desk

In Torah last shabbat, we heard the words of the Birkat Kohanim. May God bless you and keep you… and bring you peace. This set my heart to thinking about what it means to have been blessed. Every decade or so, someone special crosses your path and you know that you have been blessed. Two years ago, when Leah Gawel came to Shir Shalom, it was one of those moments of true blessing. Moving here from Michigan, her husband having found a job in Vermont, we had the incredible gift of having Leah as our Family Education Director for the past two years. I have loved working with Leah and found her to be an amazing partner.

Leah is a revolutionary thinker and her teaching expertise and commitment to Jewish life are unparalleled. I know that we will all continue to learn from her, even as she transitions from being our Family Education Director. I personally have learned so much from Leah, with her deep Jewish soul and spectacular dedication to joy have been an extraordinary gift. Her vision for a new and bold Jewish future, a source of inspiration and of insight.

Unfortunately for us, Leah has decided to take a fulltime job teaching in a school, where we know that she will touch even more children with her gifts. As sad as we are, we know that some of the blessings that Leah wrought will continue to support us at Shir Shalom as we all move from strength to strength. Leah was a gift lent to us by the divine. All of us are stronger for having been blessed by her presence.

I know that each of you shares with me in sending love and best wishes to Leah as she takes the next step on her journey. “May God bless you and keep you. May God cause God’s face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May God bestow favor upon you and bring you peace.”

Ken Yehi Ratzon

Rabbi Ilene Harkavy Haigh

From the President's Desk

This month’s President’s column is a letter to Rabbi Ilene Haigh honoring her 11 years of service.

Dear Rabbi Haigh,

As members of the congregation, we want to take a moment to express our deep gratitude and appreciation for your remarkable eleven years of service to our community. Although the special service and Scholar In Residence event had to be postponed, we still wanted to acknowledge and recognize the incredible impact you have had on all of us.

One of the most inspiring aspects of your leadership is the tone of warmth, love, and understanding you set for our congregation. It is evident that your devotion to an inner spirit, both yours and ours, guides your actions and interactions. I tease you about your desire to pray over every person, place and event but in truth it reflects the profound connection you have with God and with us. To you, these devotions are intertwined and form an inseparable bond.

We feel your devotion in every aspect of your work. Your dedication to teaching Torah and Hebrew goes beyond imparting knowledge; you make these teachings approachable, relevant, and understandable for our everyday lives. Through the Shabbat and holiday services you provide, we experience a sense of gratitude for all the blessings bestowed upon us. The beautiful and meaningful music you incorporate into our services creates an atmosphere that is meditative, evocative and restive at the same moment.

Furthermore, your devotion extends to each of us as individuals and to our community as a whole. Whether it's offering pastoral support during our times of need or encouraging us to become more engaged with Shir Shalom, you consistently demonstrate your care and commitment. Your guidance and encouragement to join committees, participate in minyans or shiva calls, or even embark on the b'nai mitzvah journey at any age, including 75 for me, exemplify your belief in the potential of each congregant.

One aspect that truly stands out is your ability to engage with individuals from all walks of life. Whether it's leading Tot Shabbat, interacting with teenagers, young adults, new members or long-time members, your support, encouragement, and connection-building skills are truly remarkable. You emphasize the importance of welcoming the stranger, whether a young asylum seeker from Guatemala or a refugee family from Ukraine, teaching us that we have the capacity to extend our hearts and open our arms to those in need, regardless of their background or circumstances.

You often remind us of the three pillars of Judaism: Teshuvah (Repentance), Tefillah (Prayer), and Tzedakah (Righteousness). However, you have added a fourth pillar, a commitment to the connection between us all. This connection gives us strength, joy, and a profound sense of community.

Rabbi Haigh, as we reflect on your now eleven years of service and devotion, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude. We eagerly await your return from your sabbatical next year to reaffirm our commitment to our faith, to each other, and to you.

We are immensely grateful to God for bringing you to our congregation and to you for all that you have brought us, these incredible contributions you have made to each of our lives.

Todah rabah from Congregation Shir Shalom Vermont.

Wishing Our School Director Well

Leah Gawel is stepping down from her position as our Hebrew School Director. We already miss her. She reenergized the school and attracted many, many new parents, children, and teachers into her classroom for learning, for volunteering, and often for just having a delightful morning. We wish her the very best in her new profession as a public school teacher. --Phyllis Forbes, president

From the Hebrew School Director's Desk

Shalom! For those of you who know me well, you know that I am rarely at a loss for words. I guess it is why I’m fairly well suited for employment that requires a tremendous amount of communication. Although my husband, Randy, probably feels differently about this attribute. Alas, when I usually sit down to write my monthly article for our newsletter, I spend more time deciding WHICH idea I am going to write about than actually crafting it.

And yet, this week, I have sat down a thousand times to write this, and my mind falls blank. No pithy quotes, no salient memories, no ‘low-key’ (as the kids say) suggestions for engagement…. just pure unadulterated writer’s block. After a fair amount of reflection, I believe that this is actually a good sign. I can’t grasp the words for a “goodbye,” as the situation does not warrant that word. I’m not leaving, just shifting positions.

So, instead of showing up at the crack of dawn to set up for family events and scampering behind the scenes supporting our programs, I will be spending more time in the bleachers chatting with all of you while pretending to know what page we’re on, in the kitchen casting spells to make that pesky oven keep temperature, stopping at Hannafords to bring my contribution to the Shabbat oneg (for those of you who know my cooking, you will thank me for it), pulling in hot from work to find that while the best parking spots are gone, the Shabbat welcome I receive is worth the commute, and sitting at our picnic tables on beautiful Vermont days watching our kind and brilliant children play while considering that there is no better view in all the world. I’ll mourn with you at shivas, kvell with you at simchas, and ponder with you about what we need to do to support our beautiful synagogue.

It’s been a most incredible and fulfilling journey to play a role in revitalizing our Hebrew School and youth engagement. Thank you; thank you for this sacred opportunity.

So, instead of ‘goodbye,’ I’ll end with the only word that encompasses all that I am feeling: Shalom. Goodbye, Hello, & Peace.

L’Shalom (in peace),

Leah

Hello to Ann Brandon

Our Interim Temple Administrator

Ann Brandon has joined Shir Shalom as our interim Temple Administrator, replacing Jenn Fisher who leaves us this month. We all wish Jenn the best on her next adventure. Jenn has been a great help in the office.

In one breath we say goodbye to Jenn and welcome Ann. Ann was the Director of the Randolph Senior Center for many years and did an outstanding job bringing the center into the 21st century – upgrading the physical building, securing better financing, and improving programming. Ann’s career started in Rome, Italy, many years earlier as the arts editor of a daily newspaper. She returned stateside to Washington, DC, and worked as a public relations executive for newspapers at United Press International (UPI). Seeking more financial stability in her career, she moved into the world of computers as a manager and writer with IIT Research Institute.

After Ann moved to Vermont, she continued with IITRI, then began teaching at Vermont Technical College. On weekends, she wrote a critically acclaimed book, Artful Italy: The Hidden Treasures. According to Amazon: “for those wanting to explore Italy’s rich artistic heritage beyond the usual tourist attractions, this unique guide is the answer.” Ann received a Master’s in Fine Arts from Bennington College, has her own ebay business, has written and edited magazine articles and worked for various stores and companies in Vermont. Her varied background is a gift to us, and we are grateful for her stepping in at this time.

If you would like to get in touch with her, she has an office email.

Reduced Rate for Propane Available

to Shir Shalom Members

We have been able to obtain a very favorable rate for propane for any Shir Shalom member who resides in the service area of Junction Fuels. The rate is $1.725 per gallon for any residents of Woodstock and $1.775 for any residents outside of Woodstock but within Junction’s service delivery area. For reference, the Upper Valley FuelGroup (Rymes) which we used to belong to, is offering $179/gallon for members. All Shir Shalom members interested in signing up for these rates for the 2023-24 season should contact Junction Fuels asap with their name, address , WAJC affiliation and the number of gallons of propane they expect to use. Junction Fuels phone# (802)457-7252

Yahrzeit

Carl Hellman

Rachael Feibleman Beck

Sigmund Joseph Beck

Bernice Levine-Rissin

Helen Cole

Alfred Blum

Phil Benson

Virginia Borck

Joseph Conn

Jack Dichter

Harriet (Hia) Dubin

Marsha Flaster

Harry J. Friedman

Arnold Irwin "Arnie" Friedman

Rose (Gold) Gamso

Alan Goldfine

Sidney Gravitz

Molly B. Haigh

Annie Heller

Howard M. Kahn

George I. Kaplan

Sylvia Z. Levine

Abraham Linn

Zachary David Marmar

Ruth K. Nassau

Joseph Nassau, MD

Robert D. Neary

Jennie Dina Rabinowitz

Shelley Rosen

Molly Rosenberg

Sol Schneider

Roberta Louise Schneider

Martin Schwartz

Gabriel Michael Selig

Sophie Shirman

Marion Singer

Edward Sonder

Bessie Jaffa Stiller

Blanche Stein Vision

George Weiss

Saul Westelman

Anne Wollman

Saundra Woolfe

Todah Rabah

For all the gifts of the heart that have been given between May 12, 2023 - June 7, 2023. We could not have done it without you!

Click for list

Coming Up

JUNE

Sat. June 10 @ 10:30 AM

Zoom only Shabbat Morning Minyan

with Shmuel Dorr

Wed. June 14 @ 8:30 AM

Virtual Morning Minyan

Next Generation @ 8:30 PM

20s, 30s, and 40s Meet Up

Fri. June 16 @ 6:30 PM

Tent Shabbat Worship with Rabbi Haigh

Sat. June 17 @ 10:30

Zoom only musical minyan with Rabbi Haigh and Lois Fein

Mon., June 19 @ 2:00 PM

Book Club

Sat. Jun 24 @10:30 AM

Virtual Morning Shabbat Minyan

Sat. Jun 28 @8:30 AM

Virtual Morning Shabbat Minyan

JULY

Sat. July 1 @ 10:30 AM

Morning Shabbat Minyan

Wed. July 5 @ 8:30 AM

Virtual Minyan on Zoom

Thur. July 6 @10:00 AM

First Hebrew Class with Pam Lucas

Zoom only

Fri. July 7 @ 5:30 PM

Shabbat Potluck with baby naming

@ 6:30 PM

Shabbat Worship with Rabbi Haigh

Sat. July 8 @ 9:30 AM

Minis Minyan

@ 10:30

Walking Minyan at Sculpture Festival

Sun. July 9 @ 10:30 AM

Art Journaling Class with Paula Dorr

Mon. July 10 @ 2:00 PM

Book Club

Wed. July 12 @ 8:30 AM

Virtual Minyan on Zoom

Next Generation @ 8:30 PM

20s, 30s, and 40s Meet Up

Sat. July 15 @ 10:30 AM

Zoom only musical minyan with

Rabbi Haigh and Lois Fein

Wed. July 19 @ 8:30 AM

Virtual Morning Minyan

Thur. July 20 @ 5:30-7:00 PM

Holy Holidays choir practice begins

Fri. July 21 @ 5:30 PM

Founders' Shabbat

@ 6:30 PM

Shabbat Worship with Rabbi Haigh

Sat. July 22 @ 9:30 AM

Minis Minyan (Tot Shabbat)

@ 5:00 PM

Summer Fundraising Gala

Visit Our Calendar

In a meeting with the Union for Reform Judaism, ARZA, The Israel Religious Action Center, ARZENU, and The Israel Movement for Reform Judaism - There was a call to action in support of Israel and Democracy. We support Israel and stand for Democracy and the rights of all of Israel's people.

The call to act is upon us.

Click Here for Action Steps

Shir Shalom High Holy Day Choir is open to new members

If you like to sing and want to be part of this year's choir, please contact Shari Borzekowski at sborzekowski@gmail.com. Sheet music will be provided.

You must be able to attend all weekly rehearsals on Thursday evenings, 5:30-7:00 pm beginning on July 20th and running through the High Holy Days.

You must also commit to singing in all four services as follows:

Rosh Hashanah

* Friday, September 15th at 6:00 pm (meet at 5:00 pm)

* Saturday, September 16th at 10:30 am (meet at 9:30 am)

Yom Kippur

* Sunday, September 24th at 7:30 pm (meet at 6:30 pm)

* Monday, September 25th at 10:30 am (meet at 9:30 am)

Evening services run about 1.5 hours. Morning services 2.5-3 hours.