Temple Topics
the monthly newsletter of Temple Sholom
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May 2021 / Iyyar/Sivan 5781 |
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Our Mission Statement:
Temple Sholom is a Reform Jewish congregation that welcomes traditional and non traditional Jewish families, and individuals, aspiring to create a warm and caring Jewish atmosphere fostering inclusiveness and community. We engage in life long learning, worship, lifecycle events, and social action (Tikun Olam), while cultivating a love and understanding of our Jewish heritage and promoting the perpetuation of Judaism. Temple Sholom strives to be an inclusive and accessible synagogue, welcoming to all who wish to meaningfully participate in our Jewish community.
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Temple Sholom Board of Trustees |
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Our Board meets monthly to discuss relevant topics concerning the Temple, ensure our financial stability, and membership engagement. They are a dedicated group of volunteers that give their time and energy to make Temple Sholom the best it can be.
Mark your calendars for the Temple Sholom Annual Meeting on
June 6th, 1pm!
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Officers
Pamela Brander, President
Bill Nadel, 1st Vice President
Jonathan Kaplan, 2nd Vice President
Emily Serna, Secretary
Linda Nieporent, Treasurer
Jason Ross, Assistant Treasurer
Mark Nussenfeld, Immed. Past President
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Trustees
David Carton
David Drapkin
Geri Flood
Dan Jablon
Matt Klein
Aron Laufer
David Liss
Beth Mitchell
Lisa Rossello
Lainie Sokolsky
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Marjorie Cohen
Natalie Darwin
William Dreier
Sandra Dreier
Catherine Gilbert
Luna Kaufman
Suzanne M. Lyte
Sandra Nussenfeld
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Steven Saltzman
Martin Schwartz
Susan Sedwin
Neil Smith
Lucille Taub
Karyn Weingarten
Susan Weiseman
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Thank you Temple Sholom Benefactors |
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Under the new Mishpakha Benefactor program, members who give 18% (Chai), 36% (Double Chai), 54% (Triple Chai), or 108% (Pillar) over the Sustaining amount are recognized as Benefactors. We thank them for their commitment and generous support of Temple Sholom. |
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Pillar Benefactors
Ellen Berman
Natalie Darwin
William & Sandra Dreier
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Double Chai
Stacey & Austin Bender
David & Lisa Drapkin
Lynda Goldschein
Claire Greenberg
Robin Lyons
Janet Weinstein
Triple Chai
Marv & Pam Brander
David & Linda Nieporent
Dan & Ellen Wolff
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Chai
Rachel & Joel Camargo
Marjorie Cohen
Roger & Adrienne Graubard
Bruce & Jill Harris
Alice Jaffe
Matt Klein & Nicole LaCorte-Klein
Jeffrey Messing & Grace Braverman
Alan Nacht
George & Marlene Pogosky
Jill & Christopher Wallis
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Interested in learning how you can become a Benefactor?
Contact Pam Brander at president@sholomnj.org
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Getting to know Jason Ross |
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How long have you been a member?
We joined 8 days after my youngest son Logan was born 3.5 years ago. We went looking for a room rental for his Bris and left as part of the congregation.
What makes you feel connected to Temple Sholom?
The congregants and the staff. I've loved the many opportunities I've had to socialize with the congregation while teaching my children strong values and about their Jewish culture. Experiences like Pray & Play, Family Track, religious school, and events like Lego Night, Casino Night and the Men's Club events have all surpassed my expectations. I feel like I can "just be myself" here as I find all levels of religiousness are welcomed.
What roles do you play at the Temple?
I'm the Assistant Treasurer and also on the Men's Club committee.
How do you feel you have made a difference in those roles?
I'm not sure I've made a big difference, but I have sure tried my best to do what I can. I've been a proponent of trying to get us back to safely having in person events while still following CDC guidance and staying safe. I've reviewed the Temple's financial position and found ways to illustrate that if we all met our commitments it'd go a long way to making the organization stable financially. More importantly, I've planned some really fun Men's Club low stakes poker nights. There are more to come, so let me know if you're interested in joining one.
What is your favorite movie? Hobbies?
I'm part of a startup where I provide investment and financial advice for "regular people," not the super rich, to help them reach their goals. It's incredibly rewarding to know I'm making a difference. I'm also an avid skier, and plan my time off to maximize the number of days (25 this winter) on snow. I also enjoy hiking and biking. I can't think of a favorite movie right now, guess my mind is on skiing :)
Something no one would know about you is .....
I was captain of my high school swim team and haven’t worn a Speedo since.
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Gathering In-Person at the Temple - UPDATE |
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Spring is here - and we'd love to see* you!
Our Board and the Temple ReOpening Task Force have been meeting regularly to determine what we can and cannot do safely to bring our congregation together.
Last month, for our third trimester, we started hybrid Religious School on Sundays - and some of our students are back in class, while those who are not comfortable with in-person, are still attending virtually.
Now that the weather is getting better, we are going to experiment with a few in-person events:
Shabbat services - outside
- Friday, May 7th - Bring your own chairs, and you can sit in your own family/household pod, masked, while we worship together, led by our Rabbi and Cantor. We will also hold this service on Zoom, so you can tune in from at home as well.
- Friday, May 28th - Sunset Kabbalat Shabbat service - Bring your own chairs and instruments, to sit with your family pod as the Cantor and Rabbi lead us in worship. We will also hold this service on Zoom, so you can tune in from at home as well.
All services are weather permitting. If it rains, we will be on Zoom only.
- Friday, June 18th - Limiting seating by reservation indoor service. Led by the Rabbi and hybrid on Zoom as well. Come back to our sanctuary as we see how things may work for the High HolyDays, bringing together our in-person and at-home congregation. All in-person participants will be masked, seated in household pods, and there will be no singing out loud.
- Friday, July 2nd - Join us for our annual Shabbat-BQ for the Fourth of July weekend. We'll provide hamburgers and hot dogs (also a vegan option, if requested), and some sides. Bring whatever else you want for your own family/household, and we'll have socially distanced tables set up for dinner, and services to follow.
Depending on how these events go, and how things go around the country, we hope to expand these experiments over the summer and into the Fall. We may even be back to in-person services with (almost) no restrictions by mid-Fall (after the High HolyDays). Our calendar committee is meeting this week to plan the year that we hope to have, in person, with all of you.
Meet with the Rabbi - Outside - If you want to sit down with the Rabbi, just send him an e-mail (rabbi@sholomnj.org) and we'll set a time to meet.. Assuming good weather, we'll sit outside on the patio, safely distanced and masked, and have a chance to talk - face to face. Please set up an appointment beforehand, as we are not always in the building and we'd hate to have you drive over and be disappointed.
Fire pit - If your Temple group would like to meet around our new fire pit, reach out to the Temple office and we can set things up. There are some guidelines and you need to tend the fire yourself, but it's a nice way to gather, even after dark.
*Of course, only some of you at a time, and in as safe and responsibly socially distant way as we can.
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Mazal Tov to our upcoming B'nei Mitzvah |
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Lena Blumenstock is a 7th grade honor roll student at Lincoln School in Garwood and will become a Bat Mitzvah on May 1st. She enjoys painting, basketball, sneakers, playing Minecraft, and has watched all 10 seasons of Friends no less than 10 times. While she can be goofy, she is incredibly pensive and thoughtful. Even as a child Lena has been described by many as an old soul. She is empathetic arguably to a fault. She puts her family's, friends', and even strangers' wellbeing in place of her own. This has been ever more pronounced over the last number of years as Lena has become very socially and politically-minded at the local up to the national level. She is well-recognized by her classmates and teachers as the one person in the room to know the latest political, civic, or government facts. In the time of COVID, Lena's empathy for others and belief in philanthropy shone through. For her mitzvah project, Lena wanted to find a way to help children coming from poor neighborhoods in the time of the pandemic. She looked at her younger sister and saw that she was fortunate enough to have masks that actually fit her smaller head and had fun designs which made this whole experience a little less scary. With that, she raised money for Goddard Riverside, a non-profit in NYC that supports the underserved communities of borough and through these fundraising efforts was able to fund the purchase of nearly 1,000 child-fitting masks with fun designs and characters.
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Vance Slack will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on May 15th. He will be celebrating with his parents Alexis and Benjamin, brother JayLandon, grandparents Willy and Stacey Miranda, Roslyn Slack and many other family members and friends.
Vance is a 7th grade honor student at Park Middle School in Scotch Plains. Vance is an avid lacrosse player and plays year round. When he is not on the field, Vance can be found traveling with family, and spending time with his friends.
For his Mitzvah project, Vance has chosen to support The Longest Day and the Alzheimer’s Association. The Longest Day is the day with the most light — the summer solstice. On June 20, thousands of participants from across the world come together to fight the darkness of Alzheimer's through an activity of their choice.
Together, they use their creativity and passion to raise funds and awareness for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. Vance will be participating in this event to honor his grandmother, Roslyn Slack. Vance has been very busy organizing and collecting donations for this event.
Vance looks forward to celebrating this milestone with his family and friends.
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JEWELRY FUNDRAISER!
Custom-designed, hand-crafted necklaces to support Temple Sholom.
These unique, upcycled pieces were donated by popular artisan fair vendor, 7 Artisan Street. 100% of the proceeds go to Temple Sholom.
Mother's Day is May 9th!
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Author to Speak at Sisterhood Book Club Meeting
-- Open to All Temple Members
The Sisterhood will be discussing the novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever, by Rachel Beanland, winner of the 2020 National Jewish book Award for Debut Fiction. Ms. Beanland will be attending our virtual June 22nd book club meeting at 7:30P.M.and will be providing insight into her novel, which is based on a true story involving her great-great aunt. Rachel Beanland transports readers to the summer of 1934, during the Great Depression in Atlantic City, where a tragedy occurs that changes the lives of one family. The author portrays an account of the way love can harm as often as it heals.
From the NY Times Review: “The historical moment is fraught as American Jews try to save relatives in an increasingly untenable Nazi Germany. We see cruel obstacles to immigration, and the growing chasm between European Jews and their increasingly prosperous American counterparts. This is a book about the American dream. “
All temple members are welcome to attend and are invited to ask her questions about the book. Please rsvp to Sandi Sobel at sgs@comcast.net and to Linda Wolf at emadama70@gmail.com .
The Zoom Meeting ID is 96021322428.
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On April 11th the Temple held its annual Yom Hashoah event commemorating the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis. It's been the Temple's tradition to invite a guest speaker, usually a survivor, followed by a special service including the lighting of six candles, by Temple members and special guests whose lives, as Holocaust survivors, refugees or relatives of survivors, were affected by the Holocaust.
This year we were honored to have Fran Malkin. Fran survived the war as a child. She told her story of survival and described the heroic effort of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish Catholic woman, who risked her life in rescuing 15 Jews from certain death by the Nazis. Francisca was recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations" for her actions, This story was documented in a documentary, No.4, Street of our Lady, produced by Fran's cousin, Judy Maltz. It's based on the memories of Fran, her cousins, Francisca's
granddaughters and the diary of Moshe Maltz, Fran's Uncle.
Special thanks to committee chair, Andy Breit, Cantor Sharlein, and all the following committee members for putting this program and service together: Helen Aron, Pam Dorn, Carole Kenyon, Marjorie Leffler, Mark Nussenfeld, and Ann and Steve Saltzman,
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Tuesday Class with Rabbi Abraham
Starting on April 20th, each Tuesday morning at 11am, our class will be touring the (Jewish) world (virtually). Each week we'll pick a different city or place, learn about it's Jewish history, watch some videos, and share stories. If you've been to that city, you can be a tour guide. Inspired by our virtual Confirmation trip, join us as we learn more about Jewish life and history all over.
Whether you've been in the class before, or are just looking for a place to learn with Temple friends, we'll see you on Tuesday.
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MariAnne and Patrick Hoffer on the birth of their son, Harry LeRoy, on April 17th
Deborah and Allan Tiedrich on the engagement of their daughter Madeline to Bradley Cohen
Alex Bernstein on his book, Miserable Holiday Stories, has been recognized as a Distinguished Favorite in the Humor category in the 2021 Independent Press Awards.
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MariAnne & Patrick Hoffer hold their son, Harry, at his Brit Milah on April 26th. |
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Rabbi Abraham (aka Baby Whisperer) officiates at Harry Hoffer's Brit Milah |
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On April 23rd we had a Donate Life Shabbat. Thank you to our speakers Nancie Rothman and Marion Portnoy. We all know the importance of being a donor because YOU HAVE THE POWER TO SAVE LIVES!
Organ, Tissue, Cornea and Stem Cell Transplantation Resources
Stem Cell Transplant Resources
National foundation for Transplants (NFT) 800-489-3863
Living Donor Resources
Organ & Tissue Donation Resources:
https://www.donoralliance.org/understanding-donation/about-donation/tissue-donation-process
Cornea Transplantation Resources
To Register to become a donor visit:
Regusterme.org or via your health app on your Apple watch, or visit a motor vehicle agency to amend your driver’s license AND share your wishes with your family (& friends)!
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Thank you to all who donated meatloaves to feed the hungry at St. John's Soup Kitchen in April! We ended up with enough to feed all who needed a meal! Below are before and after pictures. Special thanks to Jill and Bruce Harris who coordinate the volunteers and transport all the meatloaves.
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Happy Anniversary to those celebrating in May |
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5/1 - Scott & Amy Six
5/2 - Rebecca & Raphael Kasen
5/3 - Lisa & David Drapkin, Adena & Drew Weisholtz
5/15 - Joyce Creighton & Wing May
5/16 - Jed & Susan Feibush
5/19 - Julie & Jeff Wimer
5/20 - Lauren & Connor Ennis, Roberta & Michael Zito
5/24 - Nancy & Neal Tepper
5/25 - Jennifer & Josh Piezas, Sharon & David Prevost
5/26 - Jordana & Larry Moesch-Friedman
5/27 - Marni & Kevin Pearce, Faye & Howard Spieler
5/29 - Shari Littman & James Feehan, Jr.
5/30 - Valerie & Ben Shander
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Happy Birthday to all those celebrating in May! (Children up to age 25 are listed)
The May Birthday/Anniversary Service is Friday, May 21st.
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5/2
Jude August
5/4
Walter Duralek
Nicole Gleason
Benjamin Piezas
Jill Wallis
Kate Wolff
5/5
Paul Koizumi
Karen Schack
5/6
Eileen Mason
5/7
Jeff Banks
Arlene Burstein
5/9
Cathy Gilbert
5/12
Ellen Berman
Maverick Geller
5/13
Eric Brown
Laurie Liss
Tama Singer
5/14
Bill Nadel
5/15
Scarlett Adelson
Keren Bornstein
Skylar Gal
Dona Teschner
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5/13
Eric Brown
Laurie Liss
Tama Singer
5/14
Bill Nadel
5/15
Scarlett Adelson
Keren Bornstein
Skylar Gal
Dona Teschner
5/17
Emerson Carton
Leelynn Juris
5/18
Jonathan Bransky
Brian Isaacs
Howard Spieler
Cassidy Steingart
5/19
Gina Banks
Jacob Jablon
Wilbur May
Janis Rubin
5/20
Julie Isaacs
Geoffrey Koizumi
Joelle Tannenbaum
5/21
Steven Herzberg
Simon Levenstein
Marty Schwartz
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5/22
Mark Semel
5/23
Morgan Bransky
Lisa Drapkin
Marshall Krugman
5/24
Ilana Barishman
Irene Britman
Lynda Goldschein
Arlene Loewinger
Leo Nieporent
Adam Shander
5/25
Jordan Cooke
Arnold Lidsky
5/26
James Feehan, Jr.
Levi Tabak
5/27
Sara Lerner
Evelyn Lieberman
Micah Sharlein
5/30
Rachel Lipsky
Aubrey Steingart
5/31
Doris Ostroff
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Yahrzeits
One way we remember loved ones is by reading their name at services on Shabbat, giving those observing the opportunity to share a memory of that person, and reciting the Mourners' Kaddish together as a community.
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5/7
Catherine Barone
Sol Bender
Ruth Blitzer
Daniel Blumberg
Louis Dubkin
Sylvia Edelman
Nathan Feldman
Rose Gorsky
Jack Jaffe
Charles Katsin
Henry Nieporent
Bernard Ostroff
Cathy Peckman
William Rubin
Dr. Samuel H. Schwartz
Ann Stern-Smolowitz
Martin Umansky
Steven Werner
William Winneg
Richard Wolff
5/14
Martha Aragones
Sara Berkowitz
Nicole Brooke DiFabrizio
Sophie Gorne
Pauline Kaufman
Cima Klein
Gerald Klein
Claire Kolstein
Nathan Lidsky
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5/14 continued
Barrett Mackta
Mamie M. Newcorn
Roland Rhodes
Benjamin Rosin
David Schoenberg
Herbert Schwartz
Olivia Semel
Harriet Serota
Linda Strauss
Benjamin Wexler
5/21
Barbara Waldorf Abraham
Bea Chernin
George Cohen
Max Gindin
Martha Heyman
Robert Jeney
Sara Korngruen
Abraham Lasher
Harold W. Lowe
Herbert A. Owens
Samuel Potter
Maurice Robinovitz
Leonard Schoeman
Mary Schwartz
Steven Strauss
Flora Taub
Norman Weiss
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5/28
James Abraham
Norman Abrams
Avram Berkowitz
Sidney Darwin
Gloria Einhorn
Anne Friedman
Mildred Fries
William Gindin
Michael Gluckman
Hilda Goldfeder
Abraham Haftel
Harry Hirslhorn
Mildred Kaplan
Henry Klein
Linda Levin
Marianne Ostrand
Irving Rosen
Howard Rothman
Michael Rothman
Franklin Saltzman
Annette Schlosser
Irving S. Sedwin
Louis Sobel
Rose Wexler
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Plots Available at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery |
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Temple Sholom has Cemetery Plots for sale at Mt. Lebanon in Iselin. There are singles, doubles and several multiple plots available. We offer plots at well below the going rate as a consideration for our community. Non-Jewish spouses and immediate family members can also purchase plots alongside their loved ones where available. Please contact Eric Brown at 732-497-2848 with your questions and/or interest. |
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Consider a Legacy Gift to
Temple Sholom
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Your generous legacy gift to the Endowment Fund will help ensure the future success and prosperity of Temple Sholom for generations. Pledge a legacy gift by March 1, 2021, and a beautiful matching donation will be added. More about this wonderful program.
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TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021 AT 6:00 PM ET
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TURN YOUR AMAZON PURCHASES INTO A FORCE FOR GOOD FOR TEMPLE SHOLOM!
Login to www.smile.amazon.com & type Temple Sholom Sisterhood (proceeds go to the Temple) in the organization search bar. Select Temple Sholom Sisterhood and you are set! Same prices, products & service-but to generate donations you must always shop at smile.amazon.com instead.
AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible smile.amazon.com purchases to Temple Sholom.
Now there's an AmazonSmile mobile app too! Download or update to the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app on your phone. You can find it in the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android. Turn on AmazonSmile. Open the appa nd find "Settings' in the main menu (=). Tap on 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.
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Announcing the Greater MetroWest Camp Staff Collective! |
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Have a business you'd like to advertise here? Please contact the office
at office@sholomnj.org or 908-889-4900
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Tribute Donations made in April |
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