Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island E-Letter


March 25, 2022
22 Adar II 5782

A MESSAGE FROM
RABBI JAY
The Gift of Creating Memories

Pesach, only a few short weeks away, has always been my favorite Holiday. While it tells a relatively simple story of an enslaved people redeemed lovingly by an all-powerful God, we have come to observe it by means of a wonderfully complex and layered mechanism of preparation and ritual. This systematic choreography is designed to create meaning and to foment individual and collective memory.
 
Despite all of its nuanced complexity, at its core, the Passover story is really about remembering. God remembering the Israelites and God’s Covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; the enslaved Israelites in Egypt remembering God; and us, today, remembering that we were slaves and that God took us out of Egypt. Indeed when God discussed the very first Passover with Moshe he clearly had in mind that memories would play an important part in future celebration as He said:
 
This day shall be to you one of remembrance: you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord throughout the ages; you shall celebrate it as an institution for all time. (Exodus 12:14). 
 
When we remember, we re-live and when we re-live, it is as if we were there. Live, remember, re-live....a holy cycle.
 
But our memories should not be limited to what happened to our ancestors. We need to create memories of our own. Memories are a vital and positive energy source. In The Book of Passover, Rabbi Benjamin Blech tells us that when we have Seders and experience the Passover rituals:

What we are doing is creating memories. Not in the synagogue, but in our homes. Not with strangers, but with family and friends. Not to listen to a rabbi or cantor, but to be like rabbis and cantors ourselves –to lead a service of our very own, sharing our original insights into the Passover story. Retelling the past in a way that binds us to the future. Making our children the focus of our attention as we listen to them “ask the questions.” On the very first Passover, we became a people; how appropriate that every Passover since then we ensure our survival and become reborn through the power of memory.

This year, as we are preparing for Passover and sitting down (or signing on) to partake of our Seders, may we all be cognizant of the notion that we are creating memories for ourselves, and for our children, for our grandchildren, for our community, and for the Jewish people. Memories are God’s gift to humankind and the cement that binds each generation to the next.

Shabbat Shalom - Rabbi Michael S. Jay
.UKRAINE UPDATE
There are 200,000 Jews living in Ukraine today – over 40,000 are elderly and living on limited means. Many more are at risk today. Our partners are working around the clock to ensure uninterrupted humanitarian aid including food, medicine, winter relief, and emergency assistance for the most vulnerable.  Your contribution will go to work right away helping those affected by this crisis.  
 
Thank you for letting them know they are not alone and making a difference!
.
SHABBAT SHALOM
Candle Lighting time
Friday Evening,
March 25, 2022
6:55 PM
So. Ocean County

JOIN US FOR
SERVICES

SHABBAT PARAH

Friday Evening
March 25, 2022
6:00 PM

Here is 
your invitation from 
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services

Saturday Morning
March 26, 2022
Services
9:00 AM
ZOOM
AND
IN PERSON

Here is
your invitation from 
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
Torah Reading:
Parashat Shmini
Leviticus 9:1-11:47
Here is the Reading
Shemini (“Eighth”) opens with the consecration of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Two of Aaron’s sons are consumed by a fire sent from God when they attempt to offer a “strange fire.” God describes the animals, birds, and fish that are permissible and prohibited for consumption, as well as some laws of ritual purity.

Haftorah
Ezekiel 36:16-38
Here is the Haftorah

Saturday Evening

7:00 PM
Torah Study
8:00 PM
Havdallah

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:
PASSOVER
APRIL 15 -23
"Kol Nashim": A Woman’s Look at Torah and Tefillah
An Exciting WAX Series

Led by dynamic Jewish educators, together we will study Torah and Tefillah from a woman’s point of view. Our faculty includes: Cantor Sara Geller, Dr. Deborah Miller, Dana Newborn, Sheri Jay and Marlene Herman



FRIDAY APRIL 1st at 10:00 AM on ZOOM

Celebrating Rosh Chodesh with Music, Crafts and Blessings
with Marlene Herman
WAX Event 4/3/22
Please join the WAX of the JCC of LBI as Joanne Babbitt teaches us how
to bake her unforgettable Mandelbrot/Kamish Bread. 
Joanne baked these for us prior to Covid and people raved about them. So with the holiday approaching, please gather the ingredients below and join us on Sunday, April 3rd at 1:00 PM as Joanne teaches us how to bake her unforgettable Kamish Bread

THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES


MONDAY 3/28
10:00 AM
Hartman Institute Seminar
"Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism"
with Rabbi Jay

WEDNESDAY 3/30
WAX BOOK CLUB
4.00 PM
WAX Bo Club
following Ma'ariv
7:45 PM
Studying the weekly portions
with Rabbi Jay based on the book
"Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas"
by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks


THURSDAY 3/31
11:00 AM Torah Study with the Rabbi
2:00 PM Beginning Hebrew with Ira

7:45 PM following Ma'ariv
Interview of Jonathan Stone
Author of The Prison Minyan



HERE ARE THE LINKS :

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Wednesday 3/30 following Ma'ariv
7:45 PM
Studying the weekly portions
with Rabbi Jay based on the book
"Judaism’s Life-Changing Ideas"
by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

THURSDAY 3/10
11:00 AM Torah Study with the Rabbi

WAX BOOK REVIEW
4:00 PM


Thursday, 3/31
INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR
Jonathan Stone
"Prison Minyan"
7:45 PM

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, 4/1
KOL NASHIM
Celebrating Rosh Chodesh
with
Marlene Herman
10:00 AM

Friday 4/1
SHABBAT DINNER
6:00 PM

Sunday 4/3
MAKE MANDEL BREAD
with Joanne Babbitt
1:00 PM

Saturday 4/16
COMMUNITY SEDER
6:00 PM
JCC WOMENS AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION
 WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM

MARCH BOOK SELECTION

Wednesday, March 30th at 4:00 pm NOTE NEW DATE
Discussion Leader: Rose Valentine
"The Forest of Vanishing Stars" by Kristin Harmel

An evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.


Future books

Wednesday, May 11th at 4:00 pm NOTE NEW DATE
Discussion Leader: Nora Hochman
"Hotel Moscow" by Talia Carner

Wednesday, June 15 at 4:00 PM
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
Discussion Leader TBA
MARCH BOOK DISCUSSION
'Susan & Friends 2022: The Men Speak Out”

Thursday, March 31, 2022
7:45 PM
Author: Jonathan Stone
Title: The Prison Minyan
Discussion led by
Rabbi Michael Jay


UPCOMING ZOOM PROGRAMS
with PARTNERS IN JEWISH PROGRAMMING
\
CLICK ON EACH EVENT FOR
DETAILED FLYER







Links will be sent out prior to each program
and are free to members of the JCC of LBI
Non-members $18.00


CHAVERAH VISIT TO THE GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE
HAMILTON, NJ
Chaverah
Date: Sunday, May 15, 2022
Rain Date: Sunday May 22, 2022
Mode of transportation: Car pool
Ticket Prices: $15.00 Senior rate
                        $18.00 Group rate
$10.00 Students
Tickets will be ordered 2 weeks prior to the event
Arrival time: 11:00 AM
Lunch: Rat’s Café 1:00 PM - Order from menu

This is the tentative plan, thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to be outside and enjoy the weather with our friends who we have all missed so much over the past 2 years.

So, who’s on board, again, this plan is tentative but we need to begin.
Please Click on this link, if you are interested in attending.
Questions: Irene Babst 856 904-5145 or JCCofLBIChaverah@gmail.com
Also in stock - Mezuzah Scrolls
The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening

Betty Schleifer
Henry Nagel
Sylvia Glasser
Morris Herman
David Polinsky
Anita L. Ross
 
*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.

Cake
Marlene Nissenblatt
March 26
C. Zachary Rosenberg
March 26
Herbert Botwinick
March 28
Warren Matz
March 28
Nancy Young
March 28
Joshua Gindin
March 29
Charles Moss
March 31
Rudolph Valentine
April 1

Arthur & Roberta Abramowitz
March 26
50th Anniversary
Justin & Juli Brasch
March 26
22nd Anniversary
Samuel & Francine Braun
March 28
40th Anniversary
Henry & Darlene Gardner
March 28
46th Anniversary
Jeff Sussman & Patricia Adell
March 29
41st Anniversary
John & Debra Schweighardt
April 1
21st Anniversary
IRENE & MIKE BABST
on the bat mitzvah of their granddaughter
Juliet Brooke Fisher
daughter of Ilene & Matthew Fisher
sister of Amelia
ANNE & AARON KARP
on the birth of their son
Leo Lev Karp
grandson of Susan & George Karp
brother of Johnna & Ruby
SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT: 

Caring
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 


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.
See Order form here: Prayer Book


TRIBUTES
SEND ONE OF OUR TRIBUTES IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF
See order form here: TRIBUTES


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

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
Click on PAY ON LINE
Fill in your information and then
go to Donation Details - then
Other and type in 2022 Membership

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.
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
web site: www.jccoflbi.org  
  
THE OFFICE IS OPEN
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
FROM 10 - 2
CONTINUE TO USE THE PHONE OR EMAIL WITH REQUESTS.
OUR OFFICE STAFF WILL BE CHECKING IN REGULARLY.


 Staff:
 Leslie Dinkfelt, Office Manager
  Mary Beth Krieger, Staff Member
Kitchen Manager: Susan Berube


LATEST
BULLETIN:

PRAYER BOOK:
 
WEB SITE:

PAVERS:

TREE OF LIFE
  
YAHRZEIT PLAQUE FORM:

KOL HAKAVOD DONATION FORM

TRIBUTES:


CONTACT INFORMATION:
  Rabbi Michael S. Jay

Michael Babst, President

 
E-mail Editor: Rose Valentine 
rvalen1963@aol.com 
Graphics by
Irene Babst