Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island E-Letter
April 8, 2022
7 Nissan 5782
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JCC OFFICE CLOSED FOR PASSOVER HOLIDAY
The JCC Office will close on Friday April 15th at 12:00 Noon through the week of Passover. It will reopen on Tuesday. April 26th. Phone messages and emails will be responded to during that time. If you need to pick up or drop something off at the JCC, please make arrangements for Tuesday 4/12 or Thursday 4/14 between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
Need a last minute gift? Check out the WAX Gift Shop.
Need Haggadahs for your Seder? We have some for you.
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A PASSOVER MESSAGE FROM RABBI JAY |
We have a tradition in my house. When we return from the Megillah reading on Purim evening, I make the following pronouncement: “Passover is coming! Stop buying Hametz and finish whatever Hametz is in the house!” Some years we are more successful in this endeavor than others, but the point is that a big part of Pesach is Hametz or, more precisely, the fact that we are not supposed to eat it or even have it in our homes (or cars!) on Pesach. Thus on the night before the holiday, after having fastidiously cleaned our homes, we perform a ritual called Bedikhat Hametz (Search for the leavened bread), during which we go around our homes looking for hidden Hametz, collect it, and then burn it the next morning in another ritual called Bior Hametz – The burning of Hametz. This year, we are doing both of these rituals on Zoom. On Thursday evening, April 14th at 8:00 PM, we will be searching for Hametz. On Friday morning, April 15th, at 11:30 AM, we will be burning the Hametz.
But what is Hametz and why do we need to rid ourselves of it? The simple answer is that Hametz is leavened bread; it is bread that has had the time to sit and puff itself up. But why prohibit it? Most of us may be familiar with the two quick answers: 1) “Our ancestors were in such a rush to leave from Egypt that they did not have the time to sit and play pinochle while the dough worked its puffing magic to become bread”; and/or 2) Matzah was seen as the bread of affliction, the bread of slaves, while Hametz was seen as the bread of luxury.
These are great answers and both are correct. But, as in most of our traditions, there is more. We need to peel away at the fruit a bit to get to the sweet part. While the symbolism inherent in haste and poverty helps us to eat Matzah and feel as if we were slaves in Egypt, which is one of the requirements of the holiday, how does this relate to who we are today? How does the Passover holiday inform us about how we should live our lives?
The answer is quite nice. The Rabbis saw Hametz as symbolic of the Yetzer Ha-Rah – the evil inclination that they believed is contained in each of us. Rabbi Moses Alsheikh, the Chief Rabbi of Safed in the 16th century, said that Hametz represents that which has become leaven in us – arrogance, hubris, and pride. Philo – a Greek-Jewish philosopher said that Hametz symbolizes “pride” because leavened bread is puffed up. Thus, when we remove Hametz from our homes, we are symbolically freeing ourselves from the impurity of the Hametz that lies within each of us. We are ridding ourselves of self importance in an attempt to better enable us to connect in a loving way with those around us. Thus, Passover becomes a holiday which asks us not only to remember being delivered as slaves “from”, as in “being delivered as slaves ‘from’ Egypt”, but also of being delivered as slaves “to”, as in “being delivered as slaves ‘to’ our prideful or arrogant thoughts”.
As Passover approaches and we prepare ourselves for our journey out of Egypt, and leave slavery behind, may we each recognize those bits of Hametz within us that would be better left in Egypt.
AS A NOTE: If you want to sell your Hametz for the holiday, here is the form to fill out:
Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay
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Candle Lighting time
Friday Evening,
April 8, 2022
7:09 PM
So. Ocean County
JOIN US FOR
SERVICES
Shabbat HaGadol
("Great Shabbat") is the Shabbat immediately before Passover. There is a special Haftarah reading on this Shabbat of the book of Malachi.
Friday Evening
April 8, 2022
6:00 PM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
Saturday Morning
April 9, 2022
Services
9:00 AM
ZOOM
ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
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Torah Reading:
Parashat Metzora
Leviticus 14:1-15:33
Here is the Reading
Haftorah
Malachi 3:4-24
Here is the Haftorah
Saturday Evening
NO TORAH STUDY
OR HAVDALLAH
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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We had some great programs this week If you missed any of them, we have been able to record them for you to watch.
There were fabulous reviews of the the Virtual Tour of Jewish Venice shown on Sunday afternoon.
"I really enjoyed the virtual tour of the Ghetto."
"Venice! That was fabulous. I’m so glad our synagogue is a part of PJP."
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Thank you to Joanne Babbitt for hosting our WAX Mandel/Kamish Bread baking class. The recipe was simple; the results were delicious. Some folks packed them up and froze them for Passover. Some just couldn't stop eating them. Here is the recipe:
Passover Kamish Bread
3 eggs 1 tsp salt
½ cup sugar 2 Tbl sp potato starch
½ cup oil 1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup cake meal cinnamon-sugar mixture
Beat eggs in large bowl with fork. Add sugar, beat well. Add oil, beat well. Add cake meal, salt, and potato starch. Mix well. Add chocolate chips, mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour or longer. Form loaves on greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes. Slice, let cool, and enjoy!
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Please join us for FRIDAY Night Shabbat Dinner (ZOOM)
May, 6 2022
Services at 6:00 PM
With special quest Hazzen Geller
and dinner following. We will Schmooze, sing, pray, Schmooze, learn, eat, and Schmooze some more! Dinner following candle lighting and kaddish in your own private chat room with friends, family and new friends.
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES
MONDAY 4/11
10:00 AM
Hartman Institute Seminar
"Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism"
with Rabbi Jay
WEDNESDAY 4/13 B
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 4/14
11:00 AM Torah Study with the Rabbi
2:00 PM Beginning Hebrew with Ira
HERE ARE THE LINKS :
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JCC WOMENS AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION
WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM
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Hotel Moscow by Talia Carner
Brooke Fielding, a thirty-eight-year-old New York investment manager and daughter of Jewish Holocaust survivors, finds her life suddenly upended in late September 1993 when her job is unexpectedly put in jeopardy. Brooke accepts an invitation to join a friend on a mission to Moscow to teach entrepreneurial skills to Russian businesswomen, which will also give her a chance to gain expertise in the new, vast emerging Russian market. Though excited by the opportunity to save her job and be one of the first Americans to visit Russia after the fall of communism, she also wonders what awaits her in the country that persecuted her mother just a generation ago.
Inspired by the women she meets, Brooke becomes committed to helping them investigate the crime that threatens their businesses. But as the uprising of the Russian parliament against President Boris Yeltsin turns Moscow into a volatile war zone, Brooke will find that her involvement comes at a high cost. For in a city where “capitalism” is still a dirty word, where neighbors spy on neighbors and the new economy is in the hands of a few dangerous men, nothing Brooke does goes unnoticed—and a mistake in her past may now compromise her future.
Future books:
Wednesday, June 15 at 4:00 PM
Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
Discussion Leader: Sondi Pripstein
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UPCOMING ZOOM PROGRAMS
with PARTNERS IN JEWISH PROGRAMMING
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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
If you missed previous videos
here are the links to see them:
Access Passcode: zT+dm2!*
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CHAVURAH VISIT TO THE GROUNDS FOR SCULPTURE
HAMILTON, NJ
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Chavurah
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.
Questions: Irene Babst 856 904-5145 or JCCofLBIChaverah@gmail.com
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Also in stock - Mezuzah Scrolls |
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The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening
Benjamin Fruchtman*
Charles Kasselman*
Henry Kelsen
Bernard Mihtz
Charlotte Dzuna
Betty Husak
Cora Korb*
Harriet Rothman
Cynthia Bloom
Helen Klein*
William Poster*
Irving Sampson*
Stanley Blum
Ed Davis
Milton Kamler
Gerald Schaer
Cecil Weiner
Philip Cohen
Robert Dobrow
Sandra Garb
Jack Moss
Morris Lustgaren
Jerome Shapiro
Cory Stein*
Oscar Glickman*
Georges Margent
Julius Snyder*
*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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Sharon Hendler
April 10
Laura E. Leizer
April 10
Barry Freedman
April 11
Stanley Wallach
April 11
Sandy Rosenbloom
April 12
Karen Foreman
April 13
Karl Mayro
April 13
Frederic Schragger
April 14
Arthur Abramowitz
April 15
Gail Meltzer
April 15
Donald Pripstein
April 15
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Howard & Janet Cohen
April 12
36th Anniversary
Rudy & Rose Valentine
April 13
59th Anniversary
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KAREN SHATZ
following knee surgery
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MAZEL TOV TO
Sherry Jay
on the marriage of her sister
Rachel Horowitz
to
Chris Schimminger
this weekend
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SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
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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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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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WELCOME DIANE PARZYCH TO OUR JCC OF LBI STAFF
Diane will be in the office on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 AM until 2 PM when we open up for summer hours on June 1. In the meantime she is learning all the the workings of our synagogue so that she will be able to help you with any questions and transactions.
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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
TUESDAY AND THURSDAY
FROM 10 - 2
CONTINUE TO USE THE PHONE OR EMAIL WITH REQUESTS.
OUR OFFICE STAFF WILL BE CHECKING IN REGULARLY.
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Staff:
Leslie Dinkfelt, Office Manager
Mary Beth Krieger, Staff Member
Kitchen Manager: Susan Berube
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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
Michael Babst, President
E-mail Editor: Rose Valentine
Graphics by
Irene Babst
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