Volume 4 | Issue 1

Friday, Sept. 15^th at 6:00 pm

Erev Rosh Hashanah Worship

Live or

Join here on Zoom



Followed by a community potluck.

Please bring a dish ready to serve ten.

Main entrees are encouraged.

Saturday, Sept. 16^th at 10:30 am

Rosh Hashanah Worship

Live or

Join here on Zoom

Also at 10:30 am

Children’s Program

Following Worship

Tashlich for all ages at the Lincoln Bridge.

Sunday, Sept. 24^th at 7:30 pm

Kol Nidre: Erev Yom Kippur Worship

Live or

Join here on Zoom

Monday, Sept. 25^th at 10:30 am

Yom Kippur Worship, including Yizkor

Live or

Join here on Zoom

Also at 10:30 am,

Children’s program

At 2:00 pm

A community Meditative Hike up Mt. Tom

Also at 2:00 pm

Peggy Kasden leads an indoor group in quiet, meditative chanting

Live or

Join here on Zoom

At 5:30 pm

Ne’ilah and Kiddush (all are welcome)

Live or

Join here on Zoom



Click here to join Zoom

Meeting ID: 219 902 8045

Passcode: Dg8WLC

FOOD SHELF

CONTRIBUTIONS

Remember to pick up a bag 

during the High Holy Days,

fill it with nonperishable items

for the Reading and Woodstock food shelves,

and return it to Shir Shalom.

We will deliver the donations 

after Yom Kippur. Thank you!

From the Rabbi's Desk

Dear Friends,

As the month of Elul comes to a close, we prepare in earnest for the Yamim N’orim, the ten days of repentance, the ten days of Awe.  We will gather this Friday night for the special gift of welcoming Shabbat and the new year. Erev Rosh Hashanah services will be followed by the now famous Shir Shalom Potluck.  After nearly a year of monthly potlucks, we are getting pretty good at eating and praying together.  5784, nearly six thousand years of Jewish continuity.  Our community in Woodstock Vermont is one link in the shalshelet ha-kabbalah (the ancient chain of tradition.)

This is a time of introspection, a time for cheshbon ha nefesh, a time for making an accounting of our souls.  A time for deep enquiry regarding the places where we have missed the mark as a person, a parent, a partner, a child, as a friend.  A time for compassion and forgiveness and a time indeed for finding compassion for ourselves.  Teshuvah, the act of returning, is a process where, with intentionality, integrity and honesty, we can begin to return to our best selves.  In Psalm 27, a psalm that we are invited to recite each morning of Elul… we hear the words, chonaini, v anaini- be gracious to me and answer me.   Our plea to be accepted back for who we are, in love.

Foundational in the efficacy of Teshuvah is the premise of hope.   We must share with our children and begin to see for ourselves the potential to create a better world.  This is a fundamentally Jewish idea and the premise indeed for our future.  As climate disasters batter our planet, we are called upon to ask forgiveness, and to begin in earnest to change the patterns of our behavior as individuals and as a community.  With God’s help we can change, we can begin to rescue our planet.   This is a sacred path, one that each of us is called to walk upon.  Called upon to say Hineini (I am here).  Please take a few moments now and every day to consider our role in rescuing the planet and finding gratitude for all of our blessings.  Not the least of which is the beauty and wonder of the Shir Shalom community in which each of us is a part.  

May this search for gratitude and this work on Teshuvah sustain us. May the coming year bring sweetness and healing, balance and shalom.  Michael Brown, our wonderful new president, joins me in wishing you all a sweet new year.

L’shanah Tovah from our homes to yours

Rabbi Ilene Harkavy Haigh

and Michael Brown,

President of Shir Shalom

From the President's Desk

My fellow Congregants:

Our family’s journey with Shir Shalom began 30 years ago when Sue and I brought our daughters to our new Woodstock home. Soon after moving in, we attended a Shabbat service at the Masonic Lodge. Meeting some other Jews and participating with them in the familiar Shabbat service was both welcoming and comforting.

The Shir Shalom community has matured and expanded many times since then. As I assume the responsibilities of President, I am grateful for all those who have come before me as President for what they accomplished.



But regardless of who is our President, a member of our Board or an Officer, Shir Shalom could not be such a warm and welcoming congregation without each of you. Since we have no dues or fees, your voluntary participation, whether of your time, your money, or both, is key to our continued existence and growth. We depend on each other’s participation to make Shir Shalom a success. If I have one goal during my presidency, it is to not only maintain but also increase the current level of participation in all forms. 

As we know, the Rabbi’s well-earned sabbatical will begin next month and last until mid-April of next year. During the Rabbi’s absence, we will welcome Ezra Leventhal as our spiritual leader. Ezra is in his fifth year at the Hebrew Union College--Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and is to be ordained as a rabbi next year. He will be with us every first and third weekend to conduct services and will be the point person for all pastoral emergencies. As our Erev Rav, he will lead worship in our school and help with Bet Mitzvah learning. He is interested in building connections with both our younger congregants as well as the unaffiliated young people in the community. 

We will all have the pleasure of meeting Ezra on Friday October 6, as we celebrate Simchat Torah and Shabbat in our Sukkah, preceded by a community-wide potluck. Because this will be the Rabbi’s last Shabbat with us until next March, I hope everyone will mark their calendars and join us as we wish her and Nick “safe travels.” 

There is an old saying that the Holidays are never on time--they are either early or late. No matter their timing, I look forward to us all pausing in our secular activities and coming together as one large praying family. Sue joins me in wishing everyone a Sweet and Healthy New Year.

L'shanah Tovah,

Michael Brown

From the Education Director's Desk

Dear Friends,

I want to express my gratitude to Shir Shalom for the warm welcome my family has received since moving here last February. Being part of this community is an honor and privilege, and I look forward to contributing to its growth and vibrancy as the new Education Director.

I was initially drawn to Shir Shalom by its environment and sense of community. When my family relocated to Vermont and we were in search of a synagogue, Shir Shalom warmly embraced us.

My daughter, Leelah (10), and my son, Dean (7), both attend Hebrew School at Shir Shalom. Their enrollment is important to me because I want them to have a strong sense of their Jewish heritage as well as an understanding that being Jewish is something to be proud of and special.

My journey in Jewish education began in 2018 when my children enrolled at The Gan of The Woodlands in Texas. I started as a teacher and gradually assumed the role of Art and Activity Director. I created engaging learning stations, planned field trips, and organized activities that complemented our curriculum.

Concurrently, I volunteered extensively for Congregation Beth Shalom's education team in The Woodlands, Texas, from 2018 until our move to Vermont in February 2023. These experiences allowed me to contribute meaningfully to our congregation's growth and educational initiatives.

During this time, I also served as a PJ Library coordinator for North Houston, organizing story times and events for the North Houston area.

What consistently resonated with me throughout these positions was the importance of a sense of connection within a Jewish community for Jewish children. I am deeply passionate about nurturing an environment where children embrace their time at Hebrew School and look forward to returning each week.

Thank you all for granting me the opportunity to cultivate a supportive learning environment.

As we set goals for the new year, I’ve set a goal for myself for each child to depart our school with a profound sense of pride in their Jewish heritage.

L'shanah Tovah,

Rachel Findley

September Yahrzeit

Joseph James Adduci

Gary Altman

Edith L. Blumberg

Ellen Blumberg

Dorothy Bogorad

Geraldine Brownstein

Maurice Charkins

Nicholas Gakkel Daks

Castle Day

Frances Dichter

Violet "Vicki" Dressler

Bessie Earn

Daniel Edricks

Ida Elsberg

Richard J. Feinberg, MD

Franklin Fiedelholtz

Herbert Fisher

Clara Friedman

Samuel Gawel

Norman Ginstling

Eva Goodman

Florence Gottlieb

Miriam Greenwald

Kenneth Irwin Gross

Ira Gabriel Haas

Jenny Harris

Cyrel Soloveitchik Kacew

Richard Kahan

Gertrude Kaplan

Seymour Kaplan

Peter Kellerman

Peter Wellfield Levitan

Edwin Arthur Malloy

Robert L. Richards

Louise Rivera

Michael Rumelt

Alvin Schenk

Marilyn Schneider

Paul Schneider

Carl Silver, MD

Selma Weinstein

William Edward White

Max Wolkin Yanofsky

Todah Rabah

For all the gifts of the heart that have been given between Aug. 9 and Sept. 14, 2023.

We could not have done it without you!

Click for the list

Please contact Art Skerker: art.skerker@shirshalomvt.org

No experience necessary. We need ushers. It's a lot of fun!

Coming Up

• Wed., Sept. 20th at 8:30 am: Virtual Minyan on Zoom
• Thur,. Sept. 21st at 7:00 pm: Board Meeting
• Sat., Sept. 23rd at 10:30 am: Minyan with Rabbi Haigh, Lois Fein, and Shmuel Dorr. Join here on Zoom only

Important Zoom Information

Zoom Meeting

This will be used for Rabbi's teaching including Torah Study, Hebrew I and II, Adult Education, Wednesday and Saturday Minyans, Social Groups, etc.

https://zoom.us/j/7259482096

Meeting ID: 725 948 2096

Password: 856328

Sanctuary

This will be used for larger group events such as the 1st and 3rd Friday Night Shabbat Services, B'nei Mitzvahs, and Events

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2199028045

Meeting ID: 219 902 8045

Passcode: Dg8WLC