1. Art and Diseño

Adath Shalom
A Conservative Synagogue
FEBRUARY HAPPENINGS AT ADATH SHALOM
1 Sun
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4 Wed 8:00pm
5 Thu
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6 Fri
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7 Sat
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8 Sun
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10 Tue 12:00pm
11 Wed 7:30pm
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12 Thu
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13 Fri
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22 Sun
9:00am
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25 Wed 7:30pm
26 Thu
9:30am
4:15pm
27 Fri
9:30am
28 Sat
7:15pm
9:00am
Religious School
Minyan, Torah Discussion and Breakfast
Sweet Tastes of Torah
Writers’ Circle
Family Outreach Informational Meeting
Shul Boot Camp IV: Choreography of Worship
Family Conversational Hebrew
Singing Community
Florence Melton Mini School
Religious School
The Jewish Angle
Shabbat Shapers
Morristown Soup Kitchen Lunch
Pajama Neshama
Kabbalat Shabbat Service – Aleph Class Family Service
5:05pm Candle Lighting
Shabbat Service, Parshat Yitro
Bat Mitzvah of Aliyah Ravin
Religious School
Minyan, Torah Discussion and Breakfast
Writers’ Circle
Tu B’Shevat Program: Planting Seeds of Hope
Chazak Luncheon
Mah Jongg
Singing Community
Florence Melton Mini School
Religious School
Youth Talent Show Auditions
The Jewish Angle
Shabbat Shapers
Shabbat Shalem Inclusion Shabbat and Friday Night Live Musical
Shabbat Service
5:13pm Candle Lighting
Shabbat Service, Parshat Mishpatim
Experience the Art of Bibliodrama with Reb Deb
No Religious School – Presidents Weekend
Office Closed—Presidents Day
Religious School
Shabbat Shapers
Kabbalat Shabbat Service
5:22pm Candle Lighting
Shabbat Service, Parshat Terumah
Jr. Congregation (Gr 3-6)
Shabbat Chavurah (Gr K-2)
Tot Shabbat (Pre-K)
Religious School
Purim Bag Assembly
Women’s Rosh Chodesh
Writers’ Circle
Youth Talent Show Auditions
Mah Jongg
Florence Melton Mini School
Religious School
Shabbat Shapers
Shabbat at Home
Kabbalat Shabbat Service
5:30pm Candle Lighting
Shabbat Service, Parshat Tetzaveh
12 Shevat 5775 — 9 Adar 5775
FEBRUARY 2015
841 Mountain Way
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
Office: 973-539-8549
Fax: 973-539-4884
Web: www.adathshalom.net
Bulletin email address:
[email protected]
Phone Extension
Moshe Rudin, Rabbi
[email protected]
Jack Korbman, Cantor
[email protected]
Brian Kalver, Student Cantor
[email protected]
Charlotte Frank,
Education Director
[email protected]
Juan Isaza, Facilities Manager
[email protected]
Pam Jorlett, Religious School
Administrator
[email protected]
Jayne Karten, Program Director
[email protected]
Laurie Lindner,
Synagogue Administrator
[email protected]
Jessica Davy, Youth Advisor
[email protected]
Rebecca Fish,
Teen Education Coordinator
[email protected]
Maxine Moses, Bulletin Editor
[email protected]
Susan Solomon,
Synagogue Social Worker
[email protected]
Michael Stepak, President
[email protected]
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Synagogue Office Hours
Monday-Thursday
Friday
9:00am - 4:00pm
9:00am - 3:00pm
Rabbi’s Drop-In Hours
Tuesday
4:00pm - 6:00pm
Feel free to call anytime!
Table of Contents
TOPIC
PAGE
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
REMARKS FROM RABBI RUDIN
3
4-5, 19-21
FROM OUR SOCIAL WORKER
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NEWS
BNAI MITZVAH
YOUTH NEWS
6-8
9-11
12
13
COMMITTEE NEWS
TRIBUTES & TZEDAKAH
COOL EVENTS
ADVERTISEMENTS
16-18
24-26
27-41
42-46
Click on listing to link to specific page
2
President’s Message
No one should sit alone!
If we are truly committed “to welcome members and guests with warmth and hospitality” as our
Mission Statement reads, then we all have an obligation to partake in the mitzvah of hakhnasat
orkhim, hospitality, to ensure that everyone feels welcome and comfortable at Adath Shalom.
Yet this does not always happen. We tend to gravitate to our friends not even noticing the new
or unfamiliar face in the crowd forgetting that we ourselves were once in that position.
How do we all become more conscious of this important mitzvah? I like the approach offered by Rabbi Alan
Silverstein. As Rabbi Silverstein explains in the book Relational Judaism by Dr. Ron Wolfson, we must treat our
congregation as our home. When guests come to our house, we do all we can to give them a proper welcome and
make them feel comfortable. As members of Adath Shalom, we should all strive to do the same at our
congregational home.
Three congregants who are exemplary role models of hospitality are Maxine and Jerry Moses and Marcy Thailer,
our devoted and deserving honorees at this year’s Purim Ball on Saturday evening March 7 at 7:30 pm. In their own
special ways, all three of them consciously make an effort to welcome and include others. Please join us as we
honor Maxine, Jerry and Marcy. Our Purim Ball will have a Mardi Gras theme, comedy, desserts, a tricky tray and
DJ Entertainment by Powerhouse Studios. Tickets are only $36 per person.
RSVP to Jayne Karten at [email protected].
Everyone deserves a seat at the table!
Quoting again from our Mission Statement, Adath Shalom is an “inclusive community” where we welcome “the
participation of members of all abilities”. February is Jewish Disability Awareness Month and, once again, we will
be a host site for the WAE Center Art Exhibit for the entire month. This February, we will also display Chairs of
Inclusion designed by each of the Religious School classes. These chairs represent our commitment to being an
inclusive community where every adult and child has a seat at the table. Please join us for Shabbat Shalem on
Friday night, February 13 at 7:15 pm followed by a special oneg in honor of the artists of the WAE Center.
I want to wish a Mazel Tov to Aliyah Ravin as she is called to the Torah to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on February 7
and to the students in the Aleph/1st grade Religious School class who have their class service on Friday, February 6.
Finally, on Saturday morning, February 14, join us for Shabbat services as we wish a safe and inspirational journey
to Rabbi Rudin and the congregants traveling with him on our synagogue’s trip to Israel from February 19 through
March 1.
Regards and Shalom,
Mike Stepak
3
Remarks from Rabbi Rudin
Our Journey in the Dark:
the Neighbors Project of the Adath Shalom Holocaust Committee
A Special Report by Rabbi Rudin
This autumn and winter our community has been on a journey; a journey of urgent inquiry
into the darkest chapter of our history; a journey that seeks to bring light into that darkness. It
has been seventy years since the liberation of Auschwitz and humanity has not yet emerged
from the shock of that awful revelation, has not yet processed the meaning of the Holocaust.
United States Holocaust Museum
As a community, across generations, we have begun our own journey searching for meaning in this terrible catastrophe. Our community’s journey has led us to uncomfortable territory and difficult topics, but it has also brought
us closer together.
At a special Yom HaShoah Holocaust Memorial Day program last spring Edward Mosberg, Adath Shalom member and survivor, shared his testimony of the years he spent in the most awful places that have ever existed in
human history. His words, the images he evoked, the things he showed us filled us with sympathy, empathy and
horror - but also inspired us with questions, questions that persist, questions that haunt. The Holocaust has been
studied every which way, but the questions persist.
United States Holocaust Museum: Stones from the
Stairs of Death (Todesstiege) - 186 steps at the Quarry
at Mauthausen Concentration Camp overlooking the
Danube River. Adath Shalom member Edward Mosberg
described the tortuous labor that he and other prisoners
were subjected to at the quarry.
continued ...
4
Remarks from Rabbi Rudin continued
To help us find answers, Edward and Cecile Mosberg created a Holocaust Education Fund. Many donations
followed in response to the Mosberg’s generous contribution establishing the fund. Sam Varsano, a key figure in
the merger that created Adath Shalom, the son of a survivor of Auschwitz, an educator and a member of the State
of New Jersey Holocaust Commission agreed to architect our own journey of inquiry. Sam chairs our Holocaust
Education Committee, made up of Adath Shalom leaders of all ages. The committee’s program, “Neighbors: A
Three Part Encounter with History, Humanity and Truth” offered members of Adath Shalom a truly unique opportunity and experience to confront the issues that underlie the Holocaust; issues that carry an awful and tragic
weight today, seventy years later.
The Holocaust, above all else, inspires one question that will not go away. How? How could this have happened?
How could civilization have produced Auschwitz? How could ordinary people have become corrupted to carry
out atrocities that even now beggar the imagination? It was this question that became the compass in our journey.
Our first step toward our destination was a discussion led by Sam on a cold night in early winter. It was called,
“The Neighborhood of Shadows”. Through presentation, discussion and video documentation as fascinating as it
was chilling, Sam led over fifty participants to answer the question of who carried out the genocide? Through a
series of infamous and controversial studies carried out over decades by Yale psychologist Stanley Milgram and
others, it became clear that the results suggested that there is a place inside the human psyche where, in the name
of conforming to social norms and societal pressures, the unthinkable becomes not just possible, but normal.
Where moral compasses skew and cease to function. Sociologist Hannah Arendt coined the phrase, ‘the banality
of evil’ to express the monstrosity not of psychopaths, but of ordinary people; not of soldiers, but of neighbors.
Our Neighbors! People who had known the victims and their families for generations. In the second part of the
journey we met Hannah Wechsler and Eugenie Mukeshimana. Hannah, vivacious and energetic, told a harrowing
narrative of being uprooted for years, of narrow escapes, and heartbreaking betrayals by strangers and friends. Her
journey ended at the gates of Auschwitz where she arrived just weeks before liberation. The background of the
encroaching Russian had Army slowed the wheels of the death machine. Hannah is one of the youngest survivors.
Yale University researcher Stanley Milgram instructed faux test
subjects to feign extreme pain by electric shock when they got an
answer wrong. The controversial experiments carried out in 1962
shed light on the behavior of some of the perpetrators of genocide.
continued on page 19
5
Susan Solomon
Synagogue Social Worker
Pursuit of Happiness
After my January article on The Gratitude Mindset, I started to take a free online 8-week course
called “The Science of Happiness.” It is sponsored by University of California, Berkeley - no
surprise there. They actually have a division of the University called “Greater Good Science Center.” This course is based out of this center along with recommended books, including “The How
of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. Then, this week, I read an article about a new job category in the world of business, Chief Happiness Officer. How amazing! See this article for more about CHO @
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118804/happiness-officers-are-spreading-across-america-why-its-bad
So I decided to share in my February Bulletin article one overarching concept about the pursuit of Happiness
from the course and the book that, to me, is very hopeful. Also, I will make you an offer at the end of this article that I hope you will take me up on.
Lyubomirsky, in her book, shares 3 main myths of what makes us happy:
1. “Happiness Must be “Found” The lucky ones find it. The right things must fall into place, at the right
time, and then we will be happy. This thinking is also found in saying when I grow up and am on my
own, I will be happy; when I get married..; when I retire… It is always about when.
2. “Happiness Lies in Changing Our Circumstances” If this happens, then I will be happy.
3. “You Either Have It or You Don’t” This myth exposes that some people are just born happier than
others and not much can change.
Lyubomirsky then outlines “What Determines Happiness” by utilizing a pie chart. This is the main concept I
want to share.
We are all born with a set of “genes” and there are traits that are fostered by a set of genes. She calls this the set
point of your happiness index. It represents 50% of your ability to be happy, she proclaims, and has done
research to demonstrate this. Your happiness index can move positively or negatively to some extent, depending on your environment as you grow up. For example, identical twins separated at birth will usually have different set points.
Next portion of the pie is “life’s circumstance”. She states this represents only 10% of your happiness index.
Circumstances… she states (1) can quickly change and often without our ability to impact it, such as loss of a
job or loved one, and (2) One may be really happy with a new job, better pay, marriage, children, etc., but often,
the high level of happiness felt at the time of the event is relatively short lived. You end up wanting more money, a bigger house, etc. As for children - raising them is often filled with lots of love and good times, but many
challenges. So she says don’t bank on circumstances making you happy.
That leaves 40%. She calls this area “Intentional Activities”. This is where the action starts. This is where
you can make a difference in your happiness. And there is no ONE SET of intentions; everyone is different and
in the book she helps you explore those opportunities that work best for you depending on your values, interests,
and motivators.
continued ...
6
Susan Solomon
Synagogue Social Worker continued
To begin making positive intentions towards more happiness in your life, you can certainly get Sonja
Lyubomirsky’s book and delve into the area of intentions on your own. OR…
I have an intention for you -to help you move your 40%.
See offer below.
Study Group - Increasing Happiness in Our Lives
The group will be led by Susan Solomon, Adath Shalom Social Worker. We will discuss
the book, “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. This is an educational/support
group. There will be opportunities to explore ways to be happier and gain ideas from
others in the group. This is NOT a therapy group. If you have to miss a session, don’t be
unhappy, just keep up with the readings and come next time.
Introductory Meeting - Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 7 PM in Beit Midrash
At this meeting, we will plan the number of sessions, day and time of meetings, and reading assignments. We will discuss “The Search for Happiness – A Reality Check” to be sure
we are all on same page as to expectations of happiness.
[No Fee for study group, just individual purchase of book.]
RSVP by checking box on survey of stress reduction programs on following page, email
[email protected], or call 973-539-8549 ext. 108
[If you are interested in the group, but cannot attend the planning meeting,
just let me know, and we will keep you in the loop for happiness study group.]
** SEE SURVEY ON NEXT PAGE **
POSSIBLE STRESS REDUCTION PROGRAMS @ ADATH SHALOM
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Survey of Other Stress Reduction Programs
Here are some programs being considered. If you are interested in any of these programs,
please complete the form and send it back to your synagogue social worker,
Susan Solomon, via email [email protected] or via mail.
INTEREST LEVEL
PROGRAM



High
Medium
Not interested
Study Group - Increasing Happiness in Our Lives
Group will be led by Susan Solomon, Adath Shalom Social Worker. We will read and
discuss the book, “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky. There will be
opportunities to explore ways to be happier and gain ideas from others. This is NOT
a therapy group. Number of sessions and meeting time will be arranged by the
group at an Introductory Planning Meeting. [No Fee, just cost of book]



High
Medium
Not interested
How to Eat to De-Stress
Yes, WHAT and HOW you eat and drink can transform your stress to increased
energy and help your body work better. With nutritionist & wellness coach
[No fee]



High
Medium
Not interested
Jewish Yoga
Workshop melding yoga with Jewish thought and Kabalistic philosophy.



High
Medium
Not interested
Laughter Yoga with a Jewish Flavor
Workshop using laughter to trigger endorphins and increase energy and positive
feelings. [Fee – approx. $18 unless sponsored]



High
Medium
Not Interested
Guided Imaging and Visualization
Informational session and practice for help with stress reduction and pain relief.



High
Medium
Not Interested
Crystal Bowl Concert
Music played on varying size crystal bowls to provide overall sense of relaxation
and peace. [Fee – approx. $18 unless sponsored]
[Fee – approx. $18 unless sponsored]
[No Fee]
Time(s) best for you to attend such programs:



Evenings
Sunday morning
Other (please make suggestion) _________________________________________________
Please print name and email address if interested in any of the above programs.
8
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NEWS continued
From Charlotte Frank / Education Director
We are busy in the Religious School
wing and we have been going
through some staff changes.
Ms. Friedman has left the school to
pursue her full time career as an
actuary. Mrs. Cappello has returned
to be the Zayin teacher again on
Sundays. The seventh graders gave
Natalie a warm send-off and Valerie a very kind
welcome.
This month we will be saying goodbye to Mrs. Sackin,
our long time Gimel Judaic teacher. Besides being an
incredible teacher, Eileen is a long, long time friend.
We met in our babysitting co-op almost 39 years ago.
She will be leaving on February 12 and I know we all
wish her only the best in the future. Ms Soll-Adam
will have the entire class on Thursdays and Mrs. DellaPelle will be taking over the Sunday class. They will
be ably assisted by Ms Devaney, the class’ aide.
I hope that you all had a chance to see your child's
progress reports. I read every report and made some
comments. Most of the reports are very good and I
appreciate the comments or feedback we get from
parents. We are a team and the teachers appreciate
being part of your team.
The Dalet class/Grade 4 should have received their
B'nai Mitzvah letters and now the fun begins! I
remember laughing when we got our date so far ahead
and saying this is so silly, and then we stopped at a
popular catering place and they said the date was
already taken in both of their rooms. We didn't panic
and both of our children were able to have parties in
terrific places that were not booked until about a year
before the date.
February 1 we will honor Tu B'Shevat with special
snack of clementines.
On Februaray 5 the Zayin class, along with our fabulous Rishon Hadar Tal, will be preparing a program
for grades 3-6 to celebrate Tu B'Shevat. Hadar will be
out from February 12 through February 26 for a
special conference and then a trip home to Israel.
We need your help and support as our class services
begin this month with the Aleph class/Grade 1 on
Friday February 6. We count on parents to help with
preparing the oneg following services. If you can't help
prepare, then hopefully you can help with clean up.
Sunday, February 8 from 12:45 to 3:15 I will be hosting
Gimel class/Grade 3 parents to make siddur covers for
their child's siddur. Let me know if you are coming –
you bring the photos or special decorations and we will
provide the coffee, tea, snacks, covers and help.
The Purim carnival is fast approaching on Sunday,
March 1. On February 22 we will check through all of
our games and supplies to repair and update anything
that needs work.
Class services that were scheduled for February have
been moved since Rabbi Rudin will be in Israel at that
time. The Hey class service is now Saturday, April 4,
Dalet class service is now Friday, May 8 and Vov class
service is now Saturday, May 9.
Stay warm, safe and be involved! We need you and
your children need and want to see you involved in our
synagogue and religious school.
Charlotte
We are looking for gently used tefillin.
We want our children to learn and wear
tefillin, but it is expensive to buy sets.
If you have a set to donate, we will be
glad to be the caretakers for the set.
9
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NEWS
From Charlotte Frank / Education Director
A huge thank you to Mark Hoffman for coming in to
teach Hagbah and Gelilah to our Zayin class/Grade
7. The students were terrific and Mark makes it
look easy for you do it “right”.
On Sunday, January 25, each class in Religious School discussed and learned about the idea of a
"place at the table for everyone". They then as a group created a chair to represent the chair of
inclusion. These chairs will be on exhibit in combination with the WAE Center exhibit running from
February 5 through late February.
10
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NEWS
From Charlotte Frank / Education Director
Yasher Koach to the following Religious School students
who have completed their Shabbat Attendance requirements.
Aria Fliegler
Gan/Kindergarten
Daniella Kimowitz
Gan/Kindergarten
Rayna Emdur
Aleph/Grade 1
Sophie Tepperman
Dalet/Grade 4
Chloe Ross
Gan/Kindergarten
Cubby Perez
Aleph/Grade 1
Aaron Sackett
Dalet/Grade 4
Samantha Tajar
Gan/Kindergarten
Sam Fliegler
Bet/Grade 2
Shayna Miller
Dalet/Grade 4
Louis Stepak
Hey/Grade 5
11
B’NAI MITZVAH
Aliyah is the daughter of Richard and Elzbieta Ravin and
sister to Ariela. She attends Randolph Middle School, where her
favorite subject is Science. When Aliyah grows up, she would
like to be a doctor.
Aliyah Sarah Ravin
(Aliyah Sarah)
will become a
Bat Mitzvah on
February 7, 2015.
To Aliyah, becoming a Bat Mitzvah is like getting her
driver’s license after having a learner’s permit for many years.
She will have more privileges, but also more responsibility as an
adult Jew. She is proud to be a Jew because Jews are the chosen
people and she loves the Jewish community. Her favorite
Jewish hero is Sally Becker because she began by delivering
medical aid and food to the small Jewish community in Mostar,
and through them she was given permission by Croat
commanders to evacuate wounded Bosnian children and their
families from the besieged city.
Aliyah’s wish for the future is that there is world peace and
that she has a happy and healthy life. This year she hopes to
help people with disabilities to play sports.
Celebrate your simcha with us
by sponsoring a Kiddush!
Cost: $360
Please contact synagogue office
One way to honor your son or daughter at their Bar/Bat
Mitzvah is to have family and friends read from the
Torah. This is also a meaningful way to honor loved ones
on their Yahrzeit. Cantor Jack will record a CD for you
and give you the text. Please contact the Synagogue
Office to request a Torah portion and CD.
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YOUTH NEWS
Tot Shabbat (Pre-K) with Morah Shari
Saturday, February 21 at 10:30am in the Kindergarten Room
This month in Tot Shabbat we will doing a fun project about TuB'Shevat. The children will be making trees! We
will be hearing a story about TuB'Shevat too. We will be singing fun songs and doing our prayers as we always do
in our service. Hope to see you!
Shabbat Chavurah (Kindergarten—Grade 2) with Morah Helaine
Saturday, February 21 at 10:30am in the “old” four-year old room
We are looking forward to having you join us at Shabbat Chavurah as we prepare for Purim and perform a puppet
show, starring, Queen Esther, Mordecai, King Ahasuerus, Vashti and Haman. Of course, we will also sing our
Shabbat songs and blessings. Special snack - chocolate chip challah and juice. Can't wait to see you.
Junior Congregation (Grades 3–6) with Morah Deb
Saturday, February 21, 9:45-11:30am in the Beit Midrash/Library
Do you want to build a Tabernacle instead of a snowman? Come to Junior congregation on Saturday morning
February 21 at 9:45 am to find out how the Torah gave very clear directions on the building of the Tabernacle.
What's a Tabernacle? We'll find out that answer too.
SHABBAT SHAPERS
Join this free weekly interactive program on Fridays, from 9:30-10:30am,
with Rabbi Rudin to teach your child about Jewish values, holidays and Shabbat!
The place to be Friday mornings is with Rabbi Rudin and the adorable participants of the Shabbat
Shapers Program. Shaping our littlest munchkins into menches, Rabbi Rudin leads the group in
Jewish music, crafts and kiddush. Participants have a chance to stay after the program to continue the fun, playing and socializing with friends in the preschool room.
The program has been such a huge success and we are always looking for volunteers to help Rabbi
Rudin. Thank you to Brian Kalver for stepping in when the Rabbi had Rabbinical duties, as well as
Wendy Becker and Michelle Dunn for also coming out for a morning of fun.
If you are interested in helping with the shabbat shapers program please email Mara at
[email protected]
13
YOUTH NEWS
Our Yallah Post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah Class recently hosted teens and
teachers from the JMIC (Jam-E-Masjid) Islamic Center of Boonton
for an evening of discussion, mutual sharing and, of course,
pizza! Both groups were amazed to learn that the Mosque's building
had been the home of Temple Beth Shalom, one of the congregations whose merger formed Adath Shalom. The JMIC teens plan on
inviting Yallah to their mosque later in the spring.
Our youth groups, USY, Kadimah and Club 345, all learned a genuine Jewish survival skill - how
to make your own Challah! The kids had a great time baking Challah from scratch, as well as
making personalized Challah covers and boards for Shabbat. Yeshar Ko'ach to our energetic
and creative Youth Advisor, Jessica Davy.
Mazal Tov Shabbat Services
Share your simcha (anniversary, birthday, birth of child or grandchild,
engagement, promotion, retirement and more!) with your Adath Shalom family.
Please fill out the form on page 23 to recognize your celebration. A placard sharing your
simcha will be displayed on the Oneg or Kiddush Table and your simcha will be
announced from the bima during services.
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COMMITTEE NEWS
Lifelong Learning
Ellen Muraskin & Cookie Samuels, Co-Chairs
Chazak
Join us for Love, Lust and Lunch on Tuesday, February 10 at 12 noon
If you've never come to a Hazak meeting before, this is one not to miss! Please join us as we present an
exciting lecture and gourmet lunch. Hirschhorn speaker Ellen Kurtz will relate "Biblical Tales of Love and
Lust." An adult program, these stories are far from the ones she shared with children in her Sunday School
classes in Brooklyn and Livingston.
She has worked as a teacher, public speaker, writer and editor. She often lectures and writes about the lives
and works of sculptors and painters, an interest she developed through her writing experiences.
We look forward to seeing you! RSVP by February 7 is a must so we know how much lunch to
prepare! Call Cookie Samuels at 973 366-0763 or email her at [email protected].
And bring your friends!
Oldest Established Permanent Floating Book Club
All dates are Wednesdays at 7:30 pm unless indicated. RSVP to Ellen at [email protected] to find out
who is hosting in any particular month.
February 25: Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
March 25: World Without You by Joshua Henkin
April 29: Crooked Mirror by Louise Steinman
May 27: The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
June 24: Indignation by Philip Roth
Summer, date TBD: Sonata for Miriam by Linda Olsson
Youth and Young Adults Committee
Caryn Badian & Amy Kriegsman, Co-Chairs
The Youth Committee will be meeting on Sunday, February 8, 2015 at 11 am, location TBD, & is inviting
anyone who would like to help plan, organize and participate in Club 345, Kadima & USY activities.
Any questions can be addressed to Amy Kriegsman at [email protected] or Caryn Badian at
[email protected]
Any and all welcome!
16
COMMITTEE NEWS
Sisterhood
Fran Heller, Meredith Ross, Carol Wolosin, Co-Presidents
SAVE THE DATE…. and let's CREATE!
Join Sisterhood for an "arty" party FUN-raiser to paint and partake in some wine and snacks!
Channel your inner Picasso:
Monday, February 9, 7- 9 pm at Uptown Art Denville
28 Diamond Spring Road, Denville, NJ 07834
$42 includes art instruction, supplies, painting, and snacks
BYOB
P.S.: No artistic ability needed but we promise you will leave with a masterpiece!
Spaces are limited!
RSVP ASAP to [email protected]
and mail or drop off payment payable to Adath Shalom Sisterhood.
Your payment will guarantee your spot!
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COMMITTEE NEWS
Ritual
Sue Silbert, Chair
On Sunday, January 11, Linda Coppleson, our Soferet, conducted a workshop on Torah repair and lettering at
our luncheon to honor congregants who donated to our newly established Torah Fund this year. There were
40 people in attendance.
Linda replaced the Atzei Hayim (rollers) on the small Scroll with some of our attendees, including Hannah
Stepak and Drew Suskind, helping with the stitching. Linda also demonstrated how she repairs the lettering
on the Scroll, by first scraping the letters off and then re-inking them onto the parchment, matching them to
what was already there. I think everyone was amazed at that.
To make the occasion even more festive, the new Atzei Hayim were dedicated to Olga Menczer by Carol
Meiseles on behalf of Olga's friends. Carol was one of the organizers of a birthday party for Olga last year,
where it was decided that instead of the usual birthday gifts, Olga's friends would make donations to the
Torah Fund in her honor for the purchase of something related to the Torah Scrolls that would be permanent. The Atzie Hayim were a perfect choice.
My thanks to Maxine Moses and Tammie Applebaum for helping to cook and set up, and to all those who
pitched in to help that day. It was a wonderful afternoon..
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Remarks from Rabbi Rudin continued
Our Neighbors! People who had known the victims and their families for generations. In the second part of the
journey we met Hannah Wechsler and Eugenie Mukeshimana. Hannah, vivacious and energetic, told a harrowing
narrative of being uprooted for years, of narrow escapes, and heartbreaking betrayals by strangers and friends. Her
journey ended at the gates of Auschwitz where she arrived just weeks before liberation. The background of the
encroaching Russian army had slowed the wheels of the death machine. Hannah is one of the youngest survivors.
The testimony of Eugenie, who survived the genocide of the Tutsis at the hands of the Hutus in Rwanda in 1994,
echoed Hannah’s so closely as to be unsettling and troubling. This was the identical transformation of neighbors
into monsters. This was the same indifference on the part of the world. The same acts of brutality becoming the
norm. Eugenie created a network for survivors providing support and a place of family for those whose families
had been destroyed. The recollections of Eugenie raised the troubling question: what is the meaning of the fierce
assertion, Never Again in the baleful light of Darfur, Rwanda and Kosovo?
Survivors Eugenie Mukeshimana (left) and Hanna Wechsler (right) shared their testimony at Adath Shalom in January.
The final part of our journey in the dark came two days later when forty-four participants bused down to Washington DC, braving an icy Sunday morning that filled highways with accidents. Viewing the great memorials and
monuments of our country, the powerful and inspiring figure of Lincoln, the unforgettable wall of the Vietnam
Memorial, the haunting figures of those who fought and fell in Korea, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial,
was beautiful and uplifting. Reminding us that the human potential for good, for selfless acts and for justice can
rise above even the darkest recesses in our nature.
continued...
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Remarks from Rabbi Rudin continued
Throughout the journey, our group steadily became closer to each other. The program continued the second day
when we spent the morning at the United States Holocaust Museum. Each visitor is given a case history of a
single Holocaust victim whose ordeal and eventual fate are revealed as you progress from floor to floor. Each
floor is filled with testimonials in photograph, video, written word, and physical evidence showing the evolution
of the Shoah from anti-Semitic stereotypes to racist laws to the ghettos to the Final Solution.
In the basement of the museum we arrived at the climax of
the program, but also at the point of origin. The exhibit
Some Were Neighbors documents the role of neighbors and
erstwhile friends in every stage of the genocide, punctuated
by acts of heroism and rescue.
How do you process what we learned? What conclusions can be drawn? Holocaust Education Committee
member and synagogue leader Barry Zucker led an active and far-reaching discussion with the adult members of
the delegation. Parsippany Hills and Randolph High School students Stephanie Sudit and Harry Kern, assisted by
Holocaust Committee member and synagogue leader and educator Mark Hoffman, led a summative discussion
with the teens. And then we were back on the bus towards home. But it was not the end. Sam asked me to bring
my guitar. I complied, but wasn’t sure why or even if Sam had remembered asking me. On the trip back to Jersey,
Sam asked me to lead a song session of uplifting songs. I pulled out the six string and the songs began flowing.
Songs from the sixties: Israeli and Yiddish folk songs, protest songs, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joni Mitchell, and
the Zionist pioneers. All were songs of struggle and songs of hope. Sam told me later that this was the true conclusion of our journey. Our conclusion is without fatalism or pessimism, a conclusion with inspiration, hope, and
the determination to stand tall and proud. Not to abide intolerance, but to stand against bigotry and oppression
wherever it appears and to strengthen Jewish identity throughout life
continued...
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Remarks from Rabbi Rudin continued
“Seeing the numbers on my father’s arm is what started this for me,” Sam told me. “There were no answers forthcoming to my questions. Only tears. It wasn’t until my first son was born and my father would hold the baby in
his arms for hours, walking all around the house until Josh fell asleep that my father began to tell Ann about what
had happened. Now, I want the young people especially not to just learn what happened, but to understand. We
cannot sit quietly ever again! We must always be ready to respond - strongly!”
Adath Shalom’s Neighbors Project has helped us as a community to learn, to reflect and to become strengthened
as a Jewish community of compassion and action. Yeshar Ko’ach to the Mosberg Family, to Committee Chair
Sam Varsano, members Barry Zucker, Mark Hoffman, Deb Smith, Sue Rosenthal, Stephanie Sudit and Harry
Kern. Yeshar Ko’ach to those who participated and who see themselves as inspired and called upon to become
leaders in their own right.
And the journey is not over. The committee is already in the planning stages for next year’s continuation of the
Adath Shalom Holocaust Education Program. Our destination: Europe to view the camps, the great centers of civilization that both spawned the Holocaust and are now the site of a resurgent Jewish life even as the old shadows
rise in new forms. To be a Jew is to engage in Jewish learning with the faith that even the darkest moments contain something that can inspire the future, nourish hope and affirm life. Let us learn. Let us engage. Let us study.
Let us grow stronger, more compassionate, more committed, more active, more connected. L’chaim - to life.
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Purim is coming!
Emails were sent mid-January with information on how to order Purim baskets on happypurim.com.
We will be assembling the baskets on Sunday morning, February 22nd and
will need lots of helpers to get the baskets made. This has been a really
successful fundraiser for the synagogue in the past and we hope we can
continue that trend.
Any questions, please contact Robin Suskind at [email protected]
STEVEN M. ROTHBARD FOUNDATION
The Steven M. Rothbard Foundation was created by his family in an effort to perpetuate the memory of Steven
Rothbard, who was tragically killed in a car accident in 1997. The Foundation offers scholarships to four-year
college-bound high school seniors who are superior scholar-athletes or scholar-musicians. To qualify, the recipient, male or female, must be a member of the current graduating class, among the top third in rank, planning to
attend a four year institution of higher learning in the fall following graduation and have participated in either a high
school athletic or music program.
For an application, please call Laurie at the Synagogue office.
Completed applications must be mailed by March 31, 2015 to:
The Steven M. Rothbard Foundation,
c/o Beth Felsen, President
26 Black Birch Drive, Randolph, New Jersey 07869
Memorial Plaques
Permanently memorialize your loved ones by dedicating plaques on the memorial alcoves in our sanctuary.
Buying a plaque also means that the name will be included in our Yizkor book every year.
The donation to our synagogue is $360 (twenty times chai).
Please call the office for more information.
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Giving is a part of our Jewish heritage and our Jewish way of life. Traditionally, Jews give “tzedakah” to commemorate occasions,
both happy and sad, and to acknowledge honors (aliyot), accomplishments, friends...almost anything. Giving can take many forms.
One can give of their time and effort to the Jewish community or to the synagogue. One can give books, tapes, or other necessary
and tangible items. Many, however, choose to give money, either to individual funds available through the synagogue, or to the
general fund, allowing the leadership to use the donation in whatever way it deems most necessary.
ADATH SHALOM EXTENDS CONDOLENCES TO:
Sid Markowitz
On the loss of his mother, Ida Markowitz
The Frost Family
On the loss of Allan’s mother, Estelle Frost
The Weisburg Family
On the loss of Lori’s grandmother, Mildred Lorber
ADATH SHALOM EXTENDS A MAZAL TOV TO:
The Ravin Family
On Aliyah becoming a Bat Mitzvah
DONATIONS TO THE HOEXTER FAMILY
CARING FUND WERE RECEIVED FROM:
Allan & Deborah Berlinsky
In memory of Mildred Lorber
George & Lainie Fiszer
In memory of Mildred Lorber
Larry & Merle Lomrantz
Steve & Carol Mandel
In memory of Mildred Lorber
In memory of Ida Markowitz
Jerry & Maxine Moses
DECEMBER ONEGS AND KIDDUSHES
ARE SPONSORED BY:
Meyer & Sue Rosenthal
In memory of Magda Heller
The Ravin Family
In honor of Aliyah
Andrew & Sue Silbert
Aleph Class
In honor of their class service
Sam & Ann Varsano
DONATION TO THE RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY
FUND WAS RECEIVED FROM:
YAHRZEIT DONATIONS TO THE GENERAL FUND
WERE RECEIVED FROM:
James & Linda Wolk
Phillip & Rita Levine
In memory of Lillian Levine
YAHRZEIT DONATION TO THE RABBI’S
DISCRETIONARY FUND WAS RECEIVED FROM:
Lisa Monday
In memory of Irvin Mollen
In memory of Meyer Mollen
In memory of Ida Harris
Sid Markowitz
In memory of Eileen Markowitz
DONATION TO THE CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY
FUND WAS RECEIVED FROM:
Joel & Marla Katz
In honor of the marriage of Todd and Jenny Easton
YAHRZEIT DONATION TO THE CANTOR’S
DISCRETIONARY FUND WAS RECEIVED FROM:
Sid Markowitz
In memory of Eileen Markowitz
YAHRZEIT DONATIONS TO THE HOEXTER FAMILY
CARING FUND WERE RECEIVED FROM:
Leslie & Lynne Abcug
In memory of Shirley Rosenberg
John & Susan Freiheiter
In memory of Felix Freiheiter
Brian Kalver & Sue Och
In memory of Golda Och
The Suskind Family
Meyer & Sue Rosenthal
In memory of Milton Jacoby
In memory of Samuel Rosenthal
In memory of Irving Rubenstein
David & Ellen Shinberg
In memory of Mildred Lorber
Eden Wenig
In memory of Fay Wenig
DONATIONS TO THE MOSBERG FAMILY
HOLOCAUST EDUCATION FUND
WERE RECEIVED FROM:
Brent Mechanical Co.
KF Mechanical LLC
Sue Rosenthal
In honor of Sam Varsano’s Excellent Teaching
Meyer & Sue Rosenthal
In honor of Hannah Stepak becoming a Bat Mitzvah
Frederick & Judith Schiller
In memory of Sidney Schiller
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Giving is a part of our Jewish heritage and our Jewish way of life. Traditionally, Jews give “tzedakah” to commemorate occasions,
both happy and sad, and to acknowledge honors (aliyot), accomplishments, friends...almost anything. Giving can take many forms.
One can give of their time and effort to the Jewish community or to the synagogue. One can give books, tapes, or other necessary
and tangible items. Many, however, choose to give money, either to individual funds available through the synagogue, or to the
general fund, allowing the leadership to use the donation in whatever way it deems most necessary.
DONATIONS TO THE TORAH FUND
WERE RECEIVED FROM:
TREES WERE PLANTED IN ISRAEL BY:
Jackie Harris
In memory of Eugene Ginsberg
Olga Menczer
In honor of and with thanks to my dear friends
Charles Miller & Marcy Thailer
Stuart & Amy Perlmutter
In memory of Alan Auerbach
Andrew & Sue Silbert
In memory of Estelle Frost
Gary & Debbie Stein
In memory of Chris Pinkham
Neal & Deb Smith
YAHRZEIT DONATIONS TO THE TORAH FUND
WERE RECEIVED FROM:
Howard & Margie Forman
In memory of Frances Forman
Andrew & Sue Silbert
In memory of Mary Silbert
In memory of John Howard Larchar
DONATIONS TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS FUND
WERE RECEIVED FROM:
Steve & Charlotte Frank
In honor of Cantor Jack & Barbara’s granddaughter
becoming a Bat Mitzvah
Ric Gitomer and Helene Reich
In honor of the birth of Ava Kimowitz
YAHRZEIT DONATIONS TO THE SPECIAL NEEDS
FUND WERE RECEIVED FROM:
A DONATION TO THE MITZVAH GARDEN
WAS RECEIVED FROM:
Meyer & Sue Rosenthal
In honor of Sam Epstein becoming a Bar Mitzvah
KOL NIDRE DONATIONS WERE RECEIVED FROM:
Inna Benin
Sheldon & Lisa Epstein
Kenneth & Cindy Eskow
Alan & Sylvia Fask
Richard Hochman & Debra Bernstein
Joel & Susan Klinger
Alan & Randi Koenigsberg
Steven Rhinesmith & Ariel Hahn
Cantor Eddie & Robin Roffman
Jack & Cookie Samuels
Roy & Evelyn Sanders
Bernard & Susan Skolnick
Barry & Donna Zucker
A SIDDUR WAS DONATED BY:
Steve & Charlotte Frank
In memory of Grace Clement Levi
In memory of Hugo Frank
The Maven Family
In memory of Estelle Frost
.
SISTERHOOD TRIBUTE FUND
A thru M Elaine Blafer
(973) 402-6268 or [email protected]
To:
From:
Ann Small
In memory of your beloved good friend,
Eugene Ginsberg
Ethel Lerner
N thru Z Patti Siegel
[email protected]
To:
From:
From:
Lori and Steve Weisburg and Family
In memory of your beloved grandmother and
great grandmother, Mildred Lorber
The Appel Family
Maxine and Jerry Moses
Lori and Len Brooks and Family
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COOL EVENTS in FEBRUARY
Adath Shalom Beit Midrash Adult Education
Come and explore, discuss, learn, laugh, share and connect!
Great Opportunities for informal Jewish learning on Sunday mornings!
Davening and Parsha Schmooze!
Jewish prayer is most powerful when shared as a community. Join our seventh graders
and adults for a short morning service (30 minutes) to begin your week with a spiritual
blast! Then stick around for one of Rabbi Rudin’s inspiring discussions about the weekly
Torah portion over breakfast for learners of all backgrounds!
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM in the Sanctuary and Kiddush Room
Dates: Every Sunday when Religious School is in session
Sweet Taste of Torah with Rabbi Richard Hammerman
For over 40 years, Rabbi Hammerman has been intimately involved in almost every
aspect of the Conservative/Masorti Movement. We are delighted to offer his classes.
Jewish writings are filled with wisdom, humor, warmth and charm. Rabbi Hammerman will
guide us in a tour of the delicious vintages of the Jewish wine cellar.
Kiddush Room: 10:20 AM - 11:20 AM
Dates: February 1, March 8 and 29
Writers’ Circle
Writing is one of the most powerful forms of self expression. Here’s a great opportunity for
Adath Shalom writers and those with an interest in writing. Here’s a chance to have your
material read and responded to by other writers. Any subject, any amount of writing experience - just come with a piece of writing you’re willing to share. Facilitated by Pauline Hahn.
Rabbi’s Office: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Dates: Every Sunday when Religious School is in session
Family Conversational Hebrew:
Learn how to speak Hebrew as a family! Join us for a fun and informal half hour of learning
vocabulary, phrases and useful expressions through games, informal exercises, music,
videos and more! A great way to augment and enrich your child's Jewish education.
Beit Midrash: 12:30 PM - 1:15 PM
Dates: February 1, March 15 and 22
Shul Boot Camp!
Unfamiliar/uncomfortable taking part in services? Never fear! Join us for this informal, fun
and spirited exploration of Jewish ritual skills-- perfect for Religious School families!
Sanctuary 11:45-12:15 PM
Date: February 1
Free for Adath Shalom Members!
RSVP to [email protected]
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Does it ever seem that God doesn’t hear our prayers...
LET’S SING LOUDER!
Want to feel more comfortable singing during services?
Want to learn traditional tunes, and new ones too?
Join Student Cantor Brian Kalver on Wednesday evenings from 8 to 9 pm
in the Beit Midrash for Adath Shalom’s Singing Community program.
Everyone is welcome. No musical knowledge or ability needed.
Every voice increases the volume of our prayers.
February 4, 11
RSVP to [email protected]
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THE JEWISH ANGLE
Get spiritual, have a nosh, have fun!!
Short davening, discussion and dessert with Rabbi Rudin.
For Adults
Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM in the Beit Midrash
February 5, 12
March 12, 26
RSVP to [email protected]
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Pajama Neshama
Fridays: February 6, March 6, May 1, June 5
5:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Bring your pre-school children in their PJs for an
age-appropriate Shabbat Service, singing, a craft
and a bedtime story - all concluding with a light
child-friendly Shabbat dinner!
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Experience the Art of Bibliodrama with Reb Deb Smith
Part II
Febuary 14, 2015
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Bibliodrama is text study using the imagination. Join us as we examine
a familiar passage in the Torah by stepping into it and making it our own.
We will become the personalities of our past, step into some gaps in the
Torah narrative, and proceed as if the parasha is happening today.
Come along on a very exciting journey!
You will never look at our Torah stories the same way again!
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2014-2015 Saturday Morning
Monthly Youth Services Schedule
Energetic, fun, interactive services, discussions and games to help your child
connect with Judaism, develop their character and feed their spiritual selves!
Junior Congregation (grades 3-6) 9:45 am with Debbie Cirkus
Morah Debbie brings stories and prayers to life and creates a welcoming prayer environment!
Shabbat Chavurah (grades K-2) 10:30 am with Helaine Schreiber
Morah Helaine is a dynamic educator who shares her love of Judaism with her students!
Tot Shabbat (pre-Kindergarten) 10:30 am with Shari Berman
Morah Shari is an engaging educator who makes Shabbat fun for our kids!
February 21
March 21
April 18
May 16
June 20
RSVP to Pam Jorlett at [email protected]
or just come by
After Youth Services conclude, please join us in the
Main Sanctuary for the conclusion of the Shabbat Service
and then Kiddush in the Social Hall
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New date! It’s never too early to invite someone for Shabbat!
Our next Shabbat@Home is planned for Friday, February 27
Interested in hosting? It’s so easy to turn your dinner into Shabbat!
Just invite at least one Adath Shalom family/couple to your home.
We provide the blessings, challah, candles, and Kiddush
You provide the dinner – any way you want it!
Interested in being a guest but not yet ready to host? Send us an email to let us
know how many people in your family and we will do our best to match you up.
For more information, email Maxine Smith at
[email protected]
or call her at 973-326-8883.
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JNF’s Alternative Spring Break in Israel is a FREE trip for Jewish college students and young
adults (ages 18-30) to volunteer in Israel. It is an exciting week long trip allowing its participants to
make a personal impact in Israel. This year's volunteering will take place both in the North of Israel
and in the Negev Desert. Trips leave on February 28, March 7, 14,* and 22**, 2015 (*Includes a bus
specifically for young professionals, **LA departure).
Participants are responsible for raising a minimum of $1,500, using an easy online program to communicate by email to family and friends for the trip. Monies raised will go towards JNF’s Blueprint
Negev campaign if you travel to the South of Israel, and to Operation Carmel Renewal if you travel to
the North of Israel. Blueprint Negev supports Israel’s newest generation of pioneers in developing, inhabiting and preserving the Negev Desert, and Operation Carmel Renewal to help rebuild Northern Israel from the devastating December 2010 fire. Both trips include opportunities to get your hands dirty
and help out, meet people who are changing the world, and reflect on the Jewish service experience.
Some trip highlights may include:
 Building community gardens
 Working with children
 Visiting new communities in the North or South
 Meeting with students in Israel
 Refurbishing bomb shelters
 Shabbat in Jerusalem
 AND SO MUCH MORE!!!
For more information please contact Anna Richlin at [email protected] or (973) 593-0095 x 826
To sign up go to http://jnf.org/break
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This space
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152 Summit Road
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Hours by Appointment:
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45
973-239-6234
Fax (973) 239-4052
BULLETIN ADS
To place an ad, please contact the
Synagogue office 973 539-8549
Full Page $150/month
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46
Adath Shalom
A Conservative Synagogue
841 Mountain Way, Morris Plains, NJ 07950-1955