Wednesday, May 21, 2014

A Message From Our Cantorial Soloist

From the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:



A Message from Nancy Beller-Kreiger  



Dear Friends and Students,

It has been a great honor for me to serve Congregation Adas Emuno this past year as your Cantorial Soloist and Music Teacher.  You are a wonderful and unique community of down-to-earth folks, and I felt so genuinely welcomed and embraced from the very start. Thank you for sharing in the joy of Jewish worship and music with me.  I leave you with the warm feeling of knowing that what we shared together was truly special!

B'Shalom,

Nancy Beller-Krieger 

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Renewal

From the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:



A Message From Our President


Dr. Lance Strate








Renewal


It's been some winter, hasn't it? But finally, finally, finally, it's come to an end, it's getting warmer and warmer out, all that white has finally disappeared and the green has taken over, and we recently celebrated our spring holiday, Passover, the festival of our liberation and freedom.

Soon enough we'll be enjoying the summer heat, or complaining about the humidity. But for this brief moment, I ask that you think about this season of rebirth and renewal.

It is a time to think about our renewal as a congregation and nonprofit organization. Every June we hold our Annual Congregational Meeting, as mandated by our By-Laws (newly revised, as approved at our special congregational meeting last month). Please note that the date of the meeting has changed, and it will be held a week later than previously scheduled, on June 26th at 7 PM.

At our annual meeting, we will be electing the congregation's officers, all of whom serve two-year terms, and trustees, each of whom serve a three-year term. Your vote sends an important message of support to our congregational leadership. Even better, if you are interested in serving, we really could use your help, so please contact Virginia Gitter, who is chairing the Nominations Committee.

At our annual meeting, we will also continue the discussion began at our March special congregational meeting on the status and privileges of non-Jewish members of the congregation. Come and let your voice be heard on this important subject, and listen to what others have to say.

Renewal also applies to our religious school. It's time for parents to renew their children's enrollment for the next school year. Please help us to prepare properly for the coming year, in which renewal also means some significant changes.

As we look forward to the arrival of our new Religious School Director, Sandy Horowitz, who will also be serving as our congregation's new, newly ordained Cantor, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Annice Benamy for her two years of service as Director, as well as to express our appreciation for Nancy Beller-Krieger for serving as our Cantorial Soloist this year, and Cantor Estelle Epstein for her work as our B'nai Mitzvah tutor.

Renewal also means renewing your membership. Remember that we need your financial support to survive. The end of June marks the end of our congregation's fiscal year, and renewal also means a renewal of your dedication to maintaining Adas Emuno's financial health. And also remember that we will turn no one away due to financial exigencies.

Renewal applies not only to your own membership, to the membership of Adas Emuno as a whole. We need your help to bring in new members, so that our congregation can continue to survive, and thrive. Help us to promote Adas Emuno, and get the word out about all that we have to offer as an intimate and inspirational Reform Jewish temple.

This is a season of renewal. It is a time of renewal for our congregation and our religious school. And it is a time for each and every one of us to renew our support and commitment to Adas Emuno.

Monday, May 19, 2014

The Rabbi's Top Ten Israeli History Events

We recently celebrated Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day, back on May 6th. And in anticipation of the 66th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state, Rabbi Schwartz devoted his May 1st online column for the Times of Israel to the ten most important historical events concerning the State of Israel.  Here now is The Rabbi's Top Ten Israeli History Events:


In celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, here (chronologically) is my compilation of the most significant events in the history of modern Israel:


  1. Balfour DeclarationThe dream comes into view, after intense lobbying.

  2. United Nations Partition Vote
The dream becomes reality.

  3. Declaration of Independence
A Jewish homeland after 2000 years.

  4. War of Independence
Israel will have to fight for her existence, but prevails.

  5. Six Day War
Modern Israel is like the ancient Maccabees.

  6. Yom Kippur War
The illusion of invincibility is gone, but invasion is stayed.

  7. Entebbe
Miracles do happen; a first class military helps.

  8. Begin’s Election
A Polish Irgun leader becomes the voice of the second Israel.

  9. Sadat’s Visit
Euphoria that peace is always possible.

10. Rabin’s handshake/assassination
When euphoria gives way to despair.

Previous posts in this series include:
  
The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Foods

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Modern Events 

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Social Action Summary

From the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno:


A Report from Annette DeMarco
Social Action Committee Chairperson


Neither cold, ice nor snow kept Adas Emuno congregants from banding together in order to reach out to those in need!  From the last issue of Kadima to now, here are some of the ways in which that took place:

Clothing Drive—We collected approximately 30 bags of clothing for children, women and men; thank you, thank you!  Cantor Nancy Beller-Krieger filled her car numerous times with these donations and had them picked up from her home by House of Blessing, which gives the clothes to anyone in need.  A sincere thank you to our Cantor for putting us in touch with this wonderful organization and for the "delivery service"!

Good Deeds Day
The Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey held a county wide food drive, culminating on Good Deeds Day, which our congregation was involved with.  We collected food and delivered it to the Federation's office in Paramus.  Thank you to all who donated, with special appreciation to Lauren Rowland and Richard Alicchio for their work on this project.  A "SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU" to Hannah Scowden, who volunteered her time at the Federation's office on Good Deeds Day, helping to divide up food donations so that various food banks received them.  Good for you, Hannah; great job!!!!!  Many people did NOT go hungry because of your help!  We are sooooo very proud of you!!!  Oh, and thank you for bringing your mom, Sandy Zornek!

Please continue to bring nonperishable, unopened, unexpired food to the temple, to be delivered to the Center for Food Action in Englewood.  Apparently, the shelves are somewhat in need.

Soda can tabs continue to be collected for Ronald McDonald House. Happy springtime, everyone! 

Regards,    


Annette

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

You Are My Sunshine

In celebration of Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day, here is a music video straight from the State of Israel's official YouTube channel, entitled Sunshine Across Israel, in which "Israelis lip-dub Matisyahu's hit 'Sunshine' on the background of some of Israel's most beautiful sites":





And here are the credits:


Sunshine

Written by Matisyahu, Allan Grigg & DP Holmes.

From the album "Spark Seeker" (2012) - Fallen Sparks Records

Credits

Production: Sluztky & Dana Cohen Productions HSCC, Zed Films

Producers: Smadar Azran, Gil Roeh

Directed by Roy Krispel

Cinematographer: Ram Shani

Choreographer, movement director & casting: Adi Gordon

Lighting operator: Sharon Avraham

Make-up artist: Hagar Nachmias, Lina Katzap

Production crew: Yaron Soroka, Yonatan Bergman, Alex Kurin, Yakir Benishti

Editor: Dean Krispel

On-line editor: Liron Mula

So, Happy Birthday Israel! May your 66th year be one of peace and prosperity!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Hope

As Israel observes its Memorial Day and prepares to celebrate its 66th year as a modern, independent state, we join together with Jewish communities all around the world in commemorating Israel as the embodiment of hope, which in Hebrew translation, Hatikvah, is the name of Israel's national anthem:






In the words of the founder of the Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl: If you will it, it is no dream.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Modern Events

This past Monday, April 28th, was Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, this coming Monday, May 5th, tomorrow that is, will be Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, and the day after that, Tuesday, May 6th, will be Yom HaAtzma'ut, Israel's Independence Day.

In honor of this sequence of highly significant commemorations, we are pleased to repost here on our blog Rabbi Schwartz's list of the ten most important modern Jewish events, which originally was published on April 24th in his online column for the Times of Israel, under the heading of The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Modern Events:


As we approach Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, I offer a history list – my compilation of the most consequential events of modern Jewish history. As always, I welcome your comments.

1. Spinoza’s Excommunication—Launched thinker’s epic contribution to “modernity” and the notion of the secular Jew.

2. Mendelssohn’s “Jerusalem”First modern attempt to reconcile faith and reason.

3. Rise of HasidismKabbalistic spirit becomes energizing movement.

4. Parisian SanhedrinChallenges of citizenship become evident.

5. Frankfort Rabbinical ConferenceReform of Judaism finds its place even as a backlash ensues that helps create Conservative and Modern Orthodox denominations.

6. Emigration to AmericaDemographic shift begins to the new world.

7. Dreyfuss TrialPersistence of anti-Semitism shook Herzl and Europe.

8. First Zionist CongressHerzl’s reply and the first achievement of modern Zionism.

9. HolocaustTragedy on an unimaginable scale.

10. Birth of Modern IsraelTriumph on an unimaginable scale.

Previous posts in this series include The Rabbi’s Top Ten: The Best of Everything Jewish, and The Rabbi’s Top 10 Jewish Foods