Relgious School Autumnal News

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

Religious School News 

     from


Cantor Sandy Horowitz

Religious School Director

Things have been busy at Adas Emuno Religious School! We capped off the high holiday season with almost full student participation in the Simchat Torah service, as our youngest students led the Torah parade with singing and flags, and the other classes each chanted a Torah verse in both Hebrew and English–I felt so incredibly proud of them! That same night, the 7th grade class was responsible for leading us in Shabbat prayers and songs and they did a terrific job as well.

Last month we celebrated the bar mitzvah of Blake Klein as he read from the Torah and spoke to us about Noah–mazel tov to Blake and his entire family. Blake is an 8th grader and is one of our valued madrichim, along with the other teachers’ helpers Hannah Futeran, Lily Futeran, Emery Jacobowitz and Maddie Racciatti.

Looking ahead, our next Shabbat Family Service takes place on Friday, November 17th. At this special service, we will have a Consecration Ceremony for new students who joined our school last year and this year. Before services, the Membership Committee is hosting a Pizza Dinner at 6:30 in honor of this year's new member families. All school families are invited to attend the pizza dinner, but we ask that you RSVP by Wednesday, November 15th. Please email (indicating how many people in your family will be attending the dinner) to Virginia at vegitter at aol.com or text to 551-404-7486.

Please make sure to check out these other dates and special events coming up in November and December:

Sunday, November 5
11:00 AM⏤Confirmation Class

Friday, November 17
6:30 PM⏤Pizza Dinner welcoming new member families

7:30 PM⏤Shabbat Family Service and Consecration Ceremony. “Decorate your own cupcake” oneg!

Sunday, November 26
Thanksgiving Weekend⏤No Religious School

Sunday, December 3
11:30 AM⏤Social Action Mitzvah Mall for students and their parents

Thursday, December 7
7:30 PM B’nei Mitzvah Parent Meeting

Sunday, December 10
11:00 AM⏤Confirmation Class

Friday, December 15
7:30 PM⏤Grade 5-6 Shabbat Family Service

Saturday, December 16
7:00 PM Community Menorah Lighting/Chanukah Party

Sunday, December 17
Chanukah Party during Religious School

Sunday, December 24 & 31
No School

Religious School New Year

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

Religious School News 

     from


Cantor Sandy Horowitz

Religious School Director

Shalom and welcome to another year of Religious School at Adas Emuno!

A story: There was once a man who wanted to convert to Judaism. He confronted Rabbi Hillel, a wise sage, and said to him, "Teach me everything about Judaism while I’m standing one foot!" To which Hillel replied, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Now, go and study!"

“Now, go and study!” It’s not always easy to know how to treat others the way we ourselves wish to be treated; it’s a learning process. At Adas Emuno Religious School, learning is interactive as we encourage students to articulate their own ideas and questions, as they learn also to listen to the thoughts and opinions of others. The curriculum varies somewhat from year to year, while the fundamental values of respect and kindness remain constant. And may I say that I feel the urgency of this mission more than ever this year, in the face of so much public turmoil.

It all begins on Sunday September 10! That morning we will also hold our annual Welcome Back Meeting for all parents. At that meeting you will receive the Religious School Calendar, hear about plans for the upcoming year, and sign up for the many volunteer opportunities.



 

May this be a year of good learning for everyone!

Please note these important events for September and October:

Sunday, September 10
9:00 AM⏤First Day of School

Friday, September 15
7:30 PM⏤Back to School Shabbat Family Service honoring teachers and madrachim

Sunday, September 17
11:00 AM⏤First Confirmation Class session

Thursday, September 21
2:00 PM⏤Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service followed by Tashlich at Overpeck Park in Leonia

Saturday, September 30
2:00 PM⏤Yom Kippur Children’s Service

Friday, October 13
7:30 PM⏤Shabbat Family Service with Grade 7 participation and Simchat Torah celebration

Saturday, October 21
10:00 AM⏤Bar Mitzvah of Blake Klein

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

A Message From Our President

Dr. Lance Strate

Why Do We Do What We Do?

As the summer season comes to close, we now prepare for our annual ritual of renewal, our High Holy Days and Festivals, our New Year and Day of Atonement and At-One-ment, and our celebrations of the divine gifts of nature and scripture, harvest and Torah, sustenance for body and for soul.

But why? Why do we do what we do? A single question, with many answers.

Because we remember.

Because we remember who we are.

Because we remember who we have chosen to be.

Because we love our children, and we do not want them to be deprived of the spiritual dimension of life.

Because we love our children, and we do not want them to be outsiders, estranged from our Jewish community, alienated from our unique civilization.

Because we love learning, and respect the importance of education and ethical conduct alike.

Because we believe in social justice, and that we should not stand idly by.

Because we remember that we are commanded to love our neighbors, and also to love the stranger.

Because we love and respect family and community.

Because we honor our mothers and fathers, and their mothers and fathers, and all those who came before, who preserved this irreplaceable legacy for us, and who lived and died so that we can live our lives in peace and freedom.

Because we remember and honor Abraham's covenant with God.

Because we remember and honor the faith of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel and Leah.

Because we remember that we were slaves in Egypt.

Because we remember Moses, and the prophetic vision of a world redeemed.

Because we remember Sinai, and honor our obligations to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.

Because we believe that we are called upon to repair and heal the world.

Because we believe in a living tradition that is flexible, and that continues to grow and evolve.

Because we believe in something greater than ourselves.

Because we want to believe in something greater than ourselves.

Because we are not sure what to believe, but are willing to struggle with that question, and are not prepared to surrender without a fight.

Because we do not want 4,000 years of Jewish life to end with us.

Because we remember the Holocaust, and say to the world, never again.

Because we remember the Holocaust, and remember that we are defined by much more than being victims of persecution.

Because we honor the State of Israel, and rejoice in its accomplishments.

Because we honor the State of Israel, and honor the fact that we are defined by much more than a promised land and a holy city and a promise to return.

Because we not bound by place or space, but instead are connected to one another through history, and across time.

Because we honor the past and keep faith with the future, believing in a better world to come, one that we can take part in creating, here on earth.

Because it is meaningful, and gives our lives a significance we cannot obtain though any other means.

Because it matters, to us, to our parents and children, our families and friends, to our neighbors and strangers, to our allies and foes, to the world in both its sacred and profane aspects.

Because it makes a difference, being a deliberate choice we make as to whether the Jewish people and the Jewish faith will continue tomorrow or end today.

Because we remember who we are.

Because we remember we are Jews.

Because we remember.

Rabbi Schwartz's Report at our Annual Congregational Meeting

Delivered at our annual congregational meeting on June 22nd:

Rabbi's Report for the Year 5777

Each year I submit brief remarks based on the three basic functions of the synagogue as reflected in its Hebrew names: Beit Tefilah (House of Prayer), Beit Midrash (House of Study) and Beit K’nesset (House of Gathering).

Beit Tefilah: Our High Holiday services were full and joyful; the same can be said for our holiday celebrations, especially Hanukkah, Purim and the Pesach congregational Seder. The exception is Simchat Torah, which would benefit from some creative rethinking. I want to once again applaud the parents and students of our school who have made monthly Family Services so invigorating.

Beit Midrash: Our year-long study of the history of Reform Judaism was one of our best Torah study experiences to date. I am grateful for the remarkably strong support given Torah study week-in, week-out, and the vibrant discussion that takes place on a consistent basis. Our religious school, though diminished in numbers, concluded another excellent year, under the able leadership of the Cantor, the faculty, and the education committee. A new youth group was successfully launched in connection with a revised Confirmation program. Special thanks to our youth advisors Sabina Albrech and Samantha Rosenbloom, and to our b’nai mitzvah coordinator Marilyn Katz. Despite these positive developments, it is clear that we will have to grapple in the coming year with the consequences of our declining demographics.

Beit K’nesset: I am especially proud of our interfaith and social justice work this year, including hosting the Leonia Community Thanksgiving Service, our Community Interfaith Sanctuary City Resolution, Western Wall Resolution, and Mitzvah Mall program. Two greatly generous contributions to the synagogue will permit a new enhanced sound system, special youth programming, and other good works granted by the rabbi’s discretionary fund. I conclude, as always, with my sincere gratitude to the Temple Board, to the Cantor, and to our “family of families” for all you do to sustain our “assembly of the faithful” from year to year.

Beginning of School Year Notes

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

Religious School News 

     from


Cantor Sandy Horowitz

Religious School Director

At family services and bnei mitzvah ceremonies we sing, “Al shlosha devarim ha’olam omed: al haTorah, v’al ha’Avodah, v’al Gemilut Hasadim”–“The world stands on three things: Torah (learning), service (prayer), and acts of kindness.”

These three pillars of Jewish tradition represent our themes for the school year.

Learning: We strive to cultivate the mind through interactive learning, artistic expression, questioning, and discussion as students engage with learning about bible, history, holidays, traditions and more.

Prayer: Students learn to read, recite, chant and sing prayers in English and Hebrew, as they explore the ways in which prayer expresses our ancestors’ and our own deepest feelings and heartfelt gratitude.

Acts of Kindness: Along with learning to think and feel Jewishly, we also strive to “do Jewish” by cultivating a commitment to tikun olam–repairing the world–as students are encouraged to become more aware of how they can incorporate the values of kindness, fairness and compassion into their daily lives.

As we begin a new religious school year, I hope that we can inspire in our students an ever-growing spark of connection with Jewish tradition, which can continue throughout their lives.

Shana Tova! May we be blessed for a sweet new school year!

 
DATES TO REMEMBER:

Thursday, September 8
7:30 PM School Committee Meeting

Sunday, September 11
9:00 AM First Day for Kindergarten through Grade 7
Parent program from 9-10:30

Sunday, September 18
First day of Confirmation Class
 
Friday, September 23
7:30PM Shabbat Family “Back-to- School” Service with make-your-own ice cream sundae oneg!

Sunday, October 2
No School in Session

Monday, October 3
2:00 PM Family/Children’s Service for Rosh Hashanah

Wednesday, October 12
2:00 PM Family/Children’s Service for Yom Kippur

Thursday, October 13 
7:30 PM School Committee Meeting

Friday, October 14
7:30 PM Shabbat Family service with 7th Grade Class participation–all school students & families welcome!

Saturday, October 15
10:00 AM Bar Mitzvah of Hudson Borelli

Celebrate Sukkot & Simchat Torah!

Friday, October 21
7:30 PM Shabbat Service & Sing-Along in the Sukkah

Sunday, October 23
*Pre-K Sukkot program with the “big kids” (K-1)!
*School wide Sukkot program
*6:00 PM “Subs in the Sukkah”
*7:00 PM Erev Simchat Torah Service & Consecration of new Religious School students

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

From the desk of …                    

 Rabbi Barry Schwartz

    

THE CANOPY OF PEACE

I write this with the “holidays” come and gone... and there seem to be so many special memories this year.

The splendid High Holy Day weather; the cantor’s stirring voice; Doris White’s moving appeal; the Tashlich crowd... and, yes, the tears on my wife’s face as I dedicated my sermon, The Work of our Hands, to her.

...the super-moon eclipse over the Temple and s’mores-in-the-sukkah, the fabulous evening of folk-songs in the “sukkah” (almost), when Stella Borelli sang “Hands” by Jewel (which she learned special for the occasion because I had referenced a line from it in the aforementioned sermon); subs-in-the sukkah, when sixty (count them) people squeezed into the sukkah to say the blessings and reach for a sandwich.

...the procession to the sidewalk with our Torah scrolls at Simchat Torah; the bursting bimah as everyone received an Aliyah by birthday; the consecration of our newest students. What beautiful memories and what vitality.

An aside: Debby sent a copy of the Hands sermon to the surgeon who performed the pioneering surgery on that little boy Zion. Within hours she received a reply, “I’m crying reading this in Honduras.” Dr. Scott Kozin was on a medical mission there, working more miracles. During Sukkot I sang a song with our youth, called "The Canopy of Peace (Sukkat Shalom)". As part of the song, we went around mentioning places in the world that need peace. Tragically, the stunning pictures of Syrian refugees streaming to Europe were also part of the holiday experience this year. So, too, the destruction of one of the world’s priceless archeological sites, Palmyra, by the scourge called ISIS.

And so, too, as the holidays came to an end, and continuing even as I write this, of images of Jews being stabbed by knife-wielding Palestinians in our beloved Israel. The year that I began rabbinical studies I lived on a wonderful old street in Jerusalem with the very name, Sukkat Shalom. The image of the Canopy of Peace actually occurs in our prayers every Shabbat as part of the Hashkivenu prayer. We never stop praying for peace and pursuing peace. We cannot stop now.

Yes, we are grateful for all the blessings in our lives and for the embrace of the special community that is Congregation Adas Emuno. At the same time, we pray that the Canopy of Peace be spread deeper and wider over a world so much in need of shalom.

Happy Torah!

Tonight we celebrate the end of the festival of Sukkot, and the holiday of Simchat Torah. Join us at Congregation Adas Emuno at 6 PM for Subs in the Succah (in the Social Hall in case of rain or hurricane), and 7 PM for our Simchat Torah observance and celebration, including the consecration of our religious school students.

And to help get in the mood:







It's time to rewind the scroll and start our Torah-reading cycle again, a chance for new beginnings with the new year. Come and be a part of the Spirit of 5776 at Adas Emuno!

Doris White's Yom Kippur Appeal 5776

L’Shana Tova.

I have been chosen to give the Yom Kippur appeal for two reasons: (1) I was absent from the meeting when the speaker was chosen and (2) my fellow board members thought I might be a good candidate because I left Adas Emuno for a few years and then returned. In truth, I feel honored to be standing here. I can’t think of a more supportive place to help me overcome a bit of nervousness at speaking before a packed house.

Yes. I did leave this congregation for a few years. Sometimes we feel as I did that the person and the place are no longer a good fit, and I did feel that way. My daughters and I joined temples in their towns, and it was fine, but not the same. After a year or two, I met Eileen Cohen who said, “Come back. Give it a try. We have a wonderful rabbi. Drop by one Saturday for Torah study.” It took me a few months, but one Saturday I decided to see this wonderful rabbi. The rest, as they say, is history. Rabbi Schwartz had me from his first thoughtful comments, and I became a regular at Torah study. Then I attended Friday night services and a few special events, and yes—dear listener—I rejoined and became a member of a vibrant, thoughtful, intellectual, musical, inspirational congregation. Shortly thereafter my daughters and their children came with me. When Cantor Horowitz arrived last year, the picture was complete. We here at Adas Emuno call Rabbi Schwartz and Cantor Horowitz the dream team, and we are so lucky that they are here. Everyone who was at last night’s Kol Nidre service can attest to the words and music that took their places in our hearts and our minds. Sadly, Rabbi, another sports legend passed away yesterday, Yogi Berra, with his own way with words, but his legacy is pure gold—no asterisk there.

We can’t close our eyes to the fact that synagogues in our area are closing: a few years ago Congregation Sons of Israel and shortly Gesher Shalom in Fort Lee. My talk will not concentrate on asking you to keep Adas Emuno alive; I’d like you to witness with me that we are alive with great energy, great spirit and great heart. We cross the generations as is reflected in our board, we are inclusive of everyone who wants to be here, and our welcome is strong. Our board works diligently to keep abreast of the times and offers activities that we want you to join: upcoming a walking tour of the Lower East Side, a fund raising event for our religious school called Treats and Treasures which will take place on October 29th at Modiani Kitchen in Englewood with prizes ranging from restaurant and store gift cards to a week at a vacation home in North Carolina. There will even be a cooking demonstration given by someone I know very well. We have our fingers on the pulse of our members; we are thinking and planning speakers, songfests, celebrations and prayer. The whole megillah.

Did you know that we celebrate the holidays with joy and music? Please join us in the Sukkah on October 2nd for performances by our youngest to our most mature members. Then on October 4th we offer subs in the Sukkah followed by our annual Simchat Torah service which spills out of our doors as we read the last words of the Torah and then begin the ancient ritual of starting over with the first words of Genesis. Please join us; we need your voices and your hands as we raise the Torah high.

Did you know that this year’s Torah study theme is Jewish ethics? Come and join us Saturday mornings from 10-11:30. Rabbi Schwartz discusses each section with commentary, psychology, archeology, history and politics. Even on the coldest winter mornings the talk is lively and stimulating with the many different perspectives offered by our members and guests. Everyone is welcome.

Did you know that we have a Poetry Garden the second Sunday of each month from 7-8 PM? Those of us who love the sound of words gather in the garden when it is warm and in the social hall when it is not. We read our favorite poems, classic and current, or listen to what others read or even share our own poetic thoughts. This past Sunday as the darkness fell, we recited some children’s poetry , were introduced to a new poet, Chanah Bloch. Each month we are surprised and delighted by poetry. Come and join us.

Did you know that we have a lively adult education program that has brought us folk dancing, scholars, comedians, archaeologists, members from Israel’s IDF? Please enjoy these special times with us.

Did you know that we have an engaged and dedicated staff of Hebrew teachers under the direction of Cantor Horowitz and an enrollment of excellent students in grades K through confirmation? We even have a Tot Mitzvah program for 2-1/2- to 4-year-olds that meets three times in the fall and three times in the spring in conjunction with the holidays. I invite you to take a walk or ride past our Hebrew school at noon on Sundays and see the faces of the children as they greet their parents with talk of what they learned and enthusiasm for the several projects the school offers.

Did you know that the B'nai Mitvahs in this temple are such meaningful experiences for our students? I know because three of my grandchildren stood on this bimah as Bar/Bat Mitvahs in the Spring. I invite you to attend the next such event so you can join with me in watching as this temple, these children and their families, this “dream team” inducts our children so meaningfully and so joyfully into the rituals, obligations and beauty of coming of age in Judaism. I was passed the special Torah, saved from the Holocaust in Czechoslovakia, and then passed it to my children and kvelled as they passed it down to their children, my beloved grandchildren. There are no words for this; you have to come and experience it yourselves.

Did you know that 10 students are continuing their Hebrew education past Bar/Bat Mitzvah as they meet with the rabbi in confirmation class? This year they will explore and discuss the many issues and decisions facing Jews and their connection to and support of Israel: topics such as the Iran situation, the Palestinian state conundrum, capital punishment, euthanasia. What a range of thoughtful topics for our young people on the threshold of becoming adults.

I also invite you to share with me the feeling of Shalom when I enter the sanctuary for Friday evening services. Each Shabbat I marvel again at the wisdom of separating the work week of tension, hassle, racing the clock with the ushering in of a time for rest, reflection and prayer. I often enter bringing with me the problems of my week and I feel them evaporating as the songs and prayers offered by Rabbi Schwartz, Cantor Horowitz and our congregation take their rightful place in my priorities. Rabbi Schwartz always provides his thoughts on what is happening in the world outside of ourselves, providing thought and even action as I go through the following week.

Perhaps my favorite part of the service is the Mi Sheberach prayer when we all join hands and send our healing thoughts to those who need them. We say the prayer together with joined hands and then give each others’ hands a final squeeze. I hope you will make time on a Friday night to join us and share in this healing communal spirit.

So we are alive and well and residing at 254 Broad Avenue in Leonia, New Jersey. We are privileged to be here with our dream team, our families, our friends, each other. Please take a minute, look around and absorb the worshipful aura in this sanctuary. Please think of this sharing as you consider your donation for this Yom Kippur appeal, and think of how your donation will support all the excellent happenings that make Congregation Adas Emuno such a special place.

I will end with a personal story. This summer, when her brothers and cousins were at camp, my granddaughter Stella asked me for a sleep over. What could be better? Of course I said, Yes. Then she asked me what we were going to do: I said: we would get manicures and pedicures, eat dinner and see a play in New York, and go to Shabbat services. She looked at me, but she knew I was serious. And so on a hot summer night in July, we did just that. Cantor Horowitz had brought her guitar and her lovely voice into the garden, and we sat on chairs around the lovely pond—thank you Rabbi and Fred Cohen. After the service was over, Stella said, “Bubbie, that was really nice. I love the way Lance sings the prayers and is so into it.” The next morning as were heading out for the manicures and pedicures, she said, “You know, Bub, I’m really glad we came back to your temple. It’s so heart to heart.”

Please open your own hearts and help us to keep this great Adas Emuno heart beating. Thank you.

Happy Sukkot!

As the Jewish holiday season continues with the week-long holiay of Sukkot, Congregation Adas Emuno wishes you all a chag sameach! And here is a fascinating look at Sukkot in Israel, uploaded to YouTube a few years ago:






Truly a celebration for every nation! Join us for our musical Sukkot events this evening, and Friday evening, and for Simchat Torah a week from tonight!

Back to School at Adas Emuno

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

Cantor Sandy Horowitz

Religious School Director






RELIGIOUS SCHOOL NEWS



The lazy days of summer are behind us; it’s September and we’re up and running!

The High Holidays are almost here, along with the first day of Religious School on September 20th.

We welcome our newest teacher, Aliza Neuer, who will be teaching Judaics in the youngest grades this year, as we bid farewell to retiring teacher, Zaphira Azoulay. We’ll miss you, Zaphira, and send you our best wishes. Our returning teachers are Sabina Albirt, Michael Dworkis, Samantha Rosenbloom, Charlene Stern, and Gary Rothschild. Doris White is also returning with her fun and friendly monthly Tot Mitzvah program.

By now, if you are a school family, you have received the newly adopted Family Service and B’nei Mitzvah policy. We’re excited at the opportunity for a greater school presence at Family Services, and look forward to seeing our 7th grade families at more Shabbat services during the year as well. If your children are younger than 5th grade, you are not yet required to attend the six Family Services throughout the year–but we hope to see you there from time to time!

Our annual first-­day parent/caretaker meeting will be at 9:45 on Sunday morning September 20. There will be coffee and bagels, and a brief discussion of school policies and procedures. It is also your opportunity to select dates for your turn as “Parent­-in­-Charge”, and to sign up for other volunteer tasks that keep the school running smoothly.

Finally, it’s never too late for a new family to join us: do you know someone who might be interested in our Religious School or Tot Mitzvah program? Let us know ­­ we’d love to meet with them.

Looking forward to another great year!

Shana Tova!


Dates to remember for September and October:

Thursday, Sept. 10
School Committee Meeting at 7:30

Monday, Sept. 14
Rosh Hashanah Family Service at 2 PM
followed by tashlich with apples and honey at the New Overpeck Park Bridge (Leonia)

Sunday, Sept. 20
School Begins for K­7 at 9 AM: parent meeting at 9:45

Wednesday, Sept. 23
Yom Kippur Family Service at 2 PM

Sunday, Sept. 27
First Day of Confirmation Class*

Friday, Oct. 2
Late Night “Music in the Sukkah” following Services

Sunday, Oct. 4
First session of Tot Mitzvah
Religious School Sukkot Program

Sunday, Oct. 4
6 PM: “Subs in the Sukkah”
7 PM: Erev Simchat Torah service with consecration of new students

Thursday, Oct. 8
School Committee Meeting at 7:30 PM

Friday, Oct. 16
First Family Shabbat of the year, featuring 7th grade

Saturday, Oct. 17
Bar Mitzvah of Cole Rosenthal

Thursday, Oct. 29
“Treats and Treasures” Fundraiser for the Religious School at Modiani Kitchens, Englewood
6:30-­9:30 PM

*Sept/Oct. Confirmation class dates: 9/27, 10/4, 10/18

Please see our September Social Action Update for details about our joint venture to collect school supplies to be donated on Mitzvah Day.

A Simcha for Simchat Torah!

As we prepare to celebrate Simchat Torah, with services beginning at 7 PM tonight, including the consecration of our new Religious School students (and there'll be pizza in the Sukkah at 6 PM ), here's a Hasidic Simcha for Simchat Torah: 






Come join us for this joyous holiday, as the previous year's cycle of Torah readings come to a close, and a new cycle is begun. Remember when you used to go to the video store and they'd tell you to be sure to rewind your tapes? This is how it all began...

To Sukkot and Beyond!

Join us as our season of joy continues with our celebrations of Sukkot, Simchat Torah, our new Sunday Morning Tot Mitzvah Program, and of course, Shabbat!

Religious School News

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

Religious School News 

     from


Cantor Sandy Horowitz

Religious School Director

Shalom and welcome to another year of Religious School at Adas Emuno!

As we head into September, there have been some changes going on in preparation for the new school year. First, I’m thrilled to be stepping into the role of Religious School Director. We are welcoming back some teachers from last year as well as some new teachers. There have been some curriculum changes as well, which have been done in conjunction with feedback from last year.

We are also beginning a new and exciting program, “Tot Mitzvah” for preschool age children, headed up by our own Doris White. Tot Mitzvah will meet on six Sundays during the year, the first session will be on September 21st. [See our previous post, Come Join Our New Tot Mitzvah Program!]

Do you know children who might be interested in our Religious School or Tot Mitzvah? Let us know; we’d love to welcome them into our school.

Our first day of Religious School will be Sunday September 7th. We eagerly invite parents to meet with us that day as well–beginning with Tefilah in the Sanctuary at 9:00 and followed by a brief meeting in the social hall. 

 IF YOU HAVE NOT YET REGISTERED YOUR CHILD FOR RELIGIOUS SCHOOL, PLEASE BRING YOUR FORMS ON SEPTEMBER 7th. 

At that meeting we will distribute the Religious School Calendar and discuss other important information, including ways for parents to be involved–we can’t do this without you. I personally hope each of you will be there so that I will have the chance to meet you!

Important Religious School-related dates to note during September and October:

Sunday September 7 
     First Day of School 9 AM
     Parent Meeting 9:45 AM

Saturday September 20
     Bat Mitzvah of Ula Goldstein

Sunday September 21
      Tot Mitzvah 9-10 AM
 
Thursday September 24
      Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service 2 p.m.

Saturday October 4
      Yom Kippur Children’s Service 2 p.m.

Sunday October 12
      Special Sukkot program in the Religious School

Wednesday October 15
      Consecration of new Religious School students 
      at Erev Simchat Torah service 7 PM
      “Pizza in the Hut” (sukkah) at 6 PM 

Sunday October 19
       Tot Mitzvah 9-10 AM

Friday October 24
       First Family Shabbat of the year,featuring 
       the Seventh Grade students 7:30 PM

Celebrating Our Torah Restoration

From the pages of Kadima, the newsletter of Congregation Adas Emuno (literally this time, this page was so nice, we thought we'd share it here in its entirety):

As we prepare for the holidays of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, it is only fitting that we take a moment to look back towards Simchat Torah and the wonderful culmination of this amazing Mitzvah Project. 

At the start of this holiday season, we might well recall that Simchat Torah marks the end of the eight-day Sukkot celebration, that Hanukkah began as a delayed observance of the Sukkot festival, and that this year we indeed have much to be thankful for!

Songfest in the Sukkah

Following Shabbat services at Adas Emuno yesterday evening, we were treated to a songfest in our congregational sukkah, courtesy of Joe Shapiro and Peter Hays. While they played guitar and sang, many others in attendance joined in the singing of familiar folk songs by Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and many others.

That's Joe Shapiro standing, and Peter Hays seated to his right.

Last month, Joe Shapiro treated us to a series of folk songs played during the Great March on Washington in 1963 during a Shabbat service dedicated to the 50th anniversary of that groundbreaking event which culminated in Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech. 






 
The same theme of social justice was very much in evidence in our Sukkot celebration at Adas Emuno this past Wednesday evening, during last night's Shabbat service as the 8-day festival continues, culminating in Simchat Torah this coming Wednesday evening, services beginning at 7 PM.

 

      












It was quite a hootenanny, or sukkananny, or sukkaballo, sukkapalooza, take your choice. Whatever we call it, a great time was had by all in rocking out in the sukkah! 












 














We may have the makings of a new Sukkot tradition for Adas Emuno, and everyone agreed that we shouldn't wait a whole year before having another sing-along event again!

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

From the desk of …                    

 Rabbi Barry Schwartz

    

COMING HOME TO YOUR BIRTHRIGHT

At this new Jewish year, 5774, I invite you to come home to your birthright. And what is this birthright? I’m glad you asked. Simply put, it is Torah. The famed novelist Chaim Potok said it well:

Torah is a Jew’s sense of self; the beginning of it, the foundation stone of it. Then you can pick and choose, quarrel with it, discard this, accept that; but at least know where the shoreline is before you begin to row away from it. If you are rowing and there is no shoreline at all, then you are navigating blind, and to navigate blind is to live in dread.

Or as my friend David Lerman, the immediate past-president of The Jewish Publication Society once wrote: 

Torah is, effectively, our genetic code. Torah explains who Jews are, why we behave as we do, and why we are perceived by others in the world as we are. Whether we embrace Torah and live it, reframe it and live informed by its values, we always react to it—and that is the defining element of our experience on this planet.

Torah explains why we are called The People of the Book. Torah explains why we celebrate the Sabbath and holidays the way we do. Torah explains why our synagogues are constructed the way they are. Torah explains the way we pray. Torah explains our veneration of the written word and reverence for education. Torah explains our moral empathy and passion for social justice.

My friend David describes himself as “a reasonably educated but largely secular, non-spiritual Jew who attends shul weekly in order to have the privilege of reading and studying Torah.” I invite you to do the same, on a weekly or monthly basis:

Weekly:  Our Shabbat morning Torah study (10:00-11:30 AM) has become a big deal. Now is the perfect time to join, as we begin a new year. Our theme: All in the Family—Biblical Portraits. The Torah is great not only for its lofty ethical pronouncements, but because of its truly insightful portrayals of family life. We can all relate to the issues of spouses, siblings, and children. This year we will read the family life stories of the Bible, and enhance our discussion with a commentary written by a leading psychotherapist.

Monthly:  At every Shabbat Family Service we read from the Torah and relate the story to our lives. Making this commitment with your family keeps you anchored to the Jewish year. So while I have your attention, here are the Family Service dates for this year:

• October 18
• November 22
• December 20
• January 24
• February 7
• March 7
• April 4
• May 16
• June 8

The family service is for everyone, not just the class that may be honored at a particular service.

Of course, the Torah is also read at the holidays. And speaking of which, our celebration of Simchat Torah (Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7:00 PM) will be extra special this year. Thanks to the extraordinary mitzvah project effort of two of our recent b’nei mitzvah cousins, Julian Pecht and Oliver Racciatti, our primary reading Torah has been restored to top condition by a scribe and will be rededicated at this festival.

The poet Heinrich Heine called the Torah, “the portable homeland of the Jews.” The Hebrew Bible is our contribution to the world even as it remains our guiding light. This year make the pledge to become reacquainted with the Torah…  and reclaim your birthright!