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

From the desk of …                    

 Rabbi Barry Schwartz

    

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE HIGH HOLIDAYS

Even though most of us have attended many a High Holiday service over the years, it doesn’t mean that we have the big picture of “what-happens-when” during the Days of Awe.

Here’s a little schematic that lists highlights of each service:

Rosh Hashanah Eve

• Introducing the High Holiday’s distinctive melodies and prayers.
• Rabbi offers Davar Torah on one of the key Holiday prayers.

Rosh Hashanah Morning

• Full service, Torah reading (Genesis), and sounding of the Shofar.
• Rabbi offers sermon on contemporary theme.

Rosh Hashanah Afternoon

• Children’s Service with lively music, storytelling, shofar.
• Tashlich (“Casting Away”) ceremony at New Overpeck Park.

Yom Kippur Evening

• Instrumental (cello) and vocal rendition of the Kol Nidrei.
• Rabbi offers sermon on spiritual theme.

Yom Kippur Morning

• Full service, Torah Reading (Deuteronomy) and Haftarah (Isaiah), and annual appeal.
• Rabbi offers sermon on contemporary or spiritual theme.

Yom Kippur Afternoon

• Children’s Service with lively music, storytelling, shofar.
• Afternoon service with Torah reading (Leviticus) and Haftarah (Jonah).
• Yizkor (Memorial Service).
• Neilah (Concluding Service).
• Break-the-fast.

We hope you attend early and often. I especially encourage you to bring family or friends that might not ordinarily attend. Consider giving a gift of a ticket to someone you care about. With the participation of our Cantor, our accompanist, our Board, and all our Torah and Haftarah readers and prayer readers... the Holidays are a true family affair. We welcome you to our family of families! 

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

Cantor Horowitz's Report at Our Annual Congregational Meeting

Delivered at our annual congregational meeting on June 22nd:

Cantor's Report for the Year 5777

“Music for a while shall all your cares beguile”, is a well-known song written by the Baroque composer Henry Purcell. Contemporary Rabbi Jonathan Sacks puts a Jewish spin on this thought, when he writes, “Words are the language of the mind. Music is the language of the soul.” Adas Emuno is fortunate to have a strong tradition of musical participation. You are so willing to try new melodies and new music. When I sometimes say, “please feel free to sing along, even if you don’t know the music”–I truly mean it. Song is a form of prayer. It is the expression of our own, unique soul.

And so this past year during Friday night Shabbat services, we have introduced more new music than before. While remaining anchored by familiar music, each week I have endeavored to vary melodies of familiar prayers, while also adding musical settings to text that are less familiar. I introduced music from various contemporary Jewish composers, along with settings of music from other parts of our tradition such as the psalms. I played with something called “contrafaction”–imposing a tune from one tradition onto the text from another tradition, or from another part of our own tradition. We sang our Shabbat liturgy using familiar Chanukah and Passover tunes at the time of those holidays; on Memorial Day weekend we sang Lecha Dodi to the tune of America the Beautiful. And in memory of Martin Luther King on the weekend of his birthday I chanted excerpts of some of his famous speeches using Haftarah trope–the trope we use traditionally to chant the words of our own prophets, in honor of this modern prophet.

Looking back at some highlights of the year:

Our high holiday services were once again graced with the presence of our keyboard accompanist Beth Robin. We concluded Rosh Hashanah with celebrating Tashlich down at Overpeck Park by the water with plenty of music and the traditional apples and honey. Delightfully, once again this year congregational members of all ages were in attendance. Again this year we had our “indoor” Music in the Sukkah featuring our own Peter Hays and Michael Scowden on guitar, along with the voices of our teens Stella Borelli and Ula Goldstein. This past year has brought another five b'nei mitzvah students to the bimah. In my role as Cantor I met weekly with each of them, in order to prepare them to chant Torah and Haftarah and lead us in prayer. And those special days were once again graced with the musical accompaniment of Beth Robin.

We will have a report from our Religious School co-chairs but I would like to point out a couple of highlights from this past school year...

We continued the tradition of coming together as a school for special celebrations of the major holidays, as has been done in the past, thanks to help from our school committee and other parent volunteers. I also added a new dimension to our holiday programming this past year, as each individual class was given the responsibility to present a skit, poster or presentation relating to one holiday during the year. Teachers and students alike were enthusiastic about the opportunity and creativity flourished!

Attendance at Family Services continued to be high, thanks to the ongoing success of our policy implemented last year which requires students in the older grades to attend a certain number of Shabbat services each year. Thank you again to Bnei Mitzvah/Family Policy coordinator Marilyn Katz for her efforts on behalf of this program.

Confirmation Class was ably led by Rabbi Schwartz again this past year, who also led the effort to resurrect our Youth Group program. This spring saw several Youth Group events, and we look forward to watching this program continue to grow.

While I believe that the quality of our religious school education overall remains high and continues to expand, unfortunately, we can’t say the same about quantity. Enrollment in grades K-7 was down this past year. I believe that this is a trend that could be reversed, and hope that outreach efforts over the summer will yield some result.

In closing I wish to express my gratitude to the leadership of Adas Emuno, Rabbi Barry Schwartz, President Lance Strate, Ritual Chair Virginia Gitter, Buildings supervisor Michael Fishbein and the other officers and members of the board, for their ongoing support of my efforts. Most of all, I am grateful for the Religious School Parents Committee–ably led by Michael Raskin and Jody Pugach along with Susan Grey and Sandy Zornek. It takes a tremendous amount of work to run a school, and their efforts are tireless. The school after all belongs to the parents, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with them.

Respectfully submitted,
Cantor Sandy Horowitz

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.

Images of Tashlich 5776

Congregation Adas Emuno held our annual Tashlich ceremony on Rosh Hashanah, following the conclusion of the afternoon children's and community service.

The service was held at New Overpeck Park in Leonia, one of Bergen County's largest park area. Rabbi Schwartz and Cantor Horowitz led the brief but beautiful ceremony, attended by several dozen congregants.

In keeping with tradition, Tashlich culminates with our throwing bread upon the water, to symbolize the casting out of sin.

It was a lovely day, perfect weather, and a truly moving spiritual experience was had by all!

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.

Scenes From Tashlich 2013

As we do every year, weather permitting, Congregation Adas Emuno held its Tashlich service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, this year on the morning of Friday, September 6 at the Englewood Boat Basin. In preparation for Yom Kippur, the Tashlich prayers associated with casting off our sins are symbolized by the act of casting bread upon the waters, an act particularly appreciated by some avian onlookers:

Following the brief ceremony, participants also partook of a picnic lunch.  Special thanks to Linda Kowalski for providing these photographs.

Rosh Hashanah Jam

Here's a new video from the a cappella group Six1, called Shana Tova (2013 Rosh Hashanah Jam):






You can watch it over on the video's YouTube page, and here is some of the background information they provide:

Six13 brings the high energy and unsinkable positive vibe of the Macklemore megahit "Can't Hold Us" into the celebration the Jewish new year -- from shul to tashlich to a apples-and-honey feast with some colorful New Yorkers.
Purchase the full-length version of this song on iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sha...

This song and all Six13 songs are completely a cappella -- created with nothing but the human voice.

Professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 are the originators of today's Jewish a cappella sound. They've performed to rave reviews for millions of people -- at synagogues, religious schools, major sports events, JCCs, fundraising events, B'nai Mitzvah and private affairs alike, and received numerous awards for their four best-selling CDs. To find out more about how to bring Six13 to your community for an event that's truly unforgettable, visit us at http://www.six13.com.

===========================

Credits:

Arranged and produced by Mike Boxer
Recorded by Six13 and Marianne Cheng
Edited by Jeff Eames and Alex Koutzoukis
Mixed by Marty Gasper
Mastered by Dave Sperandio

Video shot, directed and produced by
Jeremy Horowitz - Top Shelf Productions
http://www.topshelfny.com

Special thanks to Cantor Dan Singer and Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, NYC

Six13 is:
Mike Boxer | Eric Dinowitz | Robert Operman
Craig Resmovits | Jacob Spadaro | Mordy Weinstein

(c) 2013 Six13

The also provide the lyrics to the song:

Return of the Rosh!
Hope you purchased your high holiday seats
Looking for a better way to get my Judaism
'Stead of getting on the internet and checking out the Maccabeats
Now let's step into the synagogue, time to get this davening on
Repent before our chance to get into the book of life's gone
Let's search our hearts and think back, let's reflect on the year
Seems like just yesterday we did this, now a new one is here
Trust me, I'm an R-O-S-H H-A-S-H-A-N-A-H master
Ain't nobody getting through that shmoneh esreh faster
Sitting in a room that's got more Jews than the cast of Madagascar
Atonement's what I'm after
It's a new year, now we gotta do something
That's our message to the people, from Tel Aviv to Monsey
It's a new year, now we gotta do something
All the Jewish people, from Tel Aviv to Monsey

Can go we back, and hear the shofar
Today is the day, we'll start the year over
Yes it's Rosh Hashana and we'll say Shana Tova
Yeah we'll say shana tova

When yomtov's over, all that t'shuvah, I can feel my heart beat
But I'm not gonna stop 'cause I got Yom Kippur in little more than one week
ROSH! Hashanah's on.
Praying to the Lord trying to right my wrongs
Get a little chill when I hear that "tekiah gedolah"
So now I'm rollin' through this davening feelin' so right
Got this melody for ma'arivand it goes like...
Praying for hours and when all that is through
I know exactly what I'm gonna dip my apple into...
HONEY -- because we want a year that's happy and sweet
On this holiday no one tried to kill us but hey who cares, let's eat!
Conservative, orthodox, reform, or whatever, no matter what kind of Jew you are
Our voices join worldwide, and we all say Shana Tova

Sha-na-na-na-na-na Tova
My Jewish people say...

And we at Congregation Adas Emuno join in in saying, Sha-na-na Tova to you and yours!

Tashlich

Here at Congregation Adas Emuno, we have a tradition of observing the second day of Rosh Hashanah with a Tashlich service, followed by a picnic, at the Englewood Boat Basin in Bergen County.


Tashlich (תשליך) means "casting off" in Hebrew, and the Tashlich ritual involves tossing pieces of bread into flowing water, to symbolize the casting off of the sins of the previous year.


Here are some photographs from this year's Tashlich ceremony, led by Cantor Shapiro:

And with that, we wish you all a Gut Yor!    !גוט־יאָר      Happy New Year!