Lag B'omer Nursery School Closed Synagogue for Collection Morning Minyan – 7:00 Am Morning Minyan – 7:00 Am and Proper Recycling
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The VOICE of Hewlett–East Rockaway Jewish Centre/Congregation Etz Chaim kuev May –June 2016 Vol. 66 • No. 5 Nisan –Iyar –Sivan 5776 So Much Happening in May & June! Don’t Miss the Festivities! la al Ga Yom Ha ’atmaut nu 21 n , May Wed., May 11, 8:00 pm A rday ndt Satu Bra s dy and noree ud ERJC Israeli Folk Dancing Ho B to H s & tions nce tribu r led by our USYers ra y con le F man ad ard their t N nt Aw for ber veme See page 3 for details Gil Achie lis time hyl st Life P ’s fir ! ERJC xcited ith H e’re e w nd w g, ear a -jong this y Mah s New mes, affle o Ga & R asin ction kets, C t Au e Tic ilen Raffl s: A S ttire kets, Prize ktail A la Tic affle Coc e Ga ate R gala M has on rjc Purc to D /he u To ds or s.com M s nal A ction a ic our au y 1 a J /501 3 – l ps:/ 15 htt We ekend A n Ex o citin f Sep g We M har eken usic dic/A d and shke Lag B’Omer wit Sto na h our rie zi Artis s Wednesday, May 25, 8 pm G t-in-R er eside ard E nce Celebrate Israeli Style S de ee pa ry ge 10 with a Kumzitz for d etails A night of spirited singing around an open bonfire See page 3 for details notes from the hazzan HERJC 516–599–2634 HAZZAN BONNIE STREIGOLD Rabbi ANDREW WARMFLASH Ext. 214 rabbiw @herjc .org “On three things the world stands: on Torah, on service and on acts of loving Hazzan kindness” (Pirkei Avot 1:2) BONNIE STREIGOLD Ext. 215 Chesed – an act of loving-kindness – is a value that Jews of all denomi - [email protected] nations hold close to their hearts. These deeds help contribute to the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). When I arrived at Ritual Director HERJC, I was given a committee to head and it was called the Chesed RENA WOLF Committee. I was immediately intrigued by this concept and wanted to [email protected] make it as successful as possible. Our Chesed Committee shops, cooks and delivers delicious home cooked meals to our fellow congregants who either recently moved to the neighbor - Religious School Director hood, finished sitting shiva for a loved one, returned home safely from the hospital or DAVID WOOLFE 599–0424 or Ext. 219 another medical emergency or who could benefit from a boost in morale. These acts should rsdir @herjc .org not be mistaken for tzedakah or charity; these are simply HERJC’s way of saying we care and are thinking of you in this important time in your life. I am very proud to say that since Nursery School Director I have arrived we have delivered 10 home cooked meals! All these meals were created and CHERYL KARP delivered by your fellow congregants. Some may think the person receiving the food is the 599–1169 or Ext. 237 one benefiting from this committee, however the Mitzvah and blessing really goes nurserydir @herjc .org towards those taking the time out of their busy schedules to think of others first. This summer I hope to revamp our Committee so we can include more congre - Youth Office Chesed 599–1148 or Ext. 223 gants and be able to spread even more love across our amazing community. I am in awe of youthdir @herjc .org the number of people who want to help but may not know how to get involved. I urge you to reach out and lend your amazing cooking/delivery skills to help brighten someone’s otherwise dull day. If you are interested in joining our Chesed Committee, please reach out. As we are bombarded with images and sounds; as our to do lists seem to get longer by www.herjc.org the minute, the Shema prayer is a reminder to settle down and listen to the silent still voice and Amazon within. We say the Shema prayer twice a day fulfilling the Rabbinic requirement to say this prayer as we lie down at night and when we arise each morning. Please join our minyan as we say Shema together in the morning and evening and dedicate a few moments to listen Click on the Amazon button found to the voice in your heart, and deepen your connection to our tradition. on the left hand side of the first page of our website, www.herjc.org, do your shopping as This year has been filled with amazing musical opportunities for our usual and HERJC gets younger congregants! I’d love to extend our music program to include a donation! all ages as well as abilities. Adding instrumentalists to our events as well as voices will only increase the joy in our programming. With Amazingly simple and wonderful. Shabbat beginning later and later, we now have the option to include musical instruments in our Kabbalat Shabbat service. If you are interested in playing or singing during a Friday night special musical service or if you would like to help create an amazing musical pro - gram at HERJC, please contact Hazzan Streigold.—Thank you!! page 2 MAY/JUNE 2016 www.herjc.org HAKOL From the Rabbi’s Study RABBI ANDREW WARMFLASH HAKOL is published by the Hewlett–East For forty nine nights starting with the second Seder, we count the Omer. Rockaway Jewish Centre/ This ritual ordained in the Torah serves as a reminder of the connection Congregation Etz Chaim between Passover which celebrates our freedom from Egyptian slavery, 295 Main Street, and Shavuot which is the anniversary of the giving of the Torah, God’s East Rockaway, NY 11518 Telephone: 516–599–2634 manual for how best to use the freedom God gave us. Fax: 516–599–2851 The counting of the Omer has another dimension as well. It is tied E–mail: [email protected] to the ancient Israelite agricultural cycle, marking the days between the Website: www.herjc.org two spring harvests. It is a daily reminder to rejoice in the beauty and bounty of the world that God has given us. President In this sprit, I invite you to follow my personal Omer project for this year. Each day, AUDREY POLINSKY for forty nine days, I will post a different nature photo with a spiritual caption on HERJC’s Instagram account, #herjcny and our Facebook page, Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre Vice Presidents (HERJC) . If you like them, I hope you will “like them.” (Needless to say, I won’t be posting LEV HERRNSON DAVID KOFFLER these pictures on Shabbat. Just as our ancestors in the wilderness received a double portion NANCY LEVITT of manna on Fridays so they wouldn’t have to collect it on Shabbat, I will be posting double STEPHEN MOELIS on Fridays.) BRIAN SILVER One more thing, I want to be sure you know that we will be doing something special on Friday nights in June. Because Shabbat starts so late, we will be experimenting with using Treasurer live music before sundown during the first part of our Kabbalat Shabbat services. Come at STEVEN KREIT 6:30 pm on June 3rd and 7 pm on the 17th and help us usher in Shabbat and, as the Secretary Psalms instruct us “sing to God a new song.” ROBERTA SUGARMAN Sisterhood President We will celebrate BARBARA KAPLAN Yom Ha’atzmaut on May 11 at 8 pm Hakol Editor following evening minyan NAOMI DOCTOR featuring Israeli Folk Dancing Hakol Designer CHERYL MIRKIN led by our USYers. Periodical postage paid at the East Rockaway, NY Post Office (#233120). Postmaster: Send address changes to Hewlett– Join us as we celebrate Lag B’Omer, East Rockaway Jewish Centre, 295 Main St., East Rockaway, Israeli style with a Kumzitz , NY 11518. Affiliated with: United Synagogue, National Federation a night of spirited singing around an open bonfire. of Jewish Men’s Clubs, National Women’s League. The views and opinions expressed herein The program begins after minyan at do not necessarily reflect the policies of HERJC or the 8 pm on May 25 Conservative Movement. and will include refreshments. Come help us raise our voices in song and celebration! HAKOL www.herjc.org MAY/JUNE 2016 page 3 HERJC MISSION STATEMENT Ritual Update Hewlett-East Rockaway Jewish Centre –Congregation Etz Chaim (HERJC) is a warm, RENA WOLF vibrant, traditional-egalitarian Conservative congregation. Our diverse, forward-thinking Shema – Listen Up! community is one in which A story is told about Rabbi Eliezer Silver, who was the president of the learning, prayer and social Rescue Committee for Jews who survived the Holocaust. In that capacity action flourish. he travelled in post war Europe looking for Jewish children who had Since its founding in ended up in non-Jewish orphanages, most often sponsored by the 1949 , HERJC has been recognized for creating a Church. He came to one such orphanage and asked if there were any welcoming environment in Jewish children there. He was told that there were none, since their ori - which each member—regard - gins were unknown, even to the children themselves. Rabbi Silver in - less of age, stage of life or sisted that he be allowed to see the children and he was finally allowed background—feels a con- nection to one another, to do so moments before their bedtime. He walked into a room filled with beds of children to the Jewish people, to preparing to go to sleep.