Shomrei Torah - Wayne Conservative Congregation December 2016 Kislev / Tevet 5777 30 Hinchman Ave. Wayne, NJ 07470 973-696-2500 www.ShomreiTorahWCC.org Shabbat & Holiday Candle Celebrating Tradition, Embracing the Future! Lighting Times December 2016 12/2……….4:11 pm 12/9……….4:10 pm 12/16……...4:12 pm 12/23……...4:15 pm 12/30……...4:20 pm Contents From the Bima……...2 Words from Our President………...…..3 New Members………5 Religious School.…...6 Bar/Bat Mitzvahs…...8 Sisterhood…………..20 Golden Cards…….... 37 Calendar..……… …..39 Bring your own Chanukah menorah! 1 Executive Board FROM THE BIMA Roberta Ort Rabbi Randall Mark President Barry Blecherman This year with Chanukah running from Christmas to Executive Vice President/ New Years will bring some additional challenges for President Elect many of us. First, observance; Chanukah is usually Stacey Maines one of the most observed Jewish holidays. However, Vice President of Education, & Youth VP when people go on vacation Jewish observances often decline precipitously. First, I would like to point out Randy Reiser Membership & Programming VP that a box of Chanukah candles is not very big and you can get a traveling menorah that likewise takes up Howard Hook Finance VP very little space and could be used while on vacation. You can light from anytime after sunset, but ideally after dark, throughout the night, but again Ivan Gerstein ideally while people are still out and about since we light to make famous Treasurer the miracles of Chanukah. Tova Friede Financial Secretary If you are staying somewhere that open flames are not allowed, then a small Bruce Seidman Recording Secretary electric menorah is better than nothing at all. Some authorities argue that you don’t recite a blessing when using an electric menorah since you are not kin- Cindy Merker Immediate Past President dling a flame, but others would permit it. ————————- Clergy Some family members will be away at Chanukah time and so we are going to celebrate Chanukah early or late. Realize that the mitzvot of Chanukah Randall Mark Rabbi can only be fulfilled on Chanukah; however, you can gather together with —————————- family to celebrate the festival at any time. This is like when a birthday party Staff is not on the birthday itself, we still know when our birthday is, we are just celebrating at a different time. Jay Hirschhorn Administrator Judy Jaffe One menorah is adequate for the entire family, but there is nothing wrong Director of with every person lighting their own too. For the half-hour or so that it takes Congregation Learning for the candles to burn down, one should remain with them doing something Suzanne Zofi Chanukah related – singing songs, playing dreidel, eating latkes, reading a Administrative Assistant story or exchanging gifts. Gloria Millan Shabbat Staff If you will be around, please join us for the Second Annual Wayne Mark Crisostomo th Custodian Township Chanukah Menorah Lighting, 7pm Tuesday, December 27 in front of Town Hall. This is jointly sponsored by Shomrei Torah, Temple Beth Tikvah and the Chabad Center of Passaic County. Wishing you a Chag Urim Sameyach – A Joyous Festival of Lights! 2 Words From Our President Roberta Ort Sometimes, things just don’t go your way. And sometimes, a whole week can go that way….just every little thing seems to go wrong. I had one of those weeks recently and then, thankfully, Thursday came….the end of my work week. As I sometimes do on Thursday evenings, (when I’m not attending one of my many Shomrei Torah meetings), I gathered with some friends, poured some drinks, munched on some snacks, and then spent the next few hours talking about anything and everything. A few hours later I was able to look back at the week from a whole different perspective. But the real eye-opener for me came the following day. Maybe it was because Thanksgiving was approaching that I was feeling sentimental, but I couldn’t help but think about how lucky I am to have such a great group of friends with whom I can always share a laugh, kick back and have some fun. I am so thankful for the friends my husband and I have made here in Wayne, many of whom we met at Shomrei Torah. On a recent Shabbat morning I happened to arrive at services at the same time as one of my friends. We chatted on the way in about this and that, talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of the previous week and then we each put on our tallit. Both of us simultaneously took a deep breath be- fore walking into the sanctuary and I knew we were thinking the same thing….thank goodness for Shabbat. For me, that means 24 hours when I am guaranteed to not receive any e-mails or phone calls related to shul “business”; all issues and problems wait until after Shabbat ends. I’ve learned over the years to really enjoy and relish the couple of hours I spend in shul on Shabbat morning. I’m thankful for the peaceful, quiet time, but also for the camaraderie of our Shabbat regulars. We re- cently celebrated the 90th birthday of one of our members and I was so happy to be there, along with his family and our Shomrei Torah family, to make his day special. That was truly something to be thankful for! Some other great things have been happening at Shomrei Torah. We recently had our first Friday night B’yachad service. It was so exciting to see over 60 people in shul that night to welcome in Shabbat with children of all ages sitting in the aisles and enjoying the lively service with our guest cantor, Erica Rubin. We also recently hosted the Israel Bond brunch where we honored Ray and Rhoda Fishler with over 120 people in attendance. More exciting events are coming soon with Ca- sino Night planned for January 21st and our Annual Gala celebration this year taking place on Purim night, March 11th, which will be a night packed with food, drink, fun, and entertainment….just as Pu- rim should be. On a personal note, I have so much to be thankful for, most importantly, my family. Having enjoyed the relatively calm and quiet empty-nester life-style for a few months now, I am so excited to have all the noise and ruckus back with all three boys home for Thanksgiving. This is what life is really about – sitting around the dinner table with extended family, retelling funny stories from the past and sharing our new stories and new adventures. I hope everyone had a very happy Thanksgiving with lots of turkey and many memorable moments to be thankful for. 3 4 Welcome! Amy, Sam & Isabella Morovati It is always nice when one of our chicks come back to the nest. Sam’s family were members of Shomrei Torah and he had his Bar Mitzvah here with Rabbi Mark. He always had fond memories of his time spent in the synagogue. Amy & Sam were looking to be a part of the larger Jewish community and to expose their daughter to the teachings of Judaism and the traditions that they know and love. So when the time came for Sam and his wife, Amy to find a place that they could call home….Shomrei Torah was the answer! Sam grew up in Wayne within a warm Persian Jewish family, attended Solomon Schechter Day School in Oakland from elementary through 5th grade. Amy grew up in North Caldwell and at- tended Solomon Schechter Day School in West Orange from elementary through High School. She grew up in a Conservative household and her family were active members of Congregation Agudath Israel in Caldwell, NJ. Amy and Sam met at a wedding in 2008. They were both in the wedding party: Amy was the maid of honor to her best friend and Sam was a groomsman to his first cousin. (To simplify: Amy’s best friend married Sam’s first cousin). The couple lived in Roseland for a few years before moving to Wayne in 2013, where Sam’s mother still resides. Sam is a graduate of Seton Hall University where he studied Finance and Accounting. He currently is Vice President of Customer Success at a Technology Startup. Amy graduated from Ithaca College with a Masters in Occupational Therapy and was an Occupational Therapist for 8 years until the birth of their daughter, Isabella, now 2. The blend of Sephardic and Ashkenazic customs creates a unique atmosphere in the Morovati household where the smells of culinary treats honor both traditions, such as eating rice over Passover and having a Sephardic Seder on Rosh Hashanah or enjoying traditional Ashkenazi foods like matzah ball soup and brisket. Family devotion and respect is very important to the Morovatis and they credit their parents, siblings, aunts and uncles for having a huge influence in their lives. Their immediate and extended families served as dedicated, responsible and loving role models and have shown the importance of family through unlimited support and guidance. Being Jewish for this young family means being part of a community that is rich in history, traditions and meaning. At this time in their lives, they are particularly interested in learning to integrate Jewish traditions and values within their own home in a child-friendly manner. Shomrei Torah will be happy to be part of this journey! 5 CONGREGATION LEARNING Judith Kuper Jaffe Director of Congregational Learning This month, Jewish children will light the Chanukah menorah, spin their dreidels and get their presents, but in my opin- ion, Chanukah is among the most adult of holidays (after Purim, but that’s fodder for another bulletin article).