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Congregation Shalom is a Reform Jewish community committed to education, spiritual growth,
and Tikkun
Olam (healing the world).
We are proud to be an extended family of
equals - welcoming,
caring, and inclusive.
Together, we engage in religious observance,
enjoy social activities, and
pursue life-long learning.
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From our Rabbi
Rabbi Perry is on vacation. Stay tuned for her article in September.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Shoshana M. Perry
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From our President
Our Problems
Once there was a man who complained to God. "God," said the man, "I have more problems than any of my neighbors. It's not fair."
And, God answered, "O.K. Maybe, you're right. But, everyone has to have some problems. You want me to redistribute, that I'll do. "
So, the man - and all his neighbors - gathered up their problems in sacks. Each person, burdened with his or her own problems, began marching to the redistribution place. And, as they walked together, they peered at each other's problems. And, such problems...! As people looked around, each realized, he (or she) didn't want THAT other problem. She (or he) preferred the current set! So, they all turned around and went home.
This summer, my family is doing a youth exchange with a family in France. My daughters will be in France for a little over a month. Everyone I've told has reacted by saying I must be worried, what with the recent terrorist attacks in France.
In the same vein, the French family's children will be in America with us. I imagine, with our recent gun deaths of civilians and police, the parents must receive similar responses about the scariness of America. I have sent my daughters to France and I know that our French counterparts will send their sons to America. I believe that our families will have a wonderful time together, sharing the best of our cultures with each other.
I do struggle to make sense of what has happened in America across the religious divide... the political divide... the gun divide... the immigrant divide. These things have struck me with unpleasant force and harshness this year. I want to give our problems away for a different set. And, then, I remember the truck driver in Nice, France and want to keep my own set of problems.
Just recently, I read this from the Honorable Tim Scott, a Black Republican and a Senator from South Carolina, and I felt a great deal of hope. Senator Scott said:
"We are an amazing family. Families fight sometimes. That's O.K. We must remember that we are one single family. We can all get to where we are going. We must get to where we're going, and we will get there together."
I think we need to look differently at our problems, maybe from a distance or with a different filter such as Senator Scott's. And, this month of August, that is what I intend to do. I intend to slow down and to do a little thinking about these hard topics.
I wish you, too, a thoughtful, and a relaxing, and a peaceful rest of the summer.
Tamar R. Wexler
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From our Education Director
Yael is on vacation. Stay tuned for her article in September.
Yael
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From our Cantorial Soloist
Last Saturday night our recording of Yerushslayim shel Zahav was blasted over the Providence River in honor of the life of Elie Wiesel during the Waterfire program.
Please enjoy these words and melody that highlight the beauty and strength of a nation while also helping us to remember a man whose true imperative was to help us to remember the past so that we do not repeat it.
Click here to listen to the recording
B'shalom v'kavod ( with peace and respect),
Jodi ( and Adam too)
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Onegs
Pick Your Oneg!!!
You choose the date, time, and service type.
- Want a Sunset Oneg?
- Want to host the same night as your father's Yarzheit?
- How about hosting the same night as your child's class dinner?
- Away all winter?
Just let us know, and we'll make it happen. Every member is expected to host two Onegs. However, if you volunteer to be the coordinator, one Oneg will fulfill your obligation. All hosts are expected to help with set-up and clean-up along with supplying food. Please, do not just drop off something at the synagogue.
There is always a need for those of you willing to host some special services for Erev Rosh Hashana, Rosh Hashana children's service, Simchat Torah service, or teacher appreciation Shabbat.
This year there is a new option for service type, Shabbat Shirah, a musical Shabbat experience. As a community we will hear Jewish music, sing together and enjoy a wider range of music than a typical service liturgy. This will be a joyous experiential Shabbat experience which will evolve over time. These services will begin at 7:15pm. There are no longer any 8pm services.
Please send an email to [email protected] with requests, as well as stating whether you are willing to be a Coordinator or not. Requests may contain any/all of the following:
Service type: Tot, Family, Adult, MOCA, Adult Sunset, or Shabbat Shirah
Event: Holiday or Special Shabbat (e.g., Shalomites Service, Grade 3 Shabbat Dinner, or a friend's Bar/Bat Mitzvah weekend)
Unavailable dates, such as vacation or snowbird schedule: "we're in Florida from December 1 - May 31" or "not during tax season", so we'll schedule you for a better time.
Music preference: Do you want Jodi/Adam, Shpiel, or our new Shabbat Shirah?
Specific date: such as December Family Service or November 6 at 8 p.m.
The final schedule for services/special Shabbats is not available until August. Assignments are made during August and published in the September newsletter. Therefore, requests can be made during July and early August.
If you do not request specific dates, you will be assigned to ones that we hope are appropriate; however, the best way to ensure that the assignment is correct is to let us know your preferences before being assigned. Once the assignment has been made, you are responsible for swapping your date, if necessary, with another member.
Thank you for your part in making our congregational Oneg program successful; it's yet another part of Congregation Shalom's tradition that we feel is special and unique.
The Oneg Committee:
Caren Boroshok, Scheduler
Pat & Rick Karpeles, Letter Senders
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High Holiday Services
Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on Sunday, October 2nd. We offer several services and encourage you to choose the services that are best for your family. Please see schedule for all service times. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
The Adult Services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur morning begin at 11 a.m.and lasts 2 hours. Services on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah begin at 10 a.m. Please note: we appreciate that families want to save seats for one another for services, however, the Board of Trustees requests that fifteen minutes before services begin, you relinquish any empty seats to those who are coming in. If you have older copies of the Family Service prayer book that you would like to sell to newer families or donate to the synagogue, please let us know at [email protected].
The Family Service
is held on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and on Yom Kippur. These services begin at 9:00 a.m. and end approximately 10:20. The Family Service is geared to meet the needs of families with children in the 2nd to 6th grades. This service is distinct from the children's service in the afternoon which is designed as a service for younger children. We use a beautiful High Holiday prayer book that is written to meet the needs of children ages 8-12. Rabbi Perry leads this service with our soloist and the traditional High Holiday melodies are used. There is a shorter sermon geared to this population. For many, this service will be a substitute for the later service, although some adults may choose to attend both. Some adults without children choose this service over the later service. The Family Service is designed to maintain a sense of sacredness and seriousness. We remind all of our members that this is not a service for young children. A special High Holiday prayer book is used for this service. Families usually own their own for the time period that they attend these services. If you plan on attending the Family Service for the first time and do not yet own the prayer books, please let contact the ritual committee at [email protected]. We can order you new copies, or if families have finished using their copies, we may be able to sell you used copies.
The Young Children's Service is held at 2:45 on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and at 1:45 on Yom Kippur. This serviceis for toddlers to children about the age of 7. The service lasts about 45 minutes and is very experiential.
We would like to review information regarding flow of traffic, timing, and seating. The Family service will end at 10:20 a.m. and the Adult service will begin at 11 a.m. This will give our community a 40-minute window to have the sanctuary clear out, be picked up and to have people get seated for the next service. When the Family service is over we will ask all those who are in attendance to exit out of the doors to the side of the building and the back of the sanctuary. People will not be able to exit into the lobby. If people have used the coat room it will mean that they need to circle back to the lobby to pick up their coats. Meanwhile people who are coming to the 11 a.m. service will not be able to enter the sanctuary until the early service is finished and all the people have left.
**If you or someone you are bringing to services has a disability and needs special seating, please email Marilyn at [email protected] or call her at 978-337-4747. Please note we have several infrared hearing devices. Please contact Marilyn if you would like to use one. If you will need handicapped parking, please contact Janet at [email protected].
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New Year's Greeting Booklet
Rosh Hashanah is Coming and we're ready to receive your New Year's Greeting Book messages.
The New Year's Greeting Book conveys your High Holiday greetings to the Congregation Shalom family and remembrances of departed loved ones.
New Year's Greetings
Sisterhood Congregation Shalom
87 Richardson Road
N. Chelmsford, MA 01863
If you have any questions, please email Laura Rodman or Sarah
Epstein at [email protected]
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Summary Dues and Fees
Fiscal Year 2016 - 2017
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Dues:
Family
Single
Affiliate
Young Adult*
Member 29 years old or younger with no child of school age
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$2018
$1218
$336
$36
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Assessments:
Long Term Maintenance
New Member Building Fund
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$200
$100 per year in years 2- 6 of membership
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School Fees:
Pre-school (members)
Pre-school (nonmembers)
Religious School
Hebrew School
Chai School (Confirmation Program)
Post-Confirmation (grades 11-12)
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$364
$421
$379
$418
$366
$209
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Social Action Committee
Monthly Food Donations for Middlesex Transitional Living Center
Congregation Shalom is collecting food for the Lowell Transitional Living Center. It is easy to help out with this mitzvah. Donations of meatloaf, and/or brownies and/or salad are accepted each month. There will be a cooler chest located by doors of Congregation Shalom. Simply place your donation in the cooler and know that you have done a good deed! The food will be collected and brought to the Lowell Transitional Living Center in Lowell, where our donations are greatly appreciated each month. You can leave your donations in the cooler beginning on Wednesday, August 17 through Thursday, August 18 (until 5p.m.) September dates will be September 21-22 - mark your calendar now!
Volunteer at Table of Plenty in Chelmsford
Congregation Shalom is part of a team of volunteers at the Table of Plenty in Chelmsford, an organization that serves a free meal to all, no questions asked, every Tuesday from 5-6 p.m. at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Chelmsford Center. Our team serves every other month on the third Tuesday, and will next serve on September 20. If you have time to volunteer during the afternoon on Tuesdays and would like to take part, please please contact Linda Newhard at
[email protected].
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Save the Date
8/5 - Sunset Shabbat
8/19 - Sunset Shabbat
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Quick Links
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Links to Our Website
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| Good and Welfare
Condolences to Brad Friedlander and family on the loss of his step-mother Edie Friedlander.
Condolences to Jane Nahabedian and family on the loss of her husband and our friend and member, Arthur Nahabedian.
Condolences to Margie Berenson and family on the loss of her mother Joan Liebman.
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| Thank You
Words cannot express the gratitude my family and I feel.Your support surrounding Arthur's passing was extraordinary.The visits, prayers and assistance have been greatly appreciated.
Jane Nahabedian and the McKeough Family
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August Yahrzeits
David Abraham
Joseph David
Emily Fischler
Rose Kallus
Donald Pearlman
Naomi Perry
Saul Schurdut
8/12/16
Leon Fox
Zelman Kamien
Bob Kupor
Carole Myers
Rose Pasternack
Sherry Rosenberg
Lillian Spiegler
8/19/16
Esther Gilmore
Justin David Goldman
William Kurzman
Goldie (Strasberg) Lasky
Eli Segal
Shirley Shurdut
Irving Weisberger
8/26/16
Isador William Friedlander
Harry Gross
Shirley Heckel Hodes
Louis Laider
Anne Levi
Steven Silverman
Al Silverstein
John Truitt
9/2/16
Jerome Degen
Wilma Ecker
Saul Hirschel
Clara Shamesman
Ernest Snyder
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Donations
The following donations were received from March-June 2016:
GENERAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
In honor of:
The Dubner's granddaughter, Lila
The Rosenberg's grandson's bar mitzvah
In memory of:
Phyllis Dimond
Doris Feldsott
BEAUTIFICATION/FINE ARTS FUND
In memory of:
Laurie Fidler, 30 donations
ADULT EDUCATION FUND
In honor of:
Aaron Kreithen's bar mitzvah
SCHOOL EDUCATION FUND
In memory of:
Margie Lotto's mother, 2 donations
MUSIC FUND
In memory of:
Phyllis Dimond
HESSIE GOLDSTEIN MEMORIAL LIBRARY FUND
MARTIN AMES SOCIAL ACTION LECTURE FUND
Best wishes for:
Harry Rubinstein's speedy recovery
In honor of:
Joshua Kallus's high school graduation
Simone Horvitz's bat mitzvah
Julia Horvitz's college graduation
Sarah Horvitz's high school graduation
In memory of:
Joseph Lepski, 3 donations
Laurie Fidler
Martin Ames
The Sable Family's husband/father/grandfather
LEAVES ON TREE OF LIFE
In honor of:
Maxwell Colin Owens's bar mitzvah
Ivy Elizabeth Fidler's birth
In memory of:
Ernie and Florence Snyder
Laurie Fidler
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| Our Caring Committee Can Help
The Caring Committee is always available to provide meals or transportation to those members and families who need a little help. Please don't hesitate to email Katie Wolman at
[email protected]
or Rabbi Perry at
[email protected]
, or feel free to call Katie at home.
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| Newsletter Ads and You!
We are always looking for advertisers for the Temple newsletter. Ads can be placed at any time with special pricing for members. Ads need not be for a year so if you want to try us, we take ads for 3 months as well as six months. If you decide to continue your ad for a full year, we do pro-rate the price. As the saying goes, "Try us, you'll like us!"
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Youth Scholarships
Throughout the year, there are many enriching Jewish experiences available to our youth through our synagogue or the community. These include, but aren't limited to, summer camps and trips to Washington, New York, and Israel. Fortunately, there is some scholarship money available through the temple to those families in need of financial assistance for these opportunities. Please contact Margie Berenson at [email protected] with any questions and/or for an application form.
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| Changed Your Address?
Notify us at: [email protected]
and we'll make sure all the right organizations at the Temple are informed. Please include your full name in your request.
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Fundraising
Are you thinking "out of the box" for auction donations? Are you a crafter? Do you have a special cooking ability? What about a food item that you are always asked to make? Do you have the aptitude to fix things? Now is the time to start thinking. This is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year and only you can help us do that.
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Sisterhood Snippets
Summer means sun and warm temperatures, and a break from our hectic schedules. Our only event in July was the annual pool party. We are grateful to Jon and Debbie Arthur for hosting at their lovely backyard oasis. About 20 members enjoyed a beautiful evening. There was plenty of food...salads galore, a mountain of desserts, and lots of laughter.
The 2016-2017 calendar will be on it's way to your mailbox soon, along with an updated membership form and details about the Kick Off Dinner. Save the date for Thursday, September 22nd! G
et excited for the Breast Cancer Walk on October 30th and a current event discussion series beginning November 10th.
Our next board meeting is Tuesday, August 9th at 7pm. All members are welcome. Contact us at with any questions.
Toby Sedgwick and the Sisterhood Board
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Brotherhood News
While many brotherhood members are chilling with their families during the summer, we still sponsor events during summer. With Trustee of the Freeman bike trail Bob Schneider in the lead, Brotherhood members enjoyed riding the trail followed by pizza at the end of the ride. Guys night out was held at the Lowell venue "The Thirsty Tavern and Grill". We are gearing up for Brotherhood kick off on Sunday September 11, so look for an e-mail and mailing from the Brotherhood.
On a more solemn note, we feel the loss of Brotherhood member, Arthur Nahabedian. Arthur would go out of his way to help a Brotherhood member, myself included. He was a man with a unique perspective on life and the world. We'll miss him.
David Brother
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Grocery Store Cards 
As we head into the next fiscal year, please consider joining the monthly program. If you shop at Hannaford, Stop & Shop or Donelan's, I can send you a card once a month and you will be helping the temple every month, with no out-of-pocket money from you! The stores have these programs to help support non-profits and we get 7% back for every purchase.
Just email Judy Beningson at
[email protected]
and I will get you a card in whatever denomination you need: $25-$500!
THANK YOU.
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Book Group
The Congregation Shalom book group will be going into their summer hiatus mode.We will meet again in September. Over the summer we will be reading both books by Harper Lee,
" To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Go Set a Watchman".
Discussion of these two books will take place on September 12, 2016 at the home of Jean and Harry Rubinstein.
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iGive for Congregation Shalom
Have you ever thought how great it would be to be able to shop online at 783 different well-known stores and still donate money to Congregation Shalom? Well, you can do that! It's free and easy so join those of us who have been sending donations to the synagogue for years simply by shopping by first going to the iGive website once you have established the link.
Click here
to register for Congregation Shalom to automatically be the recipient cause.
If you make a purchase through iGive within 45 days of signing up, an extra $5.00 will go to Congregation Shalom. If you have any questions, please contact Laura at
[email protected].
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| Extended Community 
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Table of Plenty in Chelmsford
Free Dinner Served
Every Tuesday from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
at First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Chelmsford Center
All are welcome. No questions asked.
Also, if you know of someone who cannot get out,
but would benefit from a dinner being delivered to them, please contact us.
For more information contact:
[email protected]
www.tableofplentyinchelmsford.org
978-710-8328
Return to Quick Links
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From the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston & Affiliates...
VNA Hospice Care needs volunteers! Hospice volunteers play a key role in helping to provide caring and compassion to patients and families facing life-limiting illness and loss. A volunteer may provide patients with company and emotional support, give the spouse, partner or other caregiver a needed break from care giving, and/or help caregivers run errands or get to and from appointments. A strong need exists for volunteers who can visit on weekdays. We also seek: musicians who would like to sing or play music quietly at the bedside of nursing home residents; Reiki practitioners who would like to offer Reiki to patients and/or caregivers; and people interested in visiting with their therapy dog. Volunteers who speak both English and a second language are also helpful. We provide volunteer training and ongoing support. Call 781-569-2888 and ask to speak to a Volunteer Coordinator for more information. Or email [email protected].
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Spiritual Poetry Journal
"Soul-Lit" is a new on-line spiritual poetry journal. A number of entries have been from Jews and have Jewish content. Writers are encouraged to submit their own poems which have a level of spiritual content to them. Two volumes have already been published. To check out the website, please click here. Please spread the word to members of the community who are writers / poets, and who may wish to submit their own writings.
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Please support our Congregation Shalom advertisers
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