Volume 4 | Issue 3

November 2023

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Friday, Nov. 17th

The next live Worship with Rabbinic Intern Ezra Leventhal is Friday, Nov. 17th at 7 pm. It is also available on Zoom. Song Leader Lois Fein will lead a Zimrah beginning at 6 pm with wine and cheese and singing Jewish music. Please come join the fun.

From the President's Desk

Dear Fellow Congregants,

Last Friday, we had a crowd of both familiar faces and new ones to welcome Rabbinic Intern Ezra Leventhal and to enjoy his first Service with us.

He mentioned during his sermon that he is often asked about the Israel conflict, What can I do? At Shir Shalom, we are looking for answers to the same question. We have some suggestions that come out of our Israel Working Group meetings and also from congregants.

First, thank you for your donations to the Israel Recovery Fund. We have sent money to the small Kfar Azza kibbutz, which lies about two miles east of the Gaza border. Established in 1951, its original settlers came not from Europe but from Egypt and the Moroccan city of Tangier. On October 7, about 70 Hamas terrorists invaded the kibbutz and killed over 100 civilians, while taking others hostage.

Second, the hostages must be brought home. In order to keep pressure up, both socially and politically, to do just that is the organization, “Bring Them Home Now.” If you visit their website, you will see photos, videos, and other material that we can all download and use on our social media feeds to spread the word about the hostages. Their media put faces to the 240 that the Hamas kidnapped on October 7 and are keeping as hostages. Ranging from ages 10 months to 85 years old, the prisoners have been captive for 33 days.

The link is

https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/

and they are asking that we spread the word through the hashtag, #BringThemHomeNow.

They also encourage people to call Congress and the Senate to demand action from our federal government. Here are links for finding your representatives in the Senate:

https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

and Congress:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

On the lighter side, we can continue to gather together to enjoy music and theater and to support our culture. Here are some opportunities:

At Shir Shalom on Friday, November 17, Rabbinic Intern Ezra Leventhal will conduct live Services in the Sanctuary, which will also be available on Zoom.

Beforehand, please join Lois Fein and your fellow congregants in a Zimrah of wine and cheese and Jewish music.

Then, Rachel Findley mentions how one of ours, Sam Kraemer, is performing in 'Radium Girls,' Saturday, November 18, at 7 PM, and Sunday, November 19, at 3 PM, at Thetford Academy.

photo by Will Adler

Song Leader Lois Fein

Finally, on Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 pm, you can enjoy César Lerner and Marcello Moguilevsky perform their recreation of klezmer-style music at Next Stage Arts in Putney. The Argentinian duo has improvised together for four decades to combine classic klezmer music with tango, jazz, and South

American folk music to create a unique harmony of accordion, clarinet, soprano sax, piano, and whistling.

Let us pray that the hostages will be released soon and that peace

will return to Israel.

Sincerely,

Michael Brown,

President

From the Education Director's Desk

Shalom Hebrew School Families!

It was a gorgeous day today with the sun beaming down, weather that wasn’t too chilly and getting to see all of your smiling faces made it even better. Also, how lucky were we to have Rabbi Ezra with us for Tefilla… I had so much fun with the new dance moves. I'd say we kicked off our day in the best way possible!

We had a great conversation at morning assembly about Parashat Vayera. Today we asked, why was Abraham the guy who got to hear God's message? There were plenty of other people in the world… why was he special?

We discussed that some feel his heart was just as open as his ears, ready to catch all those messages from God. It’s a reminder to us, an open heart and open mind can change the world.

Before heading off to our classrooms, we were treated to a fantastic puppet show put on by our super-talented Hebrew School puppeteers. It was the perfect pairing to the book 'Lenny and Benny' —what a treat!

The afternoon playdate at the Montshire Museum was so much fun! Watching the kiddos dive into the exhibits and getting the chance to catch up with many of you was such a nice way to spend the afternoon. These out-of-school meetups are a wonderful way to strengthen our community ties. I'm excited to organize monthly playdates, so if you have any suggestions for fun spots, I'd love to hear them!

On another note, we're sending well wishes to one of our dedicated madrichim, Sam Kraemer, as they prepare for a stage performance. We eagerly anticipate their return to helping in the classroom in a few weeks, but in the meantime, let's show our support for Sam in 'Radium Girls,' performing with the Gershwin cast on Saturday, November 18th, at 7 PM, and Sunday, November 19th, at 3 PM, at Thetford Academy.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next Sunday!

Sending Hugs,

Rachel

Please email Hebrew School Director Rachel Findley for more details. All are welcome.

November Yahrzeits

Lucienne Kacew Gold

Marilyn Fisher

Judith Brav Sher

Maria Maschio

Kathy Dickinson

Edna Ruth Hatcher Bonanno

Fedor Borodin

Eva Bushkin

Fan Cohen

Daniel Finer

Joyce Gales

Morten H. Gavens

Edward Gramling

Rose Gravitz

Reuben A. Grossman

Charles A. Harris

Irving Kanter

Harvey Lawrence

Martha Leber

Jane G. Levy

Jenny Zelda Linn

Robert Lushan

Maria Maschio

Lillian Matlins

Rose V. Mattus

Jack Melamed

Ida Polsky

Walter Salmore

Lolo Sarnoff

Harriet Shapiro

Judith Brav Sher

Rose Singer

Steven Summer

Norma Drue Green Yarbrough

Todah Rabah

Our thanks for all the gifts of the heart that you gave between

Oct. 13 and Nov. 9, 2023.

We could not have done it without you!

Click here for the list

Coming Up

Sat., Nov. 11th at 10:30 am: Shabbat Morning Worship led by Song Leader Lois Fein and Shmuel Dorr on Zoom
Wed., Nov. 15th at 8:30 am: Virtual Minyan with Art Skerker, VP of Ritual, on Zoom
Thur,. Nov. 16th at 10 am: Mussar Study with Phyllis Forbes on Toldot on Zoom
and at 11:00 am: Hebrew Review Class with Pam Lucas on Zoom
Fri., Nov. 17th
at 6:00 pm: Wine & Cheese Zimrah with Lois Fein
at 7:00 pm: Live Worship led by Rabbinic Intern Ezra Leventhal, in the Sanctuary and also on Zoom