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JEWISH COMMUNITY
CENTER OF
LONG BEACH ISLAND
E-LETTER
December 22, 2023
10 Tevet 5784
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The menorah was a gift from the JCC in thanks for providing a place for the congregation to worship while the new building was being constructed | |  |
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WE SHOULD BE PROUD......
This week the SandPaper published a piece about the relationship between the JCC of LBI and St. Francis of Assisi Parish. Included in the article are quotes from Rev. Francis DiSprigno, Rabbi Michael Jay and President Phil Rosenzenweig.
Here is your link to read the article
| Thank you to Gina G. Scala for a wonderful article and to editor Jay Mann. | | |
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FOR THE BEST VIEWING OF THE SHABBAT REMINDER,
CLICK HERE
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In Vayigash, this week’s Torah portion, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers. It is a very emotional moment in the Torah narrative; one literally highlighted with hugging, crying, and kissing. But in order to get the full impact of the reconnection of the brothers, we need to roll the scroll back to the very beginning of the Joseph story.
In Parashat Vayesihev (chapter 37) we meet Joseph when he is 17 years old. He is his father’s favorite and his brothers hate him so much that they “cannot speak a friendly word to him”(37:4). It is at this point that matters get worse and, ultimately, Joseph is thrown in a pit and sold into slavery.
By the time the brothers are all in Egypt for this unscheduled reunion, Joseph is 39 years old. For 22 years the brothers have not spoken a friendly word. The estrangement ends at 45:15, after Joseph reveals himself and kisses and cries with all of his brothers.
At this point we are told that “…only then were his brothers able to talk to him”. And this is a key to the story. “They cannot speak a friendly word to him” only ends here. It is 22 years (8 chapters) of not speaking.
I have known families (and friends) who, for one reason or another, have stopped talking. Usually, it is painful. Sometimes it is destructive. Sometimes they do not even remember why they are not talking. It is always sad.
In the Joseph story the failure to speak ultimately leads to the brothers being emotionally capable of throwing Joseph into a pit.
What does it mean for Joseph that his brothers are now able to talk to him? Does it heal old wounds? Does it erase a painful past?
Most certainly the answer to these questions is “no”. But it does mean that they can move forward. They can reunite. They can try not to make the same mistakes.
In the case of Joseph and his brothers, the reunification leads to good things. The move to Egypt is good for the Jacob and his family. They get good land and they grow and prosper. All is good. Well, all is good until a new Pharaoh comes to Egypt. But that is another story.
As we approach the secular new year, it is a good time to consider whether there are people we should start to speak with again.
May 2024 be a year of health, fulfillment, communication, and ample smiles. May it also be the year that we begin to turn this upside-down world into the world it should be. And may the way it “should be” include: 1) The end of antisemitism, 2) The universal recognition that Israel has a right to exist with secure and safe borders, and 3) a large helping of peace.
Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay
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SHABBAT SHALOM
Shabbat Candle
Lighting time
Friday evening
December 22, 2023
4:20 PM
JOIN US FOR SERVICES
Friday, December 22, 2023
SERVICES
6:30 PM
ON ZOOM ONLY
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Marlene Herman will leading services
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
FRIDAY NIGHT
Saturday,
December 23, 2023
9:00 AM
ON ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
SHABBAT
TORAH READING
Parashat Vayigash
Genesis 44:18-47:27
Here is the Parshah
Vayigash (“He Approached”) opens as Judah pleads with Joseph not to keep Benjamin as a prisoner. Joseph reveals his true identity to his brothers, crying and kissing them. The brothers bring Jacob from Canaan to Egypt, and Jacob and his children settle in Goshen. The portion ends as Joseph buys most of Egypt’s land in exchange for food.
HAFTORAH
Ezekiel 37:15-28
Here is the Haftorah
NO HAVDALLAH THIS WEEK
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Sunday - Thursday
Ma'ariv Service
7:30 PM
Here is your invitation from Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
MA'ARIV
Monday- Friday
Shacharit Service
8:15 AM
Sunday at 9:00 AM
Here is your invitation from Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
SHACHARIT
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Each year in January, we purge our Mishaberach List. All names will be removed. Please respond to the offfice with your names to be included on our Healing List. Do not respond to this email but contact the office directly with the button below | |
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24
Pickleball
10:00 AM
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26
Pickleball
3:00 PM Beginners Session
4:00 PM Regular Play
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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27
Canasta & Mah Jongg
12:30 PM
NO CLASS THIS WEEK
Rabbi's Class
"The Case for Israel"
7:30 PM following minyan
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28
Pickleball
10:00 AM
NO CLASS THIS WEEK
Torah Study with the Rabbi
11:00 AM
Intermediate Hebrew with Ira
2:00 PM
NO CLASS THIS WEEK
FRIDAY DECEMBER 29
Studying the Prophets
9:00 AM
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PICKLEBALL
SUNDAY 10:00 AM
TUESDAY 3:00 PM
THURSDAY 10:00 AM
Reminder: Pickleball for members only!
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MAH JONGG & CANASTA
WEDNESDAYS
12:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
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WAX Brunch
39 Degrees North
Friday, December 22
11:00 AM
New Year's Eve Party
Saturday, December 31, 2023
8:30 PM
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If you missed the PJP programs last week, here are the links to view them at your convenience.
JEWS OF GREECE
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Passcode: 8pvfzH$%
BEGINNINGS OF KABBALAH
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January Shabbat Dinner
Friday, January 5
6:30 PM
Successful Retirement & Successful Aging with Bernard Hershenberg
Sunday, January 7
12:30 PM
PJP Program
"Jewish Egypt"
Sunday, January 7
1:00 PM
WAX Brunch
Place TBD
Friday, January 12
WAX Book Discussion
Thursday, Jamuary 18
4:00 PM
Learn Signing
Friday, January 19
10:00 AM
Cholentfest
Saturday, January 20
11:30 AM
following services
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LET'S BRING IN THE NEW YEAR TOGETHER
AT THE JCC OF LBI
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RIGHT NOW THE PAY ON LINE IS NOT WORKING.
PLEASE RESPOND TO THE BUTTON ABOVE
THAT YOU WILL BE ATTENDING.
SEND YOUR CHECK TO:
JCC OF LBI
2411 LONG BEACH BLVD.
SPRAY BEACH, NJ 08008.
MARK IT NYE
Questions? Call Diane Buskirk
856-952-5940
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JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION
THURSDAYS AT 4:00 PM
NEXT BOOK REVIEW MEETING
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Thursday, January 18th at 4:00 pm
Discussion Leader: Rabbi Jay
How to Fight Anti-Semitism by Bari Weiss
On October 27, 2018, eleven Jews were gunned down as they prayed at their synagogue in Pittsburgh. It was the deadliest attack on Jews in American history.
For most Americans, the massacre at Tree of Life, the synagogue where Bari Weiss became a bat mitzvah, came as a shock. But anti-Semitism is the oldest hatred, commonplace across the Middle East and on the rise for years in Europe. So that terrible morning in Pittsburgh, as well as the continued surge of hate crimes against Jews in cities and towns across the country, raise a question Americans cannot avoid: Could it happen here? This book is Weiss’s answer.
Like many, Weiss long believed this country could escape the rising tide of anti-Semitism. With its promise of free speech and religion, its insistence that all people are created equal, its tolerance for difference, and its emphasis on shared ideals rather than bloodlines, America has been, even with all its flaws, a new Jerusalem for the Jewish people. But now the luckiest Jews in history are beginning to face a three-headed dragon known all too well to Jews of other times and places: the physical fear of violent assault, the moral fear of ideological vilification, and the political fear of resurgent fascism and populism.
Bari Weiss is an American journalist, writer, and editor. She was an op-ed and book review editor at The Wall Street Journal (2013–2017)[1] and an op-ed staff editor and writer on culture and politics at The New York Times (2017–2020).[2] Since March 1, 2021, she has worked as a regular columnist for German daily newspaper Die Welt.[3] Weiss founded the media company The Free Press (formerly Common Sense) and hosts the podcast Honestly.
NEXT BOOK
The Enemy Beside Me by Naomi Ragen
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Thanks to our membership in the PJP we are able to enjoy a variety of programs. Here are the new programming lists. No need to register in advance. | |
PJP Series "What Jews Think”
2023-2024
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Thursday, January 4 @8:30 PM
Dr. Eitan Fishbane, Jewish Theological Seminary “Ideas of God in Jewish Mysticism”
In this session, we will explore the varied, fascinating, and inspiring ways in which Jewish mystical thinkers and practitioners have understood and described the nature and character of Divinity. Drawing on lyrical and symbolism-infused texts from the Kabbalah of 13th century Spain (especially that of the Zohar), the Kabbalah of 16th century Tzfat, to that of the spiritual masters of modern eastern European Hasidism, we will study such ideas as: the Ein-Sof (No End or Infinity); the sefirot as the inner luminous dimensions of God‘s self, the emanations of a river of heavenly divine light and breath; God as the ultimate fountain of pure compassion/Rahamim; the monistic and pantheistic — the radically immanent — vision of God as the interconnected life force of all Being.
Dr. Eitan Fishbane is Professor of Jewish Thought at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), where he has taught for 17 years. Among Professor Fishbane’s published books are: The Art of Mystical Narrative: A Poetics of the Zohar (Oxford University Press, 2018); As Light Before Dawn: The Inner World of a Medieval Kabbalist (Stanford University Press, 2009); and, most recently, Embers of Pilgrimage (Panui Poetry Series, 2021). Fishbane received his Ph.D. and B.A., summa cum laude, from Brandeis University.
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PJP Travel Programs
2023-2024
Sunday, January 7 @ 1:00 PM
“Jewish Egypt” with Louise Arwas
Over the course of our virtual tour we will be time travelling: From the time of Moses, through to the Golden Age of Egyptian Jewry, and right up to present day Jewish Egypt. We will visit an Egypt that was tolerant and open, yet indigenous and traditional, where Jews and their Muslim neighbors lived harmoniously, and extended, multigenerational families lived seemingly safe and joyous existences. We will be journeying through world history and Jewish history (and some of my own family history), and along the way we’ll stop at some of the most iconic Jewish sites in Egypt. We will remember what was - and maybe what can be again someday.
Louise Arwas is originally from London. Her father, grandparents and great-grandparents came from Alexandria, Egypt, but were expelled, together with 30,000 Jews, during the Suez Crisis of 1956. She is currently involved in several related education projects, including organizing heritage tours to Cairo and Alexandria with former community members. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87840526057?pwd=UEw3Uy9BVEh1NGhGKy9GTHhpYWg1Zz09
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Join us for our 2nd 3-Part Series on Jewish Hollywood
FUTURE PROGRAMS
Funny Girls Part 2 - Jan 18, 2024 - 8:30 PM
Those Were the Days - Feb 22, 2024 - 8:30 PM
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The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening:
Alex Birnbaum*
John M. Furman
Eva Kaplan
Gertrude Rifkin
Larry Zwillman
Benjamin Goodman*
Joseph Martin*
Howard Paitchel
Norman Rothman
Bernice Shechtman
Bertha Goldstein
Richard Kirsh
Hillary Levine
Joshua Scharf
Mildred Tittelbaum
Morrie Baker
Bonnie Joy Farin*
Sidney Gottlieb
Martin Kader
Solomon N. Rosenstein
Gil Ross
Jacob Weill*
Frances Berson
Lise Polishook
Ethel Rosenberg
Sam Rosenberg
Esther Sheparde
Irving Chakrin
Florence Cohen Galer
Herb Morton
Ruth Moss
Phyllis Tanenbaum
Murray Weiner
David Weinzimmer
Dora Chazin*
Samuel Cweibel*
Mildred Epstein
Stephen Epstein
Sydney R. Racusin*
We encourage you to join us on the day of your loved one’s yahrzeit. In the morning, the service is about ½ hour beginning at 8:15 and in the evening at 7:30 until about 7:45. Rabbi will be glad to say the traditional El Malei Rachamim prayer for you, which is recited during the funeral, going up to the grave of the departed, Yizkor remembrance day and other occasions on which the memory of the dead is recalled. You are also welcome to share with the minyan some special memories of your loved one.
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Beverly Miller
December 23
Craig Israelite
December 24
Ninette Steinberg
December 24
Richard Feldgus
December 25
Lynn Levitt
December 25
Debra Belena
December 26
Marsha Chazin
December 26
Carol Koransky
December 26
Stuart Steigerwald
December 27
Joyce Levine
December 28
Carolyn Racusin
December 28
Barry Sherman
December 28
Kerry Iris
December 29
Natty Lapidus
December 29
Julie Sheffet
December 29
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Neil & Rebecca Dolinger
December 23
33rd Anniversary
Howard & Sherry Fruchterman
December 24
Bernard & Vera Hershenberg
December 24
51st Anniversary
Jay & Barbara Berman
December 26
64th Anniversary
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SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
rvalen1963@aol.com
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GREETINGS FROM ISRAEL AND NORTH CAROLINA | |
From Mark Chasin in Israel...
I spent this morning picking oranges at a farm in the Negev near Sederot on a JNF volunteer mission to Israel.
Best regards and looking forward to seeing you on New Year’s Eve.
Mark🍊
PS: Next time you buy oranges, think of who might have picked them.
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From former members Richard & Pat Morgan now living in North Carolina | |
May you be blessed
With enough rhyme
To make life easier
And enough free verse
To make it interesting.
~ Richard Morgan
Longing for the peacefulness of this sunset to open something quiet in our world this holiday season and the year ahead. We wish you a very blessed holiday time with your families and friends.
~Pat and Richard
PS The art on the card is Pat's depiction of the view from her back deck.
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MEET THE SOUP TROOP: Noralyn Carroll, Irene Babst and new member Robin Genna. They made soup in the JCC kitchen to be given to our members who are not feeling well. Contact Irene or Noralyn if you or if you know of a member who needs some Jewish penicillin. Local delivery only! | | |
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CARING COMMITTEE
This committee acts as a support system for congregation members facing illness and other personal situations that need to be addressed.
Please contact Chairperson,
Debby Schweighardt
if you are in need of assistance or if you know of a JCC member that needs our help.
973-634-5349
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Oreo unveils new flavor inspired by a Jewish New York bakery classic
By Lisa Keys December 14, 2023
(New York Jewish Week) — Some happy news for fans of Jewish desserts: Classic cookie company Oreo has unveiled three new flavors for the new year, and among them is a tribute to black and white cookies, a Jewish New York staple.
The limited-edition Oreo Black & White Cookies, which will be available starting Jan. 4, features Golden Oreo cookies with a creme filling that’s half chocolate and half vanilla-flavored.
To read the entire article including the history of the Black & White cookies click on the button below
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YOU CAN NOW FILL OUT A GIVING FORM AND PAY ON LINE IN ONE SIMPLE PROCESS.
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GIVING OPPORTUNITIES
PAVERS
Inscribe a paver at the front entrance to the building
8" X 4", 8" X 8" and 12" X 12"
SEE UPDATED ORDER FORM:
Become a permanent part of the JCC landscape.
Purchase a personalized paving stone
in honor of your family or in memory of a loved one.
Please contact Diane Hoffman
with your order or with any questions:
PRAYER BOOKS
There are still High Holiday Prayer Books and Chumashim available to be purchased in memory or honor of someone or something. The cost of a Prayer Book is $72 each and $120 for an Eitz Hayim Chumash. The donation includes an affirmation sticker in the book and an acknowledgement letter or letters.
TRIBUTES
SEND ONE OF OUR TRIBUTES IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF
TREE OF LIFE
Add a leaf (leaves) to our beautiful Tree of Life located in the Social Hall. See the order form here: TREE OF LIFE
Bronze Leaf $90
Silver Leaf $126
Gold :Leaf $180
ENDOWMENT FUND
Herb and Selma z”l Shapiro established the first individual Endowment Fund in memory of his father, as part of the JCC’s Endowment Fund portfolio.
Since then, three additional individual Endowment Funds have been established. Other members are encouraged to also provide for the future of our JCC by establishing similar funds. Please consider adding to this number.
A donation of at least $50,000 to the endowment fund will allow the donor to name one of the funds as the donor wishes. All such named funds will be joined together to be part of the Endowment Fund portfolio.
Endowment funds are necessary to ensure the continuation and well being of our congregation. All members are encouraged to help this important effort by contributing to this portfolio, whether as a specific named individual fund, or as a general donation. The donation can be spread over one, two, or three years, and can be paid via check, donation of appreciated stock, wills, or from the RMD of your IRA or 401K account. Your gift to the fund can be sent to the JCC Office. Please mark your check accordingly.
YAHRZEIT PLAQUES
Space is available for memorial plaques on the yahrzeit boards in the Sanctuary.
Here is the order form:
KOL HAKAVOD
Please consider being a part of this campaign to supplement the clergy needs of our congregation. This is a separate, voluntary commitment and is additional to our low annual dues obligation. HERE IS THE LINK TO BRING UP THE DONATION FORM KOL HAKAVOD
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2023 MEMBERSHIP FORMS
Your support is so important to the continued success of the JCC.
Here is form for renewal:
And if you have been reading our Shabbat Reminder and other communications and have not yet joined our congregation, here is the new member form:
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JCC FUNDS
Your gift to the JCC supports our Clergy, our Congregation and the Community.
ENDOWMENT FUND
This fund was established to assure the continuity of our JCC, and our ability to continue providing a full-service congregation to serve the Jewish people of the area. While a donation of any amount is encouraged, a donation of at least $50,000 allows the donor to name a special or specific Endowment Fund in memory or honor of a specific person event, or family.
GENERAL FUND
Donations to this fund are not earmarked but placed in the general administrative account. Donations to this fund can be in honor or memory of a person, event, or family.
KOL HAKAVOD FUND
Donations to this campaign supplement the clergy needs of our congregation.
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
This fund, managed by the rabbi, allows donors to enable the rabbi to do the work of tzedakah in response to the needs of individuals, organizations and the community.
ZENA & JERRY JAY KIDDISH FUND
The Zena and Jerry Jay Kiddush Fund was established in memory of Rabbi Jay's parents to help provide funds for our Saturday morning kiddushes.
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JCC LEADERSHIP
OFFICERS
President- Phil Rosenzweig
1ST Vice President-Sherry Fruchterman
2ND Vice President-Diane Hoffman
3RD Vice President- Rose Valentine
Treasurer- Ira Morgenthal
Secretary- Cliff Denker
Immediate Past President -Michael Babst
BOARD MEMBERS
Howard Babbitt
Diane Buskirk
Mitch Frumkin
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Jon Geier
Paul Levine
Ken Podos
Terri Robinovitz
David Shatz
Bonni Rubin-Sugarman
WOMEN'S AUXILIARY
President - Diane Buskirk
Co-Vice President - Noralyn Carroll
Co-Vice President - Jill Denker
Treasurer - Suzy Geier
Secretary - Joanne Babbitt
Immediate Past President - Irene Babst
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