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JEWISH COMMUNITY
CENTER OF
LONG BEACH ISLAND
E-LETTER
February 14, 2025
16 Shevat 5785
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI
I am going to clue you into a little discussed fact about the Revelation at Sinai and the receipt of Ten Commandments. When you read this, you are likely to be so nonplussed that your meal may go unfinished, your TV show will be paused for good, or you will accidentally delete every photo from your laptop. So, if any of this happens, please remember that I warned you.
Here goes (and many thanks to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Z”L, for the heads up)…. There were revelations before Sinai (for example, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), and there have been revelations since (for example, the Prophets, Jesus, and Mohammed). But, here, is the simple fact that sets Sinai apart from all of these, and makes it extraordinary:
Every other revelation involved a single person who experienced that revelation and then needed to tell the rest of the world what he/she saw and heard. At Sinai, the Ten Commandments were not revealed to one person. Instead, the entire community of Israelites experienced God’s Revelation. By the Torah’s own reportage, that was over 1 million people. This means that the Israelites did not have to rely on someone else to feel or experienced God’s word and then report what happened. Rather, everyone who was there felt it, experienced it, and received it.
God did not want an intermediary to send the message. An intermediary could be misunderstood or make a miscommunication. God needed this to be a direct and very personal transmission.
This fact is highlighted by the text of the Ten Commandments. If you read the Commandments in Hebrew, you will notice that, even though God gave them to all the Israelites standing under Sinai, the Commandments are given in the second person singular. In other words, when it says “I am the Lord your God”, “your” is in the singular form. (I am Moshe’s God; I am Miriam’s God; I am Zelda’s God; I am Herb’s God).
Thus, even as the entire new nation is standing there hearing God’s voice, each Commandment is given to each individual.
We can posit any number of reasons why this is so; however, I would guess the most reasonable answer is that, by doing so, God is expressing that each of us is individually responsible to observe the Commandments. If presented in the plural, then each person could conceivably argue that certain Commandments don’t apply to him/her.
The story of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the understanding of the Commandments, themselves, can be very complicated. However, one short and simple message is that before we undertake to repair the world, we each have an obligation to do some inner considering and determine where we are, on a personal level, in this beautiful but complicated world of ours. Only after I have looked at myself and seen how well I have kept the Commandments, should I then feel licensed to start to look at what others are doing.
By revealing the commandments to each person present, en masse, God is ensuring that no one can say, “I was not told that commandment”.
What a powerful visual this creates. We all received the commandments from God directly. Not from a messenger, not from a prophet, and not from an angel. But from the Holy One, Blessed Be God. The connection reaches all the way from Sinai to wherever each of us is today. A miracle. A true, blue spectacle. A miracle.
Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay
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Candle Lighting Time
(Southern Ocean County)
Shabbat Eve
Friday, February 14, 2025
5:14 PM
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Friday
February 14, 2025
Services
7:30 PM
ON ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join Services
on Zoom
FRIDAY NIGHT
Saturday
February 15, 2025
9:00 AM
ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
SHABBAT
TORAH READING
Parashat Yitro
Torah Portion: Exodus 18:1-20:23
Yitro (“Jethro”) begins as Moses reunites with his father-in-law Yitro and accepts his advice to appoint judges who will help govern the Israelites. The Israelites prepare to encounter God at Mount Sinai. God descends amidst fire, smoke, thunder, and the blast of a shofar and gives the Ten Commandments.
Here is Parshah
HAFTORAH
Isaiah 6:1-7:6, 9:5-6
This week's haftorah discusses Isaiah’s vision of the Heavenly Chariot (the merkavah), a revelation that was experienced by all the Israelites when G‑d spoke the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai—an event recounted in this week’s Torah reading.
Here is the Haftorah
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HAVDALLAH
5:45 PM
ON ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
HAVDALLAH
WEEKDAY SERVICES
Monday - Thursday
Ma'ariv Service
7:30 PM
Here is your invitation from Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
MA'ARIV
Sunday - 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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SHABBAT MORNING
ZOOM ONLY
SERVICES THIS FEBRUARY
February 15 and 22
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tu’s a-stu-te sayings…..
Do you have a comment about something?
Is it literal or is there a hidden meaning?
Then welcome to the world of Pshat vs Midrash
Pshat and Midrash are both methods of interpreting Judaica Miqra [Scriptures] as Torah, Talmud, the Prophets and so on: but they differ in their goals
Pshat aims to find the literal meaning of a text,
while Midrash aims to find hidden meaning
Pshat
Meaning: The basic, literal explanation of a text
· Goal: To find the most obvious meaning of a text
· Example: Using the context to determine the literal meaning of a verse
Midrash
Meaning: To "learn out" or "inquire"
Goal: To find hidden meaning or wisdom in a text
Example: Using similar occurrences of words to find comparative meaning
Relationship
· Pshat and Midrash can be used together to explain each other
· Pshat and Midrash can be used to resolve apparent contradictions in Miqra
· Pshat and Midrash can be used to establish the scriptural basis for new laws
Want to see this in action – Then please come to our Thursday Morning Torah Shir [Judaic Learning Class] at 11 AM by clicking on the JCC of LBI Link or
Zoom to Meeting ID 882 5055 3113 Passcode 759004
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SUNDAY, February 16
PICKLEBALL
9:00 AM
with bagels and a schmeer
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TUESDAY, Febuary 18
Pickleball
10 - 1
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WEDNESDAY, February 19
Canasta & Mah Jongg
12:30 PM
WAX Book Review
4:00 PM
Rabbi's Class
following services
7:30 PM
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THURSDAY, February 20
Torah Study
11:00 AM
PJP Israel Program
The Disappearing Dead Sea
8:30 PM
Pickleball
10 - 1
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FRIDAY, February 21
Studying the Prophets
following morninng minyan
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Wednesday, February 19:
WAX Book Club
4:00 PM
Thursday, February 20
PJP Israel Program
The Disappearing Dead Sea
8:30 PM
Tuesday, February 25
WAX Brunch at Wally's
11:00 AM
Thursday February 27
Holocaust Survivors in 2024
8:30 pm
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MAH JONGG & CANASTA
WEDNESDAYS
12:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
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PICKLEBALL
Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
10 - 1
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PRAY, STAY and PLAY
One Sunday each month the JCC Pickleball Group is hosting Pray, Stay and Play at 9:00 am. Sunday is the most difficult morning to achieve a minyan. This month Joyce and Paul Levine are sponsoring a bagel, lox etc breakfast. If you have never played pickle just come watch and nosh. If you just want to socialize just come and nosh. If you wake up hungry just come and nosh. Hope to see you there.
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JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION
WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM
NEXT BOOK REVIEW MEETING
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Wednesday, February19th at 4:00 pm
Discussion Leader: TBA
The Matchmaker’s Gift
By Linda Cohen Loigman
Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men—men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers, and to demand the recognition she deserves.
Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney, representing the city’s wealthiest clients. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara’s matches. But among the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers. Why did Abby’s grandmother leave this library to her and what did she hope Abby would discover within its pages? Why does the work Abby once found so compelling suddenly feel inconsequential and flawed? Is Abby willing to sacrifice the career she’s worked so hard for in order to keep her grandmother’s mysterious promise to a stranger? And is there really such a thing as love at first sight?
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PJP ISRAEL PROGRAM
Thursday, February 20 @ 8:30 PM
Shay Rabineau, Associate Professor of Israel Studies/Associate Director of the Center for Isarel Studies, Binghamton University
“The Disappearing Dead Sea: An Exploration of the Poltical, Economic, and Military Factors that have Given Rise to One of the World’s Major Environmental Crises”
In 1934, a group of teenagers from a Zionist youth and scouting group became the first people in recorded history to circle the Dead Sea on foot. In 2022, Shay Rabineau embarked on an attempt to retrace the route of the 1934 expedition, with an eye on the remarkable regional transformations that had taken place over the intervening 88 years. The research project, which included writing, interviewing, photographing, mapping, and video recording along the way, was the most holistic exploration of the Dead Sea and its surroundings since the rise of modern nation-states in the Middle East. This presentation outlines the details of the 2022 Dead Sea Trek, and in doing so, examines the political, economic, and military factors that have given rise to one of the world's major environmental crises.
Shay Rabineau is Associate Professor of Israel Studies and chair of the Department of Judaic Studies at Binghamton University. His 2023 book, Walking the Land: A History of Israeli Hiking Trails (Indiana University Press) won the 2024 Yonathan Shapiro Best Book Award from the Association for Israel Studies. His research and teaching focus on the history, geography, and politics of Israel and the modern Middle East. Shay's current book project is a work of environmental history that builds on his 2022 circumnavigation of the Dead Sea through Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank.
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Thursday February 27
8:30 pm - ZOOM
As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, what is still open to discuss with Germany? For the Jewish community and the world, how do we transmit the lessons of the Holocaust in an eventual world without
survivors?
Greg Schneider, CEO of the Claims Conference, will join us on ZOOM to reflect on the negotiations with Germany and Austria for funding for Holocaust survivors.
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Presented by the PJP Consortium and The Emanuel Synagogue Adult Education Committee. | | |
HHREC MemoryKeeper Story Hour: Yuval Ehrenreich, GenerationsForward Speaker
Mar 05, 2025 7:00PM—8:00PM
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Yuval Ehrenreich, the son of a child sole survivor who knew little about his parents, and nothing about his extended family, will tell the story of his step-grandfather Jakob (Jacques) Samuel. Five years ago, he discovered a picture of him in an archive, learning for the first time what he looked like. Driven to know more about him, he expanded his archival search and traced Samuel’s complex life, to uncover stories his father never knew. Following a transformative trip through Germany, France, and Belgium, where Yuval walked in his step-grandfather’s footsteps, he made startling discoveries, adding new layers to his understanding of his family’s Holocaust survival story.
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PJP PROGRAMS
As part of the PJP consortium the JCC is privy to many outstanding programs.
Travel around the world to Jewish neighborhoods...Study the ever complex dynamics of Eretz Yisrael...Enjoy stories of famous Jewish commedians,,,,
Zoom link will be published prior to each program....
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The JCC section at Crescent Memorial Park is available for sales. Please contact Bonni Rubin-Sugarman at 609-417-7148.
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We are very excited to add to the WAX Gift Shop items from local merchants and artisans. Stop in to look and buy one (or more) of these beautiful pieces for your home, as a gift or just for yourself. Here is a sample of some of our new products. The gift shop is open during office hours M-F 10 - 2.
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New item in the Gift Shop COASTAL COLORS COLLECTION OF MEZZUZAHS. Great Chanukah gift for someone moving into a new home.
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Lavina Haven Soy Candles and
Essential Oil Soaps
| Resin Bowls and Candlesticks by Seacrest Designs | |
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The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening:
Irvin Cohen
Julius Marmon
Rose Glickman*
Nathan Israel Printz*
Sam Zavelson
Belle Chmielnik
Anna Herman
Gene Klein
Selma Shapiro
William Silver
Edwin Greenfield
Shaindel Hupert
Nettie Rosenthal
Ethel Sharken
Anna Weill*
Rose Diane Segal
Sydney Sussman
Sidney Berkowitz
Robyn Lynn Caspento
Nette Ehrlich
Daniel Glassman*
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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Elaine Rudolph
February 15
Helene Scharf
February 15
Rose Valentine
February 15
Barbara Werbel
February 16
Bonnie Eisner
February 17
Jacqueline Margolis
February 17
Jules Slotnick
February 17
James J. Shrager
February 18
Daniel Blattner
February 19
Brett Harwood
February 19
Gary Koupf
February 20
Sue Fuirst
February 21
Dana Meyers
February 21
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Greg & Andrea Silvershein
February 15
39th Anniversary
Lawrence & Stacey Garb
February 20
25th Anniversary
Douglas & Rosalee Keech
February 20
42nd Anniversary
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Carolyn and Joe Fleischer
married February 10, 1968
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JENNIFER & JOHN MILLNER
on the birth of their grandson
Wesley Jakob Millner
to Dr. Steven & Shelby Heary Millner
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SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
rvalen1963@aol.com
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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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YOU CAN NOW FILL OUT A GIVING FORM AND PAY ON LINE IN ONE SIMPLE PROCESS.
Go to jccoflbi.org - Giving/Pay
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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:
PAVER 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:
dihoff1@aol.com
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.
See Order form here: Prayer Book
TRIBUTES
SEND ONE OF OUR TRIBUTES IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF
See order form here: TRIBUTES
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:
YAHRZEIT
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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2025 MEMBERSHIP FORMS
Your support is so important to the continued success of the JCC.
Here is form for renewal:
RENEW NOW
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:
JOIN NOW
BE A PART OF THE WOMEN'S AUXILLARY
2025 DUES FORM HERE
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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- Jon Geier
Treasurer- Stu Cofsky
Secretary- Cliff Denker
Immediate Past President -Michael Babst
BOARD MEMBERS
Howard Babbitt
Diane Buskirk
Lorna Klein
Paul Levine
Ken Podos
Sondi Pripstein
Terri Robinovitz
Bonni Rubin-Sugarman
Rose Valentine
Ken Yudman
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
Representative to the Board - Sondi Pripstein
Rabbi Michael S. Jay, Spiritual Leader
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