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A SHABBAT MESSAGE FROM CANTOR SARA GELLER

I look forward to sharing Shabbat services with all of you!

This Shabbat we will read part of Tazriah, about various skin afflictions.  It is generally accepted that these skin diseases are to be understood metaphorically as the consequence of ‘lashon hara’ – literally, evil speech.

It’s very divisive when we say mean things to each other, or about each other.  ‘Lashon hara’ isolates its targets from the community at large. So, just as the person diagnosed with a skin disease was isolated from the community, the person who says mean things deserves to be isolated from polite society. If you say mean things about others, you will suffer some kind of retribution.

‘Lashon hara’ can be something true or untrue. Vague statements like: “It’s a shame so-and-so had those legal problems” are considered ‘lashon hara.’ ‘Lashon hara’ also includes bringing up embarrassing topics to someone. Rabbinic literature describes two such situations. First, we are not supposed to remind people of their, or their family’s previous bad acts for which they have repented. Second, if we are talking to a Jew-by-choice we are not supposed to talk about, or ask about, their decision to become Jewish. When you think about it, it’s possible to say a lot of things that make people uncomfortable or hurt their feelings.

So, just as the High Priest had to inspect the hair and skin repeatedly and in minute detail, we can examine each of our words as we seek to speak ‘lashon tov’, good speech, rather than ‘lashon hara’.

I will talk more about good speech and evil speech on Friday night and Shabbat morning.

Sara Geller

Cantor Geller will be leading servces this Shabbat while Rabbi and Sheri are away for a familt wedding.

The NEW JewBelong Haggadah It has everything you need for a unique, meaningful and fun Seder

The JewBelong Haggadah includes all of the traditional parts, plus:

• Songs!
• A blessing for Israel
• JewBelong’s original skit that makes the Passover story exciting and memorable for all ages
• A fabulous dinner conversation-starter
• Coffee to wake us up to the Ten Plagues of Antisemitism
• And more!

It is no longer available to order and printed but you can download it for free HERE and print it at home, Staples or wherever your heart desires.



Matzah Lasagna (from theThe Nosher)

Total Time: 1 hour Yield: Serves 6-8

Ingredients

6–7 sheets matzah

3 ½ cups (1 jar/25 oz) marinara or your favorite tomato sauce

2 (16 oz) containers whole-milk ricotta

1 cup chopped basil + more for garnish

4–5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed from stems, about 2 tsp

1 large egg

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper, or to taste

5 cups (16 oz) shredded low-moisture mozzarella

1 ½ cups (5 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup grated parmesan (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Add the ricotta, chopped basil, thyme, egg, salt and pepper to a bowl, and mix until just combined.

Assemble the lasagna in a 9”x13” casserole dish that is at least 2.5”-3” deep. Start by adding 1 cup of the marinara to the bottom of the dish. Layer two sheets of matzah on the bottom, break as needed to fit them into a single layer. Top the matzah with 2 cups of the ricotta mixture (half of the mixture), and smooth it into an even layer with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Evenly top the ricotta with 2 cups of shredded mozzarella and ½ a cup of shredded cheddar. 

Repeat the process by dolloping 1 cup of sauce over the shredded cheese. Top the sauce with two sheets of matzah, the remaining 2 cups of the ricotta mixture, followed by 2 cups of shredded mozzarella, and ½ a cup of shredded cheddar.

For the last layer, top the cheese layer with two sheets of matzah, then finish it off with the remaining tomato sauce (if you enjoy a saucier lasagna, you can add an additional cup of tomato sauce over the top before you finish it off with the shredded cheeses). Add the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and ½ cup of cheddar. Finally, sprinkle the parmesan over the top.

Cover the lasagna with foil, and bake for 30 minutes covered.

Uncover the lasagna and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until browned and bubbly on top. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving so that the lasagna can set and hold its shape.

Notes

This recipe requires one full jar of marinara, but if you like a saucier lasagna, add an additional cup (or a small 8 oz jar) of tomato sauce to the top of the lasagna.

To make the lasagna ahead, bake for 30 minutes covered, remove from the oven and allow to fully cool. Refrigerate or freeze the lasagna. If refrigerated, reheat at 375°F for 15 minutes covered, and 15 uncovered; and if it’s frozen, reheat for 20 minutes covered, and 20-25 minutes uncovered.

Friday, April 12

1 - 3 PM

WAX Luncheon

High Tea at the Lizzie Rose Tea Room

Sunday, April 14

2:00 PM

WAX Lecture Series

Chuck Sidwa, PA

"Aging, the Sun and your Skin"

Wednesday, April 17

4:00 PM

WAX Book Club

Friday, April 19

10:00 AM

Signing Class

Friday, April 19

12 - 4 PM

CPR Class

JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION

 WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM

NEXT BOOK REVIEW MEETING

Thank you to Sondi Pripstein for so skillfully leading the March discussion.

Wednesday, April 17

"The Genius of Israel" by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Discussion Leader: TBA

Why do Israelis have among the world’s highest life expectancies and lowest rates of “deaths of despair” from suicide and substance abuse? Why is Israel’s population young and growing while all other wealthy democracies are aging and shrinking? How can it be that Israel, according to a United Nations ranking, is the fourth happiest nation in the world? Why do Israelis tend to look to the future with hope, optimism, and purpose while the rest of the West struggles with an epidemic of loneliness, teen depression, and social decline?

Dan Senor and Saul Singer, the writers behind the international bestseller Start-Up Nation, have long been students of the global innovation race. But as they spent time with Israel’s entrepreneurs and political leaders, soldiers and students, scientists and anti-government activists, ultra-Orthodox Jews, Tel Aviv techies, and Israeli Arabs, they realized that they had missed what really sets Israel apart.

Moving from military commanders integrating at-risk youth and people who are neurodiverse into national service, to high-performing companies making space for working parents, from dreamers and innovators launching a duct-taped spacecraft to the moon, to bringing better health and climate solutions to people around the world, The Genius of Israel tells the story of a diverse society built around the values of service, civic engagement, and belonging.

Widely admired for having the world’s highest density of high-tech start-ups, Israel’s greatest innovation may not be a technology at all, but Israeli society itself. Understanding how a country facing so many challenges can be among the happiest provides surprising insights into how we can confront the crisis of community, human connectedness, and purpose in modern life.

Bold, timely, and insightful, Senor and Singer’s latest work shines an important light on the impressive resilience of Israeli society in the face of external and internal challenges—and what other countries can learn.

PJP HOLOCAUST PROGRAM

Thursday, May 2 @ 8:30 PM

“How a Torah Changed My Life Forever” with Sheila Pallay

Rescued from the Shoah and now 250 years old, a Czech Torah sat before her. As she reached out to touch that Torah, Sheila felt a sudden, unanticipated and intense personal connection with generations past. Those who had held in their hands that very Torah. Chanted from it. Kissed it. And carried it around their synagogue with great pride. It was this seminal event that changed her life forever. Sheila spent 3 1/2 months in the Czech Republic visiting synagogues that once housed the Holocaust Torahs now housed in our synagogues and photographing what is left Judaically after the Shoah. She and Julius Mũller collaborated on a book, “Life Beyond the Shadows, The Legacy of the Czech Torah Scroll and the Renewal of Jewish Life in Czechia”.

Sheila Pallay was introduced to photography during her college days. Although her career path took her in a different direction, she has always loved to photograph. Sheila and her husband share their love of adventure and feel fortunate to be able to travel and explore our amazing world. One of her greatest pleasures is capturing magical moments in faraway places. Although Sheila is primarily a self-taught photographer, she has taken many courses and workshops to improve her skills, including courses on composition at the New School in NYC and International Center for Photography in NYC and Photoshop at a local community college. She graduated from The Rhode Island School of Design certificate program in digital photography. 

PJP Series "What Jews Think”

2023-2024

Thursday, May 9 @8:30 PM Dr. Shira Billet,

Jewish Theological Seminary

“How Jewish Philosophers Think about Troubling Traditions”

This session will introduce Jewish philosophy as a means of grappling with what I call troubling traditions. Traditions refer to sacred texts that are authoritative for us in some significant way. They are „troubling“ when they conflict with other strong beliefs we hold, be they epistemic beliefs about what is true or false, moral beliefs about right or wrong, or political beliefs about how we ought or ought not to live. We will look at methods that Jewish philosophers have articulated in attempting to resolve these contradictions, and gain insight into the history and practice of Jewish philosophy. Shira Billet is Assistant Professor of Jewish Thought and Ethics at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Her research focuses on the work of nineteenth-century German Jewish philosopher, Hermann Cohen, his ethical and Jewish thought, and the history of Jewish philosophy broadly. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86099814024?pwd=UWdvMWMrM3JHeWtCckY0MFVHQVl

CONGREGATION NEWS

CONDOLENCES TO JCC OF LBI MEMBER

JILL GREENWALD

on the passing of her father

Edward George Brinberg.

A combat WWll Veteran and Morse Code specialist, he communicated from the USS Ancon in Normandy and The Philippines to Generals Eisenhower and McArthur.

Family and friends are invited to attend a funeral service for Ed on Friday, April 12, 2024 at 11:15 AM at Tilghman funeral home at 52 Main Street, New Egypt, New Jersey 08533, followed by a 12:30 PM military service at BGWCD Veteran Memorial Cemetery located at 350 Province Line Road, Wrightstown, NJ 08562. Visitation will be held from 11 AM to 12 PM at the funeral home. 

TO READ ABOUT ED BRINBERG, CLICK HERE

"May God remember forever our dear ones who have gone to their eternal rest. May they be at one with the One who is life eternal. May the beauty of their lives shine for evermore, and may our lives always bring honor to their memory."

SHARE YOUR NEWS

AND PICTURES

CONTACT: 

rvalen1963@aol.com

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 z"l 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

2023 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