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A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI

POSITIVELY SPYING

           A few years back I heard the most wonderful Drash on this week’s Parsha, Sh’lakh Lekha, at the Bat Mitzvah of a soulfully sensitive young person. Her D’Var Torah boiled the Parsha down to one incredibly simple, but brilliant, message.

           The story is probably familiar to most of us. The Israelites are about to enter into Canaan and God tells Moses to send 12 men, one from each tribe, to spy out the land. Moses immediately does so and the men reconnoiter for 40 days. However upon their return, 10 of the spies gave increasingly negative reports of the land. First they reported positively that the land flowed with milk and honey and that it had incredible fruit. But their report took a decidedly negative turn when they finished up by saying that the inhabitants were fierce, the cities were impregnable, and, that the land was teaming with Israel’s enemies.

           There were, however, 2 spies, Caleb and Joshua, who reported that the land could be conquered. Rather than be calmed down by the more reasoned description given by Caleb and Joshua, the other spies embellished their rhetoric and asserted that the land was filled with giants. Indeed, the 10 spies cried out that the Israelites were like grasshoppers to the native inhabitants. 

The bad report led the people to cry out that they would have rather died in Egypt then be brought to the new land. Caleb and Joshua tried once more to cajole the people, telling them that the land was not only beautiful, but that God was on the side of the Israelites and that would mean sure victory. 

           Unfortunately, the attempt to quell the nerves of the people failed. God became so infuriated that God punished the people by forbidding them to enter the Promised Land. Instead they would wander in the desert for 40 years, one year for each day that the spies were in the land.

           The keen observation of our dear young (but dare I say old-souled) Bat Mitzvah was that the downfall of the 10 spies was that they failed to have a positive attitude. Our young sage took the position that the spies’ inherently negative outlook fostered the fear that clouded their judgment. The inherent negativity led to bad decision-making and, ultimately, to the promulgation of wildly exaggerated reports of impending doom. 

The lesson to be learned is that we need to take a positive attitude into the things we do. If we see the glass as half-full we are more likely to reach well-reasoned conclusions and to have positive results.

The world in which we find ourselves contains a lot of hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people. There is truth to this. However, the lesson of this Torah portion is that we should not focus on the negative. Instead, like Caleb and Joshua, we need to find the positive. This is not hard to do. Though there a loud and vicious people out there, there are also many people who are friendly. Thank them for their support. 

The worst thing we can do is be silent. We need to confront the people who intend us harm, and we need to thank those who support us.

Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay 

STUDYING THE PRAYER ANIM ZEMIROT

by Eve & Stu Lehrer

There are many times on Shabat and on a Jewish Holiday, that Rabbi Jay will incorporate the beautiful prayer ANIM ZEMIROT toward the end of the services

We wanted to share with everyone the etymology of this inspirational prayer as well as a few customs

ANIM ZEMIROT is recited responsively, with the first verse read aloud by the person leading the services or in Hebrew Shili'akh Tzibur [messenger of the congregation] - The second verse is then recited by the congregation in unison and so on - This poem is believed to have been written by Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg, the 1th Century German scholar

The main body of ANIM ZEMIROT consists of 31 original verses, followed by two verses from Tanakh: the first from Chronicles 29:11 and the second from Psalms 106:2 - From the fifth to the twenty-eighth verse: each stanza begin with the successive letter in the Hebrew Alphabet, except for the letter Raysh and Tav: both of which appear twice

The Aron Kodesh [Ark] is opened for the recital of ANIM ZEMIROT, befitting the formal title of "The Song of Glory" - THere is an account that this name originated because of an old tradition to recite the last four verses of Psalm 24 prior to reciting ANIM ZEMIROT

There are a multitude of familiar melodies to ANIM ZEMIROT and so one of the more prominent and customary way to sing ANIM ZEMIROT is as follows: The Shali'akh Tzibur sill sing the first verse, and the congregation will sing that same refrain for the second verse - The Shili'akh Tzibur will sing the third verse to the same tune and the congregation recites the fourth verse following the same melody - Then the Chazan will sing the chorus of that tune to the fifth and seventh verses and the congregation then follows the Chazan's chorus in the sixth and eighth stanzas - The Shili'akh Tzibur will return to the refrain for the next two sets of lines with the congregation following suit

Then the congregation joins in unison with the Chazan for the last verse of Yi'eh'rav Nah and then the Ark is closed - The last four verses are read silently with the very last verse is sung again in unison of Me Yi'mah'layil

Once ANIM ZEMIROT is completed, the Mourner's Kadish is recited

In many Synagogues, this beautiful prayer is led by a child whose Bat or Bar Mitzvah is to be held within the coming year

"What a wonderful community we have here at the JCC of LBI". That was the feeling at last Sunday's Welcome Back Brunch attended by around 100 people. A rousing speech by President Phil Rosensweig greeted everyone. The brunch tables were filled with bagels and the trimmings, kugel, egg and whitefish salad, fruit and dessert. Event chairs reminded the crowd of all the wonderful activities planned for the summer.

A suprise bonus concluded the event. Phyllis Cohen presented a slide presentation of her recent JNF volunteer trip to Israel with her daughter. Each day they were able to do something to help such as pick produce on the farms and paint and refurbish a Kibbutz destroyed on October 7th. Truly inspiring!

A GREAT MORNING FOR THE JCC OF LBI. THANK YOU TO THE MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE FOR ALL THEIR WORK IN PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER.

PJP PROGRAM

Last Thursday evening, the consortium we are a part of, presented on Zoom, a program with Dalia Ziada, a Muslim Egyptian; the topic: “Navigating the Geopolitical Crossroads: Insights from the Middle East". I highly recommend you watch the recording. It is a bit long, but the first 30 minutes should give you the gist of her story and her bravery.

Passcode: L#*rUPF2

Some folks have asked if we have a recording of the Alan Dershowitz interview. Please respond to this email if you are interested.

JULY SHABBAT DINNER

Friday, July 5

6:30 PM

Israel Dinner with Guest Speaker Dr. Eric Mandel

Founder and Director of the Middle East Political and Information Network

Friday, July 5

Shabbat Dinner with talk by Dr. Eric Mandel

6:30 PM

Sunday, July 7

Family Circus & Juggling

7:00 PM

Thursday, July 11

Visit to the Compassion Cafe

Friday, July 12

Shabbat on the Beach at Spray Beach

6:00 PM

Friday, July 19

Shabbat on the Beach at Lovelades

6:00 PM

Sunday, July 21

An Evening with Carl Steinberg

7:00 - 9:00 PM

Tuesday, July 23

WAX Brunch at Wally’s

11:00 AM

Thursday, July 25

Trivia with DJ Mike

3:30-6:00 PM

Friday, July 26

Shabbat on the Beach at Spray Beach

6:00 PM

JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION

 WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM

NEXT BOOK REVIEW MEETING

Wednesday, July 17th at 4:00 pm

Discussion Leader: TBA

Jackpot Summer by Elyssa Friedland

After the Jacobson siblings win a life-changing fortune in the lottery, they assume their messy lives will transform into sleek, storybook perfection–but they couldn’t be more wrong.

The four Jacobson children were raised to respect the value of a dollar. Their mother reused tea bags and refused to pay retail; their father taught them to budget before he taught them to ride a bike. And yet, now that they’re adults, their financial lives are in disarray. The siblings reunite when their newly widowed father puts their Jersey Shore beach house on the market. Packing up childhood memories isn’t easy, especially when there’s other drama brewing. Matthew is miserable at his corporate law job and wishes he had more time with his son; Laura’s marriage is imploding in spectacular fashion; Sophie’s art career is stalled while her boyfriend’s is on the rise; and Noah’s total failure to launch has him doing tech repair for pennies. When Noah sees an ad for a Powerball drawing, he and his sisters go in on tickets while their brother Matthew passes. All hell breaks loose when one of the tickets is a winner and three of the four Jacobsons become overnight millionaires. Without their mother’s guidance, and with their father busy playing pickleball in a Florida retirement village, the once close-knit siblings search for comfort in shiny new toys instead of each other. It’s not long before the Jacobsons start to realize that they’ll never feel rich unless they can pull their family back together.

Cost is $25 per adult and Children under 18 is $18. 

Please RSVP to Jill Denker at Jill.Denker@hotmail.com by 7/1/24

You can also sign up and pay for this event on our website. On the HOME PAGE scroll down to GIVING OPPORTUNTIES then to the bottom of the page for PAY HERE. Fill in your personal annd credit card information and in DONATION DETAILS under OTHER type in FAMILY CIRCUS.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE GYPSY MOON DUET...

Sunday, August 4th at 7:00 PM

Dinner

Concert by the Gypsy Moon Duet

An In-House Silent Auction

$40 per person

The committee is excited about the silent auction prizes they have collected so far. You could win a woman’s bicycle, Yankee tickets, Mets tickets, artwork, and a stunning antique pendant with rubies. It is going to be a great event!!!!!

CONGREGATION NEWS

Our Families thank you for your outpouring of 

comfort, donations, and for just being there for us

upon the passing of our mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother 

Phyllis Sora Wittenberg Lehrer - 

Words cannot possibly express our heartfelt gratitude to our JCC Family - 

With love from, The Lehrer, Karpoff, and Wittenberg Families

SEND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF YOUR GRADUATES TO rvalen1963@aol.com.

PICTURES ARE WELCOME

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

2024 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