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JEWISH COMMUNITY
CENTER OF
LONG BEACH ISLAND
E-LETTER
March 13, 2026
24 Adar 5786
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI
BUILDING A FUTURE TOGETHER
This week’s Torah portion is a continuation of the narrative about the building of the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle designed to be the dwelling place for God’s presence as the Israelites travelled through the desert. The detailed instructions given for creating the Mishkan and its colorful and ornate contents are repeated several times. Commentators have struggled mightily to explain the repetition, but I would like to boil it down to a simple notion.
It is about relationship and dreaming. God is seeking to be intimately and consistently present with the Israelites. This represents a new and heightened mutual commitment in the relationship. There is anticipation and hope being felt by God and the Israelites. God, by verbalizing a vision for the Tabernacle to Moses (as emissary of the Israelites), God is literally sharing His dreams, hopes, and desires for the home they will build together.
The Mishkan is intended to be a Home for God; however, it is not just a physical home. Homes don’t just happen. Physical structures, where people live, might happen and be built, but a “home” is dreamed. A “home” is dreamed and planned and lived in.
Like a young couple talking about the home they intend to build for their future family, God is visualizing what it will be like. The Deity shares the dream with Moses and with the Israelites, and together they make it happen.
The Mishkan was God’s traveling dwelling place. Today’s synagogue is a place for people to worship, a place to be in community, a place to be at home, and a place to be with God. The instruction and the repetition discussed above are not so much about construction and component parts as it is about building a future. Hope, Dream, Visualize, Talk, Build, and Be Together. Together with each other, and Together with God.
Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay
| Rabbi Jay will be in his office at the JCC after services on Saturdays. The Rabbi is also available at any time or place to schedule in-person, or virtual meetings at your convenience. The Rabbi can be reached by call/text 973-865-9534 or email at Mjayrabrab@gmail.com | |
WEEKDAY SERVICES
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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Candle Lighting Time
(Southern Ocean County)
Shabbat Eve
Friday, March 13, 2026
6:43 PM
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Shabbat HaChodesh
Shabbat HaChodesh (“Sabbath [of the] month”) recedes the first of the Hebrew month of Nisan during which Passover is celebrated. On the first day of Nisan, G-d presented the first commandment of how to “sanctify the new moon” (kiddush hachodesh) for the onset of Rosh Chodesh and thus Nisan becomes the first month of the Jewish year (counting by months.).
Friday
March 13, 2026
SERVICES
7:30 PM
ON ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join Services
on Zoom
FRIDAY NIGHT
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Saturday
March 14, 2026
TORAH STUDY
9:00 AM
SERVICES
10:00 AM
IN PERSON AND
ON ZOOM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services and Torah Study
SATURDAY MORNING
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TORAH READING
Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei
Exodus 35:1-40:38, 12:1-20
Vayakhel (“He Assembled”) opens as God commands the Israelites to observe the Sabbath. Moses asks for material donations for the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), and the people donate. A group of artisans designated by God begin building the Mishkan and its vessels. Pekudei (“Accountings Of”) is the final Torah reading in the Book of Exodus. It describes the making of priestly garments worn in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the completion of its construction. At God’s command, Moses erects the Mishkan and puts its vessels in place, and God's presence fills the Mishkan.
Here is Portion I
Here is Portion II
HAFTORAH
Ezekiel 45:16-46:18
Usually, the haftarah for Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei comes from the book of I Kings, but in honor of Shabbat HaChodesh, we read a special haftarah from Ezekiel that describes Passover sacrifices that are to be offered in the future, in the time of the third Temple. Instead of connecting to the weekly portion, the haftarah for Shabbat HaChodesh connects to the special maftir, whe we find laws for the Passover holiday.
Here is the Haftorah
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TORAH QUESTION?
Parashat Vayakhel emphasizes the importance of a willing heart when making contributions. How can we cultivate a sense of enthusiasm in our acts of kindness, ensuring they're not just duties but expressions of genuine care?
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SUNDAY, March 15
NO PICKLEBALL
Passover Prep Program
10:00 AM
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TUESDAY, March 17
Pickleball
10 AM - 1 PM
*****
WEDNESDAY, March 18
Mah jongg & Canasta
12:30 PM
WAX Book Group
4:00 PM
*******
THURSDAY, March 19
Pickleball
10 AM - 1 PM
Torah Study
11:00 AM
*******
FRIDAY, March 20
Studying the Prophets
Following morning minyan
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Sunday, March 15
Passover Prep
11:00 AM
Wednesday, March 18
WAX Book Group
4:00 PM
Thursday, March 26
Virtual Tour of the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience
7:30 PM
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PICKLEBALL
Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays
10 - 1
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MAH JONGG & CANASTA
WEDNESDAYS
12:30 PM TO 4:00 PM
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Initial Preparations
🔲 Realize that Passover is only 20 days away.
The first step is to breathe. It will be ok. After that, you can begin by writing down your goals for your Passover experience (and Seder if you are hosting one). What kind of experience do you want to have?
🔲 Create a plan to consume perishable hametz items gradually.
Your kitchen is full of delicious foods, but not all of it will be kosher-for-Passover. Now is the best time to plan which foods you will eat and which will be stored and sold.
🔲 Reach out to your seder attendees.
Make a list of potential attendees and confirm the night and time for the seder and who will come. If you are not hosting a seder, you can check in with your hosts about what you can bring or how to help.
🔲 Start talking about Passover and the seder with your household.
This is a perfect time to start get people excited about the foods, rituals, and activities that will happen.
🔲 Watch a movie or read something Passover related!
It doesn’t all have to be seder-related to get yourself in the mood. Maybe you’ll watch The Prince of Egypt or the classic 10 Commandments with Charlton Heston. Maybe you can review the story of the Exodus in the Torah itself.
🔲 Identify which Haggadah/ot you’re going to use. See below Hagaddah you can download.
Adapted from https://www.exploringjudaism.org/
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JewBelong’s contemporary Passover Haggadah makes your Seder meaningful, engaging, and easy to follow. No Hebrew school flashbacks. No slogging through long paragraphs no one understands. And no guests quietly wondering when it's time to eat.
Just clear explanations, modern language, and a flow that's fun until the last cup of wine. Plus a great skit and lots of other fun surprises!
| | WAX BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP | | |
Wednesday, March 18th at 4:00 pm
Discussion Leader: Rose Valentine
Queen Esther By John Irving
Esther Nacht is born in Vienna in 1905. Her father dies on board the ship to Portland, Maine; her mother is murdered by anti-Semites in Portland. Dr. Larch knows it won’t be easy to find a Jewish family to adopt Esther; in fact, he won’t find any family who’ll adopt her. When Esther is fourteen, soon to be a ward of the state, Dr. Larch meets the Winslows, a philanthropic New England family with a history of providing foster care for unadopted orphans. The Winslows aren’t Jewish, but they despise anti-Semitism. Esther’s gratitude for the Winslows is unending; even as she retraces her roots back to Vienna, she never stops loving and protecting the Winslows. In the final chapter, set in Jerusalem in 1981, Esther Nacht is seventy-six. John Irving’s sixteenth novel is a testament to his enduring ability to weave complex characters and intricate narratives that challenge and captivate. Queen Esther is not just a story of survival but a profound exploration of identity, belonging, and the enduring impact of history on our personal lives showcasing why Irving remains one of the world’s most beloved, provocative, and entertaining authors—a storyteller of our time and for all
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The Faithful: Women of the Bible
A new Fox series, “The Faithful: Women of the Bible,” is premiering on March 22, just in time for Passover and Easter.
Its first installment tells the story of the first Jewish matriarch — Abraham’s wife, Sarah, who will be played by the legendary Minnie Driver, of “Good Will Hunting” and most recently “Emily in Paris” fame. Viewers will see the story of Abraham and Sarah, and also of Hagar, who Sarah instructs to bear Abraham’s son, Ishmael, after years of infertility, only to later give birth to their son Isaac.
The second installment follows Isaac’s wife, Rebecca, and the way she treats her two sons, Esau and Jacob.
The final episode of the mini-series will tell the stories of Jacob’s two wives: older sister Leah, whom he is tricked into marrying by her father, Lavan, and her younger sister Rachel, his favorite wife. Their 12 sons would later become the 12 tribes of Israel.
See Trailer below.
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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.
The gift shop is open during office hours M-F 10 - 2.
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The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening:
Meir Cohen
Arthur Goldsmith
Benjamin Katz
Henry Nagel
Milton Pollack
Allan Resnick
Sarah Rubin*
Eleanor Satir
Emily Spiegle
Seymour Tilbor
Marjorie Fisher*
Lillian Hammer
Sel Gross Medvin*
Gloria Reason*
Josephine Tucker
Minnie Britz*
Solomen Chalek
Edna Eisner
Helen Freedman
Edward Gold
Abe Rosenbaum
Melvin Shapiro
Ginette Shomer
Sylvia Glasser
Sidney Kronenberg
Fanny Parker
Manuel Sidel
Edward Brinberg
Morris Herman
Felix Horowitz
Robert Muscente
David Polinsky
Anita L. Ross
Sam Wittenberg
William Berger*
Hannah S. Cohen
Bernice Franks*
Alvin Kaplan
T. Daniel Lang*
Jacob Liebenberg
Isadore Opatosky
Joseph Schlanger*
Marvin Henry Weinberger*
Ethel Zwillman
Ann Celnik*
Chaya Cohen
Samuel Kreiger
Leslie Siegel
Sam Singer
Richard Sugarman
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.
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"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."
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Arlene Frumkin
March 14
Louis Beckerman
Mach 15
Renie Carniol
March 15
Lexa Merson-Koel
March 15
Hana Cofsky
March 16
Joanna Glass
March 16
Janet Greene
March 17
Eric L. Jay
March 17
Ronnie Konner
March 17
Steven Silverman
March 17
Richard Davis
March 19
Stewart Fisher
March 20
Mark Rosenthal
March 20
Renee Ward
March 20
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Mathew Rosenbloom & Alix DeTullio
March 14
11th Anniversary
Bernard & Beverly Rosenberg
March 18
59th Anniversary
Brian & Sara Jane Harris
March 19
31st Anniversary
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DAVID & KAREN SHATZ
March 10, 1974
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We are glad to share the name of the new grandson of
Jackie Printz and Robert Finkel
Nathan Tyler Wieseneck
Named after his maternal grandfather Nathan and paternal great grandmother Toby
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SHARE YOUR NEWS AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
rvalen1963@aol.com
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We would like to expand our Caring Committee to reach out to folks who need a "how are you doing?" call once and a while. Please contact
Debby Schweighardt
973-634-5349 if you are interesting in participating
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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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
Scroll down to see the new Ner Tamid Fund
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.
NER TAMID FUND
The Ner Tamid Fund was established in 2025 as part of the JCC’s 75th Anniversary Celebration. Its purpose is to fund necessary maintenance or improvement of our beautiful JCC building as well as the Parsonage. To ensure that the JCC remains an Eternal Light for the Jewish Community on and off the island and in Southern Ocean County generally, please consider making a separate donation to the Ner Tamid Fund, or allocating a small portion of your High Holiday donation to that fund.
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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
Ken Podos
Sondi Pripstein
Terri Robinovitz
David Shatz
Bonni Rubin-Sugarman
Rose Valentine
Ken Yudman
WOMEN'S AUXILIARY
President - Diane Buskirk
Treasurer - Suzy Geier
Secretary - Joanne Babbitt
Lorna Klein
Joyce Levine
Representative to the Board - Sondi Pripstein
Immediate Past President - Irene Babst
Rabbi Michael S. Jay, Spiritual Leader
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