JEWISH COMMUNITY
CENTER OF
LONG BEACH ISLAND
E-LETTER
February 3, 2023
5 Shevat 5783
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We are continuing with Birkhot Ha-Shakhar. Remember that this part of the morning service is about saying preliminary prayers in order to get ready for the main part of the service. Whereas last week’s prayers were a series of communal requests, this week’s prayer, “Y’Hee Ratzon”, is all about personal requests seeking protection for the person saying the prayer. Take a look at the prayer and its translation:
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּ֒פָנֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי שֶׁתַּצִּילֵֽנִי הַיּוֹם וּבְכָל־יוֹם מֵעַזֵּי פָנִים וּמֵעַזּוּת פָּנִים מֵאָדָם רָע וּמֵחָבֵר רָע וּמִשָּׁכֵן רָע וּמִפֶּֽגַע רָע וּמִשָּׂטָן הַמַּשְׁחִית מִדִּין קָשֶׁה וּמִבַּֽעַל דִּין קָשֶׁה, בֵּין שֶׁהוּא בֶן בְּרִית וּבֵין שֶׁאֵינוֹ בֶן בְּרִית:
May it be Your will, Adonai, my God and God of my ancestors, to save me today and every day from arrogant men and from my own arrogance; from evil people, from evil companions, from evil neighbors; from evil mishaps and from destructive adversaries; from harsh judgments and oppressive opponents, whether they are members of the covenant or not.
This prayer expresses a fervent desire to not become entangled with evil people. Indeed, the word “Rah”(evil) is repeated 4 times. Unfortunately, there is a lot of evil out there and this prayer is seeking God’s help in dealing with it. The really fascinating part comes at the end when the request specifically asks for help against oppressors whether they are Jewish or not. It is a realization that evil exists everywhere.
This raises an important point. Trouble can come from anywhere, inside or out. On the other good, too, can come from anywhere, inside or out. As highlighted by the prayer, the important thing is to always be mindful.
The first request is eye-opening. It requests good to deliver the one saying the prayer from the arrogance of others, but also from the arrogance of the one saying the prayer. It reminds us to be careful of others but to, also, check your own arrogance. Sometimes our own arrogance can be more detrimental to us than the arrogance of others.
Do you think that saying this prayer every day would keep you out of harm’s way? Why or why not?
Shabbat Shalom – Rabbi Michael S. Jay
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TU B'SHVAT - FEBRUARY 6 TH
Tu B'Shvat is the Jewish new year for trees. It occurs on the 15th day of the Shvat month in the Jewish calendar.
This holiday is a minor Jewish holiday, and it is not mentioned in the Torah. Scholar believe that this holiday started originally as an agricultural festival celebrating spring in Israel. However, after the destruction of the Second Temple in the year 70 C.E., many Jews were exiled and the agricultural celebration stopped.
Over time, some Jews felt a need to symbolically bind themselves to their homeland, and Tu B'Shvat was a way to fill that need. They introduced a new ritual, the Tu B'Shvat Seder. The Seder involves eating biblical foods native to the holy land. As a part of this, people eat fruit and the seven spices of Israel. The fruit is typically grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, or dates, as they are mentioned in the Torah as food from the Holy Land.
Nowadays, Tu B'Shvat is an environmental holiday. Jews consider this day as a way to remind themselves of their duty to care for the natural world. Many Jews take part in a tree-planting ceremony, or collect and send money to Israel for them to plant a tree there.
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Candle Lighting time
Friday evening
February 3, 2023
5:00 PM %PM
(So. Ocean County)
JOIN US FOR
SERVICES
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BECAUSE OF THE ANTICIPATED
ARTIC CHILL
SERVICES THIS SHABBAT
WILL BE ON
ZOOM ONLY
SHABBAT SHIRAH
Shabbat Shirah is the name given to the Shabbat that includes Parsha Beshalach. The Torah reading of the week contains the Song of the Sea (Exodus 15:1–18). This was the song by the Children of Israel after the Passage of the Red Sea.
Friday night
February 3, 2023
7:30 PM
ON ZOOM ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
Saturday Morning
February 4, 2023
9:00 AM
IN PERSON ONLY
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to join
Zoom services
Torah Reading
Parashat Beshalach
Exodus 13:17-17:16
Here is the Reading
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Haftorah
Judges 4:4-5:31
Here is the Haftorah
Saturday evening
6:30 PM
Havdallah5:45 PM
Here is your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
Sunday - Thursday
Ma'ariv Service
7:30 PM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
Monday- Friday
Shacharit Service
8:15 AM
Sunday at 9:00 AM
Here is
your invitation from
Rabbi Jay to
join Zoom services:
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The JCC of LBI presents a new series of classes: "Study with Stu" - Starting on Tuesday at 10 AM on February 7 and continuing on February 14, 21, and 28, Stu will share insights to the fascinating history and significance of Tefilin, the Haftarah, and the Prophets that composed them
Usage of audio visual aides will be included and discussion will be warmly welcomed
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THIS WEEK'S ACTIVITIES
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6
Foundations for a Thoughtful Judaism: Practice
A Hartman Class with Rabbi Jay
10:00 AM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Study with Stu
10:00 AM
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8
12:30 AM - 4 PM
Canasta & Mah Jongg
WAX Book Review
4:00 PM
following Ma'ariv
7:45 PM
with Rabbi Jay
"Jewish Wisdom"
using the book
by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9
11:00 AM Torah Study with the Rabbi
2:00 PM Beginning Hebrew with Ira
8:00 WAX Program "Thumbs Down Speak Up"
SEE LINKS BELOW
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February 8
4:00 PM
WAX Book Review
February 9
8:00 PM
WAX Program "Thumbs Down Speak Up"
February 16
8:30 PM
PJP Program: "Blood Libel"
February 17
6:00/7:30 PM
Family Shabbat Dinner
WAX Women's Service
February 24
11:00 AM
WAX Luncheon
February 25
Cholent Shabbat/Game Afternoon
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RSVP TO JILL DENKER 973-214-2767 Jill.denker@hotmail.com |
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INDOOOR PICKLE BALL
IS COMING
TO THE JCC OF LBI
Beginners and Intermediate Players Welcome
Sundays at 10:00 AM
beginning Sunday, February 19th
JCC Members Only
No Charge
Bring Your Own Equipment
MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW..
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The JCC is participating in the PNJ Consortium. An exciting 8-part series is being made available to our congregation.
You need not register.
NEXT PROGRAM FEBRUARY 16, 2023
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JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION
WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM
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House on Endless Waters by Emuna Elon
February 8, 2023 CHANGE OF DATE
Discussion Leader: Norma Hochman
At the behest of his agent, renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to meet with his Dutch publisher, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon a looping reel of photos offering a glimpse of pre-war Dutch Jewish life, and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with her husband, Yoel’s older sister, Nettie…and an infant he doesn’t recognize.
This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, revealing Amsterdam’s dark wartime history and the underground networks which hid Jewish children away from danger—but at a cost. The deeper into the past Yoel digs, the better he understands his mother’s silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime—Who am I?—becomes. Evocative, insightful, and deeply resonant, House on Endless Waters beautifully illustrates the complex nature of identity and belonging, and the inextricability of past and present.
FUTURE BOOKS:
March: The Choice
April: Defending Brita Stein
ORDER YOUR BOOK FROM AMAZON AND START READING TODAY
Click here to borrow the book from the Ocean County Library.
A Zoom link will be sent shortly before the event.
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Thanks to all those who participated in the Amazon Smile program to benefit the WAX. Unfortunately this program has been discontinued |
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The following names will be read by the Rabbi on Friday evening
Al Black
Richard Gilbert
Hyman Goldstein
Raya Koller
Linda Zelin
Barnet Bookman*
Marvin Hammer
Benjamin Reiser*
Dave Tarlow
Charles Bloom
Jacob Konner
Lucy Lief
Rabbi Pinchos Chazin
Robert Greenbaum
George Patmas
Estelle Stokes
Irvin Cohen
Julius Marmon
Rose Glickman*
Nathan Israel Printz*
Sam Zavelson
*Memorial plaque will be lit this week.
In this Zoom era, we have been able to have a daily minyan at 8:15 AM and at 7:30 PM and on Shabbat. 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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Paul Levine
February 4
Stephen Scharf
February 4
Stacey Chazin
February 5
Steven Gondelman
February 5
Stephan Lang
February 5
Stephen Pyles
February 5
Cary Reimer
February 7
Carol Weissman
February 7
Lewis Becker
February 8
Rhonda Lang
February 8
Jay Eisner
February 9
Jerry Goldberg
February 9
Jay Leistner
February 9
Kim Braun
February 10
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Stephen & Phyllis Lishnoff
February 8
59th Anniversary
Joe & Carolyn Fleischer
February 10
55th Anniversary
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TO
Ken (Stacie) Podos
on the passing of his father
Stanley Podos
Beloved husband of Cindy Bern Podos & Joan Podos z”l
Beloved Father of Kenny, Jay & Linda, Marcie & Meryl
Grandfather of 13 Grandchildren
Great-Grandfather of 4 Great-Grandchildren
Funeral services for Stanley will be held
Sunday February 5, 2023
11:00 AM at the Gates of Zion Chapel
670 Saddle River Road, Airmont, NY
Interment will take place immediately following services at
Wellwood Cemetery
1400 Wellwood Avenue, West Babylon, NY
Shiva information to follow
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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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SHARE YOUR NEWS
AND PICTURES
CONTACT:
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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.
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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
Donald Pripstein
Terri Robinovitz
David Shatz
Rob Van Naarden
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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JCC INFORMATION
THE JCC OF LBI IS LOCATED AT
2411 Long Beach Boulevard
(24th Street)
Spray Beach, NJ 08008
Telephone: 609-492-4090 FAX: 609-492-7550
THE OFFICE IS OPEN
MONDAY - FRIDAY
CLOSED THURSDAY
FROM 10 - 2
Staff:
Leslie Dinkfelt, Office Manager
Mary Beth Krieger, Staff Member
Diane Parzych, Staff Member
Susan Berube, Kitchen Manager
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LATEST
BULLETIN:
PRAYER BOOK:
WEB SITE:
PAVERS:
TREE OF LIFE
YAHRZEIT PLAQUE FORM:
KOL HAKAVOD DONATION FORM
TRIBUTES:
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Rabbi Michael S. Jay
Phil Rosenzweig, President
E-mail Editor: Rose Valentine
Graphics by
Irene Babst
Contributing Columnist
Sheila Weisel
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