Parashat Vaera: Naming our Complex Emotions
Sermon by Rabbinic Intern Jacob Lipkin’s for Parshat Vaera, January 25, 2025
.ברוך אתה ה׳ אלוקינו מלך העולם, מתיר אסורים
Blessed are You, Hashem our God, Ruler of the World, who frees captives.
It might surprise you to hear, especially for those of you who have been gracious enough to give graciously of yourselves to Shomrei, that the most difficult professional challenge of my career did not take place in a synagogue. The most difficult work situation I’ve faced, and this is surprising to me as well, did not even include Jews! Continue reading
MESH Report: Jan 28th
Cook Sarita Eisenberg and her team whipped up a meal for 50 in just 2 hours!
The team included Sarita’s usual crew of Lou Hammerman and Linda Ariel joined by Sarah Steindel, Risa Bernstein, and Carol Rothman. Also helping were Risa’s son Coby and his partner Sam Benke, visiting from Germany (putative prizewinners for the longest distance traveled to help with MESH).
Never Forget
As one might expect, a Judaic library has a large number of books about the Holocaust, which has cast its shadow over almost every event in modern Jewish history.
On January 27, International Holocaust Remembrance Day will be marked by a decree of the United Nations. This date is not arbitrary for it commemorates the day 80 years ago in 1945 when the Red Army entered Auschwitz, where more than 1.1 million Jews were murdered. Continue reading
Sermon for Parshat Vayechi: The Forever Letter
Rabbi Julie’s sermon for Parshat Vayechi, January 11, 2025
When I was in college, my grandmother would write to me every few weeks. Her letters were handwritten on stationary in an elegant, loop-filled cursive that embodied a penmanship common for someone born at the turn of the century, in the early 1900’s. Though my hand-writing was a paltry simplification of hers, I knew how to write a handwritten letter. After all, email had just been invented and I didn’t know anyone in my parents generation, let alone my grandparents generation who used it. And long-distance phone calls were still quite expensive. In those days, college students actually checked their mailboxes everyday and I looked forward to receiving those letters. They were filled with the most mundane details. Dear Julie, Today I had lunch with Aunt Alma and went to my exercise class in the swimming pool. But they were also filled with so much love. It was my grandmother’s way of saying, I miss you, I’m thinking of you, I’m proud of you, I love you, even though those words were never actually written on the page. Continue reading
MESH Report: Jan 13 & 14 Teen MESH
This week, the enthusiastic teens met late Monday afternoon to cook for MESH (to be delivered Tuesday to The Office). Captain Jordan, with Vicky, Caitlin, Olivia, Audrey and Sofia from Montclair High, joined Chef Fern to cook a hearty meal for fifty guests.
Dreaming of a New YAC at Shomrei
We’re dreaming of an improved Shomrei YAC (Youth Activity Center). Continue reading
Sermon for Parshat Vayeshev: Humility in Unexpected Places
Rabbi Julie’s sermon for Parshat Vayeshev, December 21, 2024
I once heard a story about a freshman at the University of Colorado, Boulder who was struggling with her intro to chemistry class. The story probably stuck with me because I struggled with my intro to chemistry class in college. In fact, for many, many years afterwards I would have anxiety dreams involving the periodic table. This young woman, named Libby, was in the chemistry lab late one night, trying to follow the instructions of the experiment, but struggling to get it right. Continue reading
MESH Report December 24, 2024
’Twas the eve before Hanukkah
And all through the shul
Not a person was present
In the office or school.
The halls were dark.
The playground was quiet.
Rabbi Julie was not to be found.
BUT enter the kitchen and
What do you see?
Six volunteers so busily
Preparing a meal for the
Food insecure.
It’s MESH night at Shomrei
You can be sure.
Klinger Korner – December 2024
Friends,
Over the Thanksgiving break, my family and I went to Israel for a short visit with family. It has been over a year since I’ve last been, so I didn’t know what to expect. I found a very complicated country, conflicted between daily grief and the want/need to keep the daily routine. I checked in on our Medicycle and am happy to report that it is already making a difference in Tel Aviv. Next time, I will try to visit it. I am very appreciative of this community, its generosity, and its commitment to Israel.