Pre-Passover Food Drive a Success!

This spring, for my Bat Mitzvah project, I had the opportunity to organize a Pre-Passover Food Drive to benefit seven families in the Family Promise Essex (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network) program, collecting grocery items and cash donations that were put into ShopRite gift cards for each family. I am so happy to report that it was a success! Continue reading

Michael Tizhgarten, Bar Mitzvah

MICHAEL TIZHGARTENHello, my name is Mike Tizhgarten, and I would like to tell you a little bit about me. My parents are Mila and Roman Tizhgarten. I am in the 9th grade. I enjoy hanging out with friends, riding my bike and drawing. My favorite subject in school is Biology and I enjoy activities and sports such as soccer, badminton, chess and playing the violin. I also like collecting “Lokai” Bracelets. Continue reading

Matthew Feinberg, Bar Mitzvah

Feinberg_Matthew 2015 octShalom. My name is Matthew Brian Feinberg. I was born in Topeka, Kansas on August 27, 2002. When I was about 4 years old, my family moved to New Jersey. I currently live here in Montclair with my mom Lynne, my sister Rachel, my au pair Julia, and my dog Bella. I go to Mt. Hebron Middle School where I am in the 8th grade. I play the drums and baseball. My favorite things to do are hang out with my friends and play sports. Some of my favorite foods are pizza and ice cream.

On August 27th, I turned 13 and on October 24th, I will be a Bar Mitzvah. I am really looking forward to being up on the bimah and reciting my Torah portion. We have chosen to do an afternoon service and will end with Havdalah, which will be cool. I have been attending Congregation Shomrei Emunah since a year after I moved here. Ever since then, Shomrei Emunah has been a large part of my life.

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Jake Gale, Bar Mitzvah

Gale, JakeHi, my name is Jake M. Gale and I am a seventh grader at Glenfield Middle School. I live in Montclair, New Jersey, and have an older brother named Noah. On October 17, 2015, I will have my Bar Mitzvah.

My Torah portion, Noach, is about Noah’s Ark. It is a very popular story. In it, we learn about the Great Flood that destroyed the Earth and how the Earth was repopulated. The parsha is the source of the United Nations symbol of a dove holding an olive branch. Noah first sent a raven, and then a dove, to scout for dry land, and the dove came back with an olive branch, showing that there was dry land. In my D’var Torah, I will discuss how we might have misunderstood the meaning of the raven.

In the time of Noah, people enslaved other people. Sadly, that still exists today. For my mitzvah project, I am raising money for Not For Sale. It is an organization to help stop child sex trafficking and modern slavery. I will planning a fundraiser in June to help get Romanian women out of the sex trade.

Marcella Borgenicht, Bat Mitzvah

Marcella BorgenichtShalom. My name is Marcella Borgenicht and my Bat Mitzvah is May 9. My mom, Ruth Borgenicht, dad, Jonathan Fellus, and brother, Eli are all members of the congregation. I am in seventh grade at Glen Ridge High School. I enjoy mixed martial arts and competing for first place. I also enjoy nature and creating projects from found materials and garbage. My favorite way to connect to my spirituality and religion is going to my summer camp, Eden Village, where I also explore cooking and herbalism.

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Davida Task, Bat Mitzvah

Davida TaskShalom! My name is Davida Task. I am 13 years old and in the seventh grade at  Glenfield Middle School in Montclair NJ. My stepmom, Allison, and my dad, Aaron Task, are part of the congregation along with my half-siblings, Clementine, Abe and Zev. My  mom, Jennifer Levine, is a Hebrew School educator and an artist.  I’ve been going to  Hebrew School at Shomrei since third grade and always enjoy the synagogue’s warm and welcoming learning environment. I have many hobbies including rowing, singing, writing, reading, thrift shopping, hanging out with friends, biking, field hockey, hiking, and swimming; all these are fun pastimes of mine. My favorite subject in school is social studies; I love learning about the past and history of others.

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Ethan Greengrass, Bar Mitzvah

Ethan GreengrassHi! I’m Ethan Greengrass and I will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah on March 28th — Shabbat Hagadol. I’m 13 years old, live in Montclair and am in the 7th grade at Renaissance Middle School. I have two sisters — Aly who is 15, and Zoe who is 9 ½ . We also have an awesome dog named Moose. I’ve been a part of Shomrei Emunah since 2008 when we first moved to Montclair. I went to pre-school here!

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Louis Kravits, Bar Mitzvah

LouisHello! My name is Louis Kravits. I am currently an eighth-grader at Roosevelt Middle School in West Orange. I am looking forward to becoming a bar mitzvah on January 17th, 2015!

I enjoy doing many things! Among them are playing drums, writing stories, going skiing in Vermont and just hanging out with my friends and/or family. I have been working really hard on practicing my Hebrew, so I hope you can come and hear me chant!

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