Shomrei Book Club
Next Meeting: Monday, July 1, 7:30pm
Our next selection is “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean. It’s a non-fiction account of the huge fire that destroyed the main library in Los Angeles in 1986. Nearly 400,000 books were lost in the 7-hour blaze. How did it start? It’s a mystery.
Because we are “the People of the Book” Merrill thinks it will be an interesting change of pace for us. There are many copies available in the inter-library system. Continue reading
Congregation Shomrei Emunah and the Shomrei Preschool celebrated the opening of its new playground with a ribbon cutting ceremony and community event on Sunday, May 19th. The new playground features all new, state-of-the-art equipment amid a larger footprint. Continue reading
My favorite Jewish holiday is Sukkot. Or is it Passover? After
celebrating Purim tonight with our Shomrei community, my new favorite
holiday has to be Purim. The spirit, the crowd, the young people, the
not-so-young people, Lily leading us with such “ruach” and teaching us
new melodies, Lily directing the JLC acting troupe with her original
shpiel, Debra Caplan accompanying these incredibly talented singers and
actors at the piano, the overflowing bags of Mishloach Manot, and of
course, the 9th Annual Purim Simcha Band all contributed to a most
joyous Purim. Continue reading
Shomrei Book Club
We all agreed that our February choice, “Panther in the Basement” was a top notch book, rich in language and the history of pre-State Israel under the British Mandate.
Our next meeting will be on Monday, March 18 at 7:30 pm to discuss “The Immortalists ” by Chloe Benjamin. The story begins on the Lower East Side in 1969 when a mysterious woman promises she can predict the day of death for her clients. Four adolescents in the Gold family sneak away to have their futures predicted. The novel probes the link between reality and illusion, destiny and choice, this world and the next, according to the critics.This book was a best seller and Book of the Year on NPR.
Now Showing in The Shomrei Gallery: Journey: From Song to Solitude, The Photographs of Shomrei Congregant Nick Levitin
Dear Friends,
I’d like to invite you to an exhibit of my photographs currently on display at Shomrei.
This exhibit, entitled Journey: From Song to Solitude, is a reflection of my own journey with photography. Although, I started taking pictures when I was a young boy, the 70s was when I began in earnest. It was a volatile and dramatic time that offered up dramatic images of the passions of that decade. That is the first part of the exhibit. Over time, I have been drawn to more serene subjects and those make up the second half of this exhibit.
Net proceeds of any photographs sold goes to Shomrei’s Refugee Assistance Group.
The photos are on display in the gallery on the second floor. I do hope you will stop by and take a look.
Thanks,
Nick
Folks –
As VP of Membership, I’ve recently reached out to the pre-school to see how the synagogue community can work more closely with the pre-school community, with one possible outcome being that more pre-school families become members.
One suggestion has been that the general synagogue community support the March 7 pre-school fundraiser, Art Mazel. The pre-school is getting a new playground this spring; it is a prerequisite to the preschool’s continued certification. While they playground has been ordered, the pre-school still needs to raise $10,000 more to pay for it. If you agree with me that the pre-school is an important party of our Shomrei family, we all need to help with this effort. Continue reading
If you play an instrument, join the Simcha Band! We’re always looking for new members to join our troupe! All ages welcome!
The 6th annual Purim Band will perform on Wednesday evening, March 20 during the Megillah reading and evening service. We hope you can participate as every musician is special to us. Although we’ve been playing the same repertoire (more or less) these past few years, we still need to rehearse. Also, when newcomers join us, they need some practice time with the band. Continue reading
Rabbi Ayalon Eliach will be Shomrei’s Guest Rabbi on the following dates:
Sat Jan 5th
Sat Feb 2nd
Sat Mar 30th
Sat May 11th
Continue reading
Shomrei Book Club
We had a good discussion about “Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English” at our meeting Jan. 28. The group included two Floridians by phone: Deanna London and Jo Gorodetzer. We thought the book was much more than just a “sweet” story as there were some serious aspects to the story.
Our next selection is “The Panther in the Basement” by Amos Oz— the meeting is on Monday, Feb. 18 at the synagogue. It’s a slim volume that tells of the Israeli writer’s years as a young fellow in pre-state Israel under the British occupation.
I hope to see many of you at the meeting, or for out-of-towners, you can call into a conference call. Details will be sent out closer to the meeting date. Continue reading
Sat, Feb 2, 10:30 am
Free and open to everyone
Good Coffee and Nosh!
It takes courage to leave the known world for new frontiers. The panel members will share their experiences and open up the discussion to the audience so that we can all explore the journey of finding meaning in work and life.
Our panel, led by Dale Russakoff, who left her longtime job as a reporter at the Washington Post in 2008 to become a freelance writer, will consist of:
Alison Wininger
A public interest lawyer who represented low-income clients in the Bronx, Harlem and London, then chose to become a stay-at-home mom to her two daughters. She has begun to share her passion for social justice with her older daughter, Abigail, now 3, and together they volunteered with IHN for the first time in December. Continue reading