Celebration

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I have been fortunate enough to have been a member of three synagogues. At each, no matter how good things are, the often-prevailing conversation begins with the words, “The trouble with this place is…” It is so easy to find fault, rather than to celebrate.

As a relatively new congregant (I have been at Shomrei for five years) and now president, I am simply overwhelmed by what Shomrei has to offer. And by that, I do not mean only our incredibly devoted and learned Rabbi, our diverse membership, the programs and services that one would expect from a community such as ours, or our committed Preschool and JLC Education Directors, or our Executive Director and staff, but the very spirit of the place.

Last week a group of preschool parents hosted our MESH Café preparing and feeding the hungry and homeless. They did it with a joy and enthusiasm that is typical of our MESH volunteers and no one asked them to do it. They just attended a MESH meeting and were so inspired, they volunteered!  A recent MESH dinner was sponsored by our Torah Study group. Chevreh Shas our Talmud study, class and other groups have made similar contributions to future dinners as well. In addition, the MESH collection box in the lobby has been filled three times over with shoes to be given to the homeless.

As we celebrate Chanukah our Christian friends prepare to celebrate Christmas. And, Shomrei, led by our extraordinarily dedicated IHN Committee Co-Chairs Dale Russakoff and Shirley Grill along with numerous volunteers are preparing––as they have for the past 25 years––to host the homeless during the holiday season.

The Mensch Squad, lead with a quite passion by Dale Russakoff, is constantly there to respond to the needs of our members, whether they need a ride to the doctor, or meals during an illness, or during a shiva.

So often Rabbi Greenstein reminds us that the Torah commands us to be holy. These are several examples of how we as a community strive to be holy. And, many of us are very proud to belong to Shomrei as a result.

And, there is more to be thankful for––earlier this year Shomrei hosted a Tikkun Leyl Shavuot that provided wonderful classes, delicious food, and another way to celebrate not only the holiday but our community as well. Many Shomrei members attended along with members of other local synagogues.

Recently we had a Musical Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner in celebration of the JLC.  The screening of the documentary “Killing Kasztner” co-sponsored by Montclair State University was also well attended as is our monthly Israel Cinema Café series.

Once again, our Community Conversations––still taking place––have provided a forum for our members to engage with one another on how we can make Shomrei even better as we contemplate new ways of addressing the challenges of the future.

Finally, Shomrei just had an amazing intergenerational Chanukah party with delicious home-made latkes and filled with members, non-members, young and old, music, laughter, and light!

And with all this going on, from time-to-time, one still hears that phrase bandied about, “The trouble with this place is…”

The often-heard complaint from synagogue presidents is that more often than not, all they hear from congregants is complaints. I have to say that I have been very fortunate in that any complaints I have heard have been few and far between.  But, this often repeated mantra, “The trouble with this place is…” strikes me as particularly corrosive and more habitual than actual. And, as I said earlier, it is not unique to Shomrei. One of the perspectives we as Jews bring to the world is the understanding that it is our job to complete the work begun by our Creator––to strive to perfect an imperfect world. So, of course there is always room for constructive criticism and work to be done. However, it strikes me that we are shooting ourselves in the foot, if we miss the opportunity to celebrate who we are as a community because we are more focused on what doesn’t work than what does. So as we start a new secular year, I invite us all to celebrate the unique community that we are.

Yasher Koach to all!

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