Chanukah––the festival of lights! It always strikes me as fascinating that we light the menorah at the darkest time of the year and that each night we light another candle bringing in even more light into the darkness.
Chanukah is not the only event that brings light into our lives at Shomrei during this time of year, Hinei Mah Tov (HMT) –– our intergenerational Shabbat service –– is also a bright source of light. Recently invigorated by the collaboration of JLC Education Director Sara Birnbaum, HMT chair Allison Fishman Task, our new song leader Mitch Radler and the families who regularly attend HMT and now lead it on a rotating basis, Hinei Mah Tov is becoming a powerful community-building event. When HMT families and their children come upstairs at the end of their service to join the regular service at its conclusion and everyone then walks into the social hall to partake of the Kiddush, all of us get an immediate sense of what Shomrei is all about and what it can be.
For those of you who have never attended a HMT service, I invite you to do so. It is a joyful, at times wondrous celebration of Shabbat, through the melodies of prayer, through storytelling, and through the engaged participation of those who attend.
Another ray of light emerging from Shomrei at this time of year is our partnership with the Interfaith Hospitality Network to house the homeless during the week of December 20th-27th. Shirley Grill and Dale Russakoff have devoted more than 25 years to co-chairing this committee, ensuring that Shomrei provides shelter and a warm and friendly environment for our guests during their Christmas holiday. Countless Shomrei volunteers over the years have made this possible. Each of us has the opportunity to play a role in this very meaningful work by simply volunteering a few hours during the week to be there for our guests, spend some time with them, play with their kids and make them feel welcome. If you would like to do so, please sign up at www.shomrei.org/ihn.
For all the light you bring to Shomrei, thank you!
I wish you and your families a wonderful Chanukah.
Image by woodleywonderworks 
used with permission via Creative Commons: Attribution License
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