It’s been Thirty Years!!

Editor Note:  Carol is a former president of Nutley Hebrew Congregation

Time flies when you are where you belong!

On July 1, 2024, the Nutley Hebrew Congregation will have been part of Congregation Shomrei Emunah for 30 years, a milestone worthy of a history lesson in how our merger came about. I am sure everyone knows the phrase: It is not what you know but who you know. This was very true in our case. Continue reading

Kitchen Scrap Gardening for Passover

Aileen's karpas & maror

Aileen’s karpas & maror

It really works!

At the Passover Splash program on March 7, Aileen Grossberg showed the attendees how the root ends of a bunch of celery or head of romaine can be grown in water for use as karpas and maror at the Passover seder.   Once the vegetables have started to put out roots, they can be planted in potting soil and will continue to grow leaves.

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Honoring Shomrei Stars!

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Each year Shomrei honors one or more members for their commitment and volunteerism in support of our community. I am excited to announce that this year we are honoring a quintet of talented and dedicated individuals (as pictured L-R): Carol Katzman, Allison Task, Margot Laksin, John Lasiter and Adrienne Shulman Lasiter

Here’s what you need to know: 

  • First, SAVE-THE-DATE and come to a Shomrei bash in their honor on Saturday night, February 29th. (Invitation to follow.)

  • Second, HONOR OUR HONOREES by expressing your gratitude in this year’s community directory (Ad Journal).  (More information on how to do so below.)

Now let me share a little about our honorees’ impact on Shomrei…

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Hanukkah Simcha Band

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Shomrei Emunah was bursting with happiness and fun as we welcomed Hanukkah a little early this year. The Hanukkah Band, performing for the 9th year in a row, outdid itself. So many musicians ages 7-75+ and such good music! Not only are we multi-generational, but we had two families of musicians that were multi-generational. French horn player (and
shofar blower extraorinaire) Elana was joined by her son, Natan on violin. Merrill’s son, Dan, came from NYC to play tenor sax with his mother at the piano.

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Purim Celebration at Shomrei

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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

Big in Sound and Joy – The Simcha Band!

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We may have been small in number but we were big in sound and joy. Just ask the audience who sang, danced and clapped to the rhythm of all the melodies.

Special thanks to Conductor Mark Weinstein, and band members: Elliot Lasiter, Jerilyn Margulies, Mike Tizhgarten, Howie Erichson, Andy Silikovitz, and Merrill Silver. Joining the band for the first time were Collin Brooks and Nathan Pendola.  We look forward to watching Collin (electric guitar) and Nathan (drums) grow up with the band.  We welcome and thank Dan Silver who came from NYC to make music with us.

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Gratitude

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We owe a lot of people our thanks!  It’s literally been a flurry of activity at Shomrei since the pipe burst and the flood ensued.  Once the initial crisis is over, the hard work begins — the restoration. So many volunteers and staff have stepped-up to meet this crisis on our behalf, it’s a good time to recognize some of them and express our gratitude! Continue reading

Mesh Cafe Jan 2, 2018

From Captain Lynne Kurzweil

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On this bitter cold night, we welcomed 18 grateful guests to the MESH Cafe at Shomrei.  John Lasiter, our chef extraordinaire, along with sous chef Jerilyn Margulies, whipped up a delicious hearty and warming meal to the delight of all.  The amazing aroma wafted through the hallways as our guests entered the building.  Continue reading