On Wednesday May 1st, the JLC students in 4th-7th grade had the privilege of hearing the story of survival from Mark Schonwetter. Mark, his mother and sister, survived the holocaust by hiding in different farmers homes, in the forest and even under a pigsty. They survived because of the kindness of strangers and Polish families.
Stuart Green and Jennifer Moses fly the colors on inauguration day.
Each week during JLC our students begin with community time led by Morah Lily. This week on Wednesday, following a historic inauguration we asked our JLC students to look towards the future and help create a prayer for our country. These are their beautiful worlds full of hope and light. Continue reading
Tzedakah and acts of kindness are the equivalent of all the mitzvot of the Torah” – Jerusalem Talmud, Pe’ah1:1. Over the next year STOM, Shomrei Teens of Montclair, will have the opportunity to create their own organization from start to finish. We will name our organization, write a mission statement, choose where our money will go and decide just how we are going to raise that money or how we will become change makers.
STOM Kids (Shomrei Teens of Montclair) prepare cookies for MESH Cafe, (Montclair Emergency Services for the Homeless)
STOM or Shomrei Teens of Montclair, is a comprehensive program for students in grades 8-12. STOM builds a community of like-minded Jewish teens, as they meet weekly to connect socially and by developing and building on social-justice and leadership goals.
This year STOM will focus on philanthropy programs that will introduce teens to collective fundraising. This group process is guided by Jewish values and provides teen philanthropists-in-training with opportunities to gain new leadership skills. We hope that this early experience with philanthropy will not only strengthen their engagement with Jewish life but also ensure their commitment to lifelong giving based on Jewish values. Continue reading
Over the last few months the Shomrei Teens of Montclair, STOM, has spent time volunteering at the Babrow Kosher Food Pantry which is housed at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange. The food pantry serves over 200 families each month from local communities. Donations to the food pantry are both state and privately funded.