The kedushat ha-yom (“the sanctity of the day”), is repeated in each of the Amidah prayers recited on Shabbat – at Ma’ariv (evening service), at Shaharit (morning service), at the additional Musaf service, and at Minhah on Shabbat afternoon.  In it, worshippers thank God for the gift of Shabbat and say: “Grant that we inherit Your holy gift of Shabbat forever, so that Your people Israel who sanctify Your name will always find rest on this day. Praised are You, Adonai, who sanctifies Shabbat.”

Shabbat for me had been a day of rest – not only physical rest, but mental rest.  It was a day that I could concentrate on something other than my life.  It was a day to go to synagogue and be surrounded by Shomrei friends and focus on the happenings of Shabbat.  By the end of the day, I did feel rested and ready to begin a new week. Continue reading →

Editor’s Note: Fern gave this talk at Kol Nidre Services 5778/2017.

When I graduated college in 1980, I went to live on Kibbutz Revivim in the Negev Desert in Israel. I did not know anyone there or even in Israel. My only Hebrew was “Shalom”.

In those days, living on the Kibbutz was more than just a lifestyle choice. It was also a community choice. The Kibbutz was your home and the people living on the Kibbutz were your family. Maintaining a different kind of lifestyle was not always easy, or even understood by other Israeli’s, but for the people living on Kibbutz Revivim it was something we believed in. Continue reading →

Editor’s Note: Fern gave this talk on the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5778/2017.

There is a member I speak to weekly.  He is not a new member, but not necessarily one of the more seasoned members.  Her name is I Did Not Know.

Despite articles e-mailed and in Kol Emunah.  Despite announcements in the Shabbat Bulletin; Despite one-click links on the home page of our website;  Despite events posted on the calendar;  Despite e-mails from Marge, the Rabbi, myself, or other members;  I Did Not Know, our most popular member, is perplexed about all that is going on at Shomrei. Continue reading →

I have now drafted four different columns over the last two days: (1) First I wrote about the upcoming new year; (2) Then I wrote a column thanking all the IHN volunteers and the coordinators, Shirley and Dale; (3) Then I wrote about Charlottesville and building a community; and (4) Finally I wrote about Hurricane Harvey and the people living thru it. I was not happy with any of them individually.

Ugh… there is too much going through my mind, especially for the unofficial final week of the summer. My brain is going to explode. Continue reading →

Dear Shomrei Members,

This past Saturday I received a phone call from a dear friend who is living in Vienna with her family. She told me to read “The Lady in Gold”, a movie we had seen together on a flight from Zurich. I read the book over the weekend, though a very hard emotional read. Coincidentally, this was at about the same time as the protests in Charlottesville. The parallels between the events in the book and this week’s real life are a little too bizarre. Continue reading →

Summer is really here. School is out, kids are off to camp, summer vacations have begun. Summer is defined, for most of us, by being out of our normal year round routine – enjoying late days outside whether cooking on the BBQ or playing sports under the lights, and having those late night walks, bike rides, and tennis matches.

Summer is a different routine for two months of the year. However, certain events still happen despite the warm weather and hours and hours of daylight. There are births and deaths to our loved ones. Lifecycle events bring the community together to share happiness for moments of joy and to give support during moments of grief. Continue reading →

It has been one year since I was elected President. I took on this role with some trepidation; it is a major responsibility to ensure a community’s sustainability and I take this responsibility very seriously. This is especially weighty as synagogues are closing or merging everyday.

Many synagogues, Shomrei included, maintained their financial security from “angels” – families who gave substantial donations, beyond their dues or pledge commitment, to help the synagogue meet its already budgeted financial obligations. This is a financial model which is in the past and for Shomrei, many years in the past. As a result, Shomrei now needs to base its budget on the financial commitments made by its membership, a budget which meets the operational needs of our congregation but does not over extend. Continue reading →