Author Archives: Josie Zeman

A Concert for Eric: In Loving Memory of Eric Singer z”l

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Eric Singer z"l

Eric Singer z”l

Two active community partners, the Montclair Orchestra and Congregation Shomrei Emunah, will present a chamber music concert in loving memory of Eric Singer a long-time and beloved congregant. To insure open access and a low ticket price, the concert is being underwritten by a generous grant from The Eric Singer Charitable Fund.

The performance will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. at Shomrei Emunah, 67 Park Street, The Montclair Orchestra Chamber Music Ensemble will perform Eine Kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart; Theme from Schindler’s List by Williams, String Quintet in G 1st Mvt by Dvorak; and Octet in Eb Maj by Mendelssohn. Tickets are $15; children under 18 free.  David Chan is Music Director of the Montclair Orchestra.  Shomrei congregant Dr. Kenneth Bannerman will play in the chamber orchestra.

Tickets: Shomrei.org/Eric or call 800-838-3006 Continue reading →

Shomrei Bookclub: June Meeting and Summer Months

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stolen beauty

We had a lively discussion of the two voices featured in “Stolen Beauty” last night. Most of us were very interested in the glamorous, entitled world of Adele, subject of the famous painting by Klimt.

Aileen Grossberg introduced us to a controversial novel “All the Rivers” by Dorit Rabinyan, an Israel writer. The book caused a controversy in Israel after publication and was withdrawn from approved reading lists in the high schools. The novel tells of a love affair between a Palestinian man and an Israeli woman in New York City. We think it would be a good choice for our first meeting in the Fall, after the holidays. Date to be announced.

If you read anything fascinating over the summer months, we would be glad to schedule a meeting to talk about it.

Stay cool!
Josie

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Bookclub: “Stolen Beauty” by Laurie Lico Albanese

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Shomrei Book Club

stolen beautyThe Shomrei Book Club will meet on Monday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. to talk about “Stolen Beauty” by Laurie Lico Albanese , who appeared  at Shomrei for @nourish in April.

This fictional  story of the famous painting by Gustav Klimt “Woman in Gold” is told by two women living in different time periods:  Adele Bloch-Bauer, the subject of the work, who lived in VIenna  in the early 1900s; and her niece Maria Altmann, who lived under Nazi rule in Vienna in the late 1930s. Please join us and bring a friend!

We welcome anyone with an interest in books to join us for the meeting.

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Bookclub: The Waiting Room by Leah Kaminsky

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Shomrei Book Club

imagesThe Shomrei Book Club will meet on Monday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 pm at Shomrei to discuss The Waiting Room by Leah Kaminsky. Set in Israel, the novel takes place over one day but covers life over five decades in three continents. The central character is a physician, a woman whose parents are Holocaust survivors who fled to the farthest place they could find after the war, tranquil Australia.She marries an Israeli but never feels “at home” in her adopted country, where she faces the challenges of family, career, and the threat of terrorism.

We welcome anyone with an interest in books to join us for the meeting.

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Bookclub: The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schultz

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Shomrei Book Club

Hired GirlThe Shomrei Book Club will meet on Monday, Dec. 12, at 7:30 pm to discuss “The Hired Girl” by Laura Amy Schultz.

Published as a young adult novel, the book is based on a diary kept by 14-year-old Joan Skragg, who flees her oppressive life on a poor farm in Pennsylvania for a better future. She goes to work as a hired girl for a wealthy Jewish department
store family in Baltimore in 1911. There she learns about music, art, and genteel living as she explores new worlds and new ideas.

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Bookclub: The Bridge Ladies: A Memoir by Betsy Lerner

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bridge ladiesShomrei Book Club

With all the Jewish holidays in October, we will meet next on Monday, Nov. 14 at 7:30pm to discuss “The Bridge Ladies:  A Memoir” by Betsy Lerner.  This is a charming intergenerational story based on a bridge club that is well into its 6th decade.  The author’s mother is one of the stalwart members , all Jewish women.  Naturally, there is some family tension revealed in the story. Each woman has chosen a conventional path for her time, but each also has a complicated past. Continue reading →

Bookclub: Seven Good Years: A Memoir by Etgar Keret

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Seven Good YearsShomrei Book Club

At the May 9 meeting, we discussed Washing the Dead by Michelle Brafman . The group felt this book was an intriguing story that combined many details of this sacred rite with a complicated tale of family estrangement from the Orthodox community, an illicit love affair, and a difficult mother-daughter relationship.

The June selection is Seven Good Years: A Memoir by Etgar Keret.

“The seven years between the birth of Etgar Keret’s son and the death of his father were good years, though still full of reasons to worry. Continue reading →

Book Club: Washing the Dead by Michelle Brafman

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washing-the-dead-prospect-park-books

Shomrei Book Club

We had a fascinating discussion of The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit at our April Book Club meeting, with added input from Marc Chalom, whose family had a similar experience when life in Egypt became untenable for Jews.

The May selection is Washing the Dead by Michelle Brafman, a story about three generations of women who perform this sacred duty. The book also focuses on relationships between mothers and daughters as the generations accept this responsibility under different circumstances.

We will meet on Monday, May 9, 7:30pm at Congregation Shomrei Emunah

Look forward to seeing you then.

Josie Zeman

All are welcome to join us. Contact Josie Zeman at email hidden; JavaScript is required for more information if you are interested.

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Book Club: “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit” by Lucette Lagdano

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man in sharkskin suitThere was a lively discussion of the plight of the immigrant at the recent March meeting, when we talked about “A Backpack, a Bear, and 8 Crates of Vodka” by Lev Golinkin. His family left the former Soviet Union under great duress. They were assigned to the town of Bloomington, Indiana, a much different culture than that of their homeland. After he graduated from college, the author went back to Eastern Europe to meet the people who helped his family.

The next book we will read for the Shomrei Book Club is “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: The Exodus of a Jewish Family from Cario to the New World” by Lucette Lagdano. We will meet on Monday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Each month we read a book with Jewish content and it’s always interesting to hear the reactions of our readers.

I hope you will join us!

Josie Zeman

All are welcome to join us. Contact Josie Zeman at email hidden; JavaScript is required for more information if you are interested.

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Book Club: “A Backpack, A Bear, and 8 Crates of Vodka” by Lev Golinkin

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Editor’s Note: Due to inclement weather, the Book Club meeting was rescheduled to Mon, Mar 14, 7:30pm.

A Backpack, A Bear, and 8 Crates of Vodka by Lev GolinkinThe Shomrei Book Club had a stimulating discussion of “A Marriage of Opposites” at our January 11th meeting. Everyone enjoyed this novel by Alice Hoffman.

The next book is quite different. “A Backpack, A Bear, and 8 Crates of Vodka” by Lev Golinkin is a compelling story of two intertwined journeys: a Jewish refugee family fleeing persecution and a young man seeking to reclaim a shattered past. In the twilight of the Cold War (the late 1980s), nine-year old Lev Golinkin and his family cross the Soviet border with only ten suitcases, $600, and the vague promise of help awaiting in Vienna. Years later, Lev, now an American adult, sets out to retrace his family’s long trek, locate the strangers who fought for his freedom, and in the process, gain a future by understanding his past. We will meet on Monday, Feb. 8 to discuss this complicated adventure.

All are welcome to join us. Contact Josie Zeman at email hidden; JavaScript is required for more information if you are interested.

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