The Shomrei Book Club met on Dec. 14 for a lively discussion of “The Midwife of Venice” by Roberta Rich. We also talked about the sequel “The Harem Midwife,” but decided not to read it for the next meeting.
Instead, we will travel to the exotic Carribbean to read “A Marriage of Opposites” by Alice Hoffman for the meeting on Monday, Jan. 11, 2016.
The Shomrei Book Club will travel back 5 centuries to 16th Century Italy in The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich. We will meet on Monday, Dec. 14 at 7:30 pm.
The Bridal Chair by Gloria Goldreich is the November choice for the Shomrei Book Club. We will meet at Shomrei Emunah on Monday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. to discuss this lively tale based on the life of Marc Chagall’s beautiful, intelligent daughter, Ida. Set between the two world wars, the novel includes the history, family psychology, and artistic rivalries that influenced a great creative talent. Marc Chagall thought of himself as an artist first, a Jew third or fourth, until the Nazis came to power. He and the family were forced to flee from his beloved France to the United States, a daring escape orchestrated by Ida.
We encourage anyone interested to join us for the next meeting .
Contact Josie Zeman (email hidden; JavaScript is required) with questions or comments.
Thank you
Join us as we thank Marc Chalom for his years of volunteer service at Shomrei! Marc and all Shomrei volunteers will be recognized at “Honor Night” a dinner and talent showcase at Shomrei Emunah, Saturday, Mar 7, 2015, 7:30pm. Click here to reserve tickets. (deadline, Sun, Mar 1)
Marc Chalom
What is Marc Chalom’s first goal for Shomrei in the future? To find someone to replace him!… But it won’t be easy.
“When the alarm goes off at 2 a.m., they call me from ADT,” says the VP of Building and Grounds, since 2002. He is proud of the fact that he was in charge of renovating the kitchen in the YAC (formerly the Social Hall), daring to use red for the kitchen cabinets, created new office space out of closets on the first floor, restructured the seating to be more intimate in the sanctuary, replaced the ‘leaning wall’ outside the building, renovated the bluestone walkways at the entrance to the Sanctuary, and chaired the first ‘World Wide Wrap’, among other projects at Shomrei. “I found a way to handle most of these challenges without spending a lot of money!” he added.
The Shomrei Book Club will not meet in January. The February book for discussion is The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, her latest novel.
We will meet on Monday, Feb. 9, at 7:30pm at the synagogue in the upstairs Gallery. All are welcome to join us!
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The Shomrei Book Club will meet on Monday, Dec. 8, at 7:30 pm to discuss Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst. Toby Stein will lead the discussion. The novel begins in Paris in 1938, as the world prepares for war. Across the continent—in New York City and as far away as Istanbul—spies, secret operatives, and shadowy characters battle the agents of the enemy in Germany and Italy.
New members are welcome to join us!
The Shomrei Book Club will meet on Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. to discuss Snow in August by Pete Hamill.
Jerilyn Margulies will lead the discussion of this intriguing tale of a friendship between a young Irish Catholic boy and an Orthodox rabbi who needs his help on Shabbat. Weaving together history and tradition, Hamill paints a realistic portrait of faith, loyalty and affection in post-World War II Brooklyn.
As an added bonus, the Book Club will gather to exchange ideas about favorite books at the Shomrei Book Fair to be held at Watchung Books on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. Please join us—come to talk, browse, and buy books to support this important project that benefits the JLC!
For more information, contact Josie Zeman at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
Sarah Kravits
How lucky for Shomrei that Sarah Kravits was looking for a small, friendly synagogue to join fairly close to her new home in West Orange in 2007.
“I am a Jew by choice. I don’t think I changed to something, instead, I found my path,” she explained, noting that she grew up Episcopalian in Columbia, Maryland. “My hometown was very diverse. I had lots of Jewish friends who invited me to their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, where I realized I really liked Judaism.”
You’ve probably seen her rushing in and out of the building, picking up her children, attending an important meeting, greeting friends for Shabbat services, always with her signature sparkling smile and a friendly wave.