Author Archives: Miriam Korn Haimes

Letter from the President – Shabbat Survey Results

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Editor’s note: This message was originally emailed to the congregation on April 14th.

IMG_0397To the Shomrei community,

I wanted to send a note about the recent Shabbat Survey results and our next steps.  First a huge thank you to Sarita Eisenberg for doing the heavy lifting regarding the survey and collaborating with the Ritual Committee to develop the questions and to tally and summarize the results.

We received 93 responses across a wide range of age groups including families with preschool, elementary school and older children as well as adults across all the age ranges listed in the survey.  I am very pleased with the cross section of responses.

Overwhelmingly, respondents were comfortable with outdoor services.  We did have several respondents who would also be interested in indoor services.

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Please Take Our Shabbat Services Survey

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Editor’s note: This message was originally emailed to the congregation on March 25th.

IMG_0397To the Shomrei community,

As we approach spring I think about renewal, emergence from the long winter and change.  We continue to be in an ever-changing and uncertain environment as vaccines become more available and we learn additional facts about COVID 19.

I understand that many of you may be eager to resume our in-person services while others are content to continue with online services.  We have been diligently working over the last year to bring a myriad of services and programs to our Shomrei Community and we are now thinking about options for in person services with appropriate safety protocols.  We will be doing an outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat in April but as we plan for additional services, we want to understand what you, our community, would like during this period of transition.

I am asking you to fill out a short survey to provide input that will play an important role in our planning.  We will endeavor to find ways to gather together as a community.

Here is the link to the survey:  https://montclair.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_556YsaQ5ZWPItpQ

Please respond by Thursday April 8th so we can incorporate your feedback into our planning.

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey.

Wishing all of you a very Happy Passover.

Miriam Haimes,
President

Happy Hanukkah & Thank You!

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Editor’s Note: This message was originally sent as an email on Monday December 14, 2020. 

IMG_0397Dear Shomrei Community,

First I would like to wish all of you a very Happy Hanukkah.  Last night [Sun, Dec 13] we lit the fourth candle and many of you participated in our Zoom Community candle lighting and donut decorating.  Often when we wish people a Chag Sameach for Hanukkah we say “May your Hanukkah be bright”. Well the glow of the candles do not begin to match the glow of the warmth that you as a Shomrei Community showed yesterday.  As we distributed almost 100 bags of Hanukkah goodies, we collected so many toys and socks for our greater community. The Sunday minyan had a sunny warm day to meet as well.  We most certainly will make the holiday brighter and the winter a bit warmer for so many people in need of some help and thoughtfulness.  Thanks to all of you who attended minyan, donated and participated in our program and a special thanks to our coordinators and helpers.  I am sure I will leave someone out so I apologize in advance.

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Message from Shomrei President Miriam Haimes

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Dear Shomrei Community,

I just returned from Sunday minyan on the Shomrei lawn under a beautiful warm November sun. Several of us gathered in prayer and it is so wonderful to be part of this community. We had some regulars attend as well as others that hadn’t been before. Originally, we thought we would pilot a minyan in the Social Hall beginning in November to test our safety protocols and we still plan to do that as long as our Medical Advisory team thinks it makes sense. However, with the weather cooperating we continue to be outside for as long as the weather is warm and sunny.

With the High Holidays long gone and the stress of Election week starting to calm down, I thought I would reach out to you (albeit virtual) to see how you are doing as well as to update you on what is going on at Shomrei.

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Letter from Shomrei President Miriam Haimes – High Holiday Update

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IMG_0397To Our Shomrei Community,

As summer nears an end and we start to see signs of fall, I wanted to reach out to you and update you on our plans for High Holidays 5781.

What do the holidays hold in store for us? In July, Rabbi Greenstein and I wrote to tell you that we made the difficult decision to not have in person services and that we would spend the summer creating a memorable holiday experience that would include the entire community rather than just a few that could be accommodated in the social hall or sanctuary.  We promised a series of programs for adults and children of various ages to be experienced not only on the holiday but in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah and during the Days of Awe.  We also told you that we would be reaching out for your participation.

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Greetings from Miriam Korn Haimes – New President of Shomrei

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IMG_0397Hello! I wanted to introduce myself to those who don’t know me and to say hello again to those who do. When Shirley Grill, representing the Nominating Committee, called me in mid-December to ask if I would consider becoming President of Congregation Shomrei Emunah I was in the middle of volunteering at an event. My first reaction was “why me” but that I needed some time to think about it. Afterall, I had just retired from a 40+ year career in finance and banking and I was already busy volunteering and travelling. My husband David had retired a few years earlier from a career in Restaurant Equipment and there are still many items in our synagogue kitchen that he donated when he was working. So here we were, both retired and both amazingly engaged in so many activities that we never made the time for before. So why now?

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Immigrant Demonstration in Newark

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On Thursday August 29, several individuals from Essex County joined clergy from several towns to support Faith in Essex, a multifaith group,  for a peaceful demonstration in front of the Hall of Records in Newark – where the Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo and the Essex County Freeholders maintain offices.  We delivered letters requesting that there be a Civilian Oversight Board and a Detainee Advocate for the Essex County Correctional Facility.  Recently, there have been several incidents of abuse of detainees and most especially, immigrants that violate human rights.

Rabbi Greenstein from Shomrei Emunah, along with several clergy from various faiths around Essex County participated.  Letters need to continue to be written to support this effort.

What you can do: Please contact Essex County Executive and Freeholders, Below is a suggested message as well as the emails for our Essex County Executive and Freeholders. Continue reading →