Chanuka is the Festival of Light. We illustrated this with our beautiful chanukiyot burning brightly in the sanctuary at our annual holiday party. At Shomrei, Chanuka is also the holiday of great music played by our very own Simcha band. Maestro Mark Weinstein sets just the right tone balancing fun, learning and ultimately, making music together. That is no small task considering our multi-generational band with a wide range of skills and experience. Continue reading
Hanukkah! is full of traditions – lighting the menorah, spinning the dreidle, eating latkes and souvganiyot, and giving gifts. Another tradition at Shomrei Emunah is the annual Hanukkah party with our multli-generational Simcha Band.
The schedule on the synagogue website said, “Simchat Torah services Monday, October 5, 2015 at 7:30 PM.” As a matter of fact, it stated it twice – on the calendar and on the list of holiday events. Imagine our surprise, … Continue reading
Psalm 98 tells us, “Sing praise to the Lord with the harp, with trumpets and horns make a joyful noise…”
At our special Spotlight Shabbat on Friday, June 5, the Simcha band did not have any trumpets, horns or harps. We praised God with our alto-saxophones, drums, basses, tenor sax, piano, violin and cello. With our joyous music , the “Simcha Band” lived up to its name. With our musicians from elementary school to middle school, high school, college and in the working world, we lived up to being “multi-generational. “ With Dan Silver joining us for the first time, we were not only multi-generational but were the first mother-son musicians in the band’s five year history.
The SHOMREI SIMCHA BAND will perform at a very special SHABBAT SERVICE on Friday, June 5 at 8:00 PM. Not only does the band make the service extra beautiful, but a guest speaker from Leket Israel will talk about Israel’s National Food Bank and how we, in Montclair, can get involved. So it is a double enhancement of an already beautiful service!
We hope you will say YES to the rehearsals and to playing on the actual Shabbat. Here is what you need to know right now:
Rehearsal #1: Sunday, May 17 at 11:45 AM -1:15 PM.
Rehearsal #2: Wednesday June 3 at 6:15 PM -7:45 PM.
I listen to WNYC in the car, in the kitchen and on my phone at the Y. That’s a lot of time I spend with Leonard Lopate, Brian Lehrer, Terri Gross, Anna Sayles, just to name a few of my favorite hosts. This past week, it seemed that every time I turned on the radio, WNYC was asking for money. It was the spring fundraising drive.
As I listened, it suddenly occurred to me that the new Shomrei Emunah sustaining share membership model and public radio are very similar. It’s not that Shomrei asks for money all the time. Rather, it’s the emphasis on supporting a community that you value. Continue reading
Volunteering in Israel can be a fun, rewarding, and often challenging experience. How do you find an organization? What can you do with limited Hebrew language skills, not to mention limited free time? What about transportation?
Have you ever noticed how magical music can be? Music makes your heart soar, your fingers snap, your hands clap and your feet tap. It evokes memories and gives you hope for the future. It makes you smile and sing simultaneously. Continue reading
Musicians ages 10-110 needed to perform in the Simcha Band on Purim, March 4, 2015.
If you can read music or carry a tune, if you have a song in your heart and an instrument in your house, if you have previously played in the band or are joining for the first time, please help make our multi-generational band a big success. Conductor Mark Weinstein will encourage you to be the best musician you can be, while having fun. Continue reading
Ohr Chadasch Synagogue in Vienna
My month of Friday nights began on October 24 at the Montclair Golf Club. There, I attended the Bat Mitzvah of Sydney, a student at the Jewish Cultural School in Montclair. At age 11-12, Sydney already had a vision of her Bat Mitzvah, which was antithetical to her school’s plan that only included community service. She dreamed of chanting Hebrew prayers and reading from the Torah. But first she had to learn how to read Hebrew and daven! That’s how our paths crossed.