Over the last few months the Shomrei Teens of Montclair, STOM, has spent time volunteering at the Babrow Kosher Food Pantry which is housed at Oheb Shalom Congregation in South Orange. The food pantry serves over 200 families each month from local communities. Donations to the food pantry are both state and privately funded.
Hello, my name is Mike Tizhgarten, and I would like to tell you a little bit about me. My parents are Mila and Roman Tizhgarten. I am in the 9th grade. I enjoy hanging out with friends, riding my bike and drawing. My favorite subject in school is Biology and I enjoy activities and sports such as soccer, badminton, chess and playing the violin. I also like collecting “Lokai” Bracelets. Continue reading
Each year, the start of January signals a time to reflect on our progress since September and look forward to a strong finish of the current school year. I feel the same about JLC. When we first began dreaming what a revision of JLC would look and feel like, Shabbat was always at the center of our vision. The sheer concept that families now come as a unit to Shomrei every week on Saturday morning is still an absolutely beautiful sight to witness. Our students are davening Shabbat morning prayers in their classrooms, with joy and enthusiasm. Our older students eagerly gather around a round table, examining the Torah, matching trope (the “musical notes” of the Torah, if you will) they learned in class to the actual markings in the Torah. Both classrooms bring the weekly Torah portion to life, using drama, creativity and engaging important leadership skills. We practice Hebrew words, learn new tunes and practice old ones, and most importantly, we are building a cheerful and dedicated Shabbat community. Above all, I am proud of this network of students and families that deepens by the week. We count on each other, reuniting every Saturday at Shomrei. Shabbat has always been about these connections for me, personally. I am overwhelmed seeing it replicated among our JLC students and their parents, as they feel more comfortable in the larger Shomrei community. Continue reading
Today’s WELL column in The New York Times (12/20/16) talks about how running makes the brain work in surprising ways. Similarly, it says that “Playing a musical instrument, for instance, requires refining a variety of fine motor skills, while also engaging memory, attention, forward planning and many other executive functions of the brain. So it’s not surprising that past brain-scanning studies have found that expert musicians tend to have greater coordination between areas of the brain associated with different kinds of thinking, as well as sensory processing and motor control, than do people who have never picked up a bassoon or other instrument.”
The Times article forgot one important thing. Playing a musical instrument is pure joy (and some practice, too). The multi-generational Hanukkah Simcha Band proved this with its glorious sound at our community Hanukkah party on Sunday, Dec. 18. Whether you were playing, singing, dancing or listening to the gorgeous music, it was exhilarating. Continue reading
A word from Morah Fran, our K-2 JLC teacher:
The school year is off to a busy start, and our classroom filled with the youngest JLC students is humming with excitement. The children really enjoy working together in small groups, and they are eager to choose different projects each day. Myself and Morah Lisa, our Hebrew immersion teacher, help to guide the children, in addition to working with them one on one to develop their Hebrew skills. Continue reading
A word from Morah Marita, the 3rd-7th grade teacher:
The JLC’s logo, “Deep Roots, New Sprouts,” has never seemed more applicable. While our vision of transforming the JLC is finally a reality, our school is an ever-evolving learning lab.
Students who attend on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings are learning practical, hands-on Judaism with their enthusiastic teachers. One of my favorite aspects of the new curriculum is seeing our students putting their classroom skills to use in the sanctuary on Shabbat.
This past Saturday, families came together for our first Hinei Mah Tov (HMT) service of the year. The title of Hinei Mah Tov literally means, “How Good it Is!” and I could not agree more. There is tremendous power in having children join together with their parents to pray, ask questions, and to wrestle with Jewish liturgy, words of Torah, and ethical concepts. Children begin to see the power of their Jewish education, when they engage with their parents in an authentic service and celebrate Shabbat together as a family. Continue reading
Busy busy in the New JLC!
Yasher Koach on a wonderful welcome back (indoor!) BBQ and first day of JLC! The students were overwhelmingly positive about the change in the building and program (Wow! was a common response upon seeing the new furniture/rooms!) The rooms looked great, the teachers were warm and wonderful, and the students had amazing energy. I am thrilled for the year to come. Assistant Education Directors, Lily Lucey and Aylah Winter were both wonderful in their interactions with students and parents, and I think everyone is responding to having such a capable team in place.
Nourish your brain, body and being on Shabbat at Shomrei. Open to the public. The Shomrei Jewish Learning Center is introducing a series of topical conversations and/or activities for adults to be held on alternating Saturdays. Meeting from 10:30-11:30 am @nourish will offer great coffee, great noshes and great conversation! The topics will relate to current events, Jewish living in a modern world, food, history, or anything, well, nourishing!
