Hanukkah Book Recommendations

The glow of the Hanukkah lights will shortly fill our homes and shine through the windows. The Hanukkah story  is a great story with heroes and villains, suspense, and a satisfying ending. Even when the story is modified for young readers, it still retains its majesty and provides many opportunities for reinforcing  Jewish values.

This year’s crop of Hanukkah books includes some excellent retellings as well as a look at Hanukkah in settings other than the U.S. There have been several books with interfaith families as the focal point. And there’s a delightful handful of Hanukkah books for adults. Continue reading

Announcing Our 2025 Honorees

From President Delaney:

It is my privilege to announce Nancy and Charlie Breslin, two of our extraordinary members and volunteers, will be the Honorees at our annual event celebrating Shomrei members for their service to our community. I am also thrilled to share that Romy Rost will be our Rising Star honoree this year for her tireless efforts as a Board member and in building a thriving and dynamic community among our young families.

Save the Date! Please join us to celebrate our Honorees at Cirque du Shomrei, Saturday, February 1, 7:30pm.

Please also place an ad honoring Nancy, Charlie and Romy for all they bring to our community in our annual Shomrei Directory and Ad Journal. 

Ticket and Ad Journal

purchase tickets

purchase an ad in the Journal

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Happy Jewish Book Month!

Begun in 1924 as Jewish Book Week by a Jewish librarian who worked at the Boston Public Library, it has stretched to the entire month before Hanukkah. Jewish Book Month is a time to highlight and celebrate libraries, books and Jewish writers.

Jewish books have been around for a very long time: even if not everyone was literate, each person knew the value of the Torah and the highest aspiration was to be a scholar of Jewish books. Continue reading

Lost and Found

Talmud Tuesday is a gift to Shomrei from our rabbinic intern, Jacob Lipkin. From 5:30 to 6:30 pm, on alternating Tuesdays, Jacob leads a study session micro-focused on one or two paragraphs of Talmud. The class is open to all congregants, from the most knowledgeable to those who never had gazed at a page of Talmud before (that would be me).

When I arrived at last Tuesday’s session, I knew only that the Talmud applied the wisdom of our sages to parse – often excruciatingly – the ethical issues of daily Jewish life in ancient times. I assumed I’d learn a bit of what it was like to study Talmud, but I hardly expected to find relevance to my daily life in 21st Century Montclair.

How wrong I was. Continue reading

MESH Report Nov 26, 2024 (Teen MESH)

We had an enthusiastic and dedicated Teen MESH crew cook a hearty meal this week. Collin set the tone for Teen MESH by spending his Sunday, baking cookies and bagging them for the dessert. Monday afternoon, Team Leader Jordan, brought five of her friends from Montclair High to prep and cook the dinner for 50 guests who would be served at the Office on Tuesday. The teens prepared 18 lbs of Fern’s Hot and Sweet meatballs, 10 lbs of white rice, and 10 lbs of fresh green bean salad mixed with halved cherry tomatoes and red onions.

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Tribute to Sam Lampert and the Lampert Library

Aileen Grossberg shared this tribute at the Shabbat service on November 23, 2024. Additional comments were made by Katherine Delaney. 

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Jewish Book Month which begins tomorrow and has been going strong for 99 years.

It’s so appropriate that today when we celebrate the many years that the Lampert family has supported the library and made books available to the Shomrei community, we also celebrate the 60th anniversary of Judy Wildman’s bat mitzvah. As Jews, as People of the Book, we hold both bound books and the Torah scroll in high esteem. Continue reading