Tag Archives: Andy Silver

Make a Difference – Shomrei Refugee Assistance Group

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Summer is here, but the pace of our activities hasn’t slowed.

We have an exciting opportunity to make a difference in the lives of a number of refugee children this summer! GERA (Global Emergency Response and Assistance), a community NGO helping many refugee families in the Paterson/Passaic area, is trying to send 13 refugee children to summer camp at the Wayne Y for two weeks in August. GERA is negotiating a discount for the children, but the total cost for all the children is still likely to be about $3,400, of which they’ve raised about half. (The cost per child for the two weeks ranges from $302-$672, depending on the child’s age.) We are also exploring the possibility of helping to send some children in our refugee families in Elizabeth to summer camp at their local Y, which will probably cost a total of between $500 and $1,000.
So, we’ve set a total goal of $3,000 to help ensure that these children have a fun place to go this summer, to meet new friends, learn a little English, and build self-esteem and confidence in their new country. Continue reading →

Turning Strangers into Friends

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IMG_2133The biggest reason my family joined Shomrei back in 2015 is because of the community here. So as the crisis in Syria grew,  my husband and I kept asking each other: Should we do something? Adopt a Syrian orphan? Donate some clothes? It seemed obvious that I should email the rabbi. Was Shomrei “doing” anything? Continue reading →

“Thank You” at Thanksgiving

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Aileen Grossberg

Aileen Grossberg

Thanksgiving is a day for thanks although we Jews often give our thank yous at the New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

So I am taking this opportunity to put the THANKS back into Thanksgiving and express my thanks to people involved in activities that I have a stake in.

So thank you to all the volunteers who help to get food on the table for those weekly kiddushes. Even when I am not directly involved, I thank them. Without our volunteers we would have no bountiful weekly spreads and the fellowship that comes with sharing a meal.
Continue reading →

Grape Leaves and Gratitude

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Adults L-R (Tamam, Bara’a and neighbor Abdulrasul). Smiles all around just before lunch prepared by Bara’a.

Judith Antelman, a new member of Shomrei, recently attended her first meeting of Shomrei’s Refugee Assistance Group. The group assists refugees who recently resettled in our area. The following is her response after meeting one of the refugee families.

Grape Leaves and Gratitude

These days, I greet every morning with gratitude. I am grateful for my health and well-being. I am grateful for compassionate family and friends. I am grateful for an abundance of organic, locally grown food. I am grateful for gardens, parks, and running paths in and around Montclair. I am grateful for my new community of friends at Shomrei. And on a crisp Autumn Sunday in November, I found gratitude in the humble home of Bara’a, Tamam, and their three children.

Continue reading →

Syria Supper Club at Shomrei — a Big Success!

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Eighty (80!) people attended Shomrei’s Syria Supper Club Sukkot Dinner on October 8. The dinner featured bountiful, delicious vegetarian food prepared in Shomrei’s kitchen by three Syrian cooks who have been recently resettled in the U.S.

Rabbi Greenstein welcomed everyone in the sukkah, and then we moved inside (the weather was threatening) for the meal. It was a win-win event all around; attendees enjoyed a delicious meal and the cooks displayed their cooking talents and earned some income to help support their families. (Almost all of the proceeds of the dinner went to the cooks.) Continue reading →

Wednesday Evening Minyan Returns After Summer Break

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The Wednesday Evening Minyan has been a Shomrei tradition since 2008. It began after my father, Mike Leventer, passed away and I wanted to say Kaddish in the comfort of my home and community. Shomrei came through for me nine years ago and we have sustained the minyan ever since.

How does the service work? We daven the short evening service in Hebrew and English. If you are observing a Yahrtzeit or saying Kaddish during a year of mourning, we support you. We sing a “Mishabayrach” for family and friends who are ill. We gather together for 20 minutes of tranquility and gratitude in an otherwise hectic week. Continue reading →

A Visit with Refugees

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The Arabic version of Rosetta Stone Language learning software.

The Arabic version of Rosetta Stone Language learning software.

On a spring Sunday, Andy Silver and I delivered some much-needed clothing and a TV, provided by members of the Shomrei community, to a Syrian refugee family in Elizabeth, NJ. Bara’a and Tammam seemed tired when we arrived. That, of course, is understandable — being a refugee means once again being in a foreign land, not speaking the language and, for the most part, at least for now, being dependent on strangers. In addition, Bara’a and Tammam have two small children and are expecting a third and our visit came in the middle of the daily Ramadan fast! Continue reading →

Shomrei Refugee Assistance Group Attends Vigil to Honor Refugees

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Shomrei members in photo: Andy, Merrill and Dan Silver, Nick Levitin and Beryl Hiller of Shomrei Refugee Assistance Group.

(L-R):  Merrill,  Dan and Andy Silver, Beryl Hiller of Shomrei Refugee Assistance Group.

On Tuesday, June 6th several Shomrei members attend a vigil in Montclair in support of refugees to the US.  The vigil was held on the anniversary of the date the ship St. Louis full of refugees was turned away from American shores in 1939.

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Update from the Shomrei Refugee Committee

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Editor’s note:  The Refugee Committee is a group of Shomrei congregants concerned and involved with the needs of refugees coming to our area.  Here is a report of some of the activities some of the committee members are engaged with.  If you’d like more information about the Refugee Committee you can join here: shomrei.org/refugee

Dear Friends,

Here is an update on efforts to help refugees and other immigrants in our area:

Continue reading →