Welcoming our Newest Member

What’s sweeter than a new baby?  Shomrei welcomed  4 day old Esther Hirsch to the congregation with an in-house catered kiddush on Shabbat, November 19.

Babies come when they are ready so the kiddush volunteers didn’t find out about Esther’s birth until late Wednesday afternoon. We did a quick pivot, abandoning the planned kiddush menu, and substituting a custom menu requested by Esther’s parents, Josh Hirsch and Jenny Leon. Continue reading

MESH Report May 31, 2022

The MESH team of Grossberg, Kurzweil and Rosenblatt did it again. With no one signed up to create this week’s MESH meal, coordinators Aileen Grossberg and Lynne Kurzweil stepped up with the help of ever reliable Susan Rosenblatt.

Thanks to some delicious leftovers from the Brooks family Shabbat dinner and rugelach from Marc Grossberg’s birthday celebration, the takeaway bags were full to bursting. Continue reading

A Little Bit of Magic

Do you remember the folktale about the shoemaker and the elves who secretly helped out the shoemaker or the stories of Elijah who provided beautifully set tables for poor, but righteous folk?

We have our own not-so-secret elves at Shomrei who on this past Saturday were out in full force at Teddy Goldman’s bar mitzvah as the social hall morphed from sanctuary to banquet hall in less than twenty minutes. Continue reading

Happy Birthday Kiddush

The building was teeming with people this past Shabbat with JLC, the Henei Mah Tov service, Tot Shabbat, and the regular service in the sanctuary. The social hall was party-like with birthday balloons and colorful tableware.

What a pleasure to have so many young kids and their parents sharing the space and a very special kiddush lunch.

That first double digit birthday is a big deal for any kid. We were able to be a part of Brian Singh’s entry into “tweenhood.” Continue reading

It’s Kiddish Time

The sounds of prayer were complemented by the buzz of conversation as Shomrei celebrated the upcoming wedding of Jared Hurwich and Perrin Shapiro at the first indoor kiddush in almost two years.

The kiddush crew was out in full force prepping for this kiddush which was just a bit different from what they used to do. Instead of artfully arranged platters, there were trays of individual containers to grab and take to the tables. Cookies were snuggled into a foil pan with a see through tops so that the contents could be seen and labels abounded to identify the foods on display. Continue reading

Shomrei’s Thanksgiving Food Drive 2020

food drive 2

During the pandemic, many citizens have lost their jobs, have had their work hours cut, and have found that the limited resources they had no longer suffice. In times like these, it is fortunate that Montclair has caring institutions to support people until the national economic crisis improves.

At Shomrei, we have been concerned about the ever-expanding food insecurity in our town. One of our ongoing efforts has been our work in providing weekly dinners for people through MESH.

The Shomrei Social Action Committee created a subcommittee during Summer 2020 that would focus on food insecurity. One of our first initiatives was to connect with the Human Needs Food Pantry to collaborate on their annual Thanksgiving collection. Continue reading

Mesh Cafe Jan 30, 2018

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From Captain Lynne Kurzweil

We welcomed a full house of 24 guests to Shomrei’s MESH Cafe on location at Union Baptist Church. Aileen Grossberg prepared the meal at her home and with the help of Chief Schlepper Marc Grossberg, transported everything to the church. First course was split pea soup with lima beans, tossed salad with bread and spread. Main course was American Chop Suey, a comfort food throwback from the 60’s made with pasta and meat sauce. Dessert was cookies and fresh fruit. Continue reading

“Thank You” at Thanksgiving

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