From Captain Lynne Kurzweil
We welcomed 22 grateful guests to the MESH Cafe at Shomrei this past Tuesday night. A hearty and nourishing meal was prepared by yours truly beginning with split pea and barley soup with garlic bread. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Merrill Silver
Wednesday Evening Minyan Returns After Summer Break
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
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
The Sanctuary Movement – Tell Me a Story
Tell Me a Story
by Aileen Grossberg and Merrill Silver
Tell me a story. Tell me the story of your parents, or grandparents, or great-grandparents and how they came to America. Tell me about their fears and challenges; tell me about their strivings and successes.
Now think about what would have happened if they had come to America and not been let in. Or if they had been let in and had committed a minor crime or were from the wrong country or worshipped the wrong way and were sent back to the places from where they came.
Where would you or I be now?
Shomrei Refugee Assistance Group Attends Vigil to Honor Refugees
(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.
Update from the Shomrei Refugee Committee
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:
It Takes a Village
For the past sixty-four days, I have felt hopeless, helpless and frustrated by many of the actions of the new administration. Rather than yelling at the TV screen and flailing my arms in despair, especially regarding the Moslem travel ban, I was grateful when Nick Levitin and Andy Silver organized the Shomrei Refugee Committee. Finally, a call to action! Thanks to their research and research by other committee members, we now have information about several agencies that occasionally need a helping hand. Or two or three. And make them strong, loving hands, as well. Continue reading
Purim Simcha Band Plays Its Heart Out
For the sixth year in a row, the multi-generational Simcha Band played our hearts out at our annual Purim celebration. Setting the lively tone for the Costume Parade and then playing in between chapters of the Megillah, the band added a new dimension to its name “Simcha” Band! When the Megillah readers chanted Haman’s name, the band successfully drowned out his name. Continue reading
A Little Extra Light – Sayydah Garrett
Merrill Silver (L) and Sayydah Garrett (R)
This year our Simcha Band had a special guest at the Shomrei Chanukah party, Sayydah Garrett. A Muslim living in Glen Ridge, Sayydah wanted to play in our band in the spirit of brother/sister-hood. Her playing was beautiful and she certainly added more light to our festivities!
Pure Joy! – The Hanukkah Simcha Band!
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