’Twas the eve before Hanukkah
And all through the shul
Not a person was present
In the office or school.
The halls were dark.
The playground was quiet.
Rabbi Julie was not to be found.
BUT enter the kitchen and
What do you see?
Six volunteers so busily
Preparing a meal for the
Food insecure.
It’s MESH night at Shomrei
You can be sure.
Tag Archives: Shirley Grill
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 11, 2024
Flexibility is key!
This week in our ongoing effort to engage wider participation by accommodating congregants’ availability, we had a tag team on Monday and Tuesday. Monday afternoon Lynne Kurzweil, Shirley Grill and Linda Wieseneck did the cooking and stored it for warming and packing up on Tuesday.
Welcome to the Board of Trustees 2024
Yasher koach to the 2023-24 Board of Trustees. Special thanks to outgoing board members – past president Miriam Korn Haimes, VP-Legal Gordon Braverman and trustees Audrey Levitin, Lynn Rubin, and Debra Caplan – and to outgoing president Michael Sag (who will continue on the board as immediate past president).
Welcome to these new board members – Shirley Grill, Risa Bernstein, Josh Kline and Suzanne Grobman.
Passover Reflections: Seder During Wartime
These reflections were written by participants in Rabbi Julie’s Pre-Passover workshop, Seder During Wartime, in April 2024. Continue reading
A Swiss Shomrei Shabbat
We didn’t have to ski in the Alps nor did we have to brave the cold to enjoy host Fern’s favorite Swiss food – raclette – for Shabbat dinner. Although this melted cheese dish, with roasted vegetables, boiled potatoes and gherkins may have originated in medieval convents in Switzerland and is enjoyed après ski in the Alps, it translated very well onto Fern’s beautiful Shabbat table. Continue reading
Update from the Shomrei Refugee Assistance Group
As many of you know, our group has been assisting two brothers who escaped from Afghanistan during the American-led evacuation in the summer of 2021. The brothers were separated from their parents and four siblings, who were left behind in Afghanistan.
We now have fantastic news to report! Those six other family members have finally joined Sediq and Masih in New Jersey. To top it off, the family (including Sediq and Masih) has now found two apartments in Montclair (with the help of Shirley Grill and HomeCorp).
This past weekend, the family moved into their two new apartments in Montclair with the assistance of Shomrei volunteers. Continue reading
The Greening of Shomrei, Parts 2 and 3
Shomrei Emunah took one of its first steps toward becoming a greener community earlier this year, when four small metal compost buckets were purchased for the Shomrei kitchen (See The Greening of Shomrei Part 1). The compost buckets are used as waste containers for vegetable and fruit scraps resulting from Kiddush and MESH meal preparation. Initially, when the metal buckets were full, they were emptied at the outdoor compost bins maintained by Linda Ariel and me on our respective properties. Continue reading
MESH Report November 28, 2023
The MESH team included our usual threesome of Linda Ariel, Lou Hammerman and me (Sarita Eisenberg) plus Alex Kent – a reunion of sorts as we had all just been together on the Civil Rights trip.
MESH Report November 14 2023
Chef Lynne Kurzweil planned a simple, nutritious and tasty meal for 50 with the able assistance of Shirley Grill, Susan Rosenthal and Carole Rothman. Main course was panko crusted tilapia served with sweet potato fries and semi-homemade coleslaw. Accompaniments were Italian bread, bananas and a water bottle. Dessert was provided by Collin Brooks which included a yummy Oreo Cakester and cookies. Our team worked seamlessly and happily, prepping and packing in three hours. That’s pretty good for 50 home cooked takeaway meals, including cleanup! Best part was we chatted away the entire time. Lynne and Susan transported the meals to The Office where they were happily received.