Summer 2008 - The Jewish Center

TAMMUZ - AV 5768
SUMMER Highlights
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Kesher Kaitz Club
pg. 3
Newsletter By Email
Reigious School Honor Roll
Moms for Israel
pg. 4
pg. 10
pg. 22
Summer 2008 • Vol. 109 No. 7
Our responsibility for tikkun olam has
always been a defining quality of the
Jewish people. It is established in our
teachings, and we practice it in our customs and actions. At the
Jewish Center, it is even mandated in our bylaws to maintain a
standing committee on the Board of Directors dedicated to
social concerns. The Social Concerns Committee is a prominent and productive communal embodiment of our responsibility to heal the world.
This year our Social Concerns Committee is co-chaired by Naomi Perlman and
Beatrice Bloom. In addition to all of the important programming and education they
will coordinate at TJC and into our broader community, there is a new sub-committee
we are proud to inaugurate. Under talented leadership of Suki and Matt Wasserman,
TJC now has a visionary and vibrant Sustainability sub-committee to Social Concerns.
SERVICE SCHEDULE
Sustainability regards fashioning our human endeavors to reduce the ecological
impact. Homes, businesses, and all organizations can be evaluated in terms of their
ecological impact from resources used, waste generated, and effect on the environment at present and for future generations. This is precisely what our
Sustainability Subcommittee is undertaking for TJC. Appropriately for our institution, the program is not only about improving TJC’s sustainability profile, but also
about educating our community.
Midweek Minyan Schedule
Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday at 7:00 a.m.
Sustainability
While you will hear much more about this important work, I cannot resist sharing
a few of the projects already planned for our synagogue. We will be optimizing our
recycling, establishing a carbon offset program, purchasing biodegradable flatware,
installing a solar ner tamid, encouraging waste free lunches in the Nursery School,
sponsoring adult education programs, creating a new library program on sustainability in the Religious School, continuing the Tu B’Shevat tie in with sustainability,
and even selling eco-friendly Shabbat candles... talk about being a light unto nations.
A prominent aspect related to the theme of sustainability is the issue of fuel, and a
subject on which I care to give my opinion this month. The way we fuel our vehicles and homes can obviously have a dramatic impact on the environment. I feel
good that I have added solar panels to my home and business and installed energy
efficient lighting and other technologies. There is much we can all do in our homes
and offices, but my focus this month is on our cars. Our national discourse on fuel
has obviously been raised due to the high cost of gas. My concern, however, has less
to do with what we pay at the pump, than the more crucial issue of where the payments are going.
Lori and I, with a number of friends from TJC, had the opportunity to attend a session at the annual AIPAC Policy Conference featuring prominent speakers from the
State Department, Israeli industry, and academia discussing how and why Israel and
the US must lead the world off of oil. The rationale is
(continued on pg. 3)
Shabbat Worship Schedule
Fridays at 6:30 p.m.
Saturdays at 9:45 a.m.
Tisha B’Av Service
Saturday, August 9 at 8:30 p.m.
Library Service
Saturday, July 26 at 10:15 a.m.
Saturday, August 23 at 10:15 a.m.
Tot Shabbat
Saturday, July 5 and 19 at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday, August 9 and 23 at 11:00 a.m.
BAR/BAT MITZVAH SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 23
Bar Mitzvah of Nathaniel Kaufman
Son of Dr. Kenneth Kaufman and
Christine Kaufman
Tisha B’Av
SHABBAT CANDLE LIGHTING
July 18
July 25
➤
➤
8:07 p.m.
8:02 p.m.
August 1
August 8
August 15
August 22
August 29
➤
➤
➤
➤
➤
7:55 p.m.
7:47 p.m.
7:38 p.m.
7:28 p.m.
7:17 p.m.
President’s Message (continued from pg. 1)
straightforward: we are funding both
sides of the war on terror.
It costs Saudi Arabia about $2 to pump
the oil from their land. The astronomical
increase in the price of oil, for whatever
reason (supply and demand, speculators,
industrialization of China, India, etc.) has
effected an unprecedented transfer of
wealth from countries like the US to countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, and
Venezuela. The problem is what they are
doing with the money. They use some for
hypocritical hedonist indulgences and to
repress their own people under their illegitimate regimes. But the bigger problem
impacting us is how much of this wealth is
used to fund global terrorism.
Saudi Arabia financially supports about
20,000 madrases worldwide from Tokyo to
New Jersey to indoctrinate fresh recruits to
their fascist ideology. The most famous
graduates from these schools were of
course fifteen of the nineteen September
11 terrorists. Iran is the force behind
Hamas that terrorizes Israel from the
south on a daily basis, and Hizbullah that
has overpowered democracy in Lebanon
and declared war on Israel from the north.
We pay Middle Eastern countries for their
oil, and then we expend huge sums to
combat the terror they produce. Prior to
September 11, 1991, when the price for a
barrel of oil was $12, Osama Bin Laden
said that to defeat the West, they would
only need to raise the price of oil to $144
per barrel. Examples of the impact that
strategy is having goes well beyond what
we personally pay at the pump.
Communities around the country are curtailing police patrols, ambulance services,
road repairs and other services due to the
high cost of gas. Fuel surcharges raise the
cost of everything that is transported by
land, sea or air. To say our economy is
strained is an understatement.
There were two particular concepts presented at the AIPAC conference that I
would like to relate in this article where I
think we should invest our efforts to
improve the world. The bottom line is that
we must get off oil, primarily as a source of
fuel for our cars, which is the predominant
use of oil. The world’s 700 million cars also
2
produce 20% of the planet’s carbon dioxide
emissions.
There is a fascinating Israeli initiative called
Project Better Place. You can read more
about it at www.projectbetterplace.com.
Their concept is simple yet brilliant. Their
plan is to provide electric cars similar to
how cell phone companies provide phones.
Electric cars made by Renault and Nissan
will be able to have their batteries replaced
robotically at battery exchange stations
built across the country. People can obtain
such cars on a subscription plan and then
pay less for electricity than gas, and the
battery exchange takes less than three
minutes. The electricity can come from
solar, wind, nuclear, coal, or any other type
of fuel, but not oil. The concept is expected to be up and running in Israel, thanks
to extensive government support, within a
few years. It is being adopted by Denmark
with hopefully more countries to follow.
A second concept is passionately expressed
by Dr. Robert Zubrin in his book, Energy
Victory. The crux of this book is that conservation alone will not solve our energy
problems and the war on terror.
Conservation and exploiting more of our
domestic sources of oil will only serve to
perpetuate the oil economy where there
will always be ample demand for the
Middle-Eastern suppliers. Dr. Zubrin’s contention is that the US should pass legislation mandating that all new vehicles manufactured or sold in the US should be
equipped with flex fuel capability. The
small modification only apparently costs
about $100 to $130 per car, and would
allow the car to run on conventional gas,
ethanol, methanol, or combinations of any
of these fuels. Ethanol and methanol are
made from biological products. There are
pros and cons to the various types and
sources of bio fuels, but with the expected
price of about $1.80 per gallon of ethanol
made from sugar cane at the pump, which
gas stations would have incentive to supply
if there were a sufficient number of flex fuel
cars on the road, the expectation is that
farm and logistics issues could be resolved
by the market. Brazil has adopted this
strategy with tremendous success. In less
than ten years, Brazil has eliminated the
importation of any oil into their country.
hope that we, as American Jews and our
brothers in Israel, can be a light unto all
nations for a paradigm shift away from oil
for our security and environment. Think
global act local. Car pool to TJC, participate in our sustainability program, read
this newsletter on-line and ask TJC’s office
to not send the paper version, register at
www.greendimes.com to stop junk mail
and catalogs from coming to your house,
lobby our elected representatives, invest in
emerging technologies, and model our
actions toward sustainability.
Lhitraot,
Michael Feldstein
TJC President
Membership
Needs You!
Membership kicks into high gear this
Fall hosting prospective member open
houses September 7, 8, and 9 in the
morning from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Know someone who interested in The
Jewish Center? Friend? Colleague at
work? Someone new to the area?
Send us an email and we can talk to
them about the array of activities
and opportunities that The Jewish
Center provides.
If you are friendly, outgoing and
want to meet new people consider
being on the Membership Committee.
Call Stephanie Will at 908-874-7089
or email willsdii@aol.com or Deb
Morgenstern at
908-874-8338 or
email at dmorgens@aol.com.
My hope is that one or both of these concepts will become reality very soon. I also
The Jewish Center Newsletter is a monthly publication of The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau Street, Princeton, New Jersey, 08540
Kehillah Award
Many Thanks and a Big
Hand of Applause to
Loraine, Joseph, Harry
and Genevieve Koffman
and
Nira Lavid
The Jewish Center Religious School was recently honored by
Jewish Family and Children’s Service with its Kehillah Award
for outstanding service to the community. Rabbi Feldman and
Fran Amir accepted the award for the Religious School from
Linda Meisel, Executive Director of JFCS at the Jewish Family
and Children’s Service annual meeting on June 3.
for distributing
American flags on the
graves of
Jewish American
Veterans
in the Hamilton Section
of Trenton, N. J.
ATTENTION ALL KIDS!!
Keep connected!
Join the Kesher Kaitz Club
Practice Hebrew Reading and/or Read Jewish Books
1. Kaitz Summer Hebrew Club
Read from your text book, the siddur, or anything in Hebrew. Make a two-hour
reading log of your Hebrew reading. Bring your list to us in September and you
will be a member of the Kaitz Club.
2. Kaitz Summer Jewish Book Club
Read ten Jewish books this summer. Make a list to include the title, author and a sentence or
two about the book. Bring your list in September and you will be a member of the Kaitz
Summer Jewish Book Club. If you can’t read yet, someone can read to you!
If you have any questions, call Fran at the School Office at 609-921-7207
or email frantjc@aol.com
3
Friday, October 17
7:30 p.m.
Open to entire congregation
Dinner in the Sukkah
Welcome TJC’s Newest Members
Sponsored by JCW and Membership
More details to follow.
NEWSLETTER BY
EMAIL
Please sign up to receive your newsletter by
email instead of postal mail by emailing
myarin@thejewishcenter.org or lpark@thejewishcenter.org. As soon as you email Maryann or
Linda we will send you all your future newsletters
electronically. This will allow TJC to send you
your newsletter faster, more economically and
save paper which will help preserve the earth. If
you choose not to receive your newsletter by
email we will mail a paper copy to your home as
we have done in the past.
4
Kiddush Anyone?
Looking for a way to celebrate a special birth-
day or anniversary, honor a family member or
friend, or simply enjoy Shabbat with your fellow
congregants? We have a number of Shabbatot
coming up that are available for a sponsored
Kiddush or congregational luncheon:
July 19, 26, August 2, 9, 16, 30 and December 20, 27
For more details or to reserve a date while it is still available, contact
Gila Levin at 609-921-0100 ext. 208 or glevin@thejewishcenter.org
Our High School Graduates...and the places they’ll go
Michael Alba
University of Connecticut
Sam Lewin
Lawrence University
Aliza Naomi Alperin-Sheriff
Oberlin College
Michelle Morgenstern
Hofstra University
Ilana Atwater
Drexel University
David Joshua Pankove
Amanda Braun
Wellesley College
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Jared Brenner
George Washington University
Harris Perlman
Princeton University
Eli Cadoff
Northwestern University
Jeremy S. Pfau
Columbia University
David S. Couture
Johnson & Wales University
Josh Richards
University of Rochester
Rebecca Devery
Mitchell College
Jessica Shane Shegoski
Muhlenberg College
Ethan Fishbane
NYU's Tisch School of the Arts
Ari Simon
Jordan Gross
Lehigh University
University of
Southern California
Scott Gross
University of Michigan
Julie Soffen
Indiana University/
The Kelly School of Business
Isabel Hager-Johnson
Columbia University
David Staller
Syracuse University
Suzanne Hudis
Northeastern University
Rachel Tipermas
Duke University
David Kanoff
Washington University
Rebecca Tipermas
Emory Universtiy
Andrew Kirschner
Northeastern University
Matthew Todd Ullmann
Cornell University
Meryl Rose Krotowski
Rider University
Alexandra Mason Willig
University of Wisconsin
Micah Langer
Schulich School of Music
at McGill University
Our 2008 College Graduates...and the colleges they graduated from
Sarah Abelson
Sasha Albert
University of Colorado
Vassar College
Eva Nora Litt
Eli Morris-Heft
University of Pennsylvania -MS
University of Wisconsin
Leah Axelrod
Julia Behar
The College of New Jersey
Columbia College of
George Washington University
Julia Brav
Rachel Brodsky
Arielle DiGiacomo
Michael Jeremy Feinstein
Princeton University
Muhlenberg College
Vassar College
Goucher College
Rachel Mattes
Eli Matthew Obus
Daniel Pfau
Lauren Reiff
Abigail N. Sage
Lauren Shylit
Sherri Silverstein
Cornell University
New York University
NYU - Tisch School of the Arts
Connecticut College
Rutgers University
University of Maryland
University of Delaware
Jason Marc Franzblau
Michael Jeremy Freedman
Jonathan Gerwin Leslie
Lehigh University
Penn State University
Yoni Ari Stadlin
Princeton University
Daniel Benjamin Greenblatt
Alana Hager-Johnson
Eytan Kurshan
Kathryn Gage Levine
Adam Lewis
George Washington University
Syracuse University
Sarah Tenenzapf
Michael Tipermas
Ross Urken
Sarah Vanderbilt
Brent Mason Willig
Rachel Yarin
The Jewish Theological Seminary's
Davidson Graduate School
Goucher College
John Hopkins University
Princeton University
Anna Litt
Temple University
Brown University
Cornell University
University of Michigan
Yale University
University of Michigan
The College of New Jersey
Ordination of Abigail Treu - The Jewish Theological Seminary
Mazel Tov from our Jewish Center family to all our graduates!
5
Women’s Reading
group
Please join us at
7:00 p.m. on July 7
for a pot-luck dinner at a member’s
home where we will
watch and discuss
the movie Tel Aviv
Stories, one of the
first Israeli features
seeking an
by women directors. The movie, which
won four Israeli Academy awards, is made
up of three episodes, each dedicated to a
day in the life of a young woman in early
1990s Tel Aviv. Please contact Louise
Sandburg at louise@sandsmith.com or
(609) 683-8395 for the time and directions to the meeting.
the Synagogue. Multiple copies of our
selections are also available at Borders
Bookstore. Or, drop by the Princeton
Public Library, where multiple copies
are available on the “Book Club” table
by the entrance. For a list of previous
books or to arrange a ride over, please
contact Louise Sandburg at louise@sandsmith.com or (609) 683-8395.
All of our books can be ordered on-line
through TJC website at www.thejewishcenter.org where you can click on the
Amazon link to earn a commission for
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Jewish Community Foundation
of Greater Mercer is seeking a parttime Executive Director. The successful candidate will be highly
dynamic, entrepreneurial and collaborative individual who will develop
and execute strategies to identify
research, cultivate & solicit qualified planning, marketing, development,
prospects for planned gifts, endow- planned giving or law. Please email
ments and donor-advised funds.
cover letter and resume to foundation@ujfpmb.org.
This position offers flexible hours
and requires a BA/BS along with a
minimum of five years in financial
Mazel Tov to Our Siyyum Tichon 2008 Graduates
6
Seated: Aaron Wishnick, Jen Morgenstern, Alex Kasdin, Tracy Rosen, Sayla Tenenbaum, Julia Seidenstein,
Izzy Kasdin, Nate Costin, Sam Marder
Standing: Ben Neumann, Dylan Klein-Denk, Fran Amir, Rabbi Adam Feldman, Rabbi Annie Tucker,
Cantor Murray Simon, A.J. Jemas
Contributions
We appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who
support The Jewish Center by remembering
and honoring friends and loved ones through
their generous contributions.
General
Bonnie and Don Brenner
In honor of
The hard work of the Executive Committee
by Polly Strauss
Bat Mitzvah of Allison Persky and ordination of
Abigail Treu
by Alison and David Politziner
Birthdays of Peri, Jacob and Carly Feldstein
by The Park Family
Birth of Nina Citron Koplan
by Alison and David Politziner
Bob Garber, Sally Steinberg-Brent and Dan Brent,
and Siyyum Tichon students
by Robert Seidenstein and Marilyn Riley
Birth of Ilan and Raphael Baird
by Lori and Michael Feldstein
Bob Garber as Congregant of the Year
by Charlene and Scott Borsack
In memory of
Natek Shegoski
by Polly and Rick Strauss, Jill and Gregg
Kaufman, Nadivah and David Greenberg, The
Borsack Family
Norma Gespass
by Gilda and Steve Paul
Maurice Samuels
by Eva Rapkin
William Rutman
by Phillip Rutman
Ruth Schiff
by Carol and Herb Horowitz
Richard Hanson
by Christine Hanson Kaufman
Alec Greenfield
by Malvina and Alexander Greenfield and Rachel
Volodarskaya
George Arons
by Diane and Alec Arons
Evelyn Thurm
by Irving Verosloff
Babette Sartorius Hirsch
by Beth and Jonathan Frieder, Deborah and Alan
Tipermas
Sarah and Benjamin Uslip
by Dorothy and Seymour Friedman
Mark Levin
by Lori and Michael Feldstein
Allen Weber
by Charlene and Scott Borsack, Lori and Michael
Feldstein, Corky and Jim Glassman, Alison and
David Politziner, Susan and Jonathan Gross,
Betsy and Don Rosen
Arthur M. Bern
by Marcie B. Shavel
Sanford Silman
by The Pollard Family
Rivka bas Zvi HaLevi Weissbrot and Henshe
Dubrosh Papernik
by Anne Jaffe
Nathan Kastan
by Ellie and Ken Schweber
Norman Israelite
by Adrienne and Richard Friedman, Marsha and
Eliot Freeman, Susan and Jonathan Gross
Gloria Gault
by Estelle Bartels
Ethel Kessler
by Marsha and Eliot Freeman
Stanley Wang
by Linda and Bob Weber, Perrisue and Victor
Silverstein
Henry Millner
by Rita Swirsky
Hilda and Bill Farmer
by Maxine and Steve Farmer
Nettie Benton Hitchock
by Donna and Craig Stier
Adult Education
In honor of
Marsha Novick
by Alison Politziner
Ordination of Abigail Treu
by Carol and Mark Pollard
Bob Garber as Congregant of the Year
by Mildred and Lew Weisblatt, Rebekah and
Andrew Costin
Bar Mitzvah of Max Newman
by Lorece Cohen
Bar Mitzvah of Jake Frommer
by The Frommer Family
35th wedding anniversary of Ellen and Gil Gordon
by Toby and Murray Simon
In memory of
Elias Jaffe
by Sheila and Jack Marrero
Alexander Lebwohl
by Luanne and Michael Lebwohl
Mark Levin
by Toby and Murray Simon
Children’s Library
In honor of
College graduations of Sasha Albert, Julia Behar,
Shari Grossman and Sarah Vanderbilt
by Marian Bass and Jeffrey Albert
Birth of Ilan and Raphael Baird
by Helaine and Hanan Isaacs
Birth of Ellie Mira Kay
by The Morgenstern Family
Birth of Jeremy Jack Mackzum
by Lois and Jan Safer
In memory of
Babette Sartorius Hirsch
by Ricky and Andrew Shechtel, Linda and Bob
Weber
In memory of
Feldstein Israel Travel Scholarship
Norma Gespass
by Michele Alperin and Steven Sheriff
Allen Weber
by Helaine and Hanan Isaacs
In honor of
Birth of Joshua Farmer and Bar Mitzvah of Joseph
Shavel
by Marsha and Eliot Freeman
Adult Library
In memory of
In memory of
Allen Weber
by Karen and Don Polakoff
Ruth Feldstein
by The Gittleman Family
Morris Margaretten
by Judy Bronston
Annual Fund
Deborah Lewittes and Edward Eigen
Gould Nursery Scholarship Fund
In honor of
Biloxi/Katrina Fund
In memory of
Birth of Ellie Mira Kay
by Ellen and Gil Gordon
Irv Weiss
by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Schmalz
The Hattie Griffin Fund
Cantor’s Music Fund
Annette and Marvin Flisser
In honor of
Toby Simon named as Distinguished Teacher of the
Year for the Bridgewater-Raritan School System
by Toby and Dan Friedman, Marsha and Kenneth
Tucker
Judge Philip Carchman
by Lisa Bernstein
Our wedding
by Larry Epstein and Helen-Ann Brown Epstein
Bat Mitzvah of Michelle Heker
by Ronit James
My Bar Mitzvah
by Jonas Kaufman
Bat Mitzvah of Lauren Ullmann
by The Ullmann Family
In honor of
Betsy and Don Rosen
by Ricky and AJ Shechtel
Michael Freedman’s graduation from Penn State
by Bobbi and Barry Freedman
In memory of
Natek Shegoski
by Ricky and Andrew Shechtel
Bertha Kaplan
by Bobbi and Barry Freedman
Mark Levin
by Barbara and Brad Lawrence
Allen Weber
by Ricky and Andrew Shechtel
Contributions (continued on p. 15)
7
Nursery News
Shalom!
By now you should
be in the swing
of summer;
whether it is
dropping kids
off to camp,
out for an
afternoon walk,
long weekends or
lazy days, I hope you are finding this
time fun.
Summer Camp at The Joan Levin
Nursery School is back and better than
ever with a brand new name,
Machaneynu (our camp)! The laughter
of children is filling The Jewish Center
campus for another great summer here
at our Nursery School. The day is packed
with arts and crafts, sports, water play
and theme filled weekly events. Ponies for
“Western Wonderland,” stomp rockets for
July 4, Drumtales for “It’s Instrumental,”
Johnny the Clown for “Clowning Around”
week, are just some activities to mention
that are scheduled to take place at
Machaneynu 2008.
Now that planning for camp is complete
and the summer is underway, I begin
thinking ahead for school 2008-09!
Believe me; I am not rushing summer
away! I too, am enjoying the long summer days and relaxed feeling that comes
with this time of year. While I love all
four seasons, summer is my favorite and
while I am thinking about the year ahead,
I am doing it poolside!
So, this being the only summer newsletter until we all meet back here again in
September, I want to remind you that I
am here at school all summer should you
have any questions pertaining to the
Nursery School, and that once again the
Nursery School looks forward to providing you with your High Holiday Challah!
Look for more information about placing
your order in the September newsletter.
L’hitraot,
Gayle Wagner
Dear Congregants,
The Joan Levin Nursery School will host its 22nd Annual Gift Boutique on Tuesday, November 4, 2008.
This is the school’s largest fundraising event of the year with proceeds going directly to scholarships and
various development and enrichment activities.
One of the biggest parts of the Gift Boutique, besides all of the wonderful shopping opportunities, the
book fair, and the delicious café, is the Silent Auction!
We are asking for your support to help make this the most successful Gift Boutique and Silent Auction ever. Here are some ways
you can help support this great event!
* DONATE AN AUCTION ITEM! Need ideas? Hot items include use of vacation homes, tickets to concerts, sporting events, and theater, gift certificates and cooking demonstrations, signed sports memorabilia, children’s items,
cookbooks, or a bottle of wine!
* DONATE A SERVICE! Need ideas? Study sessions, tennis lessons, personal training sessions, photography sessions, internships, or host a party!
* ADVERTISE! New to the Silent Auction Book this year will be an advertising section - what a great way to advertise your business!
* CORPORATE SPONSORS! It’s a great way to help your company and the children of the Nursery School.
The generosity of The Jewish Center members is greatly appreciated by our Nursery School staff and
families and again, we look forward to your help and support! For further information on how to contribute items and services or to advertise, please contact any of the following:
Gayle Wagner, Nursery School Director - 609-921-7207 or gwagner@thejewishcenter.org
Danna Weiss, Gift Boutique & Silent Auction Co-Chairperson - 609-924-7236 or dannaweiss@verizon.net
Maggie Sheppard, Gift Boutique & Silent Auction Co-Chairperson - 609-279-0644 or magsheppard@aol.com
Wendy Roitburg, Silent Auction Co-Chairperson - 908-874-4760 or wlgertner@yahoo.com
8
Religious
School news
As I look back over the past month, I
think of Siyyum Tichon that has always
been a very special time for us at the
Religious School. It is the time when we
honor those students who have remained
in the Religious School and thereby have
continued their Jewish education through
the tenth grade. Years ago, each student
made a pledge on becoming a Bar/Bat
Mitzvah, promising to continue his/her
Jewish education. Some did and some did
not. We no longer require a pledge, but
even in the absence of one of these twelve
students continued their studies post
B’nai Mitzvah, showing their commitment to their faith, to The Jewish Center
and to the Jewish community at large.
They attended classes every week for the
past three years, did mitzvah projects,
attended services and were always available when we needed reliable teenagers to
do things at The Jewish Center.
As part of the preparation for Siyyum
Tichon, each student was asked to write a
short statement of what it means to be
Jewish, The comments were amazing,
enlightening and filled me with hope for
Jewish identity and continuity for the
future. The students wrote about debating
Jewish issues and of learning Hebrew.
They wrote of a love of Israel as a thriving
bustling nation and as a homeland in the
wake of the Holocaust. They wrote about
their community service trip to Biloxi and
interacting with other Jews, and they
wrote about The Jewish Center as their
place, learning and spending time with
friends, some as far back as preschool.
They also wrote about going to Jewish
camps and the love of Judaism forged
there. With permission from the students, I would like to share the more
extended comments of two of the students
on “What is means to be Jewish.”
Ben Neumann
“What makes me most proud to be a Jew
today is my connection to the historical
legacy of the Jewish people. When I think
about how my ancestors survived thousands of years of persecution and near
annihilation, yet now we have our own
country, I get goose bumps. It gives me
great honor to continue to practice the
traditions of Judaism that Jews throughout history have practiced, and I hope to
pass these traditions to my children.
What I have valued most from my
Tichon experience has been the opportunity to be with people my age who are all
Jewish. In the world, in the country and
in school, Jews are a small minority.
Sometimes, being in an environment
devoid of Jewish culture, religion and
ideals can cause you to forget how large a
part they are of who you are as a person.
At Tichon, I have been able to be with
friends whom I would not have seen otherwise, and together we have learned
more about our heritage. I have studied
Torah and Talmud, learned of current
events in Israel and made sure that every
week I had a complete Jewish experience.
What I will take out of my Tichon and
Religious School experiences is the ability
to stay Jewish in a non-Jewish world.”
Izzy Kasdin
“After my nine years of Religious School,
I have essentially learned that Judaism is a
complex religion. You can’t define its theology in a single sentence. I mean, how
else would we have an entire semester on
defining Conservative Judaism and another several years of classes on simply, well,
Judaism? However, as a culmination of all
of the countless hours spent defining
Judaism, upon my Siyyum Tichon, I am
ready to define Judaism. I can finally enumerate what being a Jew means to me.
So, here goes. I conclude that Judaism is
a religion of celebrating community. In
order to pray, we must gather ten of our
peers, friends and fellow Jews. God commands us to assist each other in times of
trouble. We respect each other and even,
as I learned in Tichon, accept people who
are different, such as homosexuals, into
our leadership community and congregation. We teach disadvantaged people how
to fend for themselves in financially challenging situations, and when tragedy
strikes, as it did for me this past February
upon the death of my grandfather, we
Jews have specific guidelines as to how to
support the grieving member of our community. If someone were to ask me what
Judaism is, I could, after my years of religious education, confidently tell them,
Judaism is a religion of community in
which we pray together, help each other
and function as a religious unit. Most of
all, I would tell them that I am so, so
proud to be part of such a personal, supportive religion and so, so proud to be part
of this Jewish Community.”
Ben and Izzy and their classmates got
what it means to be Jewish. They saw connections to an historical legacy spanning
thousands of years and the role of Israel in
the world and in their lives. They saw the
importance of Jewish friends and of a
Jewish community that would always be
there for them. They saw the need for tolerance and acceptance and the need to
repair our fragile world. They saw the
need for Jewish learning and passing on
their knowledge and traditions to future
generations.
As educators and parents we hope for all
of our children to “get it.” Bar and Bat
Mitzvah is not the end of one’s Jewish
education, but rather the beginning of a
new and more sophisticated phase. It is
my hope that all of our Jewish Center
students will continue in our Tichon
High School program and celebrate a
Siyyum Tichon.
Have a wonderful summer,
Fran Amir
Save the Dates
Sunday, September 7
Jewish Center Opening Barbeque
Tuesday, September 9
First day of Religious School
Wednesday, September 10
First Day of Tichon
Saturday, September 13
All student Shabbat programs begin
(Jr. Congregation, Mini Minyan and
Zayin Torah Class)
Family Service for Preschool and
grades K-2
Sunday, September 14
First Sunday of Religious School
Saturday, September 20
Vav Seminar and Tot Shabbat
Sunday, September 21
Special Zayin programs at 8:30 and
11:00 a.m.
Congratulations to
Gina Giuffre and
Ronit Johnson
on receiving the
Fabian Award
for Excellence in Teaching
in the Religious School
June 3, 2008
9
Join Us on
Tuesday, September 23, at 7:30 p.m.
Professor Burt Visotzky
Professor Burt Visotzky — an amazing teacher and writer - will share his first novel, A Delightful
Compendium of Consolation: A Fabulous Tale of Romance, Adventure and Faith in the Medieval
Mediterranean, with our congregation on Tuesday, September 23, at 7:30 p.m. Visotzky promises to be
“informative and humorously entertaining” as he talks about the book, the era and the characters.
Mark Cohen, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University, describes this historical novel
as “a tale of merchants and scholars, of men, women, and families, of rabbis and students-real and
imagined-living in a world in which Jews and Muslims, even Jews of different religious persuasions,
lived together more harmoniously and with less conflict than they do in many parts of the world today”
and Letty Cottin Pogrebin calls it “beguiling storytelling sorcery — imagine Scheherazade crossed with
A. B. Yehoshua.” Please put the date on your fall calendar now. To reserve a book, email Michele Alperin
at alperinma@aol.com.
Religious School
Honor Roll
Menorah Makers
Teddy Friedman
Michael Straus-Goldfarb
Aubrey Malakoff
Schuyler Malakoff
Teagan Malakoff
Summer Readers
Amy Hauer
Stephanie Hauer
Israel T-Shirt Contest
Hannah Scheibner
Zayin Class TAG Awards
Noah Bernstein
Jonathan Chadi
Alex Costin
Leah Falcon
Adam Straus-Goldfarb
Ben Goldman
Jonas Kaufman
Marielle Kirstein
Kobi Lewin
Rebecca Pankove
Emma Rosen
Ann Sarnak
Rachel Taratuta-Titus
Rebecca Goldman
Perfect Attendance
Hannah Ableman
Benjamin Atwater
10
David Yaffe-Bellany
Rachel Yaffe-Bellany
Adam Britton
Alexandra Campbell
Jonathan Chadi
Etana Cheskis
Jacob Curtiss
Rachel Davner
Peri Feldstein
Danielle Hecht
Rachel Hecht
Chloe Heller
Ariel Kaye
Alex Krutan
Gabrielle Krutan
Samantha Kushner
Aaron Lichtblau
Max Miller
Jill Park
Jacob Polly
Madeline Reichbart
Kay Schwartz
Sam Schwartz
Canaan Sharon
Hunter Sporn
Sukkah Builders
Eliza Aretz
Rachel Davner
Teddy Friedman
Evan Hirschman
Leah Hirschman
Teagan Malakoff
Aubrey Malakoff
Brooke Perlman
Kay Schwartz
Zayin 18 Club
Ellis Bloom
Alex Costin
Leah Falcon
Adam Straus-Goldfarb
Ben Goldman
Rebecca Goldman
Jonas Kaufman
Nathaniel Kaufman
Kobi Lewin
Ann Sarnak
Joseph Shavel
Minyanaires
Benjamin Atwater
Talia Feldman
Sabrina Hecht
Brooke Perlman
Jessica Berk
Carly Feldstein
Stephanie Hauer
Jaclyn Perlman
Samantha Berk
Jacob Feldstein
Allison Hubert
Jacob Polly
Gabriela Bloom
Joshua Isaacs
Jonathan Lebeau
Zoe Resnick
Peri Feldstein
Daniel Hubert
Samuel Reichbart
Liana Bloom
Adam Gershen
Katie Kanter
Jeremy Savlov
Jake Britton
Michael Straus-Goldfarb
Hanah Mitlak
Madeline Reichbart
Isaac Rosenthal
Adam Knuckey
Alex Deutsch
Jake Brittan
Alec Gershen
Jordan Kaye
Matthew Savlov
Mollie Chen
Danielle Gershen
Alexander Krutan
Jennifer Schapire
Noah Chen
Ben Goldstein
Gabriel Lebeau
Ilan Schindler
Etana Cheskis
Daniel Greenfield
Sam Merkovitz
Hunter Sporn
Noah Cheskis
Danielle Hecht
Jill Park
Daniel Tesser
Dena Feldman
Rachel Hecht
Leah Park
Justin Will
Sophia Zelizer
Oraya Zinder
David Yaffe-Bellany
Harry Koffman
Noah Curtiss
WO M E N
JEWISH CENTER
Are you searching for
a way to connect
with women in a
warm and inclusive
environment where
religion, community
service and relaxing
get-togethers form new relationships and strengthen current
friendships? Then please consider joining Jewish Center Women,
a caring, compassionate and socially conscious group that supports the women in our synagogue, other groups within The
Jewish Center as well as our local community.
Throughout the summer months, JWC is very busy exploring,
researching and planning a variety of events. We look forward to
continuing the success of previous events such as cooking demos,
JCW Shabbat, Torah studies and a wine tasting party as well as
introducing new programs which include a monthly knitting
group, fashion night and our “Jews in American Film” series.
Our priority is to incorporate a broad section of women in The
Jewish Center through various programs and activities. As we
develop the JCW 2008-2009 calendar we gladly welcome any new
ideas or suggestions. Feel free to contact Anne Rutman at 609730-8166, or jrskiapr@aol.com, or Amy Berk at 908-431-4353 or
dasb9999@yahoo.com.
Join us for an enriching experience!
B’Shalom,
Anne Rutman
Amy Berk
Co-Chairs, Jewish Center Women
EXPERIENCED
TUTOR
Princeton University graduate
with Ph.D. • TJC member
ALL GRADE LEVELS,
MANY SUBJECTS
Including English, math, French,
history, writing, study skills,
homework monitoring
Personalized attention, tailored
to your child’s needs
609-921-0792
tutoring.princeton@gmail.com
11
Be COOL
Come to SHUL!
Mazal Tov to all our
Minyanaires to date:
Sophia Zelizer
Carly Feldstein
Noah Cheskis
Dena Feldman
Talia Feldman
Adam Gershen
Alec Gershen
Danielle Gershen
Ilan Schindler
Jacob Polly
Hunter Sporn
Jacob Feldstein
Rachel Hecht
Etana Cheskis
Sam Merkovitz
Noah Chen
Peri Feldstein
Benjamin Atwater
Gabriela Bloom
Liana Bloom
Oraya Zinder
Jordan Kaye
Alexander Krutan
Samuel Reichbart
Justin Will
Sabrina Hecht
Jennifer Schapire
Jake Britton
Allison Hubert
Mollie Chen
Daniel Greenfield
Samantha Berk
12
Jessica Berk
Daniel Tesser
Brooke Perlman
Jaclyn Perlman
Ben Goldstein
Daniel Hubert
Matthew Savlov
Jeremy Savlov
Danielle Hecht
Stephanie Hauer
Katie Kanter
Gabriel Lebeau
Jill Park
Leah Park
Jonathan Lebeau
Zoe Resnick
David Yaffe-Bellany
Michael Straus-Goldfarb
Hannah Mitlak
Madeline Reichbart
Isaac Rosenthal
Joshua Isaacs
Harry Koffman
Noah Curtiss
Adam Knuckey
Alex Deutsch
Jake Britton
If you would like to sponsor a
Kiddush at any of the Children's
Shabbat Services, please contact
Ellen Pristach at
EBPecteach@aol.com for further
information.
Adult
Education
Summer 2008 / 5768
Shabbat Bible BaBoker
(Bible in the Morning)
with Rabbi Annie Tucker
Every Shabbat Morning
from 8:45 to 9:45 a.m.
Begin Shabbat morning with a
discussion of Parashat HaShavua
(the weekly Torah portion). All
are welcome regardless of Bible
background. Group meets at 8:45
a.m. and concludes in time for
Shabbat morning service.
Book of
Remembrance
You should have received in the
mail the form to add names of your
loved ones who are no longer with
you to the Book of Remembrance
for the year 5769. Please send the
form back by July 29 so that we
may add your loved ones names to
the Book of Remembrance for the
High Holy Days.
Sale of Nakashima
Furniture
The leadership of TJC had decided after a
careful process of deliberation to sell the
Nakashima furniture our congregation has
been fortunate to possess for many years.
This includes the four chairs in the Bet
Midrash and the wooden table used to hold
Kiddush items on Shabbat. The decision
was primarily based on the chairs no
longer being used for their intended purpose as bimah chairs, the cost of maintaining and insuring the chairs, and the priority placed on using the proceeds of their
sale toward other beautification/improvements to our facility.
A long and careful process of identifying
the donors of these items and, when possible, checking with them about the plans to
try to auction them, was conducted. We
also went through an extensive process of
analyzing various options for selling or
auctioning the items, and requested proposals from two leading auction houses
before making our selection.
The artistic and sentimental value of the
furniture was certainly considered in the
process that went before the Board of
Directors. The table was a very attractive
piece of furniture and happened to have a
very high value; the Board felt that we
could put that value to better use if we
were to auction the table at a substantial
price, and then be able to use the funds for
needed facilities improvements and to have
a replacement table designed and built.
The Board has already voted on a magnificent replacement table for the sanctuary
that will be constructed in a similar style
to which we are accustomed to.
Making the new table incredibly special is
that it will be made from a piece of the
actual Princeton Elm tree. The Princeton
Elm is historic for being one of only three
trees in North America that survived Dutch
elm disease that killed all other elm trees.
Consequently the Princeton Elm has been
cloned to repopulate the continent with
elm trees. The tree survived for 370 years
old before it had to be taken down, and in
its place new shoots from the roots are still
sprouting. It is a fitting symbol of the
endurance of the Jewish people and our
relationship to the Princeton community.
The chairs were offered at auction but did
not meet the high reserve price we set, to
make sure that they were not sold at too
low a price. Our House Committee is in
the process of evaluating other options for
auction or sale.
As with many decisions, this was not easy,
but the lay leadership serves to represent
the best interests of the congregation.
Some in the congregation have expressed
an interest in personally conveying their
opinions on this decision. The Board’s
next meeting is Monday July 21 at 8:00 pm
at TJC. This meeting, like all other meetings of the Board is open to the congregation, and we will specifically allocate time
on the agenda of this meeting for comments by interested congregants.
“Acts of kindness
are among those
things that have no
limits.” Mishnah Peah 1
Bikur Cholim
The Bikur Cholim Committee provides a variety of functions
which help our Jewish Center family in need. We are comprised of
a group of people ready to assist when a fellow congregant requires
help due to an illness or disability. The kinds of things we've done
for one another in the past and are planning for the future are:
*sending get well cards to congregants
*driving people to and from hospital procedures
*picking up medicine from the pharmacy
*supermarket shopping
*bringing meals
*visiting people in the hospitals and in the senior care facilities
*organizing a blood drive
*doing errands*
*New* *We are able to provide rides to and from Shabbat services.
We ask that if you or a family member are hospitalized that you
call The Jewish Center office and let us know. Helen Schlaffer will
then notify Alison and Margie, Co-chairs of the Bikur Cholim
Committee, and an email will go to the entire committee asking for
volunteers to make a hospital visit or do whatever may be helpful.
Please call Alison Politziner, (609) 924-3066, or Margie Atwater,
(732) 398-9761, for more information.
13
The Jewish Center extends a hearty Mazal Tov to
Fran Amir and Cyndi Kleinbart
on their selection as
Jewish National Fund Ambassadors - CAJE Partners
with full CAJE scholarships
The JNF Ambassador - CAJE Partnership is a new initiative in Israel education that provides full scholarships for an
educator and a parent to attend an intensive seminar on Israel education at CAJE: The Conference for Alternatives in
Jewish Education, at the University of Vermont, this summer. The program goal is to train parents and educators to
infuse Israel curriculum materials across all grade levels. The Jewish Center Religious School was one of eleven school
nationwide to be accepted to this pilot program.
50 Princeton Hightstown Road
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
Owned & Operated by NRT LLC
Cindy Urken
Sales Associate
Office: 609-799-8181 Ext. 341 Cell: 609-203-3996
Cindy.Urken@CBMoves.com
Graduate of Parson's School of Design- Certified Staging Designer
THE STAGE IS SET…! CALL TODAY FOR A STAGING CONSULTATION as part of YOUR LISTING PROPOSAL!
AND Increase Your Sale Price By As Much As 6.9%
14
(Based on data from StagedHomes.com)
Summer Rental Available
Nantucket Mass. Bright
and airy home belonging
to Ed and Debbie Soffen.
3 bdrm 21/2 bath, sleeps
6-8. Views of ocean and
conservation land. Private
yard. 1/2 mile to pristine
south shore beach.
Renovated and well
appointed. $3,500-$4,500
per week. Will donate
10% of rental fee to TJC!
609-252-0355
email
drdebed@aol.com
NOT ON THE TJC EMAIL
ANNOUNCEMENT LIST?
Please contact Maryann Yarin at
myarin@thejewishcenter.org
WELCOME
OUR NEW TJC MEMBERS
Hilary Coller and Leonid Kruglyak
and their daughters, Rachel (6) and
Natalie (2). 85 Hartley Ave., Princeton.
Helen and Jay Edelberg and their son
Daniel (11). 1211 Meadow Drive, Blue
Bell, Pa.
Mazel Tov
To Arielle and Jason Kay on the birth of
their daughter, Ellie Mira.
Condolences
To Marc Shegoski on the loss of his
father, Natek Shegoski.
To Betsy Rosen on the loss of her mother,
Babette Sartorius Hirsch.
To Naomi Goldin on the loss of her
mother, Nellie Blumin.
To Helen Nissenbaum on the loss of her
father, Michael Meir Nissenbaum.
To Bob Weber on the loss of his father,
Allen Weber.
To Joan Levin on the loss of her husband,
Mark Levin.
To Marci Lieberman on the loss of her
father, Norman Israelite.
To Rhona Porter on the loss of her brother, Stanley Wang.
To Igor Roitburg on the loss of his grandmother, Maya Freidlin.
Matt & Suki’s
SUSTAINABILITY CORNER
A conversation on Sustainability recently overheard
at Matt & Suki Wasserman’s home...
Suki: I decided to help you with The Jewish Center Sustainability Committee, Matt, so
I'm selling eco-friendly Shabbat candles. They are made from 100% renewable
resources unlike regular Shabbat candles that are made with a kerosene extract, a non
renewable resource.
Matt: That’s great! Do you know what renewable resources are?
Suki: Er, not really.
Matt: Renewable resources are replenished by natural processes at a rate comparable
or faster than their rate of consumption, so they will be available for the future.
Suki: Wow, that sounds really hard to do. How’s The Jewish Center going about this?
Suki: Ok, well, I’m hoping to sell all 40 boxes for $5.00 each so tell everyone to call me
at 609-497-0995 or pick one up from the synagogue office.
Matt: OK, and we also have to let congregants know we've put together a 14 person
team (more are welcome to join) and have a number of conservation, educational, and
community sustaining projects that they will hear more about beginning early next fall.
Suki: Let’s talk about that later. I’ve got to change into my organic cotton leotard, fill
up my reusable water bottle, and catch my carpool to my tree hugging class.
15
Todah
Rabbah
Haftarah Chanters
The congregation acknowledges with deep appreciation
and gratitude the following
individuals who participated
in our Shabbat Services during the months of May and
June 2008.
Torah Readers
Eric Falcon, Elaine Marks, Rebekah
Costin, Alex Costin, Tobi Afran, Russell
Sechzer, Margie Atwater, Larry Kaufman,
Jacob Kaufman, Jonas Kaufman, Jeremy
Goldsmith, Phil Carchman, Doug
Shavel, Matty Shavel, Stephen Hudis,
Loel Hudis, Jon Shavel, Joe Shavel,
Larry Epstein, Sandy Kutin, Mindy
Langer, Jordan Roth, Lauren Ullman,
Jason Kay, Gilda Aronovic, Bruce Reim,
Elana Tenenzapf, Dylan McKeegan,
Suzanne Esterman, Jeremy McKeegan,
Gila Levin, Brian Zecher, Dan Neumann,
Michelle Heker, Natalie Heker, Nicole
Heker, Bernard Abramson, Deborah
Marinsky, Matthew Frommer, Fred
Appel, Beth Frommer, Glenn Frommer,
Jake Frommer, Noah Bernstein, Lila
Bernstein, Joel Bernstein, Leslie Gerwin,
Eric Spiegel, Rafi Isaacs, Hadas
Zeilberger, Esther Schor, Annie Sarnak,
Adam Straus Goldfarb, Max Newman,
Adam Scheer, Lou Klimoff, Jessica
Klimoff, and Abby Stern.
The Last Will and
Testament
of
________________
I _______ of Princeton,
NJ of sound mind and
disposing memory, do
hereby make and publish
this as my last will and
testament.
16
Alex Costin, Jonas Kaufman, Joe
Shavel, David Roth, Jeremy McKeegan,
Michelle Heker, Jacob Frommer, Adam
Straus Goldfarb and Larry Epstein.
Daveners
Gil Gordon, Sher Leiman, Al Klein,
Martha Himmelfarb, Larry Epstein, Alex
Costin, Jonas Kaufman, Jeremy
Goldsmith, Brian Zecher, Bruce Reim,
Ronni Ticker, Alexandra Ticker, Lauren
Ullman, Michelle Heker, Noah Bernstein,
Max Newman, David Roth, Jordan Roth,
Phyllis Kurshan, Adam Scheer, Rabbi
Adam Feldman, Rabbi Annie Tucker and
Rabbi Bob Freedman.
SHAVUOT
Torah Readers
Rabbi Bob Freedman, Rabbi David Wolf
Silverman, Donna Gabai, Sandy Kutin,
Marvin Flisser, Jason Kay, Gil Gordon,
Naomi Richman Neumann, Michele
Alperin
Haftarot
Sandy Kutin and Jason Kay
TASK
TRENTON AREA SOUP KITCHENS
TASK manages eight servings out
of each of our casseroles. Can you
bake one this month?
DROP-OFF DATE:
Monday, July 28
Easy Tuna Casserole Recipe (Serves eight)
1 lb. noodles
4 - 6 1/2 oz. cans tuna
3 cans mushroom soup
fresh or frozen vegetables, as desired
bread crumbs
butter or margarine
roaster baker pan (approx. 11 5/8” x 9
1/4” x 2 3/8”)
Butter pan and set oven at 350 degrees.
Boil noodles. Mix together noodles, tuna,
soup, and vegetables. Spread mixture in
pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Dot
with butter. Bake for about 30 minutes.
When done, BE SURE TO COVER
CASSEROLES WITH SEVERAL LAYERS
OF ALUMINUM FOIL. Freeze. Then on
Monday, slip the casserole into a plastic
bag and bring to The Jewish Center’s dairy
freezer (on the left).
Baked Ziti Recipe (Also serves eight)
Megillat Ruth
Annette Flisser
If you would like to chant a Torah portion or a Haftarah, please contact Cantor
Simon at msimon@thejewishcenter.org
or his assistant, Larry Epstein at
lse08520@yahoo.com.
Remember
The Jewish Center in your Will.
For more information on leaving a bequest to the synagogue please contact Linda Park at lpark@thejewishcenter.org or 609-921-0100, ext. 205.
1 pound ziti
16 oz. jar of sauce
15 oz. ricotta cheese
Spices of your choice
1 pound mozzarella
Boil and drain ziti. Grate mozzarella and
save 1/3 to sprinkle on top of the casserole.
Mix together all ingredients and then
sprinkle with extra mozzarella. Bake
approximately 30 minutes at 350°.
Both tuna and non-tuna (ziti) casseroles
are much appreciated at the Trenton Soup
Kitchens. To make sorting easier for our
deliverers, please download “From Your
Friends” labels. Note the new address:
http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze2kj72/
labels/labels3.jpg
Contributions (continued on p. 15)
Israeli Affairs
In honor of
Bar Mitzvah of Joseph Shavel
by The Neumann Family
Gayle Wagner, Gina Giuffre, Libby Ramage, Sue
Kushner, Carol Klein Alpert
by Ashley and Mindy Tumpowsky
In memory of
In memory of
Sheldon Hirschman
by Elizabeth and Eric Friedman
Babette Sartrorius Hirsch
by Helaine and Hanan Isaacs
Nursery School Playground Fund
In honor of
LaShir
In memory of
Stanley Wang
by Stepanie and Bob Gittleman
Jess Epstein Lunch and Learn
In honor of
Birthday of Marion Epstein
by Eva Rapkin
Kiddush Sponsor
Ira Tumpowsky
by The Joan Levin Nursery School
Bar Mitzvah of Jeremy Goldsmith
by The Joan Levin Nursery School Staff
Bar Mitzvah of Joseph Shavel
by Lori and Michael Feldstein
Jake Richter’s Yad B’Yad and T’chelet teachers
by Cheryl Mintz and Harris Richter
Barbara Schwartz and Jackie Lefkowitz
by Vicki, Rob and Yael Tuckman
In honor of
Prayer Books
Celebration of upcoming Israel trip
by Helen-Ann Brown Epstein and Larry Epstein
40th Bar Mitzvah anniversary of David Roth
by Ronni Ticker
Siddur
In memory of
Cy and Jackie Meisel Nursery Scholarship
In memory of
David Parnes
by Sybil Parnes
Minnie Rosenfeld
by Barbara and Irv Litt, Lois and Jan Safer
Doreen Eisenberg
by Amy and Paul Vogel
Stanley Wang
by Lois and Jan Safer
Humash
Memorial Plaque
In honor of
In memory of
95th birthday of Dorothy Carchman
by Carol and Mark Pollard
Leon Hirsch
by Shelley and Steve Barnett
Marjorie Kaplan
by Gail and Lionel Kaplan
Harold D. Baurmash
by Meryl Baurmash and Daniel Wagner
Ruth Miller School Cultural Fund
In honor of
Bar Mitzvah of Jake Frommer
by The Frommer Family
Siyyum Tichon Class of 2008
by Mara Feldman and Mitch Marder
In memory of
Natek Shegoski
by Ronit Heker
Nursery Educator’s Enrichment Fund
In honor of
Teacher’s appreciation
by Laticia and Steven Nadler
In memory of
Max Becher
by Gail and Dennis Alba
Nursery Scholarship Fund
In memory of
Irv Weiss
by Mr. and Ms. Richard Schmalz
Nursery School
In honor of
David Levin’s graduation from Medical School
by Alison and David Politziner
Rabbis’ Discretionary Fund
Wilma Solomon and David Goldberg
Gail and Lionel Kaplan
In honor of
Our wedding
by Helen-Ann Brown Epstein and Larry Epstein
Bar Mitzvah of Joseph Shavel
by Inez and Irv Freedman
Ordination of Abigail Treu
by Ellen and Gil Gordon
Bar Mitzvah of Alex Costin
by Rebekah and Andrew Costin
Bat Mitzvah of Michelle Heker
by Ronit James
My Bar Mitzvah
by Jonas Kaufman
Bat Mitzvah of Lauren Ullmann
by The Ullmann Family
In memory of
Emanuel Feldman
by Mara Feldman and Mitch Marder
Philip Zirulnick
by Gayle and Rick Wagner
Gertrude Freeman
by Marsha and Eliot Freeman
Jack Karp
by Reva and Steven Orszag
Rosalind Spielsinger
by Maida and Arthur Rosengarten
Norma Gespass and Babette Sartorius Hirsch
by Sheryl and Richard Feinstein
Nellie Blumin
by Shelley and Steve Barnett
Marjorie Cornacchio
by Susan, Joel and Margaret Heymsfeld
Stanley Wang
by Jeanne and Sher Leiman
Robert Linder and Dr. Jess and Hilda Vogel
by Gloria Linder
Norman Israelite
by Luanne and Michael Lebwohl
Allen Weber and Stanley Wang
by Adele Agin
Religious School
In memory of
Grandmother of Jeremy Black
by Matt, Debra and Sara Kestenbaum
Shabbat Meal for Mourners
In honor of
Birthdays of Peri, Jacob and Carly Feldstein
by Naomi and Barry Perlman
In memory of
Sheldon Hirschman
by Naomi and Barry Perlman
Rose Orszag
by Reba and Steve Orszag
Allen Weber
by The Paley Family, Mindy and Corey Langer
Norman Israelite
by Jeanne and Sher Leiman
Allen Weber
by Linda and Michael Grenis
Silver Circle Scholarship Fund
In honor of
Special birthday of Phyllis Caras
by Phyllis and Jerry Kurshan
Bob Garber as Congregant of the Year
by Irene and Sam Goldfarb
Social Concerns
In memory of
Allen Weber
by Melissa and Simon Pankove, Seva Jaffe
Kramer and Peter Kramer
Social Concerns Homeless Fund
In honor of
Wilma Solomon and David Goldberg, college graduation of Adam Lewis
by Helaine and Hanan Isaacs
In memory of
Mark Levin
by Melissa and Simon Pankove
Steven Levine Special Education Fund
In honor of
Katie Levine’s graduation from Cornell
by Cheryl and Elliot Gursky, Gloria and Harvey
Levine
Deena Mitlak’s and Rebecca Devery’s graduation
by Debbie Dunn Solomon
17
Contributions (continued from p. 17)
In memory of
Mark Levin
by Cheryl and Elliot Gursky, Elise and Bruce
Baylson, Linda and Tim Patrick-Miller, Nancy
Osborn, Rebekah and Andrew Costin, Jeanne and
Sher Leiman, Ruth and Igal Shidlovsky, Kathy
Ales, Richard Levine and family, Edith Ales, The
Joel Heymsfeld Family, Susan and Ted Cohen,
Carol and Robert Schwartz and sons, Linda and
Michael Grenis, Gila and Gad Levin, Jodi Zagorin
Terranova and David Terranova, Tammy and
Harold Goldstein, Shoshana and Mel Silberman,
Luanne and Michael Lebwohl, Betsy and Don
Rosen and family, Beth and Jonathan Frieder,
Rachel Harris, Gail and Richard Feinstein, Ruth
Klein, Bobbi and Barry Freedman, Victoria and
Denis Taura, The Juffe Family, Naomi Vilko and
Sid Goldfarb, Fran and Assaf Amir, Linda and Bob
Weber, Adele Agin, The Langer Family, Kristy and
Michael Gothelf, Shirley Becher, Donna and David
Gabai, Jane and David Yarian, Ruth Mendelson,
Corinne and James Glassman, Susan and
Jonathan Gross, The Bernard and Jeanne Marie
Adler Family, Linda and Walter Meyer, Stephanie
and Bob Gittleman, Ricky and Andrew Shechtel,
The Rutman Family
Allen Weber
by Carol and Robert Schwartz and sons
In honor of
Birth of Nina Citron Koplan, college graduation of
Adam Lewis, ordination of Rabbi Abby Treu
by Linda and Walter Meyer
Our wedding
by Helen-Ann Brown and Larry Epstein
Sally Steinberg-Brent and Dan Brent
by Linda and Walter Meyer
Michele Alperin
by Jonas Kaufman
Gila Levin
by Lisa and Michael Ullmann
Havurah
for Jewish Singles
The Jewish Center of Princeton is continuing its efforts to form a Havurah (Hebrew
for “Group of Friends) that will meet at
The Jewish Center only on Friday evenings
after Services.
Since no other Jewish singles group in
this area offers activities on Friday night,
the “niche” of this Havurah is to offer
Jewish singles a place to come to enjoy
Shabbat activities to any degree of participation each person attending chooses. We
are putting into action our feeling that no
one need be alone on Shabbat we want to
have a place with Jewish content available
to them on a stable, ongoing basis. The
Havurah is free and open to the public.
One need not attend our services or be a
member of The Jewish Center to become a
Havurah participant.
What we need most in order to do all the
good things that we want to do and in
which we hope you will enjoy, is YOUR
PARTICIPATION! Once we have a viable
participant base, the Havurah can decide
how we may choose to divide ourselves as
to the scope of our activities and social
make-up.
In memory of
Shirley Abelman
by Nadivah and David Greenberg
Louis Berger
by Jeanne and Sher Leiman
Stanley Wang and Allen Weber
by Linda and Walter Meyer
Our initial thought as we start, is to
include everyone who would like to participate and move on from there. We are asking men and women of all ages and interests to come with their friends and ideas.
Tree of Life
Our initial programming concept is to
create a welcoming atmosphere so that
after services our participants feel comfortable in joining with our Congregation for
Kiddush and an Oneg Shabbat. Then our
Havurah can become involved in our own
activities ranging from a discussion group
to enjoying listening to Jewish humor, storytelling, to playing Trivial Pursuit or even
sharing hobbies and other areas of individual interest.
In honor of
Our wedding
by Helen-Ann Brown and Larry Epstein
Bar Mitzvah of Jonas Kaufmajn
by Hilda and Larry Kaufman
Youth and Family Programs
In honor of
Birth of Ellie Mira Kay
by Helen-Ann Brown and Larry Epstein, Lori and
Michael Feldstein,The Borsack Family, Nancy Osborn
Though some of our activities may be
viewed through the perspectives of the
Jewish experience and outlook, and some
may be part of our American culture, our
Havurah is also designed to be a place to
feel comfortable in bringing in one’s own
thoughts concerning Judaism to be discussed in an atmosphere of warmth, support and friendship.
Additional activities, all of which will be
decided by the group, can well be other
socially interactive cultural activities such
as having designated meetings become an
agreed upon Book Discussion “Club” or
having individual participants lead the
group for a particular program of mutual
interest.
In addition, even more activities available
are those sponsored by The Jewish Center.
Included here, we offer participation in our
ecological sustainability program with an
organic garden included as well as having
any two singles at any given time volunteer
to perform the mitzvah of calling upon the
ill or shut-ins for short periods of time as
the visitors are available.
Other ideas that were offered by participants during our first activity, a successful
discussion group entitled “Being Jewish in
a Secular Society,” led by Rabbi Annie
Tucker, are in the works, and need to be
discussed by the group before being
offered. Included in these ideas are giving
single parents an opportunity to bring
their children who can participate in special separate child appropriate programming. Still another idea is to offer Shabbat
Dinners after services with our own programming to follow. Again, THE ONLY
WAY ANY OF THIS CAN HAPPPEN IS
WITH YOUR PARTICIPATION!!
Our next meeting will be July 18.
Kabbalat Shabbat services begin at 6:30
P.M., followed by Kiddush and Oneg
Shabbat at 7:00 P.M., followed by our planning meeting. COME AND BRING YOUR
FRIENDS AND IDEAS!
For further information call Mik
Rosenthal at 609-921-1782. Please RSVP
at Ingather@earthlink.net so we can plan
refreshments.
18
Library
For Tikun Leyl
last
Shavuot
month, Rabbi Jim
Diamond, former
Director of Hillel at
Princeton University, gave
a presentation on his new book,
Stringing the Pearls. We are adding a
copy to our collection this month.
Recent acquisitions:
Stringing the Pearls by James S.
Diamond. A smart, accessible guide to
understanding the weekly Torah portion.
Gift of the author.
In Sunshine And In Shadow: We
Remember Them by Vera Herman
Goodkin. Born in Czechoslovakia and
caught in the Holocaust, a family of three
was saved by Raoul Wallenberg and immigrated to the United States. Gift of the
author.
The Wisdom of Heschel by Abraham
Joshua Heschel. Selections from
Heschel’s works that provide an introduction to his thought and to his understanding of the agonies of modern society.
Back to the Sources by Barry W.
Holtz. A complete modern guide to the
great books of the Jewish tradition.
Mediation and Kabbalah by Aryeh
Kaplan. This book demonstrates how
many meditative techniques were used by
the ancient Kabbalists and explores their
development in depth. Gift of Rabbi Bob
Freedman.
Diaspora by Werner Keller. A striking
account of the fate of the Jewish people
following their dispersal from their homeland, originally published in German.
Gift of Irv Gordon.
A Time To Be Born, A Time To Die
by Isaac Klein. A thin book with explanations of the many laws and customs
associated with death and mourning,
written especially, but not exclusively, for
Jewish youth.
Selected Stories by I. L. Peretz. An
introduction to Peretz, the outstanding
genius of Yiddish literature, and his work,
translated into English.
The following item is missing. If you
have it, please return it promptly to the
box on the Library desk.
There Are Jews In My House by
Maurice Samuel.
New Membership Directory
The Jewish Center will
be sending out a new
membership directory
with congregants names, addresses,
phone numbers and emails. If you do
NOT want to be in the directory, please
call Maryann at 609-921-0100 ext. 201
to take your name off the list. All congregants will be in the directory unless
they direct us to exclude them. We are
looking forward to getting you this
directory over the summer.
TJC Office Information Update
Judy Gottfried is TJC’s new bookkeeper. Judy replaces Roz Wiener. Judy will
be working on Mondays, Wednesdays
and Fridays. Judy Gottfried’s phone
number is 609-921-0100 ext. 204 and
email is jgottfried@thejewishcenter.org.
Judy will work closely with Alan
Hofmann to address all your accounting
questions. Alan Hofmann is working
three days a week and the days fluctuate
depending on the week. Alan is currently dealing with family members
health issues and we wish him and his
family well in this difficult time. Judy
and Alan will return all your phone calls
and emails in a most timely manner. If
you have immediate questions, you can
always reach Linda Park at 609-9210100 ext. 205 or email lpark@thejewishcenter.org
Need Kippot?
Kippot for your weddings or
Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations are
available in a variety of colors and
fabrics. Color swatches are available for your review in the Gift
Shop. Prayer benchers are also
available in a variety of styles, and
they too are available for you to
see in the Gift Shop. Orders take
four weeks to process, so plan
ahead and order early! Hours for
ordering are BY APPOINTMENT
ONLY! Please call Gail Alba at
(609) 275-0469.
19
Religious
School
Chai-Lights
20
More
Religious
School
Chai-Lights
21
22
Are you in a
Havurah
?
Do you want to be in a Havurah?
Call the office at 609-921-0100 ext. 200 or 201
or email Helen at hschlaffer@thejewishcenter.org
or Maryann at myarin@thejewishcenter.org
to let us know of your involvement and interest in Havurot.
23
24
25
PAUL B. PAPIER
P
Papier Photographic
S T U D I O S
papierphoto.com
136 Riverside Drive
Princeton, NJ 08540
Phone 609.924.0560
pbp99@yahoo.com
Need A Tallis?
Fabulous Selection for Women and Men
& Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
Discount
Prices
732-613-8018
Call for an appointment
www.ekippah.com
Yarmulkas by Amy L.L.C.
Plus Ladies’ Head Coverings & Judaica Gifts
Educational Coach
SAT I • SAT II - Writing Subject Test
PSAT • SSAT • College Essay Editing
22
609-683-4368
arose70@hotmail.com
Contributions
The Jewish Center is so grateful for the many donations that you give both in
honor of joyous occasions and in memory of beloved family and friends. In order to
make the logistics easier and the gifting choices clearer, a donor form is printed on
the back of each monthly newsletter. Donor forms are also available in the Main
Office. We thank you for the time, effort, and generosity that go into each of
these donations!
Name(s) as you would like it to appear in newsletter: ______________________________________________________________
Donor’s Address ____________________________________________________________________________________________
❑ In honor of:
Occasion: ❑ In memory of:
Name(s) as you would like it to appear in newsletter: ______________________________________________________________
Send donation acknowledgement card to:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Please remember, acknowledgment cards are sent for contributions of $18 or more. A listing will be posted as you would like it to appear in the
newsletter for any donated amount.)
Amount Enclosed: ______________________
Please indicate your choice below and mail this form and a check to The Jewish Center, 435 Nassau St., Princeton, NJ 08540. If
you are interested in planned giving opportunities, please call Linda Park in The Center Office, 609-921-0100, ext. 205.
Funds
❑
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❑
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❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
General
Adult Education
Adult Library
Arts & Cultural Affairs
Biloxi/Katrina Fund
Building Development Fund
Cantor’s Music Fund
Children’s Library
College Connection
Confirmation Class Israel Trip Fund
Cy and Jackie Meisel Nursery
Scholarship Fund
Feldstein Israel Travel Scholarship Fund
Goldie and Motel Bass Social Concerns Fund
Gould Nursery Scholarship Fund
Hattie Griffin Fund
Irving N. Rabinowitz Computer Fund
Israeli Affairs Fund
Jess Epstein Lunch-and-Learn Fund
Jewish Center Women
❑
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❑
LaShir
Men’s Club
Neimark Senior Mitzvah Fund
New Siddur ($35) New Humash ($55)
Nursery School
Nursery Educator’s Enrichment Fund
Nursery Playground Fund
Rabbis’ Discretionary Fund
Religious Affairs
Religious School
Religious School Special Shabbat
Religious School Professional
Development Fund
Ruth Miller School Cultural Fund
Sapoff Art Purchase and Restoration Fund
Shabbat Luncheon Fund
Shabbat Meal for Mourners Fund
Silver Circle Scholarship Fund
Social Concerns
❑
❑
❑
❑
Steven Levine Special Education Fund
Torah Repair Fund
Youth and Family Programs
Wallack Family Fund
Plaques and Remembrances
❑ Memorial Plaque $350
❑ Tree of Life Leaf $216
(to commemorate a simcha)
Giving Opportunities
❑ Adult Ed Lecture or Series $300-$600
❑ Sponsor a Shabbat Kiddush Luncheon
$1,500 or Shabbat Kiddush $400
❑ Donation toward Youth Lounge
recreational equipment
*Now you can donate through our website. Go to www.thejewishcenter.org and
follow the instructions!
Office:(609) 921-0100 Fax: (609) 921-7531 School: (609) 921-7207
E-Mail: info@thejewishcenter.org
Website: www.thejewishcenter.org
Adam Feldman . . . . . . . . . .Rabbi
Murray E. Simon . . . . . . . . .Cantor
Anne E. Tucker . . . . . . . . . .Rabbi
Dov Peretz Elkins . . . . . . . .Rabbi Emeritus
Linda Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director of Operations
Fran Amir . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Principal, Religious School
Gayle Z. Wagner . . . . . . . . . .Director, Nursery Program
Gila Levin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ritual Director
Neil Wise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director, Youth and Family Programs
Michael Feldstein . . . . . . . .President
Gil Gordon . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vice President-Administration
Bruce Hecht . . . . . . . . . . . .Vice President-Finance
Susan Falcon . . . . . . . . . . . .Vice President-Education
David Greenberg . . . . . . . . .Vice President-Religious Affairs
Linda Schwimmer . . . . . . . .Recording Secretary
Linda Grenis . . . . . . . . . . . .Past President
28
Deadline for September Newsletter -- August 5, 2008
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