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A Prayer for Dad

For our father,

A song of dignity and honor.

Guardian of mitzvot,

Keeper of truths,

Hand of protection and peace,

We are blessed with your humor and compassion,

Your zest for life

And your zeal for family.

You remind us to open our lives to G-d’s majesty and mystery

G-d’s justice and mercy.

You remind us to seek radiance and splendor,

Awe for creation and compassion for each other,

And choose joy over grief,

Laughter over tears.

G-d of fatherly patience and strength,

Bless our family with love

And our father with vision, endurance and hope.

May his devotion inspire us to righteousness and charity,

Guided by Torah.

Bless our lives with abundance

And our days with vigor,

So that we bring majesty and mystery to our lives

And into the world.

Blessed are You, G-d of our fathers,

Who provides just and righteous men

In every generation.

© 2020 Alden Solovy

I am pleased to share with you the Shavuot Tikkun (Class) I I lead last Tuesday night.

Rose Valentine, Shabbat Reminder Editor

A STUDY OF ASHREI

“What happiness to belong to your people”

As many of you know, each Shabbat morning I lead Ashrei here at the JCC. It is very special to me. Some of you may know the back story about this.

As a 14-year old growing up on Long Island, my synagogue gave me a scholarship to attend Camp Ramah in Connecticut. The camp was a Conservative camp with Hebrew being spoken. I DID NOT WANT TO GO. Actually, I ran away from home the night before with my poor father having to go from friend’s house to friend’s house to find me. I went on the bus in tears. What a great summer I had!!!! Rabbi’s daughters and sons were cool and in spite of my poor Hebrew I managed.

When I returned home, it was expected of me to lead Ashrei one Saturday morning. I really was unprepared and, in a panic, hid in the ladies’ room of our temple. What an embarrassment for my mom and dad.

Here at the JCC so many of us have been able to spread our religious wings and try new things. Each Shabbat I am grateful to be able to chant Ashrei with gusto and pride.

The majority of Ashrei is Psalm 145 in full and the last psalm which is specifically attributed to David.  The first two verses and last verse comes from Psalms 84:5 and Psalms 144:15 and Psalms 115:18.   

Ashrei is recited three times a day – twice in the morning and once in the afternoon- and our sages have declared that one does so is assured to have a place in the World to Come. Psalm 145 is an alphabetic acrostic of 21 verses, each starting with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet arranged alphabetically. The only Hebrew letter that does not begin a verse 145 is nun.

The Talmud suggests that the nun verse is unnecessary because it is covered by the following verse, which begins with the Hebrew letter samech: “God supports all who are fallen….” In Hebrew, the word for support, somech, begins with a samech, and the word for fallen, noflim, begins with a nun. PS There exist ancient versions of the book of Psalms in which a verse for nun does indeed appear. We don’t know if that is the original version or if was inserted to make up for the missing verse.

The word Ashrei means happiness. I like to begin the prayer with the English:

” What happiness to be in Your house, to sing Your praise, to belong to Your people.” 

That means so much to me: to be here in this beautiful sanctuary on this beautiful island feeling G-d’s presence, those who know me know I love to sing and most importantly to be proud to be part of the Jewish people. We would be here all night if we went through the entire alphabet so I am picking out a few lines which are important to me

DOLID

Dor l’dor y’shabach ma’asecha, one generation to the next praises Your deeds, ug’vuratecha yagidu, and they will tell of Your greatness. Yagidu is from the same root as haggadah, telling the story. All of Judaism has been transmitted from one generation to the next, sometimes orally, other times through the written word. 

MEM

The MEM verse is used for taking out the Torah when we proclaim, Malchutcha malchut kol olamim, Your sovereignty extends over all the universe Umemshalt’cha b’chol dor vador, and your rule extends from generation to generation. G-d was here, G-d is here, G-d will be here.

SAMECH

G-d upholds all who falter, and lifts up the downtrodden

Here is a caring God who tends to those feeling burdened by the travails of life and give them support. In his honor we should so the same.

EYEN

All eyes look up to You with hope; Satisfy our needs in due time.

In some congregations it is customary to raise your palms up to the sky while reciting this verse. It is a beautiful sight to see. Lifting our hands in this fashion has a long history in Jewish tradition. When Moses promised Pharaoh to stop the catastrophic hail falling over Egypt, he said, “I will spread my hands to G‑d.” .

The final verses

May my own lips utter G-ds praise, May all people worship G-d always

May all of us praise G-d now and forever. Halleluyah.

May my own lips utter G-d’s praise says it all.

In a world where we are surrounded by war, fear, unhappiness, anger and frustration, Ashrei gives us a time to be hopeful and thankful. No wonder we say it three times a day.

To read the entire prayer in English click here.

Friday night our Shabbat Dinner of smokey joes and veggie joes were enjoyed along with Rose's special dessert of Tiramisu.

Sunday's WAX's Paid-up Membership brunch was very special. The WAX provided a sumptuous meal and the feeling of "sisterhood" could be felt throughout the social hall. A presentation "Make Good Choices" by member Phyllis Sisenwine struck a chord with so many there. She asked us to reach out to someone in the room we did not know well and make a date for coffee or lunch. Word has come back that quite a few ladies have done just that.

JCC WOMEN’S AUXILIARY: BOOK GROUP DISCUSSION

 WEDNESDAYS AT 4:00 PM

NEXT BOOK REVIEW MEETING

NEXT BOOK REVIEW MEETING

Wednesday, June 19th at 4:00 PM

Discussion Leader: TBA

A Castle in Brooklyn By: Shirley Russak Wachtel

1944, Poland. Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson meet as boys under terrifying circumstances. They survive by miraculously escaping, but their shared past haunts and shapes their lives forever. Years later, Zalman plows a future on a Minnesota farm. In Brooklyn, Jacob has a new life with his wife, Esther. When Zalman travels to New York City to reconnect, Jacob’s hopes for the future are becoming a reality. With Zalman’s help, they build a house for Jacob’s family and for Zalman, who decides to stay. Modest and light filled, inviting and warm with acceptance—for all of them, it’s a castle to call home. Then an unforeseeable tragedy—and the grief, betrayals, and revelations in its wake—threatens to destroy what was once an unbreakable bond, and Esther finds herself at a crossroads. A Castle in Brooklyn is a moving and heartfelt immigration story about finding love and building a home and family while being haunted by a traumatic past.

Thursday, June 20 @ 8:30 PM

Dalia Ziada, “Navigating the Geopolitical Crossroads: Insights from the Middle East

In this engaging virtual event, Dalia will share her expertise on governance, defense policy, and the region's intricate dynamics. From Egypt's role in the Gaza conflict to the future of Egypt-Israel relations amidst presidential elections and economic challenges, Dalia will provide a nuanced perspective on the Middle East's critical issues. Delve into discussions on Arab leadership's stance towards Israel, the complexities of radical Islamism, and the evolving power dynamics reshaping the region. Gain unique insights into the reaction of the Arab street, the influence of Iran, and the implications of the Israel-Hamas war on regional stability. Additionally, Dalia will share her compelling story as an example of the dominance of radicalism and Arabism on the Egyptian and Arab streets. Dalia was forced to flee her home country after calling for Egypt to embrace its peace treaty with Israel and justify the war against Hamas terrorists. 

Cost is $25 per adult and Children under 18 is $18. 

Please RSVP to Jill Denker at Jill.Denker@hotmail.com by 7/1/24

CONGREGATION NEWS

SEND ANNOUNCEMENTS OF YOUR GRADUATES TO rvalen1963@aol.com.

PICTURES ARE WELCOME

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES

PAVERS

Inscribe a paver at the front entrance to the building

8" X 4", 8" X 8" and 12" X 12"

SEE UPDATED ORDER FORM:

PAVER FORM

Become a permanent part of the JCC landscape.

Purchase a personalized paving stone

in honor of your family or in memory of a loved one.

Please contact Diane Hoffman

with your order or with any questions:

dihoff1@aol.com

PRAYER BOOKS

There are still High Holiday Prayer Books and Chumashim available to be purchased in memory or honor of someone or something. The cost of a Prayer Book is $72 each and $120 for an Eitz Hayim Chumash. The donation includes an affirmation sticker in the book and an acknowledgement letter or letters.

See Order form here: Prayer Book

TRIBUTES

SEND ONE OF OUR TRIBUTES IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF

See order form here: TRIBUTES

TREE OF LIFE

Add a leaf (leaves) to our beautiful Tree of Life located in the Social Hall. See the order form here: TREE OF LIFE

Bronze Leaf $90

Silver Leaf $126

Gold :Leaf $180

ENDOWMENT FUND

Herb z"l and Selma z”l Shapiro established the first individual Endowment Fund in memory of his father, as part of the JCC’s Endowment Fund portfolio.

Since then, three additional individual Endowment Funds have been established. Other members are encouraged to also provide for the future of our JCC by establishing similar funds. Please consider adding to this number.

A donation of at least $50,000 to the endowment fund will allow the donor to name one of the funds as the donor wishes. All such named funds will be joined together to be part of the Endowment Fund portfolio.

Endowment funds are necessary to ensure the continuation and well being of our congregation. All members are encouraged to help this important effort by contributing to this portfolio, whether as a specific named individual fund, or as a general donation. The donation can be spread over one, two, or three years, and can be paid via check, donation of appreciated stock, wills, or from the RMD of your IRA or 401K account. Your gift to the fund can be sent to the JCC Office. Please mark your check accordingly. 

YAHRZEIT PLAQUES

Space is available for memorial plaques on the yahrzeit boards in the Sanctuary. 

Here is the order form: 

YAHRZEIT

KOL HAKAVOD

Please consider being a part of this campaign to supplement the clergy needs of our congregation. This is a separate, voluntary commitment and is additional to our low annual dues obligation. HERE IS THE LINK TO BRING UP THE DONATION FORM KOL HAKAVOD

2024 MEMBERSHIP FORMS

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