‘Perth Amboy News’ Category

Perth Amboy News

April 22, 2015
By bethmordecai
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Announcing our Safran Hall Rededication and Silent Auction!

We are so excited to announce the rededication of Beth Mordecai’s Safran Hall on June 7! The afternoon will be filled with opportunities to celebrate our updated social hall. From raffle prizes and silent auctions to unlimited wine and desserts to high-shelf scotch tastings, the Rededication and Silent Auction is an opportunity to begin building brand-new memories in this newly-renovated space. The rededication and silent auction commemorates and celebrates a wonderful update to our nearly 90-year-old building: the remodeling of our social hall, named after longtime member Rachel Wolff Safran. With new carpets, paint, curtains, and more, Safran Hall is a beautiful space to host small and large events alike. Read below for the Rededication and Silent Auction details, and most importantly, share[...]

Category : Events Middlesex Jewish News Perth Amboy News Safran Hall Rededication and Silent Auction Social Media
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Perth Amboy News

November 11, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 864: Some Thoughts for Veterans’ Day — On Power, On Freedom, On Tzimtzum

(11/11/14), "The conventions of a number of the States having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declarator and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficient ends of its institution" - Preamble to the Bill of Rights (1789) Dear Hevreh, Today we celebrate Veterans' Day, a day in which we recall the sacrifices made (and to be made) by the men and women of our armed services to guard our nation and protect our freedoms. It has often struck me how the language we use in describing our armed services in America (like in[...]

Category : American Jewish News Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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Perth Amboy News

September 12, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 804: Reflecting on America — A message in honor of September 11th

Dear Hevreh, Yesterday our country commemorated another anniversary -- the 13th -- of the attacks on September 11th, 2001. This "bar mitzvah" year is no celebration, but as we shared at Perth Amboy's commemoration yesterday it is an opportunity to recall what unifies us together, what makes us uniquely American. For many of our ancestors, America represented a beacon of light that promised a better and more prosperous future for us, their children. And for many of us though not all, that promise of a "goldene medinah (a golden land)" has been fulfilled. Yet, for many, including in our community and in our hometown, that promise is still a dream. If we are one of the lucky ones who feels[...]

Category : Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal Shabbat
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Perth Amboy News

September 9, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 801: Sunday’s Event — What A Success!

Dear Hevreh, On Sunday afternoon, our beautiful sanctuary was filled with words that were provocative, engaging, timely, and deeply powerful on the challenges of Israeli-Palestinian peace. They are words that many of us are still digesting, and will continue to digest especially through the High Holidays. They are words that teach us that there can be multiple truths to a single reality, and it is possible (albeit painful) to hold those two truths as equally valid. And as these powerful words were shared by our guests Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Ali Abu Awwad, we were there to listen to them. 115 people from far and wide in the Jewish community of Middlesex community were present in our beautiful sanctuary to hear these[...]

Category : American Jewish News Israeli News Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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Perth Amboy News

August 11, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 772: The Simplicity (and Splendor) of Opening the Book

Dear Hevreh, Sometimes we tend to overthink, whether it's in our decision making or in our planning. We can get so caught up in the possibilities of what we can do and, at least in the case of our synagogue programming, trying to be innovative. Sometimes we spend too much time thinking about how to dress up the cover of the "book" we want to teach to make it shinier and more beautiful so more people pay attention. Yet, as is often the case, the most successful way to teach -- or to program or to plan -- is to keep it simple. As is often the case, the most successful way to teach is simply to open the book. This past[...]

Category : Kidz Korner Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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Perth Amboy News

March 26, 2014
By bethmordecai
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DAY 634: Faithful Interfaith Sharing…Clergy Edition

Dear Hevreh,    Yesterday, I talked about how, in interfaith contexts, sharing meaningful objects from our faith traditions help us share ourselves with one another. Tonight, I will be engaging in another interfaith encounter in which we will share part of ourselves with one another...as clergy.   Tonight I will be co-leading a training/meeting for the Perth Amboy Chaplain Corps with a wonderful pastor, Bernadette Falcon Lopez of God's Army Ministries. The purpose of this training is to begin the process of building the collective mission for the Perth Amboy Chaplain Corps, which unites the largest collection of clergy in Perth Amboy. We are beginning this process in the similar manner that Reverend Anne-Marie and I began the interfaith session on Sunday, through sharing our[...]

Category : Perth Amboy Chaplain Corps Perth Amboy News Rabbi's Journal
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Perth Amboy News

December 3, 2013
By bethmordecai
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DAY 521: Publicizing the Miracle of Hanukkah to Family, Neighbors, and Fellow Jews

Dear Hevreh, Last night, I had one of the most memorable Hanukkah experiences of my life as I celebrated the Festival of Lights with my family, my neighbors, and my Jewish community. It wasn't that one particular moment stood out (though I really enjoyed sharing the story of Hanukkah with 3rd and 4th grade Perth Amboy students), but rather that the overall experience of lighting the candles with so many groups of people truly exemplified the meaning of the mitzvah of pirsumei nisah, of publicizing the miracle of Hanukkah. The rabbis teach us that the purpose of lighting candles is to share the miracle with everyone around us, which is why we are supposed to light the candles as early as[...]

Category : Hanukkah Middlesex Jewish News Perth Amboy News Rabbi's Journal Rubber Duck Race
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Perth Amboy News

September 12, 2013
By bethmordecai
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DAY 439: Forget What Divides Us, Remember What Unites Us

Dear Hevreh, Yesterday I had the privilege, in my role as a chaplain in Perth Amboy's Police Chaplain Corps, to participate in a service honoring the victims and heroes of the September 11th attacks twelve years ago. One of the themes that came up often during the Scripture readings and prayers by my fellow chaplains was the need to be unified and, more specifically, that we are stronger when we affirm that which keeps us together than when we focus on what pulls apart. It's not always easy to be unified when you know there are certain, important differences that make each one of us a unique creation by God. Yet by recognizing that we all are unique creations by God, that[...]

Category : Perth Amboy News Rabbi's Journal Yom Kippur

Perth Amboy News

January 11, 2013
By bethmordecai
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DAY 195: Our People, Our World

*Note:  This messsage is a little longer than usual* Dear Hevreh, A brief glimpse into any moment Jewish history reveals that we have been pulled by two, often opposing, poles -- towards our connection with our people and towards being a part of the greater society.  As such one of the tenets of Conservative Judaism that makes me a Conservative Jew, is that we can be both -- we can be good Jews and good members of society. Two upcoming events for our community clearly demonstrate our commitment to this belief. 1) Super Sunday Phone-a-thon for Jewish Federation of Middlesex County, this Sunday 1/13 8:30 am -- 2:00 pm; 5:30 pm -- 9:00 pm We have always been a people of small numbers, yet we[...]

Category : Middlesex Jewish News Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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Perth Amboy News

November 19, 2012
By bethmordecai
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DAY 142: The Gift of Conversation

Dear Hevreh, This afternoon I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with Reverend Ann-Marie Jeffrey, the spiritual leader of St. Peter's Episcopal Church, our partner institution for tomorrow (Tuesday) night's Interfaith Thanksgiving service @ 7 pm @ Beth Mordecai (REFRESHMENTS INCLUDED!).   While we spent part of the time working on the finishing touches of our innovative service for tomorrow, we spent the majority of time just...talking.  We talked about our calls to service, about the Bible, about the afterlife, about the nature of religious institutions, and so on and so forth.  It was a wonderful conversation because for a moment the daily grind of emails, phone calls, and obligations disappeared.  For a moment the mundane was replaced by the[...]

Category : Perth Amboy News Rabbi Rabbi's Journal
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