Shavuot

Shavuot is a Hebrew word meaning "weeks" and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Shavuot, like so many other Jewish holidays began as an ancient agricultural festival, marking the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. Shavuot was distinguished in ancient times by bringing crop offerings to the Temple in Jerusalem. Shavuot, celebrated this year on Wednesday, June 8, also known as the Festival of the Giving of the Torah, dates from biblical times, and helps to explain the holiday's name, "Weeks." The Torah tells us it took precisely forty-nine days for our ancestors to travel from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai (the same number of days as the Counting of the Omer ) where they were to receive the Torah. Thus, Leviticus 23:21 commands: "And you shall proclaim that day (the fiftieth day) to be a holy convocation!" The name Shavuot, "Weeks," then symbolizes the completion of a seven-week journey. Special customs on Shavuot are the reading of the Book of Ruth, which reminds us that we too can find a continual source of blessing in our tradition. Another tradition includes staying up all night to study Torah and Mishnah, a custom called Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which symbolizes our commitment to the Torah, and that we are always ready and awake to receive the Torah. Traditionally, dairy dishes are served on this holiday to symbolize the sweetness of the Torah, as well as the "land of milk and honey".

5771-2011 The Confirmation Class of 5771-2011 invites you to celebrate this milestone with them Friday, P.M. Friday, June 10 7:30 P.M. Bass Family Sanctuary Building Please enjoy a very special oneg following services. Tefilo-Israels Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israels Confirmands:
Joshua Bain Rebecca Bergman Janey Bernstein Ethan Blake Sarah Burn Emma Freedman Hannah Gardner Ashley Rose Lynn Allie Mazzella Matthew Michaels Joshua Nackenson Jessica Nathan Jessica Podell Arielle Schilling Weissenberg Ally Weissenberg

Schedule of Services
Clergy Rabbi Daniel M. Cohen, D.Min. Rabbi Ellie Lynn Miller, M.A.R.E. Rabbi Harvey S. Goldman, Emeritus Rabbi Herbert Weiner, Emeritus Cantor Theodore Aronson Cantor Joan Finn Lay Leadership Hope Pomerantz, President Gail Barry, VP Max Weisenfeld, VP Jay Rice, VP Wendy Ferber, VP Robert Ozer, VP David Leit, VP Nancy Fogel, VP Jesse Bayer, Treasurer Lynne Crawford, Secretary Executive Director Leslie Y. Sporn School Directors Carol Paster, Preschool Pia Kutten, Religious School Program Director Tracy Horwitz, LSW JFS Social Worker at TSTI Beth Sandweiss, MA, MSW Bulletin Sunny Seglin Phone: 973-763-4116 MEMBER CONGREGATION UNION FOR REFORM JUDAISM Contact us at info@tstinj.org Visit our website at www.tsti.org Ph: 973-763-4116 Fax: 973-763-3941

Friday, June 3 Naso Shabbat Service, 7:30 P.M. Bass Sanctuary Building Saturday, June 4 Minyan Service, 9:15 A.M. Gross Bet Midrash Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Paul, 10:15 A.M. Bat Mitzvah of Samantha Okinow, 10:30 A.M. Wednesday, June 8 Shavuot Yizkor Service and Lunch of Remembrance, 10:30 A.M. Friday, June 10 Behaalotecha Shabbat Service and Confirmation Service, 7:30 P.M. Bass Sanctuary Building

Saturday, June 11 Minyan Service, 9:15 A.M. Gross Bet Midrash Bat Mitzvah of Alexa Jentis, 10:15 A.M. Friday, June 17 Shelach Shabbat Service, 6:00 P.M. Gellis Green Chapel Saturday, June 18 Minyan Service, 9:15 A.M. Gross Bet Midrash Friday, June 24 Korach Shabbat Service, 6:00 P.M. Gellis Green Chapel Saturday, June 25 Minyan Service, 9:15 A.M. Gross Bet Midrash

Confirmation Service
The Slucker Religious Schools 10th graders will be confirmed at Shabbat Services on Friday, June 10 at 7:30 P.M. Please join us for this joyous and meaningful service.

Summer Services
Summer services, which begin on Friday, June 24, will be at 6:00 PM each week (with a return to the every other week schedule in the fall). Whenever possible, we hope to hold services outside as the summer progresses. This will allow us to enjoy the outdoors and worship in the fresh air.

Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel & Barnert Temple InterFaith Environmental Event

Please join us for a free screening of the Academy Award nominated film June 22 at 7:00 P.M.

Tree of Life
In Honor of our Granddaughter Mackenzie Gray Fiore July 11, 2010 Hanie and Jerry Warshaw Allen & Dianne Chirls 50th Anniversary Lorraine Blum, Linda Kirsch, Sandra & Robert Nash, Sandra & Barry Wasserman Leaves on the Tree of Life mark joyous occasions and milestones. They are $180. To order a leaf please contact Mimi Braun, mimibraun@verizon.net

FOOD, Inc.
What do you really know about the food youre eating and its impact on the environment? Learn more about the U.S. food industry and what it takes to put food on your table. Educating yourself on food choices may be the best thing you can do for yourself, your family and the environment.

RSVP or questions, contact Karen Dougherty:karenkdougherty@aol.com, (201) 818-1714 Barnert Temple 747 Rt. 208 South, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417

The Presidents Point of View

From the Rabbis Study

Looking back, the life of our congregation this year has been filled with excitement and triumph, controversy and debate, challenges and solutions, sensitivity and sorrow. Similar to other synagogues and akin to many years in our own history, it was a test of our character, fortitude and vision. And we have faired quite well. We have ably weathered a changing economy, instituting both savings and revenue raising ideas that will hold us in good stead in the coming years. We successfully launched new initiatives in the areas of education, membership, retention and social action. Amidst a sea of activity, we learned from an incredible array of scholars, balanced our budget and lent our congregational and individual voices to important issues in our community, our region and in support of Israel. This year, we educated more than 450 of our kids. We joyfully welcomed 55 Bnai Mitzvah into our congregation as young adults, celebrated the graduation of 12 wonderful seniors from our Hebrew High School and in just a few weeks, we will proudly confirm 15 fabulous tenth graders. In addition, we will be feting several dozen preschoolers as they move on to kindergarten. As a community, we have also been touched by great sadness bonding together as we tragically lost three young members of our congregation whose lives were far too short, but whose spirit and imprint remain among us. Our year was filled with amazing services, programs and events. Among them, we completed and began to use our own beautiful new Torah, gathered our snowbirds in Florida, invited our youth group leaders to the Board of Trustees table, transitioned to making tributes (and soon to paying our bills) on line, sold the Montrose House (hopefully by the time you read this), established a new prayer garden, successfully completed the first year of our GreenFaith Certification Program, stocked and staffed the interfaith food pantry, paid our construction loan in full, became the first ABLE awarded congregation in Metrowest and ran our first congregational 5K. The growth and sustainability of our congregation is integrally linked to its ability to changeto consistently examine where we are, who we are, who we want to continue to be and how we stay or get there. These are indicia of our strength, organizational health and long-term success, of which we can
(cont. on page 8)

Rabbi Cohen delivered these remarks at the May 18th Congregational Meeting.

In Pirke Avot, the Ethics of the Fathers we find the following statement: You are not required to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to abstain from it. In so many ways, this wise statement from almost 2000 years ago embodies the nature of synagogue life. Synagogues, if they are alive and thriving, are always works in progress. They are always changing, always evolving, always facing new challenges and, if lucky, rising to the challenge. Yes, if a synagogue is healthy there is never a time that is boring in the synagogue life. I am here to let you know that if this is the measure we use, TSTI is quite healthy. There is nothing boring here at 432 Scotland Road. The challenges we face are real but we are addressing them. Personally, I would appreciate a little boredom every now and then.

You are not required to complete the work but neither are you at liberty to abstain from it.
Day after day the work of temple is done with the greatest of care, concern, and selflessness we could ever hope for. From our amazing Executive Director, Leslie Sporn, to our incredible program director Tracy Horowitz, a woman who puts so much of herself into everything she does, from working with our teens, to guiding our temples programming, Tracy does more than you can possibly imagine and she deserves our thanks. Carol Paster is... Well shes Carol Paster and we are so very fortunate to have her here. This place works because of people like Tracy, Carol and Leslie. Pia Kutten, our Educator is leaving next month and I want to thank her for her dedication and commitment to our temples kids and wish her luck with everything in the future. A year ago we celebrated as Joan Finn became Cantor Joan Finn. Joan had studied and worked for so many years and finally she was given the title that she so deserved. And we are so blessed that she is part of our community. As we look to next year, we have to make some staffing changes and, in part, they impacted the role Cantor Finn pays here. To our good fortune she has agreed to stay on in a modified capacity which means that our kids, and all of us, will have the blessing of her incredible spirit.
(cont. on page 5)

Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School

The Iris Family

There is a passage in Deuteronomy that asks, What does God want from us? and the answer, according to the rabbis of the Talmud, can be found in a clue in this same sentence. What in Hebrew, is closely related to the word hundred in Hebrew. The answer, according to the rabbis, is that God wants one hundred blessings from each of us every day. Not too long ago, one of our gifted teachers, Karen Lilienfeld reminded me of this important lesson. Our lives are filled with blessings, but we must be open to seeing and acknowledging them. Finding one hundred ways to praise God each day can be challenging. On the other hand, if your eyes and heart are open, seeing blessings is rather easy. My boys, Avi and Eli are not quite two and a half years old. I make it a point to acknowledge small wonders when I am with them each day. For instance, now that it is spring, the vibrant colored flowers are in bloom everywhere. As we drive through our neighborhood on our way to and from daycare, they always respond, thank you God when we see a beautiful garden. At sleepy time each night, we end our day with the bedtime Shema and together we say thank you God for all the blessings in our lives. I have so much to be thankful for in my life, as I am sure you do too. As I conclude my time here at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our dedicated teachers, our supportive parents, volunteers, clergy and board members. I have learned so much from all of you. To our students, I want to thank you especially. You have brought the greatest blessings to me. As the Director of the Linda and Rudy Slucker Religious School, I most enjoy standing at the door each Tuesday afternoon and Sunday morning welcoming you to school. It thrills me to see your smiling faces, to observe you in your classes immersed in Jewish learning, and to hear your jubilant voices during our song sessions. Judaism is an ancient treasure, passed from generation to generation. We are so fortunate to be a part of this rich tradition. I sincerely hope that you will continue to explore our heritage throughout your lifetime. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of your Jewish experience.

Ida and Lou were typical 1950s parents raising my best friend Lori in the small, quiet town of Bayonne. They had good times and bad, they cared lovingly for each other, they had arguments on occasion Im sure, although Id never witnessed one. They hosted play dates and sleepovers. They shared some common interests; they had interests separate from each other. They had a temple community; they had decent jobs and retired with good health. Ida had a tight knit group of friends, played mah jongg weekly and baked the best rugelach ever made. Quieter, Lou liked to putter around the house inventing and fixing things. Looking on as an outsider they seemed content with their lives but I really only knew them from a childs view point. They were nice to me; they invited me to stay for a meal when they realized I had no intention of ending my play date anytime soon and hosted many a sleepover for the same reason. Who knew that Id remain friends to this day with someone I met in first grade? Not just acquaintances, but friends who tell each other secrets that no one else knows about, friends who can show up at their home with a days notice and stay for a mini vacation, friends who can forget to call each other for 6 months and pick right up where they left off. Ive never had an argument with Lori that is worth remembering and never a harsh word, although Lori claims I was mean to her when we were 10 years old. Its uncanny the way children can choose their lifelong friends at such an early age, but Ive seen it year after year in my roles as parent and preschool director. As a high school senior, my daughter went to her prom with 3 friends from her 2s class. She and her best friend of 27 years were in each others bridal parties, and they are only 29 now. Parents of preschool graduates see me years later and comment with surprise that their child is still best friends with a playmate from our program. While many parents want early childhood programs to offer more academics and may not see the value of play and development of social skills, from my view, being able to have the ability to maintain a long-term relationship is a very valuable skill to hone. And its not just the children who connect; the parents connect to the childs friend as well. Ida had created a warm spot in my heart. She was not just the mother of my friend, but for all my formative years she was my other mother in my eyes and she probably never knew the impact she had upon me. Remarkably, Ida and Lou lived as husband and wife for more than 60 years and Ive been a part of their family for 50 of those years. Ida and Lou died last month at 99 and 101 years of age

Pia Kutten
Religious School Director (cont. on page 7)

(cont. from page 3)

And to my dear colleague Rabbi Ellie Miller whose wisdom, insight and commitment to every aspect of our synagogue is boundless. So many of the things that Rabbi Miller does take place behind the scenes and, as a result, I do not believe she gets nearly the recognition she deserves. She embodies the very best of this congregation and her leadership and commitment make this work in progress what it is. Our support staff, our teachers, our custodial staff and everyone who is part of our staffing structure is here because of their commitment to this community and the people who are part of it. This congregation is a work in progress and they are the ones who roll up their sleeves and do that work day in and day out. In the current climate they have to work harder than ever and they deserve all of the gratitude we can muster. But our staff is only half of the equation. The other half of the equation is, of course, our volunteer leaders. Often these are the individuals who are already overcommitted in other aspects of their lives, yet they find the time to give their energy, wisdom and guidance to their community. Often the task is thankless. And it certainly is endless. And yet they do so year after year. For that I am so very grateful.

creative staff a number of times. They are making a rapid move toward electronic learning and web based learning and they need a place to try it out. We are going to be that place. While it is still a work in progress and the specifics of what that will entail it are not yet finalized, I can share that we will have access to new resources before anyone else and we will have the opportunity to expose our kids and our adults to new ways of learning that augment our current model. We will have the opportunity to encounter innovations that will make learning more fun for kids and more engaging for kids and adults alike. As plans become clearer and we begin to implement them, we will share them in detail on our Temples website. Along similar lines, just as our synagogue is a work in progress so is our synagogues website. It has recently been revamped so that on the front page of the site we can all see what is happening in every corner of our congregations life. You may not have a child in preschool but you should still know whats happening in the preschool because the programs and the learning that are taking place are inspiring. You may not be in the Renaissance group but you should know what they are up to because they do programming which is so very exciting and they, who had encountered far too many losses this year, are a model for what a community can be. The care, commitment, selflessness and concern that the members of Renaissance show for everyone who is part of it is the very best of who we are.

This year marks the second and final year of Hope Pomerantzs presidency. Hope is a dear friend, and has been a wonderful partner to Leslie and me as she has guided us during a time that But there is more. has been far more challenging than any of us predicted. Hope has had to make some exceptionally tough decisions. It has not You may not read an Israeli newspaper daily but you should always been easy. know whats happening in Israel. And so our Temples website is now going to ensure that we all know whats happening Lets be honest about congregational life: if you make a great easy throughout our congregations life and it is going to be a source decision there will be at least 10% of the people who hear about for news on Israel, an educational source for learning, and much it who are thrilled. There will be at least 10% of people who hear more. Our website will evolve into a centerpiece for learning in about it who are outraged. And there will be the other 80%. Its the months to come.Ours is not to finish the task but we need to just the nature of community. But when you have to make be engaged. In this coming year are going to be engaged in new difficult decisions under difficult circumstances those numbers forms of learning that will make acquiring knowledge easier change radically, and that is the kind of presidency Hope has and more convenient. had. As I have said time and again over the past two years, it is a lot more fun to be the rabbi, the president, the executive director Second, ours is a rather unusual congregation. As I am fond of or a member of the board during times of plenty. It is during saying, this synagogue is the result of a divorce and remarriage. times of challenge that we truly show what we are made of and The unusual thing about it is that this is a remarriage that Hope is made of the right stuff! She has served this congregation worked. Trust me, I know from synagogues that marry and dont with heart, soul and integrity and I cannot thank her enough. work. The small synagogue I served in Steubenville, Ohio the In prior years I have used this time to review some of the major milestones that were reached over the prior year. I will not do that this evening because we have a long agenda and there are a number of things this coming year that I want to focus on. Which brings me to next year. Im excited to announce that we will be the pilot congregation for some new educational innovations coming from Behrman house publishers. If you do not know Behrman just look at your children or grandchildrens Jewish textbooks. The odds are they are from this publishing house. I have had the privilege of sitting with their editor-in-chief David Behrman and their entire year prior to my coming here was a merged synagogue that never actually merged. Friday evenings Reform services were held and on Saturday mornings the service was Conservative. One building, two communities. Thats not this congregation. No, the merger did not happen overnight. But we survived our initial merger and in 2012 we will mark the 30th anniversary of it. Yes, beginning on January 1 we will celebrate the birth of TSTI. It is deserving of celebration. It is an opportunity for us to
(cont. on page 8)

ADULT EDUCATIO TION ADULT EDUCATIO N WITH RABBI COHEN

Environmentalism as a Jewish Value
Monday, June 14 7:00pm
Join Rabbi Cohen for an evening of exploring the Biblical and rabbinic roots of the Jewish Environmental Movement. Yes, environmentalism IS a Jewish value and we will examine why. This program is part of our congregations participation in the joint Greenfaith/URJ Synagogue Greening Certification program RSVPs are requested. Email thorwitz@tstinj.org.

Our Bnai Mitzvah

Jacob Charles Blumenstein Paul June 4, 2011 Jacob is the son of Rebecca Blumenstein and Alan Paul, brother of Anna and Eli, and grandson of Harold and Ruth Blumenstein and Suzanne and Richard Paul. Mitzvah Project: Jacob tutored kids at a Newark church.

Making a Difference
Our members have enriched the lives of those around us in so many ways this past year. We are inspired by the efforts of Janet Schwamm and all who have volunteered at the InterFaith Food Pantry; by your donations of turkeys and trimmings to the Thanksgiving Turkey and Food Drive, organized for 15 years by Lisa Ozer by Hilda Silverman Ozer; who made her 60th donation to the New Jersey Blood Bank; by Susan Siegeltuch and those who donated suits and accessories to Dress for Success; by Margie Harwood and those who donated prom dresses to Catherines Closet; by those who help Newark children by giving of their time through the Newark Connection, including Arlene Gordon and Roger Landau at St. Annes and Rachel Rothman as a Big Sister; and by Sue and Phil Hoch who work tirelessly for a greener, healthier environment.

Samantha Ann Okinow June 4, 2011 Sam is the daughter of Alison Klein and Steve Okinow, sister of Max and Jake, and granddaughter of Sandra Okinow, Marilyn Klein, Martin and Susan Klein. Mitzvah Project: Sam volunteered at the Jersey Animal Coalition, cleaning the cat room and getting cats ready for new homes.

Alexa Hallie Jentis June 11, 2011 Alexa is the daughter of Stuart Jentis and the late Felice Jentis, sister of Matthew, and granddaughter of Muriel and Michael Lipit and Barbara Bromberg. Mitzvah Project: Alexa will organize a team to raise funds for the Felice L. Jentis BAC Foundation, founded in memory of her mother, to support finding a treatment for the type of lung cancer that claimed her mothers life.

STISY
STISY wants you to share in our final event for the year

GREEN TIP
Clothing Used Clothing
Plenty of organizations will accept your tired attire, but Vietnam Veterans of America resells it to fund programs for veterans, and will pick up your donations. Schedule online at clothingdonations.org 6

June 5

8:30 AM to 7:00 PM

$45 for STISY members $50 for non- STISY members. Cost includes transportation, Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom admission, and meal voucher for lunch. Please bring money for souvenirs and snacks. FOR REGISTRATION FORM OR QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL THORWITZ@TSTINJ.ORG

The Womens Connection

2nd Annual Summer Soiree! Thank you Thank you!
As our programing year draws to a close, I would like to thank everyone who has worked on a Womens Connection committee to make our events such a success. Most recently, thanks to the many women who worked together for months so that mothers and daughters, friends and neighbors could enjoy our annual seder. This year, we chose a Green theme to highlight TSTIs participation in Greenfaith Certification program. I am especially appreciative to Heidi Cohen, Anne Sussman, and Lori Barnett for co-chairing this event; to Lynn Rainen for crafting ingenious centerpieces of bamboo from her own yard; to Sherrie Katz for catering the event; to the many women who came to help set-up the tables; to Joanna Perlman and Shelli Brosh for writing original readings; and to Lana Schob Rosenberg for designing the beautiful new haggadah cover. Extra thanks to a group of women who have worked behind the scenes all year to make Womens Connection a strong and vibrant organization: Shari Stein, Robbie Weissenberg, Shelley Weissenberg Shelley eissenberg, Kaplan, Marcia Weinstein, Wend endy Frankel, Frank el, Tsipi K aplan, Mar cia Weinstein, Wend y Ferber and Sunny Seglin.

SANGRIA AND SWEETS

Wednesday, July 13, 7:00-9:00 P.M. Temple Mansion & Terrace
The Womens Connection invites all the ladies of the temple, or prospective members of the temple, to a relaxing and fun evening. There is no program; just a chance to have some light snacks, delicious desserts, and refreshing sangria with temple friends. Prospective members are welcome if you know someone who is interested in joining the temple, please bring her along. There is no charge for this event, but it is a great time to renew your Womens Connection Membership for 2011-2012! RSVP to Lisa Levine at lisatiltonlevine@comcast.net prodmanparo@aol.com. or Pam Paro at prodmanparo@aol.com .

Leadership Update

Andrea Bergman is concluding her 2-year term as Co-President. I cannot say enough how much Andrea has done over the years, constantly keeping on top of deadlines, making sure that events run smoothly, checking and double-checking the details, and doing all of it with a smile. She is a huge part of Womens Connections continued success, and we all owe her a huge thanks. Joining me next year as Co-President is Pam Paro. Pam is a veteran of the Womens Connection Advisory Council, but her most recent contribution to temple was co-chairing the wonderful closing celebration of the Torah Project. I am looking forward to working with Pam and all the other members of the Advisory Council on another great year for 2011-2012. Our Shabbat Service and Seder will continue, but we will also have some brand new events. We hope that you will get involved with Womens Connection by coming to our events or helping out on a committee. Please get in touch with me at lisatiltonlevine@comcast.net if you would like more information.

Lisa Tilton-Levine and Pam Paro

The Womens Connection Co-Chairs

Renaissance Group
Thanks to Linda Kirsch and Harriet Felper for a terrific Sunday in DUMBO good music, good food, good friends all added up to a great finale to a wonderful Renaissance year. Hope you all have a most healthy, happy safe summer. See you all on Sunday, October 16 for our paid up membership meeting as we head into another banner year of our Renaissance Group.

Hiking the trail s at South Mountain Reservation, Womens Connection members enjoyed a beautiful day together.

Mimi Braun
7

(Cohen, cont.from page 3)

and should be very proud. At the core of this congregation is a foundation of warmth, inclusion, faith, spirituality and education; a wide base of kindness, social consciousness and volunteerism; and a recognition that we are not just here for ourselves. We are also here for others, some whom we know and many whom we have yet to meet. In an effort to fulfill our responsibility, we had to make some difficult choices but we were up to the task. Our leadership (both lay and professional) was thoughtful, provocative and creative. Together with our Clergy and Executive Director, our lay leaders challenged themselves and one another to move the congregation forward with diligence, resourcefulness and great energy. We are indebted to these folks to our senior staff, our committees, our Board of Trustees and most particularly to our Executive Committee. We are lucky to have people with such dedication and integrity who choose Temple as the recipient of their time, talent and generosity. We all come to this job with different backgrounds, ideas and expectations. But we each come to our terms as president with at least one premise in commonwe hope to leave the Temple a little better than we found it offering something of ourselves that we hope will benefit the congregation no matter how large or small the impact. And, I would imagine that like me, each president finds an unexpected giftthat we have received from this experience and the congregation so much more than we could ever have hoped to give back. Thank you for the opportunity to lead this awesome congregation. It has been an experience I will never forget. Have a wonderful summer.

celebrate the history of two amazing congregations: Temple Sharey Tefilo and Temple Israel. It is an opportunity for us to celebrate the wisdom, tenacity and commitment of those individuals who shepherded us through a difficult period. It is an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to the vision of this congregation, a congregation that looks for every opportunity to say yes, a congregation that is committed to progressive Reform Judaism, a congregation that celebrates our Jewish history but is not bound by it, a congregation that embraces creativity and innovation but also values everything we have inherited. We will embark upon a year of collecting our history in pictures and words and memories. In fact, I already have begun. The first pictures will be going up on our website tomorrow morning. We will be adding to them throughout the year so make sure you visit often. We will embark upon a year of collecting art history in pictures and words and memories so that we can celebrate everyone who came before us, the individuals who made the merger possible and are still part of our community, and our community as it stands today. In fact, I have already begun collecting such pictures and videos and I want to show you one brief clip of Norma Benisch describing Cantors role in the merger. What Norma shared with me that day is something that I have not stopped thinking about. She came from the Temple Israel side of things and yet she credits the cantor who came from East Orange as playing one of, if not the most significant role in our succeeding in the merger. Cantor Ted Aronson came to this congregation in the mid-1960s. He was younger, single, and hungry to do for his community. He has now been here for over 45 years. During that time he has married and he and Sonia have raised two remarkable adult children. He has celebrated the bar or bat mitzvah of hundreds of young people, married hundreds of couples, officiated at the funerals of hundreds of individuals, unfortunately, far too many of them dear friends. He has served this congregation

with distinction. He is my partner, he is my friend, he is my clergy person and next year will be his last year in the active cantorate. Yes, after over 45 years Cantor Ted Aronson has given me the privilege of announcing to our community that he has decided to retire. But this is great news and I want to tell you why. Cantor Aronson is not leaving. Hes not going anywhere. He is going to stay as the Cantor Emeritus and remain an active part of this congregations life. He went into discussions with his negotiating team knowing that this next contract would be his final contract. He and the committee were discussing how many years it would be before he formally retired and the congregations desire to have him stay in this community in an Emeritus status. Cantor Aronson came to me a few weeks ago and told me that he and Sonia had been talking about this and he realized that what he wanted was just one more year as a full time Cantor, and that he wanted a formal ongoing relationship with the congregation because it is his home, it is his community, it is his synagogue. I personally cannot tell you the relief I felt when he shared his last part with me because I cant imagine this congregation without him here as part of it. So Cantor Aronson, who Im going to invite forward in a moment, is thrilled with the current plan. (A plan that still needs to be formalized by the Board of Trustees, but is so very much the best of all worlds that I cannot imagine it will not be embraced.) And this means that as we start the celebration of our 30th year as a merged synagogue, we can do so celebrating a man who has dedicated his entire professional life and so much more to this community. I cannot imagine a better way to mark this milestone, I cannot imagine a man more deserving of such a celebration. And while it is bittersweet sharing this news with all of you, I am excited for what the future holds for my friend, and Im excited that our congregation will continue to have him here as our cantor even after his formal retirement on June 30, 2012.

This is a summary of my annual meeting address, the full text of which can be found on the temple website.
8

TRIBUTES
Contributions in memory of loved ones and in honor of the simchas in our lives are acts of loving kindness. We are grateful for your generous support of Temple through various Temple Funds.
TEMPLE TRIBUTES
IN MEMORY OF Lester Lieberman Helen & Frank Davis Manny Yeskel Susan & Terry Shapin IN HONOR OF Andrew & Arlene Brafman on the marriage of their daughter Helene & Jack Fersko Ann Merin Mimi Braun, Gala honoree Linda & Joel Scharf Breena Fishback, Gala honoree Linda & Joel Scharf Barbara & David Stoller, Gala honorees Linda & Joel Scharf Alison Klein & Steve Okinow Elizabeth Mintz Walpert Annice Silberberg Helen & Frank Davis Linda Slucker Cheryl & Lee Weinberg Eric & Leslie Sporn on Jeremys marriage Debbie Bernstein Linda & Joel Scharf Celine Sinaw

ROSE & MELVILLE BERLOW FUND

IN MEMORY OF Bernard Fink Harriet & Everett Felper IN HONOR OF Mimi Braun, Gala honoree Chickie & Paul Rosenberg Linda Slucker Chickie & Paul Rosenberg

WOMENS CONNECTION FUND FOR REFORM JEWISH SUMMERS

IN HONOR OF Leslie & Eric Sporn on Jeremys marriage Sunny & Mark Seglin Marcia Weinstein Matty & Dan Goldberg

In Memoriam
MARILYN GRAPEK CAROL LEWIS MILTON MEYERSON Father of Cathi Weinstein FRED RICHMAN Grandfather of Daniel Rothman ELI UTTERBACK Son of Laura Levy IRVING ZAPSON Father of Lisa Zapson

POMERANTZ FUND FOR ADULT JEWISH ENRICHMENT

IN MEMORY OF Raymond Fersko, brother of Jack Fersko Steven Pomerantz Esther Kaplan, grandmother of Russell Kaplan Steven Pomerantz IN HONOR OF Doris & Jeff Spector Jesse, Leslie & Ariel Bayer Andrew & Arlene Brafman on Allies marriage Steven Pomerantz Hope Pomerantz Dolly Soloway Leslie & Eric Sporn on Jeremys wedding Steven Pomerantz FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY Larry Green Table Talk Jesse, Leslie & Ariel Bayer Hannah Bayer & Stuart Slavin

HELEN A. BRODER MUSEUM FUND

IN HONOR OF Mimi Bruan, Gala honoree Matty & Dan Goldberg Bettye & Ramon Green

GELLIS FAMILY FUND FOR SENIOR PROGRAMMING

IN HONOR OF Mimi Braun, Gala honoree Lisa & Richard Cohen

GREEN FAMILY PULPIT FUND

IN MEMORY OF Lud Stern Barbara & Jon Green

May their memories be for a blessing

RABBI COHENS DISCRETIONARY FUND

IN APPRECIATION OF Rabbi Cohen Estelle & Jay Fine Sandy & Estelle Harwood Estelle & Jay Fine FOR A SPEEDY RECOVERY Larry Green Susan & Bob Felsenheld

JOSH LITTMAN AUDIO-VIDEO FUND

IN HONOR OF Breena Fishback, Gala honoree Jesse, Leslie & Ariel Bayer Florence Seglins 90th birthday Annette & Harold Littman

All in the Family

Mazel tov to:
Karen and Robert Burrick on the engagement of their son, David, to Danielle Rabin. Danielle is the granddaughter of Bernice Kamens and niece of Liz Taylor Kamens. Deborah and Daniel Duane on the marriage of their son, Michael, to Molly Rapoport. Emily and David Otner on the birth of a granddaughter, Naomi Yael Otner DaCruz, born to Jennifer Otner and Elias DaCruz.

SUSAN ACKERMAN SOMMER FUND FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

IN MEMORY OF Harvey Lustig Robin Kahn & Scott Miller

RABBI MILLERS DISCRETIONARY FUND

IN MEMORY OF Irving Zapson, father of Lisa Zapson Janet Schwamm

LINDA & RUDY SLUCKER RELIGIOUS SCHOOL FUND

IN HONOR OF Graduates of Hebrew High School Bernstein-Donald Family

PRAYER BOOK FUND

IN MEMORY OF Jules Kaplan Harriet & Everett Felper Joe Rothman Rita & Robert Boyle IN HONOR OF Dr. & Mrs. Mervyn Binder Rita & Robert Boyle

RABBI GOLDMANS DISCRETIONARY FUND

IN MEMORY OF Julius Kaplan Joel & Helene Hemmendinger

CHAI RAFFLE WINNERS

Stacy and Adam Bain were chosen in the drawing at the Congregational Meeting in May to receive a years free temple membership. A record number of raffles were bought, making this a very successful fundraiser. Thank you to all who participated.

CANTOR ARONSONS DISCRETIONARY FUND

IN HONOR OF Doris & Jeff Spector on Breenas honor and Joshs marriage Harriet & Sandy Lainer IN APPRECIATION Joan Turk

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