March 2020 – Temple Sha’arey Shalom

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Letter from the Presidents

Dear Congregants,

We hope that you and those you love are safe during this unprecedented time of world-wide health concerns. While closed, the Temple has been fully cleaned in anticipation of our re-opening. However, please understand that the Temple will remain closed until further notice in keeping in line with Governor Murphy’s directive and following CDC guidelines.

While the building is closed and we are all following “shelter in place,” there is still a lot of activity and energy. Every day our talented Preschool teachers and Director Mindy are posting activities for our preschool children. Rabbi is working on religious school programming and Cantor continues bar/bat Mitzvah preparations.

Also, Friday night services continue “remotely” with Cantor Jason and Rabbi Renee. Using a computer from your home, via a live stream, you can enjoy a Friday night service. You will see the familiar sanctuary and experience the energy, the joy, and peacefulness that Shabbat services instill. To experience this, go to the Temple Facebook page on Friday night to view the stream. For those not on Facebook, we are looking for a way to post the service on our website in order to reach a larger audience.

If you know someone in need of food or other necessities, please let the Rabbi or Cantor know. We may be practicing appropriate social distancing, but we are your community – and we are here to help.

And, anytime you want to connect by phone or email please contact the Rabbi, the Cantor, another congregant, a Board member, or the Temple co-Presidents Roberta Krumholz (908-561-4841, bertkrum@gmail.com) or Ellen Lieberman (201-207-3117, ellen.s.lieberman@gmail.com). Also, if you call the Temple Office, you will receive a call back. We are all here to support you.

Wishing you health and blessings,

Warmest regards,

Ellen Lieberman, Roberta Krumholz

Special Friday Night Service on Zoom Meeting (Updated Link)

Friday Night Service on Zoom Video Meeting Join Cantor Jason Rosenman and Rabbi Renee Edelman at 7:30pm

Where: Zoom Video Meeting

The service is open to all, Please join us.

How to Join the Service:

1. Click on the link – https://bit.ly/friday-services (click a little before 7:30pm to enter the service)
Meeting ID: 305 835 601
Password: 253324

2. Click here to add to your online calendar – https://bit.ly/3dEqzGf (calendar file will download – open file and add to your calendar)

INE Committee Update: Phone-in Q&A Session

As you know, the Investigating a New Entity (INE) committee had announced our intention to conduct three congregational meetings to give every member of Sha’arey Shalom the opportunity to hear the latest information about our plan to create a new entity with Congregation Ohr Shalom. Our goal is to offer clarification and provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions. You may remember that circumstances required us to reschedule those meetings. And now that our temple is closed because of the virus emergency, we have had to change our plans again.

We will conduct a phone-in Q&A session about the creation of the new entity on Sunday, March 22, at 10:30 am. Members of the INE committee, the President of Congregation Ohr Shalom, Phil Kantor, and both rabbis will be on hand to respond to your questions and suggestions.

To participate, call 973-466-8450. Enter 690779 into your phone when the system requests the pass code.

We are looking forward to having this very important discussion with you. Please join us!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Temple will close because COVID-19.

We are blessed that there have been no reports of COVID-19 at Temple Sha’arey Shalom. Best practice and recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control is to take preventative measures such as avoiding being exposed to the virus that causes it and to limit social gatherings.

As such, The Temple will “close” for services, religious school, preschool, and social gatherings from 3:00p.m. Friday, March 13, 2020 through at least 9:00am Monday, March 30, 2020. This includes the Tricky Tray which will be rescheduled for a later date.

During the closure, the Temple will be fully cleaned and sanitized. If you have a special circumstance, you may consult with the Rabbi or the Presidents. For now, one-to-one meetings (such as for Bar/Bat Mitzvah prep) or small group meetings may continue assuming all involved show no signs of illness and are in agreement to meet.

We are taking this action because “…Community-based interventions can help slow the spread of COVID-19. This includes measures collectively known as “social distancing.” Social distancing measures aim to reduce the frequency of contact and increase physical distance between persons, thereby reducing the risks of person-to-person transmission. These measures are most effective when implemented early in an epidemic. We are at a critical inflection point where we may have the opportunity to slow the spread of this epidemic by taking proactive steps now.” (source: Health and Human Services, March 12, 2020).

More information on COVID-19 is available at https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 or other reputable sites such as the Center for Disease Control.

You can always reach Rabbi Renee at 516-662-4479, Cantor Jason at 732-289-5646, and co-Presidents- Ellen at 201-207-3317 or Roberta at 908-561-4841.

Stay Healthy – להישאר בריא

Roberta and Ellen

Tricky Tray Postponed

The Tricky Tray will be postponed because of the coronavirus. We do not want anyone to become ill and are following the guidelines set by the state. The future date will be announced as soon as we can determine that it is safe to hold it in our synagogue.

Family Promise – March 24th

Sha’arey Shalom is going to help Central Presbyterian Church provide dinner for their guests on March 24th. We need your help. Our meal is usually main course, salad, vegetable, starch, and dessert. Your children are welcome to come and help.

E-mail or phone Susan and say you will do this mitzvah.

Thanks,
Susan Berowitz-Kolmodin and Bev Lerner
Susan’s email: kolberrfam91@gmail.com
Susan’s phone 908-789-0620

INE Committee Meetings – Revised Dates

Dear Congregants,

As you know, the INE committee had announced our intention to conduct three congregational meetings to give every member the opportunity to hear the latest information about our plan to create a new entity with Congregation Ohr Shalom. The meetings will offer clarification and provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions. Leaders of Ohr Shalom, including the president and/or the Rabbi will participate in each meeting and there may be additional people from Ohr Shalom there, too.

Dates and times are:

Wednesday, March 18, at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 22, at 10:30 am/li>
Tuesday, April 7, at 7:30 pm

We will schedule additional meetings if the demand warrants them. These meetings are especially important for those who did not attend the congregational meeting on Sunday, January 26. Come and get the facts you will need to help you decide how to vote.