חדש. What s New at Temple Avodat Shalom. Save the Date Saturday June 8th The Annual Awards Presentation and a Farewell to Rabbi Paul and Family

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1 חדש What s New at Temple Avodat Shalom Save the Date Saturday June 8th The Annual Awards Presentation and a Farewell to Rabbi Paul and Family April, 2019 Bulletin/5779 Volume 67/Issue 7 Inside this issue... April calendar on page 23. For up-to-date Temple information: Check the Temple website: Receive weekly announcements by send your updated address to administrator@avodatshalom.net 1

2 Upcoming Events April 1 st Brotherhood Card NIte 8:00 pm April 2 nd Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm April 3 rd RS/TASTE April 4 th Torah Noon April 5 th Tot Shabbat 6:00 pm Family Service led by the Youth Group 7:30 pm April 6 th Wrestling with the Torah, 9:15 am Sabbath Services, 10:30 am Bar Mitzvah of Hollin Barth April 7 th Religious School Sisterhood Breakfast 9:30 am Chaverim 11:30 am April 8 th Brotherhood Board Meeting 7:00 PM April 9 th Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm Board Meeting 7:30 pm April 10 th RS/TASTE Sisterhood Board Meeting 7:00 PM April 12 th Sabbath Services, 8:00 pm April 13 th Rabbi Borovitz Interfaith Panel - 9:00 am Sabbath Services, 10:30 am April 14 th NO Religious School April 16 th Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm April 17 th NO RS/TASTE April 18 th OFFICE CLOSED No Torah Study April 19 th PASSOVER OFFICE CLOSED Sabbath Services,5:00 pm First Seder April 20 th PESACH Wrestling with the Torah, 9:15 am Sabbath Services, 10:30 am Second Seder April 21 st NO Religious School April 24 th NO Religious School April 25 th Torah Noon April 26 th PASSOVER Office closed Passover Service 10:00 am Yizkor Sabbath Services, 8:00 pm April 27 th PESACH Wrestling with the Torah, 9:15 am Shabbat Pesach, 10:30 am Last Night of Passover April 28 th Religious School 6 th Grade Parent Meeting Brotherhood Walk for MS 9:30 am Young Families Post Passover Pizza in the Park 11:45 am Sabbath Services, 8:00 pm April 30 th Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm Sisterhood Lilith 8:00 pm FROM RABBI PAUL I have a confession. My bulletin article is due today and as usual, I have left it for the last minute. I hold nothing against our bulletin. In fact, I'm grateful to Cheryl Baer, and Barbara King before her for all of their work in compiling our monthly newsletter. But each month I struggle to come up with a topic for discussion. When in doubt, talk about baseball. It is only fitting that today, March 28, as I sit writing this article, is Opening Day, and we are, as of right now, 90 minutes away from the start of 2019 Major League Baseball season. It is also fitting that last night, the congregation voted to appoint Rabbi Jim Stoloff as the next rabbi, essentially marking today, as "Opening Day" for transition and the procession toward new leadership of our temple. I want to begin by congratulating Len Lawton and Mike Edelstein in their role as chairs of our Search Committee, and celebrate the efforts of our search committee, lay leadership, and congregation in guiding our community toward the selection of a new rabbi. After finishing my teaching at TASTE last night, I called Rabbi Stoloff to welcome him to Temple Avodat Shalom. We have plans to connect next week at the Central Conference of American Rabbis annual convention in Cincinnati, and to work toward ensuring as smooth a transition as possible. Of course, Rabbi Stoloff's "Opening Day," will be July 1, But the metaphor works. Every baseball team starts with a 0-0 record on Opening Day. Expectations and hopes are high. Every team wants to win a World Championship, yet they know the grit, determination, and hard work that it takes to push through a 162-game season. There are highs and lows, surges and slumps, and each day, the team works to make itself stronger and stronger. The team takes knowledge of where it has been, in order to chart a course forward, for where it wishes to go and grow. Some teams begin their year with a new manager and a new coaching staff and it takes time and effort to build strong relationships within the team. Rabbi Stoloff: This team is really worth it and I know that they are excited by the prospect of your leadership, presence, creativity, and enthusiasm. I think we have a championship-caliber team here at Avodat Shalom, and I'm hopeful that you will continue leading them toward being perennial pennant contenders in the Bergen County Jewish community. Team: We've given it a really good go these past six years (and of course, I'll have even more heartfelt words than these in June). We've deepened our sense of openness and community, and our commitment to learning in our time together. We have shared in some of the most beautiful and painful moments of our lives together. I hope that you will embrace Rabbi Stoloff's vision for the years ahead, work together as a team in celebrating the joys of life and sheltering one another in the heartbreak, and get excited for your continued journey, this coming season, and well beyond. We'll be rooting for you from afar. Rabbi Paul J. Jacobson Cantor Maria Dubinsky Educational Director Barbara Haber President Audrey Rosenblatt Administrator Barbara Herman Hoff Accompanist Kenneth Corneille Sisterhood Liz Dunkelman and Carrie Jablonsky Brotherhood Mario Caveda Rabbi Emeritus Neal I. Borovitz Cantor Emerita Ronit Josephson This Bulletin is published monthly by Temple Avodat Shalom 385 Howland Avenue River Edge, NJ Phone: (201) Fax: (201) administrator@avodatshalom.net Website: 2

3 This isn't goodbye yet, and even when we farewell one another in June, "goodbye" isn't "goodbye" forever. In Hebrew, we have a better word - l'hitraot, which means "see you next time," or "see you soon." But remember that just as graduation ceremonies are known as Commencement Exercises, so too is Opening Day a conclusion of one journey, and the beginning of another. Such is life. :-) With warm regards, Rabbi Paul J. Jacobson Spring is finally here, and with it comes warmer weather (we hope!), Passover, and longer hours of daylight. For me, and perhaps for a lot of you, it also means feeling more motivated to get out and do things. Spring just makes me feel better about life in general. The very feel in the air changes, and I always feel like it is a precursor of good things to come. Here at Temple Avodat Shalom, we will be working on our exciting plans to transition to a new Rabbi, as well as many event ideas for the coming year. We are finalizing our plans to finish this year with a beautiful farewell celebration on June 8 for Rabbi Paul, Lisa, Hannah, and Emily. Please plan to join us that evening for a meaningful celebration as well as a chance to celebrate Erev Shavuot with the community. In the shorter term, check the website calendar for the many other opportunities in April to come in and reconnect. Our Rabbi Emeritus, Rabbi Borovitz, will be doing a Shabbaton on April 13. Sisterhood and Brotherhood have, as usual, many events scheduled throughout the month. At the end of the month, on Sunday, April 28, please join us at Overpeck Park for Walk MS, where we walk as the TAS Super Starrs, to fundraise for a great cause, as well as have a great time! As I get closer to the end of my time as President of Temple Avodat Shalom, I have been doing a lot of thinking about what the experience has meant to me. I ll share a few of those thoughts in my next couple of bulletin columns. In the meantime, I wish everyone a wonderful spring and a Zissen Pesach. Audrey FROM THE EDUCATIONAL DIRECTOR Smart Phone Technology Connects Us and Isolates Us at the Same Time At what point does reliance on and use of a cell phone and/or the Internet turn into an addiction? Is there anything we can do to help our kids to avoid this from happening? The official name for smartphone addiction is nomophobia which is defined as having a fear of not being with your phone. According to a 2018 Pew Research Report, 95% of teens have access to a smartphone. 45% of teens said they use the Internet almost constantly. Results of numerous reports have found that 50% of teens feel addicted to their mobile devices, and that 72% of teens feel the need to respond to texts, social-networking messages and other notifications immediately. National surveys are indicating that our teens today are more anxious than ever. Many mental health professionals concur that it is not a coincidence that the climbing rates of depression and suicide in our teens happened at just about the same time as cell phones became a common accessory for most teens. Many adults model these addictive behaviors, and then wonder why their kids won t look up from the screen. Cyberbullying makes it impossible for teens to find a moment to escape from their persecutors. There are a lot more statistics that can be cited and bemoaned regarding the reliance/addiction of both young people and older people to technology. For example: The average smartphone user checks their device 47 times a day / 17,155 a year. 85% of smartphone users will check their device while speaking with friends and family. 80% of smartphone users check their phone within 1 hour of waking or going to sleep, 35% of which will do within 5 minutes. 3

4 Ironically, you can read about many of these statistics on your smart phone. You can also reconnect with old friends, research your next vacation, find the name of that actor you just can t remember, or buy a gift you ve forgotten to purchase for delivery by tomorrow. We have any and all information at the tip of our fingers. It is a wondrous thing. But it does have a cost. We are forgetting how to interact on a face-to-face basis. We are no longer where we are because we are so busy looking down, and becoming fascinated with what is happening somewhere else. Cell phone dependency has been shown to negatively impact both mental and physical attributes of our daily lives. Rising rates of anxiety, depression and loneliness, narcissism, stress, attention deficit disorder and sleep deprivation have all been linked to our growing dependency on our smartphones. Some of the experts in the field of psychology are likening the addictive nature of cell phone usage to that of gambling: cell phone users anticipate each next ping of a text much the same way gamblers await the next roll of the dice Jean Twenge is a Professor of psychology at San Diego State University and the author of igen: Why Today s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of Us. She warns that we are putting our children s mental health at terrible risk, and that this issue will continue to worsen if not addressed. The good news, Twenge tells us, is that we don t have to give our cell phones up. She suggests that we do use our phone for all of the wonderful things it can do for one hour each day. Then, she suggests, we put the phone down and go out and live our lives. The emphasis here, is about perspective. We should use our phone for the tool that it is, while not allowing ourselves to become used as a tool by the phone. To do our part in the religious school, I am purchasing shoe bags for our 5 th, 6 th and 7 th grade classrooms. They will be mounted to a wall or fastened over the classroom door. At the beginning of every class, every student will silence their phone and place it into one of the shoe pouches. The classroom teacher will do the same. (Obviously, an exception will be made regarding the use of cell phones for class research.) Most of our class sessions are two hours in length. If there is an emergency at home, you can call the office. If your child needs to get in touch with you, we can make that happen too. I am hoping that most participants will realize that they can exist and be in the moment for a two-three hour period without that which has become a natural extension of their hands. Your ongoing support and encouragement will go a long way toward achieving this goal for the remainder of this school year, the school year, and beyond. Thank you! Barbara Haber Educational Director Join us for Torah Study Shabbat: Saturday, May 25, 2019 Torah Study 9:15 Shabbat Services 10:30 Potluck Lunch 11:45 Three of Rabbi Paul s favorite things 12:15 Please let us know if you will attend the Lunch so we can plan accordingly. Contact Nilene Evans Chase if you want to contribute food for the Potluck Lunch. Sisterhood book club s spring selection is Jonathan Rabb s Among the Living. Join our book discussion on Monday April 1 st at 7:30 pm. Get fit while you sit with chair yoga and vision boards at the sisterhood breakfast Sunday April 7 th at 9:30 am. Spring Lilith salon on Tuesday April 30 th at 8 pm will be a brainstorming meeting for new educational/spiritual programs/ideas for next year. Next board meeting is April 10 th at 7 pm. RSVP to events, questions, ideas and suggestions contact us at sisterhood@avodatshalom.org.. 4

5 Did You Take Your IRA Required Minimum Distribution? Did you know that with the new tax laws for 2018, many people who must take a required minimum distribution from their IRAs are paying their temple dues from their IRAs? The tax laws this year have changed so that many people can benefit from donating through their IRAs. You can discuss with your tax advisor, financial advisor, or call the Temple office for more details. A Gift for the Future of TAS January is when tax season begins. We are all getting our Forms 1099 from our bank and brokerage accounts, and we are getting our Forms W-2 from our employers. We re focusing on our finances, our assets and our investments. Isn t Temple Avodat Shalom an asset for all of us? Don t we value what the Temple provides to us? If so, then let s consider our own investment in the Temple. Like any other asset, we want it to grow; but in order for TAS to continue to grow, we need to invest. This time of year, when we are doing our financial planning, let s consider leaving part of our estates to the Temple. You can show how much TAS means to you by including TAS in your future plans. We are a nonprofit charitable organization and rely on the support of our members for our success and survival. Please call the Temple office to learn more about how to include the Temple as one of the beneficiaries of your Will, retirement plan, life insurance or IRA. Thank you and we wish you many happy returns! Want to Help? The fundraising committee for the Temple is always looking for new ideas and people to help. If you are interested, please contact us at fundraising@avodatshalom.net. The TAS Adult Education Committee is pleased to announce the following April 2019 Activities: 4/13, What Do Our Sacred Scriptures Teach about Love of God and Love of neighbour? 9-10:30 AM with Bagel Breakfast Multi-Faith Panel Discussion Featuring Rabbi Neal Borovitz, Ms. Alison Mousin Cryer (Student Minister at Central Unitarian Church), Rev. Stephen Sweet, and Mr. Hakan Yesilova (Editor, Fountain Magazine) Gentle Yoga at TAS No experience required. New session (8 weeks): Tuesdays, April 9 - May 28 7:00-8:00 PM $160 (check made to TAS) If interested, contact Sally Isaacs (Yoga@avodatshalom.net) 5

6 Young Families April bulletin article April 5 is First Friday services, including Tot Shabbat at 6 pm and a family service at 7:30 pm. Join us for the Young Families Pizza in the Park Post-Passover Celebration on April 28 at 1 PM at Van Saun Park. This is our last big event of the year. It will be a fun chance to socialize and enjoy the warm weather. Reply to youngfamilies@avodatshalom.net if you plan to attend. Do you have ideas about activities for young families you d like to see on the calendar next year? Let us know at youngfamilies@avodatshalom.net or at one of our events. KIPPAH FUNDRAISER Order Kippot for your special celebration (Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Wedding) through the Temple and help support our Parents' Association who help fund many of our children's activities. Call Debra Tester at for information. To LIZA & GARY BARTH on the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Hollin Barth. Each month, the children in our congregation who are celebrating birthdays are called to the bimah during our First Friday Family Service. March birthdays will be called to the bimah on April 5 th. We wish all of them a Happy Birthday. Ariana Altman Jared Davis Jonathan Ginsberg Hannah Jacobson Olivia Klein Matthew Brooks, Jax Eisler, Ben Feimer, Ethan Hoffman, Joshua Kaplan, Sabrina Klein, Jacqueline Eve LeVine, Eva Newton, Nina Quigley, Jacob Reicher, Benjamin Weinberg and Bailee Zimmerman... 6

7 Gift Cards Available for More Than Just Food Shopping Did you know you can pay for your Spring or Summer vacations while making money for TAS--at no additional cost to you? Over 60 vacation companies offer gift cards you can purchase through our program, such as: Disney (3% rebate) American Airlines (6%) Avis and Budget Rent-a-Cars (8%) Carnival Cruise Line (8%) Delta Air (4%) Golden Nugget (9%) Royal Caribbean (13%) Uber (3%)...and many others For more details, visit the Shop With Scrip website at Shop - Browse Brands or contact us at giftcards@avodatshalom.net. JUSTICE AT TAS Please visit our Justice Central webpage (under Community) on the TAS website. We now have three subpages Gender Identity and Expression, Social Justice Trip Remote Area Medical and Additional Social Justice Opportunities. We frequently post new Tikkun Olam opportunities seminars, food drives, rallies, thought pieces. Contact justice@avodatshalom.net to get issues and events added to the Additional Social Justice Opportunities or if you have questions about our activities. 7

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14 PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST BE A TEMPLE MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING AND A PAID UP MEMBER OF SISTERHOOD BY 12/31/18 IN ORDER FOR YOUR CHILD TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A SCHOLARSHIP SISTERHOOD JEWISH CAMP AND EXPERIENCE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION One of the goals of the Sisterhood is to encourage our members children to have fun and enriching Jewish experiences beyond the TAS community Date: Parent Name: Child Name: Address: Phone Number: Jewish Camp (please list name) * Jewish Experience (please specify) OR Total Cost of Program 14

15 Have you previously received a Sisterhood scholarship? If yes, please list date(s) and program(s). Please describe why you would like to attend your program. (Please use the reverse side of this application or attach a separate sheet.) Scholarship Rules: 1) Parent must be a member in good standing of TAS and the TAS Sisterhood. Sisterhood dues MUST have been paid by 12/31 of academic year. 2) All scholarship requests must be received by April 1 st or prior to the start of the Jewish experience. 3) NEW - Students may apply for a camp scholarship multiple years, however preference is given to first time applicants. 4) Scholarships for Jewish experiences other than camp are limited to a one time award per individual experience. 5) Decisions will be made no later than May 1 st with preference given to first time applicants. 6) Students who receive scholarships may be asked to participate in a Temple activity to share their experience. Parent Signature: Student Signature: Jewish experience scholarships are awarded for youth trips to Israel or Jewish youth experiences such as the RAC trip or the NFTY Bi-Annual Convention. If you have any questions or require further clarification please contact us at sisterhood@avodatshalom.net 15

16 HELP OUR LIBRARY GROW! TEMPLE AVODAT SHALOM BIRTHDAY BOOK DONATION PROGRAM: Celebrate your child s (or grandchild s) birthday with a book donation to the Temple Avodat Shalom Library! The program is simple. You send in a donation for $18.00, which will be used toward the purchase of a new book. The books will be available in the library for your child to select. On or near their birthday, the librarian will have your child choose a book. A bookplate with your child s name, birthday and the school year will then be placed inside this book. Your child will be the first person to check out this personalized book and bring it home to share. Children with birthdays in June will choose a book in December, July in January, and August birthdays in February on their "Half Birthday". Thank you in advance for participating in this wonderful program to help expand our library! If you have any questions, please school@avodatshalom.net TEMPLE AVODAT SHALOM BIRTHDAY BOOK PROGRAM $18.00 per book Checks payable to "Temple Avodat Shalom"; memo section Birthday Book Donation Name of Child Birthdate 16

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18 The cutoff date for all donations to be listed in the Bulletin is the 25 th of each month; otherwise they will be listed in the following month s bulletin. GENERAL FUND Donations to the General Fund support all activities of the Temple AUDREY ROSENBLATT Thank You s to: Len Lawton Mike Edelstein Steve Berman Nilene Chase JUDITH GURION In memory of Michael Courtian AUDREY & JOEL ROSENBLATT LINDA & PHILIP GOULD BARBARA & MICHAEL STARR ROSE KAY BROWNING & BERNIE FAUST SIDNEY SCHNALL LIZ & LEN LAWTON CHARLOTTE MAGID GILDA & FRED RABINOWITZ LENORE & RUBIN LERER RALPH RICE NANCY & WARREN HEAPS In memory of Tony Luciano s beloved mother, Ethel Luciano. AUDREY & JOEL ROSENBLATT ARLENE & DAVID LAPIDOS BARBARA & MICHAEL KING TONY & BARBARA LUCIANO LINDA & PHILIP GOULD BARBARA & KEN HABER KAREN & MITCHELL LIGHT SIDNEY SCHNALL NAOMI JACOBY COHN SUSAN & BOB MESSER CAROL BERDY ANNETTE WEBER VICKI & STEVE MONALOY BETHLEE & MARC POTOLSKY To Rabbi Neal Borovitz in memory of his beloved mother, Millie Borovitz. RUTH & JOE STOLZ To Art & Carole Moonshine in memory of Jennifer. SUSAN & LARRY ALTMAN Congratulations to Carly Gaffin on her 5 th Grade Wedding! RIVER DELL HADASSAH In honor of the anniversary of the founding of National Hadassah at Purim time in VICKI & STEVE MONALOY BETHLEE& MARC POTOLSKY To Sally Isaacs in memory of her beloved mother, Rachel Senzell. BETHLEE & MARC POTOLSKY In memory of Rob Perkel s father, Joel Perkel. AUDREY & JOEL ROSENBLATT LIZ & LEN LAWTON SUSAN & LARRY ALTMAN VICKI & STEVE MONALOY BETHLEE & MARC POTOLSKY CASSY & SETH KADESH To Steve Cohen in memory of his beloved father, Mitchell Cohen. BARBARA & TONY LUCIANO Thank you to all of the Purim Patrons for the Mishloach Manot Basket. JOAN & STEVE KAPLAN To Caleb Herbst, Keep up the good work! PEGGY & STUART SCHNEIDER AUDREY & JOEL ROSENBLATT SUSAN SCOTT BARBARA HERMAN HOFF BARBARA & TONY LUCIANO GAIL & ERIC GOLDFARB LINDA & PHILIP GOULD ELLEN & STEVE BERMAN VICKI & STEVE MONALOY SUSAN & LARRY ALTMAN BARBARA & MICHAEL KING ELIZABETH & DAVID DUNKELMAN BETHLEE & MARC POTOLSKY DAVID GREENFIELD & MARIAN ROFFMAN LIZ & LEN LAWTON MARYANN OTERO CASSY & SETH KADESH In memory of Bonnie Shurbet, mother of Marni Landsberg Hess. ELLEN & STEVE BERMAN ROBERTA PALEY & JOE MOSKOWITZ CAROL & ROY HERMALYN Congratulations to Mary & Rich Lurie on their 40 th Wedding Anniversary! BETHLEE & MARC POTOLSKY Mazel Tov to Sally & Michael Isaacs on the birth of their new grandson, Caleb Atley Zicherman. AUDREY & JOEL ROSENBLATT To Robert & Andrea Perkel in honor of Rayna s Bat Mitzvah. AUDREY & JOEL ROSENBLATT. LIZ & LEN LAWTON To Cherly & Andy Roth in honor of Marissa s Bat Mitzvah. BETHLEE & MARC POTOLSKY To Michael Corrigan in honor of his conversion to Judaism LISA & ROBERT COHEN Wishing a speedy recovery to Gilda Rabinowitz. YAHRZEIT PLAQUE MISHKAN T FILAH FOR YOUTH FUND SOCIAL ACTION FUND (Feeding the Hungry) CHILDREN'S LIBRARY FUND STEPHANIE & PHILIP MANDELBAUM To Emily Jillson & Family in memory of Arthur Neufeld. In memory of Milton Mandelbaum. In Memory of Steven Dresher. LIBRARY FUND ADULT EDUCATION FUND THE SCHNOLL MUSIC FUND SUSAN & LARRY ALTMAN LIZ & LEN LAWTON SUSAN SCOTT ELIZABETH & DAVID DUNKELMAN AMY LEDERMAN & MICHAEL AUFRICHTIG PHYLLIS & MARTIN ROTH LISA A. & ROBERT COHEN PEGGY & STUART SCHNEIDER NAOMI JACOBY COHN PHYLLIS MEHER KURT OSINSKY GLORIA & IRWIN COHEN JANET & AL SKOLNIK GAIL & ERIC GOLDFARB To Connie Schnoll with many thanks for your generous support of the wonderful Broadway Extravaganza. CONNIE SCHNOLL To Cubby Cohen: Wishing you well with much love. Up and at em! To Steve Cohen in memory of his beloved Father, Mitchell Cohen. In memory of Bonnie Shurbet, mother of Marni Landsberg Hess. YAHRZEIT FUND MARILYN & ERIC LANSEY In memory of Marilyn s father, Stuart Segall. ROBERT SALOMON In memory of his mother-in-law, Anna Reisman. MIDGE RAUCH In memory of mother-in-law, Jeanette Rauch, and her father-in-law, Sol S. Rauch. SUSAN & LARRY ALTMAN In memory of Larry s father, Lester Altman. LORI & JOHN DAUGHERTY In memory of Lori's father, Seymour Black. SUSAN PIKE In memory of her grandmother, Jennie Fried. LORETTA CARSON In memory of her beloved husband, Kenneth Carson and her late mother, Delphie Greenbaum. HERBERT DIAMOND In memory of his mother, Mollie Diamond, and his sister, Helen Somers. NAOMI KERSTEIN In memory of her husband, Ron Kerstein, her her father-in law, Nathan Kerstein, and Sam Hanna. LINDA & ROBERT SCHLEGEL In memory of Linda s father Bert Bachrach. NAOMI JACOBY COHN In memory of her parents, Louis & Pauline Levin. NANCY & WARREN HEAPS To commemorate Annette Gerner and Murray Gerner. JEANNE BUESSER In memory of her aunt, Carrie Blankfield. In memory of her cousin, Karen Fine. JOE MOSKOWITZ & ROBERTA PALEY In memory of Joe s father, Morton Moskowitz In memory of Joe s grandmother, Rose Dreyer. JOAN & GUNTER HECHT In memory of Ralph & Lynn Julius. EVELYN REISER In memory of her mother, Rebecca Sheftman In memory of Lena & Max Rezinsky. ROSE KAY BROWNING & BERNARD FAUST In memory of Bernard s mother, Lena Faust. VICKI & STEVE MONALOY In memory of Vicky s mother, Rhoda Chalfin. SIDNEY SCHNALL In memory of his father, Abraham Schnall. In memory of his mother-in-law, Fannie Lowenberg. VIVIAN SLOVES In memory of her father, Abraham Kaufman. ELLEN & STEVE BERMAN In memory of Ellen s mother, Sheila Peled. IRIS & MARVIN LAPIDUS In memory of Iris s father, Lucian LaManna JUDITH RICHARD In memory of her father, Jack Becker. CANTOR'S DISCRETIONARY FUND TONY & BARBARA LUCIANO Thank you for your support. RABBI'S DISCRETIONARY FUND NAOMI JACOBY COHEN Thank you for your hospitality. ANNETTE WEBER In memory of Millie Borovitz, Special Matriarch, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. GLORIA & IRWIN COHEN With thanks for all that you do. TONY & BARBARA LUCIANO Thank you for your support. LAURA (BIVONE) & BROOKS KARNS Thank you for your support and leadership for Lael s Baby Naming. 18

19 EDUCATOR DISCRETIONARY FUND JANE & NEIL GAFFIN In memory of Steve s beloved father, Mitchell Cohen. SISTERHOOD A. BAER MEMORIAL SCHOOL FUND BROTHERHOOD CANTOR JOSEPHSON CAMP SCHOLARSHIP FUND SHAVELSON FUND To subsidize teen and young adult participation in Jewish leadership programming LAPIDOS TREE OF LIFE MICHAEL MEALIA SCHOLARSHIP FUND MITZVAH WALK BRICK TORAH RESTORATION FUND For the care and maintenance of our Torah scrolls SISTERHOOD SUNSHINE FUND Our deepest condolences to Dr. Tony and Barbara Luciano on the recent passing of his mother Ethel Luciano. Our most sincere sympathies to Rabbi Neal Borovitz and Ann Applebaum on the recent passing of his mother Millie Borovitz. Congratulations to Robert & Andrea Perkel on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Rayna. Congratulations to Cheryl & Andy Roth on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Marissa. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Fred Rabinowitz following recent shoulder surgery. Sending warm thoughts and good wishes to Gail Goldfarb. Our deepest condolences to Marni Landsberg on the loss of her mother Get well wishes to Gilda Rabinowitz Thank you to Sari Erdos for her amazing baking skills for Mah Jongg Madness. Thank you to Michelle Kupfer for her generous donation to Sisterhood at Mah Jongg Madness. Thank you to Barbara Starr for the fabulous work done for Mah Jongg Madness. Thank you to Cheryl Jaffe for all the amazing work done for Mah Jongg Madness. A REMINDER: Donations to Temple Avodat Shalom's Funds may be made, by phone or mail, in honor of someone, in memory of someone, or "just because." A beautiful card of acknowledgment will be mailed to the honoree or to the family of the deceased upon receipt of the donation, minimum $10. However, certain specific Funds require higher minimums, as follows: Library Fund $18 Torah Restoration 180 Gates of Joy 18 Simcha Tree of Life 180 Mishkan T filah Youth 18 Lapidos Tree of Life 250 Torah Commentary 90 Mitzvah Walk Brick

20 HANDY PEOPLE NEEDED TO HELP SENIORS and DISABLED PERSONS Want to enjoy a really rewarding experience? The Chore Service, sponsored by the Bergen Volunteer Center, helps keep Bergen County seniors and people with disabilities safe in their own homes. Chore volunteers perform minor household repairs that these vulnerable people can t do themselves nor get anyone else to do, and that can make a huge difference in the quality of their lives. These repairs are performed at no cost to the people, other than the cost of the materials used in the repair. For those on a fixed income, these savings could mean the difference between paying a professional a fee just to evaluate a situation, and whether there is money for food or medicine! A Chore volunteer should be able to perform the kind of minor repairs that any able-bodied homeowner must do: replacing broken locks/doorknobs, installing washers in faucets, replacing electric outlets or switches, installing grab bars and hand railings, putting in/taking out small air conditioners, even changing light bulbs! The Chore Service has three vans that are sent throughout Bergen County 5 days a week. A volunteer would be assigned one day a week to a crew that performs 4-5 service calls per day. Chore offers a great volunteer opportunity for retirees or people who work second and third shift jobs. Call Maureen at (201) to find out how satisfying it can be to use your handyperson skills to lend a hand to those in need. 20

21 Incontinence is the second leading cause of institutionalization. 25 million Americans suffer from urinary incontinence 25 % of Bergen County seniors live below the poverty level There are currently no programs that offer financial assistance to seniors in need of adult briefs or other incontinence products, making these necessities for independent living unattainable luxury items. Adult products of this kind cost upwards of $100 a month, and with social security benefits averaging $874 a month, purchasing them is not possible for millions of adults. Having access to these items are a basic human need, allowing senior adults to remain mobile, social and productive. Without them, many healthy older people would be trapped in their homes, fearful of joining social functions, trips to libraries or the movies, or even attending their own grandchild s wedding! Seniors who remain socially active remain healthier, both physically and emotionally, and since people are living longer and leading more active lives, it is critically important to invest in programs that can help them afford products that will allow them to remain engaged in their community. The cost of not providing them will be astronomical by comparison to the care costs incurred by the need of early institutionalization and other health problems! Unlike babies, who outgrow the need for diapers, incontinent adults will bear this cost for the rest of their lives. A recent study indicates that 25% of our New Jersey seniors cannot afford basic necessities. They are not eligible for Medicaid yet their Social Security check does not cover food, medications and adult absorbent products. Did you know that there is no government funding for adult care briefs? (formerly known as adult diapers) Without these products many seniors would be trapped in their homes and unable to attend social and/or family events. People are living longer and leading more active lives. The Adult Care Brief Bank was developed to collect and distribute absorbent products to those in need. Through drives, similar food drives or collections, The Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, The Academy of Holy Angels, The New Synagogue of Fort Lee, St. Joseph's Parish, Bergen Family Center and other venues including networking events have collected over 120,000 products. The items collected are distributed to individuals in need through local agencies such as the Center for Food Action, Meals On Wheels of Bergen County, and Pascack, Visiting Homemaker Home Health Aide Service of Bergen County, Jewish Family Services, Bergen Family Center, the Southeast Senior Center for Independent Living (SESCIL) and more. All it takes is an blast and a collection bin. Oh yea, a bit of media always helps 21

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23 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday MAY S M T W T F S APRIL 2019/ Adar II 1 Brotherhood Card Nite 8:00 PM 26 Adar II 2 Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm 27 Adar II 3 RS/TASTE 28 Adar II 4 Torah Noon adar II - nisan 29 Adar II (7:07) 5 Tot Shabbat 6:00 pm Family Service led by the Youth Group 7:30 pm 1 Nisan 6 Parashat Tazria Wrestling with the Torah, 9:15 am Sabbath Services, 10:30 am Bar Mitzvah of Hollin Barth 2 Nisan 7 Religious School Sisterhood Breakfast 9:30 am Chaverim 11:30 am 3 Nisan 8 Brotherhood Board Meeting 7:00 PM 4 Nisan 9 Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm Board Meeting 7:30 pm 5 Nisan 10 RS/TASTE Sisterhood Board Meeting 7:00 PM 6 Nisan 11 Torah Noon 7 Nisan (7:14) 12 Sabbath Services, 8:00 pm 8 Nisan 13 Parashat Metzora Rabbi Borovitz Interfaith Panel - 9:00 am Sabbath Services, 10:30 am 9 Nisan 14 NO Religious School 10 Nisan Nisan 16 Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm 12 Nisan 17 NO RS/TASTE 13 Nisan 18 OFFICE CLOSED No Torah Study 14 Nisan (7:22) 19 PASSOVER OFFICE CLOSED Sabbath Services,5:00 pm First Seder 15 Nisan 20 PESACH Parashat Pesach Wrestling with the Torah, 9:15 am Sabbath Services, 10:30 am Second Seder 16 Nisan 21 NO Religious School 23 Nisan 28 Religious School 6 th Grade Parent Meeting Brotherhood Walk for MS 9:30 am Young Families Post Passover Pizza in the Park 11:45 am 17 Nisan Nisan Nisan 24 NO RS/TASTE 24 Nisan Nisan 30 Yoga 7:00 pm Choir 7:30 pm Sisterhood Lilith 8:00 pm 20 Nisan 25 Torah Noon Yizkor 7:30 pm 21 Nisan (7:29) 26 PASSOVER Office closed Passover Service 10:00 am Yizkor Sabbath Services, 8:00 pm 22 Nisan 27 PESACH Wrestling with the Torah, 9:15 am Shabbat Pesach, 10:30 am Last Night of Passover 23