Weekly Newslinks

                                                 Happiness = Fulfillment
The great quest in our tattered world is happiness. People search for happiness with hobbies, relationships and pleasures; but it is so fleeting and when we actually feel happy, it is difficult to maintain once achieved. The largest industry in the western world is the Entertainment Industry. Billions of dollars are spent regularly for the express purpose of having a good time and achieving happiness. Sadly, it does not work.

In our Parsha this week we meet Korach, the Master of Machlokes. The Talmud explains that despite his wealth and high social status he was incredibly jealous of his cousin Moshe and launched a rebellion with the hopes of a takeover. He gathers a willing group of followers who stage a protest that leads to a showdown where G-d opens the ground and swallows up the rebels. This is a fitting consequence for those that aim to artificially raise their position in G-d’s world; the result is they are diminished to a place of anonymity. Korach and his followers pined to be leaders and they are remembered as failures that got buried alive.

The question is Why? Ostensibly Korach had a fine and good life with meaningful work for his people. So what prompted Korach to knock on destruction’s door?

Answer: He wasn’t happy. He wasn’t fulfilled. He looked outside of himself to find meaning instead of inside himself where it truly matters. The place one needs to focus on to achieve happiness is inside himself. Only when one feels fulfilled are they able to successfully share with another without feeling insecure, jealous and unhappy.

The Torah advances a commandment – Don’t be like Korach. On the surface this means don’t start a Machlokes; but underneath it means to learn to live a fulfilled and happy life. Then and only then can there be peace.
           
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Epstein

 “You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.” —Tina Fey

So many people were involved to make this an amazing week. Starting on Shabbat with the beautiful Graduation Kiddush - thanks to all the sponsors and Sisterhood, Sunday with Rabbi Slifkin from the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Israel - sponsored by the Lindenbergs, to the inaugural meeting of the SOI Historical Society, productive Welcome Committee meeting, New Board Member Orientation and new summer learning series by Rabbi Ian Shaffer.

We are slowly but surely making our way back to normalcy.  Masks are only required if you are not fully vaccinated.  Sign up sheets are kaput. I am excited to share information about the following programs and initiatives with you and look forward to seeing you soon.

The SOI Historical Society had its inaugural meeting this past week.  Our goal is three-fold:
*Memorialize SOI history
*Promote member engagement
*Share lessons learned from the past
Some things we are looking into are videoing/interviewing long time and new members for a montage video.  Chemmie Sokolic is formulating questions for interviewing.  Larry Miller is creating lists of past presidents of the shul and Sisterhood.  Helen Baker is reaching out to the Camden County Historical Society for records and the possibility of a program at SOI.  Avi Rynderman will be researching the possibility of creating a book celebrating our history and looking towards the future as we commemorate 50 years in Cherry Hill.  Ken Panitch is looking to see if any grant money is available.  We would like to have a working TV monitor to display the interviews and images from the past.

If you have any images from the past of SOI, we would love to make copies for display.  You can drop them off in the office M-F 10-2 or send them directly to me. 

BH, there have been many new families moving into Cherry Hill.  Due to COVID it has been very difficult making them feel welcome.  The Welcome Committee has been working very hard to hurdle this obstacle.  They have provided welcome baskets and will be having a Newcomers Kiddush on June 26th.  Sponsorships are available.  If you are aware of new families moving in, would like to volunteer, or would like to be a host/hostess to visitors for Shabbat, or provide meals to new families, please reach out to Aliza Chaitoff - alizachaitoff@gmail.com, Aliza Sadiky - alizasadiky@gmail.com or llana Weiss - weiss.ilana@gmail.com.

Birthdays in the Park will be this Shabbat at Ivy Lane at 4pm.  Come and celebrate May, June, and July birthdays, get to know new people and SOCIALIZE!!!!  I hope to see you there.

Rabbi Shaffer will be leading a summer series entitled, “To Argue or not to Argue…That is the Question” on alternating Tuesday evenings.  The next class will be June 22 at 8:30pm on zoom.  Exploring ancient and modern debates in Jewish History is the main gist of the program and a different topic will be explored each week.  I will leave you with this quote from the shiur this week, “Disagreement is fundamental  but the way it is presented is a remarkable expression of a true ‘machloket Iesheim shamayim’”.  With discussion with my son today, he pointed out that the root of ‘machloket” , disagreement, is separated/divide and /or part of.  His conclusion was that we should not be separated but have unity in our community.  My father would have said, there is a need sometimes to agree to disagree…in a respectful way.
Shabbat Shalom

Shabbat Shalom 
Donna Moskowitz
SOI President

​​​​​​​(I'm up to 26 random acts of kindness - 24 to go)
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Please Note:
Highlighted section reserved for social distancing and unvaccinated people

SECURITY GREETER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Volunteers needed for 1 hour shifts on Shabbat from 8:30-11
Training Provided
Contact: Sam Tilonsky at drsamod@gmail.com
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                          SOI Committees 2020-2021
Advertising          Chemmie Sokolic    chemsok@aol.com
Bikur Cholim        Larry Miller              twinks-3043@msn.com
Fundraising         Dore Provda            dore_provda@yahoo.com
Historical Society                         president@soicherryhill.org
Jubilee                 Helene Raush         raushfamily@comcast.net
                            Sabrina Spector      sabrinaspector@gmail.com
                             Helen Baker            bakera412@comcast.net
Membership         Ilana Weiss             weiss.ilana@gmail.com
                             Heshy Chaitoff        heshychaitoff@gmail.com
Programming       Chani Berliant      chaniwiesman@gmail.com
                            Sabrina Spector      sabrinaspector@gmail.com
                             Suzie Mindel          suziepm@yahoo.com
Ritual                    Heshy Chaitoff       heshychaitoff@gmail.com
Security                Sam Tilonsky          drsamod@gmail.com
Shalom Bayit        Ken Panitch            ken.panitch@gmail.com
Sisterhood                                         sisterhood@soicherryhill.org
Youth                    Sabrina Spector     sabrinaspector@gmail.com
                             Suzie Mindel          suziepm@yahoo.com
Welcome              Aliza Chaitoff          alizachaitoff@gmail.com

The Sisterhood meeting originally scheduled for June 10th has been re-scheduled to June 21 at 8:30 pm. to avoid scheduling conflicts.  We will be voting on our proposed board slate, discuss committee opportunities for getting involved, and to discuss our exciting July membership program!     
The link to join the meeting is:  https://tinyurl.com/SOIsisterhood
The proposed board slate is as follows:
President: Karen Cohen
Vice President of Administration: Debbie Fineberg
Vice President of Programming: Aliza Sadiky
Treasurer: Hannah Kaufman
Recording Secretary: Open (Contact Karen Cohen if interested in this position)

​​​​​​​Mazel tov to the entire Epstein family on 
Nachi's Graduation from Mesivta of Greater Philadelphia
Yocheved's up coming Bat Mitzvah

Thanks to Noah & Shaindy Lindenberg for sponsoring the well attended program on Sunday with Rabbi Slifkin.

Thank you to Jane & Charlie Basch for sponsoring kiddush on in honor of Charlie’s mother’s Yartzeit (Leah bat R’Chaim)

Thank you to Dan Malamud for sponsoring Shalosh Seudas in loving memory 
of the first Yartzeit of Ester Matilde Nurit bat Izthak, z'L.

Thanks to Don Becker, Debbie Fineberg, Jeff Liss, Donna Moskowitz and Sam Tilonsky for providing security on Shabbat.
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GABOYIM NEEDED
The Gaboyim supervise religious services in the Shul every morning, evening and Shabbat.  They designate people to lead the services, distribute aliyot and other Shul honors and are custodians of all religious articles and books.  If you are interested, please contact president@soicherryhill.org .
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HELP WANTED
Children’s Group Leaders. 
Shabbat mornings 10-11 am.  Must be good with children.  Duties include davening and creative programming/learning about the parsha each week. 
To apply email president@soicherryhill.org
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        This week, our featured "Neighbors" are Chani Wiesman & Yoni Berliant. 
We are optimistic that we will all soon be able to return to shul together, however as of yet, things are not quite back to normal. Many of us have not seen our friends from shul for months. Additionally, many new families have moved to the community, but due to the pandemic, we have not had a chance to meet and get to know each other. To help us stay connected, we are bringing a new feature called "Won't you be my neighbor". If you would like to be featured here, please contact Chani Wiesman.  In this feature, you will get to meet new families as well as become reacquainted with familiar faces. 

Click here to meet Chani Wiesman & Yoni Berliant and to see past submissions

Florence Axelrod – Fruma bas Sarah
Estelle Lerner- Esther Ethel bas Rochel
Andy Rauer – Avigayal bas Peshe Ella
Bruce Goldhagen - Berel Dov Ben Chia
Sheryl Malamud 
Yoni Yares
Amy Goldwasser
Gavriel Yehuda ben Chaya Sarah 
Binyamin Yedidya Nachshon ben Shira Ruth
​​​​Robbie Friedner
Raphael Shraga Ben Dina Sarah 

 Since the tehillim group is not meeting again until after COVID, following is a link to the prayers for good health and healing that you can recite for our ailing members

There are many ways to support our Shul:
Yartzeit Plaque ($400)
Shabbat Security ($180)
Chumash for the sanctuary ($75)
Newslink ($72)
Siddur for the sanctuary ($50)
Welcome Basket ($18)
Bottle Club ($36)
https://www.soicherryhill.org/sponsor ​​​​​​​

Reminder:  If your mailing information has been changed, please update it on our website by logging on at  soicherryhill.org 
If you know someone who is not receving our weekly email, please let the office know

Office Hours Next Week for Jean Klein:
Monday to Friday 10:00am - 2:00pm