Shabbat, October 23: Vayera (Cheshvan 17) 8:00am Main Minyan - Outdoors (weather permitting) 8:30am Sephardic Minyan 9:00am Main Minyan - Indoors 10:00am Groups k-2nd Jr. Congregation 3rd-5th 10:30am Tot Shabbat 10:01am Latest Shema 4:30pm Gemara Shiur 5:00pm SNIF 5:40pm Mincha 6:05pm Rabbi's Parsha Shiur 6:40pm Maariv 6:51pm Havdalah
Sunday, October 24 (Cheshvan 18) 7:00am Shacharit 10:00am SOI boutique (Ends at 1:00pm) 5:45pm Mincha/Maariv
Volunteers Needed Remove Schach from the Sukkah Sunday, 1:00 pm Contact Chemmie Sokolic at chemsok@aol.com if you can help
I am very excited for the opportunity to share words of Torah with you. Each week, in this spot, I look to share an idea I've found that speaks to me and that I think will resonate with you as well. This week, given the upcoming first Yahrzeit of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, I share an excerpt from hisarticle, entitled 'The Binding of Isaac', which speaks about the greatness of the individual.
Before the emergence of the first cities and civilisations, the fundamental social and religious unit was the family. [...] The authority of the head of the family, the paterfamilias, was absolute. He had power of life and death over his wife and children. Authority invariably passed, on the death of the father, to his firstborn son. Meanwhile, as long as the father lived, children had the status of property rather than persons in their own right. [...]
The Torah is opposed to every element of this worldview. [...] The principle to which the entire story of Isaac, from birth to binding, is opposed is the idea that a child is the property of the father. [...]
What God was doing when He asked Abraham to offer up his son was not requesting a child sacrifice but something quite different. He wanted Abraham to renounce ownership of his son. He wanted to establish as a non-negotiable principle of Jewish law that children are not the property of their parents. [...]
As long as parents believed they owned their children, the concept of the individual could not yet be born. The fundamental unit was the family. The Torah represents the birth of the individual as the central figure in the moral life. Because children – all children – belong to God, parenthood is not ownership but guardianship. [...]
Why then did God say to Abraham about Isaac: “Offer him up as a burnt offering”? So as to make clear to all future generations that the reason Jews condemn child sacrifice is not because they lack the courage to do so. Abraham is the proof that they do not lack the courage. The reason they do not do so is because God is the God of life, not death. In Judaism, as the laws of purity and the rite of the Red Heifer show, death is not sacred. Death defiles.
The Torah is revolutionary not only in relation to society but also in relation to the family. [...T]he birth of the individual – the integrity of each of us as a moral agent in our own right – was one of the great moral revolutions in history.
Find out details about a special OU virtual event on Tuesday night marking the first Yahrzeit of Rabbi Sacks Z"L by going to www.ou.org/RabbiSacks or clicking here.
October Board Meeting Update With the High Holidays behind us, the goal was moving forward at this month’s Board Meeting. Heshy Chaitoff gave a thought provoking D’var Torah and with that inspiration we were off to work. We have done a little reorganizing, enabling the Committees closer involvement with the Executive Committee. For brevity sake, committees are requested to send in their monthly reports prior to the meeting for discussion and questions. Following is a brief summary of the meeting and volunteer opportunities open to everyone. MCAT: Marketing, Communication, Advertising, and Technology Committee will be having a meeting this Sunday to address several issues including advertising possibilities and website design with the addition of new committee members Sam Oshlag and Oriel Weinberg. Contact Chemmie Sokolic at chemsok@gmail.com. Ritual Committee: The Indoor Shabbos minyan moved to a 9am start time. We will reevaluate as needed. If you are interested in Leining Opportunities please reach out to the Ritual Committee or Gabboyim who are compiling lists moving forward. The Outdoor Minyan is planning to continue at an 8am start time. The Hashkama minyan is in need of a couple more committed participants. If you are interested, please get in touch with Heshy Chaitoff at heshychaitoff@gmail.com or Bill Jungreis at wjungreis@gmail.com. Covid Committee: The Covid Committee met and came up with guidelines for tfillot and kiddush which are presented below. The Security Committee, with the help of Jenni Jimenez-Fischman is applying for a new grant from the NJ Office of Homeland Security. If approved, the grant will be for up to $50,000. The money will be used to continue upgrading our facilities and video capabilities. Our current Homeland Security Grant is focused on replacing many doorways with new reinforced and impact resistant doors (Succah, front, main office, Rabbi and Presidential Suite). The new doors will make our “safe” rooms safer. We need more people to help with security on Shabbos. To volunteer. Please contact Sam Tilonsky at drsamod@gmail.com. Welcoming Committee: The bulk of the welcoming committee work takes place as people move in over the summer, but as additional families continue to move in we are sure to keep up our process and make sure that newcomers feel like they are connected to SOI. Rabbi Davies has been great about contacting people who are about to move in and welcome them as well as speaking with prospective Cherry Hill families. If you are comfortable hosting meals in your home, please consider reaching out to newcomers. Contact information for all families can be found in the member directory section of shulcloud when you login. (This is the case even for families who are not members.) If you’d like a list of people who have recently moved in, please contact Ilana Weiss at Weiss.ilana@gmail.com. We are having a Newcomers Welcome Shabbat on October 30. Donations are gratefully accepted at https://www.soicherryhill.org/form/newcomer-shabbat-kiddush.html. Fundraising Committee: SOI had a successful fundraising campaign during the chagim. Upcoming initiatives are: ● Kiddushes honoring past presidents ● Gala ● meeting to streamline fundraising strategy ● Formalizing a “Thank You” process so people are a) thanked and b) assured that their donation was received. Youth Committee: The Youth department kicked off the Shabbat Incentive Program (SIP). SIP is a rolling registration and children K - 8th can find ways to earn points with the first Kiddish being on Oct. 30. Timing of groups, with Indoor Minyan starting at 9, is being evaluated with TOT Shabbat starting at 10:30 this week. There will be a family hayride coordinated by Bnei Akiva on Oct. 31 (see the attached flyer). The youth committee met with the Davies and identified opportunities where SOI can strengthen their program, especially with he Middle School students. The Jubilee & Programming Committees have consolidated their efforts. Keep your eyes pealed for updates on a stimulating Walk-a-Thon. Upcoming activities are a SOI Boutique this Sunday, New Family Kiddush Oct. 30, and our GALA on February 27th. Many ideas were discussed for a Chanukah family friendly-COVID safe event. Volunteers are greatly appreciated. Please reach out to Sabrina Spector at sabrinaspector@gmail.com. SOI Kitchen Procedures are being re-evaluated by Rabbi Davies, Dan Malamud, Estelle Lerner, Daniel Drabkin, the Shulmans and Miltz’s with hopes of creating a more usable space with high kashrut standards and beautiful kiddush possibilities. Volunteers are needed. Please contact Dan Malamud at daniel@furn1.com. SCRIP for Shoprite will now be available for purchase starting next week. The shul makes 5% on all purchases.
As Tom Brokaw said, “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference. ” Volunteer today! As a reminder, you do NOT need to be on the Board to be involved.
Shabbat Shalom, Donna Moskowitz
The first ever email was sent in 1971: Roy Tomlinson sent himself and email. According to him “The test messages were entirely forgettable. . . . Most likely the first message was QWERTYIOP or something similar.”
WAYS TO HELP SOI PAINLESSLY
Just go to smile.amazon.com, search for Congregation Sons of Israel Synagogue. Every qualifying purchase will send 0.5% of the total to our Shul. Over time, this will add up.
SOI members and affiliates can click the link to go to the JCommerce websites and purchase their products. You can support SOI through the commission we earn.
Shoprite Scrip Now Available SOI office M-F 10-2 Yaeli Sokolic at ycsgraphix@gmail.com Flo Shulman at florence.shulman@gmail.com
Thank you to Rachel Klein & Ilana Weiss for organizing the well attended Yoetzet Initiative Event Thank you to Flo & Adam Shulman for their generous donation to the Mr. Finklestein Bottle Club Thank you to Marilyn Mindel, Avi Rynderman, Baila Silverman, Andy Rauer, Seth Cohen, Eytan Irwin, Chemmie Sokolic, Jeff Liss and Sam Tilonsky for providing security this past Shabbos.
The Kol HaNe'arim Tallit is on display in the vestibule. Honor your children, grandchildren, nieces, or nephews by embroidering their names on the Congregation Sons of Israel Kol HaNe’arim Tallit This beautiful Tallit is embroidered with your children’s names in gold It is used on Simchat Torah when the children are called up to the Torah for a special Aliyah
Why employ individuals with special needs? Why not? The JFCS Special Needs Supported Employment program offers support and training to help clients with developmental disabilities meet the challenges of the workplace as they strive to achieve their fullest potential. JFCS staff members use a hands-on, highly individualized approach to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities throughout the workforce. You can join the ranks of more than 120 employers in South Jersey that provide opportunities for adults with special needs through the JFCS Supported Employment program. You'll be in great company! To find out how your business can bring promise and possibility to potential new employees, please contact Karen Marks, Supported Employment Manager, at 856-424-1333 or kmarks@jfedsnj.org.
Florence Axelrod – Fruma bas Sarah Estelle Lerner- Esther Ethel bas Rochel Andy Rauer – Avigayal bas Peshe Ella Sheryl Malamud Amy Goldwasser Gavriel Yehuda ben Chaya Sarah Eytan Raphael Shraga Ben Dina Sarah Akiva Moshe ben Dina Sarah
David Partnow - David Avram Ben Tilla Razel Marvin Korff - Moshe ben Bessie
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
SOI Members Get Great Benefits We are so excited about the many families who have recently joined Sons of Israel. As a member in good standing, you are entitled to a fob which would give you access to the building for minyanim. Please reach out to Heshy Chaitoff for more information at heshychaitoff@gmail.com
There are many ways to support our Shul: Yartzeit Plaque ($400) Shabbat Security ($180) Chumash for the sanctuary ($75) Newslink ($36) Siddur for the sanctuary ($50) Welcome Basket ($18) Bottle Club ($36) https://www.soicherryhill.org/sponsor
COVID UPDATE - Mask Protocols - All unvaccinated adults and children must wear masks indoors at all times. - Masks (properly worn) will be required for all indoor attendees whenever social distancing is not possible due to increased synagogue attendance. An announcement will be made when this occurs and we hope to have a sign visible to make it clear. - All synagogue attendees should have a mask with them for when masking is necessary. - Everyone on the bima must wear a mask except for vaccinated baalei tfillah and baalei kriya - It is recommended that high risk individuals remain masked indoors at all times for their protection - Masks are optional at the outdoor minyan
Kiddush will be outdoors for greater inclusivity. In the event of inclement weather, kiddush is allowed indoors, though all unvaccinated attendees must remain masked - If a sponsor specifically would like an indoor kiddush, weather permitting an outdoor option should be made available so all congregants can partake
We will continue to seek guidance from the CDC, the NJ Department of Health, and the rabbinic and medical leadership of the OU to help keep our synagogue safe and we expect that our policies and recommendations may change as the pandemic continues to unfold. Thank you all for helping to keep our synagogue and our community safe.
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 The office will be open from 10-2 Monday - Friday
Congregation Sons of Israel 720 Cooper Landing Road Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
