IMPORTANT COVID UPDATES FOR THIS SHABBAT By now you are likely aware that there has been an outbreak of COVID in students and staff at Politz Day School. We wish a refuah sh'liemah to all those families affected. Let's all keep them in our T'fillot and do what we can to support them.
In order to help stem the spread of this virus at SOI this Shabbat, we have decided to cancel all youth programs, including the very popular Tot Shabbat this Shabbat. There will also be no kiddush this week.
The indoor, outdoor and sephardic minyanim will meet as usual. Anyone davening inside will be required to wear a mask.
If you have been instructed to quarantine or are feeling sick in any way, please stay home.
We encourage anyone at high risk for infection or complications to exercise additional precaution during this local uptick in COVID cases.
We hope to be able to get back to our youth programs and kiddushes as soon as possible. Rabbi Michael Davies, Donna Moskowitz, and the Covid Task Force
Shabbat, November 13: Vayetzei (Kislev 9) 8:00am Main Minyan - Outdoors (weather permitting) 8:30am Sephardic Minyan 9:00am Main Minyan - Indoors 9:13am Latest Shema 10:00am Groups K-2nd Jr. Congregation 3rd-5th (cancelled this week) 10:00am Tot Shabbat (cancelled this week) 4:15pm Mincha 4:40pm Rabbi's Parsha Shiur 5:15pm Maariv 5:29pm Havdalah
Sunday, November 14 (Kislev 10) 7:00am Shacharit 11:00am Boys Football Tournament (postponed this week) 4:25pm Mincha/Maariv
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.
Our Tradition teaches us Lo HaMidrash Hu HaIkar Elah HaMaaseh - the main thing is not the study, rather the actions we take [from our study]. Throughout the beautiful narratives of Sefer Bereishit we learn of the greatness of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs, in particular the great acts of kindness they performed amongst themselves and for others. But learning of these stories each year is only one part of what we are meant to take from our great ancestry.
The second piece here is one we have been blessed with seeing throughout this past week. Ora and I have been so touched by the outpouring of offers of support and kindness from the entire community. The Maaseh, acts of Chessed we have experienced have been amazing and we know that we will all look to support those in need as we continue through this challenging time.
"It's not enough to speak, but to speak true." William Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Merriam Webster defines a 'word' as “a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing, used with others (or sometimes alone) to form a sentence.“ Words can be kind, helpful, comforting, and loving or they can be mean, condescending, and hurtful. The grouping of letters doesn’t determine the impact of the word: how we wield the might of our words is up to us.
As empty nesters and happy retirees, my husband Bob and I have some very interesting conversations. Although similar in many ways, in others, we are complete opposites. I spent my career as an art teacher, guiding my students to see the world through their own eyes and develop an individual style unique to their life experiences. As a biology and anatomy professor, my husband lectured the same information year after year, with no deviation from the subject matter, beyond an updated joke here and there.
We have carried these philosophies over to our current lives: I am a woman of few words while my husband is verbose, pedantic, wordy, garrulous… just kidding. For example, I would rather run a marathon than give a speech in front of adults whereas we need to give Bob a strict time limit AND page limit, or else he will give a forty-five minute Bat Mitzvah speech (my apologies many years later to my daughter, Davida). We also concluded that some ways of speaking are different between men and women. I say things one way and that’s it. Shakespeare also said in Hamlet, “Brevity is the soul of wit”. Bob says the same thing at least 3 different ways. He calls that andragogy.
I questioned, “What happens if you are allotted so many words in your life time and when you use them up, you can never speak again?” Bob found that this concept was attributed to the Baal Shem Tov and is mentioned in Pesukei D’zimrah: he taught that “every person is allotted a given number of words during his life. When he used up his quota he dies. Thus, by guarding his tongue, one assures himself of greater longevity” – Artscroll Siddur.
It is easy to spread “news” throughout the community without stopping to consider the source or the impact of your words. I am guilty of this myself, but I have made a concerted effort to be conscious of every word from my lips, because you never know how your words will be interpreted by someone else. This has been put to the test recently, with the outbreak of confirmed COVID cases within our community. Rumors are flying regarding the number of affected, what is being done, what ISN'T being done but should be, and who is responsible… There is so much still unknown about COVID and the different variants, but the lashon hara increases the worry and heartache tenfold.
People are worried about being judged, so they might not admit they tested positive. People might say they are just under the weather and put off being tested because of the stigma. This harms the community and causes others to be unnecessarily infected. We cannot control what people think or feel but we can actively work to reduce the stigma surrounding COVID and admitting a positive result by reducing the gossip.
We are partnering with Politz and our own SOI COVID Task Force to mitigate this recent spread within our community and to be as transparent as possible. We will never reveal someone’s medical status or make private information shared with us available to the public. We ask for your cooperation in staying home when feeling ill, getting tested, and sharing positive results with Rabbi Davies or myself. I feel like I am parodying my husband when I type this, but I must repeat, your personal information will not be shared, but sharing your positive results will help the community. If you or a family member have tested positive or are not feeling well, please stay home. Siblings of known positive cases should NOT come to shul unless their quarantine period has ended.
Please, stay safe and healthy. Protect your neighbors and friends. Reach out to us if you need help or support. We are a community – “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals” - trying to work through these times as best we can. Let’s try to support each other.
Shabbat Shalom & Refuah Schleimah to all who are battling this disease, Donna Moskowitz
Cost of a gallon of Gas 40 cents Datsun 1200 Sports Coupe $1,866.00 Dodge Charger $3,579
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.
Mazel tov to Sam & Rena Oshlag on the birth of a baby boy Shalom Zachor outside Friday night at the Sadiky's *Please send all Mazel Tov notifications to MemberHotline@soicherryhill.org in order to put them in the Newslink.
Thank you for setting up kiddush helpers:
Danny Spector, Matan Elisha and Elon Elisha
Thank you to Dan Drabkin and Gerald Mindel for preparing cholent
Thank you to Bill Jungreis, Baila Silverman, Avi Rynderman, Seth Cohen, Harvey Chaitoff, Debbie Fineberg, Jeff Liss, Mike from OPS and Sam Tilonsky for providing security last Shabbos.
Volunteer for a 30 minute shift helping to protect our congregation. Contact Sam Tilonsky at drsamod@gmail.com to volunteer or more information.
______________________________________________________ SOI Committees 2021-2022 MCAT Chemmie Sokolic chemsok@aol.com Chesed Karen Cohen karen.e.cohen@gmail.com Bikur Cholim Janet Miller twinks-3043@msn.com Fundraising Yaeli Sokolic ycsgraphix@gmail.com Ilana Weiss weiss.ilana@gmail.com Historical Society president@soicherryhill.org Jubilee Helene Raush raushfamily@comcast.net Sabrina Spector sabrinaspector@gmail.com Helen Baker bakera412@comcast.net Kitchen Dan Malamud daniel@furn1.com Membership Heshy Chaitoff heshychaitoff@gmail.com Michael Partnow mrpmjp@aol.com Programming Sabrina Spector sabrinaspector@gmail.com Suzie Mindel suziepm@yahoo.com Ritual Heshy Chaitoff heshychaitoff@gmail.com Chani Wiesman chaniwiesman@gmail.com Security Sam Tilonsky drsamod@gmail.com Sisterhood Youth Sabrina Spector youth@soicherryhill.org Welcome Aliza Chaitoff alizachaitoff@gmail.com
Volunteers are needed. You do not need to be a Board member to be involved.
JFCS Executive Director Marla Meyers named a South Jersey “Super Women” Marla Meyers has been honored as one of South Jersey Magazine’s 2021 “Super Women.” Meyers is one of a dozen trailblazing women recognized for their tireless efforts to improve life in South Jersey through philanthropy, education, healthcare, and more. As the Executive Director of JFCS since 2013, Meyers has provided visionary leadership as the agency has grown its counseling program, offered new supportive services for seniors and veterans, and opened a residential program for adults with special needs, among other significant achievements.
The full article is available online at https://bit.ly/3mUIajN.
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 David Partnow - David Avram ben Tilla Razel Marvin Korff - Moshe ben Bessie Elyse Greenberg - Elisheva Miriam bas Dovah Hillel Yochanan ben Bracha Rabbi Davies and family Moshe ben Leah Gittel 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.
YOUTH & TEENS
Football Tournament has been postponed
COMMUNITY EVENTS
English Birthdays
Shabbat Eric Wahtel Jason Goldwasser
Monday Alise Panitch
Wednesday Dawn Cohen
Thursday Andrea Rauer
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
