Rabbi’s Message
Posted under: LAST STAGE CALL!!
Dear Friends,
No Purim is ever complete without a Purim shpiel – a play of the Megillah (story of Purim). But a shpiel needs actors! We've gotten a few volunteers, but we would love more involvement! There will be no memorization of lines, as narrators will be on hand for those who are shy to speak. We also will not need much rehearsal time for us to present a short, entertaining re-enactment of the Purim story. Adult or kids who are interested, please contact Erin at erin@grs.org.
Also for the Purim shpiel, children and adult costumes are needed, including dress-up clothing, funny hats, glasses, and masks.
Costumes for boys/men are especially needed.
Thank you!
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
Rabbi’s Message
Dear Friends,
Thanks to all of you, last Shabbat's New Member Consecration and dinner
were amazing!
AND NOW for somthing
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…
This Erev Shabbat, Friday, February, 10 at 6:30 pm, our service will take place arround the dinner table for our Tu B'Shevat seder.
In the tradition, Passover, with Haggadah in hand,
we will experience the first signs of spring in the land of Israel. Together we will celebrate the bounty of the earth, with rituals including white and red wine (or grape juice for children) and special fruits, native to Israel and welcome Shabbat, all at the dinner table in the social hall.
Of course, Cantor Lipton and I will provide an opportunity for both the Mi Shebeirach, the prayer for healing, and the recitation of Kaddish.
Bring your favorite winter comfort food, and enjoy the warmth of family and friends on Shabbat. Israeli style foods are certainly in order! Please contact Shelly Kaplan at kaplanhouse22@yahoo.com to let her know what you would like to contribute.
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
Rabbi’s Message
Dear Friends,
While every Family Shabbat is replete with ruach – spirit, song, birthday blessings, not to mention our wonderful pot-luck dinners full of child-friendly activities, this coming Shabbat, February 3, 2012, will mark the second GRS NEW MEMBER CONSECRATION – a welcoming of all new members!
Together, we will formally honor our new members as they come up to the bima for a special ceremony. Yet, beyond the pageantry, the key ingredient is YOU! Come meet and greet the newest gifts to GRS, as we expand and deepen our temple family.
Please RSVP to Louise Salzer at salzerhouse@aol.com to let her know what you will be bringing to our dinner.
Let us share the warmth,
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
Rabbi’s Message
LOOKING for a FEW GOOD ACTORS: Silent or Vocal Stars (including those yet to be discovered)!
Dear Friends,
No Purim is ever complete without a Purim shpiel – a play of the Megillah (story of Purim).
But a shpiel needs actors! Without great fanfare, need to memorize/recite lines (as narrators will be on hand for those who are shy to speak) or much rehearsal time – at least for this year – I would love for us to present a short, entertaining re-enactment of the Purim story to be performed on Friday, March 9th at the GRS Family Purim Service.
This is NOT BROADWAY! The aim is to enjoy! Adults or kids who are interested, please let me know, by contacting Erin Thomas, at erin@grs.org.
I look forward to all who are "ready for their close-ups" to join on the stage of GRS,
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
Rabbi’s Message
Let's Ring in 2012 Together with our Family Service & Dinner!
Dear Friends,
As with every first Friday of the month, the warmth of the GRS Family Service followed by a festive pot-luck Shabbat Dinner will fill the sanctuary and social hall of GRS. As with every Family Service, we will call upon all those celebrating birthdays to the bimah (with gifts for our children) and, of course, invite all the children – my personal favorite part of the evening – to join me on the steps of the bimah for a special Shabbat story! The service will be enhanced by the voices of B'nai Shir, the GRS K-4 choir.
As we well know, the Family Service at GRS is for the young at heart of all ages!
Please let Administrative Assistant, Erin Thomas, know that you will be with us and contact Louise Salzer, our dinner coordinator, to let her know what you will be bringing.
I look forward to our being together for the first Family Service of 2012!
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi’s Message
A Most Important Experience
Dear Friends,
Last week, Cantor Lipton and I, as well as TYGRS President Emma Freeman and TYGRS Vice President Daniella Sklarz were amongst 6,000 committed Reform Jews, lay leaders, professionals, clergy, and congregants alike who gathered in our nation’s capital for the URJ (Union for Reform Judaism) Biennial. While every two years clergy and members of Reform congregations join for up to a week of stimulating workshops and important discussions relating to trends in congregational life, this was undoubtedly a most amazing conference.
Washington D.C. was certainly a most appropriate place for the Biennial as we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the RAC (Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement) – the political, legislative, and social action arm of our movement. How exhilarating it was to spend a day with the RAC viewing footage of a Torah scroll presented to President John F. Kennedy in 1961 as well as leading rabbis marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Indeed, the RAC serves as the prophetic voice of our movement, working to correct injustices both within our nation and across the globe. As we know, the RAC champions so many important causes, including combating world hunger, disease, and societal ills.
Perhaps the most exciting moment of the conference was when President Obama came to speak. Touching on pressing concerns and ideals both central to Progressive Judaism and our nation, the President applauded our 250 young people representing NFTY (National Federation of Temple Youth of North America) for their dedication to “tikun olam,” the healing of our world. This fit in quite nicely, as both outgoing URJ President Rabbi Eric Yoffie and incoming URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs discussed how youth engagement must be a primary concern within congregational life.
Surely there is much more to share, and much to be implemented into GRS. I look forward to working with you, my congregational family, as we integrate the creativity of the Biennial into GRS. And, of course, I thank all of you for enabling me to experience this most enlightening week.
Rabbi’s Message
CHANUKAH?…CHRISTMAS?…BOTH?
Is the "Holiday Season" a time of struggle for you and your family? Do you wrestle with how to follow your sense of religious integrity while being sensitive to those you love? Have you developed "solutions" that you would be willing to share?
Contemporary living has given rise to difficult questions. While there are no "right" or "wrong" answers, Rabbi Andrew Sklarz, MSW, will wear his social worker hat and facilitate a discussion on the December Dilemma. Within a seminar format, GRS members and guests will be invited to air their concerns and share what has successfully worked for them.
b'Shalom,
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW
Rabbi’s Message
The Mitzvah of FEEDING the HUNGRY – Now an ONGOING DRIVE At GRS
I was so proud of our congregation when, following the High Holidays, Neighbor to Neighbor commented upon the large amount of food we had amassed this year. Bravo – feeding the hungry is indeed amongst the highest of mitzvot that we can perform.
As we approach Thanksgiving, and rejoice over our blessings, let us truly express our gratitude by bringing in non-perishable foods, not only for holidays, but all year round.
Effective immediately, we will be collecting food throughout the year for regular distribution to the needy in our midst.
As Rabbi Tarfon said, "It is not our obligation to complete the work, but neither are we free to desist from it (Pirke Avot 2:21)."
b'Shalom,
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW
Rabbi’s Message
Below is an excerpt from the invocation delivered by
Rabbi Sklarz at the Greenwich Krystallnacht Service
Dear Friends,
Some seventy three years ago in Germany, a land so associated with enlightenment, the unthinkable took place, which led to the extermination of millions throughout Europe. We are all too aware of the atrocities of the horrific pogrom we call Krystallnacht, the ransacking of Jewish businesses and homes and the destruction of nearly 2,000 synagogues throughout Germany and Austria on November 9-10,1938.
Last summer on a visit to Berlin, I saw firsthand the remnants of a world which had once been:
a thriving center of Jewish culture and scholarship that had flourished for centuries wedded with the 19th & 20th century Jewish contributions to the arts, medicine, science, technology, and social science.
Yet as we know, with a swift change in power, the climate experienced a cataclysm of unprecedented proportions. In one night, Jewish property and holy sites were razed to the ground by fire and axe, and soon after, Jews and all deemed as untermenchen, or subhumans, were led to the flames of extermination. While this is a part of Jewish and world history, it will be little more than a footnote if we fail to learn the lessons from our past.
Sadly, I must share that a nationwide survey of the American people found that anti-Semitic attitudes have risen in America. Accordingly, 15% of Americans – nearly 35 million adults – hold deeply anti-Semitic views. At a time in which unemployment and economic insecurity are rife in our nation, a growing percentage of Americans expressed that "Jews have too much control or influence," as well as increased percentages who believe Jews "have too much power in the United States," "use shady practices," and "talk too much about the Holocaust."
My friends, let us learn from our past lest history repeat itself. May we work vigilantly to dispel negative images of all groups. May we ever strive to build bridges between all peoples; thus endeavoring to create a world of justice and compassion for all.
Ken y'hi Razon – May it be your will – O God. Amen.
b'Shalom,
Rabbi Andy
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MSW
Rabbi’s Message
The Mitzvah of Pikuach Nefesh – The Jewish Commandment to Save a Life is Paramount!
Dear Friends,
Every year prior to Yom Kippur I am asked questions about fasting by those for whom doing so might be injurious to their health. My response, as to the question of the performance of any commandment which might be comprising, is always that our rabbinic sages have well instructed that the "mitzvot"- commandments – were created to live by, not to die by. So important is human life to Judaism that all means must be done to save a single soul. As the Talmud expresses, "To save a single life is as though the entire world has been saved."
In accordance with such a principle, the government of Israel has been attempting, for years, to bring to safety captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. During our recent visit to Israel, throughout the country there were visible efforts being made by Israel for the release of its prisoner who has been held captive for five years by Hamas. As we know, yesterday Sgt. Shalit, who was a mere nineteen years of age when captured, was released to Israel in exchange for over one thousand prisoners held by Israel, most of whom were charged with murder. Sadly, as the busloads of those set free by Israel entered into Palestinian territory, there were chants heard for the capture of "another Gilad" so that more terrorists would be set free.
Again and again, Israel finds itself to be in a most compromising situation. Let us pray, that Sgt. Shalit and our Israeli soldiers remain in safety, and may the Jewish value of human life be an ideal embraced by all humanity.
Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Andrew R. Sklarz, MA, MSW, RJE
In honor of Sgt. Shalit's return, GRS is planting a tree through the Jewish National Fund. For those who wish to support Sgt. Shalit and the forestation of Israel, a free tree can be planted through Sunday, October 23 by calling 800-542-TREE or on the JNF website https://secure2.convio.net/jnf/site/Ecommerce/1087108861?VIEW_PRODUCT=true&product_id=2941&store_id=6861&JServSessionIdr004=7oz83aujc1.app225a.
Upcoming Events
- February 23, 2012 7:45 pmHebrew 101
- February 24, 2012 6:30 pmShabbat Service
- February 25, 2012 10:00 amDaniel Kramer Bar Mitzvah
- February 26, 2012 9:30 amAdult Ed with Rabbi Rothman
- February 26, 2012 9:30 amHebrew 102
- February 26, 2012 9:30 amReligious School