Simchat Torah!

The holiday season ended with Sukkot and Simchat Torah celebrations here at the GCJC. 

Three friends posed outside the Sukkah after decorating with signs and vegetables, chains and fruit.  It was in beautiful shape for the holidays...the sukkah gets deconstructed this Sunday, Oct. 30th.  Come help!

 

The Religious school students enjoyed their snack in this year's sukkah. Rabbi Stephen Goodman and Cantor Lavrunchuk demonstrated how to wave the lulav.

 

Students smelled the etrog during the sukkah snack.

 

After the Oct. 23rd pizza party, the congregation went into the sanctuary for the Simchat Torah service and parade.  Thank you to Steve and Gail Feldman and Margie Edelman for all the photos!

 

Our fearless leader, Rabbi Stephen Wise Goodman.

 

One of our new members.

 

Sisterhood President Deborah Zuckerman

 

Our current President, Howard Edelman

 

Former Sisterhood President Gail Feldman

 

More 'newish' members march with the Torah.

 

The one and only Norma Mindel!

 

Some of our youngest Temple members, in motion!

 

This year, seven new students were consecrated under the Torah scroll.

 

The children are told that one day, they will be able to read all those Hebrew words that are above them. They also received little miniature Torah scrolls of their own.

 

Welcome to all of our new and returning families.  We hope to see everyone at Friday evening services, pot luck suppers ( first Fridays of each month, at 7pm), early services (third Fridays of the month at 7pm), or at the Latke and Dessert Chanukah party on Friday, December 23rd!  Bar and Bat Mitzvah students, you should be coming to Friday services!  

Yom Kippur Children's Services, 2016

 

At the conclusion of our Children's service, Ms. Deborah Zukerman read a story.

 

Using toothpaste squeezed from a tube (and how it is impossible to get back in once it is out), Deb explained how we need to be careful with our words and actions.  

 

Each year the Children's service is led by Michael Kupferberg and Carolyn Hoera.  This year, more than thirty children eagerly helped with the next mitzvah....making decorations for our GCJC sukkah in the side yard!

 

Some of the very youngest visitors gathered in Ma. Margie Edelman's PreK/K room to play with materials.  Thank you to the parents who helped entertain the little ones.

 

Decorating the sukkah is always the best part!

 

This guy had his own special decorations.

 

Everyone looking good in a photo....that never happens!

 

Ahhh!  The paper chains come out!

 

Sweet family.

 

Another nice looking group!

 

Is it me, or do some of these kids look like models!?

 

Siblings got along nicely. Everyone was on their best behavior for Yom Kippur.

 

Many thanks to all the Moms and Dads who helped with sukkah decoration and crowd control!  

 

Yet another nice family.

 

Wow! We have lots of young families in our Sunday school and Temple membership! 

 

We know that this Children's service and the following sukkah decorating was the most highly attended that we can recall!  Thanks again go to Cheryl Minsky, Mike Kupferberg, Margie Edelman, Peter Tittler, Deborah Zukerman, and Maggie Tittler for being our photographer!

 

Great job, everyone.

September 2016..we are back at the GCJC!

The Religious School students began the year meeting new friends, and reuniting with old friends. First project: self portraits on canvas, using acrylic paint!

 

Ms. Margie Edelman instructed the children of all ages on the use of pencil sketches, negative space, and building up layers of paint to create their image.

 

The portraits were set out in frames to 'Greet' everyone who attended Rosh HaShana services in early October.

 

They will remain in display through Yom Kippur.

 

After the Children's service was over, it was shofar-blasting practice for many of the children! Thanks, once again to Michael Kupferberg, who served as 'rabbi', Molly Rivera, who blasted the shofar, Cheryl Minsky, Stefanie Coons, Margie Edelman, Deb Zuckerman , Ilana Rogers, and Gillian Pinsky who helped with apple and honey snacks, and downstairs craft activities.

 

It was pretty loud....

 

....and quite fun.

 

Some children made Tzedakah boxes, candle holders, and other holiday-related craft items.

 

For the fourth(fifth?) consecutive year, Matt Tittler brought tremendous amounts of challah bread dough (5 times the recipe) for children to braid, bake and eat when the adult services were over. There were more than 28 children who got to make the holiday treats.

 

This is not their first rodeo.  These girls both had Bat Mitzvah ceremonies this summer, and still like to come back to help.

 

Mom helps her boys roll out and braid the dough..

 

Helpers for the bread making included: Debby Rood Goldman, Sue Sherman, Peter Tittler, Matt Tittler, and Tittler-family friend, Rachel Kugelmass.  Thank you to any parents and grandparents helped out, too!

 

Sue Sherman's idea this year was to bake a little honey dish right into the challah bread!  She provided the dishes as gifts to the children and their families.  This was my only photo of a completed bread -- I kid you not!  Little Wex, 9 weeks old, looked appreciative.

That is another branch flying to the pile, that the sukkah builders will use for a 'roof'. He did not hit his brother.

 

The official Sukkah Engineers Club apparently has accepted some Junior members!

 

Some soggy Congregation members came out on a rainy Sunday morning to work fast!

 

Everybody did a great job.

 

These workers helped switch out all the Rosh HaShana books with the Yom Kippur books! Thanks kids, that was a big mitzvah.

Meanwhile, we are all looking forward to Yom Kippur services, decorating the sukkah, celebrating the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah...see you then!