Upcoming Events – spread the word

The remainder of the month is filled with important (and fun) events.

Please join us…

Friday, January 18th at 5:30pm is our annual service remembering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. We will have a guest speaker, Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, a minister for ecological justice in Boston. She spoke last year and she was very inspiring. There will also be live music. This is a community-wide event, if you are able to contribute some finger food to the potluck kiddush after it is most appreciated.

Sunday, January 20th at 3pm will be our fabulous Tu B’Shvat Seder. This is a lovely event celebrating the birthday of trees and the environment. Kindly RSVP to the office (508-693-0745 or office@mvhc.us).

Saturday January 26th at 6pm Our first ever Havdalah on ice! We will have the entire MV ice arena to ourselves (and our friends and family) and end Shabbat with Havdalah. Skaters at any level welcome! The cost is $20 for a family and $8.00 for an individual. Kindly RSVP by email: lsh7041@gmail.com

Friday February 1st:

At 5 PM we will have our Tot Shabbat program. All children seven and under are welcome!

We will all come together and welcome Shabbat at 5:30pm followed by a potluck kiddush. It will be dairy/vegetarian. Our students & tots will be participating in the service. Please RSVP by email: lsh7041@gmail.com and also let me know what you will be bringing (we will supply macaroni and cheese and dessert). This is not only for our school families, this is for our entire community!

Who says there is nothing going on here in the winter?

Cooking! Tot Shabbat!

A wonderful and delicious time was had by all this morning. Nancy instructed our group in the preparation of savory (broccoli) and sweet kugels. Some people don’t have to worry about cooking dinner tonight (and will impress their families with these down-home recipes).

On February 10th at 10AM the group will be preparing rugelach and poppy (mun) cookies. There is still space available for the February 10th class. Please let me know if you wish to come, children must be accompanied by an adult.

Next Friday, January 11th at 3:30PM, we will have Tot Shabbat. Children under age 6 are welcome accompanied by an adult. We will welcome Shabbat and discuss Tu B’Shvat.

Shalom!

CHANUKAH!

Yes, it’s a minor holiday-but it never really feels that way.

The big community Hanukkah celebration will be Friday December 7th at 5 PM. It will be filled with lights, live music, latkes and you!

This year, we will make a Canorah. This will be a Channukiah (eight branched candelabra for Chanukah) made of cans that will then be donated to the food pantry. Please bring a donation of canned food when you come to the Hebrew center for this endeavor!

Sample Canorah

Friday 10/19 at 5:30pm: National Refugee Shabbat – Speaker & potluck!

National Refugee Shabbat 2018 is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals around the country to create a Shabbat experience dedicated to refugees.

This national event is a meaningful opportunity to deepen our understanding of today’s global refugee crisis and to learn about the Jewish movement working with refugees.

This past summer, teaching assistant, Violet Cabot, worked with the Jewish Teen Mitzvah Corp. program in Seattle, Washington assisting refugee families and children. She will speak about this experience.

In fact, since that program she has been on a retreat reviewing these issues here on the East Coast.

This is also an example of the myriad of opportunities available for Jewish youth summer involvement. It has been shown that these experiences often have a lasting impact on the student (and hopefully the world). Our synagogue camp scholarship fund also supports Jewish teen programs.

Please join us on Friday night in welcoming Shabbat and then join together for a vegetarian potluck following the service. Kindly bring a vegetarian dish to share. Looking forward to seeing you!

New Food Pantry Donation Record!

Yes, our amazing congregation has done it!

During the course of the high holidays we collected 153 bags of food for the Island Food Pantry! This beats all previous records!

And to complete this mitzvah, our crew of students & staff loaded 5 vehicles with bags, walked to the food pantry, unloaded the vehicles and brought the bags inside. Hard work!

Please try to bring a donation for the food pantry whenever you come to the synagogue. Let’s continue this important work.

New Hebrew School Year

Shalom

The holiday season is over and our school year has begun!

This week, is our annual mitzvah of delivering the bags of food collected over the the high holidays to the Island Food Pantry. This is an enjoyable and fulfilling mitzvah, and if you are able to bring a donation to the food pantry whenever you come to the synagogue it will continue the mitzvah- and we know this food is really needed!

In the coming weeks you will be asked to assist in the building of our new playground. Everyone’s cooperation in this endeavor will be needed so we can give our children their special place.

Please make every effort to arrive on Wednesdays no later than 3:20PM so that we are able to start our program promptly at 3:30PM.

On behalf of the rest of the staff, please know that we are available to you and want to help make Hebrew School a successful and fulfilling experience for your student and your family. Please do not hesitate to call or email me if I can be of assistance (lsh7041@gmail.com).

Photos by M. Shufrin

Rosh Hashana 5779, Shana Tova!

Summer flew by and now we are preparing for the holidays. Round challah, apples, honey, special new fruits, time for reflection, family and more are some of the ways we welcome the new year at home.

At the Shul…

Sunday night will be Erev Rosh Hashana, services will begin at 6PM.

On Monday, Rosh Hashana morning services start at 9:30AM, concluding at 12:30PM, after-which we will join together at Owen Park for Tashlich. We will start the children’s services at 10:15AM, but the children are always welcome to come and join us before and after for crafts projects, discussions, stories etc.

On Tuesday services will begin at 9:30AM, followed by lunch.

Kol Nidre Services are Tuesday, September 18th at 6:30PM.

Yom Kippur: Wednesday, September 19, 2018 services start at 9:30AM until 12:45PM. Children’s service same schedule as Rosh Hashana day one. Yom Kippur Afternoon: Meditation 3:30PM-4:30PM; Yizkor Service will start promptly at 4:45PM (please arrive 4:30PM); Afternoon service: 5:20PM-6:25PM; Ne’ila Service 6:25PM-7:25PM; Shofar blast and Havdalah 7:26PM followed by a community (dairy) potluck break the fast (bagels and cream cheese provided), please bring a dish to share.

And…

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2018…

FIRST DAY OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOL…followed by…

SOUP IN THE SUKKAH (5:30PM) potluck please bring a vegetarian soup, salad or casserole to share.

Best wishes for a happy & healthy new year!

Volunteers Needed!

For the second summer, MVHC will partner with Island Grown Initiative to serve summer lunches to children (& adults).

We will be serving the English Language Learner Program at the Tisbury School. They anticipate that we will serve approximately 70 lunches each time.

Please consider helping fulfill this mitzvah!

We will need two volunteers per shift – 11:45AM – 12:50PM on the following dates: (on dates with an asterisk we must pick the food up from MVRHS and return the coolers there after food is served).

Monday 7/23

Tuesday 7/24 * pickup/drop-off too

Wednesday 7/25

Thursday 7/26 *pickup/drop-off too

Monday 7/30

Tuesday 7/31 * pickup/drop-off too

Wednesday 8/1

Thursday 8/2 * pickup/drop-off too

Monday 8/6

Tuesday 8/7 * pickup/drop-off too

Call a friend or family member and take a shift (or 2)!

If you are able to take any shift(s), please contact me by email: lsh7041@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Coming up…

This coming weekend, 95 island students will be going to Washington DC for the March for Our Lives demonstration. Our (wonderful) students made signs in support of the trip, see photo below.

Please remember that if you plan to attend the community Seder at the Hebrew center you must register immediately (508-693-0745). It will be on Saturday night, March 31st.

This year the MVHC is also hosting an innovative event, a special Freedom Seder marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. That will be on Wednesday, April 4th at 7:30pm in conjunction with the Congregational Church of West Tisbury. It is a Passover Seder, but addressing contemporary freedom struggles. It is free of charge, desserts will be served – not dinner; please call the office to make a reservation (508-693-0745).

There is no Hebrew school on April 4 (Passover).

Also coming up:

Saturday 4/28 Bat Mitzvah of Alana Nevin

Friday 5/4 Tzium – end of school year dinner (potluck).