Our school always strives to create a learning environment where creativity and innovation abound, where every learner is honored, and where every child can be nurtured and can thrive.
I think we do a very good job. And this year we’re pushing ourselves to a new level.
Our school has embarked on a campaign called ‘Makom Shalom’ / A Peaceful Place. It is our goal to work to create more peaceful, and therefore more engaging and meaningful, learning environments in our classrooms.
To explain: Our students come to Religious School on Monday and Wednesday afternoons after an entire day in public school. They spend an average of seven hours a day in this institutional setting where they are busy with multi-activities, and usually on a set and rigid schedule. They do their best to pay attention through classes in English, math, science, a foreign language, gum, social studies, etc. You get the idea.
Then they come to Religious School – a little tired, possibly hungry, maybe stressed at the amount of homework they have that evening. Many of our students aren’t released from public school until 4:00 pm. They literally rush to get here on time. For about half our student body, they arrive after 4:30 pm; therefore, no time to quietly and ‘peacefully’ transition into Religious School mode.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 31 March 2009 )
From Preschool Directors Emily Moss and Randi Friedberg
Spring is almost here and everyone is looking forward to the warmer
weather. We have spent the last two months inside observing changes
that occur in winter. In February we celebrated the holiday of
Tu B’Shevat. We learned what we get from trees and snacked on “the fruit of the tree.”
The
two-year old childeren started by learning what to wear for the colder
temperatures. They dressed their snowmen for the cold weather. The
twos also learned how different animals survive in the ice and snow.
The
three-year old children explored the different ways that artists paint.
They also waited to see if the groundhog would see his shadow. Getting
along and being good friends were reinforced. The children did a study
of Penguins.
The four-year old children learned about Martin
Luther King’s dream for all the people. During Safety Week, they
learned what to do in case of fire, how to stay healthy, their phone
numbers and addresses, and how to take care of their teeth. They
continued learning their letters. George Washington and Abraham
Lincoln were the lessons for Presidents’ week.
Now that spring
is almost here, we will try to get outside and enjoy the warmer
weather. We will have our annual Purim festival for the school. The
children will make and eat hamentashen, see the story of Esther through
a puppet show, make masks and dance. It is a fun time for everyone!!
Then
we will prepare for Passover. The children will learn the story of
Moses and Pharaoh. We will sing songs and prayers with the Cantor.
The older children will have their annual Seder with their families
during school. We will make our own matzo to eat. The children will
be busy making many new things for their Seder table.
Registration
has begun for the 2009-2010 school year. If you know of anyone that
wishes to join us, please have them call us at 360-7279. We would be
delighted to meet them and give a personal tour of the school.
The synagogue has always
been a special place for me. I was born in Tel Aviv and raised in a religious
family. As a child, the synagogue played an intrinsic role in shaping my
identity and my values. As a parent, Temple Beth Sholom (TBS) was the synagogue
where my wife, Rae, and I raised our two sons who are today very proud of their
Judaism and continue to attend services years after their Bar Mitzvahs.
The synagogue reflects my life
cycle. It bridges me to my childhood, my adolescence and adulthood. It was a
place where I recall sitting with my Dad as a child in those rare precious
quality moments praying and sharing life stories. It was a place my mother
walked with me for miles to bring me to Hebrew School and a place where I
clowned around with my siblings and friends. In adulthood it was a place where
I sought the guidance of Hashem (our G-d) to help me cope with difficult and
enriching times. It was a place where I celebrated many simchas and mourned the
loss of the people that I loved.Today, it is a place where my spirit feels alive and at home.
Similar to myself, I am sure most
of us have reflected on the significance of the Synagogue in our lives. We all
come to synagogue to connect spitually, emotionally and socially. We come to
learn about our Judaic past, we become inspired and motivated to face life’s
challenges, teach our children to live Judicially, remember the loss of our
beloved, feel part of a community and feel optimistic about our future.It answers our ontology.
There are obvious moments
in life that makes us question the synagogue. We always seem busy. Busy with
work, children having to be at sporting events, etc. The synagogue sometimes
becomes a secondary priority. In other words, why bother?Outside of our family system, the
synagogue is one of the most important institutions in our lives. It has a
lifetime of presence in our life cycle events.It energizes our faith and unless we, as Jews, provide its
sustenance, it will vanish as a critical institution in our community. It will
deprive our children of having a Judaic home to share with their children.
Make Temple
Beth Sholom of Smithtown a part of your lifestyle. A Jewish community is about
people coming together with a common history sharing times of happiness,
gathering for celebrations and seeking emotional support in times of pain.
Temple Beth
Sholom is emerging with a new spirit. We welcome a new Board of directors who
are committed to reviving the energy and spirituality of TBS. We want to
rebuild our home.As the new
Temple President, I have been entrusted by the congregation to inspire the
Temple’s growth and well-being.
This objective is one of the greatest Mitzvahs in life.
At TBS we offer
meaningful and inspirational worship services and the highest quality of Hebrew
education for children and adults.We encourage to have after school and weekend teen trips and social
programs, we promote gatherings and Jewish workshops for adults, we honor our
seniors and offer a place for them to have get together, such as lunch and
learn programs. The seniors built our Synagogue and we always need to recognize
their contribution at TBS.
Remember this is your
spiritual home. We want you. We need you.We need your input and creativity. We need your
friends, neighbors; business associates to also help us so their contribution
can only add to our common experience. Contact a board member and tell them you
are there to help all of us. Lets not miss the opportunity.
Thus, please come with your
musical instruments, your songs, your poems, your paint canvass, your cheers,
your stories, your blessings, your cheers and your tears.The synagogue is there for you.
We Live and learn at TBS.
Welcome to your
Judaic Home,
Dr. Shafer H.
Zysman, President
Last Updated ( Thursday, 01 July 2010 )
From Cantor Judy Merrick
Cantors Assembly Members Return
from Historic Mission to Poland and Israel
Members of the Cantors Assembly, the world's largest
organization of professional hazzanim (cantors), recently returned from a
historic gathering convened in Poland
and Israel. Participants included our Cantor Merrick of Congregation Temple
Beth Sholom of Smithtown.Approximately
100 hazzanim were joined by a few hundred laypersons. The event was planned by
Cantor Nathan Lam of Los Angeles, California, and co-chaired by Cantor David
Propis of Houston, Texas.
Highlights in Poland, recalling 1,000 years of Jewish
life there, included:
A ma'ariv (evening) service at the Nozyk
Synagogue, Warsaw's only remaining pre-Holocaust congregation. Services were
led by Cantors Ivor (Tucson, AZ) and Joel (Denver, CO) Lichterman, whose father
was the last Cantor at Nozyk prior to World War II.
A memorial
ceremony at the Warsaw Ghetto featuring a presentation of music from that
period. This event coincided with the groundbreaking for the new Museum of the
History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, being erected across the street.
A sellout concert
of Jewish music sung for an audience of primarily non-Jews at the National
Opera House in Warsaw. The Opera House's orchestra and chorus accompanied
members of the Cantors Assembly.
A performance by
Assembly members at the Ida Kaminsky Jewish
State Theatre.
A shaharit (morning) service at the Auschwitz
concentration camp followed by a memorial at Birkenau where Cantor Merrick led
the opening with the song Eli Eli.
Shabbat services, Friday and Saturday, conducted to a
filled sanctuary with people standing in the street at The Temple in Krakow.
Services were chanted by members of the Cantors Assembly, accompanied by a
chorus of colleagues.
Lectures
and musical programs offered by CA members as part of the annual Krakow Jewish
Music Festival.
Havdalah (prayer
for the conclusion of the Sabbath) chanted for thousands who attended the
closing night musical extravaganza in the square outside the Jewish Quarter
A concert
of Americana performed at the Krakow Philharmonic Hall.
Also participating in the Poland portion of the trip
was noted historian, Stephen Berk, who lectured throughout the week.
For those in attendance, it was two weeks that will
never be forgotten by the cantors, those who traveled along with them, and the
thousands of people who heard and saw the programs, services and concerts. The
unique capacity of cantors to express themselves through beautiful song and
prayer enabled them to serve as ambassadors of good will in a way that no others can emulate. The Assembly looks
forward to spreading Jewish culture in other countries, places where Jewish
life once flourished but where only a remnant survives.
For more information about the Cantors Assembly or to
see pictures and newspaper coverage from around the world, visit the Cantors
Assembly website at http://www.Cantors.org
or call 330-864-8S33.
Thoughts at the New Year . . .
by Cantor Judith Merrick
Dear TBS Congregants, Families and Friends,
It’s hard to believe, but 2008 is almost over and a New Year for the world is arriving shortly… As I reflect on this year, I think about what we wish for our loved ones, our families, our friends and ourselves: health, happiness and PEACE.
We here on Long Island can say that, for the most part (thank G-d), we have a good life. Everybody is busy, sometimes we get sick or we have some other things going on, but for the most part, life is good, we can’t complain. However when I watch the news, there is always something going on in other parts of the world that really puts me back into reality. What happened last week, as we celebrated Thanksgiving peacefully here at home on the Island, is so scary. I am talking about the terrorist attack in Mumbai, India that killed 200 innocent people and the murder of the very young Rabbi Holtzberg and his young wife, Rivka. All those people were the same as you and me. Some were visitors or tourists, some came for business, some are local Indians and some, like Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife, were there for a mitzvah: to help the Jewish community in Mumbai, by running the Chabad house that gave a hot meal or shelter to every Jew who stopped there. They were there to help others. They gave up the comfort of their home here in America to help the Jewish world and that’s why they moved to India. I am sure they never thought their lives would be taken away so brutally, for absolutely no reason… and that again brings me to the same thought: When, when will we all really feel secure in the world? When we will be able to travel with peace of mind, either to New York City or around the world, like really free people?
When September 11 happened on our own soil in 2001, I clearly remember sitting really frightened in front of the T.V. watching the terrible events unfold before my eyes. I couldn’t believe it was happening here in N.Y., where I always felt secure. After all, New York is the city of the world! It belongs to everyone, no matter where you come from and what religion you are. That’s why I came here, to be part of this big nation where all people are welcomed and equal. When the terrible events happened at the World Trade Center, I, the girl from ISRAEL, who grew up witnessing wars as a child and a teenager, who came to live in the biggest city and believed everyone loved and connected, I was scared. Even big AMERICA wasn’t secure anymore. I remember saying to myself, “Thank G-D Ron, is only 4 years old. Thank G-D he doesn’t understand yet.” I didn’t want him to grow into a world of violence and fear. I want my son to grow into a beautiful, peaceful world where people can travel and move safely from one place to another. Has my wish as a mother come true? Unfortunately, nothing has changed yet and it is very sad. The events last week in MUMBAI proved it again.
As we are planning our trip to ISRAEL in February to visit family and friends, Ron expressed his fear: “Mom, is it safe to go to Israel? Mom, I am afraid to go.” Now, how can I answer that? My husband Hal and I try to assure him over a quiet dinner at home, that everything is o.k. and we will never take him to an unsafe place, but it is very hard to convince him. He is 11 years old now; old enough to understand that our world is not safe and innocent people get hurt.
Just a day before these horrific events, we celebrated here, at our TBS, the beautiful holiday of THANKSGIVING with all our neighbors and different churches in our town. What an event. We all got together, sharing prayers and songs about PEACE. I can’t even express to you how excited and proud I was to be among the many clergy that joined us that night. It was an amazing feeling to be part of the human family, the American family. We were all one, praying together for the same thing: PEACE.
Chanukah this year falls in the same week as Christmas. I like it when it happens this way. This way it’s the holiday of lights for everyone and our children don’t need to feel like outsiders when all their friends celebrate Christmas and get gifts. I know it gives my son a comfortable feeling: you celebrate Christmas, but we light candles, sing songs and celebrate Chanukah. When the holidays fall at the same time, we are all one, sharing the happiness of being with friends and family.
With 2009 approaching, I would like to wish us all a year of PEACE in the world. Every person in this world deserves it! AMEN!
Love to all of you, Cantor Judy and family.
We are in the process of seaching for a new Rabbi for our Temple. Please direct inquiries to the Temple office 724-0424 where you will be directed to someone who can answer your questions.
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