Congregants Dale Russakoff and Shirley Grill are active participants in Social Action at Shomrei. Dale is the organizer of Shomrei’s Mensch Squad and chairs the Board of Family Promise. Shirley was one of the first board members of IHN and currently co-leads Shomrei’s Social Justice initiative to assist undocumented immigrants detained by ICE. (more…)
Shomrei is receiving very special recognition on the night of Oct. 8, at the annual gala of Family Promise, a longtime provider of services to housing-insecure families with young children in Essex County. For more than 30 years, this nonprofit has sheltered and supported young families who couldn’t find space in the county shelter system.
Shomrei was there from the beginning, the first synagogue in Essex County to host homeless families in what was then known as the Interfaith Hospitality Network. Shirley Grill was one of its first board members, Dale Russakoff is its current board chair, and in the years in between, generations of Shomrei families volunteered to cook for, entertain and provide support to families who stayed in our building for two weeks a year.
The hosting program ended with Covid, but many Shomrei members continue to donate generously so that Family Promise can guide struggling families from shelter to self-sufficiency.
Family Promise will honor Shomrei at its annual gala for its long and ongoing support. Rabbi Julie has been asked to give the keynote address.
The Family Promise Gala draws 200 or more people from across Essex County, and we would love to have as many members as possible be part of this special honor. Link for tickets below. Alternatively, you can contribute in any amount to the purchase of tables by emailing Dale via the Shomrei Office, . A $2500 contribution buys a table for ten.
We hope to share this evening with everyone whose mitzvot have sustained Family Promise over the decades.
Harvesting Hope
An Autumn Evening of Hope & Community
Thursday, October 8, 7:00 – 10:00pm
The Albion Summit
570 Springfiield Ave. Summit, NJ 07901
Tickets $250 per person
more info and tickets
Congregants Fern Heinig and Dale Russakoff are active participants in Social Action at Shomrei. Fern Heinig is a frequent volunteer cooking for Shomrei’s MESH Cafe and spearheaded Shomrei’s first annual Mitzvah Day last year in 2024. Dale Russakoff is the organizer of Shomrei’s Mensch Squad and chairs the Board of Family Promise. (more…)
Talmud Tuesday is a gift to Shomrei from our rabbinic intern, Jacob Lipkin. From 5:30 to 6:30 pm, on alternating Tuesdays, Jacob leads a study session micro-focused on one or two paragraphs of Talmud. The class is open to all congregants, from the most knowledgeable to those who never had gazed at a page of Talmud before (that would be me).
When I arrived at last Tuesday’s session, I knew only that the Talmud applied the wisdom of our sages to parse – often excruciatingly – the ethical issues of daily Jewish life in ancient times. I assumed I’d learn a bit of what it was like to study Talmud, but I hardly expected to find relevance to my daily life in 21st Century Montclair.
How wrong I was. (more…)
Hello, Shomrei friends,
I’m writing to tell you about a fundraiser (and fun-raiser) in support of a wonderful organization called Family Promise, which helps families with young children in Essex County who are facing homelessness. (Some of you may remember it by its previous name, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, through which we housed hundreds of homeless families and children at Shomrei for 30 years — before Covid intervened). I’m now president of the board of Family Promise of Essex and have been inspired to watch the organization expand to serve more and more families in the face of an alarming housing crisis that has hobbled young families in particular. Last year we served over 550 families in crisis. With your help, we’ll serve more this year. (more…)
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