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Author: Shirley Grill

Shirley is a Partner, leadership coach and consultant focusing on individual and leadership team development at Exetor Group. At Shomrei she's been a congregant and leader for many years. A past President and head of the JLC, she's currently co-charing Shomrei's IHN efforts in housing homeless families. She remains involved "ex-officio" in the strategic planning of the Preschool and JLC.
Home Page Blog Feature, Social Action

Affordable Housing in Montclair

Janice Talley, Montclair’s Town Planner is preparing a Housing Element and Fair Share plan for the township to submit to the State.  It will contain elements needed to fulfill our affordable housing obligations set by the State.  We are at a critical juncture in our town—either we include elements in the plan such as zoning variances which allow for more affordable housing throughout our town, or we go the route of becoming a less diverse, more expensive community.  The Town Council is sponsoring a survey created by the Economic Development Council (EDC) to survey the larger community about affordable housing. (more…)

Social Action

MESH Report April 5, 2022

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the Delany family who celebrated Gabriel’s bar mitzvah this past weekend, our MESH guests were treated to an outstanding meal left from the event, and the cook (that would be yours truly) simply had to lead a very experienced packing team of Sarita Eisenberg and Susan Rosenblatt. (more…)

News & Events

Shomrei goes to the Theater–A Big Thank You to Lindsey Sag

On Sunday March 6th, twenty Shomrei people went off-Broadway to see a production of Prayer for the French Republic at the Manhattan  Theater Company.  Our congregant, Lindsey Sag, who is the General Manager of the theater suggested I organize a theater party.  I hesitated — it was still Covid after all — were we ready to head into Manhattan?  In fact we were!  Tickets sold out quickly, COVID is waning, and it was almost a Spring day. (more…)

Social Action

Being There for Family Promise

FP

As so many of you know, Shomrei has hosted homeless families with young children in our synagogue since 1988 as part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network (now Family Promise). Twice a year, for a week at a time, for over 30 years, 50 caring volunteers have cooked food for the families, entertained the children and slept over as nighttime guardians. Because of the pandemic, we have not hosted families since December 2019 and the entire congregational shelter network remains shuttered. For 18 months, Family Promise (FP) has been sheltering families in hotels and shifting more resources into its other missions — stabilizing those on the verge of homeless with rental assistance  and case management. FP needs even more financial support to continue to support vulnerable families, particularly as the moratorium on evictions is lifted and many more parents and children face homelessness.

Even though we can’t host families for now, we can be there for them and for Family Promise. Here are two wonderful opportunities to help: (more…)

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