I was a little nervous. I was getting ready to go to Shomrei on a Saturday morning. It wasn’t for a yoga class with Elissa and it wasn’t for an @nourish discussion. I was going for a Shabbat experience with the Rabbi at the alternative service names “Pure & Simple”.
The Wednesday Evening Minyan has been a Shomrei tradition since 2008. It began after my father, Mike Leventer, passed away and I wanted to say Kaddish in the comfort of my home and community. Shomrei came through for me nine years ago and we have sustained the minyan ever since.
How does the service work? We daven the short evening service in Hebrew and English. If you are observing a Yahrtzeit or saying Kaddish during a year of mourning, we support you. We sing a “Mishabayrach” for family and friends who are ill. We gather together for 20 minutes of tranquility and gratitude in an otherwise hectic week. (more…)
The period in the Jewish calendar between the 17th day of Tammuz and the 9th of Av is called “The Three Weeks” or “Between the Straits – Beyn ha-m’tzarim.”
This is the period between two days of catastrophe in Jewish history. Among other incidents, the main tragedies were those related to the destruction of the Temples of old. The Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE finally succeeded in breaking through the walls on the 17th of Tammuz. That day was declared a fast day. (more…)
The story of Passover is a story Jewish refugees. HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) has put together a downloadable 2017 Haggadah supplement which brings home the parallels at this special time of the year.
Hat-Tip to Meredith Lopez, Shomrei Emunah Refugee Committee
Throughout our history, violence and persecution have driven the Jewish people to wander in search of a safe place to call home. We are a refugee people. At the Passover Seder, we gather to retell the story of our original wandering and the freedom we found. But we do not just retell the story. We are commanded to imagine ourselves as though we, personally, went forth from Egypt – to imagine the experience of being victimized because of who we are, of being enslaved, and of being freed. (more…)
The Wednesday evening minyan, a staple of our congregation for the past eight years, has been on hiatus since June. Now that summer is a distant memory and the holidays are behind us, it is time to resume our monthly Maariv service at the home of Merrill and Andy Silver. (more…)
