olam chesed students increase the light
12/23/2020 11:01:25 PM
In November, the Wednesday program students were challenged by Jonah (our Jewish life teacher) to increase the light for the Hanukkah season by performing and documenting mitzvahs of all kinds. The goal: if enough students uploaded photos and stories of their mitzvahs to the online bulletin board called Padlet, then Rabbi David and the Olam Chesed staff would make donations to Capstone Community Action. The kids really came through! Click here to read about their wonderful deeds and acts of genuine kindness. Feel free to click on the hearts to show them some love in return. From feeding their pets before they themselves eat, to preparing and delivering meals to neighbors and people in need, to helping in the yard and reading stories to grandparents, these kids are resourceful, helpful, and bright sparks of light!
May this shining and generous spirit set the tone for a brighter 2021.
increase the light
12/07/2020 09:54:15 AM
This year's theme in Olam Chesed is mitzvah and as we appr
oach the Festival of Lights, nestled deep in the darkest time of the year, we've been exploring the metaphor of bringing light into the world through acts
of kindness and fulfillment of the commandment ואהבת לרעך כמוך v'ahavta l'reacha kamocha: love the other as you love yourself. To increase the light we have challenged our students to find at least five ways that even they can bring more light into the world. They are posting pictures and stories of their mitzvot on an interactive platform and if we reach Lev makes sure to feed his dog, Winnie, before he sits down to eat. Ella created Thanksgiving notes and delivered meals to new Americans to help them feel welcome. She also showed grace after losing a game of chess by high-fiving her opponent. Sharing these sparks of light brings awareness and hope at a time when we could all use a bit of brightening up! Two years ago, the JCOGS community brought together an incredible group of people from across faiths and geography to sing together and banish the darkness after the Pittsburgh tragedy. Click here to watch this inspiring video Increase the Light.
Becoming United
11/06/2020 01:03:17 PM
Dear JCOGS family,
As the world waits with bated breath to find out who will be the next President of the United States, we are grateful that our democracy stands strong as people came out to vote en masse. Amidst the beauty of democracy in action, what emerges is a picture of a country as much divided as united. We would do well to use this uncertain time “between” wisely. Regardless of outcome, now is a time to consider how, in the aftermath, will we face each other? How do we reconcile a polarized people?
In a different context, Rabba Tamar El-Ad Appelbaum, the founding rabbi and spiritual leader of Kehillat Zion in Jerusalem, wrote A Prayer for Brotherhood, Unity and Friendship. You can read it in its entirety here. In her prayer, she writes of reconciliation and peace:
“Grant me the grace ever to work towards reconciliation and to grant
others the benefit of the doubt,
Even when those others are causing me personal pain by disagreeing
with me so intensely.
You, G-d, Who is good and Who does good, ever grant that I view others
generously and kindly,
And watch over me lest I succumb to the unwarranted hatred of others.”
May we turn towards each other with grace in the days ahead, free from hatred, full of generosity and kindness.
Join us tonight at 6pm on Zoom (registration required) or FaceBook Livefor some additional prayers for the election and for Shabbat, as we gather virtually in community.
Shabbat Shalom, may it be a peaceful Shabbat for you and your family, for this country, for the world.
Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well,
Rabbi David
what tomorrow will bring
11/02/2020 06:00:27 AM
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youth lead winter clothing drive
11/01/2020 10:02:39 PM
There are 150 homeless adults and 30 homeless children in Lamoille County.
Our Ateed youth group is taking part in an interfaith clothing drive to help support Lamoille Community House and Lamoille County Mental Health Services. There is a box on the front porch at JCOGS.
We are gratefully accepting gently used coats of all sizes (adult, youth, child), hats, gloves, scarves, snow pants, boots, and heavy socks, warm winter clothing such as sweaters, thermals, and packages of diapers.
Please put all donations in tied black plastic bags to ensure safety during the pandemic. Drop-off Dates: October 30th– November 13th
Thank you so much for your support!
Yom hooledet sameach, rabbi david!
11/01/2020 09:42:37 PM
On Friday, October 30, the JCOGS community gathered to celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat and Rabbi David's 40th birthday. The students of Olam Chesed Wednesday program created these poems and mazel tov signs in honor of Rabbi David.
mah koreh ? מה קורה
10/26/2020 12:20:48 PM
Shalom! Mah koreh? means What's happening? This year, so different in so many ways, is no different in one: there are lots of things going on at the Olam Chesed Education Center.
Yes, we are meeting mostly on Zoom (more on that later) but we are managing to have really wonderful virtual gatherings, opportunities to be together across the miles, with songs, stories, and for the sake of rhyming, yes! lots of smiles.
Kinderlach & Gesher started off the year with a pre-High Holy Day adventure preparing our homes to be the sanctuaries we needed to experience a season like no other. Nearly everyone brought their favorite stuffies to cuddle with as we welcomed the sweetness of the new year. We met again on Simchat Torah, donning crowns received in the mail, and with parents hoisting their little human Torahs into the air and dancing with joy.
Ateed is now a combined program with teens from Beth Jacob Synagogue (Montpelier) joining us in person at JCOGS for firepit fun. At our first meeting of the season, Simon Rosenbaum, our teen leader, led the teens in a discussion of tikkun olam and then we made s'mores. Our second event, scheduled for the corn maze, was unfortunately rained out but several teens got together via Zoom to join the Simchat Torah Dance Party together with teens from around Vermont. Stay tuned: Ateed will be reaching out to our community soon as part of an interfaith coat drive for Lamoille County Mental Health Services.
Mitzvah! this year has twelve students, our largest cohort ever! Meeting via Zoom each week, they've been learning trope and getting into deep discussions of the weekly parshah. For Sukkot, they got to meet in person at the JCOGS Sukkah and that was just wonderful! Ayelet shared a teaching about Hoshanah Rabah, the prayer for rain, and the symbolism of the willow. All enjoyed beating the ground with willow branches as they prayed for rain.
I guess it worked, because Olam Chesed Wednesday program tried not once, not twice, but three times to meet in person! They say three's a charm and the third time we gathered for a joyous outdoor program. Several activities were set up to keep everyone moving and socially distant. In honor of our theme this year, mitzvot, we drew a GIANT Ten Commandments on the patio behind JCOGS, with each family decorating a different square. A storywalk hung in the trees about creation; a station where we scribed letters and words in Hebrew with a feather and ink; an activity to decorate our own Shabbat candlesticks; and time to share tefillah with Rabbi David. Each family received a juicy pomegranate, learning of its symbolism in connection to the 613 mitzvot.
New this year to Olam Chesed is a K-1 class that I have the pleasure of teaching. Eight bright and curious students are learning about Shabbat, colors, numbers, holidays, and experiencing Hebrew Through Movement, a program that engages students kinetically with modern Hebrew that correlates to prayer Hebrew. For example, l'amod, the instruction to stand up is the root for the word Amidah, and "Y'amod!" is what Rabbi calls out as our children stand before the Torah for the first time as b'nai mitzvah.
Using breakout rooms, scavenger hunts, and art projects, we are engaging with our students on Zoom through discovery, inquiry, and social engagement. This past week Jonah led the group in a exploring the commandment of shmor v'zachor et haShabbat, keep and remember the sanctity of Shabbat.
Join us on November 20th for our first Family & Friends Friday for this year! We're looking forward to celebrating Shabbat together with the JCOGS community.
welcome new office manager
08/28/2020 05:32:00 PM
Welcome Tyler Hall, JCOGS's new office manager.
Tyler received her BA in fine arts from the University of Rhode Island. She comes to the position with a background in graphic design and project management and marketing experience. Tyler is passionate about building community through art and has worked pro bono as a creative consultant for Stowe Vibrancy. She lives in Stowe with her son, Austin. All are invited to meet Tyler tonight at 5:45pm during the schmooze period before Shabbat services (starting 6:00pm).
Local matters
08/26/2020 01:37:11 AM
Local businesses are suffering and we should support them. Here’s Stephen's idea.
Dire layoff news of 30 employees at the Stowe Reporter and News and Citizen.
What to do: Support advertisers. Subscribe or add a subscription year. Donate.
Let’s end their struggle.
Saving our community.
By now you’ve read the lay-off news of 30 employees at the Stowe Reporter and News and Citizen. Their Waterbury Record is now shuttered. Most everyone would agree that the papers deliver honest reporting and even a chuckle from the police blotter. Oh what a great chronicle of our good Vermont lives.
Much off the job loss is due to lost advertising revenue. They surely held on as long as they could to provide a security blanket for their employees.
So I’m going to plead with you to do a few things before it becomes more grave. Plan seriously to shop and support the advertisers. Many are JCOGS members but the balance are the fabric of our lives here. Let’s put a bit of Amazon shopping on hiatus even briefly.
Secondly, I’m hoping all of us can be sure to subscribe to either paper or at least call in a one year extension payment. It will provide needed revenue and help them attract more advertisers with increased readership.
Lastly, during these dire times, I’m asking you all to send in a donation; whether its $18, $118 or anything ending in 18. It will give us the opportunity to explain to Greg Popa, the Publisher, the meaning of 18 as we find ways to heal our community.
I can’t imagine us without these papers and the business community they serve.
Stephen (Rosenbloom)
High Holy Days 5781/2020
08/26/2020 01:31:46 AM
Dear JCOGS family,
These High Holy Days are like no other. Your High Holy Day taskforce has been hard at work planning for these unprecedented experiences. We have planned. We have surveyed the community. We have reworked our plans based on your feedback. And now we are eager to share the JCOGS High Holy Day schedule of events with you.
Inspite of the hardships at this time, we are truly humbled and excited. This year will include beautiful music, members reading Torah, and poignant prayers. It will include words from Rabbi David that meet this moment in history. We will sing, schmooze, cast our sins away in the water, hear the shofar, and play out the story of Jonah. We will remember lost loved ones and also celebrate simchas in our lives. There will be some special surprises too. While we will be holding the majority of our services virtually this year, we will be offering points of connection in person on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
To be fully inclusive in this season, JCOGS is not requiring any tickets for this year’s High Holy Days. If you have not yet renewed your membership, please do so as soon as possible. Finances should not be a barrier to membership. If dues present a financial hardship or if you need a payment schedule, please complete your renewal online and JCOGS will be in touch to discuss alternative arrangements confidentially.
You are also invited to acknowledge and remember your loved ones during this High Holy Day season while supporting JCOGS through the Yizkor Book of Remembrance. The monies raised help support our continual holy work as a community. Please complete this form with the deadline of Friday, September 11.
Finally, Rabbi David will be away next week, Tuesday through Friday, devoting time to preparing for the High Holy Days, then back for that Friday night service. Rabbi Rim Meirowitz will be our emergency rabbi those days. He is the first point of contact for pastoral needs, including if someone is unwell or in need of support, and you can contact him directly at 617-835-2861 or rabbirim@gmail.com.
Hope to see you tonight at 6pm, as we launch this month of Elul leading to the High Holy Days with some special opening reflections on resilience from our members and the hearing of the shofar!
Rav brachot, many blessings for health, renewal, and a return to our truest selves.
Rabbi David Fainsilber and the High Holy Day Taskforce: Susan Bauchner, Willa Bruckner, Rachel Funk, Aron Temkin, and Claudia Woodward
help us plan the high holy days
08/07/2020 12:08:40 PM
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Statement on reopening from vt jewish clery
07/22/2020 02:01:20 PM
These are extraordinary, trying times we are all facing. As we consider reopening our spaces of worship and gathering, we must first draw on the values that have focused us on choosing life for millenia. Our tradition teaches us that there is no greater value than pikuach nefesh, preserving human life. We are also guided by areivut, our communal responsibility to each other, and savlanoot, patience in the face of crisis. While we so much wish to be together as a community in our sanctuaries, in our eagerness to return to our adored practice of coming together, we must also balance that we somehow may jeopardize the health of those in our communities. We will continue to draw on the wisdom of medical professionals and our values to guide our reopening as we plan for the summer, High Holy Days, and beyond.
IT'S ENOUGH TO DRIVE YOU CRAZY IF YOU LET IT
07/06/2020 05:00:36 AM
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