News

Capstone Community Action maintains an Essentials Closet for members of our community who don't have the funds to buy essential household items. There is a critical need for the items listed below. 

There is also a pressing need for winter clothes and sneakers at some of our area elementary schools.  They need items that will fit sizes five through adult.  Please leave items that are clean and in good condition in the box in the JCOGS lobby.

Items needed for Essentials Closet:

• Laundry and Dish Detergent
• Paper Towels
• Toilet Paper
• Body Wash
• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Baby Wipes 
• Deodorant

Please donate what you can and place it in the designated box in the JCOGS lobby.

Todah rabah!

JCOGS members canned applesauce way back in September just so you could have homemade applesauce on your latkes. Pick up your applesauce at JCOGS, or you can buy a jar and we'll donate it to the Lamoille County Food Share in your honor. Supplies are limited! All proceeds go to support JCOGS programming; $18 a jar. 

Place your orders here. 

Dear JCOGS family, 

Another Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur behind us, we are full on into the new year 5780.

Let me tell you something about what this season has meant for me: 46 pages of sermon material that didn't make it into the four drashot that I did give over these holidays. Please have a look here to read the words and meditations that were included. Lots of thought and preparation went into sharing what I hope were and will continue to be enduring messages of struggle and hope.  Let me know your own thoughts as you read one or more of these.

Meanwhile, onwards we go. The full moon tonight means that we are ready to go with Sukkot , the festival of our joy! Join us for Pizza in the Hut tomorrow/Monday night at Alison and my home and sukkah, anytime 4:30-7p.m. 

Chag sameach, a joyous holiday to you and yours,

Rabbi David

Dear JCOGS family,

Shana tova! Our family sends our love for a sweet, happy and healthy new year during this most precious High Holy Day season. May you find yourself at this time and in the new year giving and receiving love and connecting among family, friends, and community.

In this season, we ask ourselves: How will we face the challenges of our times?  What is clear is that the challenges cannot compare to the opportunities, hope, and shared purpose amidst this JCOGS kehillah kedoshah/holy congregation.  We are blessed to be in Vermont with you all to make a difference in each other’s lives and in our greater community.

Wherever you are celebrating the High Holy Days, with us at JCOGS or elsewhere, may you find purpose and meaning. 

Enjoy the music below and may we continue to lift up our voices in song.

Shana tova u'metukah, a sweet new year to all of you!

Rabbi David, Alison, Adar, Yonah, and Hersh

~Music for the High Holy Days~

As the High Holy Days rapidly approach, it is time to set the mood for this season of song, prayer and inner reflection. Here are some recordings for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, with some familiar classics and some new tunes. May these spark your voice and ignite your soul...each song title below is a link.

RABBI DAVID’S NEW MUSIC

AVINU MALKEINU

CREATE A PURE HEART IN ME (NAVA TEHILA)

NISHMAT KOL CHAI

WHO BY FIRE? (LEONARD COHEN)

OSEH SHALOM (R. MICAH SHAPIRO)

KI ANU AMECHA

HALLELUYAH (LEONARD COHEN)

AM I AWAKE (NOAH ARONSON)

Do you have apples? Lots and lots of apples? Apples in the trees, apples in baskets, apples in cardboard boxes, apples in your sock drawer? Put those apples to good use and help support JCOGS. Click here to join our applesauce fundraiser and can quarts of applesauce we will sell at Hanukkah.

If you don’t know how to can, don’t worry. We can pair you with an experienced canner. Be forewarned: apples are a gateway. Before long, you’ll find yourself canning All the Things.

If you’re an experienced canner, let us know so we can pair you with a novice.

And if you don’t have apples, don’t worry. Everyone else does.

It is impossible to fully comprehend the scope of the disaster in the northern Bahamas.  The massive destruction has left 70,000 people homeless - almost 1 out of 5 Bahamians.  The need could not be greater.  The following are some of the many organizations providing relief:

Red Cross - redcross.org

World Central Kitchen - donate.wck.org

Global Giving - www.globalgiving.org

Joint Distribution Committee - https://donate.jdc.org/give/248154/#!/donation/checkout

Please be generous.

Thunderstorms had been forecast in Monday, yet on the morning of July 18, it was clear this was going to be a perfect summer day. A slight breeze blew across Sandiwood Farm in Wolcott, carrying the smell of flowers and grass with a slight hint of ripening garlic. Guests were a little late in arriving, having been caught in road construction traffic in both Stowe and Wolcott. By 5:45, Deborah and David were playing music, friends were greeting one another, and the Summer Farm Dinner Fundraiser was in full swing.

JCOGS member Nat Bacon, head cheesemaker at Jasper Hill Farm, led a fascinating tasting of some of the finest cheeses in the world. Rare is the synagogue that can boast a world-class cheese tasting. Guests sampled Little Hosmer, Cabot Clothbound, Alpha Tolman, Bayley Hazen Blue, and Winnimere while learning about what they were eating. Winnimere, is made in the spring and found only in the local area, as it is sensitive to travel. Little Hosmer is traditionally made by women. And every cheese made at Jasper Hill is named for a Vermont location. 

As the evening wore on, guests browsed the silent auction, dined on food so fresh it had been picked yards away that morning, and sang Happy Birthday to Edie. And as the sun sank, the old friends debated the best way to roast a marshmallow as they made s'mores by the camp fire. 

We are deeply grateful to Sara and Bob Schlosser, who opened their hearts and their farm to JCOGS, working long hours to provide this beautiful evening to benefit JCOGS. Sandiwood Farm is a land of deep beauty where everyone slows down just a little and embraces the moment. Everyone agrees: there's just something about Sandiwood.

Thank you also to Patti and Linda, our auction co-chairs, who put in countless hours to make this auction a success. While most of the silent auction items sold, there were a few awesome offerings left. JCOGS members are invited to bid on these remaining items, which are listed below with minimum bids. If you'd like to see any of the items, drop by JCOGS or email emily.rosenbaum@jcogs.org to arrange for a photo. To bid, simply email jcogs@jcogs.org by next Wednesday, July 31, with your minimum and maximum bid. Help close out our summer fundraiser as a resounding success. 

• Signed, framed Karen Hallion print (value $300, minimum bid $100)
• Mosaic by Bette Ann Libby (value $250, minimum bid $175)
• Craig Mooney painting "Forest Trail" (value $2500, minimum bid $1250)
• Two Stowe Theatre Guild tickets (value $40, minimum bid $20)
• Three-night stay at Spruce Peak studio apartment with spa passes (value $2000, minimum bid $1000)
• Seven-day stay at Casa Heavenly (value $14,000, minimum bid $7000)
• Health coach consult and book (value $120, minimum bid $60)
• Jewish genealogy session (value $120, minimum bid $60)
• Mindful eating 12-week program (value $1800, minimum bid $900)
• Pinnacle Ski & Sports package: (choice of any 2020 Men’s or Women’s Volkl Skis with marker binding up to $1000 in value. Ski/Snowboard Season Tuning Pass. New junior ski/snowboard season lease. Inner Bootworks: custom foot bed) (value $1250, minimum bid $625)
• Power lunch with Tom Kearney (value $150, minimum bid $75)
• Shmuel Katz signed lithograph (value $450, minimum bid $200)
• Song writing session with Rachel Funk: (value $180, minimum bid $90)
• VT Pottery Works leaf mold platter (value $145, minimum bid $75)

Stay tuned for a complete list of all our auction item donors!

Our tikkun olam committee stepped up this summer to help three refugee boys attend camp. The boys have a scholarship to attend Camp Killooleet, an overnight camp in Vermont. JCOGS collected and packed all the gear these boys would need. Thank you to all the people who went through their hand-me-downs and donated funds, and a special thanks to our tikkun olam committee for packing them up. We'll be driving the boys to camp on Saturday!

Friday night, May 10, was one of the most special Shabbat services of the year. We gathered to celebrate the end of the Olam Chesed school year, a year that was dedicated to learning about holiness. But this wasn't just a service for the children, as families were encouraged to bring parents and grandparents. For children whose grandparents live too far to come, JCOGS elders volunteered to be Bubbie and Zaydie for the night. Blessings were given, prayers were sung, food was eaten, and bonds were made. The partition had to be opened because there were far too many generations celebrating to fit into the sanctuary. L'dor vador לדור ודור - from generation to generation.

Ritz pie, gluten-free brownies, apricot shortbread, and chocolate coconut cake were on display Sunday night, when more than 60 JCOGS members threw a boisterous dessert potluck at the home of JCOGS president Emily Rosenbaum. A decadent and calorie-filled time was had by all. To see more photos, like our Facebook page.

We're refinishing the floors in May, but it turns out that the plastic floor protectors on the bottoms of our chairs were doing the exact opposite of protecting our floors. Those plastic discs were stuck on good, but a fierce team of volunteers showed up with vice grips and screwdrivers to remove them and put on new, softer floor protectors that won't scratch the wood. Now the chairs are ready to meet our refinished floors.