News - Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

The many, many events

01/22/2021 12:27:48 PM

Jan22

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS family,

The night of the inauguration, I was at a meeting of the steering committee of the Racial Equity Alliance of Lamoille (REAL). While the inauguration was mentioned by a few of us, the meeting was business as usual—an exploration of systemic racism within us and our communities. After a terrifying insurrection on American soil, after a second impeachment of the former president, after millions here and abroad watched the remarkable peaceful transfer of power, a small committed group of people in Lamoille were continuing to work on dismantling bigotry in our community.

Many know the quote from Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I might add: it is the sum collection of the many, many small groups of thoughtful, committed citizens that change the world. We are the working engine of democracy.

The U.S. now has tragically surpassed 400,000 known deaths due to COVID, more loss than American soldiers fighting in WWII. May their memories be for a blessing. While the highest of offices makes an enormous difference in how we respond to the pandemic, we know that what each of us do—what we do in small groups—is no less important to the preservation of life itself.

If we have learned one thing through this all, it is that democracy is a fragile enterprise. Yet, as national youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman said at the inauguration: “But while democracy can be periodically delayed, / It can never be permanently defeated.” Certainly not when we each commit ourselves to the next steps of democracy: active, civic and community engagement towards the common good, with decency, with integrity, with hope. In the words of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “A meaningful life is: one lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.”

Finally, I encourage you to engage in some upcoming events with JCOGS, the wider Jewish community, and with the Lamoille arts community towards the common good:

To celebrate Tu Bishvat, the annual celebration of the birthday of the trees, the international Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest is taking place with dozens of programs to address the environmental crisis through the wisdom of Jewish tradition and community.
On Thursday night, JCOGS partners with Spruce Peak Performing Arts to bring you Let’s Tango, a masterful concert to uplift the spirit.
Then, next Friday night’s Shabbat Shira service will feature the music, clergy, and musicians from the first ever JCOGS produced album Hashkiveinu, by Rabbis Arielle Lekach-Rosenberg, Micah Shapiro, and myself. This is an album created in our holy JCOGS sanctuary with JCOGS musicians. Register here for the Zoom link and/or sign up to receive a CD delivered to your door. Digital release coming soon.

Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well. Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David

Warm Toes

01/18/2021 08:40:28 AM

Jan18

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

January 18, 2021

Dear Friends,

Socks are pretty critical in a climate like Vermont’s. Not cute socks, not stylish socks. Comfortable socks. Those socks that keep your toes warm on a winter day and dry in the rain. Those socks that feel good when you slide your feet into them. Those socks that don’t believe in blisters. Those socks that feel like a tiny slice of luxury.

But, of course, socks should not be a luxury. Every single human being deserves warm toes. Socks, along with underwear, are a basic item, and it’s an expression of love to make sure every person’s feet are cozy. You can measure a community by whether people’s toes are provided for.

And so, JCOGS has established a Warm Toes Fund to provide socks and underwear for those in our community who are in need of these essentials. A generous donor has stepped up to offer a matching grant of the first $1000 donated to this fund between now and February 14. Every dollar you donate will be doubled, which makes sense, given that people have two feet.

Funds will be distributed by referral and through schools and organizations. Socks and underwear are rarely included in clothing donations, yet they are essential to comfort and dignity. Please consider donating to the Warm Toes Fund, so we can make sure everyone’s feet are protected.

Best,
Emily

Donate here

Joint statement from Vermont's Jewish communities

01/13/2021 11:21:27 AM

Jan13

In the aftermath of last week’s deeply unsettling attack on our American democracy, the Jewish communities of Vermont stand together with people of good conscience to vehemently oppose mob rule, violence, and racist and antisemitic hatred. As Jews, we know what happens living under undemocratic regimes that do not protect the rights of all people. We value the sacred halls and traditions of this country’s long standing democracy.

We mourn the loss of life, and we are deeply worried about a dangerous virus to which our Congress, their staffers, and law enforcement were unnecessarily exposed.

The Jewish communities across Vermont stand in support of our democracy.

Signed:

Brattleboro Area Jewish Community Congregation Shir Heharim

Congregation Beth El, Vermont

Beth El Synagogue

Beth Jacob Synagogue

Havurah of Addison County

Israel Congregation

The Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Living Tree Alliance

Ohavi Zedek Synagogue

Congregation Ruach Hamaqom

Rutland Jewish Center

Temple Sinai Vermont

Woodstock Area Jewish Community - Congregation Shir Shalom

Rabbi Danielle Stillman, Middlebury, VT

Jewish Communities of Vermont

The cry of true freedom

01/08/2021 10:10:28 AM

Jan8

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS family,

In the anguish, fear, and unwieldiness of this week, I discovered enough powerful teachings to thwart off despair.

This light of hope first emanated in this Shabbat’s Torah portion, with the beginning of the book of Shemot/Exodus. The Pharaoh who enslaved and oppressed our ancestors dies. His death unleashes a primal scream from the Israelites, described in four piercing verbs: anachah, za’akah, shav’ah, na’akah—a sighing, groaning, moaning, cry for help to release them from their bondage. “And their cry for help went up to G-d.”

Then, I heard the words of the Slonimer Rebbe who teaches that as we begin the book of Shemot and the retelling of the exodus from Egypt, we are telling the entire story of exile and redemption, lighting a way for everyone, at all times, through the darkness. “And G-d heard their moaning.”

And finally, from one of my teachers Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld, who wrote this: “The journey begins with a cry. Some commentators say that deep inarticulate cry is the beginning of liberation. To remember to cry is to remember to hurt, which is to remember to long, which is to remember that things can be different, which is to remember to hope.”

The political events right now in the U.S. are deeply unsettling. Insurgents have stormed the Capitol building, brought Confederate flags and other racist and antisemitic symbols, violence, and white power to the sacred halls of this country’s highest democracy, incited by the highest powers of office.

But more powerful is our collective sigh, groan, and moan—our crying out against this tyranny. It is the will of the people to be heard. With our crying out, liberation is possible.

We cry out for collective safety. We cry out for love of freedom. We cry out for democracy and fair elections with the will of the people. We cry out for the peaceful transfer of power. We cry out for hope.

What else do we cry out for? Consider: I cry out for __________.

Join your JCOGS community before Shabbat services today at 5:30 p.m. for a time to reflect, to heal, and to see each other in our collective anguish. And to hope. During services, I will also address the congregation on the relationship between our present reality and the powerful words of this week's Torah portion, as our ancestors cried out for freedom against Pharaoh's oppression. Register here.

Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well,

Rabbi David

Nothing short of amazing

01/04/2021 12:43:33 PM

Jan4

January 4, 2021

Dear JCOGS Friends,

Last month, I asked you to join me in donating to JCOGS to close out 2020 together. Well, you did it, for sure.

Your response was nothing short of amazing. When all was totaled, we received 90 donations totaling $13,172. That translates to over 40% of our membership and 100% of our board. That’s absolutely outstanding.

Rabbi David made an appeal asking you to donate in appreciation of my leadership, and your response is a lovely compliment. However, we know that the power of JCOGS comes not from one or two people but from community involvement: our extraordinary board, our fantastic committee chairs, our indefatigable volunteers, and every one of you.

If you are a regular donor, thank you for your continued support and for making one more donation. If — like so many folks — this was your first donation to JCOGS, I hope it will not be your last. Please let this be the start of a lasting commitment to support JCOGS. When you look back in 2030, I hope you’ll see a decade of yearly donations behind you.

Thank you once again for stepping up, for making this our most successful End of Year campaign ever. I look forward to seeing you all in the sanctuary and social hall some time in 2021.

All my best,
Emily

Some kind of wonderful

12/28/2020 10:04:30 AM

Dec28

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

December 28, 2020

Dear friends,

When Rabbi David and I put out an appeal for end of year donations, we had no idea our JCOGS membership was going to step up in this way. So far, we’ve had — you aren’t going to believe this — 26% participation in our end of year appeal. You read that right. 26%.

That’s kind of amazing.

Even so, I believe we can get to 40% participation by the end of 2020, which translates to 27 more donations of any size. If you haven’t donated yet, please donate today. Whether it is $18 or $180, every donation helps us reach our participation goal. The next time a major donor asks what kind of congregational participation we have in our appeals, let’s be able to answer: “Through the roof.”

If you already donated, thank you so much. Your participation shows us that we’re doing something right. That you value what JCOGS brings to our community and to your lives. That you want to see us continue our work in tikkun olam, as a caring community, and as a spiritual home.

All my best as we stagger through to the end of 2020,

Emily

Donate to End of Year Appeal

Join Our Mailing List

The JCOGS office is currently closed to the public in order to protect the safety of our community. You can reach us by calling
802.253.1800 (office) | 802.477.2550 (cell) or sending an email to jcogs@jcogs.org. Please contact us with any needs.

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road | Stowe, VT 05672
802.253.1800 (office) | 802.477.2550 (cell) | jcogs.org

olam chesed students increase the light

12/23/2020 11:01:25 PM

Dec23

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.

Lamoille Rock Star

12/18/2020 08:28:42 AM

Dec18

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS family,

This is a bittersweet email to write. As you now know, Emily Rosenbaum, who has been serving our community as president for two and a half years, will be stepping down in the coming months to make way for new leadership. Emily has been a formidable leader. She has led the creation of our JCOGS communications, including a new website, strong social media presence, and our stunning bulletin. Our community has gone through a strategic plan under her guidance and worked diligently on those priorities at the board and committee level. Systems such as staff and board processes have been tightened up. She has also bravely helped our community respond in moments of antisemitic acts. And there have been the countless calls she has made and soups dropped off to vulnerable or grieving members. To name but a few of the ways she has impacted our community.

As a parting gift, her family has made a significant end of year gift to inspire others to give in turn. Hers is a model of active leadership on all levels. I hope you will join me in making a meaningful contribution in her honour.

In addition to all she has done for JCOGS, Emily also recently received a tremendous acknowledgement of her work out in the community. She was named community partner of the year by Capstone Community Action, an enormous honour thanks to her work (on behalf of JCOGS) with the Lamoille Area Health & Human Services Response Command Center.

In the words of Capstone’s Greg Stefanki: “Emily has donated countless hours researching and identifying the key pieces of information our community needed to know about food, housing, employment, medical issues and mental health and substance misuse...making sure that information was being shared with the whole community. Emily has taken the lead in raising funds for phones with hotspots to give to families who had no access to school for their children and is playing a key role in raising funds to support long-term, systemic changes. Emily Rosenbaum is the definition of a good neighbor. She is a Lamoille Rock Star!”

We still have her as our JCOGS president for a couple more months, but what better way to show our gratitude for her work within JCOGS and the wider community than an end of year gift. Let’s show her some love, and in turn, build a brighter future for JCOGS.

Shabbat Shalom. Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well,

Rabbi David

Your Hanukkah TONIGHT

12/10/2020 04:28:43 PM

Dec10

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS family,

Are you ready? Hanukkah is upon us TONIGHT! If you are not ready, let me help you out:

Pick up your candles, dreidels and gelt anytime of day (or night) on Thursday or Friday outside the front door of the JCOGS building.
Each evening at 6p.m., we will be sharing a video from our members. Jokes, songs, memories, even an original rap! Check out the first one on YouTube or FaceBook from yours truly.
Join us tomorrow/Friday night at 6p.m. for our Mega Musical Shabbat of Hanukkah.
If you are a teen, or a parent of a teen (and want to nudge your teen to join), Saturday at 6p.m. is the time to bring in Hanukkah with some games.
THE SERIOUSLY EPIC VT-WIDE HANUKKAH PARTY is happening Saturday night at 7p.m. NOT TO BE MISSED. Already over 100 people registered (and you know, there are those like you that still need to register).
If you are a young family or just plain young-at-heart, we’ve got Saturday morning Kinderlach and Gesher (spin like a dreidel!), and an epic concert by ShirLaLa on Tuesday at 5:30p.m.
Looking for some family learning each night? Here are two guides from the incredible folks at Hadar: one for adults and one for families with children.
Make some latkes! Here’s that recipe you needed right now.

See how I did that? 8 items, 8 nights. Now, you are ready to celebrate this amazing holiday.

May this be a light-filled time for you and yours. We could all use some light, across Vermont, across this world. Hag Urim Sameach, happy festival of lights.

Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well.

Rabbi David

2020 in the rearview mirror

12/07/2020 10:01:47 AM

Dec7

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

December 7, 2020

Dear Friends,

Quite soon, I will be stepping down as your JCOGS president. I have already served more than the two years our bylaws set out for a presidency, and the time has come for fresh leadership. Our board is strong, talented, and committed, and we are prepared with an outstanding successor president. I cannot speak for the board before there is an official vote, but suffice it to say we’re going to be in excellent hands.

It has been an incredible honor to be your president, and I am grateful you have given me the opportunity to serve our community. My family has thrived at JCOGS, and we look forward to remaining active for years to come. As a thank you to JCOGS for all you have given us, we are offering a gift to mark the end of my time as president.

Our family will match the first $1,000 given to the End of Year Appeal in appreciation of this wonderful community. In other words, I’m asking you to make a donation to mark the end of my presidency, and we will match it dollar for dollar. Click here to be taken to our End of Year Appeal, and your donation will be doubled.

I hope you will consider making a donation to mark the end of my time as your president, in support of all that we as a community have built together. Your donation will help pay salaries, support programming, and provide for Jewish life in north-central Vermont. As we move towards the future, I look forward to giving donations together in honor of succeeding presidents for decades to come.

All my best for a merciful end to 2020.

Emily

Donate to End of Year Appeal

Join Our Mailing List

The JCOGS office is currently closed to the public in order to protect the safety of our community. You can reach us by calling
802.253.1800 (office) | 802.477.2550 (cell) or sending an email to jcogs@jcogs.org. Please contact us with any needs.

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road | Stowe, VT 05672
802.253.1800 (office) | 802.477.2550 (cell) | jcogs.org

increase the light

12/07/2020 09:54:15 AM

Dec7

This year's theme in Olam Chesed is mitzvah and as we approach 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.

Salvation Farms

11/30/2020 03:01:43 PM

Nov30

Dear JCOGS Community,

COVID-19 has upended so many aspects of our lives. It affects how we shop, how we socialize, and how we pray. For many members of our community, it has also affected access to food. Food insecurity is all too common across Vermont and the world.

This year, on Giving Tuesday, JCOGS is proud to partner with Salvation Farms, which distributes surplus produce from local farms to the community. They bring what is leftover from harvests to those who are experiencing food insecurity through Bounty Boxes at local healthcare providers and schools. Their work supports both farmers and people in need of fresh and healthy food.

The Torah says that farmers should leave harvest leftovers for those who are struggling to feed themselves. This Giving Tuesday, let’s come together to help support that work right here in the Lamoille Valley. We hope you will join us in donating to Salvation Farms, making sure that the food left from a harvest gets to those most in need.

Amy Wenger and Lynne Gedanken
Co-chairs, tikkun olam committee

What does it mean to pray?

11/20/2020 10:40:59 AM

Nov20

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS family,

Have you drank from the fountain of prayer? Pouring forth from your lips or in your heart? Were you praying for someone else’s well being or for your own? In gratitude or in need? In awe or in stillness?

Prayer comes in many forms. As Yitchak pleading on Rivka’s behalf for her to become pregnant, as in our Torah portion. We can pray for someone else’s well being. We can pray that their needs be met. We can help sustain them by letting them know they are in our hearts and through our support.

Prayer can also be on our own behalf. As when Rivka’s pain in pregnancy became unbearable, with two competing twins in her womb. וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְרֹ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהוָֽה, she went to inquire, to seek out, to beseech G-d for help in her troubles.

We each have access to the place of prayer. Even if we are not religious. Even if “prayer” is too loaded or inaccessible a word. Prayer means accessing the inner places of thanks, awe, need, and stillness. Conversations with G-d are conversations deep within.

What are your prayers?

Commentator Rashi says that Rivka and Yitchak prayed facing each other, each one standing in their respective corners, lifting each other up. How can we hold each other up through our prayers? I leave you with one example. Here is a potent prayer one of our members wrote during this week’s meditation group:

“Dear God,

Please give me strength to endure whatever comes next in this truly
trying time.

Thank you for looking over my children and grandchildren and keeping
them safe.

Thank you for the goodness and beauty I have known in my life.

I need to feel there will be a good end to this pestilence in a time
that I am still on this earth.”

Amen to this prayer. Amen to all of your prayers.

Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well. Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David

p.s. Two upcoming opportunities for prayer—TONIGHT with our Family & Friends Friday, starting with an all-ages schmooze at 5:45pm (see how our JCOGS kids pray! Hint: adorable and with fervour). And Wednesday’s meditation group, at 10am, with the theme of giving thanks.

Precious, Precarious Democracy

11/13/2020 11:29:29 AM

Nov13

Dear JCOGS family,

I was having a conversation with my rabbi and friend, Rim Meirowitz, back in September about the state of modern democracy. Tongue-in-cheek, he responded: “Democracy is overrated. Only people I agree with should be in charge.”

Over the course of these last weeks, I have spoken and written about the importance of voting, of cultivating patience in the uncertainty, of the division and unity of these times, and of being a civic mensch.

Tonight, I invite you to join us during our virtual services at 6pm, where I will address our congregation on the topic of the preciousness and precariousness of our shared democracy, particularly in this moment. I will quote some of the greatest modern Jewish thinkers: the first Jewish Justice of the Supreme Court, Louis Brandeis z”l; these five pillar U.S. rabbis who days ago co-authored this piece; and the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z”l, whom we lost just last Shabbat to cancer, may his memory be for a blessing.

RSVP here for tonight’s Zoom link or join us on FaceBook.

Predating the existence of our modern democracies, Rabbi Yitzhak taught in the Talmud, “A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted.” (Brakhot 55a) Many a great Jewish thinker have contemplated the value of democracy. Tonight, I will humbly submit my own thoughts. What about your own thinking? How does living in a democracy impact you and your family?

Finally, as the numbers of COVID-19 cases increase, tihiyu bri’im, please stay safe and be well.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David

P.S. If you can’t make it tonight to services, the d’var Torah/sermon will be made available next week. Check out FaceBook for more.

Becoming United

11/06/2020 01:03:17 PM

Nov6

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

Nov2

Dear friends,

The day before my 18th birthday, I studied Philadelphia bus maps. I was a month into my freshman year in college, and I knew that the next day I would find my way through the city, changing buses at Broad, so that I could get where I needed to be to register to vote. I don’t remember anything else about my 18th birthday, but I remember my incredible feeling of excitement as I registered to vote, exactly as planned.

That was back in the days when we sometimes knew what tomorrow would bring.

At the time, I didn’t wonder why there was nowhere in my West Philly neighborhood where I could register. I didn’t examine the privilege of being able to take half a day off to find my way downtown. All I knew was this was a club I’d been waiting my whole life to join: the Do-ers of Democracy. Now, of course, I know all the ways we fail at allowing every voice to be heard, the way we leave people out of that club.

If you live in Vermont, you should have gotten a ballot mailed to you. If you haven’t yet mailed yours in, please do not put it in a mailbox. Please bring it to your town clerk’s office today. And if you didn’t get a ballot mailed to you, show up at your polling place tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3. Vermont has same-day voter registration, so if you haven’t registered you can register right at your polling place. If you want to check that your vote has been counted,click here.

If you live in the United States but not Vermont, you may not have had a chance to vote early in your state. I wish for you strong legs and gentle weather tomorrow as you stand, possibly for hours, waiting to be a Do-er of Democracy. This week, I donated to Pizza to the Polls, hoping that the food I’ve sponsored will allow someone to stay in line a little longer, helping one or two people do democracy. If the line you are in is long, you can call Pizza to the Polls, and they will send refreshments so you can continue your important work. I hope my pizza finds its way to you.

If you do not live in the United States, I’m sure the way we do things over here is a little confusing to you. Trust me, it can be confusing to Americans, as well. Just wish us a day of strong democracy, where every voice is heard.

Our tikkun olam committee wrote out 200 postcards this fall, sending them to largely minority neighborhoods, urging them to vote. Thank you to everyone who participated, who let someone out there know that you value their right to be a Do-er of Democracy. As Rabbi David says, you are civic mensches.

Thank you also to the local town clerks, who recognized that vote at home is great, unless you don’t have a home. They went to where people experiencing homelessness are residing, and they held outdoor voting opportunities in the parking lots. Our town clerks went the extra mile to make sure that every voice was heard.

I do not know what tomorrow will bring, which incidentally seems to be the recurring theme of 2020. My wish for each of you is that your voice is strong and clear, that you vote all the way down the ballot, and that someone brings pizza if you need it.

May each and every one of us be a Do-er of Democracy.

All my best,
Emily

youth lead winter clothing drive

11/01/2020 10:02:39 PM

Nov1

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

Nov1

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

Oct26

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

Aug28

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

Aug26

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

Aug26

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

Aug7

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS family,

For many of us, the High Holy Days are the highlight of the Jewish year. We all appreciate the familiarity of our JCOGS traditions, the opportunity to reconnect and schmooze with fellow members, and the ruach — the spirited energy that fills our sacred physical space more than at any other time in the year.

Due to the lifesaving measures established to keep us safe from exposure to COVID-19, we recognize that this year’s holiday experience will differ from our usual traditions. Indeed, before we can effectively plan and outline what this year’s holidays will look like, we feel it’s necessary to first acknowledge — as a unified JCOGS community — the loss this year of the typical High Holy Days with which we are so familiar. We will not experience an overflowing sanctuary this year, nor be uplifted by the collective harmonies, nor witness multiple shofar blowers up on the bimah, at least not in our traditional ways.

Our High Holy Day taskforce has been hard at work reimagining the High Holy Days in this era of COVID-19. We now turn to you, our community, to help us understand what the High Holidays mean to you. This brief survey will help us plan for this year's holidays and to dream about how we might create a meaningful, connective, and safe Days of Awe for each of us and collectively.

In the survey, you will learn more about what we are planning. While these holidays will certainly not be the same, in spite of the difficulties, we believe these will be very moving holiday experiences for all. We highly encourage you to fill out the survey, both to learn more about our ongoing plans, and also to help us plan further and meet our community’s needs. The deadline is THIS MONDAY AT NOON, but why not just get this off your to-do list now?

We pray that next year we will fully gather together safely and with abundant health, in community.

With hope and gratitude,

The High Holy Day Taskforce
Rabbi David Fainsilber, Susan Bauchner, Willa Bruckner, Rachel Funk, Aron Temkin, and Claudia Woodward

Statement on reopening from vt jewish clery

07/22/2020 02:01:20 PM

Jul22

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

Jul6

Dear friends,

Rabbi David is off for the next two weeks, and Olivia is off for the next week. They need this time. They have been relentless in caring for our community for the past four months, so I more or less insisted they take time off. They resisted, and I insisted again.

Please help me in this effort by not emailing, texting, or calling them. Whatever it is, please just hold off. Wait to email Olivia until Tuesday, July 14, and wait to email Rabbi David until Wednesday, July 22. That way, they will not return to an overloaded inbox that obviates any relaxation they are feeling.

If you need immediate assistance during this time, you can email jcogs@jcogs.org and someone will be in touch with you as soon as possible. Rabbi Rim Meirowitz will be our emergency rabbi while Rabbi David is away. 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. And, of course, for any other needs, I will be available, so please feel free to email me at emily.rosenbaum@jcogs.org.

Thank you so much for your understanding.

All the best,
Emily

this is how we do it

06/29/2020 08:30:25 AM

Jun29

Upcoming events below letter.

Dear Friends,

I am beyond words. Which, if you know me, tells you something.

For the past couple of months, I’ve been hearing from nonprofits in the area and synagogue presidents around the country that they are canceling their fundraisers. People are looking at their budgets and wringing their hands, knowing they can’t raise money through the types of events they usually host. At JCOGS, we cut the dollar goal for our fundraiser in half, and then asked the finance committee if they could figure something out. A placeholder for our usual summer fundraiser.

Well, if you logged on last night, you know they sure figured something out. The comedy event was hilarious, a mixture of professional, local, and our own homegrown talent. And the auction? When they couldn’t ask businesses to donate items, the committee asked our community to donate their talents. The items were an amazing array of our collective gifts, and I had several conversations over the course of the week that started with, “How much do you think I have to bid to get…?”

So, here’s the part you’re waiting for. We hit our new, reduced fundraising goal. In fact, we hit the old, original goal. We exceeded that goal. Through the tireless efforts of the fundraiser committee, we raised $12,068 towards our JCOGS annual fund.

Here are the names of the people who did this remarkable work:

Committee chair: Sandy Manning
Auction magicians: Debby Sherman, Ellen Gibs, Debbie Steinerman
Committee members: Amy Wenger, Amy Murphy, Sarah Ellner

If you know these women, please reach out to them and thank them. They showed that it can be done. That we can come together in remarkable ways, can elevate the spirit of community, and will not let a thing like a global pandemic stop our connection with each other. Thank you, all of you.

On another note, I want to let everyone know that I’ve asked our staff to prioritize getting on vacation this summer. They have worked extremely hard through the spring, and chances are that getting away in the winter will prove difficult. This may mean that we cannot exercise our usual care in making sure there is seamless coverage, as people may need to overlap vacation time when their families are able to take time off. I ask you to be patient if some things take more time. Our staff absolutely needs to rest and recharge for the coming months.

All the best,

Emily

Donate

A cheese tasting, a Hanukkiah, and 12 quarts of soup walk into an auction...

06/24/2020 11:45:42 AM

Jun24

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Upcoming events below.

Laugh Your Tuchus Off

Tomorrow is the last day to bid on items in the most unusual auction you'll ever meet.

Undaunted by the spectre of a stay at home order, our fundraiser committee has found a way to pull us together in community.

Auction winners will be announced during Sunday night's program,
which features: Sandy Manning’s top hat, local comics, your talented rabbi, your talented rabbi's amazing guitar, and our headliner,
the fabulously funny Joel Chasnoff.

Don't miss out on your chance to help support JCOGS, to win some awesome items, and to LAUGH YOUR TUCHUS OFF.
You must be registered to watch the comedy show, access the virtual JCOGS Book of Jokes*, AND to have a chance to bid on the incredible offerings in this year’s auction.

Registration is free, but please donate if you can.

JCOGS Membership
The new fiscal year begins July 1, meaning it is time to renew your
2020-2021 membership at JCOGS.
Read the messages from Rabbi David and JCOGS President Emily Rosenbaum here and from CFJCOGS President Irwin Tauben here.

Renew your JCOGS membership

Renew your CFJCOGS membership

Become a new JCOGS member

Please be sure to log in to your account in order to create your password and update any of your information. Click here for a brief shulcloud tutorial. Contact the office 802-253-1800, jcogs@jcogs.org, with any questions.

Ways to Care for Yourself and Others

2020 Census
The completion of the questionnaire determines the amount of money Vermont will receive for many of our essential programs...programs that benefit our health and safety, that pay for our roads, for local government, for schools, for hospitals, and for so much more. Completing the questionnaire is easy and can be done online here.
...................................................

Upcoming blood drives
There are still spots in the Stowe Community Church blood drive on July 9. Appointments are required. To make appointments or find upcoming drives, click here.
...................................................

Childcare
Families looking for childcare can click here to connect with referral specialists who have up to date knowledge of local childcare spaces.

...................................................

Upcoming Online Events
click on each link below in order to connect via Zoom.

Today, Wednesday through Thursday, June 24-25
JCOGS Goods & Services Online Fundraiser Auction
Final two days for bids!
Register here and you will be sent your link to view and start the bidding. This amazing 'blind' Auction includes: Judaica, adventure, gardening goods and services, art, food, and many, many more unique items. Bid high today.
....................................................

Thursday, June 25, 11-11:30 AM
Morning meditation with Rabbi David
Morning Meditation with Rabbi David, with readings and breathings — sure
to awaken the heart. Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95920431821
...................................................

Thursday, June 25, 7:30 PM
Virtual shiva for Alice Goin's father, Myron H. Kornitsky
A virtual shiva gathering will be held this Thursday, June 25, at 7:30pm. The JCOGS community is invited to be virtually present for the shiva gathering to offer condolences to the family. Follow this link to join.
...................................................

Friday, June 26, Shabbat service
5:30 PM Schmooze; 6 PM Abbreviated service
An abbreviated, simple service with lay leaders.
Join in and feel the much needed connections.
Come early for a Schmooze with friends at 5:30 PM.
Join via zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87407893775.
....................................................

Sunday, June 28, 6:30-6:50 PM
Mincha service
Gather as members and say Kaddish before our community fundraiser.
Join via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84266930953
....................................................

Sunday, June 28, 7 PM
Laugh Your Tuchus Off: a community-building, fundraising,
rollicking good time.
Banish the summertime-stuck-at-home-can’t-stand-it-blues and come
Laugh Your Tuchus Off. Featuring: Sandy Manning’s top hat, local comics, your talented rabbi, your talented rabbi's amazing guitar, and our headliner, the fabulously funny Joel Chasnoff.

Registration is free, but please donate if you can.
Don’t wait, register TODAY. You must be registered to watch the show, access the JCOGS Book of Jokes*, and to have a chance to bid on the incredible offerings in this year’s auction, happening now until Thursday, June 25. Winners will be announced during the comedy night, need not be present to win.
*send any family-friendly jokes and videos to amy.wenger@jcogs.org.
....................................................

JCOGS Green Team
CSA
To support JCOGS members in accessing fresh, local, sustainably grown food, the JCOGS Green Team has put together a list of local Vermont farms that offer CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA provides weekly shares of produce and other farm products to customers who pay in advance for the season or 'pay-as-you-go' each week. For a comprehensive list of organic farms that offer CSAs in Vermont, please refer to the NOFA-VT interactive directory at https://nofavt.org/find-organic-local-food/csas.
Enjoy the season with healthy local food!
....................................................

Click here for details about the discounted fuel rates available for JCOGS members only. The deadline to sign up has been extended to the end of July.
....................................................

Yahrzeits

Gary Patch
Stella Kurland Wise
Max Allen
Leonard Rosenthal

JCOGS Website

Facebook

Calendar

Join Our Mailing List

The JCOGS building is currently closed, please contact us at
jcogs@jcogs.org or 802-253-1800 if you need any assistance.

What can I do?

06/22/2020 12:52:42 PM

Jun22

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Upcoming events below.

Dear friends,

“What can I do?” This was the question I heard frequently in March and April. JCOGS members were eager to support us, to help us carry on, to keep our community functioning.

With a small committee of our members, however, I turned that question on its head.

You see, our fundraiser committee already had begun their plans for a raucous summer event, complete with comedy, auction, and summer finery. Suddenly, it was clear there would not be large gatherings over the summer, and their best-laid plans went out the window. So I asked them, “What can you do?”

Oh, boy, did they ever answer.

This Sunday, six days from today, you get to be part of that answer. Laugh Your Tuchus Off is still going to be a raucous summer event, complete with comedy and an auction, but the finery is optional. The comedy is both homegrown and professional, with the headliner, Joel Chasnoff, Zooming in from Israel just to make us laugh. And the auction? They’ve devised a creative way to bring our community together while raising funds critical for our operations.

But you have to register right away or you’ll miss your chance to participate.

Once you register, you’ll be sent a link and instructions for bidding, and another link to watch the comedy.

If, throughout this shutdown, you asked yourself, “What can I do for JCOGS?” the answer is right here. Register today, bid in the next couple of days, and log on Sunday to laugh your tuchus off.

I’ll see you there,
Emily

Donate

JCOGS Membership
The new fiscal year begins July 1, meaning it is time to renew your
2020-2021 membership at JCOGS.
Read the messages from Rabbi David and JCOGS President Emily Rosenbaum here and from CFJCOGS President Irwin Tauben here.

Renew your JCOGS membership

Renew your CFJCOGS membership

Become a new JCOGS member

Please be sure to log in to your account in order to create your password and update any of your information. Click here for a brief shulcloud tutorial. Contact the office 802-253-1800, jcogs@jcogs.org, with any questions.

Upcoming Online Events
click on each link below in order to connect via Zoom.

Sunday-Thursday, June 21-25
JCOGS Goods & Services Online Fundraiser Auction
Register here and you will be sent your link to view and start the bidding on Sunday, June 21. This amazing 'blind' Auction includes: Judaica, Adventure, Gardening goods and services, Art, Food, ...and many, many more unique items.
....................................................

Thursday, June 25, 11-11:30 AM
Morning meditation with Rabbi David
Morning Meditation with Rabbi David, with readings and breathings — sure
to awaken the heart. Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95920431821
...................................................

Friday, June 26, Musical Shabbat Service
5:30 PM Schmooze; 6 PM Musical Shabbat services
Join in and feel the much needed connections.
Come early for a Schmooze with friends at 5:30 PM.
Join via zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87407893775.
....................................................

Saturday, June 20, 9 PM
Havdalah
Join in Havdalah with Rabbi David and family.
Set yourself up before havdalah with a glass of wine or grape juice, some sweet smelling spices, and a havdalah candle (here’s how to make one or to buy one), and follow along with the prayers here.
Join via zoom here.
....................................................

Sunday, June 28, 7 PM
Laugh Your Tuchus Off: a community-building, fundraising,
rollicking good time.
Banish the summertime-stuck-at-home-can’t-stand-it-blues and come
Laugh Your Tuchus Off. Featuring: Sandy Manning’s top hat, local comics, your talented rabbi, your talented rabbi's amazing guitar, and our headliner, the fabulously funny Joel Chasnoff.

Registration is free, but please donate if you can.
Don’t wait, register TODAY. You must be registered to watch the show, access the JCOGS Book of Jokes*, and to have a chance to bid on the incredible offerings in this year’s auction available from now until Thursday, June 25. Winners will be announced during the comedy night, need not be present to win.
*send any family-friendly jokes and videos to amy.wenger@jcogs.org.
....................................................

JCOGS Green Team
Gardening
The Green Team is interested in starting a Community Garden at the Synagogue. The intent is to use the garden "as both an outdoor experiential Jewish classroom and a vehicle to stimulate our community’s commitment to environmental stewardship and food justice." Since the growing season is well underway, we need to find out now if you might help us with the ongoing upkeep of this "starter" garden. Please contact Karen Stewart, m:516-429-3377 or email Karen at jcogs@jcogs.org with your thoughts and any ideas.
CSA
To support JCOGS members in accessing fresh, local, sustainably grown food, the JCOGS Green Team has put together a list of local Vermont farms that offer CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA provides weekly shares of produce and other farm products to customers who pay in advance for the season or 'pay-as-you-go' each week. For a comprehensive list of organic farms that offer CSAs in Vermont, please refer to the NOFA-VT interactive directory at https://nofavt.org/find-organic-local-food/csas.
Enjoy the season with healthy local food!
....................................................

Click here for details about the discounted fuel rates available for JCOGS members only. The deadline to sign up has been extended to the end of July.

The JCOGS building is currently closed, please contact us at
jcogs@jcogs.org or 802-253-1800 if you need any assistance.

Tuchus.

06/19/2020 03:02:06 PM

Jun19

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Upcoming events below.

Dear JCOGS family,

This past Sunday, after our well-attended annual meeting, Alison and I went off alone, with babysitter at home, and spent a glorious day celebrating our 11 year anniversary. As much as we know each other after these years, we always learn new things about each other. This anniversary, I asked her to cut my hair. Well, I quickly learned that it will be at least another 11 years before she cuts it again. We laughed our tuchuses off when she was in mid-cut, and the word ‘oops’ slipped out of her mouth.

These days, I miss my barber. But there are many others I truly miss. I miss our Montreal members who cannot come down to Stowe with the border closed. I miss our east coast JCOGS family who are sheltering in place and cannot leave their homes in Boston, New York, and beyond. I even miss our locals, who I have seen some of at the recent racial justice protests, yet behind masks.

When Alison and I laughed so hard that I almost fell off my chair, it became so abundantly clear to me—in these horrible times, we all need a serious, good old-fashioned, coming up from your kishkes LAUGH. But these days, what else other than a botched haircut can make us laugh so hard that it hurts? Funny you should ask!

How about our JCOGS summer fundraiser, Sunday, June 28—Laugh Your Tuchus Off: a community-building, fundraising, rollicking good time. The night will feature the hilarious Joel Chasnoff and local comedians. There will also be an amazing silent auction like you have never seen before. In fact, the auction will be one of the most community-building happenings we have ever done as an institution because the auction items you can bid on are talents and services offered by our incredible membership. So please register NOW RIGHT HERE so you get the link for the event and for the silent auction. The auction goes live this Sunday!

Finally, a note to all the fathers as I wish you a delightful Father’s Day. And to those fathers who have passed away, we miss you too. You are the ones that always tell the best tuchus jokes.

Tihiyu bri’im, stay safe, be well.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David

Donate

JCOGS Membership
The new fiscal year begins July 1, meaning it is time to renew your
2020-2021 membership at JCOGS.
Read the messages from Rabbi David and JCOGS President Emily Rosenbaum here and from CFJCOGS President Irwin Tauben here.

Renew your JCOGS membership

Renew your CFJCOGS membership

Become a new JCOGS member

Please be sure to log in to your account in order to create your password and update any of your information. Click here for a brief shulcloud tutorial. Contact the office 802-253-1800, jcogs@jcogs.org, with any questions.

Upcoming Online Events
click on each link below in order to connect via Zoom.

Friday, June 19, Juneteenth and Musical Shabbat Service
5:30 PM Schmooze; 6 PM Musical Shabbat services
This Friday marks the holiday of Juneteenth, a day celebrated on June 19 across three centuries to remember an end to slavery. We will say a special kaddish for black lives before lighting candles. Our regular Kabbalat Shabbat service will take note of the significance of this day in our present times.
Join via zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87407893775.
....................................................

Saturday, June 20, anytime between 10am-2pm

Ride Against Racism: Johnson
The third event in the REAL Weekends of Action is a solidarity loop around Old Mill Park in Johnson between 10am-2pm on Saturday June 20th
Make signs or decorate your bike, helmet, chair, or clothes.
To avoid car pileup we invite people to arrive on bikes, foot, wagon, or wheelchair. No stairs or steep inclines exist on this route.
More information, including map, here .
....................................................

Saturday, June 20, 9 PM
Havdalah
Join in Havdalah with Rabbi David and family.
Set yourself up before havdalah with a glass of wine or grape juice, some sweet smelling spices, and a havdalah candle (here’s how to make one or to buy one), and follow along with the prayers here.
Join via zoom here.
....................................................

Sunday-Thursday, June 21-25
JCOGS Goods & Services Online Fundraiser Auction
Register here and you will be sent your link to view and start the bidding on Sunday, June 21. This amazing 'blind' Auction includes: Judaica, Adventure, Gardening goods and services, Art, Food, ...and many, many more unique items.
....................................................

Thursday, June 25, 11-11:30 AM
Morning meditation with Rabbi David
Morning Meditation with Rabbi David, with readings and breathings — sure
to awaken the heart. Join via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95920431821
...................................................

Sunday, June 28, 7 PM
Laugh Your Tuchus Off: a community-building, fundraising,
rollicking good time.
Banish the summertime-stuck-at-home-can’t-stand-it-blues and come
Laugh Your Tuchus Off. Featuring: Sandy Manning’s top hat, local comics, your talented rabbi, your talented rabbi's amazing guitar, and our headliner, the fabulously funny Joel Chasnoff.

Registration is free, but please donate if you can.
Don’t wait, register TODAY. You must be registered to watch the show, access the JCOGS Book of Jokes*, and to get first chance at the auction, to be kicked off on Sunday. Winners will be announced during the comedy night, need not be present to win.
*send any family-friendly jokes and videos to amy.wenger@jcogs.org.
....................................................

JCOGS Green Team
Gardening
The Green Team is interested in starting a Community Garden at the Synagogue. The intent is to use the garden "as both an outdoor experiential Jewish classroom and a vehicle to stimulate our community’s commitment to environmental stewardship and food justice." Since the growing season is well underway, we need to find out now if you might help us with the ongoing upkeep of this "starter" garden. Please contact Karen Stewart, m:516-429-3377 or email Karen at jcogs@jcogs.org with your thoughts and any ideas.
CSA
To support JCOGS members in accessing fresh, local, sustainably grown food, the JCOGS Green Team has put together a list of local Vermont farms that offer CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture). A CSA provides weekly shares of produce and other farm products to customers who pay in advance for the season or 'pay-as-you-go' each week. For a comprehensive list of organic farms that offer CSAs in Vermont, please refer to the NOFA-VT interactive directory at https://nofavt.org/find-organic-local-food/csas.
Enjoy the season with healthy local food!
....................................................

Click here for details about the discounted fuel rates available for JCOGS members only. The deadline to sign up has been extended to the end of July.

The JCOGS building is currently closed, please contact us at
jcogs@jcogs.org or 802-253-1800 if you need any assistance.

Future perfect

06/17/2020 11:46:03 AM

Jun17

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe

Dear JCOGS member,

Over the past few months, we’ve learned what is a beloved luxury, what is important, and what is critical. We’ve gone through a sort of global lifestyle budgeting process, identifying what we value by what we most miss. Through this, we’ve realized just how much we value our community. When we deeply miss potlucks, the sound of children on the playground, and rising together to light Shabbat candles, we are recognizing those moments as incredibly valuable. When we join Zoom services, we are committing to community in a powerful way.

Today — this very day — we’re asking you to think about what you value and commit to community. Here is how:

Renew your membership: Anyone can come to services, but belonging to JCOGS is your chance to say, “This is my community. I support it, and I am a part of it.” If you are a member you are signaling that you understand JCOGS to be a community made up of members. Finances should never be a barrier to membership; you can spread your dues over ten months or request aid. Membership is fundamental to the strength of JCOGS.

Bridge the gap: Our board has frozen dues at last year’s levels due to the economic downturn. However, our dues never reflect our actual operating costs. It costs $2588 per member unit to keep JCOGS running, which is $2038 more than individual membership dues and $1613 more than family membership dues. If you can, we are asking you today to bridge the gap between your membership dues and our costs through a donation to our benefactor appeal. We have included a special Bridge the Gap category for members who are able to shoulder their full share of the cost of operating JCOGS.

Donate: We extend membership to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay. To help offset the cost of dues forgiveness, please donate to our Benefactor Appeal. We have suggested levels, but a gift of any amount will help maintain and support our commitment to membership for all who want it. If this is your first year of giving to the Benefactor Appeal, we want to thank you for making a concrete commitment to supporting JCOGS. If this is your fifteenth year, thank you for continuing to make JCOGS your philanthropic priority.

To our beloved community of JCOGS:

These are tenuous times we are living in. Now more than ever, we feel the impact and importance of connected community and our relationship with the broader community. We have decided to give a financial contribution
to JCOGS that far exceeds what we have donated to any one organization before. It is a gift for the future of the JCOGS community. We invite those who are able at this time to join us in supporting our community.

Rabbi David & Alison

Please know, when we ask you for money, we do so only when we are confident that your money will be used wisely. People are volunteering their time and their talents wherever possible. Our board has gone through an extensive budgeting process, identifying those areas that are critical and those that can be cut. This fiscal year, we budgeted only for the first quarter (July-September), recognizing that we cannot predict how many of our donors will be unable to give at their usual levels. We will adjust the budget accordingly for quarters 2 through 4. All of this is important to running a tight ship and recognizing that your donation is a sign of your trust in us.

Let’s plan for another great year together.

Best,
Rabbi David Fainsilber
Emily Rosenbaum, President

Renew Your JCOGS Membership

Renew Your Canadian Friends of JCOGS Membership

*Please be sure to log in to your account in order to create your password and update any of your information. Click here for a brief shulcloud tutorial. Contact the office at jcogs@jcogs.org or 802-253-1800 for any assitance.

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road
Stowe, VT 05672
802-253-1800
jcogs.org

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