News

End of Year Annual Fund Appeal​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Please Click to Donate

The JCOGS office will be closed today, Wednesday, January 1st.
​​​​​​​HAPPY LAST NIGHT OF HANUKKAH! 

CLERGY CORNER

Rabbi Replay

Watch Rabbi David tell a story written by Issac Bashevis Singer entitled "The Parakeet Named Dreidel" from Shabbat services on Friday, Dec. 27.

Musical Shabbat and Oneg hosted by Rabbi David and Alison
Friday, January 3, 6-8pm

Community Shabbat Morning Service + Torah Discussion + Sponsored Kiddush by Susan Bauchner in honor of her Birthday
Saturday, January 4, 10am-12pm

Musical Shabbat with Marom, the JCOGS Band + Community Potluck 
Friday, January 10, 6-8pm

Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World: Towards Individual and Communal JCOGS Action (via Zoom)
Tuesday, January 7, 5:45-7:00pm

Are you ready to make a difference, both within yourself and in the world around you? Join us for a transformative monthly series that blends self-care, spiritual exploration, and community action. 
January 7 Session ~ Tu B'Shvat: Renewal and Growth

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through service, community, and care. Participate in meaningful Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) projects throughout the afternoon, culminating in a simple community soup meal. Whether you’re in Stowe or want to contribute remotely or in advance, there’s a way for everyone to get involved! If you'd like to help with planning, please email us at jcogs@jcogs.org.

Teen Sleepover at JCOGS
Friday, January 10, 5pm-Saturday 7:30pm

JCOGS teens host friends from Ohavi Zedek and other VT/NH teens for a sleepover at JCOGS. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road Stowe, VT 05672
802 253 1800 (office) jcog.org

End of Year Annual Fund Appeal​​​​​​​
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Please Click to Donate

Iron Chef Competition
TONIGHT Friday, December 27, 5:00-6:00pm
Come celebrate the Festival of Lights with the famous JCOGS Iron Chef Competition!  Enter with an amazing dish prepared with the secret ingredient or come hungry and vote. Bring your family menorah!
The secret ingredient this year is .... Light and Dark! Be creative! Think out of the "black and white cookie" box ;)
This year's celebrity judge is Ari Fishman of ZenBarn in Waterbury.

Hanukkah and Shabbat Music with Marom, the JCOGS Band and sponsored dessert oneg
Friday, Dec. 27, 6-8pm
Following the Iron Chef Competition, join a musical Shabbat with Marom, the JCOGS band and enjoy a delicious 
sponsored dessert oneg.

2024/25 Hanukkah Tikkun Olam Actions for JCOGS members of all ages!

Winter Gear Collection: Spread the Light This Hanukkah!

We are accepting ONLY: gently used or new coats, sweatshirts, hats, mittens/gloves, socks, and boots (for adults and children), along with used phones.
Want to help? Bring donations to JCOGS and put in the donation box in the foyer. We also need volunteers to periodically sort and deliver donations. Please contact us at jcogs@jcogs.org if you can help.

 Cooking for and Nourishing Others

Thank you to those who helped cook on Tuesday, December 17th.  Our next day in the JCOGS kitchen as we prepare meals for those in need will be January 20 time TBD
If you’re interested in helping to donate ingredients, deliver food, share a meal with recipients, or be involved with this ongoing initiative, please contact jcogs@jcogs.org

 NEK Hanukkah Party & Havdallah
Saturday, Dec. 28th 5-8pm at the Greensboro United Church
Gather with the northern Jewish community for Hanukkah music with Rabbi David and a fabulous vegetarian potluck. Bring your favorite menorah as we celebrate the Festival of Lights together in the Northeast Kingdom. Fun and games, too!
Musicians bring your instruments! All welcome!

CLERGY CORNER

First Night of Hanukkah at JCOGS! Let there be Light!!!!

For its 4th year, our Interfaith Winter Display
(located on the Village Green), proudly represents 5 faith traditions in our area.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road Stowe, VT 05672
802 253 1800 (office) jcog.org

End of Year Annual Fund Appeal
​​​​​​​Please Click to Donate

CLERGY CORNER

Rabbi Replay

Watch or Read the Rabbi's D'var Torah Sermon entitled To Be Worthy of Yisrael from Shabbat services.

Iron Chef Competition December 27, 5-6pm
“Light and Dark” is the secret ingredient for this year's Iron Chef Competition!
Be as creative as you can be. Think outside the black-and-white cookie box.  Savory or sweet, your creations will be the basis of our oneg meal before Shabbat.  Prepare to wow our guest judge, Ari Fishman of ZenBarn! 

Building on the momentum of our Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World, thank you to JCOGS members who came together this week in our communal kitchen to prepare meals for the homeless in Lamoille county.  

Mah Jongg celebrates a successful year of weekly learning and community with special thanks to Debby and Steve Sherman for their leadership, generosity and sense of fun!

• ​​​​​​​Ellana Tryanksy for coordinating Mitzvah families' art making for Amy Rosenthal
• Mitzvah families for bringing food for the Community Shabbat on 12/14

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road Stowe, VT 05672
802 253 1800 (office) jcog.org

Dear JCOGS Community,

As we prepare to celebrate Hanukkah, we invite you to reflect on the deeper meaning of this season. What does kindling the lights of the menorah mean to you this year? How can you illuminate or ignite something—whether within yourself or in the world around you?

Building on the momentum of our Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World initiative, JCOGS members are excited to offer several opportunities for you to engage in Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) this Hanukkah.

Hanukkah Tikkun Olam Actions for JCOGS members of all ages! 

1. Winter Gear Collection: Spread the Light This Hanukkah!

Let’s brighten the season by supporting our local communities. JCOGS is collecting donations for Johnson Health Center and the Lamoille Community Food Share (Morrisville).

We are accepting ONLY: gently used or new coats, sweatshirts, hats, mittens/gloves, socks, and boots (for adults and children), as well as used phones.

Want to help? Bring donations to JCOGS and put in the donation box in the foyer, or to any of our Hanukkah events. We also need volunteers to periodically sort and deliver donations. Please contact us at jcogs@jcogs.org if you can help. 

2. Cooking for and Nourishing Others

Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 11am–2pm, in the JCOGS kitchen as we prepare meals for those in need to be donated to Good Samaritan, Lamoille Community House, and Chesed Committee- individual JCOGS members.

If you’re interested in helping to donate ingredients, deliver food, share a meal with recipients, or be involved with this ongoing initiative, please contact Anna Westervelt at awestervelt@gmail.com.

3. Chesed: Practicing the Art of Kindness

The JCOGS Chesed Committee seeks volunteers to help increase our communal light throughout the year through small acts of kindness. Are you able to:

• Call or visit a member who has a story to share?
• Learn how to offer Reiki as part of a Healing Circle?
• Provide transportation to or from services?
• Send an uplifting message or text to a member living alone?
  
  

Please reach out to Priscilla at priscilla.minkin@jcogs.org.

4. Additional Resource

Explore this helpful resource from the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) for inspiring social justice ideas this Hanukkah.

May the lights of Hanukkah inspire us all to be a shamash—the helper candle that lights others—bringing light to ourselves, to each other, and to the world.
——
Save the Date: Jan. 7, 5:45–7:00pm on Zoom

Join us for the next session of Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World: Tu B’Shvat – Renewal and Growth. Each session includes reflection time and planning for social justice projects at JCOGS. If you are interested in Tikkun Olam and want to share your ideas, email jcogs@jcogs.org  

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New Member Shabbat Marom, the JCOGS band, and sponsored Oneg
Friday, December 6, 6:00pm-8:00pm In Person and Online

This is a service for old and new friends. Come meet our newest JCOGS members at a special Shabbat service followed by oneg. Our snowbirds are invited and encouraged to join by zoom. New members (you decide what “new” means to you!) RSVPs to  Cyndy.wyatt@jcogs.org are appreciated because we have some welcome to JCOGS swag for you! Oneg is dessert and appetizer potluck with main dish provided by the JCOGS membership committee. Please CLICK to register.

CLERGY CORNER

 TONIGHT Judaism is About Love: book reading & mindfulness practice In Person + Online
  December 4th 5:45pm-7:00pm 

TONIGHT Screening of the U.S. And The Holocaust and Q and A session with Museum Expert Dr. Rebecca Erbelding
December 4, 6pm at the Stowe Library

Watch a shortened version of the film followed by a Zoom Q and A with Dr. Erbelding, who served as a historical advisor and on-camera expert for the film. Dr. Erbelding is an educator, curator, and archivist at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
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"Vermont For The Vermonters": The History of Eugenics in the Green Mountain State- Author Talk by Mercedes De Guardiola
December 7, 6pm at the Stowe Library

De Guardiola will discuss the history of eugenics in Vermont and how the U.S. eugenics movement and Nazi racism were drawn from the same pseudoscientific roots. Copies of the book are available at the library.

Yom Limmud: Day of Learning
Sunday, December 8, 11:30am-4:00pm at Temple Sinai

Come join us and learn at this JCOGS co-sponsored event! We will consider the topic of Jewish Peoplehood: Concepts, Challenges, Futures. Rabbi David is a featured speaker at one of the workshops. A kosher luncheon will be provided. CLICK to register.

Join Us in Making a Difference: Tikkun Olam at JCOGS

Are you ready to make a meaningful impact in our community and the world? We kicked off our Tikkun Olam journey last night with the first session of Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World. Stay tuned for the opportunities to get involved for Hanukkah.
Save the Date: Our next session is January 7 – Tu B'Shvat: Renewal and Growth. Whether you can join us for one session or all of them, everyone is welcome. If you can’t make the sessions, email jcogs@jcogs.org with Tikkun Olam in the subject line to stay involved.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

Jewish Community of Greater Stowe
1189 Cape Cod Road Stowe, VT 05672
802 253 1800 (office) jcog.org

Dear JCOGS Community,

Our society relies on religious communities, including Jewish ones, to take care of people, to shelter and advocate for unhoused individuals, feed and clothe impoverished families, care for the elderly, advance the welfare and education of children, and so much more.  Think about refugee resettlement.  A significant number of US refugee and resettlement agencies were started by Jews or with direct support of the Jewish community, including the world’s oldest refugee agency HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society).  That is incredibly inspiring to me and makes me feel proud to be a Jew. As a JCOGS member I am also guided by our mission statement of values regarding Tikun Olam:

Inspired by our ancestor’s bravery in the face of injustice and our hope to leave the next generations a promising future, we heed our tradition’s call to seek peace, pursue justice, and care for all of creation.  Leading and collaborating in our region, we cultivate relationships of care for our neighbors, fellow Jews, Israel, and all peoples that translate ethical tradition into action.

One of the great privileges I have working daily with Rabbi David, volunteers, and staff is the opportunity to see the difference JCOGS makes in people’s lives.  In countless ways, the collective strength of our Jewish community sets action in motion to impact our greater community.  I will share a recent story we received in an email from a JCOGS member that defines our JCOGS mission in action.  

“For my birthday I gave myself a present - I volunteered to provide legal services for refugees applying for asylum who were working with (US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) in Colchester.  I never would have found USCRI had it not been for JCOGS’ involvement with their community, and in particular had it not been for a single email asking for clothing for immigrants in Vermont. 

As a result of that email, I took my first asylum case. Then another. Then another.  So far, I am up to 15 people, all because of a single email that JCOGS sent asking for help for USCRI. I’ve also recruited a crew of other attorneys to help with this work, who in turn have impacted even more people. And the arguments we have developed have helped hundreds of others with their cases.”

By the way, USCIR was founded by Jewish social worker Edith Bremer, in 1911. 

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday.  I can think of no more impactful way to repair our world than to empower our JCOGS community by supporting Jewish Education.  Click HERE to donate.

Are you ready to make a difference, both within yourself and in the world around you? Join us for a transformative monthly series that blends self-introspection, spiritual exploration, and action. Structured around Jewish holidays, each month will focus on a theme that connects spiritual insight with action.  Please join us this Tuesday, December 3, 5:45-7pm for the first program in the series: Caring for Ourselves While We Care About the World: Towards Individual and Communal JCOGS Action.  This month’s theme is Chanukah: Light and Resilience, Zoom only, click HERE to register.

This program will be facilitated by volunteer JCOGS member Alison Link, PhD.  Some know Alison best as the wife of Rabbi David and mom of Adar, Yonah and Hersh.  Alison is also a published author, trained spiritual director, leisure education consultant, and passionate social justice advocate whose work is deeply rooted in her love of Judaism and Jewish values. Currently in her professional life, Alison works full time as the Policy and Community Outreach Coordinator for Healthy Lamoille Valley, a program of the Lamoille Family Center and also teaches for Vermont State University. 

If you are feeling uplifted and filled with moral joy, as I am reading our JCOGS member's volunteer story, I hope you will be inspired to join me at the December 3rd program.  

Cyndy Wyatt

JCOGS President
cyndy.wyatt@jcogs.org

Patti Rubin and new JCOGS members, The Shinewald family, cook Thanksgiving dinner for the Lamoille Community House

Giving Tuesday~Support our Children's Jewish Education

Olam Chesed Club kids meet with visiting Israeli author/illustrator Miri Leshem-Pelly

Dear JCOGS family,
Have you ever witnessed a child’s aha moment as they discover something new? Whether uncovering a secret in an ancient story, or figuring out how to read a challenging Hebrew letter-vowel combination, or finding out that the “star of David” isn’t really a star—but that they can make their bodies into that shape anyway— kids in our Olam Chesed programs just sparkle with aha moments.

Your support this Giving Tuesday can make a real difference directly funding financial aid for families, educational materials and, innovative programming for teens, B'nai Mitzvah, Tot Shabbat, Hebrew School, students in our Mad River Valley Jewish education, and programs in Vermont's the Northeast Kingdom. 

Donations of any amount are appreciated. With a donation of $100 or more you may choose to enter a raffle for a chance to win two second row tickets to see Hamilton at Providence Performing Arts Center on December 11 at 7:00pm along with a hotel stay at  Aloft Hotel Providence, minutes from the theater.
To enter the raffle email the office at laura.kittell@jcogs.org

The 1st-3rd graders realized that six kids could make a Jewish star.

Giving Tuesday Raffle to Support JCOGS's Children's Education Program

Do not throw away your shot to see one of the greatest musicals of all time AND support a worthy cause – JCOGS’s Children’s Education Programs. 

Make a donation for a chance to win two second row tickets to see Hamilton at Providence Performing Arts Center on December 11, along with a hotel stay at  Aloft Hotel Providence, minutes from the theater.  

Show Date and Time:
Wednesday, December 11, 7:00 PM

Raffle tickets $100 each Purchase

Donate by Tuesday, December 3, 4:00 PM
Winner announced December 3rd

Thanks to generous donors, all proceeds from this raffle will support our children’s education programs. Please share this opportunity with theater lovers you know in the Boston and Providence areas.

Dear JCOGS family,

Here are the words I will be sharing at tonight’s Shabbat service. Beyond these words, I offer heartfelt prayers to those injured and fearful in Amsterdam after the recent attack. Shabbat Shalom.

At our first of a three-part series of Judaism is About Love book reading and mindfulness practice this past Wednesday night, we began with meditation—a few moments to notice our breath and to take stock of Hineini/Here I am and how we are holding ourselves right now in light of the election. As you listen to/read this, perhaps notice your own breath as it is now, and sense where you are.

Folks that night shared their unfiltered Hineini around the online/in person “circle” we created: “disappointment,” “shock,” “hope,” “numbness,” “I am old enough to remember, I’m 90 years old, and I am scared we are in 1930’s Germany again,” “this offers an opportunity,” “fear,” “everything happens for a reason,” “anger,” “surprisingly calm,” “thinking about the most vulnerable among us,” “depressed,” and “rage.”

I want to first address those who are most scared and angry right now. I want to echo what past JCOGS intern Rabbi Hayley Goldstein recently posted: “I want to offer a big hug to those of us who are… feeling deeply alienated. Those of us whose rights to be ourselves… are very clearly at stake.” She continues: “We get to be scared, angry, confused, or numb. We get to just be.”

So as we consider those who are vulnerable and worried for the future, I ask, who are we most responsible for? Our tradition says we are most responsible for those on the edges of society. The Torah says it is to the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger. 

At the risk of leaving some out, today I hold in my heart the unhoused in search of shelter, safety, and dignity; immigrants and refugees fleeing hardship in the hopes of a better life; people without access to quality food, education, healthcare, or stable livelihoods, struggling to pay their bills; women who wish to have dignity and control of their own bodies; communities where climate disasters have destroyed homes and ways of life; LGBTQ+ individuals facing harassment and yearning to just be who they are, especially transgender folks whose lives are especially threatened; Black, Indigenous, Latino, and other People of Colour, who are continually marginalized and face barriers that limit their potential and security; Jewish people enduring antisemitism and Muslims confronting Islamophobia; formerly incarcerated people facing barriers to reentry; individuals with disabilities who face discrimination and limited access to the world around them; those struggling with mental health in need of better care; elders and youth in need of our attention; and all who are undervalued, underprotected, and underserved in a system that does not prioritize their well-being.

Whether 2000 or 2016, 2020, or now in 2024, I have and will continue to be particularly concerned for the voiceless and marginalized and disenfranchised and those feeling scared right now among us. This cuts far, far beyond party affiliation and goes back to the deepest values in our Torah.

I grew up with the Yiddish expression describing America emblazoned on my consciousness: Der Goldene Medinah, the golden land, whose streets were seen as covered in opportunity, prosperity, and freedom. While America has in an unprecedented way given upward mobility and safety to generations who have the privilege of living here, we remain responsible to all those who have not yet secured safety and justice and opportunity.

Though the people we elect to represent us make an enormous impact, elections are not really about them. Elections are about “we the people,” including and especially about we—the tired, we—the poor, we—the voiceless, we—the most marginalized.

In this time when many of us are deeply shaken, I want you to know that JCOGS is here to be a place where you can feel secure, and where you can find comfort and belonging. Our JCOGS community remains a place where people come together—across whatever differences that divide us—as Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld wrote: “to declare the dignity of all life with our words and with our deeds.”

Drawing together in community for this sacred purpose feels especially crucial right now after an election and campaign that was so incredibly divisive. We live in historic times, in the U.S. and throughout the world. So much more outwardly hate-filled—may the incitement of hate be called out. So much more tumultuous—may the chaos come to an end. This was the most fraught election of our lifetime, and we live in the most polarized America in over a generation. 

What I think actually unites most people in this country is an understanding that we live in imperfect times. We disagree on what would make us a more perfect union—the causes of the imperfections, the policies, and even the very culture and way that we interact with one another that would move us positively forward. But the majority of us can agree—the fabric of American society is fraying. With these fraying edges, I come back to the question, what and who are we most responsible for and how do we act?

Take the words of Rabbi Shai Held in Judaism is About Love: “The Jewish tradition is not optimistic about human nature but it is stubbornly, insistently, possibilistic. Its deeply held conviction is not that we will choose the good, but that we can do so. Although we so often fail, it teaches, we are capable of succeeding. We can choose love.”

We, the people, must remember our sacred covenant with each other to uphold everyone, especially those in greatest need. Especially if for you, there is less personally at stake in this election, please pray and work with me for those who are most scared and who need our attention, and join in courageously loving them and all of life.

Regardless of one’s politics—and even if we grow more apathetic or withdrawn in the face of the results—our work in these next years is to stand up fiercely for love, especially for those who are voiceless. The work is no different than it was just a few days ago, no different than in Torah times, but the work now feels more urgent that we might choose to repair the deep rooted fissures that divide this country.

Voting is but one (small, but important) way that our voices are heard. But now, moving forward and always, all of us must stand up for love. To choose courageous love. 

This is the promise—which is not a given—that Judaism offers. And this is the promise—though not a given—that America offers. That the better angels of our nature offer.

This week in our Torah, Abraham is told:
לֶךְ־לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ
“Go forth from your land…”
Go forth… and I will make you a great nation… and you shall be a blessing.

What land are we now leaving? And what land—what country is it ours to now build together that we might be a blessing for all?

Hineini, Here I am, ready to build, ready to show up for those around me suffering and in need, with courageous love for all of life. What is your Hineini? What are you ready for at this historic moment?
​​​​​​​
Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi David

CLERGY CORNER

A pastor, priest, and rabbi walk into a bar... 
Thursday, November 7, 6:30pm-8:30pm von Trapp Bierball

An article by a JCOGS member about a JCOGS member, read this wonderful timeless article on the power of faith amidst our JCOGS community.

Mazel Tov to Abe Rosenberg

Come celebrate as Abe is called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. Mazel tov to the whole Rosenberg family. This week's parshah/Torah portion is Lech-Lecha. Learn more about Abe HERE.

Shabbat Morning Service and Abe Rosenberg's Bar Mitzvah 
Saturday, November 9, 10:00am-12:00pm In Person and Online

Come to services and surround our Mitzvah students with loving community.
You'll be sure to hear some profound Torah wisdom!
​​​​​​​ Click here for previous student sermons.

THE NORTHERN NOSH

The Third Annual Northern Nosh will take place Sunday, November 10th.

11:15am-Children's Musician Evan of "Music at the Blissful"
11:45am-Enjoy Traditional Foods
1:00pm-Dahg-Temple Sinai's House Band
2:00pm-Yiddish Dance Workshop with Klezkanada
All day-Kid's Activities
Click Here to Buy Tickets
Click Here to Volunteer at the Nosh

COMMUNITY

By now, hopefully, you've heard about Stowe 2050—the Town Plan community engagement project. Please fill out the Stowe 2050 Community Survey, which you can find HERE.
Interested in sharing your ideas in person? Join us at our community input meeting on Thursday, November 7th, from 12:00 to 1:30 PM at the Stowe Community Theatre/Stowe Town Office, 67 Main Street.

FREE Veterans Day Pancake Breakfast 
Monday, November 11, 8:30-10:30 am at Stowe High School

All are welcome to join the Stowe High School students as they host a FREE Veterans Day Pancake Breakfast to honor and show appreciation for everyone who has served in the armed forces.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND UPCOMING EVENTS