Sisterhood
Neve Shalom is a center for Jewish living. We strive to fulfill the spiritual, educational, cultural, and social needs of our members. The synagogue sponsors activities and clubs designed to meet the diverse interests of our congregation.
Hospital
Visitors: Bikur Cholim
Senior
Citizens Group: Horainu
Social
Action: Tikkun Olam
Outreach
to Interfaith Families
Sisterhood is affiliated with the Women's League for Conservative Judaism. Several meetings are held during the year including breakfast with the Rabbi, Friday night Sisterhood Shabbat, and a paid-up membership dinner. Sisterhood sponsors holiday cake sales for Rosh Hashanah and Passover. The funds raised by Sisterhood through its programs benefit the entire congregation. Sisterhood also purchases gifts of Kiddush cups and candlesticks for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students. Membership is open to all women in the congregation and is free during the first year of Neve Shalom membership.
Sisterhood manages several programs for the congregation:
Food Vouchers
Food vouchers for use at A&P and ShopRite may be purchased from Sisterhood. Your check to Sisterhood gives you dollar-for-dollar value in vouchers, which are used just like cash at the checkout. Since Sisterhood purchases these vouchers at a 5% discount, each use of a voucher results in a 5% donation to Sisterhood and to Neve Shalom. Vouchers may be purchased in the gift shop or from designated Sisterhood members.
Judaica Gift Shop
Sisterhood maintains a gift shop that is always full of new and interesting items. In addition to traditional items such as mezzuzot and menorot, you will find children's toys, cookbooks, giftware, food vouchers, Shabbat candles, and Entertainment Books. Personalized kippot may be ordered for your simchas.
For Bnai Mitzvot we carry Kepot,Tallassim, Tefflin and various suitable gifts. We have head coverings for women. We also love to do personalized shopping.
The Judaica Gift Shop is open Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and by appointment. Hours are extended prior to Chanukah and Pesach, and the gift shop is often open during special events.
Leagrams
Periodically, Sisterhood publishes a list of all couples celebrating a wedding anniversary in the coming months. Your name will be added to the card sent to each couple for whom you have purchased a Leagram.
Tribute Cards (Torah Fund)
Tribute cards can be purchased for any special occasion (births, condolences, weddings, etc.). The price of the card includes postage, and all proceeds are given to the Jewish Theological Seminary.
Upcoming event:
Sunday, June 3 at 10:00 AM: Sisterhood Brunch with the Rabbi. His topic will be "Why Do We Need a New Edition of the Chumash?"
Neve Shalom Men's Club meets several times during the year. Activities sponsored previously have included athletic events, trips to Israel, an annual show on December 25, and breakfasts with guest speakers who spoke on legal, ethical, and political issues. Funds raised are used to purchase siddurim for Bar/Bat Mitzvah students. All events are co-ed and open to the entire congregation. Membership is open to all men in the congregation.
Yom Hashoah
The Men's Club delivers special yahrtzeit candles to the congregation. These candles commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
Bikur Cholim volunteers visit Jewish patients at JFK Hospital in Edison. A training session is provided by the hospital. The visits take only a few minutes and are truly appreciated! Visits are made Monday through Friday, usually between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., or in the early evening.
Horainu, Hebrew for "our parents", is a social club for Senior Citizens. The group meets on Tuesday from 12:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. In addition to lunch, members play bingo, listen to guest speakers, celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, plan trips, and enjoy a Hanukah party. Our Cantor opens the meeting each week.
Programs of social concern and welfare for the Metuchen/Edison community are developed and implemented through the synagogue. Programs have included resettling Soviet Jews, providing housing for the homeless, and coordinating food collection programs. Most recently, the committee began working with Amandla Crossing which provides transitional housing and various services for single mothers and their children.
The Tikkun Olam Committee is also responsible for working privately with families in need of special "Mitzvot" from community members who are able to help out on an individual basis.
On behalf of the Tikun Olam Committee, I would like to extend our deep appreciation for those who participated in the synagogue's November Blood Drive. The drive bested its prior success with a record 46 registrants and 39 units of blood collected! With blood supplies dangerously low in recent months, the congregation responded with an outpouring of generosity. Neve Shalom's involvement contributes to the area's needs in a very meaningful way, as blood donations are continuously sought.
In addition, the Committee would like to thank the Sisterhood, Suzy Schwartz Concert Committee, and Jonathan Hirsch for providing raffle prizes, Rabbi Zelizer for purchasing a box of Hanukah candles for all those who registered for the drive, and Jimmie Williams, our synagogue custodian who was instrumental in setting up the Miller Ballroom to accommodate the blood drive.
Congratulations to our raffle winners:
The Tikun Olam Committee will sponsor another Blood Drive in the Spring of 2001 on a date to be determined shortly. Watch your mail for an upcoming announcement. Remember: blood donation is easy and safe and provides a very rewarding feeling of helping others whose health depends on it. If you've never given blood, consider doing so at the next blood drive in the comfortable environment of our own shul. If you are a regular donor as many of you are, please continue to support our synagogue's drives.
We are seeking drivers willing to transport individuals who cannot drive themselves, to and from synagogue events. This is not a carpool; you would be driving an individual who is physically unable to drive and would thereby enable him or her to attend an event like a Sisterhood meeting, the Suzy Schwartz concert, Tefillot, or any other synagogue activity. We will make every effort to assign drivers who are already planning on attending the specified event, so that it would probably only require a few extra minutes of your time in order for you to perform a wonderful mitzvah for our community.
If you can drive, please get your name added to our transportation roster by calling Jonathan or Julie Hersch at 732-494-3439.
Since 1976, several chavurot have been established at Neve Shalom. Each chavurah is a small group of synagogue members who meet regularly. Chavurot activities can include book reviews, Shabbat services, dinners, religious/cultural studies, and the celebration of Jewish holidays and life cycle events.
The Neve Shalom Adult Choir, under the direction of Hazzan Sheldon Levin will learn many kinds of Jewish music.
From the classics of the High Holidays to the latest Jewish pop-hits, the choir wil llearn a large repertoire of Jewish music. Performances will include:
The choir meets regularly on Thursday evenings from 8:00-9:30pm. For more information, contact Hazzan Levin 732-548-2238.
On Purim, it is a mitzvah to send gifts of food or mishloach manot. Our synagogue prepares baskets filled with kosher snacks, candies, and beverages, and delivers them to your friends and loved ones within the congregation.
Under the direction of Rabbi Zelizer, clinics are held for interfaith couples in which the basic elements of Judaism are taught and discussed. The goal is to orient the family to Judaism so that the children are raised as Jews. Separate sessions are also available for individuals who elect to convert to Judaism. Both courses include personal counseling with our Rabbi.