From the desk of Stewart Bromberg
Dear Friends,
Tonight, we are proud to be one of the sponsors of a Community Shabbat Dinner. This special Shabbat event is a joint program sponsored by Congregation B’nai Torah, Sinai Temple, Temple Beth El, and the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts. Congregation B’nai Torah will begin their Orthodox Shabbat service at 5:20 at their location at 2 Eunice Drive in Longmeadow; Sinai Temple and Temple Beth El will celebrate a combined Reform and Conservative Shabbat service at 6:00 to be held at Sinai Temple located at 1100 Dickinson Street in Springfield. Everyone will gather together for Shabbat dinner at Congregation B’nai Torah. Shabbat dinner will begin at 7:15. I hope to see many of you there. If you would still like to attend, please call us at 413-737-4313 to let us know you will be attending. Cost for this event is $18 for adults, and $10 for children 4-12. We will not be collecting money at this event and ask that when you call, you provide information, including how we can contact you. We are able to process credit card payments over the phone.
As we usher in Spring on March 20th, we are also excited as the Purim celebration begins. This year, the 13th day of Adar II is the traditional reading of the Megillah. We will hear the story of Esther and dress up in costumes and celebrate in style. Around our community, many synagogues and other agencies will be offering programs and festivals to help you and your families participate in Purim celebrations. For example, On March 10th at 11:00am, Lander-Grinspoon Academy will be presenting Page to Stage, a free musical puppet show where PJ Library books will come to life!! This program will be held at Temple Israel in Greenfield. On March 21st, Chabad Northampton will present Purim Palooza in the Park at Mill 180 Park in Easthampton. On March 20th there are Purim Celebrations at Temple Beth El and Sinai Temple in Springfield, and Congregation B’nai Torah and LYA in Longmeadow. On March 24th there will be a Community Purim Celebration at the Springfield JCC. There are many more celebrations happening throughout the valley and I encourage you and your families to celebrate Purim with joy and costumes. I always enjoy finding an entertaining Purim Schpiel to watch with other community members.
I would like to remind you that on March 27th, Brandeis University Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies will be in Springfield to speak to us about their proposal for conducting our community demographic study. We encourage representatives from our constituent agencies, as well as representatives from other agencies in the community, to attend this important meeting. We will hear about the methodology suggested by this group, and we will have the opportunity to express what we, as a community, would like to learn and the questions we hope to have answered. Please feel free to contact me for more information about this project and the meeting. We will be sending out more information soon.
A reminder that the Women’s Philanthropy Committee is sponsoring a program which is open to the public: This first program is being held at the SJCC on March 18, 2019 at 7:00 PM. Our special guest and presenter will be Lisa Fishbayn Joffe, S.J.D. from the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. I encourage you to mark your calendar for this powerful program dealing with anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism, and feminism in America today. Be sure to watch for future exciting programs to come throughout the year.
Please remember: TOGETHER WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE
As we are making our final determinations on allocations to the synagogues and other agencies in our community who provide all of us with the programs and services we need and want. Please help us change the future of our community and the world by contributing to our campaign. We remain committed to helping you help support our communities in ways that are relevant to you. Give us a call at 413-737-4313 and share your passions with us. I guarantee there are many opportunities in our community for you to have an impact on something that stirs your passions. Let us help you find them. Thank you for your continued support.
Shabbat Shalom,
Stew Bromberg, CFRE
CEO, Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts