Temple B'nai Abraham - a Reconstructionist Synagogue

A memory from November 2006
Standing in the back:
Samantha Shain holding Dylan Cifrodelli, Jeff Leibman, Nicole Liebman.
Standing in the middle:
Julia Grabinstein, Thea Popko, Marisa Giachetti, Sami Kobrin, Brielle Fattori, Ilana Fattori, Abbie Shain holding Ethan Weiss, Justin Giachetti.
Standing in front:
Jaden Weiss, Jessica Dauber, Rachel Aubry, Lily Grabinstein, Josh Grabinstein.

We had a great time at the Sarah Seidel Sisterhood's Kugel Bake Off right before Rosh Hashana! Thanks to everyone who came out to taste-test beloved kugel recipes from our members. Our next event will be a paint and sip in October - stay tuned!

Tashlich at the Delaware River in Bordentown today

This week's Torah portion is all about, as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z"l, puts it, "The Power of Listening". This year we'll be focusing on listening to you, our members and those in our wider community who are interested in learning more about and connecting with their Judaism. Please enjoy the words of Rabbi Sacks linked below. Shabbat Shalom!

Covenant & Conversation | Eikev | The Spirituality of Listening | Rabbi Sacks | הרב זקס Read Rabbi Jonathan Sacks' Torah reflections on Eikev The Spirituality of Listening in Covenant and Conversation.

So sweet

A bit of humanity at work! “The Face of God”🙏🏽💛

Sarah Seidel Sisterhood Covered Dish Dinner

Contact us if you’d like more information about our upcoming sisterhood events.

Today our congregation was able to learn about a 600 year old Torah that was saved from destruction during the Holocaust through a very interesting presentation given by one of our members, Marc Halpern.

Anyone in the Bordentown area notice a fraudulent purchase on their credit card?

BTPD Locate Card Skimmer at Route 130 Gas Station, Urge Public to Contact Police With Fraud Purchases BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Bordentown Township Police Department (BTPD) is encouraging the public to contact its Detective Bureau if they have noticed suspicious activity on their debit or...

This was a maze in the Temple's newsletter from December 2001.

Join us at the synagogue on Sunday for a Sisterhood Plant Exchange.

Adult Education: Rise and Fall of the American Jewish Deli. Thursday 4/21 at 7 pm Register for the zoom link at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0oc-ChqDovEtT5keV0ZkVrZnWtWVsgY-Wb

Thursday Feb 17th, 7- 8pm on Zoom
Midrash and Artwork of the Akeidah - Can we uncover a relationship between the ancient sages and the communities of two ancient synagogues? Together, we will explore the preserved 'Binding of Isaac' artworks found in two ancient Synagogues, and compare/contrast them to ancient Palestinian Midrashim on the same story. Please Register at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcOmsqDovH9QqREaSmSs8C-bW_94Gf62Y

Congregation B'nai Abraham,

Similar to last year, we have created a single Zoom link to use for virtual gatherings throughout the year. In order to use this Zoom meeting, you will need to register. Once you are registered, you can use the same link to login all year long for services and meetings that are on Zoom.

Two things to note:

1. You can ignore the June 30, 2022 date in the invite and reminders. You can think of this date as the expiration date for this meeting and it can be used and reused up until that time.
2. You must pay attention to which meetings are via Zoom and which are via YouTube. This will be spelled out in the emails before the events.

Please register as early as possible to ensure that you are let into the Zoom meetings when they happen. Also, please don't share this link outside of our community. We need to be careful that we know who is being let into these sessions.

Please check your email for the registration link.

Thanks,
Brian
--
Brian Epstein bnai-abraham.org
Building Chair facebook.com/tba.synagogue

Temple B'nai Abraham - a Reconstructionist Synagogue Temple B'nai Abraham is a Reconstructionist Temple in Bordentown, NJ. We are a warm, close-knit Jewi

Important Reminder: Congregation Meeting tonight, Wednesday June 9th at 7pm.

Dear Congregation B'nai Abraham,

This is a reminder of tonight's meeting at 7pm. We need a quorum in order to vote, so please make sure a family member can attend.
We are voting on 3 things.

1. The proposed bylaw changes. These are necessary in order for us to reach our goal of 501(c)3 status.
2. The 2022 budget.
3. The Temple Board elections (nominations are below).

We'll also talk about the year in review, our current COVID status and plans, our building and any announcements that anyone else has for our congregation.

Please use your normal Zoom meeting link for services to get into the call. I'll be sending out a reminder later today. If you are unable to use Zoom, please check your email for more information on how to join the meeting via phone or vote electronically.

Thanks,
Brian

IMPORTANT: Congregational Meeting Thursday, March 25th at 7pm

Congregation B'nai Abraham,

Please join me for an important congregational meeting this Thursday at 7pm on Zoom. I would not normally schedule an unexpected meeting like this, but we have some very important topics to discuss affecting our Synagogue going forward. We need to talk as a group to determine our course forward.

I recognize that not everyone will be able to attend this meeting, but please try. We need as many people as possible for the discussion.

Also, please reach out to folks who can't join via Zoom and encourage them to call into the meeting. You all have the telephone number and passcode to call in in the registration email that you received for services (please don't share publicly, though).

Thank you for your help,
Brian

This Shabbat is Refugee Shabbat, and there are some great online offerings through HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) for those who are interested. We’ll also recognize this at our Erev Shabbat services tonight at 7:30pm.

https://www.hias.org/refugee-shabbat

Refugee Shabbat This March 5-6, 2021, join congregations, organizations, and individuals around the country to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers.

Dear Temple B'nai Abraham Congregation and Sisterhood,

We have made a few modifications to the Zoom link for tonight's Shiva Service for Liz's father Stanely Saunders. We have created and emailed you a registration link to fill out if you will be attending. All registrants will be approved by the family before getting their link to join the service.

*** Please check your email and fill out the registration form early. This will help us to make sure you are approved and receive your link to join.

All the best,
Brian

Why You Should Switch From LastPass to Bitwarden's Password Manager

Dear Congregation B'nai Abraham,

If you've come to my talks about password safes, you'll know that I've recommended LastPass for many years. If you haven't, I definitely recommend looking into a password safe if you don't use one already.

Unfortunately, LastPass was purchased by another company, LogMeIn few years ago and we've seen some disappointing decisions they've made about the product.

Rest assured, I still believe it is a good platform, but they are making some changes that will make it more difficult to use at the free tier.

https://support.logmeininc.com/lastpass/help/what-can-i-expect-to-change-for-lastpass-free-on-march-16-2021

The basic idea is that you will need to choose whether you want to use LastPass on your computer, or on your mobile device. If you want to do both, you'll need to start paying for the product.

I'm still in the process of finding a replacement for LastPass. At the moment, BitWarden seems like a really good choice. Here is an article on why and how to easily move your data from LastPass to BitWarden.

https://lifehacker.com/bitwarden-is-now-the-best-free-alternative-to-lastpass-1846289833

BitWarden's free account doesn't have the burden of choosing a device to use, and it is open source software, which makes its free offering much more desirable.

Thanks, and safe computing!
Brian

What can I expect to change for LastPass Free on March 16, 2021? We're making changes to how LastPass Free users access LastPass across device types and how they get help. Please review important upcoming changes to LastPass Free in these FAQs.

Dear Congregation B'nai Abraham,

I just wanted to say Happy Chanukah to you all. I hope that you've had a great holiday and are enjoying the snow today.

I know it has been a very difficult 2020 and am looking forward to a happy new year in 2021. I'm very hopeful that the COVID-19 vaccine will make its way into our community so that we can get back together as a community.

As this year comes to a close, I would like to remind folks of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This allows you to donate up to $300 to a non-profit or charity of your choice and deduct it from your taxes, even if you don't itemize.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/special-300-tax-deduction-helps-most-people-give-to-charity-this-year-even-if-they-dont-itemize

If you are able to make a donation this year, please keep your synagogue in mind. As you know, we have some of the lowest dues in the state for a Synagogue, and have continued to bring you community events and services throughout this pandemic. If you are able to make a donation, please send a check to TBA, PO Box 245, Bordentown, NJ 08505 or head over to our online store for easy payment.

https://bnai-abraham.square.site/

As always, we appreciate whatever you can give.

Lastly, after 100+ years as a synagogue, our building is finally beginning to show its age. We are getting estimates for mandatory repairs to the building, and will be starting a fundraising campaign soon to cover the costs. More information will follow after the new year once we have some estimates gathered to share.

As always, have a wonderful holiday season, and happy new year!
Brian

bnai-abraham.square.site

Temple B’nai Abraham,

Here are the details of our annual blood drive this year. Please note the new location. For more information, please contact Randye

Monday, December 21, 2020
2:30 – 7:30

Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Lodge
103 Dunns Mill Road, Fieldsboro, NJ 08505

PLEASE NOTE THE DIFFERENT LOCATION

For an appointment, please visit redcrossblood.org
Or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Thanks,
Brian

Saturday Morning Service, 11/21 at 10am

This is a reminder that we are having services this week on Saturday morning at 10:00am on Zoom. The service will be co-led by Rabbi Julie Pfau and Rabbinic Intern Aviva Marchione. Please join us by using the individualized connection information that you received when you registered for services for the year.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!

Shalom,
Rabbi Julie

Here are some pictures of the Sukkah model building project that the students participated in. I'm so proud of all their work!

Shalom Temple B'nai Abraham,

Every year I offer a one hour security awareness seminar at work to help everyone learn about the risks they take online and how to better secure themselves. I'd like to bring this talk to our congregation on Wednesday, November 11th at 7pm. This is a non-technical talk for another that goes online with a computer, tablet, smartphone, etc. We are all at risk, and I see people falling for scams everyday that could be avoided with a little extra knowledge.

Please check your email for the registration link.

The cost is free. Of course, if you feel that it was worthwhile, you can always make a donation to the Temple to show your support. :)

I hope everyone is doing ok, and look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

Thanks,
Brian

Congregation B'nai Abraham,

Shalom and welcome to the 2020-2021 year at Temple B'nai Abraham. I hope that your summer has gone well and that you are settling into your new routines for the year.

As you all know we are continuing remote services until at least the end of the 2020 calendar year. We will be using Zoom for our meetings for now, which we think will give the best experience for our services until we are able to get together.

Rather than sending out new meeting information each week, we have decided on a single meeting for the whole year. This way, you can register once for services, and continue to use the same link for all of our services. This includes High Holiday services this weekend.

By registering, we can ensure that only our congregants and guests are attending our services. Here is the procedure. Click on the link sent to your email address to register for services. Once you are approved, you'll receive a link to join services for the year. When it is time for services, just click on that link to connect in.

We'll periodically send you a reminder of your link, but you don't need to register again. Registering is quick and easy, and we ask that you do it now so that you won't be scrambling at the last minute to sign up.

If you run into any issues, please let us know.

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you all this weekend for Rosh Hashanah!

Brian

PS. More specific information about Rosh Hashanah Services are in the newsletter and will be sent out later this week.

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