Torah Study, 1st and 3rd Saturday’s 8:30 am via Zoom
Please contact Suzanne for information
Topic: Torah Study Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 845 9030 4211
A MESSAGE FROM RABBI GAIL
Our next Saturday morning service will be held on February 8th . Services start at 10:00 AM. Rabbi Gail wants your suggestions It will be “Shabbat Shira”, the week in which we read the Song of the Sea (from which “Mi Chamocha” was extracted). The rabbi would like you to think of any favorite Hebrew songs that you might know, or melodies that you prefer over some of those that we are currently using, and send your suggestions to her. She will incorporate some of them into the service as appropriate. You can send your suggestions to her at [email protected] . Our Oneg Sponsor will be Matthew Cook for this Shabbat morning service.
If you can join us in person you can always join on Zoom.
http://shaareshalomsomd.us1.
Meeting ID: 832 7996 0831.
Dates To Remember:
It is time for Hamantaschen. The order forms will be out next week for you to get customers for our famous Hamantaschen.
Raspberry last year was very hard to find, so I will be starting next week to find all the flavors and I will let you know for sure what we can offer.
The flavors are Raspberry(?), Apricot, Nutella, Poppy Seed and Prune. We will also be offering Gluten Free but only in Nutella and maybe Raspberry(?)
It is open to all men and women of the synagogue to help bake. Last year we had some men help and it was a blessing.
We will bake on Friday March 14th and Saturday March 15th in case we need more time. We will be giving out the Hamantaschen on Sunday, March 16th starting at 9:30 AM.
Please let Jackie Schoch know if you can help on Friday, March 14th and what time you are available. We will be starting at 9 am.
This is the synagogue Annual Fundraiser, so please show your support.
2nd Night of Passover will be April 13th at 5 pm at the synagogue.
This will be a Community Potluck Passover. More information will be available on the menu as we get closer to the date.
A GREAT BIG THANK YOU
A “Special Thank You” to Maryiha and Jake Lindsay and Jackie Schoch for painting the main area of the Synagogue.
Wait until you see the new color.
Women’s Group (open to all members past Bat Mitzvah)
The following activities are being planned. It’s not too late to express your interest.
Congregational Community service (like decorating/garden work)
A wider Community service for Southern Maryland
Go out to lunch or dinner
Wine Tasting
Formal Tea
Attend a play at one of the S. Md playhouses
Book discussion
Craft Sharing – create loom hats to donate or
support Knitted Knockers (creates knitted or crochet prosthetics for breast cancer survivors)
Walk / hike
Social evening / game night – serve soup and salad or soup and grilled cheese
Learn to make & braid Challah
DID WE MISS YOUR BIRTHDAY OR ANNIVERSARY IN 2024? PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO [email protected] so I can add it to my list.
It’s Time to Start Preparing the 2025 Congregation Directory
This is the time of year for updating and publishing the annual Congregational Directory. Our Directory is not only a very useful address book that most of us keep by the telephone or computer but is also a major fundraiser for our synagogue.
Our publishing date is targeted for February 2025, so we will need to move expeditiously to update the directory information, renew the advertisements, and procure additional ads.
Everyone’s support is essential for the continued success of this valuable publication. Please carefully check your contact information in the current Directory, either the printed version or as posted in the Member Area of the Sha’are Shalom web site (https://shaareshalomsomd.org/
There are two ways that everyone can help make the Directory a fundraising success. One is to place a personal greeting in the Directory—a great way to wish everyone a happy New Year or to remember a loved one. The second way to provide support is to ask local business people to place an ad in our Directory. Our success in previous years has shown that it’s not hard to get your dentist, doctor, veterinarian, dry cleaner, and others you do business with to place an ad in our Directory, which more than 100 families will use throughout the year. Feel free to send the public version above (or the link) to prospective advertisers.
If each one of us places a personal advertisement or obtains just one business advertisement we can raise over $3,000 for our congregation. Please provide your support by sending your ad copy to Mark Holt by January 31, 2025. Checks should be made out to Congregation Sha’are Shalom. Mark’s address is:
13413 Kris Ran Court
Fort Washington, MD 20744
[email protected]
The prices for personal (non-business) ads are:
Inside cover – $200
Back cover – $200
Full page (8”x 5”) – $150
Half page (4” x 5”) – $75
Quarter page (2” x 5”) – $50
1/8 page (2” x 2 ½”) – $25
The prices for business ads are:
Inside cover – $250
Back cover – $250
Full page (8”x 5”) – $220
Half page (4” x 5”) – $120
Quarter page (2” x 5”) – $75
1/8 page (2” x 2 ½”) – $50
Remember also to patronize the businesses that have already placed ads in our Directory, and be sure to let them know you are from Sha’are Shalom. This will make it much easier for us to get them to renew their ads this year!
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Lead a Friday evening Shabbat service — we’ll help you!
Our prayer book makes it easy — just choose your favorite reading from each two-page spread, either in English or Hebrew, spoken or sung. We even have some pre-chosen plans to use. The pressure is very low — the audience is usually small and supportive. If you’d rather not write a brief d’var Torah (a mini-sermon on how something from the week’s Torah portion might apply to our lives today), Suzanne Darby has volunteered to write it; and if you’re hesitant about leading songs, I can help out with that.
We’d just like more of our members to come up and play a part in services, and so we’re eager to help any way we can.
You don’t have to know Hebrew, and you just have to be past bar/bat mitzvah age. You can even enlist your spouse and/or kids to be your co-leaders. We’re looking for volunteers for Friday evenings. Please contact me at [email protected] to sign up or for more information.
See you at our next service
HELP WANTED
Dates Available for Oneg Sponsors
Shar’are Shalom each Saturday morning (every 2nd Saturday) and Friday night (every 4th Friday) service at the temple ends with the pleasure of fellowship. A little nosh usually makes this fellowship last longer and adds to its delightfulness. Each post service nosh or oneg requires an Oneg Sponsor. Whether it is wine, juice, a challah, and some cookies, or even more – it is always appreciated by those in attendance.
Contact Marshall Jones ([email protected]) if you would like to sponsor an oneg or lead a Friday Night Service or have any questions about doing either.