Chant expert seeks ‘healing of the spirit’

At Montclair workshop, Renewal rabbi teaches a new approach to text

by Johanna Ginsberg

May 22, 2013

In three-part harmony, a group of more than 50 people — mostly women, mostly middle-aged and older — began chanting a verse from Leviticus: Aish tamid tukad al hamizbei’ach; lo tichbeh (“Fire always shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out”). Read More

NJ rabbis witness melee at the Kotel

‘Women of the Wall’ endure hostile reaction to monthly prayers

by Robert Wiener

May 22, 2013

When Amy Small joined the Women of the Wall at the Kotel on May 10, she was not expecting a set of experiences that ranged from the joyous and spiritual to the scary and stomach-churning. Read More

South Orange interfaith forum promotes ‘gun safety’ measures

Activist, lawmaker urge ‘common sense’ limits on weapons, ammo

by Susan Bloom

May 22, 2013

By sitting at home doing nothing and adopting a policy of passivity,” said Rabbi Mark Cooper, “we’re responsible for enabling those who are inclined to commit acts of violence to succeed.” Read More

Support grows for JFS community garden

Teenage philanthropists, volunteers pitch in to plant fresh produce

by Elaine Durbach

May 22, 2013

In its first year, the community garden on Westfield Avenue in Elizabeth yielded around 800 pounds of fruits and vegetables; this summer its gardeners expect to harvest twice as much. Read More

One Dr. Ruth honors another at Lion lunch

by Johanna Ginsberg

May 14, 2013

Dr. Ruth Westheimer urged Jewish women philanthropists to “make believe tonight is Friday night” — and she wasn’t talking about lighting Shabbat candles. Read More

Wilf family gift boosts survivor program

by Elaine Durbach

May 14, 2013

Even when their attention is on a singer or speaker, or they are simply absorbed in conversation with those who share their traumatic history, the Holocaust survivors who attend Cafe Europa gatherings in Elizabeth or South Orange are also the focus of attention themselves. Read More

Preserving memory with new tradition

Holocaust Council creates Shoa seder as model for others

by Robert Wiener

May 14, 2013

Well past the Passover season, the Holocaust Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ is planning a seder on Sunday, May 19, at the Aidekman campus in Whippany. Drawing on some of the rituals associated with the Passover Haggada, the Shoa Seder is being planned to coincide with the month that Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1945. Read More

‘Bring what you learn wherever you are’

An NJJN conversation with six local teens, all leaders-in-training

by Andrew Silow-Carroll

May 14, 2013

In recent years the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ has undertaken a significant commitment to teen leadership. NJJN editor-in-chief Andrew Silow-Carroll sat down with six current participants in three programs— Diller Teen Fellows, Iris Teen Tzedekah Advisors, and Write On For Israel — for a wide-ranging discussion of pro-Israel advocacy, the Jewish future, and what teens know that adults don’t. Read More

Wilfs welcome new Yad Vashem entrance

Special to NJJN

May 14, 2013

Yad Vashem has unveiled the latest contribution by a New Jersey family to the memory of Holocaust victims and for the support of survivors. Read More