Shabbat Shalom ~ Chayei Sara 2025

Shalom WJC Family,

Tami and I love to host holiday meals, including Shabbat. It is a large part of why we are so grateful for the construction project that has made cooking and dining in the parish house so much more pleasant for everyone. We are looking forward to hosting some folks for a Shabbat meal as part of the Progressive Dinner on December 6th. I hope you’ve signed up – this will be Tami and my first Progressive Dinner (we have heard great things) and one of the first meals we are hosting in the renovated digs. So, thank you again for supporting the project and we hope we get to host you soon.

Of course, one of our most beloved holidays is the only one we don’t host at our home, since we can drive for it. Thanksgiving is a great American tradition, and places way fewer restrictions on us than the Sabbath rules of major Jewish holidays. This year, I am particularly excited because we get to host Thanksgiving as a synagogue community. Well, not the meal, but the annual MMK/LM Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, this Sunday at 4pm.

Whether you’ve never been to one of these services or if you are an annual attendee, I hope you will come this year. Not only is it a wonderful way to preview the Thanksgiving Season; it is a great chance to make deep connections with our neighbors of other faiths, something I think should be as high a priority now as ever. Plus, they’ll be delicious desserts! So, I hope to see you Sunday and don’t forget to bring non-perishable food donations, showing our gratitude by sharing what we have.

Speaking of which, one thing we can be grateful for is the end of the government shutdown and the resumption of SNAP benefits for November. Our own WJC Officer for Children and Families, Rebecca Baron, reports that on the “Coalition for Community” call on Thursday the Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Task Force reported that there has not been the increase in client needs/pick-ups that they thought would have occurred due to the interruptions in SNAP benefits. But don’t worry – we will find an appropriate organization that combats hunger for your Thanksgiving donations. 

Also, those of you who were generous and compassionate enough to respond to my request for emergency funds to compensate those losing SNAP benefits, my intention is to use the remaining funds to support the ongoing need at Feeding Westchester. If you would like any funds donated for November SNAP relief to be used in a different way, please just contact me directly at rja@wjcenter.org to let me know.

Prior to the Interfaith Thanksgiving service on Sunday we will have our annual Mitzvah Day. I hope you will join us early to donate blood, learn about different local Mitzvah organizations or participate in any number of mitzvah activities like Sandwich and Soup Making.

Also, don’t miss a packed Shabbat – Friday night we’ll have a community dinner, our weekly Friday Night Service at 4:15, as well as an instrumental Rhythm & Ruach Service at 7, and special guest speakers Tasha Cohen and Esther Nissenblatt from Chayal’s Angels at 8. Come and learn about this wonderful organization helping Israeli reservists recover from the disruption in their regular lives, about how the situation since October 7th affected everyone in Israel, and about how regular folks like these two extraordinary women are doing their part to help others.

We are also thrilled to be hosting the Ramah Tikveh Alumni Shabbat. Tikveh is a camp program that includes campers with special needs in camp and camp activities. It is an awesome program – a trailblazing effort that has been a model for other organizations! The alumni and their families will be joining us for Saturday morning services and participating as well! It should be a beautiful service.

See you in shul,

RJA