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11/08/2023

Please join us for Kristallnacht – The Night of Broken Glass remembrance program featuring four story tellers portraying first person experiences of that day in 1938. We will recall the events of Kristallnacht and help us reflect on the world conditions today.
You can join us in person at:
Congregation Shaaray Shalom
711 Dogwood Avenue
West Hempstead, NY 11552
(or virtually).
Zoom link for the program:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84387055998?pwd=cGVaMzlETVQrcUZHeWloQXZYOEhuQT09

11/06/2023

11/03/2023

Please join us at the JCC on Tuesday, November 21st for an afternoon of game playing to support Israel. Contact [email protected] to register!

10/28/2023

The picture below is of our main sanctuary's magnificent 30 foot high stained glass windows. They consist of over 3,000 pieces of glass imported from France, depicting the 12 Tribes of Israel. They were conceived by Albert Wood and Five Sons of Port Washington, NY and installed in May of 1964.

10/09/2023

At shul this weekend, we read the words of encouragement spoken to Joshua as he faced a harrowing time when crossing over the River Jordan, facing hostile elements in Israel: Chazak v’Ematz, be strong and have courage. At the same time, reports were trickling in of the atrocities being committed by Hamas in Israel, slaughtering innocent civilians, police and military members, kidnapping young and old, murdering hundreds of attendees at a festival, indiscriminately bombing villages and towns, rampaging through streets and homes, all with a brutality never seen before in modern Israel.

Women’s League for Conservative Judaism condemns these attacks and has signed on to statements from other Jewish organizations expressing sorrow and solidarity. None of those statements can mitigate the utter horror of the acts of Hamas. But in this unprecedented time of attack on the Jewish state and its people, it is important not only to show unity and support, but to let our brothers, sisters, cousins, sons, daughters, and grandchildren in Israel know how much we love them and how this tragedy breaks our hearts. We see these hateful, inhumane acts in the Holy Land against our own and our blood boils with outrage, as tears come streaming from our eyes.

But this is not only a time to express sorrow and solidarity; it is a time to be strong and have courage. It is a time to show support for the State of Israel and its people in every way possible. It is a time to donate (to organizations such as Magen David Adom, JNF, or Friends of the IDF), a time to insist that our elected leaders follow through on their words of support, a time to insist that countries around the world call out Hamas for their war crimes, and a time to reach out to family and friends in Israel to show your concern, your love and support. Our theme for this year is Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh BaZeh, all of Israel is responsible for one another. It is a time not only to stand with Israel in words, but to be side-by-side with Israel as sisters, and to do all we can to support it.

As we read this past holiday, there is a time for peace and a time for war. Sadly, Hamas has made this a time for war. We hope that the threat of Hamas will be destroyed, and that a time for peace can return. We mourn for the Israelis and visitors killed by Hamas in this brutal attack, and we earnestly pray for the recovery of the injured and for the safety and swift release of those who have been kidnapped.

At this fraught time, we want to mention our Women’s League Mothers of Olim, a support group of mothers, aunts and grandmothers who have family in Israel. If you have family in Israel, please connect to that support group which is actively monitoring the situation in Israel very closely at [email protected]...

To continue reading, go to: https://www.wlcj2.org/u/?L1c6445j

07/16/2023

Toronto's Beth Tzedec Synagogue attracted young families by removing membership dues for anyone under the age of 40.

You don't have to live in our community to become a member of Congregation Shaaray Shalom!!

Toronto's Beth Tzedec attracted young families by removing membership dues for anyone under the age of 40.

06/19/2023

Updated map of the West Hempstead-Franklin Square Eruv:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1HiUdjPCu1itXXN6T81KmI0iOtdM&ll=40.70282194030745%2C-73.64110782788404&z=17&fbclid=IwAR0kkUpxaYDDStdmxASNEukYPgSvCXB0CCa6lfDQ-ubpxB7s-qqcvT7GURA

Map of the West Hempstead-Franklin Square Eruv. For more information, please contact the shul office.

05/06/2023

"People (old, young, singles, couples, families, gay, straight, trans, etc.) don’t care about your programs, or your childcare, or even your services. They crave connections to community. They want a chevre (close-knit group), that will invite them over for Shabbat dinner and holiday meals and make them feel included in something bigger than themselves. Amen!"

By Joel Abramson With the high holidays behind us, I can finally share my biggest secret. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and even Sukkot give me incredible anxiety! Passover does too, but not likely for the reason you think. It’s...

05/06/2023

By Joel Abramson With the high holidays behind us, I can finally share my biggest secret. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and even Sukkot give me incredible anxiety! Passover does too, but not likely for the reason you think. It’s...

04/02/2023

03/19/2023

HOW DOES BEING A SYNAGOGUE MEMBER MAKE MY LIFE BETTER? - Rabbi Paul Kipnes
I invited a former synagogue member – a wonderful and very pleasant person – to rejoin the synagogue after a few years away. She said she had thought about it and wondered, “How would being a member make my life better or different?”
I thought about her question a lot, and even as a congregational rabbi, I admit that I struggled. Eventually, my answer was along these lines: It depends on what you mean by “better.”
If you mean physically healthier, it won’t. Join a gym.
If you mean more physically beautiful, it won’t. Go to Nordstrom’s or a make-up artist.
If you mean richer, it won’t. Get a higher-paying job.
If you mean more mentally stable, it won’t. Go to a therapist.
If you mean more knowledgeable, it won’t. Take a class at your local community college.
The list goes on: If you mean ____, then go ____.
But here’s what joining a synagogue will do.
Being part of a synagogue allows you to be part of a larger community – of your people.
Being part of a synagogue means promulgating values that you and your tradition hold dear.
Being part of a community is like ensuring that your room is still there even after you go away to college. You can always come home. And even if you don’t show up, we are still here.
Being part of a community teaches future generations that being a Jew matters, even if you aren’t a power user of the synagogue at the moment.
Being part of a community means that there will always be High Holidays services for you and the community.
It means that you always have a place to turn when you are in need.
It means that there is always Torah in your community
It means that you have a spiritual home.
It means that your values are played out through social justice
It means that you have a place to go to sing Mi Shebeirach when you or someone you know is in pain.
It means that Israel has an advocate in the community.
It means that you take responsibility for the next generation, like the previous one did for yours.
It’s not about money, because everyone can join regardless of wealth or lack thereof. It’s about demonstrating a commitment to community.
We live in a world that speaks of consumer values: “What do I get if I pay?” Judaism is a people/religion/nation/culture/ethnicity/more that transcends that question, asking instead, “What will being part of a community do for our world, for all people, for our people, for our community?” That’s how I think, and it’s how I want my children to think.
If this is how you want to think, come home – and if not, well, home will still be here for you if you ever decide you do want to come home.
(Oh, and one last thing: Judaism, synagogue, and community can make you feel more beautiful because you feel better about yourself when you are spiritually centered. You will feel richer because you will have enriched your life and those of others. You will feel smarter because you will be able to partake in 5,000 years of Jewish knowledge. You will be more mentally stable because you will have adjusted the balance of the mind, body, spirit. Of course, all this presupposes that not only do you join, but you also come and connect.)
So that’s my answer. The shofar’s in your court.