FILL THE SHELVES NOW — When I was a young religious school student, we used to bring cans of food for Sukkot.
Now many congregations conduct large food drives beginning on Rosh Hashanah and concluding at Sukkot. That’s always been a wonderful thing.
The problem is that Rosh Hashanah is three weeks away and the shelves at the JFS Food Pantry are empty NOW because summer months are tough on food pantries. The need is up and donations are down. Each of the last two months JFS has given out 12,000 pounds of food and products, an astounding amount. The shelves at Harvesters are very low this time of year as well.
So I propose this: Grab a few extra items while you are grocery shopping in preparation for your holiday gatherings. The pantry needs the most basic items — both kosher and non-kosher: peanut butter, dry cereal, canned fruits and vegetables, canned beans, soups and adult incontinence products. Donation bins are located at the Jewish Community Campus. Do that now, then participate in your congregation’s holiday food drive as well. Finally, don’t forget that people in need are hungry all year, not just at the High Holidays, and remember to donate to the pantry throughout the year!
CELESTE ARONOFF UPDATE — In March we told you that Celeste Aronoff was leaving her position at JFS to take classes at the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a rabbi. Just after the article published, she switched course just a bit and decided she would like to sharpen her Hebrew skills in Israel over the summer and begin rabbinical school this fall. She returned to the States not long after Operation Protective Edge began fully intending to move to California for the fall semester. But she loved being in Israel so much she is going back to continue her studies in Jerusalem at the Pardes Institute. She says her seminary has been supportive and she still has the opportunity to attend at a later date.
“It’s clear to all of us that what began this summer must continue, and it must continue in Jerusalem. I have never experienced the spiritual kavanah and intensity and sustenance that exudes from the Jerusalem stone, emerges from the Jerusalem residents, hangs in the Jerusalem air,” she announced to her friends on Facebook.
So Aronoff will head back to Israel in a couple of weeks to see where this road leads, excited about the learning opportunities that await her there. Maybe she’ll write a column or two for us about her life in Israel!
MACCABEATS SUPPORT ISRAEL — Remember the Maccabeats? They performed in a sold-out concert at the White Theatre during Chanukah 2012. The a cappella men’s group, which got its start as Yeshiva University’s student vocal group, recently put together a new video supporting Israel and it was released, coincidentally, on the day the cease-fire was announced. Tablet Magazine says the video “Home” is a “mash-up of 12 songs about… home. The home they are referring to, of course, is Israel — the video begins in New York, and crescendos with Skylar Grey’s ‘I’m Coming Home,’ which they sing as they arrive in Jerusalem.” The Zionist Organization of America says “The Maccabeats’ new video will have you on a plane to Jerusalem minutes after you see it.” You can watch the video on a variety of websites including the Maccabeats: www.maccabeats.com. The song can also be downloaded on iTunes at https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/home-single/id913400420.
ISRAELI CHILDREN RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER CONFLICT (JNS.org) — Southern Israeli children living near Gaza went back to school Monday after a summer spent in bomb shelters during Operation Protective Edge.
“We are a little scared but we are excited,” Ronit Bart, a resident of Kibbutz Saad and an English teacher in its school, told the Associated Press. “A lot of children in our area really need to go back to a routine.”
The school year also began across the country in Israel. About 2.1 million students in total returned to school, as well as 165,000 teachers and instructors. About 5,000 policemen volunteered to secure schools around the country Monday.
“On behalf of all the government ministers, I want to wish the best of luck to all the children — but firstly the children entering the first grade — hi there, first graders — may you, may all the children have a good, successful and safe school year,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.