Temple B’nai Shalom in East Brunswick will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a weekend of activities Friday-Sunday, May 17-19.
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. it will host an “Epic Musical Shabbat” featuring a reunion of past and present choir members and the only two rabbis the synagogue has ever had—former Rabbi Eric Milgrim and current Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer–and Cantor Andrew Edison leading. A “Jazzed Up” oneg Shabbat with dessert reception and live jazz music, will follow the service.
At 6:30 p.m. Saturday an anniversary dinner dance will be held. Along with the music from the five decades of the temple’s existence it will be highlighted by an iconic hora and multimedia video as well as other surprises. The cost is $75 per person; an RSVP is required.
On Sunday from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. share in the pride and joy of Israel’s 76th anniversary with a special “Sunday Funday” featuring something for all ages–the recreation of an Israeli shuk, DJ, dancing, carnival-style games, a communal art project and more as well as an assortment of brunch refreshments. Cost is free for children 13 and under and for older teens and adults, $18 per person. Cash or credit cards will be accepted at the door.
For information, contact the synagogue at (732) 251-4300.
Come hear Hadar & Sheldon’s blend of pop, folk and rock at the annual Susy Schwartz Memorial Scholarship Fund Benefit Concert at Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen on Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. Profits from the yearly program are earmarked toward funding the synagogue’s “Passport to Israel” program through which teens are given a voucher at their bar and bat mitzvah that they can cash in between ninth grade and college graduation for an educational trip to Israel. The scholarship fund was established in 1990 to honor the life and values of a beloved congregant who died from cancer in her early forties.
Hadar & Sheldon is the husband and wife team of Sheldon Low and Hadar Orshalimy. She was a popular performer in Israel who has appeared on Israeli television and at many major national and municipal events. He is a prominent name in contemporary Jewish music, has recorded five albums and annually performs in more than 100 concerts, services and workshops around North America. Together they have released three singles and are touring nationally.
Cost is $30 for general admission and $12 for children 12 years and under. For information call the synagogue at (732) 548-2238. Ext. 12. To purchase tickets got to neveshalom.net.
The Friendship Circle of Central New Jersey, which pairs often isolated disabled adults and children with teen volunteers for socialization, will hold its annual Walk4Friends on Sunday, May 19 in Marlboro at noon. The one-mile walk raises crucial awareness for the nonprofit organization, which sponsors holiday programs, camps and young adult programs. Its Sunday Circle offers everything from yoga, crafts, cooking, dancing and more under the guidance of a trained teacher and volunteer teen buddies. It also has a Friends at Home program that sends teen volunteers to homes for weekly playdates.
There will be light entertainment during registration followed by the opening ceremony, walk and ending with lunch and family fun. Entertainment includes a photo booth, balloon-twisting and face-painting. Online preregistration, which closes the evening of May 16, is free; the walk-up fee is $10. For information contact Friendship Circle director Chanale Wolosow at (732) 619-4125 or chanale@friendsnj.com. To find a walker to sponsor or to register go to walk4friends.com.
The Barbara Kagan Littman Book and Author Series of the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey will present former Highland Park Mayor Meryl Frank, author of the book, “Unearthed: A Lost Actress, a Forbidden Book, and a Search for Life in the Shadow of the Holocaust,” Wednesday, May 29 at 7 p.m. at Mike Baker’s Barn in East Brunswick.
The book is the culmination of seven years of research into the life and death of Franya Winter, a cousin who was a revolutionary star of the Yiddish theater from Vilna known throughout Eastern Europe who was murdered in the Holocaust. Frank’s search revealed some of the rich cultural history of Vilna, home to 100,000 Jews before the Holocaust, 90 precent of whom were murdered. The conversation will be moderated by journalist Jennifer Altmann and will address the question of how the next generation should honor the memory of the Holocaust.
To register go to jewishheartnj.org. The cost is $36. For information contact Audrey Napchen, at (732) 588-1860 or audreyn@jewishheartnj.org.
