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Mi sh’beyrakh

May 10, 2010 in Community by Laurence | No comments

ausias On Friday evenings during our Shabbat worship services, our rabbi invites those present to say aloud the names of people for whose health and wellness we are praying, and then the traditional prayer for healing, the Mi sh’beyrakh, is read.

For several weeks, I said aloud the name of Àusias, who is the brother of my son’s godmother, and whose mother is also very dear to my heart, as she helped raise me when I was six or seven years old!

She recently published the following text:

Our family has just made it through a very difficult situation, with the illness of our son and the chemotherapy that followed. We can say now that it is cured.

At the beginning, we thought we had to be discreet and share it only with the family. And, of course, the response of the family was excellent. But, little by little, we started to let some of our friends know, and the response was massive but discreet. Contact from everyone was a great help: either a little e-mail, an SMS on the mobile, or some telephone calls (only a few short ones, so as not to disturb us). We felt so well-looked after and we felt so close to them. None of our son’s friends – young people who were very touched by the situation – missed the opportunity to come to our home with little presents which were tokens of love. There were films, books, games – all of which were able to entertain him and let him pass the time pleasantly, despite the uncomfortable situation he was going through.

Then I decided to share things with our friends from other countries, to create a wide network of people who, in spite of being far away, could carry us in their hearts. And that made a true communion of saints, in which I deeply believe; a communion which joined us together despite the distances, huge in some cases, that separated us. We have understood this powerful spiritual force, which overcomes space and time, because we asked for a prayer from everybody; and from people who don’t believe, positive thoughts. We owe the serenity we had whilst living through the illness to so many prayers, started by our son, that have taken their effect. I believe in prayer.

Our neighbours have also paid a lot of attention to the situation and have offered their help wherever needed. And truly, in those moments of weakness caused by a serious illness, we have discovered this great human solidarity around us, which makes us believe in the goodness that lies in the human heart, despite all of our shortcomings. And once again we trust people, who are able to give all the generosity which they carry within, and that makes life more pleasant in spite of the badness about which everybody talks.

I can give my opinion about this because I have experienced it first-hand and it isn’t mere theory. Moreover, this sense of solidarity is strengthened when there are misfortunes on the planet and many people co-operate to diminish the hurt. There are a huge number of volunteers, young and old, who are present where and when they’re needed.

We know that many, many years are needed to move towards a superior stage in evolution, but let’s not lose our faith in the human person, who demonstrates that he or she is a being with transcendent values, full of love which reaches everything.

Mª Teresa Quintana
April 2010

I am thankful for my Jewish community who prayed and wished my friend a refuah sh’laimah, a complete and speedy recovery, and peace of body, mind and spirit.

ברוך אתה  יי רופא החולים

You are praised, Eternal, Healer of the sick.

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The right thing to do

February 2, 2010 in Community, Social Action by Laurence | No comments

Police HQ destroyed

Police HQ destroyed in Haiti - a Flickr by AIDG- 1/16/2010

We have all been profoundly shocked and dismayed by the tragedy of the island of Haiti that was struck by a devastating earthquake of magnitude 7.0 last January 12 leaving only rubbles and hundreds of thousands of casualties. The outpouring solidarity was nearly immediate, even before anyone could simply fathom what it meant. Our congregation rallied and called to action in the form of donations, as there were enough reputable organizations that quickly set up funds that could welcome everyone’s generosity. When tragedy strikes, this is the least we can do, besides crying and praying.

Last Sunday several congregants were able to answer the call of the South Salem Presbyterian Church who was assembling hygiene kits to be sent for relief to the Haitian people, made of ziplock bags containing nail clippers, toothbrushes, cloth. It’s a great soothing feeling to see everyone do, as little as may be, give their time and energy in the community, to come to the aid of stricken people who lost everything.

I have been following the rescue efforts as much as I could,  and been amazed at the fortitude of the rescue teams. I have been praying for the return of this young woman of Somers, who was part of a charitable mission with her Florida University and I have been saddened by the news. There is a sense of utter community when you feel that tragedy is not just spelling out numbers without faces, but people you know, who are part of your own town or college, country or families.

I have been incredibly moved by the effort conducted by the IDF, the Israeli defense, who sent a medical crew from half the world away together with the latest of the art medical field hospital. Two days after the earthquake, they were already saving lives. The first baby who was delivered on January 15 was named Israel by his thankful new mother. May this little boy grow safe and know a less tragic course of life! Finally the Israeli went back home, but in the meantime they did wonders and I hope this can send a message to our youth on the right thing to do and the great mission of pikuah hanefesh (saving a soul).

Here is a short clip taken on a cell phone while the Zaka team is enticing a crowd of Haitian into singing  Evenu Shalom Aleichem. Zaka is a group  of very religious orthodox israeli whose mission is to help rescue and recover in cases of tragedies. They were four of them who went right away to Haiti and offered their know-how, and they did not stop during Shabbat because saving a life takes precedence on the Shabbat.

You may go to our website to see  our JFC Social Action Committee page or contact them if you want to get further involved.

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A new tool for Jewish Family Congregation: why a blog?

February 1, 2010 in Community by Laurence | No comments

Dayenu_5769
Image by otir_im via Flickr

Here’s to you, a new tool, a new blog. Jewish Family Congregation has a blog? Since when? Well, here it is, it’s yours, it’s new, it’s all out of the box, and it goes with all the wonderful innovations our Congregation has seen this past year: a new sanctuary, a redesigned website, and now this space, for all to enjoy an always enlarged community area.

What is a blog?

A blog is a publishing tool that allows a lot of flexibility, and interactions, both for contributors and readers. It can be updated easily, and as often as necessary. It can bring information, as well as opinions, comments, discussions, answers to questions. It can serve as a community board.

It is a free media, that is not subject to deadlines. It’s very easy to maintain, and very easy to update.

In a blog, new articles appear on the front page, and older go down the page. They can be archived, and they can easily be accessed depending on how they are organized (by categories, for instance, or also with labels called “tags”).

Readers can add their contribution in the comment section, and a conversation can occur on the blog.

Why a blog for Jewish Family Congregation?

As our physical space at our Temple has finally got rid of the obstruction with the new design of our sanctuary, as our accessibility is always increasing, as our sense of inclusiveness is always looking for new ways to open the doors to all, a virtual space is a nice addition to our Congregation’s life.

This is not an official bulletin from Jewish Family Congregation, we have our Shofar to let our members know what is happening in the Temple, in our Religious School, in our Nursery School, in the various committtees. This is a space where more personal stories from everyone’s point of view can be discussed.

Who will blog?

Anyone who would like to blog is welcome to do so. I have volunteered to admin and facilitate the publishing, and will do my best to engage you in this new venture on the virtual side of our congregation, with the hope that soon enough you will join me in publishing too. All topics pertaining to Jewish life, congregation life, Israel, Jewish parenting and education, Jewish holidays, Jewish history, and any other that I may have forgotten to mention are open to articles and comments.

How is it useful?

For those who joined Jewish Family Congregation, we know that our lives are extremely busy, and even if we can meet at many occasions, whether it be in the Oneg room after Shabbat services or at pick-up times after Religious School or at any organized activity, we often feel like conversations need to be cut short because time is running, someone may become impatient to leave the premises. We know each others but do we have so many opportunities to share all of our passions?  Sometimes we do one thing together and completly ignore other things about our fellow congregants.

A virtual space like a blog can be a possible extension of the oneg room, without the delights of the goodies maybe, but in the comfort of our home, at a time we are available and not running. A virtual space can be a wonderful place to share about our common heritage and our common interest in Jewish life.

It can also be a bridge between generations. Some may also be more talkative, others may prefer reading, and expressing oneself in writing rather than in a social setting. This is a good space for that, too: some prefer to ask questions about Judaism without raising their hands or feeling embarrassed because they thought they should have known the answer to the question. You would be surprised at all that is allowed thanks to having a screen to mediate and make things easier to express.

And lastly, it can be a nice window on how our congregation is truly vibrant. Soon enough, I hope, this space will be filled with interesting posts and conversations, that will be shared even with our extended families that will then have a peak on how our Jewish Family is spending their days, here in South Salem, NY!

I hope you will participate and let me know what you think of this new blog. I welcome all your comments!

Laurence Furic

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