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• Torah Commentaries by our members
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• Message from the President
• All in the family
• The EZ Life: A monthly note from Rabbi Zimand in Israel
• Information about Israel
• Jewish Holidays in 2011!  Find the dates you need at HebCal
• Database Update
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• Have a Laugh on Us  

Babysitting Information

Baby sitting is provided at the shul during the High Holidays only.  If you'd like to have a Traditional teen babysit for you at home, call the office for a list of Traditional teens who will babysit for you.  If any others would like to be included in the list, call the office at 314-576-5230 with your name and phone number.

Kiddush is a time when we celebrate Shabbat with wine, food and friendship as a community.  We are delighted when we are able to open up our shul to invited guests to celebrate a simcha, mark a yartzeit, or honor a birthday or anniversary.  At times more than one family may want to sponsor or contribute to a kiddush.  We will try to accommodate everyone involved while at the same time staying sensitive to the menus, number of guests, etc. 

Tributes
Sisterhood sells tributes for those who would like to make donations in honor of, or in memory of, a loved one.  The cost of these tributes are $3.00 each or $15.00 for 6. You may purchase Sisterhood tributes by calling Gloria Friedlander (314-469-3274).  The monies raised by these tributes help defray the cost of many items used by the synagogue  (i.e. paper products, baby-sitting, etc.)  Support the Sisterhood and make a tribute.

Tree of Life Sprouts New Leaves
As a result of congregational demand and a unanimous Sisterhood Board vote, the Tree of Life will now accommodate "remembrance" leaves.  We have realized that not only individual life events, but indeed a person's entire life may be cause for celebration.  This will in no way replace the memorial plaques, yahrzeit lights, or other memorials available to our members.  In keeping with the original "simcha" atmosphere of the Tree's planners, we hope to stress the celebratory aspects of our feelings.  In other words, we hope to avoid words "In Memory of..."  in favor of phrasings such as "Celebrating the Life of..."  Leaves cost $75 or $150, with proceeds going to maintain the shul's kosher kitchens. To order leaves, or to ask any questions, please call Pamela Singer at 314-275-9909.

 
Sisterhood Activities

Pamela Singer
314-275-9909 

Celebrate!

If you want to have a Kiddush, look in the back of the Shul directory and see who else will be celebrating a birthday or anniversary, call them to coordinate and make it a big celebration.  WHAT FUN.. Kitchen and usage fees should be discussed with Marian.  Linens must be ordered two weeks ahead and there will be an additional charge.  If there are over 20 invited guests, not counting our congregants, there may be a labor fee to cover the costs of three outside helpers.  The food must be wrapped and picked up on Sunday, unless other plans have been made with the office.

Our Shul is one BIG family and we love to celebrate.  It's also a time when the congregants can sit around and schmooze.  Call the office if you're thinking about a celebration and we'll check the date and help you plan your occasion.

--Anna Brick

Memorial Booklet Information

Frequently-Asked Questions About the Memorial Book

Because we keep our annual Sisterhood Memorial Book mailing to one page only, we don't really have room to address all of the questions and problems congregants may have when responding to our letter. Therefore, this year, we have compiled the most-often asked questions along with brief answers.  As always, please call the Memorial Book chairperson (NOT the office staff) with any further questions or concerns.  

1.  Why aren't my loved ones' memorials automatically included in the Yahrzeit Book?

Consistent with community synagogue practices, this is a fundraiser; in our case, for Traditional Congregation Sisterhood.  Of course, your yahrzeits are always read aloud on the preceding Shabbat, and reminder mailings sent out by the office, once the office is aware of your loss.  

Also, while inclusion in the Memorial Book is a meaningful way to remember the deceased, and benefits the congregation as well, some people simply don't want to be included in this project; often, they have other ways, public and private, in which they choose to remember yahrzeits.

2.  Why do I have to write down new yahrzeit dates?  Doesn't the office already have everything you need?

Sometimes the office does not have the correct date; also, the yahrzeit files in the office usually do not have the secular date of death, only the Hebrew date.   We need the secular date for a complete entry in the Memorial Book yahrzeit calendar, in which we automatically list everyone (for whom we have a date) named in a family memorial in the book.   Often people don't wish to have calendar listings, so they don't give us dates.  If we think omission of the date is an error, we will telephone you; but we're human, and may not reach you, and if you wanted the date to be listed, you'll probably be upset!  Of course, sometimes the exact date is unknown, and your names can still be listed in the calendar in a way that is meaningful to you.

3.  Why don't you specify the relationship to the deceased?

Again, consistent with many congregational formats, we only list the names of the deceased and of those "remembering" them.  One reason is that relationships can be complicated, or difficult to define (such as aunts who raise their nieces and nephews, acting as a life-long mother figure), and a loving remembrance transcends such labels.  

4.  You made a mistake in my memorial.  What can you do about it?

We always feel terrible when this happens.  The reasons are legion:  computer glitches or miscopied data files (really; especially during the software changes in the office, whose computers were generously offered for our use these past six years), missing or contradictory information from family members, replacing pages at the last minute, and of course human oversights on our part.

What YOU can do to help prevent upsetting errors is provide complete information, and don't assume that we have all the facts on any deaths in the past Jewish year.   Also, since most of our worst mistakes were an indirect result of very late responses from congregants, please try to honor the requested deadline.

Unfortunately we can only afford to redo the book for each Yom Kippur, so an error will be in the book for the next three Yizkors.  When the error is our fault, we almost always offer a free memorial of the same type for the next year's book, which is only fair.

5.  Why can't/won't the office staff help me with my memorial in the yahrzeit book?

Again, this is a Sisterhood project; and while the office has always been very helpful in passing along phone messages, finding yahrzeit dates for us, and even lending us their computers these past six years, this fundraiser is not their job to do, but that of Sisterhood volunteers.  

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE TRADITIONAL CONGREGATION MEMORIAL BOOK!

Tobie Hupert

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