education courses
Temple offers adult
education courses
Congregation Sons of Israel, Manalapan, will sponsor a series of lectures by Rabbi Robert Pilavin and Rebbitzin Maxine Pilavin. Admission is free.
Topics in the "Friday Night Live" adult education series include: praying in Hebrew, Jan. 9; prayer at fixed times, Jan. 16; prayer as petition, Jan. 23; and prayer as praise, Jan. 30.
"Monday Night Learning with Maxine Pilavin" will feature "The Dispute Over the Torah" Jan. 12, and "The Missionary at Your Door" Jan. 26, both 7:30-8:30 p.m.
"Torah at Levy’s," held each Wednesday from 10-11:30 a.m. at Levy’s Kosher Pizza, Manalapan, will present "Moses and His Father-in-law" Jan. 14, "Moses as Husband and Father" Jan. 21, and "Moses and His Brother and Sister" Jan. 28.
Para-Rabbinics courses are offered Sunday nights from 7-8:15 p.m. Topics include "The Beginning of Family Life: Birth and Brit Milah" Jan. 11, "Pidyon Ha-Ben: Redemption of the First Born" Jan. 18, and "At Life’s End: The Jewish Way in Death and Mourning" Jan. 25.
For more information, call the office at (732) 446-3000.
United Way campaigns
provide food, gifts
United Way of Monmouth County assisted in distributing 50 food boxes over the holiday season to three local food pantries, including the Samaritan Center in Englishtown. Each food box held enough food to feed a family of four. The food boxes were a donation from NJ Natural Gas Co., Wall, which has donated hundreds of food boxes to the needy through organizations such as United Way.
The agency also provided 567 gifts to Monmouth County children, teens, adults and seniors through its first Snowflake Wishes gift-giving campaign. The gifts, including CD players, bicycles, coats, blankets, games and other items, were supplied by 18 different corporations at 21 locations throughout the county, and were distributed to 11 human service agencies, including Aslan Youth Ministries, Boys and Girls Club, Catholic Charities, Jewish Family & Children’s Services, Hispanic Affairs and Resource Center, and Monmouth Day Care Center. United Way plans to run the campaign annually. For more information, call United Way at (732) 938-5988.
Congregation listens to ‘Other Voices’ services
Congregation Kol Am, which means "voice of the people," periodically presents worshippers with a shabbat service titled "Other Voices." During these special segments, Rabbi Brooks Susman turns the pulpit over to members of the congregation to offer their perspectives on the relevance of religion in their lives.
The first of the "Other Voices" was Daniel Stein, a confirmand, who represented the future of Judaism. Stein’s address focused upon the summer he dedicated to community service.
In recognition of Veterans Day, three congregants reflected upon the contributions and sacrifices made by U.S. servicemen throughout history, as well as insights into their feelings of pride and dedication, the perceptions held by society of the military in their respective eras, and the fragility of the human condition in wartime.
The featured speakers for the third segment were Bruche and Murray Sherman of Freehold, who discussed their 25-year love affair with the State of Israel. The Shermans have made numerous trips to Israel, each one known as an "aliya."
The Hebrew word "aliya" means ascending, and refers to a people’s physical and spiritual migration to Israel as the ultimate act of identification with their heritage. During the weeks the Shermans spent in Israel, they volunteered for various duties to allow military reservists to spend more time with their families. Bruche Sherman worked in a day care center caring for the young while Murray Sherman worked in a municipal plant responsible for planting and maintaining landscape. The Israel the Shermans experienced was not one of terror and fear, but one of safety and a true sense of belonging.
Congregation Kol Am is based in Manalapan.
CentraState slates January programs
CentraState Health Awareness Center, Freehold Township, will offer a variety of programs during January. Preregistration is required for all events.
A free introductory session of the "Perfect Fit" weight-loss program will be offered Jan. 12 at 10 a.m. or 7:30 p.m., and Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. CentraState also offers morning workout sessions, several low-impact aerobics programs, and a progressive seated exercise program. Call for more information and fees.
A "Loving Touch" infant massage program will be held Jan. 10, 10-11 a.m., at the center on Gibson Place. The fee is $15. There are also Lamaze classes and refresher courses, parenting classes for parents of newborns, infant care classes, sibling preparation classes, "Baby and Me" for parents and infants 2-6 months old, "Fun Time" for parents and toddlers 26-36 months old, transitional classes for parents and toddlers 11-13 months, and many other programs for parents and toddlers. Call for fees and details.
CentraState also offers a sign language program for parents and babies. According to a press release, babies learn to speak and read more easily when they’re taught sign language; the fee is $45 for the three-week course.
For older children, there are programs for girls ages 9-12 and for boys ages 10-13, in which a health educator explains the physical, social, chemical and emotional changes experienced during puberty ($15 fee; no fee for parents); baby-sitting clinics; exercise programs in several age categories; yoga; and crafts and computer programs.
CentraState has Health Awareness centers at 65 Gibson Place and at Freehold Raceway Mall, both in Freehold Township. For more information, call the Gibson Place center at (732) 308-0570, or the mall center (732) 294-0011.
Women’s club program to
focus on feathered friends
The GFWC Molly Pitcher Woman’s Club of Freehold Township will meet Jan. 20 at 10:30 a.m. in the Garden Room, Day’s Inn, Route 9 north, Freehold Township.
The afternoon program will begin at 1 p.m. with a presentation by Shirley Gardner, conservation department chairman, on the care and feeding of birds, the types of bird feeders, and the value in bird food and shelters. Women of the area are invited to attend to learn about this community service organization and the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs. Lunch reservations are required at a minimal cost; call (732) 462-7233. For membership information, visit the Web site www.njsfwc.org.