There are members of our Congregation who are very sensitive to scents and fragrances. MRT strives to provide a “Scent Free” environment in our building. The MRT community asks that you avoid wearing scents of any kind when coming to our synagogue and please inform your guests who visit with us.
BRING A FRIEND AND FOOD! Please sign up whether you are new to Mitzvah Day or have enjoyed participating in the past. Bring a friend! All are welcome! We are also in need of people to bring food for the participants. Contributions of sides and desserts-cookies, salads, etc. are greatly appreciated. Sign up below!
Sunday, May 4th is Mitzvah Day! A day of Tikkun Olam – a day for working to repair our precious world! There are so many who need our help now, more than ever. This is an opportunity to give to our neighbors and truly be part of the community we live in.
The mitzvah of “service to others” is a part of our tradition here at MRT. Historically, we have all gotten together to work on various community projects. This year, once again, we have planned a hybrid Mitzvah Day, with a mix of in-person events (some outside and others indoors), as well as projects that can be done at home.
Some of the collections are already underway. Our Mitzvah Day committee has planned an exciting and inspiring range of service activities for all ages and interests. There is something for everyone!
In addition, now through Mitzvah Day, we are highlighting community organizations in need of support: Fulfill and Interfaith Neighbors
Donate online HERE (indicate the donation is for Mitzvah Day/Fulfill or Interfaith Neighbors) or send in a check payable to MRT. Please make sure to write Mitzvah Day/Fulfill or Mitzvah Day/Interfaith Neighbors in the memo section.
Mitzvah Day has opportunities for us all to work together in solidarity. We look forward to seeing you!
Click the left button below for a list of all of the community collections and activities we have planned for Mitzvah Day 2025, along with the link to sign up. Or click the right button to go directly to the sign-up page.
Please join the Social Action/Mitzvah Day committee in making a contribution to our community.
The April/May recipient of the Tzedakah Box is the food bank of Monmouth Day Care Center in Red Bank, sponsored by the Seligman family. For over 50 years, Monmouth Day Care Center has provided families in need with quality childcare regardless of their ability to pay. Their food bank fills in the gaps, ensuring that every child and their family has access to nutritional food at night and on weekends.
Tzedakah donations (cash or check payable to MRT) can be placed into the lobby Tzedakah box, sent to the MRT office, or made through our website by clicking HERE.*
*If paying by check or online,please make sure to add a note to your payment specifying that the funds should be directed towards Food Bank of Monmouth Day Care Center.
Mitzvah Day Bars of Soap/Soap Sack Collection
We are collecting knitted and crocheted soap sacks and bars of soap in original packaging for Mitzvah Day. They will be donated to food pantries and homeless shelters.
Collection bins is in the MRT coat room. Items can be dropped off during normal office hours.
For more information, contact Susan St. Lifer susan.stlifer@gmail.com, 732-780-4778 or visit the website at www.soapsack.com
Mitzvah Day Pet Supplies Collection for Animal Rescue Organizations
Help generate donations of pet supplies for animal rescue organizations. Items can be dropped off at MRT from April 27th-May 4th and sorted and bagged on Mitzvah Day. See below for a list of needed pet supplies:
Cleaning supplies, Wet & dry dog food, Cat/kitten food
Cat toys, Dog toys, Dog and cat treats, Dog beds, Harnesses, Grooming supplies, Dog waste Bags, Stain & odor remover, Gift cards-Pet Smart, Petco, Amazon, Walmart
We have started preparing the garden and repairing winter damage. Please join us. We work Wednesday mornings at 9:30 am, weather permitting. In May we will begin planting more veggies. We need volunteers for Mitzvah Day to help rake. Bring a rake and gloves. Also need help spreading new burlap.
MRT offers two opportunities to meditate together each week.
Boker Tov- Friday, May 2nd at 8:00 AM. This is MRT’s long-standing Friday morning meditation session consisting of a short reading, 18 minutes of silent meditation, a tiny bit of discussion, and then Kaddish.
Lilah Tov- Monday, May 5th at 9:00 PM. Transition peacefully into sleep with this short and meaningful meditation session. We will start with a reading, 18 minutes of meditation, and then a quiet recitation of a portion of the bedtime Shema.
Each session is a way to inject a little bit of peace into your week and will help you feel calm and centered and connected with your community. If you are new to meditation, these sessions can be a gentle introduction to the practice with a Jewish twist. I hope you will join us.
Both sessions can be accessed via Zoom by following the link below:
Join Dean Ross and other board members at Coffee Corral in Red Bank.
Tuesday Morning Study Group
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at 10:00 am
Study group led by Rabbi Renee Edelman. Contact Jordana at jordana@monmouthreformtemple.org for the Zoom link.
MRT Committee News
Israel
ISRAEL COMMITTEE MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 8, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM
Please join us for this important gathering where we will share our thoughts and opinions on our theme “UNDERSTANDING ISRAEL’’. At this crucial time in the history of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, this informal get-together with our MRT friends and neighbors will give us an opportunity to share a variety of opinions regarding our Jewish family at home and abroad.
We hope to see you in person and hear your stories about a visit to Israel, or a thought about visiting or not. Bring photos or memorabilia or the best book you’ve read on the subject.
Please register your attendance by May 1th with Susan St.Lifer at susan.stlifer@gmail.com. A zoom link will be provided for those who cannot attend in person. We look forward to being together.
Chairs: Eleanor Rubin and Susan St.Lifer
Adult Education
The Adult Education Committee develops and organizes programs that encourage adult Jewish learning, with emphasis on culture (music, art, literature, food, film,) Israel, Bible study, spirituality and mysticism, the environment, history and current events, and more.
Please review our 2024-25 calendar year flyer, which is attached below and available on the MRT website. It provides an overview of many adult educational offerings at MRT, including all Adult Education Committee programs. You can access it through our weekly E-blasts and the temple website: monmouthreformtemple.org, by clicking on Adult Jewish Learning, programs and schedules. Hard copies will also be made available to the congregation within the temple lobby.
The Adult Education committee is always seeking new members. We have a Zoom meeting every third Thursday of the month @ 4:00 p.m. We invite you to attend a meeting, join our committee, or register for any of our programs. We encourage you take advantage of these educational opportunities, as you take a step forward on a path of life-long learning.
Please contact one of our co-chairs for any additional information or questions that you may have. Looking forward to hearing from you.
We would like to announce the creation of an LGBT+ Jewish social group called the Sagol Society.
For hundreds of years, lavender and violet have been used to denote the Queer Community. Sagol, in modern Hebrew, means Purple. In ancient Hebrew, however, it means Treasure. And like all our members, our Queer members deserve to feel Treasured for who they are, in entirety.
Click on the images below to view the flyers.
We hope you will join us!
Sisterhood
Mahjong, Wednesdays, 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
We will be playing Mahjong in the MRT social hall every Wednesday from 1:00 pm-3:00 pm.
Our engaging MRT Sisterhood offers many activities and programs throughout the year to its members. We are also a member of Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), the umbrella organization of Sisterhoods nationwide. WRJ offers a multitude of educational and social programs to explore and participate in. Feel free to visit http://www.wrj.org to subscribe for updates from WRJ via weekly e-mail.
Sisterhood Judaica Shop
Your MRT Sisterhood Judaica Shop has a selection of beautiful and meaningful gifts for the home, the holidays, special occasions and for the young people in your life.
Below is a catalog showing many of the items we have available. To order any items or visit the shop, contact Racielle Lande hilande0110@gmail.com
Please help us keep our mi shebeirach list current.
If you or a loved one have been included on the Mi shebeirach list and you would like for yours or their name to continue to be read, please let us know as soon as possible so we know to keep the name on the list.
We appreciate your help in keeping the list up to date.
Mi Shebeirach
If you are in need of pastoral care or would like to add a name to our Mi Shebeirach list to be read at Shabbat services, please contact Rabbi Edelman, Cantor Clissold or the temple office.
Please note: Names added to the Mi Shebeirach list will be read aloud during Shabbat Services for two weeks. If you would like to continue to have the name read, you must recontact the temple at the end of the two week period. As always, when you attend Shabbat services, you are welcome to announce the name of a loved one in need of healing.
Yahrzeits
May our loved ones’ memories forever be a blessing
The names of your loved ones will be read during Shabbat services for Yahrzeit, Shiva & Shloshim.
Names to be read on Friday, May 2, 2025
First Friday Shabbat Service at 6:00 PM
Nick Attias, Sarah Einhorn, Sheldon Fierstein, Eleanor Gaudette, Dr. Sanford Goodman, *Susan Rae Harran, Laura Holzman, Roslyn Jacobs, *Paul Kramer, *Rabbi Bill Kurry, Harry Levine, Daniel Lowenstein, Annette Marks, Morris Mulgrum, *John A. Munch, *Dinah Newman, Irma Oestreicher, Seymour Okon, Julius Perlman, Bessie Rosenberg, *Michael Ruggera, *Burton M. Salomon, Martin S. Schechter, *Ruth Singer, Murray Sussman, Joseph Szitanko, Warren Tockerman, David F. Whyman
Names to be read on Friday, May 9, 2025
Shabbat Service at 7:00 PM
Cynella Abrams, *Bella G. Coppersmith, Bella Doctorow, Benjamin Eisen, *Charles Frankel, Benjamin Gurevitz, *Catherine M. Herriges, M. Elouise Herriges, Belle Hocky, *Scott Siebert-Johnson, *Henry Jung, Anne Klein, Marc Levin, *Thomas Robert Mannion, Martha Mulgrum, Robert Needleman, *Leon P. Panak, Albert Rosen, *Irene Sandman, Catherine A. Saybolt, Jerry Scharf, Ira Schatten, *Lena Tanenbaum, Esther Tanner, Henry Weiner
*Names with an asterisk have memorial plaques. To order a memorial plaque, please email or call Jordana in the MRT office. Purchasing a plaque ensures that Kaddish will be said, in perpetuity, at temple services during the week of the anniversary of that person’s death.
OFFICE HOURS :
Monday-Wednesday: 10 am – 4 pm
Thursday: Closed
Friday: 10 am – 2 pm
Our clergy and staff are always available to you. Please contact anyone with their information below.
We strive for a “No Conflict” schedule here at MRT. Please contact the office before scheduling any temple events. This way, each event will be on the calendar, and we can all participate in them.
When making payments or donations to MRT, please consider using PayPal in lieu of checks. It’s a safe, easy way to send money.
Simply go to the donation page of our website (https://monmouthreformtemple.org/donate/) and follow the instructions. Don’t forget to include the reason for your payment by clicking “Add a Note” once you are logged onto PayPal. Thank you!
Monmouth Reform Temple 332 Hance Ave. Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
We even have a working fax machine!
(732) 747-9770
MRT Welcomes Children of All Ages!
At Monmouth Reform Temple we recognize how important it is to find other Jewish and Interfaith families with very young children, which is why we host Bagels & Blocks often on the third Sunday of every month. Our program focuses on toddler and preschool aged children and their parents or grandparents.
We are delighted to partner with PJ Library to introduce the excitement and joy of Jewish values and holidays to your little ones. With plenty of free play interspersed, our morning includes time with the Rabbi reading of a PJ Library book, singing songs with our Cantor and song leaders, and the making of a craft. We also perform a quick kiddish before snacking on bagels and grape juice (and coffee for the grown-ups). Because our primary goal is to foster relationships and help young families connect to one another, our program is free and open to the public. NO RSVP REQUIRED – JUST JOIN US AND HAVE FUN!
For Pre-K (4 year old) children and their parents we offer a transitional program named Kesher Kids. The first half hour of each session is combined with Bagels & Blocks. Then the children will head to their own classroom to spend an hour with a teacher following our play-based Jewish curriculum. This program is $100 for the year and open to anyone raising a Jewish child. Registration is required.
All sessions start at 9:30am and run to approximately 11am. We hope you and your little ones will join us to connect and celebrate at these excellent programs!
I came to MonmouthReformTemple in August of 1981 and much to everyone’s surprise I am still here! As the first woman ever to be ordained rabbi by a theological seminary, I always assumed it was my obligation to become the rabbi of a large congregation in a major American city, but the members of MonmouthReformTemple taught me that success does not mean bigger. It simply means are we doing better today than we did yesterday?
I was attracted to MonmouthReformTemple and remained its rabbi for twenty-five years because its members were warm and welcoming, open to new ideas and unafraid of new challenges. They allowed me to be myself, to experiment and be creative, and they were willing to take responsibility for their own Jewishness, one mitzvah at a time. Together we created a temple family based on caring and concern for each other.. From week to week we looked forward to Shabbat and the opportunity to re-connect with God, our people and each other. We embraced the command to study Torah, and most importantly, provided a Jewish presence in our community, joining with others in the task of tikkun olam (repairing the world).
All these characteristics remain at the core of MonmouthReformTemple today. In 2006, I retired and was honored to be given by the temple the title Rabbi Emerita. I continue to be involved, and on Shabbat I enjoy the view from the pew. I look forward to welcoming you at services, and when you enter the sanctuary, I hope you will note the doors that were dedicated in my honor on the occasion of my retirement. They bear the inscription
פִּתְחוּ לִי שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק אָבֹא בָם אוֹדֶה יָהּ
Open the gates of righteousness for me that I may enter and praise God.
Whenever I go through these doors, I remember that we are partners with God in completing the work of creation. I am grateful for the sense of belonging I feel within these walls, for friendships made here and those yet to be, and for my temple family without whom my life would never be the same.
Cantor Clissold Welcomes YOU!
I grew up in South Orange, the child of artists Jo and Carol Jochnowitz. My journey into music began at age twelve when I started studying classical voice. I was also an active member of Congregation Beth El, where I thrived in religious school and embarked on a six-week trip to Israel at sixteen—an experience that profoundly shaped me.
I attended Columbia High School and UNC-Greensboro while serving as a cantorial soloist at Temple Emanuel, a Reform congregation. It was through this work that I realized my true calling: to become a cantor. In 1994, before beginning my formal studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, I had the opportunity to serve as a substitute cantor at Monmouth Reform Temple. I still vividly remember standing on the bima, feeling the power of the congregation’s active participation—it was as if my hair was being blown back by their energy! That Shabbat, I met Rabbi Priesand (now Rabbi Emerita) and lay leaders who remain an integral part of our temple today. The warmth and dynamic worship style of MRT left a lasting impression on me.
When I officially joined the clergy team in 2002, I was thrilled to find that the same warmth and enthusiasm for Jewish music were still alive. The congregation’s openness to learning, experimenting with music, and embracing both traditional and contemporary Jewish compositions has allowed me to create unique and joyful Shabbat experiences. I deeply appreciate their enthusiasm—whether through participation or simply being present to absorb the beauty of our music.
Yet, my role extends far beyond music. I am incredibly proud to have developed and nurtured many programs, including:
Strong participation at URJ Camps
Visual worship
Live Streaming and technology integration
Torah and Haftarah readers and service leaders
Junior and senior Youth Groups
B’nai Mitzvah preparation
Shir Chadash Band
Adult Purim Shpiel
Volunteer choir
Music and Hebrew education
Adult education
Pastoral care
Life-cycle officiation
If you love to sing, we would love to have you in our choir or band! Our volunteer choir is made up of temple members who enjoy singing, and it is always a joy to make music together. They join me on the bima for MLK Shabbat, the High Holy Days, and Thanksgiving services, bringing an added depth to our worship.
Children at MRT get to know me through religious school and services. I teach all ages and play an active role in religious school, especially working one-on-one with sixth and seventh graders as they prepare to become B’nai Mitzvah. Teaching is one of the most rewarding aspects of my work, allowing me to build meaningful relationships with students and their families. Many of our students continue beyond their B’nai Mitzvah, staying involved through confirmation, Torah chanting, choir, band, and youth group. Their achievements fill me with pride, and I cherish watching them grow as members of our community.
As one of the clergy members at MRT, I also share in the pastoral care of our temple family. Walking through life’s journey together—through both joys and challenges—is a sacred privilege, and I want you to know how much I care.
When you join MRT, you become part of something truly special. As your Cantor, I feel deeply fortunate to be part of this incredible community. My own family considers MRT our extended family, and I have no doubt that you will too. Please stop by, send me a message, or email me—I would love to meet you and hear your story.
For nearly 25 years, I have been dedicated to Monmouth Reform Temple, striving to create continuity of progressive Judaism. Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of growing professionally with our synagogue, a community that values our traditions and deletes my experiments.
As I approach my retirement in June 2026, I reflect with gratitude on the incredible journey I’ve had—collaborating with talented lay people, colleagues and clergy, serving MRT and witnessing the growth and evolution of our community. While this chapter is coming to a close, my commitment to excellence and passion for our future remains unwavering.
Thank you for being a part of this journey with me!
The MRT Bulletin
The MRT Bulletin is an exciting colorful array of articles, photographs, and information about your temple written by MRT clergy, professionals and volunteers. Read it and you will feel inspired to be connected to MRT!
If you would like to contribute an article or a photograph to The MRT Bulletin, please contact our Office Administrator Jordana Steinberg (jordana@monmouthreformtemple.org).
The MRT Bulletin is also a great advertising opportunity where every one of our congregants and their friends are prospective customers! Advertising rates are inexpensive AND help support the temple. Please contact Jordana for more information at the above email address.
JUMP START your child’s Hebrew and Judaic education for 2015-16!!!
