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.
SHABBAT MORNING SERVICE,
BAT MITZVAH OF ELLE DOLLAR
SATURDAY, MARCH 22ND AT 10:00 AM
Shabbat service this Saturday morning will be led by
Rabbi Renee Edelman, Cantor Gabrielle Clissold, and Bat Mitzvah, Elle Dollar.
MAZEL TOV TO OUR BAT MITZVAH, ELLE DOLLAR
Congratulations to Elle Dollar on her upcoming Bat Mitzvah! This is such a special milestone, and it’s inspiring to learn about all the amazing things Elle has accomplished.
Elle Dollar is a 13-year-old seventh grader in the Honors program at Bayshore Middle School. A member of MRT since she was two years old, Elle has grown up in the community, developing a passion for sports and leadership. She is a talented athlete, particularly in basketball and soccer.
Elle has earned recognition as a NJ state cup champion goalkeeper and an All-Star in middle school sports. Elle is also dedicated to giving back, volunteering with the Rally Cap program, which helps individuals with disabilities engage in soccer and basketball. For her Mitzvah project, Elle created Hoops4Hearts, raising money for the American Heart Association in memory of her late uncle, Dr. Louis Capecci. Known for her kindness, determination, and big heart, Elle is on a path to becoming a future leader. She resides with her parents, Sara and Todd Dollar, her younger sister Abby, and their dog Duncan.
Wishing her all the best as she continues to shine brightly!
The recipient for the Tzedakah box is the Wildfire Crisis Relief Fund of the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. The Jewish Federation is collecting and distributing funds to provide essential resources, including mental health support, warm meals, shelter, and space for displaced individuals, families, and institutions. They have an expanding list of support services and organizations for the greater community as it struggles to overcome the current wildfire disasters.
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 Wildfire Crisis Relief Fund.
Mitzvah Day 2025
Gan Mazon- MRT’s Community Garden
SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER IN THE GARDEN
Set up at the end of April. Prepare garden in May.
Please join us to help grow an amazing amount of produce, visit with friends, and fulfill a much needed service of alleviating food insecurity. We have tasks at all levels of activity. Plus this year there will be snacks at our umbrella table. Come work and visit. There are all levels of physical activity:
Sitting in a chair to pick from the trellis
Planting seeds in the dirt or raised beds
Standing or sitting at table drying or sorting produce (removing any split tomatoes etc,)
Bagging veggies to be weighed
Driving to Family Services
Drivers to pick up burlap bags from coffee shops and drivers to pick up small boxes for tomatoes.
You can join weekly, alternating weeks, monthly, or whenever free.
We spend about 1-1.5 hours Wednesday mornings or Tuesday & Thursday Evenings after 5 pm. You can change your day and times according to your schedule. WE NEED A HANDYPERSON TO HELP REPAIR THE TRELLIS AND BENCHES.
WARNING: When the garden becomes productive and the beautiful
organic veggies ripen, this becomes addictive. The produce abounds and is beautifully fresh!!
Come join us for the fresh air, camaraderie and be part of this hugely appreciated project:
Wednesday Mornings– Picking vegetables or driving to Family Services
(we load your car and Family services unloads)
Tuesday/Thursday Evenings– Prune, tie to trellis, weed, tend
ATTENTION STUDENTS: You can earn community service credits.
Mitzvah Day Organizational Meeting- At MRT & On Zoom
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 7 pm
Upcoming Events
MRT Meditation Sessions
MRT offers two opportunities to meditate together each week.
Boker Tov- Friday, March 21st 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, March 24th 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 Panera in Shrewsbury.
Tuesday Morning Study Group
Tuesday, March 25, 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
Social Action
Dear MRT Members,
The Religious Action Center of NJ (RAC-NJ) is the Social Action/Social Justice organization of the 40 URJ congregations in NJ. Each year, RAC-NJ selects a social action/justice campaign for statewide action. This year, RAC-NJ has elected to engage in action to support the NJ Immigrant Trust Act.
RAC-NJ will be holding a Zoom call on Thursday, March 27, at 7:30 pm to begin the 2025 Immigration Campaign. The campaign aims to bring Reform Jewish values in support of the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act. There will be speakers from Reform Jewish leadership and others involved in the Campaign.
The proposed Immigrant Trust Act aims to protect an individual’s confidentiality and guard personal data. The Act would require public schools, health care facilities, libraries, and shelters to adopt model policies to help people feel safer seeking public services to which they are eligible. It would codify the relationship between state/local law enforcement and DHS/ICE to ensure members of the NJ immigrant community can call on local and state public agencies such as local and state law enforcement without fear of deportation.
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.
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.
The 2025 MRT Women’s Seder will be on Sunday, March 30th, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Join your sisters for a special women’s seder. Our services will be led by Rabbi Edelman and Cantor Clissold and catered by The Azteca Grill of Red Bank.
Menu
– Salad
– Salmon
– Chicken
– Roasted vegetables
– Roasted potatoes
– Dessert
(If you don’t eat salmon or chicken, please let us know and we can make other arrangements for you)
Please bring an adult beverage if you like.
We will have a new modern Haggadah.
When: Sunday, March 30, 6:00 PM Cost: $36
Please invite your friends, neighbors, moms, daughters.
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by March 25th to mrtsister@gmail.com, and let us know if you have any food restrictions. Pre-payment is required for reservations.
Drop off check or mail it to MRT, and please make checks payable to MRT Sisterhood,
and add memo “Women’s Seder”.
You can also send your payment in the following ways:
Zelle to our Sisterhood Treasurer, Karen Levinsky 732-690-1992. Please add memo “Women’s Seder”. (This cell number is associated with the business account for Sisterhood-MRT)
Venmo to Ellen Goldberg at @Ellen-Goldberg-1111 . Please add memo “Women’s Seder”.
Upcoming Book Club Meeting
Kissing Girls on Shabbat
by Sara Glass
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 7 PM
Author & Discussion
Leader -Sara Glass
We will be meeting in person and on ZOOM
for this discussion.
Please let Linda know if you will be attending in person or via Zoom when you RSVP to lsburns@att.net.
If you need a ride to the temple for the meeting, please let Linda know in the email.
If attending via Zoom, you will receive an email with the Zoom info from Linda Burns the morning of March 25th.
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, March 21, 2025
Shabbat Service at 7:00 PM
Charles Baron, *Samuel Blonder, *Meyer Smolensky Collis, Alter Epstein, Laurie Ross Fielding, Rose M. Friedman, *Doreen Harran, Doris Hayet, Alexander Kaplan, Adolf Klein, Steven Eugene Lande, Steven Eugene Lande, Leah Ellen Moak Leverett, Rita Levy, *Samuel Mausner, Jane Medalie, *Sharon Priesand, Jacob Rubinstein, Ronald Schor, Ronald Schor, Murry L. Shektman, Michael R. Simon, *Paul B. Snyder, *Jacob Talberth, Ira Walker, *Harriet Weiss
Names to be read on Friday, March 28, 2025
Shabbat Service at 7:00 PM
*Aaron Wold, *Beverly Wolf, *Claire Mausner, *Gertie Hersch, *Helen Nusbaum, *Hyman Karlman, *Isidore Grossman, *Julius Snedcof, *Maurice Meyer III, *Michael Mintzer, *Theodore Tully Rubin, Abe P. Cohen, Arthur Fisher, C.K. Conklin, Eleanore Cheyette, Fannie Copley, Frank Haratz, Gerald Batzar, Herbert H. Gershan, Howard Schneider, Jacob Osofsky,
John Leverett, Josephine Orange, Keith Andrew Granit, Mark Vickers, Marvin R. Hamburg, Mary Cowie, Ralph Uhrmacher, Robert Teitelbaum,
Roland C. Herriges, Ruben Stoller, Samuel Ozure Kesselman, Sylvia Abrams
*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!
