This Week’s Event Email

 

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MRT Weekly Eblast

December 16, 2025

EVENTS HAPPENING SOON

Scroll down the Eblast for more information on these upcoming MRT events.

Tuesday, December 16 at 6:00 pm Spring Lake Menorah Lighting, 5th & Warren Ave.

Details HERE

Tuesday, December 16 at 8:00 pm Board of Trustees Meeting

Contact Margo Hassan margohassan@gmail.com if you would like to attend.

Wednesday, December 17 at 1:00 pm Sisterhood Mahjong

Wednesday, December 17 at 4:30 pm Sea Bright Menorah Lighting at Sea Bright Municipal Complex

Details HERE

Thursday, December 18 at 4:00 pm Adult Ed Committee Meeting

Friday, December 19 at 8:00 am Morning Meditation Sessions with Elliott Familant

Zoom HERE

Friday, December 19 at 6:00 pm Chanukah Service, Followed by Congregational Dinner Party, Co-Hosted by MRT Sisterhood and Men’s Club

Saturday, December 20 at 9:00 am Shabbat Morning Virtual Torah Study

Click HERE to Join Google Meet

Monday, December 22 at 9:00 pm Evening Meditation Session with Elliott Familant

Zoom HERE

Tuesday, December 23 at 8:00 am Coffee and Conversation

HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS

Happy Holidays! The MRT office will be closed from December 29th-January 1st. For immediate assistance during that time, email jordana@monmouthreformtemple.org.

SAVE THE DATE!

Celebrating Cantor Gabrielle Clissold 

Upon her Retirement from MRT

Saturday night, April 25th

“From MRT to Manhattan”

Light Bites and More!

Adults Only

Proceeds to Benefit the Cantor Gabrielle Clissold Music Fund

UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICE

CHANUKAH SHABBAT SERVICE,

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19TH at 6:00 PM

Service this Friday night will be led by Rabbi Renee Edelman and Cantor Gabrielle Clissold.

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.

CHANUKAH, OH CHANUKAH!

Celebrating Hanukkah at Home?

Click the links below for all your your at-home Hanukkah observance needs.

Click HERE for the Hanukkah Blessings recited by Cantor Clissold.

Click HERE for a guide with everything you need to know about how to celebrate Hanukkah.

TZEDAKAH BOX

HABcore

There are more than 1200 homeless people in Monmouth and Ocean Counties. Our Tzedakah Box recipient for December and January is HABcore, which for 38 years has provided permanent, affordable housing that helps homeless families, veterans, and individuals with special needs move from crisis to stability. Importantly, HABcore provides its residents, 95% of whom remained in permanent housing after one year, with needed support services. HABcore shelters are located in both Asbury Park and Red Bank.

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 HABcore.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

Board of Trustees Meeting-On Zoom

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 8 pm

Contact Margo Hassan margohassan@gmail.com if you would like to attend.

Adult Ed Committee Meeting-On Zoom

Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 4 pm

UPCOMING EVENTS

MRT Meditation Sessions

MRT offers two opportunities to meditate together each week.   

  • Boker Tov- Friday, December 19th 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, December 22nd 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 Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3554332579?zzxpwd=NnlUemt0Sm16NGlnTlp2NUZnMStmdz09

Meeting ID: 355 433 2579

Passcode: chesed

Shabbat Morning Torah Study

Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 9:00 am

Click HERE to Join Google Meet.

Coffee and Conversation

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 at 8:00 am

Join Dean Ross and other board members at Panera in Shrewsbury.

Tuesday Morning Study Group- At MRT and on Zoom

Tuesday, December 23, 2025 NO CLASS THIS WEEK!

Study group led by Rabbi Renee Edelman. Contact Jordana at jordana@monmouthreformtemple.org for the Zoom link.

Adult Education

The Adult Education Committee prepares an annual MRT Adult Education Program Brochure. This provides information and a schedule of educational opportunities offered at Monmouth Reform Temple each calendar year.

You may access the 2025-26 brochure HERE or by going to our temple website: monmouthreformtemple.org. At the top, click on “Adult Jewish Learning” and then “Programs and Schedules”. You may also look for hard copies displayed on our lobby table. We hope you will take advantage of these wonderful educational offerings that our temple provides for you.

Thank you.

Maddy Kalb and Brenda Tuller

Co-Chairs Adult Education Committee

Men’s Club

Men’s Club Poker Game, 1st Tuesday of every month, 7:15 pm

Join the Men’s Club to play poker in the social hall at 7:15 pm (time may vary) on the first Tuesday of every month.

Contact Zach Gilstein zachmate2@gmail.com if you would like to play and for more information.

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. 

We welcome players at all levels! 

Contact Nancy Zaslowe nancyzaslowe@gmail.com to RSVP and for more details.

The Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ)

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

or Betty Fertik bettymf@me.com.

MI SHEBEIRACH LIST UPDATE

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, December 19, 2025

Shabbat Service at 6:00 pm

Lena Attias, Raymond Becker, Frank Bouju, *Mortimer Brandwene, Harry Field, Martin Gale, *George Glasser, *Bobbie Goldstein, Molly Gurevitz, Barbara Johnson, Sylvia Katz, *Richard Klein, *David Lane, David Lewis, *Nettie Morse, Clara Newman, *Ida Reisner, *Bette Halpern Schmelzle, *Pearl Seitz, *Lois Baker Smith, *Herbert Tanzman, *Beth Tanzman, *Ann Weissman

Names to be read on Friday, December 26, 2025

Shabbat Service at 6:00 PM

Emanuel Barouch, *Goldie Bialy, Rachel Brandel, *Michael Brightman, Selma Burdas, *Leonard Gettelson, *Edith R. Ginzburg, Irving Hoffman, Pearl Katz, Collette Katz, Edward Klein, Ann Klatsky Kobrin, *Esther Komar, *Joseph Lansky, Judith Lissy, Herman Pernick, *Hyman Reisner, Howard Semer, Gertrude Snyder, Jeffrey Stark, Harry Swersky

*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.

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE HOURS :

Monday-Wednesday: 10 am – 4 pm

Thursday: Closed

Friday: 10 am – 2 pm

HOWEVER, if the need arises, our clergy and staff are always available to you. Please contact anyone with their information below.

Renee Edelman, Rabbi:

rabbirenee@monmouthreformtemple.org

(516) 662-4479

Gabrielle Clissold, Cantor:

cantorclissold@monmouthreformtemple.org

(732) 688-0661

Michelle Halperin-Krain, Director of Education

michelle@monmouthreformtemple.org

Margo Hassan, President:

margohassan@gmail.com

Jordana Steinberg, Office Administrator:

jordana@monmouthreformtemple.org

(732) 747-9365 (Office)

Our Calendar

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.

Thank you!

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

Instagram: 

@monmouth_reform_temple

Facebook: Monmouth Reform Temple

MRT Accepts PayPal

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!

New! Easy Payment Options

In addition to check, credit card, and PayPal, MRT is now accepting donations/payments via Venmo and Zelle.

You can either scan the QR codes or click the links below.

Very Important: When making your payment, please be sure to include a note indicating what the payment is for. Thank you for your support!

VENMO

https://venmo.com/u/MonmouthReformTemple (@MonmouthReformTemple)

ZELLE

https://enroll.zellepay.com/qr-codes?data=eyJuYW1lIjoiTU9OTU9VVEggUkVGT1JNIFRFTVBMRSBJTkMiLCJhY3Rpb24iOiJwYXltZW50IiwidG9rZW4iOiJ6ZWxsZUBtb25tb3V0aHJlZm9ybXRlbXBsZS5vcmcifQ==

Add recipient: zelle@monmouthreformtemple.org