Garden City Jewish Center Welcomes in the New Year! 2017-18


The Religious School students began a Welcome project during their very first week of classes!
The children get to reconnect, or meet, new friends after the long summer break.
Speaking of welcoming  newcomers, Reagan Minsky was named in our Sanctuary as part of a recent Friday evening service. She is the adorable daughter of Adam and Jen Minsky and granddaughter of Cheryl and Jay Minsky.
Margie Edelman, our resident artist and Religious school Art &Culture and Pre K teacher, took all of the childrens’ hand and letter cut- outs, and arranged a collage to welcome all of the Rosh HaShana attendees in the Social Hall.
Our beautiful old silver was spruced up and polished by Elaine Kreisberg for yet another year.  Thank you.
Our Men’s Club got together to rebuild the Sukkah during Sunday school. The new one is lighter but the general shape of the last one.
Thank you Peter Tittler, Steve Rood Goldman, Alan Schoenfeld and Howard Edelman. It was sweaty work!
Before we knew it, Rosh HaShana was upon us.  The Children’s service, led by Michael Kupferberg and Carolyn Hoera, was followed by apples and honey, shofar blasting, and fun activities.  Cheryl Minsky, Janet Baldwin and Deborah Zuckerman also helped run the service.
Molly Tittler gave the children some basic wind instrument instruction....
....and eager volunteers tried their best to blast the shofarim.
This fellow showed promising form and talent.
It was loud in that classroom.
Even more students tried to get a blast out of the ram’s horns.
Meanwhile, upstairs in the kitchen, our recently renewed challah braiding and baking tradition was,very popular with the children, volunteers and parents (if the kids saved any after the parents got out of the adult service). Maggie Tittler showed how to really braid a nice bread.
Matt Tittler gathered twenty pounds of flour, dozens of eggs, yeast and sugar and began the bread making before dawn, in order to get it all to the Temple for the children to enjoy.  At least twenty five kids and several adults made delicious holiday breads.
Some of the junior bakers socialized while they worked.
Deborah Zukerman demonstrated her method of challah braiding.
Three Confirmation students and good friends helped with the younger children, while getting in an extra visit in spite of busy teenage schedules.  Molly Rivera, on the left, blew the shofar for both the Children’s and Adult services.
Matt Tittler, Molly Tittler (GCJC students in the 1990’s), and Joe Ingoglia even remembered to put the egg glaze on before it was too late.
Friends/siblings from two families were thrilled to bring their challah home for lunch.
Don’t you want to save some for your parents, girls?  (They did.)
This is a sweet photo of a Mom and daughter. And challah.
From Rosh HaShana, we jumped to the next holiday, Yom Kippur.  Twenty two students and at least six visiting children attended the Children’s service, and the activities that followed included stringing popcorn, stringing apples and carrots, making paper chains, coloring pictures of fruit and vegetables....all to perform the Mitzvah of getting ready for the next holiday, Sukkot!  
After Rosh HaShana but before Yom Kippur, the Men’s Club and other volunteers actually constructed the brand new Sukkah. Peter, Alan, Steve and Howard were joined by Mark Schlossberg, Marc Zukerman, Ken Gittleson and Dr. Steven Pinsky.

This nice Dad, (who was a GCJC student in the 1980s...) brings his twins back every year to enjoy the holidays.
Yes. Awwwwww.
The little one had had enough excitement.  
These kids were happy to pose with their Mom.  
Though we lucked out and it didn’t rain on our Sukkah decorating party, the weather was suddenly fall-like. One of these clever ladies got a blanket out of the car.
We got quite a few of the Sukkah decorators to pose for the traditional group photo before they dispersed.  We thank all of them, plus all of the volunteer parents who helped to supervise and help both of the High Holiday Children’s services and activities run smoothly.

Wednesday, Oct. 4:Sukkot services with snack in the Sukkah
Sunday, October 8th : Rabbi’s Open House
Wednesday, October 11th:Simchat Torah pizza party and service and Consecration of new students. Begins at 6:15 PM...






























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