Allan Levy
The Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation (SLJC) is an established reform congregation that meets at the Sun Lakes Chapel on the second Friday of the month at 7:30 p.m. Services are a great opportunity to meet new people, connect with Judaism and learn. New attendees are invited to be introduced at the service and members of the congregation connect with these attendees. Oneg Shabbats are held immediately after the service at Sun Lakes Country Club. Everyone is invited to attend. The Onegs are a great place to meet members, ask questions and learn more about our congregation.
The 20th anniversary Concert for the Interfaith Music Festival was held on March 8 at 3:00 p.m. This concert was an opportunity to support Neighbors Who Care. The Director of this event was Lana Oyer, the director of the SLJC Choir. The Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation Choir and the Sun Lakes Interfaith Choir, with soloists Cantor Ronda Polesky and Holly Pyle performed. The event was hosted by the Sun Lakes United Methodist Church.
The Joint Yom Hashoah Service will be held at the Sun Lakes Chapel on April 19 at 3:00 p.m. It is marked on the 27th day in the month of Nisan, a week after the end of the Passover holiday. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising.
Jews in North America observe Yom Hashoah within the synagogue as well as in the broader Jewish community. Commemorations range from synagogue services to communal vigils and educational programs. Many Yom Hashoah programs feature a talk by a Holocaust survivor, recitation of appropriate songs and readings, or viewing of a Holocaust-themed film. Some communities choose to emphasize the depth of loss that Jews experienced in the Holocaust by reading the names of Holocaust victims one after another — dramatizing the unfathomable notion of six million deaths. Many Jewish schools also hold Holocaust-related educational programs on or near Yom Hashoah.
In 1979, the President’s Commission on the Holocaust, established by President Jimmy Carter, commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day in the US Capitol with an unprecedented ceremony attended by the president, the vice president and many members of Congress. Since 1979, civic ceremonies have been held in Washington, DC and in individual states and cities.
On Saturday, April 4 (second night of Seder) SLJC will hold their annual Passover Seder at the Sun Lakes Country Club. Passover is a holiday that commemorates the Exodus, independence and spiritual renewal of the Jews after they were enslaved by Egyptian monarchs for centuries. Passover festivities evoke empathy for past suffering and encourage observers to strengthen Jewish culture and community. The holiday is also called the spring festival because it because it coincides with the start of the Israeli harvest season, celebrating spring and rebirth. This is a wonderful event with food catered by Heidi’s Events & Catering. Our Rabbi Weiner and Cantor Polesky will officiate.
The next Sabbath service will be held on April 10 at the Sun Lakes Chapel. All are invited to the service and the Oneg after the service.