Shabbat Candle Lighting Times
Friday, Oct 2 – 6:04pm
Friday, Oct 8 – 5:52pm
Friday, Oct 15 – 5:41pm
Friday, Oct 22 – 5:30pm
Friday, Oct 30 – 5:20pm
Service Times:
**Services online or over phone**
Thursday Morning Minyan 8:30am
Friday Kabbalat Shabbat 6:30pm
Saturday Shabbat Service 9:30am
If you need to make an appointment to speak to Rabbi Eichenholtz, please contact the office via phone or email to make an appointment. While the offices are closed to face-to-face meetings, Rabbi Eichenholtz is still available for consults over the phone.
978-534-6121 office@agudat-achim.org
The office will be closed:
Monday, Oct 12th
Board meeting:
Monday, October 5 7:30pm
Civics News:
Reminder to MA voters:
Tuesday, Nov 3 is the MA Election. You can still register to vote until October 24th. Details: https://vote.gov/register/ma/
Keep an eye out for your ballot if you requested one in the mail! Check the status of your ballot here:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/track/trackmyballot.aspx
MA has two ballot questions on the ballot this year! You may view your sample ballot here: https://ballotpedia.org/Sample_Ballot_Lookup
OCTOBER’S MITZVAH HEROES
David Bateman and Keith Carter
From the Ma’asim Tovim Jar:
David Bateman and Keith Carter for all of their efforts toward our synagogue’s internet connectivity and audio quality in the past several months! Thank you so much for your hard work and technical expertise—you have helped make possible this adjustment to remote services!
We are very grateful.
In these times of physical distancing, please make sure the CAA community knows how we can be of service. Contact the office or the Rabbi.
We wish everyone good health:
Here are some of the best ways to keep our community safe from coronavirus:
- Please stay home when you can
- Please wear a mask which covers your nose and mouth whenever you are in public spaces to protect yourself and others
- Stay at least 6 feet away from others when outside or at grocery store, etc
- Wash your hands often, for 30 seconds, with soap
- If you visit with friends and family, visiting outside is safer than inside
- Stay calm, stay in touch, stay safe!
Reminder: If you feel unsafe at home, help is available.
Journey to Safety is 1-781-647-JFCS (5327) –a program of Jewish Family and Children Services – Boston.
National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233 –also available by text and internet chat on their website.
If you have not yet signed up to be notified about our new
upcoming Community Learning class, “Jewish Journeys”,
let SJ in the office know so we can provide you with updates!
CAA Zoom Events:
Thursdays: morning minyan, 8:30am
Friday mornings: Baking w Rabbi Eichenholtz, 11:00am
Friday evenings: Kabbalat Shabbat 6:30pm
Saturday mornings: Shavuot Service, 9:30am
Congregant’s Corner
The purpose of these brief sketches is to highlight members of our Agudat Achim community so that we may all get to know each other a little better. If you’d like to suggest someone else to spotlight, please contact me at 603 899-2221 or gordensteinr@elms.edu. I appreciate your feedback.
–Roberta Gordenstein
Abe Shirazi was born in Teheran, Iran, during the reign of the Shah. He remembers it being a very good time for the Persian Jews, with freedom to practice their religion. Iran had positive relations with Israel with frequent flights between the two countries and hundreds of synagogues. This all came to an end when the Ayatollahs came to power in 1978 and imposed sharia law. The Shah fled and so did the Jews, to Israel and to California, mostly.
But Abe had been in the Army and worked with an American colonel who was so impressed with him that he arranged for Abe to get a visa for the States without paying the usual $5000 fee. Abe wound up in Massachusetts where he got a degree in civil engineering. Unable to find a job, he started to work in a restaurant for a friend. Here he did everything, including sweeping the floor, bussing the tables, and tending bar. As the restaurant grew more successful, they opened a second one and Abe took over. When the lease ended, Abe didn’t have enough money to pay the increased rent, but fate intervened. A friend offered him a job in his wholesale food delivery business. The rest is history: the business was successful and Abe’s son became his partner.
In the meantime, Abe had met and married Debbie. They eventually had three children and now three grandchildren. Abe and Debbie live in the same house they first saw in Leominster. Abe is a regular at services at Agudat Achim, attending every Thursday and Saturday before the pandemic. Outside of his love for his family and the shul, Abe’s great passion is the New England Patriots. Abe is truly an example of the American dream, that anyone can achieve with the right attitude and a lot of hard work. We are truly fortunate to have him in our community!
Yahrzeits for October 2020
Oct 1-10: Jack Burnim, Jacob Odence, Dorothy Rubinstein, Elizabeth Sarkin-Student, Leon Stevens, Joesph Schechtman, Solomon Davis, Benjamin Sirota, Sarah Weinstein, Fannie Katz, Samuel Faberman, Della Shane, Michael Falk, Benjamin Feinberg, Beatrice Turetzky, Elliott Wein, Maurice L. Newmark, Gertrude Tieger, Chickie Bell, Jack Gerber, A. Leon Fergenson, Elsie Mancuso, Hyman Rubin, Celia Schwartz, Harry Schwartz, Rabbi Samuel Freilich, Morris Goldman, Morris Ross, Sally Rottenberg, Stanley Tharler
Oct 11-17: Rabbi Harold Roth, Milton Sharpe, Mae Zais, Leonard Bernhardt, Fay Scharmett, Arthur Weedon, Gladys (Friedson) Zack, Lena Freshman, Jacob Krevoruck, Betty Levine, Harvey Zais, Philip Fiegar, Natalie Goldstein, Irving Lew, G. Daniel Weinstein
Oct 18-24: Mary D’Antonio, Ruth Hess, Sidney Ansin, Irwin Cohn, David Kreiger, Max Ungar, Benjamin Flaum, Sarah Richman, Ann Smith, Samuel Tharler, Samuel Zack, Louis Jacobs, Howard Miller
Oct 25-31: Anne Elkins, Reva Goldberg, Gert Katz, Edith Rosin, Max Sarkin, Israel Britton, Irving Kalfus, Dora Poppel, Judith Tieger, Sidney Zerinsky, Myron Freeman, Marilyn Jaffe, Morris Ligom, Jacob Spound, Esther Tall, Joseph Argoff, Belle Gabel, Bernard “Bud” Berkowitz, Irving Cohen, Minnie Claman King, Jack Smith, Israel Jacob Weinstein, Ida Fashing, Harry Glick, Greta Rittenburg, Ethel Weiskott, Flora Fergenson
CALENDAR FOR OCTOBER 2020
**events are still remote via Zoom**
Thursday, Oct 1: Morning Minyan via Zoom 8:30am
>>Friday, Oct 2: Erev Sukkot via Zoom 6:30pm
Saturday, Oct 3: Shabbat Services via Zoom 9:30am
>>Sunday, Oct 4: No Religious School
Sukkot Day 2 – Outdoor Lulav Parade at CAA 10:00am
Weather permitting, masks and physical distance required
Monday, Oct 5: Board Meeting via Zoom 7:30pm
Thursday, Oct 8: Morning Minyan via Zoom 8:30am
>>Friday, Oct 9: Erev Shmini Atzeret and Shabbat via Zoom 6:30pm
Saturday, Oct 10: Shabbat and Shmini Atzeret w Yizkor via Zoom 10:30am
>>Sunday, Oct 11: Simchat Torah 10:00am
>>Monday, Oct 12: Office Closed
Thursday, Oct 15: Morning Minyan via Zoom 8:30am
Friday, Oct 16: Kabbalat Shabbat via Zoom 6:30pm
Saturday, Oct 17: Shabbat Services via Zoom 9:30am
Thursday, Oct 22: Morning Minyan via Zoom 8:30am
Friday, Oct 23: Kabbalat Shabbat via Zoom 6:30pm
Saturday, Oct 24: Shabbat Services via Zoom 9:30am
>>Sunday, Oct 25: Celebration of Our Pets
Thursday, Oct 29: Morning Minyan via Zoom 8:30am
Friday, Oct 30: Kabbalat Shabbat via Zoom 6:30pm
Saturday, Oct 31: Shabbat Services via Zoom 9:30am
**As of right now, services will remain available via phone and online. We will let you know when more services become available in person. Thank you for your patience and adaptability!