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Community Corner

Memorial Service for 12/14

On
Saturday morning December 7th, 9:30 am, Congregation Adath
Israel of Newtown, located at 115 Huntingtown Road, will mark the
first anniversary of the December 14 Sandy Hook School shooting with
a traditional Jewish memorial service. The synagogue will hold its
regular Saturday morning Sabbath service and then the memorial
service itself will commence at 11 am. It will include traditional
liturgy and memorial readings, and the names of each of the children
and educators lost to us will be mentioned. People are welcome to
attend any portion of the service that they wish.

Rabbi
Shaul Praver, spiritual leader of this Conservative Jewish
congregation will be officiating and has invited Cantor Deborah
Katchko-Gray of Temple Shearith Israel of Ridgefield to join him.
She comes from an illustrious lineage of liturgical singers. Rabbi
Praver shared, “We welcome all who wish to commemorate, participate
or simply observe this Jewish ceremony.” He also explained, that
“we have chosen to hold this service on the 7th rather
than on the 14th because we are following the Hebrew date
of the anniversary.”



The
Synagogue Education Director, Lynn Wiener, will be providing child
friendly activities in another part of the building during the
memorial service. As she stated, “parents will have the option to
choose whether they want their young children with them in the
sanctuary, or not, during this emotional time.”

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In
keeping with the Jewish tradition of giving charity, and in line with
Newtown’s First Selectwoman Pat Llodra’s directive that
anniversary programming focus upon compassionate acts of kindness and
service to the broader community, the synagogue will be collecting
funds to donate to the ongoing rescue efforts in the Philippines.
Checks can be made out to: “The American Jewish World Service”
with the word “Philippines” in the memo section and they will be
forwarded to this charitable organization.



In
respect for the Sabbath day, photography, videography, and any other
electronic recording devices are not welcome on the synagogue
premises. Rabbi Praver and the synagogue Board ask that everyone
please follow this request. Information on additional anniversary
programming at Adath Israel, for December 13th and 14th,
will be forthcoming shortly.

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