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April

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PURIM CELEBRATION WITH RABBI KAPLAN

On Friday, March 25th we had our annual Purim

celebration with Rabbi Kaplan.

Rabbi Kaplan dressed for the occasion in his son’s para-

trooper uniform from the Israeli army, good show Rabbi Kaplan, it fit you!

Everyone had a great time, we all had pastrami sandwiches, potato salad & cole slaw for lunch, along with

Hamantashen for dessert.

Everyone wore masks and had noise makers which were

quickly removed when our delicious lunch arrived.

In the bottom picture the group is holding up wonderful

greetings for a happy Purim from the 1st grade children from the Golda Och academy.

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Passover marks the liberation of the Israelites from 400 years of slavery in ancient Egypt. They were led to freedom by their leader, Moses. G-d per-formed many miracles in the process of the Israelites’ redemption. First came the ten plagues. The tenth and most severe plague was the death of the Egyptian first-borns. G-d instructed the Israelites to mark their door-posts with the blood of a slaughtered lamb so that He would know to pass over those homes. This is where the name Passover comes from (Exodus 12:11-13). There are actually three other names for the holiday: Holiday of Matzot, Holiday of Freedom, and Holiday of Spring. G-d’s exodus miracles

culminate with His grand finale: the splitting of the Red Sea.

The holiday begins on the 15th of Nissan on the Hebrew calendar with a Seder based around a Haggadah. In Israel, Passover is seven days long and there is one Seder. In the diaspora (diaspora means: Jewish people liv-ing outside of Israel), the holiday is eight days long and there are two Se-ders. When the Israelites left Egypt, they left in such haste that their flour did not have time to leaven. Because of this, Jewish people today abstain from all leavened wheat products during the holiday and eat the traditional Matzo or Matzah (unleavened bread). Passover, together with Shavuot and Sukkot, is one of the three pilgrimage festivals where the entire population would journey to the Temple in Jerusa-

lem.

This year, Passover begins at sundown on Friday, April 22. The holiday lasts until Saturday, April 30. On the first night of Passover, Jewish people celebrate with a Seder of delicious foods and drink, there may also be anoth-

er Seder on the second night.

Autism Awareness Month National Child Abuse Prevention Month

National Volunteer Month Stress Awareness Month

April 10— Cotton Ball Gala at Seton Hall

April 13—1st Exercise class with Tami

April 14—Sands Casino (Spring has arrived!)

April 19—Our annual Seder with Rabbi Kaplan

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Celebrating April

GOLDA OCH ACADEMY

On March 22nd, 1st graders came from Golda Och Academy came to help the residents celebrate Purim. They will be coming back in May as almost 2nd graders.

Everyone had a great time talking with the kids, who all came in costume for the Purim celebration.

Marlow Taybron 4/06

Galina Trzaska 4/07

Svetlana Prokh 4/08

Luther Baker 4/12

Emma McKay 4/22

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April 2016 Newsletter Article by

RABBI KAPLAN

Shalom dear Friends!

I am excited to tell you about some of my

extraordinary experiences while attending the annual AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee) Policy Conference in

Washington DC recently!! Among 18,000 pro-Israel advocates, I participated in the

largest assemblage of Zionist activists in the

world!!!

Though this was the fifth time I attended

this yearly and growing three-day conven-tion in our nation's capital, it was unusual

for it to occur during a presidential election campaign. As such, the usual excitement and energy were even more palatable be-

cause four of the current five candidates ad-dressed the delegates. Hilary Clinton, the

front-running Democrat, and John Kasich, Donald Trump, and Ted Cruz, running for the Republican Party nomination, all spoke

to us about their belief and pledge to sup-port the US-Israel strategic alliance. Vice President Joe Biden, as well, gave a powerful

speech defending Israel's right to exist and America's promise to provide the necessary

foreign aid to maintain Israel's military edge.

Perhaps the most impressive presenter of

all was Congressman Paul Ryan, the Speak-er of the House of Representatives, who brought people to their feet in standing ova-

tions at his assurances of continued Con-gressional economic, military, and intelli-gence investment to preserve Israel's

strength and stability.

Of course, the highlight of the entire pro-

gram were the personal remarks of Israel's Prime Minster, Benjamin Netanyahu, by sat-

ellite live from Jerusalem. Listening to him

reassure our thousands of delegates that Is-rael is thriving despite the violent challenges

of recent past months, truly conveyed confi-dence that Israel's population is optimistic, life-affirming, and hopeful for peace with the

Palestinians and neighboring countries. Of the nearly 200 nations in the world, some 170 have political relationships with the

State of Israel. China, India, Russia, and even several Arab sovereign powers have es-

tablished new bonds with the Jewish State.

My memorable, meaningful, and empower-

ing interactions at AIPAC once again in-formed and inspired me this year. I felt so proud to be witness to the power of coming

together with Jews, Christians, African Americans, Hindus, Latinos, and other peo-ple who align themselves with Israel. Jewish

clergy, Catholic priests, Protestant minis-ters, lay leaders, police, soldiers, politicians,

5000 college students, families with chil-dren...all came together to validate and con-firm solidarity with Israel as the best, most

dependable, and enduring friend of the Unit-ed States. Certainly this is true in the Mid-

dle East, if not the entire world.

As we prepare to observe Passover, we rec-

ognize the eternal, compelling imperative to be vigilant and protective of our precious freedoms from those who would impose slav-

ery upon our democratic rights and Western values. May we be mindful to appreciate the blessings of living in America, the privilege

and obligations we have as Jews, and the responsibilities with which we are entrusted

to perpetuate Shalom, in our homes, com-

munities, and human family.

Chag Pesach Sameach, wishing you a Happy

and Sweet Passover!!!

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Rabbi Kaplan is here every Friday @ 11:30

Kathleen Silver, Social Worker is here every Tuesday, all day by ap-

pointment

Call Kathleen @ 973-637-1764 to make an appointment

Office Hours: Monday thru Thursday 9-5, Friday 9-4

Resident Service Schedule

@ B’nai B’rith

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APRIL HAPPENINGS

GEORGE THE DOG AND AMELIE (HIS OWNER) WILL BE BACK EVERY MONDAY STARTING APRIL 4 @ 3:45

APRIL 5 Stop and Shop

APRIL 6 Livingston/Short Hills Malls

APRIL 7 Kean U. Art Gallery FREE ADMISSION

APRIL 11 Cherry Blossom time in Branch Brook park & lunch at State Street Grill

APRIL 12 ShopRite

APRIL 13 Walmart and Christmas Tree Shop on Rt. 22

APRIL 13 NEW—EXERCISE WITH TAMI

APRIL 14 Sands Casino

APRIL 18 JCC Seder

APRIL 19 Stop and Shop

APRIL 19 our Seder with Rabbi Kaplan in our Community Room (see sign-up sheet on bulletin board).

APRIL 20 Rt. 10 shopping, stores and more stores

APRIL 21 Current Events and games all day

APRIL 22 Passover begins at sundown, OFFICE CLOSES AT 1:00

APRIL 25 Tinton Falls Outlet Shopping there’s a lot of outlet stores!

APRIL 26 ShopRite

APRIL 26 Residents’ Association Meeting (changed from the 3rd Tues. to the 4th for this month)

APRIL 27 Woodbridge Mall, Boscov’s, Wegman’s and other stores

APRIL 28 Current Events and games all day

APRIL 29 Passover OFFICE IS CLOSED

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BRYNA’S CORNER:

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter. This year Passover starts on the evening of Friday, April 22. We are having our mock Seder on Tues-day, April 19. Carolyn will put a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board. All are welcome. Rabbi Kaplan does a masterful job of leading the service, and we have a delicious meal of matzo ball soup, brisket and all the other Pass-

over favorites.

For those that will attend the Cotton Ball Gala at Seton Hall on April 10th I know you will have a wonderful time. Our very own Nan Samons and her associates at SOS, along with the Dove volunteer program at Seton Hall

have planned a very special afternoon.

Enjoy the Spring weather.

Bryna

Enjoy These Useless Facts And Fun Trivia Questions And Answers

by: Deanna Mascle

Question: Which is stronger -- concrete or bone?

Answer: Bone

Useless Fact: Human bones can actually resist 40 times more stress than concrete. Don't believe it is true? Then picture a piece of concrete the size of a bone and imagine how easily it would break.

Question: What bird lays its egg in another bird's nest?

Answer: Cuckoo, Cowbird, Whyda, Honeyguide and Black-headed Duck

Useless Fact: These birds, called brood parasites, lay their eggs in another bird's nest and let the other bird par-ents feed and raise their chicks. The "egg abandoner" is then free to mate again and lay more eggs in another nest. The cuckoo is the best known brood parasite and an expert in the art of cruel deception. Its strategy in-

volves stealth, surprise and speed. The mother removes one egg laid by the host mother, lays her own and flies off with the host egg in her bill. The whole process takes barely ten seconds. Cuckoos parasitize the nests of a

large variety of bird species and carefully mimic the colour and pattern of their own eggs to match that of their

hosts. Each female cuckoo specializes on one particular host species. How the cuckoo manages to lay eggs to imitate each host's eggs so accurately is one of nature's main mysteries.

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April

2016

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