Picasa Web Albums - Vassar Temple

Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »

New Features | Help | Sign in

Mitzvah Day, 2013

Vassar Temple members of all ages joined many members of the Jewish and wider community in Mitzvah Day, an annual day of community service.

May 5, 2013

Photos: 9

Lunch Box, April 7, 2013

Adults and students helped feed our hungry neighbors at the Lunch Box.

Apr 7, 2013

Photos: 3

Seder at temple, March 25, 2013

Eighty members and friends of all ages enjoyed a lively lay-led seder in our social hall on the first night of Passover.

Mar 25, 2013

Photos: 20

Holy Rollers at Religious School, March 10, 2013

Religious School Director Dr. Joel Hoffman and Rabbi Golomb helped our students (and their parents) learn about the Torah "up close and personal" as the scrolls were unrolled and re-rolled, thus prolonging their time in good condition.

Mar 10, 2013

Photos: 10

Purim, 2013

A fantastic Purim spiel called "The Wizard of Shnoz" was enjoyed by a full house during our Purim celebration. Before the show, the Men's Club served a pasta dinner to 120 people, after the show there was a hilarious reading of the Megillah, and at the end of the evening everyone ate hamantaschen which had been baked in the temple kitchen. The evening showcased the culinary, writing, directorial, acting, and designing talents of the congregation, as well as everyone's sense of humor.

Feb 23, 2013

Photos: 30

Hamantaschen Baking, February 3, 2013

On a Sunday morning well before Purim, volunteers of all ages baked 2000 hamantaschen in the temple kitchen, using the social hall for preparation of the tasty holiday treats. Some of the pastries were mailed to our college students, some were delivered to members who can't get to the temple easily, and many were saved in the freezer to be shared at our Purim celebration on February 23.

Feb 3, 2013

Photos: 13

Teens in Washington, January 2013

Our high school students participated in a L'Taken seminar run by the Religious Action Center in Washington. They learned how to influence the political process and studied various issues of current importance. The 4-day experience culminated in lobbying by the well-prepared students of their representatives in Congress.

Jan 12, 2013

Photos: 9

Souper Sale Delivery, January 10, 2013

The Social Action Committee's annual Souper Sale brought in extraordinary financial donations by so many generous members and friends, enabling us to purchase 838 cans of nutritious, delicious chunky soups with Vassar Temple Scrip. Our "souper" volunteer drivers delivered the cases of soup on January 10th to area food pantries and senior housing projects.

Jan 10, 2013

Photos: 2

Hanukkah dinner and service, December 14, 2012

Following a dinner featuring latkes, congregants of all ages enjoyed an inspiring candle-lighting service in the sanctuary.

Dec 14, 2012

Photos: 33

2012 Gala

Vassar Temple's Gala, "Bright Lights and Miracles," honored three of our members with the Kahn-Lampell Award for Service to the Community and celebrated the memory of our late president, Seth A. Erlebacher, after whom our religious school has been named. Held at Locust Grove in Poughkeepsie, this wonderful event was enjoyed by over 180 people.

Dec 1, 2012

Photos: 133

Sisterhood Opening Dinner, October 23, 2012

Everyone enjoyed the company, the food, and the program at the Sisterhood's annual opening dinner in our social hall.

Oct 23, 2012

Photos: 3

Shabbat Noach, 2012

After a service which included a d'var Torah about our obligations to the animals in our lives, many congregants of all ages enjoyed interacting with the therapy animals and their human partners who had come to our social hall during the Oneg Shabbat.

Oct 19, 2012

Photos: 9

Tashlich, September 17, 2012

Many temple members, ranging in age from 8 to 95, gathered at Sunset Lake on the Vassar College campus to "cast their sins into the water" after a short Tashlich ceremony led by Rabbi Golomb on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah.

Sep 17, 2012

Photos: 19

Beautifying our front lawn, Sept. 9, 2012

Old shrubs were removed, new ones were planted, and our sign was painted, making our front lawn look much better.

Sep 9, 2012

Photos: 8

Selichot 2012

Before the moving Selichot service, the Rabbi Stephen Arnold Award was presented to Susan Karnes Hecht and Gil Seligman and Eleanor Pupko each spoke on the theme "This I Believe." With the addition of delicious desserts and a beautiful Havdalah service, it was a lovely way to prepare for the High Holy Days.

Sep 8, 2012

Photos: 6

Lunch Box, Sept. 2, 2012

Temple volunteers had a good time preparing and serving a meal featuring franks and beans at the Lunch Box.

Sep 2, 2012

Photos: 6

Mim Oppenheimer's 95th Birthday, July 2012

Several temple members joined some of Jill's relatives in celebrating the 95th birthday of our congregation's oldest, and much loved and admired, member.

Jul 27, 2012

Photos: 11

Picnic and Outdoor Service, June 15, 2012

Nearly 70 congregants of all ages enjoyed a picnic, courtesy of the Sisterhood and Men's Club, and outdoor Shabbat service on the temple lawn on a perfect Friday evening. Our teachers and aides were recognized and our graduating high school seniors were congratulated during the service.

Jun 15, 2012

Photos: 20

Mitzvah Day, May 20, 2012

At the Jewish community's annual Mitzvah Day, many Vassar Temple members of all ages took part in service projects including cleaning up the old Jewish cemetery on Pershing Ave. in Poughkeepsie, a project directed by Rabbi Golomb. The Youth Group cleaned up stream banks for the benefit of the Vassar College Environmental Research Institute.

May 20, 2012

Photos: 5

Religious School Closing Day, May 20, 2012

May 20, 2012

Photos: 4

Talk on Bible Translation, May 1, 2012

Our Religious School Director, Dr. Joel Hoffman, a linguist and expert in Bible translation, gave a fascinating presentation called "The Bible Doesn't Say That" to a large audience, including people of all ages from the congregation and the community. After his talk, he signed copies of his book and everyone enjoyed refreshments and fellowship.

May 1, 2012

Photos: 5

Generations Shabbat, April 27, 2012

At our annual Generations Shabbat service, we honored our members of 40 years standing or more. The service was preceded by a dinner at which they were our guests.

Apr 27, 2012

Photos: 1

Adult Ed, April 2012

In April, Rabbi Golomb taught a 3-session course on Medieval Jewish History which was very popular.

Apr 24, 2012

Photos: 4

Seder at Temple, April 6, 2012

Our inaugural lay-led first-night seder at temple drew over 90 people who began their Passover with a warm atmosphere and delicious food.

Apr 6, 2012

Photos: 20

Purim service and spiel, March 10, 2012

Rabbi Golomb read the Megillah of Esther in his usual comic style and then the congregation was treated to a clever and hilarious Purim spiel called "Purim in a Galaxy Far, Far Away," written and directed by Art Menken, with lots of great scenery, costumes, and special effects.

Mar 10, 2012

Photos: 31

Hamantaschen baking, Feb. 26, 2012

Bakers and helpers of all ages had fun at the temple making 2000 hamantaschen in preparation for Purim. The tasty treats were delivered to homebound congregants, mailed to college students, and enjoyed after the Megillah reading and Purim spiel on March 10. Some were mailed to Jews serving in Afghanistan and one of these photos shows a young Marine named Sarah savoring a Vassar Temple hamantaschen far from home.

Feb 26, 2012

Photos: 11

Lunch Box, Feb. 5, 2012

Vassar Temple's Youth Group and Confirmation Class prepared and served a meal featuring franks and beans at the Family Partnership Center.

Feb 5, 2012

Photos: 2

Holy Rollers at Religious School, January 29, 2012

In order to preserve our Torah scrolls in good condition, we get together to unroll and re-roll them every few months. This time our students had a chance to get up close and learn more about the Torah from their teachers, Religious School Director Dr. Joel Hoffman, and Rabbi Paul Golomb. The children were obviously fascinated and their parents were interested too.

Jan 29, 2012

Photos: 5

Souper Sale delivery, January 27, 2012

Thanks to the generosity of temple members and Stop & Shop, 744 cans of chunky soups were purchased using Scrip. On a rainy morning, many volunteers delivered the soup to food pantries and senior citizen centers around the county. Before they set out, the volunteers gathered for a warming cup of coffee.

Jan 27, 2012

Photos: 4

Men's Club at Hockey game, January 21, 2012

Eighteen Men's Club members and guests had a great time watching Air Force beat Army 4-2 at West Point.

Jan 21, 2012

Photos: 3

Hanukkah dinner and service, 12/23/11

A wonderful Hanukkah dinner and special candle-lighting service captured the joyful spirit of the holiday for a large crowd of temple members of all ages.

Dec 23, 2011

Photos: 5

Trim-a-Thanksgiving, November 16, 2011

Vassar Temple teens packed donated trimmings for a Thanksgiving dinner for delivery to families celebrating their first holiday in their first home. The food was donated by student and adult members of the congregation, for delivery by Hudson River Housing.

Nov 16, 2011

Photos: 4

Simchat Torah, October 19, 2011

Congregants of all ages enjoyed singing and parading around the sanctuary with our Torah scrolls as we celebrated the end of one annual cycle of Torah readings and the beginning of the next. (Those below Bar/Bat Mitzvah age carried our stuffed Torahs.)

Oct 19, 2011

Photos: 7

Sukkah building, October 2, 2011

The Men's Club had a good time raising our brand new sukkah on the lawn in front of the temple. After Yom Kippur it was decorated with branches, etc. for Sukkot.

Oct 2, 2011

Photos: 8

Religious School Opening & Hot Dog Social, 2011

Sep 25, 2011

Photos: 6

Selichot, September 24, 2011

Sandra Mamis received the Rabbi Arnold Award and Peter and Bernice Edman and Dr. Dan Katz shared their values with us before the service.

Sep 24, 2011

Photos: 5

Sisterhood Opening Dinner, Sept. 20, 2011

Sep 20, 2011

Photos: 4

Shalom on Grand at JCC, Sept. 18, 2011

Vassar Temple members participated in this annual Jewish community event, including serving and judges for the Kugel bake-off.

Sep 18, 2011

Photos: 3

Holy Rollers, September 15, 2011

Unrolling and rerolling Torah scrolls helps to extend their life and keep them in good condition. It also gives us a chance to be "up close and personal" with the scrolls.

Sep 15, 2011

Photos: 4

Moveable Feast, June 18, 2011

Jul 5, 2011

Photos: 33

Clayworks, 8th & 9th grades, Feb. 2011

Our Vassar Temple 8th and 9th grade Religious School class, under the leadership of their teacher, Craig Gittelman, partnered with Barrett Clayworks in Poughkeepsie on a Judaic Art Program this winter. The students came together at the Clay Studio every Wednesday evening in January and February to design and create functional hand-made Judaic ritual objects which will be sold to raise funds for the students' social action projects.

Mar 20, 2011

Photos: 8

Purim, March 19, 2011

Purim was celebrated at Vassar Temple with a delicious pasta dinner cooked and served by the Men's Club, a hilarious reading of the Megillah by Rabbi Golomb, and a fantastic Purim spiel based on the story of Peter Pan as well as on the story of Purim.

Mar 19, 2011

Photos: 73

Hamantaschen baking, March 13, 2011

Congregants of all ages and both genders had a great time making well over 1000 hamantaschen with assorted fillings for delivery to college students and to congregants who couldn't get to temple to enjoy them after the Megillah reading and Purim spiel on March 19th.

Mar 13, 2011

Photos: 20

Holy Rollers, 7th grade

The seventh graders in our Religious School had the opportunity to be "Holy Rollers" when they unrolled and re-rolled 2 of our congregation's Torah scrolls. Rabbi Golomb showed them how to recognize certain passages of the Torah at a glance before the students helped preserve our scrolls. They found that it took some strength and concentration to do it right.

Feb 13, 2011

Photos: 5

Confirmation Class trip to Washington, Jan. 2011

Our Confirmation students spent 4 days in Washington, participating in one of the L'taken Seminars sponsored by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, our movement's social justice and legislative advocacy arm. They learned about important issues facing our country and advocated for their own points of view in the office of one of their Congressional representatives. In addition to learning how to effect tikkun olam on a national level, the participants also visited several places of interest in our national capital.

Jan 10, 2011

Photos: 12

Men's Club Lunch Box, January 2, 2011

The Vassar Temple Men's Club and its helpers seem to have had a great time cooking and serving a meal featuring chili con carne at the Lunch Box at the Family Partnership Center.

Jan 2, 2011

Photos: 10

Souper Sale delivery, December 30, 2010

The Vassar Temple Social Action Committee's annual Souper Sale brought in extraordinary financial donations by many generous members and friends. This enabled the purchase of 36 cases/432 cans of Chunky canned soups which were delivered on Dec. 30 to area food pantries and senior housing projects by a Souper team of spirited Temple volunteers, with another delivery to come.

Dec 30, 2010

Photos: 4

Lunch Box, December 5, 2010

The students and families of the 5th and 6th grades in our religious school prepared and serve lunch to 150 of our hungry neighbors at the Family Partnership Center on Sunday, December 5th. They seem to have had a great time doing it!

Dec 5, 2010

Photos: 6

Hanukkah Dinner and Service, December 2010

Over 110 people enjoyed our annual Hanukkah pot luck dinner with latkes and all the fixings, and even more attended our special Hanukkah service which featured the dimming of the lights and the lighting of chanukiyot by all the families present.

Dec 3, 2010

Photos: 22

Holy Rollers, November 2010

Members of the congregation, including students in grades 8-10 of our religious school, helped to unroll and re-roll our Torah scrolls to prolong their lives in good condition. Rabbi Golomb described the Beauty (hiddur) of the Torah by discussing the silver ornaments which enhance the scrolls. Holy Rollers provides a special opportunity to be "up close and personal" with our Torah scrolls.

Nov 17, 2010

Photos: 9

Trim-a-Thanksgiving, Nov. 17, 2010

As we did last year, Vassar Temple collected non-perishable food for our hungry neighbors to eat with their Thanksgiving turkey as part of our Can Jam program. The eighth- and ninth-graders of our religious school packed the food into baskets for delivery to families supported by Hudson River Housing.

Nov 17, 2010

Photos: 1

Gala of Light, Nov. 6, 2010

The Gala was a festive evening of cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, dinner, dancing and a silent auction for our congregation and community as over 150 people celebrated Vassar Temple by honoring Steve and Linda Lant and Dr. Dennis Murray, President of Marist College, with the Kahn-Lampell Award for Service to the Community at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel.

Nov 6, 2010

Photos: 26

CROP Walk, October 2010

Many Vassar Temple members took part in the local CROP Walk sponsored by the Dutchess County Interfaith Council to raise money to fight hunger locally, nationally and world-wide.

Oct 17, 2010

Photos: 2

Simchat Torah, 2010

During the Simchat Torah service on Wednesday evening, Sept. 29, 2010, children beginning their Jewish education in our Religious School were consecrated to their studies and received a small replica of the Torah. We paraded around the sanctuary with the scrolls, the young children holding small plush Torahs. Then a scroll was unrolled around the perimeter of the sanctuary with everyone helping to hold it up before it was rerolled. The last section of the Torah was read, followed by the beginning of Genesis. Children of all ages enjoyed participating in the service.

Sep 29, 2010

Photos: 3

Eternal Torah: Celebrating the Journey

After Havdalah and music with Alan Goodis on Saturday evening, Sunday, September 26th was a very special day, including the blowing of the shofar, a procession, 2 former rabbis (Rabbi Henry Bamberger and Rabbi Emeritus Stephen Arnold) and a scribe (Rabbi Moshe Druin of Sofer on Site), Moses, Abraham and Sarah, and the opportunity to ink a letter in a scroll. A plaque honoring leadership donors to our Torah restoration project was unveiled and the project chair, Lou Lewis, was honored.

Sep 26, 2010

Photos: 60

Sukkah building, September 2010

The Men's Club had a good time while putting up the sukkah on the front lawn of the temple.

Sep 12, 2010

Photos: 5

Hot Dog Social, September 2010

The annual Hot Dog Social, sponsored by the Sisterhood and the Mens Club, provides an opportunity for temple members to get to know each other and the programs and events planned by those auxiliaries as well as opportunities for service offered by the Social Action Committee.

Sep 12, 2010

Photos: 4

Judge Rosenblatt talk, September 2010

On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 12th, Judge Albert Rosenblatt gave a talk at the temple on The Influence of the Torah on Modern Jurisprudence as part of the congregation's ongoing project called Eternal Torah: Restoring Vassar Temple's Scrolls. Attended by well over 200 members of the congregation and the community, his presentation was fascinating and the reception following it was lively. Fredrica Goodman welcomed the attendees, Lou Lewis introduced the speaker, Rabbi Golomb answered some of the questions after the Judge's talk, and Sandra Mamis closed the program with announcements and thanks.

Sep 12, 2010

Photos: 13

Tashlich, Sept. 9, 2010

Congregants cast their sins (in the form of bread) into the water (the pond behind the Lampells' house) after a Tashlich ceremony on Rosh Hashanah.

Sep 9, 2010

Photos: 2

Selichot 2010

During the Selichot program on Saturday evening, Sept. 4th, Margery and Art Groten were honored with the Rabbi Arnold Award for their contributions to the spiritual life of the congregation. Before the service, Miriam Cohen and Dick Fein each shared a brief and poignant summary of their values, This I Believe.

Sep 4, 2010

Photos: 3

Holy Rollers, July 2010

Members joined Rabbi Golomb for Havdalah before, and dessert after, learning more about our Torah scrolls and unrolling and rerolling two of our scrolls.