At Temple Shaari Emeth, our foremost commitment is to the safety and well-being of our children, congregants, and staff. We also recognize how important it is to keep our community informed—especially during times of heightened tension both internationally and here at home.
In light of recent global events, we want to reassure you that we are taking every possible step to ensure our community remains safe and supported. We continue to work closely with local and state law enforcement, the FBI, the Secure Community Network (SCN), the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey, and other Jewish institutions to coordinate both planning and response efforts.
We are deeply committed to providing a secure environment where we can nurture our Early Learning Center, Religious School, Lifelong Learning programs, and the many ways we gather to observe and celebrate our faith as Reform Jews.
The SCN and the Jewish Federation's security teams are closely monitoring the situation in partnership with federal and local authorities. SCN serves as the official safety liaison for the Jewish community and plays a vital role in sharing information and best practices for communal security.
As of now, our law enforcement partners agree that the risk of any targeted retaliation toward Jewish communities in the U.S. remains low. However, we remain vigilant, as caution and preparedness are essential in ensuring the safety of our community.
We understand that times like these can bring feelings of uncertainty and concern. Please know that we are here for you, and we remain united in strength, compassion, and faith. With care and commitment, Stuart Brown, Executive Director
I am delighted to share exciting news about a new member of our Temple family and Senior Staff. After a lengthy search led by our Executive Director Search Committee - and supported by the active participation of many of our lay leaders, as well as clergy and senior staff - I am pleased to announce that Sydney Fox will be joining Temple Shaari Emeth as our next Executive Director, effective July 1, 2025.
Sydney comes to us with valuable leadership experience from Congregation Beth El (South Orange, NJ) and Congregation B’nai Israel (Millburn, NJ), where she excelled in community and membership engagement. We are especially proud to welcome a rising star in the field and to play a part in nurturing the next generation of Jewish professional leadership.
Those who have had the opportunity to meet Sydney recently have been impressed by her passion, professionalism, and vision. She has already hit the ground running—working with Stuart Brown, our clergy team, and lay leadership to ensure a smooth and effective transition. We are grateful for your continued patience and support during this time of transition.
This summer, I invite you to join us for our Summer Shabbat Series or other programs—or simply stop by the building—to meet Sydney and discover how she can partner with you to bring out the best in Temple Shaari Emeth.
With excitement and gratitude, Dan
Sydney Fox is the Executive Director of Temple Shaari Emeth. A lifelong Jewish community member and leader, Sydney has been actively involved in Jewish life from an early age. She grew up at Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, NJ, where she later returned after college to serve as the advisor for the same USY chapter to which she once belonged.
Before joining Temple Shaari Emeth, Sydney developed her leadership skills as the Associate Director of Youth and Teen Engagement at Congregation Beth El in South Orange, NJ. She is passionate about inclusivity and creating relationship-centered programs rooted in Jewish values and community connection. Sydney is excited to bring her organizational, leadership, and programming skills to her role at Temple Shaari Emeth.
In her free time, she loves seeing Broadway shows, experimenting with new recipes, and hanging out with her cat, Kugel.
Sydney is honored to be part of the Temple Shaari Emeth family and looks forward to supporting its growth and vibrancy in partnership with clergy, staff, and congregants.
With sadness we share that Paul Phillips passed away this weekend. He was the father to Andrea Berman and Jason Phillips and father-in-law to Kevin and Stacy. He was the grandfather to Samantha, Matthew and Jordan.
Funeral was private.
May God console those who mourn in Zion, Jerusalem and throughout the world
With sadness we share that Sheila Pollock passed away. She was the wife of Harvey Pollock and mother of Ross, Matthew and Mitch Pollock. She was the mother-in-law to Sue, Ricarda and Libre and the grandmother to Drew, Aaron, Joshua, Catherine, Guerin, Anson, Marin, Sienna and Andrew.
With sadness we share that Rose Letson passed away on May 14th. She was the mother of Tricia Krietzberg and mother-in-law to Curtis and the grandmother to Lily, Ian and Josh.
With sadness we share that Annette Michaels passed away. She was the mother of Lynn Michaels and Jonathan Michaels and the mother-in-law to Alan Burstein and Katie Brenneman. She was the grandmother to Brian & Caryn, Jessica & Kevin z''l, Chelsey & Daniel and Hayley. She was the great-grandmother to Aiden, Penelope, Madison and Natasha.
The funeral will be on Wednesday, May 21st at 10am at Freeman Funeral Home in Manalapan followed by interment at New Montefiore on Long Island.
Shiva will take place at Lynn and Alan's home, 3 Maple Street, Marlboro on Wednesday until 8pm, Thursday from 12-4pm and 6-8pm and Friday from 12-4pm.
With sadness we share that Teena Silverman passed away yesterday. She will be remembered by Marci & Rob Roche, Joel z”l & Mara Silverman; grandchildren Jason & Patrice Roche, Andrew & Lauren Roche, Brian Roche, Alison Silverman, Edward Silverman; and great grandchildren Joel Roche, Lola Roche, and Brooklyn Roche
The funeral will be tomororw, May 19 at 11:00am graveside at Mount Moriah Cemetery, 685 Fairview Avenue Fairview, NJ, 07022.
Shiva will take place at Marci and Rob's home, 76 Coachman Drive Freehold, NJ 07728, on Monday, May 19 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, Tuesday, May 20 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, and Wednesday, May 21 from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. There will be a Shiva Minyan on Monday and Tuesday at 7:30pm, and on Wednesday at 6:30pm.
With great sadness we share that long time member, Lee Gaynor passed away yesterday. She was the mother of Lesley Ohlstein and Allison Palace and mother-in-law to Michael; She was the grandmother to Amanda Ohlstein, Jason Ohlstein and his fiancée Amelia, Josh Palace and his wife Megan, and Marisa and Julia Palace.
The funeral will be tomororw, May 13 at 11:00am at Bloomfield Cooper with interment at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge.
Shiva will take place at Lesley Ohlstein's home, 5 Brandywine Court in Manalapan following the funeral on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 1-3pm and 6-9pm with Minyan on Wednesday at 7pm.
With great sadness we share that Larry Krongold passed away. He was the husband to Susan and father to Robin, Sheryl and Brian. He was the father-in-law to Claude and grandfather to Ian.
The funeral is on Wednesday May 7th at 11:00 at Bloomfield Cooper followed by interment at Beth Israel. Shiva will be at Susan’s home, 9 Eaton Court in Jackson on Wednesday after services with minyan at 7:00pm, Thursday from 2-4pm and 7-9pm minyan at 7:00pm and again on Friday from 2-4pm.
With great sadness we share that Gail Schesser passed away last night. She was the wife of Joel and the mother of Stacey Schesser. She was the grandmother of Ramona and Asa.
The funeral will be on Thursday, May 1st @ 10am at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge.
Shiva will be at Joel's home, 34 Rockwell Circle, Marlboro on Thursday from 1-7pm with Minyan at 6:00pm and Friday from 1-4pm.
With great sadness we share that Zelda Thalor passed away earlier this week. She was the wife of Charles (z”l); mother of Marti and Jamie and mother-in-law to Rand and Deborah. She was the grandmother of Andrew (Erin), Adam, and Maxwell; and great-grandmother of Lila and Jonah.
The funeral was private.
Donations can be made by either clicking on the link JCHC or mail check to: JCHC 651 W Mount Pleasant Avenue, Suite 185 Livingston, NJ 07039.
May God console those who mourn in Zion, Jerusalem and throughout the world
We hope to see you at the Congregation Meeting on Sunday, April 27th at 7:00 p.m. In addition to hearing reports from our Temple President and Treasurer, as well as clergy and staff; we will elect officers and members of the Board of Trustees, review and vote on the Temple's expense budget for the 2025 fiscal year, and learn about the Temple's new dues model.
Stay after the meeting for refreshments and some tasty treats.
With great sadness we share that Lisa Bertoni passed away. She was the wife of Ron, mother to Charlotte and Sadie and sister to Dan Levine.
The funeral will be on Wednesday, April 9th at the Marlboro Memorial Cemetery, 361 State Route 79, Morganville at 1:00pm.
Shiva will be at the Bertoni home, 12 Carnation Road, Monroe Township on Wednesday after the funeral, Thursday from 2-4pm and 6-9pm with minyan at 7:30pm and Friday from 2-4pm.
With great sadness we share that Helen Dubin passed away. She was the mother of Patti Diamond, JoAnn Hershkovitz and Larry Dubin. She was the mother-in-law of Michael Diamond, and the grandmother of Rebecca (Patrick) Diamond, Daniel Diamond, Cory (Andrea) Hersh, Mikki (Danny) Bento, Josh (Kelsey) Hershkovitz, Jaime Dubin, Regina (Craig) Dubin and Max (Eugenia) Dubin. She was the great-grandmother of Alexis, Sophia, Emily, Isabella, Sadie, Avery and Angelina.
Funeral will be on Thursday, April 3rd at 11:00 at Bloomfield Cooper in Manalapan. Interment to follow on Long Island.
Shiva will be at the home of JoAnn Hershkovitz , 141 Tangerine Drive, Marlboro on Friday from 2-6pm, Saturday from 6-9pm and Sunday from 2-6pm.
The Grinvald family will have a memorial gathering to remember Haim Ruttner, Tmima Grinvald's brother on Thursday, April 10 from 6-9pm with Minyan at 7pm at their home, 7 Cannan Court, Manalapan.
Morton A. Brown passed away March 16, 2025. He was the father of Helaine Fischer and Wendy Monashkin and father-in-law to Philip Fischer and Seth Monashkin. He was the grandfather of Joshua Fischer( Ariel), Beth Fischer Pechyony (Oren), Carli Monashkin and Emily Monashkin - and the great-grandfather of Isla and Sage Fischer.
The family will be sitting shiva at the home of Joshua and Ariel Fischer, 8 Duncan Dr, Morganville, on Saturday March 29, 2025 from 5:00-8:00pm with minyan at 7pm, and on Sunday March 30, 2025, from 1:00pm-5:00pm with minyan at 4pm.
With great sadness we share that Lewis Fein passed away Sunday evening, March 16th. He was the brother of Richard Fein and Marcia King and brother-in-law to Carol and Scott. He was the father of Eric Fein and Nancy Barlow and the grandfather to Jessica, Sara, Matthew and Scott.
Funeral is on Wednesday March 19 at 1:00 at Bloomfield Cooper in Manalapan. Interment to follow at Beth Israel Cemetery in Woodbridge.
Shiva will be at Nancy Barlow’s residence 10 Bell Court, Budd Lake, NJ on Thursday 2-4pm and 5-7pm and Friday 2-4pm and 5-7pm.
With great sadness we share that Morton A. Brown passed away yesterday. He was the father of Helaine Fischer and Wendy Monashkin and father-in-law to Philip and Seth. He was the grandfather of Joshua Fischer( Ariel), Beth Pechyony (Oren), Carli Monashkin and Emily Monashkin - and the great-grandfather of Isla and Sage.
Shiva will be at the home of Joshua and Ariel Fischer, 8 Duncan Dr, Morganville, on Saturday March 29, 2025 from 5:00-8:00pm, and on Sunday March 30, 2025, from 1:00pm-5:00pm.
With great sadness we share that Stuart Weisselberg passed away. He was the husband of Roslyn and the brother-in-law to Suzanne Paris,
Linda and Robert Silverman, and Mindy and Steven Matza. He was the father to Mark, Robin and Andrew, father-in-law to Robin, Daniel and Allison. He was the uncle to Andrea Hersh and Michael Silverman and the grandfather to Samantha, Rebecca, Alexa, Abby, Mason and Zoe.
The funeral will be on Friday, March 14th at 11am at Bloomfield Cooper. Shiva will be at the home of Roslyn Weisselberg, 9 Vancouver Road, Morganville on Saturday from 5:30-9:00pm, Sunday from 2:00-6:00pm and Monday from 12pm-2pm.
With great sadness we share that Haim Ben Eliezer Ruttner passed away. He was the brother of Tmima Grinvald and brother-in-law to Eli. He was the uncle to Zohar and Nim.
The funeral was in Israel.
A gathering in his memory will be held at Tmima and Eli's home in Marlboro in the upcoming weeks.
Melissa has instilled her love of Jewish learning in the children of Temple Shaari Emeth for 10 amazing years, and we are honoring her with a 10th Anniverary Celebration on June 8, 2025. We are also honoring Melissa with a tribute journal that will be printed, displayed at the event and on our website.
Each event ticket includes: 2 hours of bowling/hyper-bowling and shoes 1 $10 arcade card 1 7D Theatre ticket 1 Hologate ticket (fully immersive VR game) Bar bites, dessert, and unlimited soft drinks
Palmeras Entertainment is a family-centered entertainment venue that features extreme bowling, arcade games, foosball, billiards, virtual golf - and is the first HyperBowling venue in New Jersey.
$50 per adult (members) $60 (nonmembers) $25 per child K- 12th grade (members) $30 (nonmembers) Children K-10th grade must be accompanied by an adult
The Religious School Passover Candy Sale is going on now through March 9th! This fundraiser supports the Religious School and anyone can order (feel free to send this to friends and family too!).
If you choose "Option A" (ship to school) you can pick up your treats directly at the Temple, and there will not be a shipping cost. You can order anything you like and the Passover candy is under the "Kosher for Passover" icon.
Please email Melissa Pescatore at mpescatore@shaariemeth.org with any questions. Thanks for your support!
With great sadness we share that Stephen Pine passed away. He was the husband to Michelle, father to Aaron, Howard, Greg and Louis. He was the father-in law to Carin, Rinat, Elsa and Chantal. He was the grandfather to Samantha, Griffin, Maya, Nathan, Jacob, Gillian, Cooper, Owen and Lila.
Funeral will be on Monday, March 3 @ 11am at Bloomfield Cooper. Interment will be at Beth Israel Cemetery.
Shiva will be at the home of Aaron and Carin, 21 Winding Woods Way, Manalapan on Monday after the service with minyan at 7pm and Tuesday from 1-4pm and 6-8pm with Minyan at 7pm. Wednesday shiva will be at the home of Greg and Elsa, 109 Janwich Drive, Morganville from 1-4pm and 6-8pm with Minyan at 7pm.
Temple Shaari Emeth is gearing up to celebrate Purim. You can help make the holiday sweet by sending a PURIMGRAM to others. Sending a PURIMGRAM to a friend, family member, or neighbor is a sweet way to show you care.
Proceeds from each PURIMGRAM help fund the Toby and Seth Hanover Youth Scholarship Fund, which provides over $10,000 of scholarship each year to support sending our children to Jewish summer camps and educational programs. The importance of Jewish summer experiences in developing strong Jewish identities as adults is well-documented and a goal of the synagogue. It also helps our students make lasting memories and friends. What a deal!
This year's Shalach Manot will include a beautiful Purim Card and Hamantaschen.
By sending a Shalach Manot you can help give a child the summer experience of a lifetime!
With great sadness we share that Alan Firestone passed away. He was the husband of Claire Firestone and father of Marcia Paletnstein and Julie Levine. He was the father-in-law to Joe and Brad and grandfather to Jenna, Jason, Sammi and Priya.
Shiva will be at the home of Marica Paltenstein, 15 Wedgewood Ct in Monroe on Sunday from 1:30-5:00pm. It will continue on Monday at the home of Claire Firestone, 421 B Andover Drive, Monroe (Clearbrook Community) from 2:00-4:00pm and 6:30-8:30pm with Minayn at 7:00pm.
May God console those who mourn in Zion, Jerusalem and throughout the world
