What A Remarkable Journey

In 1986, a group of young Jewish couples in the greater Vineland area, were worshiping at their respective Congregations in Carmel and Rosenhayn, for the High Holidays. We all had children who joined us for the traditional services, polishing it off with the Yom Kippur Tekiyah G’dolah, wishing for a sweet and healthy New Year, followed by a break the fast meal.

Our children were all about the same age. We were convinced there was a better way to practice our faith and initiated discussions of committing to a way to educate and train our kids to be better Jews. Little did we realize how much of an impact it would have on us adults too.

An interview with the head of the Reform movement out of Philadelphia resulted in a couple things that would guide us to the remarkable Congregation that has evolved since our inception in 1986.

Rabbi Richard Address became the pied piper of our group in 1986 as did our Cantor Marlena.  We educated our children in our own Hebrew school, and merged our congregations in Carmel, at the formerly historic Orthodox schul, Congregation Beth Hillel, built in 1908.

And so the journey began.

Our children were Bar/Bat Mitzvah, our women’s group did a B’NotMitzvah to celebrate this late in life celebration. We had marriages, funerals, celebrations and grew from a group of 8 families to over 86 family units today.

In 2008, we merged with the Bridgeton Beth Abraham synagogue. They had money and few people. We had people and little money, and so this shiddach led to a remarkable “Kehillah Kedushah” ever since. The larger crowds and the Beth Abaham dawry, enabled us to build Stotter Hall, to better accommodate our needs. We never looked back and have not had any regrets.

In 2001 we hired a great Rabbi, Bradley Bleefeld, who, for the next 23 years, led us in prayer and inspired us to practice our faith and traditions with great enthusiasm and wisdom. He led us on two missions to Israel in 2016 and 2019. In 2024 he decided to retire.  We honored him with Emeritus status.  He recently passed. May he rest in peace.  Shortly thereafter, our Cantor since inception in 1986, Marlena Taenzer, was recognized for her marvelous service and dedication and became Emerita as well.

The most extraordinary thing about our congregation is the feeling in our family that we all belong.

We are a group of mostly non-traditional Jews who all believe in the tenants of our faith, in each other and have a great to desire to help humankind.

We have been most fortunate to hire a new spiritual leader. Since 2024, Rabbi/Cantor Rhoda Harrison has continued all of our traditions and has added a new dimension to our faith. We updated our prayer book, we do traditional Torah study, we meet regularly for Shabbat services and Holidays in person as well as by ZOOM.

We have just launched our new website and will hopefully attract people interested in practicing their faith amongst non-judgemental fellow congregants, who thoroughly enjoy each other’s company and help one another thru the ups and downs of life.

Come and join us in prayer and practice our beautiful traditions. No commitments necessary. If you like what you see, you’ll come back and want to be a part of our “Kehiilah Kedushah”

Feel free to reach out to me, your President or Merle Silver, our membership chair, if you have any questions by phone or email. If you want to speak to our Rabbi, she would be pleased to accommodate you.

B’Sha lom

M, Jay Einstein President  856 9827707 JEinstein@FT.NewYorkLife.com

Merle Silver Membership Chair 609 364 3164 MZSilver414@gmail.com

Rabbi Rhoda Harrison Rabbi/Cantor 443 286 705L  RhojHarrison@gmail.com

The holiday of liberation.  It’s spring – and this season of renewal brings Passover, hag ha-aviv.   It’s a holiday of hope and rebirth. We know it, too, as zman heirutainu, the season of our liberation, because its central message is our redemption from slavery. Passover reminds us that no matter what our situation, there is hope for redemption. With this, I share some observations on a few of my favorite aspects of Pesach, which for me along with countless others, is the most enjoyable holiday in the Jewish year.

Our story; the seder.  The story of our exodus from bondage in Egypt is well known. But the genius of Passover is the timelessness and timeliness of the story, which we retell at the seder, in a ritual framework designed to highlight the character of Jewish memory. We encourage discussion about the story of liberation and how we live today.  We start the seder by remembering the events of the past; this helps us understand the possibilities of the present, particularly the unfinished work of liberating all who are still oppressed. Just as God redeemed our ancestors in Egypt – our job is to ask, “What changes should we work for in the world when we leave the seder table?”

No one who has ever sat at a seder table can forget the experience, which by many accounts is the oldest surviving ritual in the Western world. We sit around the table, surrounded by ritual symbols and the text of the Haggadah. And we discuss, question and learn how and why we observe the holiday. The seder invites us to ask questions, and makes it possible to engage and explore in a way that is rare in any other setting.   We all own the story. Each generation reshapes it and passes it forward. And the story of liberation stays relevant and alive.

Matzo: the bread of affliction.  Early in the seder we recite a paragraph which begins with the words “Ha Lachma.”  It says:  “This is the bread of affliction that our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat.  This year we are here. Next year may we be in the land of Israel. This year we are slaves. Next year may we be free.”    The message is a compelling one: throughout the seder, we discuss, question, debate and enjoy our meal, but above all, we resolve to take action to feed the hungry and care for those in need, because when one person is enslaved, no one is truly liberated.   Look closely at the text and you’ll see that God isn’t mentioned in Ha Lachma. The rabbis who put the Haggadah together wanted to remind us that it is up to us to take action before redemption can take place.   Everyone who has freedom is responsible to redeem those who aren’t free.

Ma Nishtana:  Perhaps the most beloved centerpiece of the seder is the Ma Nishtana, the Four Questions, traditionally asked by the youngest person who asks four variations on “why is this night different?”  This provokes children and adults to engage, ask harder questions and seek understanding. The expectation of questioning is as old as our origins.  We read in Exodus 13:14, “When in time, your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you will tell him, ‘It was with a mighty hand that the Lord brought us out from Egypt, the house of bondage.’”

The seder exemplifies how we learn. We don’t learn alone; we learn as a community, and the more we question and challenge, the better we can confront what we face.  Sitting around the seder table is a master class in how this is done.

The four sons.  The seder doesn’t sugarcoat history or human nature. For example, the Haggadah tells of the four sons:  when we’re honest with ourselves, we can recognize part of ourselves in the description of each.  At one time or another, each of us can be wise, insolent or naïve, or maybe lacking sufficient knowledge to even know how or what to ask.  Sometimes we want to know every detail of what’s happening; sometimes we’re lost and distracted. Sometimes we might not connect with what’s happening, don’t seek knowledge, but just want to eat.  It’s our obligation to understand the person we wish to connect with and meet them where they are.

We were slaves; we were strangers.  In the seder, we’re in a moment when we reflect on our identity, how we see ourselves, how we conduct ourselves and treat others.  When we say, “We were slaves; we were strangers” we remember the commands of Exodus 22:20 , “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” This is a recurring theme of biblical literature.  It’s no accident that the Torah admonishes us about the treatment of strangers no fewer than 36 times, one of the clearest expressions being in Exodus 23:9: “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the Land of Egypt.” No other commandment is repeated so often.

Next year in Jerusalem.  The seder begins and ends with the hope that next year we will all be free and in Jerusalem. Some view this literally, but for many Jerusalem symbolizes our personal and national fulfillment, and our hope next year to be in a place where there is joy, peace, redemption, and a commitment to build a better world.  The ritual of the seder ends, but we are now directed to do something harder:  to begin the work of redemption, making the world a better place.

To all:  Chag Sameach. Have a wonderful Passover. Enjoy your seder and family tradtions.  A zisn, koshern un freilikhen Pesach!    Stay healthy and strong.  Zeit gezunt un shtark.

On behalf of the TBH-BA ritual committee,

Stephen Freed

Reform Movement Condemns Knesset Vote to Criminalize Egalitarian Prayer at the Western Wall

February 26, 2026 — The Reform Movement unequivocally condemns the preliminary vote in the Israeli Knesset to advance legislation that would criminalize egalitarian Jewish worship at the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest and most-enduring symbols. If enacted, the proposed bill by MK Avi Maoz of the far-right Noam party would render forms of Jewish prayer not sanctioned by the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate punishable by up to seven years in prison.

This alarming proposal represents an unprecedented attempt to criminalize mainstream Jewish worship in the Jewish state. It is a direct affront to Jews in Israel, North America, and across the globe who pray in egalitarian settings.

The Kotel does not belong to one stream of Judaism. It is a national symbol and a spiritual inheritance of the entire Jewish people. The existence of a dignified egalitarian prayer space alongside gender-segregated sections does not diminish the rights of Orthodox or ultra-Orthodox Jews to worship according to their tradition. Religious freedom in Israel must not be treated as a zero-sum proposition.

The global implications of this bill cannot be overstated. Outside Israel – especially in North America – 85% of Jews worship in egalitarian communities. Criminalizing those forms of prayer at Judaism’s holiest accessible site would alienate millions of Jews from the State of Israel at a time when Jewish unity is both fragile and essential. Only months ago, at the October 2025 World Zionist Congress, representatives of global Jewish communities overwhelmingly supported restoring direct access to the Ezrat Yisrael –  the section designated for egalitarian worship. This legislation moves decisively in the opposite direction.

At the same time, this is not primarily a Diaspora issue. The bill would directly harm and potentially imprison Israelis who choose pluralistic expressions of Judaism or who visit the Kotel and its outer plaza for heritage visits, IDF ceremonies, and tourism. The number of Israelis seeking egalitarian prayer continues to grow. This legislation would label their Judaism illegitimate and even criminal.

The debate over this legislation raises a fundamental question: Will Israel be a state of the Jewish people or a state for only one interpretation of Judaism? For North American Jews, engagement on this issue is not interference; it is investment. Jewish sovereignty must reflect the diversity, dignity, and shared destiny of the Jewish people everywhere.

This proposal risks setting a broader precedent. If codified, it could embolden efforts to restrict recognition of non-Orthodox conversions, limit public funding for pluralistic institutions, and expand rabbinic court jurisdiction in ways that further erode religious freedom. This is not an isolated fight but part of a larger ideological project.

We call on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to use his authority to prevent this legislation from advancing and to instruct members of his coalition to reject this brazen attempt to criminalize egalitarian prayer. Enacting such a law would severely damage Klal Yisrael – the unity of the Jewish people – and undermine Israel’s foundational commitment to freedom of religion and conscience.

The Reform Movement remains steadfast in our love for and commitment to the State of Israel. Precisely because of that commitment, we will continue to advocate for a Zionism that reflects the full diversity of the Jewish people and safeguards the right of every Jew to approach the Holy One in their own voice.

We urge the global Jewish community to take immediate action. Join our Reform and Conservative partners worldwide in calling on Israeli leaders and diplomats to halt this dangerous legislation and uphold Israel’s promise as a homeland for all Jews.

Central Conference of American Rabbis
Rabbi David Lyon (he/him)
President

Rabbi Hara Person (she/her)
Chief Executive

Union for Reform Judaism
Rabbi Rick Jacobs (he/him)
President

Shelley Nicely Groff (she/her)
Chair

American Conference of Cantors
Cantor Josh Breitzer (he/him)
President

Rachel Roth (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer

Association of Reform Zionists of America
Harry Levy (he/him)
Chair

Rabbi Josh Weinberg (he/him)
Director

Association of Reform Jewish Educators
Rabbi Stacy Rigler, RJE (she/her)
CEO

Stacy Rosenthal, RJE (she/her)
President

Women’s Rabbinic Network
Rabbi Lisa Delson (she/her)
Co-President

Rabbi Simone Schicker (she/her)
Co-President

Rabbi Mary Zamore (she/her)
Executive Director

Program and Engagement Professionals of Reform Judaism (PEP-RJ)
Scott Hertz (he/him)
President

Women of Reform Judaism  
Karen Sim (she/her)
President

Rabbi Liz P. G. Hirsch (she/her)
CEO

Men of Reform Judaism
Larry Pepper (he/him)
President

Steven Portnoy (he/him)
Executive Director

Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism
Tricia Ginis (she/her)
CEO

Ellen Lefkowitz (she/her)
President

Rowan University Boyd Recital Hall 7:30pm

Strings of Hope — The journey of violins that survived the horrors of the Holocaust and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, in film, live performance & spoken word. Sharing the powerful stories of the artists they belonged to, from Hiroshima to Vienna, Warsaw & Shanghai, this promises to be an historic event as the violins carry forward stories of resilience, courage, and hope.

Created by cellist & producer Udi Bar-David, the international ensemble will feature teenage violin virtuoso Mio Imai, Taiko drummer Joe Small, pianist Keiko Sato and Udi Bar-David.

To purchase tickets please visit Rowan University’s site: Strings of Hope – Rowan University Box Office

Reflections on Ritual – February 2026

Modeh Ani. I am grateful.

“Prayer is our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.” In a single sentence, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel eloquently explained why we pray and what we seek when we pray. Through prayer we praise our creator, we request fulfillment of our needs and we give thanks. But it’s never quite that simple. The idea of prayer can feel irrational in a rational world and even off-putting. When we read prayers from the Siddur, it’s tempting to resist and even argue with words that sometimes feel irrelevant and ancient. Even the most poetic words are lifeless unless we’re able to find personal meaning in them.

For me at least, the most accessible prayers are those in which we give thanks. One example is the part of the Amidah when we say “modim anachnu loch” (we give thanks to You). In our congregation, Rabbi Harrison has initiated a wonderful minhag (custom), that enables us to feel awakened gratitude for countless blessings in our lives. It happens once each month when she asks us to reflect and share those things we’re grateful for: healing, health, family, community, anniversaries, memories and endless surprises of living.
Another of my favorite prayers expressing gratitude is one of the shortest and easiest to understand, with compelling personal meaning as we experience the miracle of awakening each morning.

This prayer is traditionally said immediately upon waking in the morning: “I thank you, living and eternal sovereign, for your kindness in restoring my soul. How great is your faithfulness.” In Hebrew, one says, “Modeh ani l’fanecha, melech chai v’kayam, shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemlah; rabah emunatecha.”

This prayer, composed by Moshe ibn Machir in the 16th century, is unique in several respects. It is intimate, phrased in the first person singular: “I thank you . . .” In most of our prayers we say “we.” And notice, too, that it does not include the name of God, since tradition forbids saying God’s name before washing one’s hands.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks observed that waking is a “miniature rebirth,” and so the prayer is recognition that life is a gift from God, as we prepare to celebrate and sanctify each day.
I recently found a beautiful interpretation of the prayer in the online “Open Siddur Project,” as lovely as the original prayer:

A Kavvanah for Waking Up, by Andrew Shaw

In these still, quiet moments,
I am not asleep and not yet awake.
In the threshold of day and night, with the mixture of darkness and light,
my body is once again coming to life.
I am reborn, each day, from the womb of your compassion.
May all of my actions be worthy of the faith You’ve placed in me.
With words of thanks I’ll greet the dawn.

Here’s another gem in the “Open Siddur Project” on “modeh ani” composed by Rabbi Zalman Schachter Shalomi, z”l:

Modeh Ani – an interpretive translation

Thank You, Living God
And Master,
For giving me
Another day of awareness.
I thank You
For this sacred trust.

The great Sefardic poet and philosopher Yehudah Halevi (1075-1141) wrote a reflection that captures the sense when we wake up that we may perhaps glimpse the divine within.

My Soul – Yehudah Halevi

On the day that I searched for God – for I could not see the Divine –
I turned to my heart and my mind and found Your throne within.
A witness to You in me.

Such are prayers of gratitude. “Our humble answer to the inconceivable surprise of living.”

Be well. L’hitraot. Zeit gezunt.

Stephen Freed, Ritual Committee

Come and join the Temple Beth Hillel – Beth Abraham family for our annual Hanukkah dinner. So we’ll need entrees, latkes, sides, salads & desserts!

Bring your menorah so we can light the candles together.

Please email Eileen at fourfarmfish@comcast.net so she can keep track of who is attending and what you will be bringing.

Hi Everyone, Mark your calendars. Our first Sunday morning breakfast and discussion will be November 23, 2025 at 10 AM. It’s hard to imagine doing this without Uri, but his spirit will inspire and warm us as we go forward. Bring your ideas for future breakfast presentations.

I’ll be doing the first presentation about the oldest Hebrew Bible in the world. Here’s some background.

The Story·of Codex Sassoon.    It’s an obscure name, but there’s an amazing story to be told about this 1,000 year old Hebrew Bible. A “Codex” is a book, and this is the oldest complete Hebrew Bible in the world, which in 2023 was sold at auction for $38.1 million . This Bible is valuable not only because of its age, but because of how it authenticates every important detail of the Bible we read today: the text, spelling, punctuation and cantillation (trop – symbols for chanting) that have been passed down since before the destruction of the Second Temple. One example: Every time we sing the “V’Avhavtah” after reciting the Sh’mah, we’re following the ancient system of symbols that appear in the Codex.

Torah scrolls are sacred and invaluable, but without the wealth of informatLon in a Codex, we’d be left guessing about every sentence. This presentation will tell the story of this Bible, its journey over 1000 years, millennia of tradition leading up to it, and how it defied history, surviving Crusades and wars. It’s something you just can’t make up.

I’ll be making this presentation in honor of Uri Taenzer and Rabbi Bleefeld, both of blessed memory. Uri masterfully coordinated our Sunday morning breakfasts for so many years. We’ll feel his gentle hand and guiding presence whenever we gather. Rabbi Bleefeld, was unrestrained in sharing his excitement with me about the Sassoon Codex_at the time it went up for auction in 2023. Both are in our hearts.

Chef David Fisher will be honoring us with his delicious eggs, home fried potatoes and delightful fruits and vegetables. Harvey Friedman will be in charge of coffee. And, of course, we’ll have plenty of bagels to carb everyone up while we schmooz and learn.

Looking forward to a great turnout on November 23rd.

Chanukah is On its Way: How will you Celebrate?

Rabbi Rhoda J Harrison, PhD/LSW, Temple Beth Hillel-Beth Abraham

As our days get seemingly shorter with sundown arriving earlier and earlier by the day, I imagine I am not alone in looking forward to the lights of Chanukah. Chanukah, our Festival of Lights, brings a needed sense of warmth into our homes during these darker days with the lighting of our chanukiyot, the sharing of latkes and sufganiyot, and celebrating with family and friends.

Chanukah, celebrated from the 25^th of  Kislev through the 2^nd of Tevet,  comes after a long break in holidays. Cheshvan, the month just prior to Kislev and following the string of fall holidays is the only month in the Jewish calendar that does not have a holiday to mark or celebrate within it. This lack of holidays was thought to be so significant our Rabbinic sages labeled the month MarCheshvan, the bitter Cheshvan (mar being drawn from the same linguistic root as Passover’s maror). The break, though, is needed. After the busy, both physically and spiritually, month of Tishri, the quiet of Cheshvan offers a welcome balance.

But now, it’s time to ready ourselves to celebrate our Festival of Chanukah and challenge ourselves to do so with intention. Chanukah invites us to consider our Jewish identity and what it means to be a minority living within a majority culture. It’s so easy to allow Chanukah to get swept up in the American winter holiday season. Most every public Christmas display will include some nod to Chanukah, even well after the festival is over. The intent of this inclusion is lovely. At its best, it is meant to be welcoming. But, as we consider our celebration plans, let us not forget the essence and history of Chanukah. The Maccabees fought against assimilating to the point of disappearing. The history of how Chanukah came to be is fundamentally about retaining and remaining committed to the unique aspects of our beloved and sacred traditions even amongst pressure to assimilate, even as we may choose to acculturate into a broader society.

As a modern, Progressive American Jew, I value being able to be included in this country’s culture, and my American identity is as important as my Jewish identity. At the same time, the irony of folding Chanukah into America’s Christmas- laden Winter Holiday season should give us pause. Yes, we want to feel included, but at what cost?

As we enter this winter’s American holiday season, I challenge us to honor Chanukah by giving it space to stand on its own. Let us all be particularly mindful of how we choose to celebrate and honor our beloved Jewish customs and traditions.

Chag Chanukah same’ach!

It’s not every day that we get to thank someone who has played a critical role in our development as a person, a learner, a member of society.  We know how important it is to honor parents and teachers, but we often take it for granted. I know I do.

So it gave me great joy when I had the opportunity to honor a teacher and thank him face to face for sharing his wisdom and heart, and giving me the life skills to pursue a love of Judaica.

On October 23, I participated in an event at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York to celebrate my former professor and faculty advisor, Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, who taught Jewish history and mentored me at JTS 54 years ago. He went on to become Chancellor of JTS, the seminary of the Conservative movement for some 20 years. He lead the institution into the 21st century on many fronts, not the least of which was embracing the ordination of women into the rabbinate, and granting cantorial degrees to women.

At the event, Dr. Schorsch, 91, was celebrated at a faculty luncheon, and in a separate ceremony, I thanked him face to face after 50 years, and dedicated a mezuzah to him, affixed to the doorpost of the Chancellor’s suite.  Though he had taught and mentored thousands of students as a teacher and JTS leader, he was visibly moved as we stood and expressed our thanks to him.

We are who we are because of those who came before us.  But even the rabbis sometimes forget to prepare us for the joy we experience when we carry out the mitzvah of honoring parents and teachers. So it was fitting how much I learned on the day I thanked the teacher, rabbi and scholar who cared enough to guide and inspire this 20 year old student half a century ago.

Stephen Freed, Ritual Committee

Photo: Chancellor Schwartz, Stephen Freed and Chancellor Emeritus Schorsch