United Jewish Center of Danbury, Connecticut

5768 -- Another Year of School

Leah and Ellen Koh have put together a wonderful compilation of pictures to sound for the school year that is just about to finish. Every student is being given a DVD to have as a keepsake for the year.

Havdalah Services

Join us in welcoming in the new week at Havdalah services.

Held at sunset on Saturday, Havdalah services mark the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week. It is a beautiful service including prayer, music, wine, a box of aromatic spices and a special braided candle.

On the second Saturday evening of the month, we will be holding Havdalah services at the UJC with a kosher dairy potluck dinner.

Our next Havdalah service is planned for July 12, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. at the UJC.

If you are interested or have questions, please call Stacey Spilka at 203-431-5783 or by email at staceyspilka@sbcglobal.net

UJC LAUNCHES EMERGENCY FUND TO HELP COMMUNITIES IN THE CENTRAL U.S.

United Jewish Communities/the Federations of North America has launched a relief effort for victims of natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes, that have wreaked havoc in the central United States since mid-May. To donate, please click here.

The UJC Central U.S. Disaster Relief Fund -- which will include a mailbox for accepting checks and an online donation form -- will help victims in the Jewish and general populations, with funds going to local communities that have been affected by natural disasters. No administrative costs will be deducted from funds raised.

To date flooding caused by storms and tornadoes has ravaged states including Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi and Wisconsin. UJC staff is working with federations and the UJC Network of Independent Communities to assess the impact on members of the community and on property. UJC continues to collaborate with federations and their constituent agencies such as Hillel, Jewish Community Relations Councils, Jewish Family Services, Jewish Community Centers and a variety of religious movements to monitor the situation, determine new and emerging needs and the appropriate response. As a member of NVOAD (National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster,) UJC continues to monitor the needs of the general community.

In addition to coordinating this continental relief effort, UJC is also encouraging local federations to open their own emergency mailboxes and raise funds directly in order to more closely track their donors, with the understanding that these funds will be forwarded for distribution by the UJC Emergency Committee.

Fred Zimmerman, of Nashville, chair of the UJC Emergency Committee, said UJC has provided critical relief for a wide range of disasters and tragedies, from September 11 to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, wildfires and storms -- in addition to its ongoing work on behalf of the Jewish people worldwide.

"We're all heartsick at the devastation, and we want everyone affected to know that just as this part of the country helps sustain us, we're going to help sustain them through these disasters." Zimmerman said.

The UJC/Federation system raised than $10 million in response to the Southeast Asia tsunami, which helped the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee deliver critical assistance. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, UJC/Federation raised more than $28 million to help the Jewish and general communities rebuild.

"Those of us not affected are the lucky ones. All we can do is pray for the victims and serve as a vehicle to convene those individuals who want to help by making contributions. Our expertise has enabled us to be responsive on a continental level on so many such occasions lately. We wish the facts were otherwise." added UJC's President and CEO Howard Rieger.

Shop to help the UJC!

We have identified three ways to raise money for the UJC without it costing you anything more than you would normally pay shopping:

Scrip: What is scrip? Scrip is a term that means “substitute money.” When you purchase scrip, you’re purchasing prepaid gift cards. You or the recipient can use scrip to purchase everyday expenses like food, clothing and other essentials.
How Scrip generates revenue for the UJC
We buy the scrip from Great Lakes Scrip Center at a discount and resell it at full face value. The discount – from two to fifteen percent or more — is the UJC’s profit!
A list of retailers and order form are available on this web site, in our Shofar or at the UJC office. We'll be placing orders monthly.
If you have any questions or want to find out if additional retailers are available, call Bonnie Wunsch at 313-0578 or email her at ujcscrip@aol.com
iGive.com: Go to igive.com and register, which will name the United Jewish Center of Danbury as the organization you wish to support. Then use igive.com as your launching point before buying from one of (currently) 685 stores. igive.com shows you the percentage of your purchase that will go to the UJC.

Amazon.com: By selecting this link to Amazon.com or the icon at the bottom of this page, the UJC will receive varying percentages of purchases made.

Online donations

Congregants who have their credit card information on file with the UJC office can now make fund donations from this site. Please fill in and send the donation page to the UJC office. The page allows you to select any of the UJC funds. Your donations are appreciated.

Darfur information

Please get informed about the crisis in Darfur. It is time for us to act and the options are many:

STUDY the issue using resources at SaveDarfur.org, genocideintervention.net, or AJWS.org.

DONATE to the UJC's Tikvah fund with your donation designated to Dafur aid or to Mazon (see Mazon flyer for more details).

TELL your friends about the crisis in Darfur and write letters to the editors of your local newspapers (including the weeklies) to urge them to STUDY, DONATE and WRITE to keep the issue in front of people and officials.

Please join us for Torah Study and Shabbat morning services!

The Baal Shem Tov once said:

If you want your prayers to bear fruit, offer them with pleasure and joy.

Every Saturday morning at the United Jewish Center, a congenial group gathers for Torah study at 8:45, worship at 10:00, refreshments and fellowship at noon. Come and join us. It's a feel-good habit worth sharing.