Share a Shabbat

Join Temple Israel congregation members and their families for our SHARE-A-SHABBAT celebration at a group home for developmentally disabled adults. Together we will participate in a short service led by a Temple facilitator (Cherie Marcus and Amy Hersh) that includes music and stories along with the Shabbat dinner.  

We are taught, as members of the Jewish people, to respect individual differences. The experience of SHARE-A-SHABBAT will give further meaning to this important experience.

WHEN: First Friday every month, 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

WHERE: The group home is located at 36 McCarthy Drive in Ossining, NY (9A to Stormytown Road, turn right on McCarthy) and can be reached at 914.923.1354.

Please help us to provide this opportunity by participating in SHARE-A-SHABBAT.  We hope to have 2 Temple Israel members each month. 

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Contact the Donna Bernstein at 914.960.6565 if you and your family would like to participate. Let us know which Friday date works best for you and how many people from your family will be attending. Upcoming dates for spring 2023:

March 3

- April 7

- May 5

- June 2                         

The group home will provide the Shabbat dinner. Volunteers will provide challah and dessert.

SHARE-A-SHABBAT  DETAIL

This group home is a community residence for 8 developmentally disabled adults. Professional staff from the group home is there to assist us. This year will mark the program's 15th year. It has been a tremendous success, thanks to all the families who participate. Our Temple band has become bi-yearly regulars and it is a program that you will want to participate in year after year.

The residents hold independent jobs or attend workshops during the day. Some developmentally disabled adults do not have typical cognitive abilities. Others have some difficulty coping with stressful situations or acting appropriately in social settings. However, they possess the full complex range of emotions that all of us have and that define us as members of the human family, including the desire to find spiritual meaning in our lives.

SHARE-A-SHABBAT gives these developmentally disabled adults living in our community the opportunity to experience a sense of spirituality.  It also provides members of the Temple Israel community with the rewarding experience of relating to a group of individuals who are different from us but also similar in so many ways.

Volunteer responsibilities

Please arrive promptly at 5:30 PM
5:30-6:00 PM - Introductions and Shabbat Prayers led by Cherie or Amy
6:00-6:30 PM - Dinner
6:30-7:00 PM - Discussion or Story, Songs, Closing Prayers led by Cherie or Amy

We ask that all volunteers participate and contribute as much as possible.

Prior to Meal - Help set up juice, set table
During Meal - Help serve the meal by passing around platters of food and help serve those who are having difficulty
After Meal - Help clear the table, set up dessert plates/utensils, cut up dessert into individual portions if needed, serve dessert.

We also ask that volunteers communicate with residents during the meal. If you are uncomfortable, just ask the residents about themselves-where they work, their family, vacations they go on, movies and sports teams they like, etc.