B'nai Shalom Fundraiser Features Dittelman

'A Night of Amazement' is Jan. 12.

Guests at Congregation B’nai Shalom’s largest annual fundraiser might wish they were mind readers during the silent auction. That skill is reserved for the evening’s main entertainment. “America’s Got Talent” semi-finalist Eric Dittelman will perform during "A Night of Amazement," from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center. Tickets are $50 for adults, $60 at the door, and $36 for children age 14 and older, accompanied by an adult relative. The event is open to the community. Event Chairman Rob Sternburg said Wednesday he hopes to raise a net of $25,000, which would go toward B'nai Shalom's operating budget. He also hopes to raise $5,000 for the "Rabbi’s Wish List,” which Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz…

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Patch Facts

5 Things: Did You Give Blood at B'nai Shalom?

Here's what's happening in Westborough.

Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. What will you be doing today? 1. Congregation B'nai Shalom hosted a blood drive Sunday, and collected 47 pints of blood, according to the Red Cross. Here's a list of the upcoming Westborough-area drives, courtesy of the American Red Cross website: 2. The Mill Pond School hosts Let's Dance at 6:30 p.m. 3. The Westborough Council on Aging meets at 9:30 a.m. at the Westborough Senior Center. The agenda is here. 4. Tatnuck Bookseller hosts "Insightful Readings With Jacki Rose" from 6 to 8 p.m. 5. St. Luke the Evangelist Parish holds Mass at 9 a.m.

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Hanukkah Begins on Saturday

Public menorah lightings are among the local holiday activities planned.

“The theme of Hanukkah,” Rabbi Michoel Green notes, “is the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil." Generosity is one form of that light, Rabbi Green said Tuesday. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, starts at sunset this Saturday and ends at sunset Sunday, Dec. 16. This year, community members are mindful that “there are people that are still homeless in New York and New Jersey,” for example, said Green, who leads Chabad of Westborough. “A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness. And nowadays, even a little bit of generosity goes a lot further. The need is greater,” he said. “Charity is something which is very relevant to Hanukkah.” Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz of Congregation B’nai Shalom in Westborough said Hanukkah is “…

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Observe Yom Kippur 2012 in Westborough

Find out where and how to observe the Jewish holiday in your community.

Yom Kippur is, in short, the holiest day of the year in Jewish religion and culture. It is also referred to as the “Day of Atonement,” and the tradition is to solemnly fast for repentance and atonement of sins. Yom Kippur marks the end of the annual High Holy Day period (Sept. 16 to Sept. 26 in 2012), which begins with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. On Sept. 25, observation will begin at sunset. In Westborough, Beth Tikvah Synagogue, Congregation B'nai Shalom and Chabad of Westborough will hold Yom Kippur services. Beth Tikvah's Yom Kippur schedule is: B'nai Shalom's Yom Kippur schedule is: Chabad of Westborough's Yom Kippur schedule is: Yom Kippur falls annually on the 10th day of Tishrei, a month on the Hebrew calendar, which is …

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Local Youth's Bar Mitzvah Project Honors His Grandmother

Matthew Levine is walking in the 24th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, presented by Hyundai Motor America, in memory of his grandmother, Lorraine Goren, who died of ovarian cancer in October of 2009.

Matthew Levine says he will walk with 44 other people for ovarian cancer this Sunday "so no one else will have to die the way Grammy did." Levine, 12, a member of Congregation B’nai Shalom of Westborough, is walking in the 24th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, presented by Hyundai Motor America, in memory of his grandmother, Lorraine Goren, who died of ovarian cancer in October of 2009. Participating in Sunday's walk on the 45-person Ovarian Cancer Brigade team is Levine's bar mitzvah community service project. "I’ve raised $1865.80 so far. My goal is to raise at least $2,000," Levine, of Ashland, says. "The team I’m walking with, the Ovarian Cancer Brigade hopes to raise $50,000 this year for the Dr. Ursula Matulonis Ovarian Cancer…

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Say Hi to New Westborough Rabbi

Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz says she likes the community's 'small-town feel'.

Westborough community members who see Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz at the supermarket or elsewhere around town should say hello. The new senior rabbi of Congregation B'nai Shalom says she welcomes the interactions, part of Westborough's "small-town feel." "In my last place, I knew that if I went to Trader Joe's, I'd bump into all of my congregants," Gurevitz said during an interview in her office last week. "Here, it doesn't matter where I go. I bump into my congregants. It's small enough that everybody's everywhere. "Actually, I really like that. I like bumping into people and having those sort of on-the-fly conversations, where sometimes people are more comfortable asking you something or telling you something when they're not having to step …

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Patch Facts

5 Things: Children's Workshop Hosts Grand Opening Today

Wondering what's happening in Westborough? Here are some ideas.

Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. What will you be doing today? 1. Try Jewish meditation: Jewish meditation with Mitch Gordon will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Congregation B'Nai Shalom. Admission is free. 2. Follow Westborough Patch on Twitter: @WestboroPatch. 3. Learn about the Children's Workshop, which holds a grand opening party from 5 to 8 p.m. 4. Learn about the Westborough Recreation Commission today. The board meets at 7 p.m. in the Westborough Municipal Offices. The agenda is here. 5. Remember to vote in the Best of Patch Readers' Choice contest. Follow this link to the categories.

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Mitzvah Day Draws More than 500 Volunteers

A multitude of mitzvahs (good deeds) were done by members of Congregation B'nai Shalom during its 5th annual Mitzvah Day.

  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not," according to Dr. Seuss, who was quoted on the Congregation B'nai Shalom's (CBS) pamphlet its 5th annual Mitzvah Day, held Sunday, April 29. Over 350 CBS students and teachers, and another 200 adult members pitched in to stack shelves at food pantries, write cards and letters for soldiers, pull weeds at CBS, plant seeds at the Heirloom Harvest Community Farm, and many more activities to support the congregation and community. Interim CBS Rabbi Sharon Sobel commented, "It's not always easy to find time to do a mitzvah (good deed), but Mitzvah Day at B'nai Shalom made it happen for hundreds of volunteers." She continued, "Mitzvah Day is a concerted …

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Mitch Gordon

10:31 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Mitzvah Day was outstanding. There is always so much work to do, And we are blessed to have so many volunteers to do it. Every day should be mitzvah Day   more ›

'Night of Laughter' Raises Funds for B'nai Shalom [IMAGE GALLERY]

More than 200 people attended Congregation B'nai Shalom's "Night of Laughter" at the Doubletree Hotel on Saturday, March 31.

  "My mom is writhing in pain on that one. It's definitely on the do not tell list," said comedian Dan Hirshon. Along with fellow comedian Steve Calechman, Hirshon entertained his parents, grandmother and more than 200 Congregation B'nai Shalom members and guests at a fundraising event held at the Doubletree Hotel on Saturday evening, March 31. Wendy Wilsker, B'nai Shalom's development chair and Night of Laughter committee chair told Westborough Patch, "We've been planning this evening since October... We hope to raise between $10 and $15,000 for B'nai Shalom's programs and services, and maintaining the building." Wilsker gave a special thanks to committee members Steve Heims, Rob Sternburg and Jim Wilner. The evening featured a dessert …

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Patch Facts

5 Things You Need to Know Today: March 17

Feeling green?

  Each morning, Westborough Patch presents “5 Things You Need to Know,” a collection of announcements, events, reminders and odd little ditties to help you organize your day. 1. Top o' the morning to you! Did you know that St. Patrick’s Day is observed in Ireland as a legal national holiday? 2. There are few better ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day than by going to Westborough's Annual Town Meeting. The fun begins at 1 p.m. in the auditorium of Westborough High School. See you there! 3. But wait, there's more! There is a Special Town Meeting set to begin at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. What makes it so special? Well aside from it being St. Patrick's Day and the height of celebratory moods, it is also when voters will decide …

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