Rain, Schmain...The Sukkah Is Up (and it's good!)

The rain came down but the Sukkah went up on the morning of Sunday, September 27. In spite of the challenges of inclement weather, a short window with Kol Nidre that night and some really good football games to get home to, the Men's Club raised the Sukkah in just under an hour-and-a-half. (It seems to get quicker every year!)

The Sukkah will play host to several Agudath Israel events, many of them sponsored by the youth and school programs. The Men's Club will take center stage in the Booth on Thursday, October 8, 8 pm, when it hosts its first annual "Scotch in the Sukkah" event. The cover charge of $18 gets participants a Scotch tasting, seminar from a Scotch Maven and a commemorative glass. Additonal glasses can be purchased from the Men's Club for a discounted price of $6.00.

Marty Schenker, Men's Club VP is co-chairing this event and can be reached at marty-boy@comcast.net.

Special thanks to our Sukkah builders, with special yasher koaches going to event chair Gary Kabler (pictured, catching raindrops with his tongue) and our foremen Mike Chiaet and Alfie Mahler, who brought the good drill.

Men of the Year 2009

The CAI Men's Club has selected it's 2009 Man of the Year, to be honored at the NNJR MOY Dinner at the Crystal Plaza in Livingston on Wednesday, November 11. Larry Dodyk, recent past co-president receives the well-deserved honor this year. Alongside Scott Kopen, Larry led the Men's Club during the synagogue's renovation years. His efforts sustained favorite programs of the past and introduced new events. In addition to his presence in the conference room, he is also a force on the basketball court, serving as power forward on the CAI Men's Club Basketball team. At left, Larry is preparing one of the carnival games for the 2009 Purim Festival.

Also being recognized this year is Harvey Hershkowitz, a past Men's Club president who now serves as Vice President of the NNJR of Jewish Men's Clubs. He is the NNJR Man of the Year for 2009. Harvey's representation on the NNJR board does us proud and his continued participation in many CAI committees is a great inspiration to the shul's many lay leaders. Harvey is pictured, second from right, with NNJR board members, delivering a check to the Worldwide Masorti Movement.

An added feature to the Man of the Year Dinner is the Youth of the Year Award. The club has selected Austin Mahler for this inaugural honor. Austin's mitzvah project of organizing the Agudath Israel library has made the room a better place for learning and meditation. Austin can also be counted on for helping us raise the sukkah every year. An Eagle Scout-to-be, Austin is a senior at Newark Academy in Livingston.

Please help us recognize all three of this outstanding gentlemen by attending the Man of the Year Dinner on November 11th and taking out an ad in the event's ad journal. Please contact Adam Shandler at adam@adshandler.com for more info and pricing.

Yotam Zach Speaks, Inspires at Agudath Israel

On Tuesday, September 15, the CAI Men's Club and Israel Program Committee welcomed speaker Yotam Zach, 23, to Caldwell. Yotam is the 2009-2010 Youth Shaliach (emissary) from Israel.

Yotam took the audience through a very thorough but inspiring timeline that began all the way back in 1936 when his grandparents fled an oppressive Iraq and post-war Europe respectively. He spoke of growing up in the Tel Aviv suburb of Azur where his parents held high ranking civic titles.

Yotam spent much of his lecture talking about the public relations and physical wars that were fought in the Gaza strip during his days of military service. Two of the most challenging but impactful experiences were having to remove Jews from Gaza during disengagement and battling Kazam rocket-launchers during the incursion. But the P.R. war seems to have been one of the toughest things Yotam had to deal with. Friends would call him on his cell phone to verify and refute disparaging reports about the Israeli military seen on international media.

Towards the end of the presentation, Yotam encouraged the audience to write letters of hope for POW Gilad Shalit and talked about reactions from the death of IDF pilot Assaf Ramon.

Yotam will be spending the year engaging with Jewish communities of all ages in the Metrowest area and Rutgers University. We highly recommend having him speak to your group. You'll get some great stories about what it's like growing up in Israel and you'll be able to connect with a young Israeli who genuinely wants bring a bit of the Holy Land to the States. For more information contact Men's Club President Adam Shandler at adshandler@gmail.com.

Thanks to Yotam for giving us a strong start to the Men's Club 2009-10 programming calendar, and to Randi Brokman for suggesting this terrific speaker. (At right, Yotam Zach, center, poses with, from left, Men's Club VP Marty Schenker, Israel Committee Co-President Harvey Hershkowitz, Men's Club President Adam Shandler and Israel Committee Co-President Lee Gladstein.)

Men's Club Votes on New Logo, Slogan

The CAI Men's Club has voted on a new logo, pictured, at left. The logo fonts and torch were designed by club president Adam Shandler but reformatted by a committee of Men's Club veterans.

"The font is Neuropol, a new design featured in MS Word 2007," said Shandler. "The torch represents the numerous NNJR Torch Awards for Excellence in Programming that we've won throughout the years." The Men's Club has also rolled out a new slogan for the 2009-2010 programming year. "Excellence in Friendship."

"The slogan best captures what we're all about - being a nationally recognized Men's Club that focuses on brotherhood," Shandler added. Last year's slogan was "A National Award Winning Club".

The CAI Men's Club kicks off its 2009-10 programming calendar this Tuesday night, September 15, at 8 pm when it hosts speaker Yotam Zach. Yotam is this year's Metrowest Youth Emissary from Israel and a former IDF Intelligence Officer. The Men's Club is sponsoring this event in partnership with the CAI Israel Program Committee. For more info, email mensclubcai@gmail.com

Yotam Zach, Speaker for Sept 15 Event, Featured in NJJN

Yotam Zach, the 2009-10 MetroWest Youth Shaliach (emissary) from Israel, who will be speaking at CAI on September 15, was featured with fellow emissaries in the most recent edition of the New Jersey Jewish News.

Yotam and four other twenty-somethings are in the U.S. this year promoting kinship with American Jews and talking of their experiences as young Israelis.

Yotam, 23, was a soldier and intelligence officer in the IDF and twice represented the Tzofim Youth Caravan (Israeli Scouts) on public relations missions on behalf of the state of Israel.

If you don't subscribe to the NJJN you can download the article online right here: http://www.njjewishnews.com/njjn.com/081309/mwComingToAmerica.html

Yotam, pictured, back row, right, will speak to our congregation on Tuesday, September 15 at 8 pm in the CAI conference rooms. This event is co-sponsored by the Men's Club and the Israel Program Committee. There is no charge for this event but donations are appreciated and will benefit the October 25 CAI Walk for Israel.

For more information contact Adam Shandler, adshandler@gmail.com, or Harvey Hershkowitz at HSHINC@aol.com

(*Photo credited to Lori Silberman Brauner of the NJ Jewish News)

Adult Israel Encounters - September 15

The Men's Club is proud to announce its first program for the 2009-2010 calendar.

The club will host "Yotam", a speaker from Adult Israel Encounters. Yotam, a young Israel adult visiting American synagogues and Jewish institutions this fall, will discuss growing up in the Holy Land and what life was like in the IDF. A Q&A will follow, and light refreshments will be served. Please contact club president Adam Shandler at adshandler@gmail.com for more info.

General Meeting of the Men's Club - Tuesday, August 11

The next general meeting of the CAI Men's Club will be held on Tuesday night, August 11 in the synagogue conference rooms. We'll start at 8 pm.





On the agenda:


*Discussion of the tentative 2009-10 programming calendar, including discussion of our first program for September.


*Presentation of the Torch and Quality Club Awards


*The new CAI Men's Club logo.


*High Holiday Ushering


*Sukkah building and dismantling (and scotch in the Sukkah!)



For more information please contact club president Adam Shandler at 973-325-2849 or adshandler@gmail.com. (We promise our meeting will be more productive than the one in the Dilbert cartoon, above!)

Men's Club Sets Tentative Programming Calendar for 2009-10

At the community-wide calendar meeting on Monday, June 22nd, the CAI Men's Club scheduled a series of events for 2009-10. Among the highlights are the return of two Texas Hold 'Em poker Tournaments, a scotch-tasting in the Sukkah, and another lecture from the Washington Institute's David Schenker. Some of our "old reliables" remain on the calendar, such as our annual blood drive, NCAA Tournament Party at Miami Mike's and Men's Club Shabbat. The calendar of events, as it stands, is listed below. Some events and dates are subject to change.

As always, the Agudath Israel Men's Club will hold its general meetings on the second Tuesday of every month unless it conflicts with a holiday.

Tuesday, September 15, 8 pm - Torah on Tap or Guest Speaker

Sunday, September 27, 12 pm - Sukkah Raising (after High Holiday Appeal)

Thursday, October 8, 7:45 pm - Scotch Tasting in the Sukkah (pictured)

Sunday, October 18, 10:00 am - Sukkah Dismantling

Wednesday, November 11, 8:00 pm - Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament

MAN OF THE YEAR DINNER - NNJR - TBD

Tuesday, December 15, 8:00 pm - TBD (Possible Networking Night or Speaker)

Sunday, January 10, 9:00 am - Annual Blood Drive

Sunday, February 7, 10:00 am - World Wide Wrap

Tuesday, February 9, 8:00 pm - David Schenker Lecture (Tentatively)

Sunday, February 28, 8:00 am - Purm Fest Set-Up, followed by Purim Fest at 12 pm

Thursday, March 18, 7:00 pm - Guys Night Out for the NCAA Tournament

YOM HASHOAH CANDLE PACKING - TBD

Wednesday, April 21, 8:00 pm - Torah/Topics on Tap Discussion

Wednesday, May 5, 8:00 pm - Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament (pictured

Friday, June 18, 6:30/8:00 pm - Men's Club Shabbat Dinner and Service with Neshama Choir

Recap: Men's Club Shabbat

On Friday night, June 19, the CAI Men's Club closed out its 2008-09 programming year with its annual Men's Club Shabbat. A Men's Club-Style Shabbat meal preceded the service complete with sloppy joe platters, chicken tenders and hot dogs. The latter two items were for the kids but a President's audit of the dinner plates showed that many adults had dipped into the kids' trays.

The service itself was a remarkable affair. The Cantor Caplan-led Neshama Choir gave the evening a real feeling of Shabbat...and drowned out the Men's Club's less-than-stellar voices! Jack Greene, Froman Mehl, Harvey Hershkowitz, Lee Gladstein, Ken Levitt, Mel Berkowitz, Steve Jacobs, Jay Baranker, Steve Eitman, Scott Kopen, Gary Kabler and Adam Shandler read parts during the Mincha service and Larry Dodyk, as always, did an exceptional job leading the evening minyan.

Shortly after the Kiddush, led by Michael Chaiet, the Men's Club board members were reinstalled for the second year of their two-year term. Mel Berkowitz handled the installation with dignity and a prominence only Mel can bring. This was followed by the President's speech which was delivered by Adam Shandler. Adam focused on the theme of bridging the generational divide and being a stronger club for it.

Michael Simon, the 2007 Frank Nathanson Man of the Year recipient, introduced the 2008 winner, Scott Kopen, pictured. Scott, who was a recent past-president with Larry Dodyk, helped keep the club running for two years while CAI underwent its renovation project. Finally, Randy Kanter, chair of the Jack Lippe Memorial Scholarship, presented Allison Eitman with the honor this year. Allison, who spoke about her service to the Jewish and Caldwell communities, met all four of the criteria for the scholarship: strong academic performance, community service, involvement in the Jewish community and demonstration of superior character. We wish her the best of luck in her studies at Michigan.

The CAI Men's Club takes a summer hiatus but contact us if you'd like to get more involved. Our 2009-10 season opens on September 15, 2009 at 8 pm and will feature either a guest speaker or a session of our award-winning Torah on Tap program.

Men's Club to Attend Calendar Meeting June 22nd

Members of the CAI Men's Club will be present at the June 22nd calendar meeting at Agudath Israel. The meeting will begin at 7:45 pm.

At the Men's Club General Meeting held on June 9th, which was the last of the 2008-09 programming year, the club agreed on hosting some of its traditionally strong events for 2009-10, but will also be experimenting with some new programming. At the June 22nd meeting the Men's Club will schedule its twice-annual Texas Hold 'Em Tournament, Annual Blood Drive, Torah on Tap events and Men's Club Shabbat, among others. New for upcoming year will be Scotch Tasting in the Sukkah, a possible tour of the new Giants/Jets Stadium and a Hanukkah Party-Networking Night combo at Mr. Chu's Vegetarian Cuisine.

If you would like to join the Men's Club at this meeting, or would like to contribute an idea, contact club president Adam Shandler: adshandler@gmail.com

Men's Club General Meeting - Tuesday, May 12

The CAI Men's Club will hold its general, monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 12 at 8 pm in the CAI conference rooms. On the agenda:

*Recap of Gloriously Green Event and Garage Sale

*Yom Hashoah Yellow Candle Fundraising

*Preparation for the Rabbinic Intern Jeremy Gerber Send-Off Party

*Judging for the Jack Lippe Scholarship

*Preparation for the Men's Club Shabbat on June 12

We will also be getting a special visit from Eric Weis, President of the Northern New Jersey Region of Jewish Men's Clubs. Eric will speak about the upcoming National FJMC Convention in Philadelphia over July 4th weekend. Eric is pictured, far right, with our own Harvey Hershkowitz, VP of the NNJR (second from right), presenting a check to David Lissy, Executive Director of Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism. They are joined by Stuart Millstein, (far left) President of the Shomrei Torah Men's Club of Wayne, NJ. (Photo courtesy of the NNJR.org website.)

All male members of Agudath Israel are welcome to join this meeting. We welcome your presence and your new ideas. For more information contact club president Adam Shandler at adshandler@gmail.com

Men's Club General Meeting - Tuesday, April 7th

The next general meeting of the CAI Men's Club will take place on Tuesday night, April 7th, at 8 pm. Meetings are normally on the second Tuesday of each month, but we are bucking the trend in April due to the observance of Passover.

On the agenda for Tuesday's meeting:

*Recaps of our March events

*Men's Club's participation in CAI's Gloriously Green Event on May 3rd

*Thank You Party for Rabbinic Intern Jeremy Gerber (Thursday, May 14th)

*Men's Club Shabbat in June.

We welcome all new members and their ideas to the meeting. You can also witness Secretary Steve Jacobs' masterful minute-taking.

See you there!

NCAA Guys Night Out

The CAI Men's Club knows how to do March Madness.

For the third straight year, members of Men's Club took up their usual table at Miami Mike's Sports Zone in East Hanover and enjoyed the first night of NCAA Tournament Action. The action commenced at 7 p.m. on Thursday night, March 19th.

In addition to a great night out with terrific guys, fun food and refreshing drinks, we were treated to some of the best games of the tournament so far. The most notable contest featured American testing Villanova. Our own VP Marty Schenker, an American U. alumnus, (pictured with Jay Baranker) sweated it out while his Eagles built a 14 point lead over Nova, only to succumb to the more experienced and physical Big East team.

Also in action were Gonzaga and Akron. The #13 seeded Zips, representing the MAC, dominated most of the game but a late run and a worn-out Akron squad secured a Zags win. One of the tighter match-ups squared Michigan against Clemson, in which the Wolverines squeaked it out, and Texas pulled away from a pesky Minnesota team to advance to Round 2.

Those in attendance agreed that the night was great fun, and that you couldn't have picked better games to watch. The event was only enhanced by the atmosphere at Miami Mike's. "Mike always takes care of us," said Men's Club President Adam Shandler. "He has a real knack for hospitality and for making us feel like number one. We're looking forward to having future programming at Mike's."

Event chair Larry Dodyk, pictured with Miami Mike, did a stellar job organizing the evening.

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At left, Randy Kanter and Allen Zaks share good company and good games at Guys Night Out for the NCAA Tournament. At right, Gary Kabler and other Men's Clubbers hold court at Miami Mike's Sports Zone.

FJMC Sefer Haftorah At Agudath Israel

The Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs' Sefer Haftorah, a scroll of all the Haftorah parshas, is being hosted this week by the Agudath Israel Men's Club. Each year, the scroll makes its way from synagogue to synagogue around the continent, spending a week at each one. In addition to being a beautiful scroll, the FJMC Sefer Haftorah serves as a reminder of a fundraiser sponsored by the Federation. Interested parties can buy their own scrolls or replicate their favorite parshas on a miniature scroll. This is a great way to commemorate a major life cycle event in your life, such as a child's Bar Mitzvah or the anniversary of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

The FJMC Sefer Haftorah was displayed during the David Schenker talk on Tuesday, March 17th and will be held by a member on the bima during the reading of this week's Haftorah at Agudath Israel. On Tuesday, March 24, the Sefer continues its road show when it visits a Conservative synagogue in Cliffside Park. Should you be interested in a commemorative Sefer Haftorah or parshah scroll, contact Harvey Hershkowitz at HSHINC@aol.com.

Yom Hashoah Candle Packing Night

On Tuesday night, March 31st, the Agudath Israel Men's Club will be taking part in one of its annual big mitzvah projects - the packing of the yellow Yom Hashoah Candles. The candles, which commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day and keep alive the memory of the 6 million who perished, are distributed to the homes of all CAI members. Members are encouraged to make a donation to the Men's Club for sponsoring the project.

We could use some extra hands to help us assemble the mailing boxes and fill the boxes with candles and donation information. Certainly, the more hands we have the quicker the evening moves, but the more people we have participating the more meaningful the project becomes. Please respond to project chairman Gary Kabler if you are able to volunteer: gkabler@comcast.net

The Yom Hashoah Yellow Candle Program is a continent-wide program managed by the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs (FJMC), of which Agudath Israel is a member. For more information visit http://www.yellowcandles.org/.

World Wide Wrap Recap

On Sunday, February 1st, Congregation Agudath Israel, along with Masorti congregations from around the world, took part in one of Judaism's great rituals: The World Wide Wrap. It's a wonderfully informative and spiritual day for synagogue congregants, most notably Hebrew School students and Men's Clubs. The morning was spent learning about the reasons behind tefillin wrapping, its symbolism and its construction. The lessons dovetailed nicely with morning minyan, which occured right before this event. Following the World Wide Wrap, participants dined on, what else? Wraps!

And you thought the first Sunday in February was all about the Super Bowl.

A hearty Yasher Koach and thanks to our resident tefillin expert, Gerry Shapiro (pictured).