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 Rabbi Malinger
Rabbi Laurence P. Malinger was born in Philadelphia and raised in Florida, Virginia and Texas. He graduated from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics in 1987. He completed graduate work at Trinity University in Master of Education with School Psychology in 1988. In 1991, Rabbi Malinger completed his unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas. He received his Masters of Arts in Hebrew Letters degree and was ordained Rabbi in 1992 and 1993 respectively, from the Hebrew Union College, Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio. Upon ordination in 1993, Rabbi Malinger became Assistant Rabbi and Director of Education at Congregation Beth Emeth in Wilmington, Delaware. He was promoted to Associate Rabbi in July, 1997. In June of 1999 Rabbi Malinger was elected as senior Rabbi of Temple Shalom of Aberdeen, New Jersey.
He is a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), the New Jersey-West Hudson Valley Association of Reform Rabbis (NJWHVARR) currently serving as the president, and the Bayshore Ministerium as the immediate past chair. He is also involved as a delegate to the Joint Commissions on Ethics for the CCAR and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) as well as on the advisory committee for the URJ Camp Harlam.
Rabbi Malinger has been involved in many civic activities in New Jersey including the Interfaith Alliance for Fair Treatment, the Jewish Addiction Resource (JAR) of the Jewish Federation of Monmouth County, and a member of the Rabbinic Supervisory Council for Future Projects for the Federation.
Rabbi Malinger is married to Samantha Jablo Malinger, a MSW with a specialty in geriatrics. They are the proud parents of their daughter, Alyson and two sons, Joseph and David.
The Rabbi writes. . .
A few months ago, eJewishPhilanthropy.com featured an article by James Hyman discussing the American Jewish identity. What does it mean to be an American Jew today, and how involved in Jewish life should we be? If we consider ourselves Jewish but don’t practice the religion or participate in the community, are we still Jewish?
Hyman begins his article by citing a study that shows there to be some 6 million people who self-identify as Jewish in the United States. This number is much higher than originally thought, yet there certainly aren’t 6 million members of synagogues in the United States. So who are these Jewish Americans? Some belong to synagogue and are active in their local Jewish communities, but most are on the periphery, identifying with Judaism more as a culture than a religion.
Hyman points out that the study shows an increased desire to identify oneself as Jewish, yet how do we engage those who consider themselves Jewish, but don’t participate in Temple Shalom? Making that initial connection is essential, but there’s a larger question we need to address in all of our programs, and through all of our auxiliaries, that doesn’t get addressed by restructuring fees or reorganizing our organization. We have to offer compelling answers to: Why be Jewish? And why be Jewish within the context of our Temple Shalom community? What’s the benefit? How does it improve ourselves and the world around us? I and many others of our community have been asking these questions for years and we are gratified to see more and more people asking the same questions on big stages, such as the recent gathering of the General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America and at the Biennial of the Union for Reform Judaism.
The question we should be asking is does the Judaism we teach, that which we share, reach out to people and allow them to flourish? Does the Judaism of our hearts and souls reach out to people in times of need to create moments of deep and profound meaning? In simple and clear terms Maimonides articulates the primary concern that should keep the Jewish community up at night – are we re-envisioning Judaism in the 21st century that liberates the essential power of Jewish wisdom? Does our “law”, our Torah, the wisdom we share, care for the welfare of the souls and bodies of our communities? Do our communities, do people around the world - Jewish and non-Jews - know Judaism has the power to help them flourish, to allow them, in the words of CLAL President Rabbi Irwin Kula, “become more deeply human”?
Life today, by all accounts, is a challenge. People are looking for meaning. They are looking for something to help them face these challenges and rise to new heights and depths in their relationships, in their growth as human beings. The wisdom of Judaism can guide people on their journeys to answer these life’s fundamental questions. It can offer them tremendous hope for a life that is not only filled with joy but one filled with compassion, love, awareness of a world in need of healing, a life of creativity and growth. Let’s start focusing on what we know best: the nooks and crevices of Jewish wisdom. Let us open the floodgates of Jewish wisdom so it can flourish in the hearts, minds and lives of people all around the world. Please work with us to do so.
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 Cantor Sher
Cantor Leon Sher was invested as a Cantor in 2003 at Hebrew Union College in New York and most recently served as a Cantor at Barnert Temple in Franklin Lakes, NJ. He is a faculty member of the North American Jewish Choral Festival and a conductor, accompanist, composer and arranger for local chapters of HaZamir, an international Jewish High School Choir. Cantor Sher’s compositions include “Heal Us Now”, often sung by Temple Shalom’s choir and recently performed at a U.S. Congressional Memorial and Healing Service for the victims of the Arizona shooting. In addition to serving as a Cantor, Leon Sher has extensive experience as a choral director, music teacher, song leader and B’nai Mitzvah tutor. He is a current and founding member of Beged Kefet, a Jewish music group which donates the proceeds from their performances and recordings to Myriam's Dream, an organization that raises funds and consciousness for the benefit of the elderly and disabled.
The
Cantor writes...
The Light of Love
Some of you have asked that I share some of my favorite music with you. I wonder if I can do that in this forum? Well, here’s an experiment. I share with you here the lyrics of an uplifting, insightful and inspirational song that I have loved for many years. It’s written by one of my favorite singer-songwriters, David Roth. I sang this in November for our community’s interfaith Thanksgiving service and I’d be happy to sing it for you almost any time.
May the Light of Love
As we come around to take our places at the table,
A moment to remember and reflect upon our wealth.
Here’s to loving friends and family, here’s to being able,
To gather here together in good company and health.
May we be released from all those feelings that would harm us.
May we have the will to give them up and get them gone
For heavy are the satchels full of anger and false promise
May we have the strength to put them down.
May the light of love be shining deep within your spirit
May the Torch of Mercy clear the path and show the way
May the Horn of Plenty sound so everyone can hear it
May the Light of Love be with you every day.
May we wish the best for every one that we encounter.
May we swallow pride and may we do away with fear.
For it’s only what we do not know, that we have grown afraid of
And only what we do not choose to hear. (Chorus)
As we bless our daily bread and drink our day’s libation
May we be reminded of the lost and wayward soul,
The hungry and the homeless that we have in every nation –
May we fill each empty cup and bowl.
May nothing ever come between or threaten to divide us.
May we never take for granted all the gifts that we receive
Being ever mindful of the unseen hands that guide us
And the miracles that cause us to believe. (Chorus)
I hope you had a wonderful and meaningful Thanksgiving, Chanuka, secular new year and more. Let’s recognize the blessings in our lives and share them.
B’shira – In song,
Cantor Leon Sher
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 Cindy Terebush
Director Terebush was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree and teaching certification from Kean College (now Kean University) and has completed the State of New Jersey Director’s Academy for Early Care and Education. In addition to meeting all of the criteria as mandated by the State of New Jersey to direct the pre-school, her credentials include New Jersey Teacher Certification through 12th grade. She has additional course work in such topics as special needs; classroom management; educational theory; program management & thematic curriculum; creating positive environments; math and cognitive for pre-school; health and safety; and excellence for parents. She also has business management experience in the field of marketing.
Director Terebush has worked in the field of early childhood education for fourteen years, and is a member of National Association for the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC); Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism (ECE-RJ); the New Jersey Registry for Childhood Professionals Serving Children Birth Through Age Thirteen; a member of the New Jersey Mentor Network and is also a member of the National Association of Temple Educators (NATE). Cindy has facilitated workshops for educators at the Brookdale Early Childhood Education Conference; Monmouth County’s Commission on Jewish Education and more. Cindy is a Level VII PINJ Professional Achievement Lattice (New Jersey Registry) approved Associate Instructor of Adults specializing in the areas of cognitive development, positive guidance & discipline, curriculum development, developmentally appropriate practice and best practice..
A member of Temple Shalom since 2001, she is former editor of The Shalom, the temple newsletter, and also served on board of trustees, the communications committee, board of education, sisterhood board and nursery school committee.
Director Terebush lives in Old Bridge with husband Todd and their two sons, Michael and Scott .
The School Director writes...
“New Activities Will Create New Educational Connections”
Education is all about connections. As educators, it is our job to create a variety of connections. We connect concepts so that students learn how different disciplines relate to one another. It is also our job to connect what they learn in school with the world outside the classroom. Nothing exists in isolation in the real world and it shouldn’t in a learning environment. In preschool, students learn about Jewish Holy Days, Festivals and Shabbat through stories, songs, art and play. We connect what they are singing and painting to the book they read and the craft they are making. Our Religious School students learn that Hebrew is connected to everything they do and is part of every class. You cannot, for example, teach about being a mench or Jewish lifecycle events without using Hebrew words. They learn that Torah stories and ancient peoples teach us by connecting to our values. Our Hebrew High students take the subjects learned in grades K-7 to the next level. Through such classes as Conversational Hebrew, Comparative Religion and Tzedakah & Social Justice, their learning scaffolds. Teachers help them to recall what they learned in Religious School and add to the knowledge with students who can now think more deeply and abstractly.
It is time to take the interwoven fabric of learning one step further. Our students need to connect to current events, to Israel, to Jewish people and issues worldwide. Children today are bombarded with media and yet, they often know surprisingly little about current events. Children born in the 1990’s and after are removed from the generation of people whose suffering during World War II led to the creation of a Jewish homeland. Connecting our students to Israel & its history and events that impact Jewish people everywhere is a goal that needs to be broken down into steps. You will notice new activities in the coming months that will begin us on the road to more student awareness of their Jewish world.
In our preschool, we can use technology to show real pictures of what we describe and learn through pretend. Our annual “Trip to Israel” week will still include simulated cities in our classrooms. We will enhance that learning with huge, projected photos thus connecting replication with reality. Technology can also be used to show Jewish traditions and celebrations in action.
Religious School & Hebrew High School students will be encouraged to take the Jewish Facts and Events Challenge. One bulletin board in the hallway will have a question that students will be asked to answer. Questions will change approximately every 2 weeks. Questions will relate to Israel as a nation, current events and Jewish history in the 20th century. Students will earn Religious School Dollars when they submit correct answers by the due date. Religious School Dollars can be saved and/or spent on prizes. Be sure to watch the dollars for some well-known Temple Shalom faces – a way we can connect our students to the people they see in their community.
We hope you will encourage this learning by using our activities and questions as a basis for discussions at home.
Contact info: Cindy Terebush, Director of Temple Shalom Schools 732-566-2961 or 732-566-2621
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On May 4, 1987, Sheila Phillips, became bookkeeper at Temple Shalom so she could work across the street from her children’s school. Just one week later, Stephanie Pinck was hired as the office manager. Ever since, they have been an indispensable team in the running of Temple Shalom.
The pair does so much more than manage the office and temple accounts. They are often called upon to serve as party planners, psychotherapists, office machine repair women, mothers, grief counselors, security guards, custodians, chauffeurs, fashion consultants, personal shoppers, weather reporters, traffic controllers, and much more. They are our ambassadors to the community, as they serve as the first people whom callers and visitors to the temple come into contact with.
Stephanie lives with her husband Marty in Old Bridge and has two grown daughters, Lara and Alissa plus grandson Logan. Sheila lives with her husband Jeff in Manalapan and has a daughter, Bernice, a son, Robert, a son-in-law, John, and her pride and joys, grandchildren Jared, Rachel and Jenna.
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