As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we think about goals for the new year. One of mine is to learn more about you and to share my enthusiasm for our exciting UJC MetroWest Jewish community.

I invite you to explore our community's resources. Stop by the Waldor Library for a book or videotape. Work out at the JCC. Enjoy a concert or film festival. Go to a community holiday celebration. Looking for a new job? Contact Jewish Vocational Service. Thinking of adopting a child? Get in touch with Jewish Family Service. Seeking assistance for an elderly parent? Our community offers residential and community programs. Visit our website for more information. If there are concerns you'd like to share with me, please contact me at .

If you would like to expand your horizons, remember that we are always here for you. Shana Tova!

Ellen Goldner
President
United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ

MetroWest teens (and their parents) can get a glimpse of what everyday life is like for their Israeli peers through Speak E-Z's Teen Scene, featuring first-person reports by Israeli young people. Teen Scene will appear in different mediums throughout the year including the New Jersey Jewish News, Speak E-Z, and the UJC website. It will also be distributed to students at the area Hebrew high schools, Hebrew schools, and Jewish Day schools. This month's article is written by Keren Dicastro, one of the two Rishonim who volunteered in the MetroWest community this past year.

My name is Keren Dicastro. I am 18 years old and I live in Rishon LeZion, one of UJC MetroWest's partnership communities. One of the things that I like about Israel, especially in the summer, is that there is so much to do.

The months of July and August are full of events for teens. Performances by singers and Israeli bands, beach parties, festivals, and different attractions are inseparable parts of the Israeli summer. These events are open to everyone and attract a lot of people. And indeed, every summer, I find myself participating in at least five events like these.

click here to read more about Keren's summer in Israel

At 91, with a recently broken arm, Mary Feldblum has had to slow down a bit, but the brightness of her spirit is undiminished and she enjoys the activities of the William Margulies Senior Center at the Leon & Toby Cooperman JCC in West Orange.

Since she now lives at Jewish Federation Plaza, right next door, she can walk to the JCC and see her many friends there. Mary's association with the JCC goes way back – to when it was the "Y" and located in Newark. Later, she moved to West Orange, and the whole family went to the JCC. One of her three daughters still lives in West Orange and makes frequent use of the facilities there.

click here to read the full article

He was from New Jersey. She was from Boston. Somehow they found each other among 360 people on a national UJA Singles Mission to Israel in the summer of 1996.

Gregg and Gerri Russo began to get acquainted on a jeep ride in the Golan Heights. Then they kept meeting – at a kibbutz, an Israeli dance festival, a shouk, the Western Wall. They took the same flight home, and those 11 hours on the plane "really clinched it," said Gerri. After the mission, they met regularly at her parents' home in Connecticut. They were engaged in December, married in November 1997, and established their home in Morristown.

to learn more about Gregg & Gerri, click here

Darrell Hammond of NBC's Saturday Night Live will be the featured entertainer at MetroMagic, a major new community event of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m., at the Sheraton Parsippany.

A master of impressions, Hammond has been applauded by television critics and reviewers for his uncanny accuracy and range. After playing President Bill Clinton, he has taken over most of the Bush administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

click here to read the full article

Think you know a lot about our MetroWest community? Well, UJC has a challenge for you. In the September, October, and November issues of Speak E-Z, UJC will post a question for you to answer, dealing with some trivia or factoid about UJC MetroWest and the Jewish community it serves. Answers to the monthly questions can only be sent via the e-mail link provided.

After the three months, those who correctly answered all three questions will be entered into a drawing for a $75 gift certificate to Target. The winner will be announced in the December/January issue of Speak E-Z.

Put your knowledge to the test. Here's the first question:

To submit an answer, please . Good luck.

Click on an event for additional information

The Guys [Thursday, September 9 and Saturday, September 11]: A poignant expression of life immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks.

UJA Kick-off [Monday, September 13]: Jump-starting the 2005 UJA MetroWest efforts.

Cemetery Visiting Day [Sunday, September 19]: Annual visiting day during High Holy Day season.

Women's Department Opening Event [Tuesday, September 21]: Election 2004 and the Jewish community, featuring Dr. Ellen S. Cannon.

YLD Swing Dance [Sunday, September 26]: Great dancing and lively discussion.