Regional Spotlight

The New England Region

By Marty Paley

The New England Region has been enjoying a very active year thus far. In addition to simply reveling in the camaraderie of our brothers and others in the Jewish community, we have continued to learn and grow together as we seek new experiences and deep connections.

At last year’s FJMC International Convention, NER leadership was introduced to representatives of the Peace Islands Institute, a group of Turkish Muslim men seeking to establish ties with men of other religions to promote understanding and open dialogue. Since that time, our NER has met several times with members of the Boston area and New Jersey Peace Islands Institutes.

Attendees at TheRetreat

We have shared our stories, and taught each other about our religious practices. Above all, we have built relationships. Our men were invited to celebrate the end of Ramadan with them; they celebrated Chanukah and a Kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner with us. The NER is proud of this outreach effort, and we have been enjoying teaching and learning with our new friends.

The Connecticut Valley Region attendees at TheRetreat

In June, we celebrated our 80^th year of TheRetreat at Camp JORI in Rhode Island, together with the Connecticut Valley Region. This is the oldest and largest Jewish men’s retreat in the FJMC. Over 60 men enjoyed Friendship, Judaism, Mentorship, Community together for 3 nights. Through several well-planned sessions, participants had the opportunity to learn about the new Holocaust museum being built in Boston, as well as attend thoughtful scholarly presentations from Rabbi David Singer from Limmud.

FJMC International leaders joined TheRetreat attendees.

We played Jewish Jeopardy, which is always fun with our knowledgeable and competitive group. We had a roundtable discussion with the men of Peace Islands Institute. We played sports and davened Kabbalat Shabbat at the lakeside as the sun was setting. Jon Norton and Bob Watts joined us from FJMC International. We had several HMV sessions ranging from Introducing your dad to the “non-service service.”

In March, we held a leadership training session where we learned and practiced the latest techniques on how to become an effective steward of our mission. In this way, we seek to encourage more men to step forward into positions of leadership and bring their skills and interests to life.

For our recent annual meeting, we had an interesting and lively presentation on Jewish music by Hal Slifer, host of local radio station WERS’ weekly Jewish music show, Chagigah. Marty Paley was inducted for his second year of presidency of the region.

Not a region to rest on our laurels, we have big plans for the fall. We are planning our annual “Keeper of the Flame” event, which is our tribute to the leaders of our clubs in October, chaired by regional Executive Vice President Stephen Shrago. In addition, plans are being finalized for our first-ever health fair, where we will learn how to become and to stay healthy. Plus, we will be having our first-ever regional poker tournament.

The NER is special because our men are deeply committed to be of service to our synagogues, showing up for our members and involving Jewish men in Jewish life.

Marty Paley is president of the New England Region.