For more information about attending an event at Central Synagogue, call our Events coordinator at (212) 838-5122
Posted/updated: May 17, 2012
Sunday, June 3
Walk or Run to Celebrate Israel with Central Synagogue’s Clergy!
New York City’s Annual Israel Day Parade will take place on Sunday, June 3.
7:30 am
Wake up early to join Running Rabbis Mo Salth and Michael Friedman for a pre-parade 4-mile “Celebrate Israel Run” in Central Park, hosted by the New York Road Runners.
Central Synagogue runners will meet at 7:30 am. Race start is 8:00 am. Walkers welcome!
To join, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 212-508-3013 before Friday, May 25. Runners/walkers must also register through NYRR.org (space is limited).
This four-mile run is a symbolic journey through Israel, from Eilat to Tel Aviv, and is followed by a festival for everyone, featuring Israeli music and food. We have issued a “friendly” challenge to Fifth Avenue Synagogue and Park Avenue Synagogue to see which East Side shul can rally the most walkers and runners. Help us win this challenge!
1:15 pm
We also invite the congregation to march with ARZA (Association of Reform Zionists of America), beginning at 1:15pm. Please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) at 212-508-3013 before Friday, May 25.
Posted/updated: March 09, 2012
CENTRAL CSA: Do a Mitzvah and get back to our roots!
Central Synagogue is thrilled to offer for the second year the Central CSA! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and Central has partnered with farmer Ken Frueshstorfer from Freebird Farms, to provide shares of vegetables (and fruit and eggs if desired) which allows our community to support and enjoy local, organic and sustainably farmed produce, delivered weekly to Central synagogue. The growing season is 22 weeks long (from June 12-November 6), and Full Shares, good for a family, and Half Shares, good for individuals or couples are available. In addition, fruit and egg shares are also available.
It’s a Jewish Value!
From the story of creation, we learn that God put human beings on earth to “till and tend it.” While most of us no longer have an agricultural vocation, the imperative to care for the earth is deeply rooted in Judaism. If we can support farmers who care for this earth, with our deeds and our finances, it is another way to care for the earth. In addition, our tradition has a food culture that believes that eating can be a sanctified act. Knowing the story of where our food comes from is another way to elevate this everyday act.
Buy Local
Your support helps sustain small local farms who employ sustainable farming practices. Connect with the food you eat by meeting your farmers and exploring the farms. You can learn more about Freebird Farms at http://www.freebirdorganicfarm.com.
Eat Well
If you’ve never had a farm-fresh tomato, you haven’t had a tomato! Buy the freshest food for your family. Explore new foods and learn to cook with them. Find out that beet greens aren’t just good for you, they’re tasty too!
Be Healthy
Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit. Share healthy eating habits with your kids. Expose them early to a variety of regional, seasonal produce.
Protect the Environment
Support farmers who take care of their land by growing food in ways that take care of the soil. Cut down on the number of miles your food travels from the farm to your plate.
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
Freebird Farms will be dropping off the produce every Tuesday from June 12- November 6. Pickup will be in Stern Lobby until the Fall, when we move to pick up in the Pavilion. PICK UP TIMES are between 4:30-7PM.
Every member of the CSA will be expected to volunteer for ONE pick-up afternoon to meet the other members of our Central CSA, and to facilitate pick-up.
SHARES
The cost of a vegetable share, which is enough for a family of four is $575 for a full share (approx $24/wk). Half shares are $300 (less than $13/week) and are good for individuals or couples. We are also offering fruit and egg shares either in addition to the vegetable shares or “a la carte”.
Fruit shares cost $150 (appox $7/wk). Fruit shares (depending on time of year) may include: apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apricots and cherries. They will be available for 20 out of the 24 weeks.
An egg share costs $88 a share per dz. (about $4/wk) and $48 a share per ½ dz. (about $2/wk)
Missed weeks
There are no refunds for missed weeks of share pick-up. But we have created a great relationship with St. Barts church, you have the opportunity to do an additional mitzvah as leftover shares will be donated to their food pantry each week.
The deadline for signing up for this program is April 1, 2012.
For more information or to sign up for this important and delicious program, please contact Greg at cicchinog@censyn.org or 212-838-5122 x1012. If you are interested in being part of the core team of volunteers, please let Greg know.
Posted/updated: February 29, 2012
Since late 2010, our dedicated board of trustees, visionary senior clergy and committed senior leadership team have been engaged in a thoughtful strategic planning process.
This process, which includes the careful crafting of a resonant mission and vision statement that will define and guide us as an institution, is designed to both inspire and more fully engage our already vibrant and robust congregation.
As one of the largest Reform congregations in North America, our clergy and leadership of Central Synagogue recognize the awesome responsibility we hold, not only to our 2,400 families, but to our extended community as well. Our “virtual” community of live streaming viewers, which comprised more than 5,000 visitors during the 2011 High Holy Days, is a growing population of unaffiliated or under-
served Jews and non-Jews who draw inspiration and comfort from our worship services.
Central Synagogue is more than a New York City neighborhood shul: it is a living and breathing testament to the future of the Jewish people.
Inspired by Rabbi Rubinstein’s 2010 Rosh HaShanah sermon on the future of Reform Jewry, we ask ourselves:
How will we ensure a Jewish future? If we stopped being Jewish, what would we miss? Does Judaism matter in 2012? What would a world without Judaism look like?
These are just some of the challenging questions that have sparked intimate and ongoing conversations between our clergy and our congregants. Beginning in the fall of 2011 and continuing until fall 2012, our clergy are visiting the privates homes of our lay leaders, inviting every single member of the congregation to attend one of these gatherings, and discussing these very questions.
These “cocktail parties” are part of our Pass It On initiative, aimed at connecting this generation with the next (l’dor v’dor) to ensure a thriving Reform Jewish future. These gatherings are also an opportunity for our members to understand how a “strategic plan,” most often associated with a corporate business model, better equips our congregation to thrive in an ever-changing Jewish landscape.
Our strategic plan revolves around nine programs and populations within three core areas of focus:
Strengthening the Core
•Liturgy (Worship)
•Education
•Life Cycle Events
We will continue to enhance these areas that we believe are central to our mission.
Adding to the Core
•Teens
•Young Professionals
•Adults
We have identified these are populations for whom we can and should “do more.”
Reaching Beyond the Core
•Underserved Jews
•Unaffiliated Jews
•Non-Jews
We will reach in and build out to ensure that Reform Judaism is accessible to these populations.
We recognize that the success of this plan involves significant resources: time, money, people. To that end, we are currently analyzing our resources, putting into place systems that will measure our effectiveness and guide us toward the new and better approaches for our work.
To learn more about our strategic planning process and our Pass It On parties, please join us at the Annual Meeting on Thursday, May 17 at 6:00 pm in the Pavilion or contact Senior Director Livia Thompson at livia@censyn.org.
Posted/updated: February 15, 2012
Purchase Tickets for a Yankee or Mets Game
Member Ron Tabak is organizing baseball fundraisers for Central Synagogue. Ron buys group tickets for New York Yankees & New York Mets games and asks people to pay him at his cost plus a donation to Central Synagogue. You may purchase as many tickets as you wish while Ron’s supply lasts.
If interested in any, please e-mail William Vila at william.j.vila@probonolaw.com.
Upcoming Yankee Games
Rays, Tues. June 5, 7:05 pm: $22 + $8/ticket donation. Sec. 434A (above left field)
White Sox, Thurs. June 28, 7:05 pm: $22 + $8/ticket donation. Sec. 434A (above left field)
Angels (w/Pujols), Fri. July 13, 7:05 pm: $11 (half-price) + $9 donation/ticket: Sec. 406 (above right field)
Red Sox, Fri. August 17, 7:05 pm: $22 + $38/ticket donation. Sec. 434A (above left field)
Upcoming Mets Games
Phillies, Wed., May 30, 7:10 pm: $18 + $7/ticket donation: Sec. 516 (slightly to left of home plate): Israeli Heritage Night
Yanks (Subway Series), Sat. June 23, 7:10 pm: $50 + $35 donation/ticket: Sec. 510 (between home & first)
Phillies, Tues. July 3, 7:10 pm: $23 + $7/ticket donation: Sect. 513 (slightly to right of home plate): Post-game fireworks show
Marlins (w/Reyes), Wed. August 8, 7:10 pm, $23 + $2/ticket donation: Sec. 513 (slightly to right of home plate): Caribbean Heritage Night
To purchase tickets, contact Ron Tabak’s assistant, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). You may either make out one check to Ron that includes the donation to Central Synagogue or send Ron two checks: one made payable to Ron for the ticket amount and one payable to Central Synagogue for the donation amount, which he will forward to the Synagogue.
Mail checks to:
Ronald Tabak
c/o Skadden Arps
Four Times Square
New York, NY 10036-6522
Posted/updated: February 13, 2012
“Applying Jethro’s Advice to the Modern-Day Pursuit of Justice” New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman
Posted/updated: January 19, 2012
Members: Please click on links for information on the upcoming trips.
July 11-15, 2012
October 20 – 29, 2012
Posted/updated: January 18, 2012
About the course
Taught by Rabbi Lisa Rubin, this semester-long course will give students a foundation in the basic tenets of Judaism. Areas such as history, holidays, life-cycle events, theology, prayer, and communal life will be explored through foundational Jewish texts, beliefs, and customs.
Classes will be held Wednesday evenings from 7 - 8:30 pm at Central Synagogue from August 1, 2012 to January 9, 2013. Registration is required along with a preliminary meeting with Rabbi Lisa Rubin and the course will close when class is full.
The course is open to Jews and non-Jews alike; members or non-members of Central Synagogue.
For students exploring the possibility of converting to Judaism, this course serves as the first prerequisite step at Central Synagogue. Jewish partners of potential converts are welcome and strongly encouraged to attend classes.
Students exploring conversion will also meet once a month with the instructor or other clergy for individual mentorship meetings.
The cost for the program is $750 per student (partners of students attend free). No one will be turned away for financial reasons. If you have concerns about payment, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call her at (212) 838-5122 x5002.
Students should purchase the following books prior to the first class:
Essential Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs, Customs, and Rituals by George Robinson
Finding God by Rifat Sonsino and Daniel B. Syme
Introduction to Judaism: A Sourcebook compiled and edited by Stephen J. Einstein and Lydia Kukoff
Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
The Jewish Home: A Guide for Jewish Living by Daniel B. Syme
Tenach (Jewish Bible)
Posted/updated: January 04, 2012
Let us know how we can celebrate and support you. We want to know what is happening in your life. Our clergy are committed to providing pastoral guidance and support through the joys and struggles of life’s journey. Share with us at clergy@censyn.org or (212) 838-5122 x5098
Posted/updated: December 05, 2011
Many families have the custom of exchanging gifts on each night of Chanukah. This year, we hope that you will consider “giving” one night of Chanukah to a charitable organization.
We suggest the 7th night. On December 26, your family would give tzedakah rather than spend that amount on gifts.
We have sent home instructions with two candles to our nursery and religious school families. You can choose a candle color of your choice and do the following to join this worthwhile effort to help others. Place your candles in the 7th position (one for the 7th and one for the 8th night) as a symbol of your “gift giving.”
Each family member may select his/her own tzedakah recipient or you may decide as a family to combine “gifts” into a single contribution.
If you don’t have an organization in mind, here are some suggestions:
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
The RAC is Reform Judaism’s social justice lobbying arm in Washington, D.C.
Metropolitan Council for Jewish Poverty
Met Council is the first line of defense for the needy in our community.
Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps
Avodah engages young adults through a yearlong fellowship in service and community building.
Doe Fund
The Doe Fund’s programs help homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals achieve permanent self-sufficiency.
Susan’s Place
Susan’s Place is dedicated to serving homeless women with a broad range of health care and social services.
Donors Choose
Browse project requests submitted by public school teachers and pick one that inspires you.
Posted/updated: November 30, 2011
By Rabbi Gary M. Bretton-Granatoor, Vice President, Philanthropy, WUPJ
As Americans, this past Thursday evening, many gathered around holiday tables to celebrate Thanksgiving. Towards the end of the evening, my daughter, Samantha, leaned over to me and said, “I’d like to invite you to come to Shabbat services with me Shabbat morning.” It is not often that a rabbi gets invited to Shabbat services by his or her progeny, so my interest was piqued. My daughter is a full-time teacher at NYC’s Central Synagogue. She added that this Shabbat would be very special.
Two summers ago, my daughter spent part of the summer in Belarus, assisting with the Minsk Netzer summer camping program. This was part of Central Synagogue’s on-going partnership with the Minsk Progressive Jewish community. Like many synagogues that are “twinned” with congregations in the FSU, Central Synagogue provided financial support to the Minsk community. After a trip to Belarus, and meeting with the leaders of the Progressive Jewish community there, Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, the Senior Rabbi of Central Synagogue felt that they could do more than just send financial support. Central had embarked upon a program of hiring dynamic, young, full-time teachers to educate their young people. Central committed to send some of these young teachers to assist in the Netzer summer camp program and to consult with the educators and rabbis leading the Belarusian Progressive community. My daughter Samantha was sent to Minsk in the summer of 2010. This past summer, Central Synagogue sent their youth group leader, Zach Rolf, with several of their teen leaders. There, they worked with Rabbi Grisha Abramovich, and community leader Michael Kemerov and community educator (and Michael’s spouse) Irina Kemerov. One of the young people with whom my daughter bonded was Michael and Irina’s daughter Elizabeth – at the time, she was 11 years old.
Influenced by the warm relationships Elizabeth established with the representatives of Central Synagogue, it became her desire to become bat mitzvah in New York City. This morning I was blessed to be part of the extended family that surrounded Elizabeth as she was called to the Torah as Bat Mitzvah. Through digital streaming, the services were shared by hundreds of people, watching over the internet, in Belarus, in Israel, and in California. But the community in the sanctuary was special as well.
The service was beautifully led by Rabbi Peter Rubinstein and Rabbi Michael Friedman and many talented musicians and singers. In the congregation were Rabbi Ken and Sue Weiss from Salem, Massachusetts who had an aliyah – and have had a long standing relationship with the Kemerov family and the Minsk community. Seated behind me were Rabbi Michael and Olga Farbman and their two sons. Rabbi Farbman is a proud product of the World Union’s efforts in the FSU as he was a participant in our Machon Program and then went on for his rabbinical studies and ordination at the Leo Baeck College in London – he now serves a Reform congregation in New Haven, Connecticut. Samantha and Zach, the teachers, were there as were the four young people who spent part of their summer at the Netzer Camp in Minsk. Members of the congregation were present and even a member of the custodial staff, Misha, who often translated calls and emails with the Minsk community.
But, this morning’s true star was Elizabeth Kemerov – who conducted the Torah Service in Hebrew, English and Russian with such dignity and grace. She taught us that the moral ambiguities of the Torah are filled with lessons for us. Rabbi Rubinstein offered, in his d’var Torah, the very poignant cry of Rebekah, who was brought low from the pain of carrying the twins, cried out “Em zeh, lama zeh anochi” (If this is so, why do I exist?) And yet, he taught, that Rebekah was that link in the chain that brought Jacob to the fore, from whom we all descend. And like the pain that generations in the past suffered to maintain their Jewish heritage, the end result is a joyful congregation blessed to welcome the next generation of leaders who will bear Torah into the future. Elizabeth Kemerov reminded us of the precious legacy that has been passed down and the tremendous efforts required to maintain that legacy. But the smile on her face, and the smiles on the faces of everyone present reflected how worthwhile that effort has been – and how much hope we have in the future generations. Elizabeth thanked Rabbi Rubinstein and the many teachers she had, but when she mentioned Samantha Bretton-Granatoor and Zach Rolf by name, my heart swelled with pride, for my next generation helped to nurture Michael and Irina’s daughter, who will help nurture the next generation of Jews in Belarus.
There were many things for which I was grateful this past Thanksgiving eve – but none more profound than when my daughter invited me to Shabbat services, and I was again reminded of the blessed work that we do. For this, I give thanks.
Posted/updated: November 29, 2011
During Shabbat services on November 11, Central Synagogue presented its Annual Shofar Award to Writer and Women's Activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin. Mrs. Pogrebin then addressed the congregation.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin’s writing and advocacy helped secure equal rights for women at a time—not so long ago—when the notion of equal pay and non-sexist childrearing were novel and controversial ideas in American society. She was a founding editor of Ms. magazine as well as a co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus, which supports women who seek political office.
Pogrebin was raised in an observant Jewish home in Jamaica, Queens, and studied Torah and Talmud, a rarity for girls of her generation. Her mother died when she was 15, and when she was denied the honor of being included in the minyan to say Kaddish because she was female, she turned away from Judaism for years. The account of the incident in her book Deborah, Golda and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America is shocking and haunting. But as women in liberal Judaism were allowed to take their place in minyans, and became rabbis and cantors in the 1980s, she was, in her own words, “born again” to her people.
When the 1974 United Nations Conference on Women passed a platform declaring that “Zionism is racism,” Pogrebin challenged this anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic stance by writing about it in Ms. and other publications. She has been a regular contributor to the Forward, the Jewish Week, Moment, Taken, and Lilith and has also been extensively published in Ms., the Ladies Home Journal, the New York Times, and others too numerous to name.
She served two terms as chair of the board of Americans for Peace Now, an advocacy organization that works toward a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has also been president of the Author’s Guild. She is a member of the advisory board of the Harvard Divinity School’s Women in Religion Program as well as on the board of the Women’s Studies Program at her alma mater, Brandeis. With Marlo Thomas, she co-created the book, record album, and Emmy-award–winning television special Free To Be You and Me.
She is the author of ten books.
Pogrebin and her husband Bert have been married for over 40 years and are the parents of Abigail, Robin, and David and the grandparents of six.
---Please click here to read the NY Magazine article on how Ms. Magazine came to be 40 years ago and how Letty Cottin Pogrebin was involved.
Posted/updated: November 09, 2011
The 23rd Annual New York Cares Coat Drive is here at Central Synagogue!
To meet the growing demand for coats and to help the 18.7% of New York City families living in poverty, Central Synagogue is partnering with New York Cares as a donation location. We’ll be collecting coats from November 15 - December 30. Help us keep more New Yorkers warm this winter.
Donation materials that are highly needed this year are coats, scarves, gloves and especially hats for men, women and children.
You can drop off your donations in the Stern Lobby of the Community House (123 East 55 Street) anytime from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday through Thursday and 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on Fridays. Please contact Shari Edwards at 212-838-5122 ext. 4005 for more information.
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: October 12, 2011
Speech given by John TischEvery year, presidential speechwriters dating back to Harry Truman gather in Washington, D.C., to share horror stories about writing for the leader of the free world.
One can only imagine what that meeting would be like if it was instead comprised of people asked to give the Yom Kippur appeal.
It seems that everyone bestowed with this honor has one final appeal of their own after being asked: “Please, not me.”
So when I thought about standing on the bimah tonight in front of all of you, I actually had somewhat terrifying flashbacks to my bar mitzvah day.
Those that know me well might find it hard to believe, but 45 years ago, being on stage in the spotlight was not something I relished. I was a somewhat shy, overweight young man. I felt awkward around girls, so much so that I didn’t invite any to my bar mitzvah. It must have been a blast for my guy friends. I was also fearful that day because the Jewish Community Center in White Plains, where my family belonged, just started using a reel-to-reel tape recorder so that the chanting of ones haftarah could be preserved for life.
Hardly a comforting thought for a 13-year-old boy whose voice was in the midst of change. But G–d was looking after me that morning—the tape recorder didn’t work and we ended up with two straight hours of tone. So you’ll have to take my word for it: I was good!
And just as I had to study and prepare for my bar mitzvah, for tonight’s talk I decided to go to “school” again and do some research to understand the concepts behind this annual tradition.
What lies behind tzedakah is the power of community.
The famous Talmudic saying, “kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh,” means we are legally bound to each other—we are each other’s guarantors through good times and bad. We have a responsibility not only to ourselves, but to others.
And the word tzedakah itself does not actually mean charity or giving. Its actual translation is justice or righteousness.
In Judaism, giving is not about giving. It is about the transcendent power of community. It is a fulfillment that elevates us and binds us to each other. It is…Central Synagogue.
While I certainly am not the most ritually observant person here, I strongly believe in the incredible power of community and, like you, I have witnessed and experienced that power here at Central.
What members of any community share in common is an understanding of what I call the “Power of We.” That in today’s complex world, we don’t have the option of existing in isolation. The problems and challenges we face are too big for a single person to take on alone.
We must put aside our individual concerns and work together for the greater good. And to me, there is no better place that symbolizes community than our synagogue.
It touches so many people in so many different ways. With more than 6,000 congregants from more than 2,000 households, we are vibrant and strong. We are blessed with the leadership of passionate and compassionate clergy. Our religious school educates more than 700 students and teaches values that will serve as a compass for our children as they go through life. Our nursery school provides the youngest among us a warm and nurturing environment. Our social action and community service opportunities, through Mitzvah Day and others, continue to grow. And during these difficult economic times, our Yom Kippur Appeal allows more than 400 families to remain members of our community despite their financial hardships. We continue to assist Jews in communities around the world and remain steadfast in our commitment to Israel.
A year ago, Rabbi Rubinstein asked us to understand the challenges and generational shifts that modern Judaism is facing. He asked that we ensure that Central Synagogue continue to be the place where we can learn and explore our faith. But to ensure Central’s bright future—for our generation, for our children, and for our grandchildren—it takes each and every one of us to make a commitment to this, the most special of communities. There are many meaningful and important ways to contribute and we are blessed to have an active and engaged congregation. But we also must commit financially.
You may ask, “Why, on the holiest night of the year, do we even talk about money?”
The historian Jenna Weisemann Joselit went looking for an answer to this question and explained that the appeal is “American Jewry’s salute to the power of community.” Kol Nidrei is the day on the calendar when the greatest number of Jews gather at synagogue. To use a hotel term, we are running at very high occupancy tonight.
If giving is about the transcendent power of community, then there is no better place to give than our synagogue, and there is no better night to commit than tonight.
One of the great Jewish scholars of all time, Rabbi Akiba, was sitting with his students and he decided to give them a math test. “You have a thousand dinars,” he said, “and you give away 300. How many do you possess?” “Seven hundred,” they quickly responded.
“Wrong. You really only have the 300 you gave away. Many things could happen to the 700 you ‘have.’ You could be robbed or lose them in a business deal. But no one can ever take away from you all the good you have done with that which you have given away.”
And I believe that is true. We will be known and remembered less for what we do for ourselves than for what we do for others. So try to be generous with what you have been given. Please give others opportunity, just as opportunity has been given to you. And if through hard work and a little bit of luck, you should experience good fortune, please remember the lesson of Rabbi Akiba. And please remember Central Synagogue.
As Rabbi Rubinstein has taught us, we all approach our religion from different backgrounds and beliefs. I am the first to admit that I do not spend as much time at Central as I could, but I also think about how important this institution has been in my life.
I reflect warmly on Peter and Angela presiding over the b’nei mitzvah of my sons Charles and Henry. And the joy and love I felt when the two of them officiated at my wedding to Lizzie exactly four years ago. But as we all know, life consists of more than just happy occasions and Central Synagogue is there during difficult times as well. When my father took ill several years ago, Rabbi Rubenstein was a source of continual comfort to my family and to me. His simple presence offered a larger understanding and helped us tremendously. Peter was, quite simply, Peter.
We all have our personal memories of Central and what it has meant and continues to mean in our lives. For some of you, contributing will be a way of showing your gratitude for what you have received. But I also ask you to think of it as our responsibility. Because only by being responsible, not only to ourselves but to our community, are we able to live, work, and raise a family in a meaningful and fulfilling way.
As I look around this room, I see so many friends, and people, whose generous spirit is evident in the many worthwhile causes that they support. I ask you to share that same generous spirit with our fellow congregants in this important Kol Nidrei tradition, and help ensure that Central Synagogue continues to be a vital part of our community and of our lives.
Thank you and Shanah Tovah.
Posted/updated: October 12, 2011
On May 6, 2011, The Central Synagogue Archives Department (Anne Mininberg, Archivist and Amy Goldberger Chairman of the Archives Committee) presented a wonderful lecture and concert with Musicologist and Author Judah M. Cohen. Judah read from his book, Sounding Jewish Tradition: The Music of Central Synagogue(© 2011).
Central Synagogue, which commissioned and published Mr. Cohen’s book received the 2011 Award For Excellence from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network.
Performing the evening’s musical selections were:
Central Synagogue’s Cantors – Angela W. Buchdahl & Elizabeth K. Sacks,
Music Director, Organist and Pianist – David Strickland,
Choir – Jennifer Bates, Soprano; Melissa Attebury, Alto; Brian Downen, Tenor; Joseph Neal, Baritone
Clarinetist – Ivan Barenboim
The following pieces were among those performed and recorded at that evening’s concert.
Psalm 150 — 
Download Mp3
Samuel Welsch (Cantor 1865-1880)
The Way of Wisdom — Download Mp3
Theodore Guinsberg (Cantor 1880-1920)
On the Go (Galop Brillanté) arr. Strickland — Download Mp3
Theodore Guinsberg
Mi Chamocha — Download Mp3
Lazar Weiner (Composer/Choir Director 1930-1974]
Posted/updated: September 28, 2011
Just over ten short years ago—September 9th, 2001, to be precise—we held a dedication ceremony for the reopening of our sanctuary following the devastating 1998 fire. For those in attendance, it was a glorious and moving evening, punctuated by remarks from our clergy, clergy of other faiths, and politicians. More significant, however, than the pomp and circumstance of that evening was what enabled us to reach that moment: the will of this congregation, the lay leadership, and the clergy to rebuild, restore, and reunite. From the moment the news spread of the extensive destruction, there was never a doubt as to the path forward: we would rebuild, we would restore, and we would come together once again as a congregation housed in this magnificent sanctuary. That resolve defined us as a community: our character, our culture, our commitment to a Jewish way of life. It was through the efforts of so many of you—through your time, energy, and generosity—that we were able to accomplish so much so quickly. It was a testament to our leaders, lay and spiritual alike, that we remained united in spirit and in prayer during those unsettling three years. And it was easy to measure our success in September of 2001. Our doors reopened, our sanctuary was more glorious than ever, and we once again could pray as a community within these four walls.
I look back over this past year and ask myself: how do we measure success in a synagogue, a house of worship? By what standards are we to judge ourselves? Professional sports teams, at any point in their season, can refer to the league standings to evaluate how they are measuring up to the competition. Corporations are judged, sometimes harshly, by their short-term financial performance and, inevitably, their stock price. Students bring home report cards. Even rabbis are rated (we being fortunate to have two of our clergy rated in the list of top rabbis in the country).
A synagogue has both tangible and intangible components that define it. Let’s first explore the tangible. Our clergy, from top to bottom, is unparalleled. I say that without bias or self-interest. They are true leaders in every sense of the word. They lead us in prayer and song; they rejoice with us in good times and comfort us in times of need and distress. They are compassionate, generous with their time, and provide a moral compass that guides us in our spiritual and secular lives. They reach beyond our congregation to the broader Jewish community, both domestically and abroad, and are committed to the continuity of Judaism and Jewish life throughout the world. They preach the authenticity of Reform Judaism in the face of constant questioning by other denominations. They are ardent supporters of Israel but don’t turn a blind eye to certain of its more controversial political and social policies. They reach out to other faiths in an effort to foster better relations and understanding. They strive for excellence in everything they do and they implore us to apply the same standard in our lives. We may take the clergy for granted at times, but if we step back for a moment and reflect, I’m sure we will all agree that we are truly blessed.
Attendance at services, especially Friday evenings, is another tangible measure of success. We often number 500–600 attendees of all ages, shapes, and sizes. The services are uplifting, a wonderful way to end the work week and transition into the weekend. The musical program is inclusive and brings joy to those participating. Those services have become a destination for out-of-town visitors who undoubtedly bring back to their congregations some of the more memorable features of our service.
As most of you know, some years ago, in an effort to manage our growth, we imposed a limit on the size of our membership. Those applying for membership were placed in an associate category. Historically, the associate list numbered approximately one hundred and the waiting period to become a member was less than a year. Today, our associate list approximates 300 and we estimate a waiting period of two to three years. We are making every effort to better integrate our associates into our congregational life and make them feel part of the Central Synagogue community. But the fact remains: there are few, if any, synagogues in this country that face this “good” problem. We must be doing something right to attract this level of demand.
We talk often about the quality of our children’s Jewish education at Central Synagogue. The nursery school continues to flourish and the Hebrew school, with its full-time-teacher program, strives to be the gold standard for Reform Jewish education. We recently hired our first Director of Learning and Engagement Brigitte Sion. Brigitte has oversight of all educational programs at Central—from early childhood to adult education. I hope many of you make an effort in the coming months to meet Brigitte and develop the same level of enthusiasm and excitement that the clergy and lay leadership have about the future of Jewish education here at Central.
I could go on. But the point is, by any objective standard, we are succeeding, recognizing, as we do, that there is always room for improvement.
But the true measure of success of a synagogue is how and whether it is meeting the needs of its congregants. Ask yourself: what is it that you seek when you come to services, whether it be Shabbos or the High Holy Days, when you interact with the clergy, when you send your children to Hebrew school? What does Judaism and being Jewish mean to you? What role does it play in your life and the lives of your children? Our report card isn’t complete without the answers to these and similar questions.
In an effort to be responsive to the needs of our members, the clergy and the board are in the final stages of developing an ambitious strategic plan. For those of you who attended the annual meeting this past May, you were introduced to the key components of the plan. For the rest of you, we are planning to hold a series of gatherings over the next 16 months in congregants’ homes. You will all be invited to attend one of these gatherings. I urge you to make every effort to attend. It will provide you with the opportunity to help shape the final plan and, more significantly, it will provide us with the opportunity to learn from you of your dreams and aspirations for the future of this great institution. Together, and only together, will we properly shape its future.
Inevitably, the future will bring changes and transitions. This congregation has demonstrated in the past the will to meet challenges with conviction, maturity, and togetherness. It is because of this that we should face the future, however uncertain, with great optimism. Debate and dialogue are healthy; divisiveness is cancerous. Together, as one community, we can continue this remarkable journey that we call Central Synagogue.
Indulge me for just another moment for a personal note. This is the final year of my presidency and this is the last Rosh HaShanah that I will address you. It has and continues to be a privilege and an honor. To all of the clergy: thank you for your wisdom and your friendship. To Livia Thompson and her staff: thank you for your professionalism and your dedication. To the board of trustees: thank you for being who you are and what you are: bright, thoughtful, caring individuals who devote a great deal of your personal time for the betterment of the synagogue. To my predecessors, Howard, Alfred, Martin, and Michael: thank you for your mentoring and encouragement. And most of all, to you, my fellow congregants: I will forever remember the support you provided me and the warmth with which you welcomed me and my family. This has been a defining event in my life and the opportunity to serve this congregation, a true reward.
May God bless each and every one of you and may this year, 5772, be a year filled with good health, good fortune, and peace in your lives. L’shana tovah.
Posted/updated: September 21, 2011
Dear Congregants,
In order to provide you background information and a spectrum of opinion about Israel and the UN we recommend the following resources:
- This Team Alert from our colleagues at ARZA
- A New York Times article by Thomas Friedman
- A Wall Street Journal video clip with Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren
- The full transcript of President Obama’s speech at UN General Assembly
We continue to pray for peace for Israel and its neighbors in the Middle East.
Best wishes for a good New Year,
Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein
Posted/updated: September 14, 2011
On Sunday, September 9, 2001, hundreds gathered outside Central Synagogue to celebrate the rededication of our Main Sanctuary, which had been badly damaged by fire in August 1998. Ten years later - on Friday, September 9, 2011 - Central Synagogue celebrated this milestone anniversary during our Shabbat evening service.
Watch Rabbi Rubinstein's heartfelt remarks:
Watch the video presentation, accompanied by our cantors' voices:
Posted in: Worship
Posted/updated: September 08, 2011
Content pending
Posted/updated: September 06, 2011
Dear Friends,
I have the privilege to serve as your new director of learning and engagement, a position that reflects Central Synagogue’s vision for excellence in lifelong Jewish learning. I see my role here as an advocate for innovative and meaningful Jewish education for all current and prospective learners. The Education Department that I oversee encompasses the Early Childhood Center (led by Susan Alpert and Jo Sohinki), the Religious School (led by Arielle Garellek), Youth Programming (led by Zach Rolf), and Adult Education (led by Rabbi Lisa Rubin), along with our educational administrative staff (led by Elana Paru), on the newly renovated 7th floor of the Community House.
With this extraordinary team of education professionals dedicated to excellence, we cater to every age group; we want to engage families and affinity groups, and we create innovative programs for our children, their parents and grandparents. We offer learning opportunities in classrooms, at holiday celebrations, in informal settings and outside the synagogue.
Our passion for Jewish learning can only be experienced by your active engagement with us, attending our programs and classes, sharing your suggestions and feedback, and playing a vital role in Central Synagogue’s community of lifelong learners.
Please visit our web site for more information about the Education Department, check the September Luach for our complete September listings, and download our Adult Education Fall brochure.
I look forward to getting to know many of you in person at our varied and enriching programs. Feel free to contact me at 212-838-5122 x4031 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
May this New Year be filled with a renewed commitment to Jewish learning.
Shanah Tovah,
Dr. Brigitte Sion
Director of Learning and Engagement
Posted/updated: August 22, 2011
Dear Friends,
As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said to Congress “two states for two peoples: a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state” can only be achieved through bilateral talks. Thus the movement at the United Nations to endorse a unilaterally declared Palestinian state would be unhelpful and damaging to bilateral negotiations.
The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, in partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, launched a petition calling on UN member nations to vote against endorsing a unilaterally declared Palestinian state should it come to a vote in September.
To date over 24,000 signatures and 60 co-sponsors have been gathered. I’d ask you to join this effort by clicking this link and signing the petition.
Cordially,
Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: August 15, 2011
Central Synagogue is proud that more of our families are enrolling their children in Jewish summer camp. Our students’ participation at URJ Eisner and Crane Lake Camps has doubled over the last two summers from 5 to 10 to 20 students.
Recently, the leadership of URJ Northeast Camps presented our members Judith and Martin Hertz and Gail Sinai with a certificate to acknowledge the work they have done to promote this important initiative.
To learn more about how a URJ summer camp experience can impact your child’s Jewish future, contact contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) in our Religious School at (212) 838-5122 x4044.
Pictured (L-R): Louis Bordman, director of Northeast Camps, Judith Hertz, Martin Hertz, Gail Sinai, Debbie Schreiber, director of Crane Lake Camp, and Rabbi Jonah Pesner of the URJ.
Posted/updated: July 12, 2011
On Monday evening, a four-alarm fire broke out at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, a Modern Orthodox synagogue at 85th Street and Lexington Avenue.
Thankfully, there were no injuries reported and no Torah scrolls were inside the building, which is under construction. More details about the fire, which 170 FDNY firefighters brought under control, can be found online.
Rabbi Rubinstein immediately reached out to the leadership of KJ and the clergy and leadership of both our congregations are now in contact with each other. Central Synagogue has offered to help Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in any way we can.
We have posted on (and will continue to update) our Facebook page and Web site home page in regard to how we can be of assistance to the Kehilath Jeshurun community.
We pray for our neighbors and wish them strength and healing.
Click here to read Rabbi Rubinstein’s response to the fire.
Posted/updated: May 25, 2011
June 27-28, 2011
Sheraton, Manhattan
Sponsored by The Israeli Consulate in NY & the Office of the Legal Advisor at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs & the American Association of Jewish Lawyers & Jurists
Note: Participants with diverse views will be welcome.
Discussions will focus on:
§ Law & Security: the legal framework in the fight against terrorism; operational dilemmas; methods of investigation
§ International institutions: challenges facing Israel within the UN system; the international legal sphere & the U.S. legal system
§ Law & advocacy: responding to campaigns of de-legitimization & “lawfare;” taking the legal initiative; presenting Israel’s case & advancing informed discussion
§ Key issues in Israel-Palestinian negotiations: updates & insights from Israel’s negotiations with its neighbors
In the course of the Conference, participants will have a unique opportunity to hear from legal experts from the Israel legal system, the military, the foreign service & academia, as well as legal experts from the U.S. The speakers will address the latest developments in the topic areas & share their experience and expertise with participants. The conference will also include working group
sessions, during which participants will pool resources & develop a plan of action.
The Conference is intended for U.S. lawyers in private practice, or in the public sector or academia, concerned about the current challenges faced by Israel in the international legal sphere. The goal is to provide the background & analysis that will enable the participants to engage in informed debate & advocacy about Israel as legal advocates & as spokespersons in the participants’ spheres of activity & influence.
To apply to participate in the Conference please click on the link http://www.israelfm.org/en/legal-advocacy-conference
Participation will be by invitation only and space will be limited.
For the conference program please click on the link http://www.israelfm.org/en/us-israel-legal-advocacy-program
Meals during the Conference will be covered.
CLE Credits will be available for NY. Other states under consideration.
Posted/updated: May 24, 2011
Posted/updated: May 18, 2011
Jeremy Fielding - Nominee
Jeremy Fielding has been a member of Central Synagogue since 1998. He is a Managing Director of Kekst and Company. He has extensive experience counseling executives, boards, and in-house communications professionals on ongoing communications opportunities and challenges, in addition to a large spectrum of transactional and other special situations. Jeremy has a PhD. from Yale University and an M.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. He received his B.A. from the University of Leeds, England. Jeremy is also a member of the Executive Committee of the New York Chapter of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children.
Abigail Pogrebin - Nominee
Abigail Pogrebin is the author of Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish (Doubleday 2005) and One and the Same: My Life as an Identical Twin and What I’ve Learned about Everyone’s Struggle to be Singular (Doubleday 2009). She is a freelance magazine writer, was a producer for Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes, and also worked for Bill Moyers and Charlie Rose at PBS. She moderates a regular interview series at the Manhattan JCC called “What Everyone’s Talking About.” She and her husband, David Shapiro, have two children, Benjamin and Molly.
Ellen Cogut - Nominee
Ellen Cogut has been a member of Central Synagogue since 1994. She received her BA from George Washington University in 1969 and her MA from Temple University in 1971. From 1971 to 1988 Ellen practiced as a speech pathologist, working primarily with pre-school language impaired children in a variety of settings. From 1988 to 1990 she supervised graduate students in speech pathology at Brooklyn College. Ellen has served on the Boards of the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, the Graham-Windham Agency, and The Brooklyn Children’s Museum. Since 2006, she has served as the co-chair of the Board of Community Roots Charter School, a K-5 school located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. She resides in Brooklyn Heights with her husband, Casey. They have two daughters, Pamela, age 31, and Rachel, age 20.
Posted/updated: May 03, 2011
Dear Religious School Families,
On behalf of the lay leadership, clergy and staff, I am sharing with you important information about staff changes that will positively affect our children and families in the coming year.
We are delighted to announce that Arielle Garellek, who previously worked as a full-time teacher for Central Synagogue, will rejoin the Religious School staff on June 1 as our new director of the Religious School.
Some of you will recall that while at Central, Arielle was responsible for teaching our 3rd – 9th graders, with a focus on building 5th grade curriculum. She moved to Washington, D.C., last year to become the assistant regional director of education at the Anti-Defamation League. She and her husband are delighted to be rejoining the Central Synagogue community and to be returning to New York City. Arielle will begin reaching out to parents and children in June to arrange face-to-face meetings to talk about your experience with the Religious School and to share our vision for the upcoming year.
Cantor Sacks will continue to be the clergy liaison for grades K through 7. As you know, our Religious School was without a principal for much of the academic year, and we are all grateful to Cantor Sacks, as well as Full-Time Teacher Team Leader David Hoffman, the entire full-time teaching team and Frank Corso, for keeping things running smoothly and efficiently during this time.
The school’s former principal, Philip Dickstein, continues to recuperate following surgery in November, and will not be returning to Central Synagogue. We wish him a refuah shlema (complete healing) and all the best in his recovery.
Additionally, we want to share with you that Director of Lifelong Learning Yonni Wattenmaker has taken a new position as the new executive director of the Breast Cancer Alliance in Greenwich, CT, and will therefore be leaving Central Synagogue at the end of May. We thank Yonni for her hard work at Central and wish her much success in this new role.
At the same time, the lay leadership and staff have spent the past year focused on a strategic plan that pushes us to do more to develop our educational programming for all ages, young and old. As part of this strategic plan, we have decided to create the new position of director of learning and engagement to fulfill that goal.
The director of learning and engagement will work closely with all areas of education, including Early Childhood, the Religious School, Teens, Young Professionals and Adult Programming. We are in the process of identifying candidates for this new and important position. Additionally, we are in conversation with candidates for the position of assistant director of our Early Childhood Center, and look forward to updating you on both of these two positions soon. These roles will be supported by Elana Paru, our director of educational administration who joined Central Synagogue in January.
As we begin to approach the end of the school year, there is always transition in our teacher ranks, and we celebrate with Full-Time teachers Natalie Azatyan, Jonah Freelander, David Hoffman and Lee Kasper as they embark on the next chapter of their respective careers. We wish them all well, and thank them for their enormous contributions. Three new full-time teachers will soon join our talented staff, and we look forward to introducing them to you in the fall.
In addition, we are pleased that Zach Rolf, who has been successfully leading our teen program for the last year, will continue to develop programming and learning opportunities for our 8th – 12th graders. Zach’s new role as youth director encompasses his extended responsibilities and duties, both formal and informal, related to deepening our teens’ connection to Jewish life.
Though these transitions are part of the natural rhythm of our school year, we recognize they are bittersweet. We are saying “shalom” to beloved staff as they leave for other opportunities while we also say “shalom” to gifted and wonderful new talent.
Your feedback and questions are always welcome, and I look forward to sharing more information with you in the coming months.
I hope that your family will join us for Shavuot worship lead by our 10th Grade Confirmation Class on Wednesday, June 8 at 6:00 pm in the Main Sanctuary.
L’shalom,
Kenneth H. Heitner
president@censyn.org
Posted/updated: March 30, 2011
Central Synagogue is excited to announce the first Central CSA! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and Central has partnered with farmer Ken Frueshstorfer from Freebird Farms, to provide shares of vegetables (and fruit and eggs if desired) which allows our community to support and enjoy local, organic and sustainably farmed produce which is delivered weekly to Central Synagogue. The growing season is 22 weeks long (from June 7 - November 1), and full shares, good for a family, and half shares, good for individuals or couples are available. In addition, fruit and egg shares are also available.
It’s a Jewish Value!
From the story of creation, we learn that God put human beings on the earth to “till and tend it.” While most of us no longer have an agricultural vocation, the imperative to care for the earth is deeply rooted in Judaism. If we can support farmers who care for this earth, with our deeds and our finances, it is another way to care for the earth. In addition, our tradition has a food culture that believes that eating can be a sanctified act. Knowing the story of where our food comes from is another way to elevate this everyday act.
Buy Local
- Your support helps sustain small local farms who employ sustainable farming practices.
- Connect with the food you eat by meeting your farmers and exploring the farms.
- You can learn more about Freebird Farms at their website.
Eat Well
- If you’ve never had a farm-fresh tomato, you haven’t had a tomato!
- Buy the freshest food for your family.
- Explore new foods and learn to cook with them.
- Find out that beet greens aren’t just good for you, they’re tasty too!
Be Healthy
- Eat more fresh vegetables and fruit.
- Share healthy eating habits with your kids. Expose them early to a variety of regional, seasonal produce.
Protect the Environment
- Support farmers who take care of their land by growing food in ways that take care of the soil.
- Cut down on the number of miles your food travels from the farm to your plate.
IMPORTANT DETAILS:
Freebird Farms will be dropping off the produce every Tuesday from June 7- November 1. Pickup will be in Stern Lobby until the Fall, when we move to pick up in the Pavilion. PICK UP TIMES are between 4:30 - 7:00 pm. Every member of the CSA will be expected to volunteer for ONE pick-up afternoon to meet the other members of our Central CSA, and to facilitate pick-up.
SHARES
The cost of a full vegetable share, which is enough for a family of four is $575 (approx $24/wk). Half shares are $300 (less than $13/week) and are good for individuals or couples.
We are also offering fruit and egg shares either in addition to the vegetable shares or “a la carte”.
Fruit shares cost $150 (appox $7/wk). Fruit shares (depending on time of year) may include: apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, apricots and cherries. They will be available for 20 out of the 24 weeks.
An egg share costs $88 a share per dz. (about $4/wk) and $48 a share per ½ dz. (about $2/wk)
Missed weeks
There are no refunds for missed weeks of share pick-up. But you have the opportunity to do an additional mitzvah as leftover shares will be donated to a food shelter each week.
For more information or to sign up for this important and delicious program, please contact Greg Cicchino at cicchinog@censyn.org or 212-838-5122 x1012. We are looking for a few additional volunteers who are willing to be part of a core team of volunteers for our Central CSA, please let Greg know if you are interested in this helping out.
Posted/updated: March 14, 2011
According to current reports the catastrophic earthquake in Japan has claimed more than 10,000 lives - devastating an entire nation as many await news about their loved ones or are already mourning their loss. With many thousands injured, hungry, homeless and facing radiation poisoning from the subsequent nuclear meltdown, our prayers and thoughts are with the people of Japan and their families. As we have been reminded in the past, we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We must help.
The following organizations have established relief efforts and donations are now being accepted:
The UJA Federation of New York
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Central Synagogue is not in a position to re-direct donations. Instead, we encourage you to give directly to the funds listed above.
We have pledged $10,000 on our membership’s behalf to the JDC’s Japan Earthquake Relief Effort.
Our community continues to pray with and for those whose lives have been affected by recent cataclysmic upheaval.
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: January 24, 2011
Joan G. Wexler, President of Brooklyn Law School
You need Flash to play this video
You may download a PDF version of this speech. Click here
Posted/updated: January 21, 2011
Dr. Hussein Rashid (read bio) Photo Credit: Ali Ansary
Click on the link to listen to the:
January 20 lecture: Looking at the Qu'ran.
January 27 lecture: Who Speaks for Islam?
February 3 lecture: Gender Issues in Muslim Society
Posted/updated: January 14, 2011
Cantor Angela Buchdahl was recently featured as part of a 92nd Street Y panel discussion of Jewish female clergy. Rabbi Sara Hurwitz, Rabbi Diane Cohler-Esses, and Rabbi Diana S. Gerson are also featured. To view this discussion, tune into Shalom TV, the Free On Demand Jewish Television Cable Network. The program is available all the time through February 5th in the category, Judaism and Culture. There is no need to subscribe.
Cablevision: CH 502, select News and World, then Shalom TV
RCN: CH 1, select Religious, then Shalom TV
Time Warner Cable: CH 1012, then Shalom TV
Verizon FiOS: CH 900, select Browse All, then Free, then People and Culture, then Shalom TV
Posted/updated: January 10, 2011
Caption: Debbie Friedman performing at Central Synagogue in November 2009.
We invite you to view video of the memorial service for Debbie Friedman, held at Central Synagogue on Thursday, January 27. The service, which was attended by 700 people and lasted two and a half hours, is available in five parts:
If you have any problems viewing these links, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Posted/updated: December 03, 2010
Message from ARZA:
The worst fire in Israel’s history is raging across Haifa and the Carmel Forest. More than 40 lives have already been lost, and many more are in danger as Israel’s Fire and Rescue Services battle the blaze.
We grieve with the families who have lost love ones. We grieve for the loss of trees, so important in our tradition that we refer even to the Torah as the Tree of Life.
You can help.
ARZA and the URJ, with our partners, the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, will help rebuild human lives through the IMPJ Humanitarian Fund.
Contributing to our Carmel Fire-Israel Emergency Fund is one more way for you to participate in building Israel, the land that we love.
*Neither ARZA nor the URJ withholds any overhead costs for Emergency Funds, with the exception of direct costs such as credit card fees.
Thursday Evening (December 2) Update
The situation as of 10.30 PM local time Thursday (3.30 PM New York) is as follows:
- Thousands of acres of forest and bush land have been destroyed. Given a winter in which virtually no rain has fallen, the vegetation is particularly dry.
- Some 40 trainee prison guards were burned to death when their bus caught fire on the way to evacuate inmates from a prison in the area.
- Fire fighters are hard put to cope with the situation and have run out of chemicals to extinguish the flames. Helicopters are unable to operate at night to put out the fires with water scooped from the Mediterranean Sea.
- Fire fighting teams have been brought in from all over the country to relieve the teams from the Haifa area and help is also on its way from Cyprus, Greece and Bulgaria.
- Kibbutz Beit Oren has been badly damaged and some 10,000 Israelis have been evacuated from their homes, including from Ein Hod, where our colleague Rabbi Bob Samuels lives with his wife, Annette. (I understand that they are currently overseas.)
- Haifa University has also been evacuated together with parts of Tirat el Carmel. The Haifa district of Denia may also have to be evacuated.
- Currently, the fires are not under control and there are fears that they could continue to wreak havoc throughout the weekend.
- The forecast for Friday (tomorrow) is for strong easterly winds that will make the fire fighters’ work even more difficult.
- It has been suggested that the fires were started on purpose, but it is too early to confirm this.
- The results of this awful tragedy are already described as being worse than from a terrorist incident.
Report thanks to Rabbi Michael Boyden.
-Evacuated: Ussafiya, Kibbutz Beit Oren, Haifa University, Ein Hod, Nir Etzion, Tirat HaCarmel Hospital, Yemin Orde, and more as the fire spreads; Kibbutz Beit Oren is reportedly destroyed by the flames.
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: October 14, 2010
During Shabbat services on October 8, Central Synagogue presented its Annual Shofar Award to Pulitzer Prize-winning Playwright Tony Kushner. Mr. Kushner then addressed the congregation and answered their questions.
Tony Kushner’s plays include Angels in America and The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. He wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols’ film of Angels In America and Steven Spielberg’s Munich. He is the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize, two Tony Awards, three Obie Awards, two Evening Standard Awards, an Olivier Award, an Emmy Award and an Oscar nomination, among other honors.
Posted/updated: October 01, 2010
Click here to listen to and read High Holy Days sermons by Rabbi Rubinstein, Rabbi Salth and Rabbi Friedman.
Click here to listen to Cantor Buchdahl sing Kol Nidrei.
Click here to listen to and read President Kenneth Heitner’s Rosh HaShanah Remarks.
Click here to listen to and read the Yom Kippur Appeal delivered by Abigail Pogrebin.
Click here to watch and read Ambassador Michael Oren’s Rosh HaShanah Remarks.
Posted/updated: September 20, 2010
More about the Kol Nidrei prayer.
Posted in: Worship
Posted/updated: September 17, 2010
When I told my mother-in-law, who lives in Chicago, that I’d been given the honor of delivering the Yom Kippur Appeal at Central this year, she responded with three words: “I’m so sorry.”
Because she knows it’s everyone’s least favorite moment, and in her experience, it’s always been the perfect time to escape to the bathroom to reapply her lipstick and think about whether she’ll break the fast with brisket or a bagel.
But I hope I’ll grab your attention by mentioning one particular Yom Kippur prohibition you may not be aware of: intimate relations. On Yom Kippur, we are not only supposed to stay out of the kitchen, but also the bedroom.
However: we can talk about falling in love.
When did you fall in love with Central?
When was the moment you decided to join, or – if it’s been in your family for generations – decided to stay?
If I were my mother, who insists upon hearing from every person at the dinner table, I’d suggest we go around the room sharing our “Why I’m at Central” stories; but tonight’s numbers, alas – or maybe thankfully – make that impossible.
But since I’ve been given the privilege of speaking to you tonight, I will tell you my story. You can relax; it’s very short. In fact, it can be encapsulated in one paraphrased cliché: love at first sound.
Very simply, five years ago, I was invited to the bat mitzvah of a friend’s daughter, and I heard Cantor Buchdahl sing.
And then I heard Rabbi Rubinstein speak.
And afterwards, I walked out, called my husband, and said, with as much certainty as I’ve ever felt, “This is where we belong.”
And since he’s a Jewish husband, he didn’t have much say in the matter, anyway.
Of course, it wasn’t my first synagogue experience, but in many ways, it was a first:
The first time I was moved.
The first time I was fully engaged.
The first time I didn’t watch the clock.
Those of us who have fallen in love with Central know exactly how rare it is to finally find a home.
I have so many friends who haven’t.
When I hear them describe how they don’t love their temple’s music, how the sermons don’t challenge them, how the religious school is unimaginative or the congregation lacks a certain warmth, I know how unique this place is.
Because here the music takes me somewhere, and the sermons make me think, and my son, Benjamin, after his bar mitzvah last may, actually told Rabbi Rubinstein it was the best day of his life.
Finding the right synagogue is like finding the right companion—neither is easy, and both, ideally, are for life.
When all of us here chose Central, we chose the place that would marry us, bury us, name our babies, and as they grow up, teach them Hebrew and history, call them to the Torah, and hopefully spark a pride and curiosity which makes them actually want a Jewish life, not just inherit it.
When we chose Central, we chose the synagogue that would help us mark every milestone and weather any heartbreak.
I’m not presuming that we’re all equally smitten with this place, or drawn by the same things. But whether we’re pulled by memory, melody, guilt, habit or a taste of challah, Central somehow manages to offer a gateway for every one of us.
Whether we’re sure of God or sure there isn’t one, whether we feel already anchored Jewishly or still wandering, whether we’re already in love with this place or still courting.
Even if you’re only in this magical sanctuary once or twice a year–this is your home too. When you crave an interval between your hectic week and your overscheduled weekend;
when life overwhelms and you need a rabbi’s ear or guidance; when you wish that you or your children knew more about our rich, resilient tradition - Central can be a resource, a refuge.
It’s too easy to sit in this packed house on Kol Nidrei and then go home and say, “I’m so glad Central is there, doing so many good things.”
We’re not just “the audience,” not just visitors.
We are Central’s engine and its oxygen. This synagogue’s ability to offer all that it does rests entirely on our willingness to step up and contribute as much as we can at this time every year.
So if you had a number in mind, I hope you’ll nudge it a little higher.
If you already gave this year, thank you. (And I hope you won’t hesitate to add a little more.)
Because I know you know you’re part of something unusual.
Because we want to keep a good thing going.
Because I’m sure you share my pride in the fact that Central is constantly reaching out to those who are genuinely - often quietly - struggling…in our midst, and outside our doors.
Sometimes we think to ourselves, “my richer neighbor can carry the load.”
The fact is that all of us are the mortar and pulse of this place, all of us know that our tradition reminds us again and again to be involved.
On Yom Kippur, an unsparing honesty is required of us: about who we’ve been, about who we want to become, about what really matters - in our heart of hearts.
I’d venture to guess we’re not just feeling reflective and repentant tonight; we’re also feeling lucky.
Lucky to have this sanctuary; this clergy; this congregation; this community.
Lucky to have fallen in love…and found a home.
Shana Tova.
Posted/updated: September 10, 2010
The Jewish people are, it must be said, unique. Most peoples in the world celebrate their new years with firecrackers and midnight parties and merriment.
We, by contrast, mark our new year by beating our breasts and begging G-d for forgiveness.
And why not? For most peoples have as their national books great tales of heroism and goodness.
They have their Iliads and their Gilgameshes – while our national book tells us how terrible we are.
In fact, the Bible’s complete title should actually be, “The Bible: How G-d Trusted Us and We Let Him Down.”
Certainly, our Biblical tradition instills in us a sense that somehow we weren’t good enough, that we could have done more, that we could have lived up to the lofty standards of G-d’s covenant with Israel.
But the Bible also bestows on us another identity, that of a nation of priests, a holy people, a light unto the world.
That tension – between a moral inferiority complex on the one hand and, on the other, a sense of moral obligation – is hardwired into the Jewish world-view.
The contradiction is compounded by another conflict: the Jews as a people responsible first and foremost for themselves and, conversely, the Jews as a people dedicated to the betterment of all.
The same Bible that contains six-hundred and thirteen commandments for Jews also ordains non-Jews to obey the so called Noahide Laws.
In Leviticus, G-d says I have “separated you from all other nations.” But in Deuteronomy, G-d also instructs us to provide for “the convert, the orphan, and the widow.”
Together, the seemingly irreconcilable dynamics of Jewish identity have immensely impacted the course of Jewish history – indeed, in the history of the world.
In addition to promulgating the revolutionary ideas of a single G-d and a universal morality, to say nothing of the proto-democratic notion of fallible kings, the Jews inspired the faiths to which roughly half of humankind now subscribes.
The Jews made these monumental contributions while committed to themselves as a people and not necessarily out of a sense of universal duty.
But that commitment was, throughout most of Jewish history, the product not only of free choice but also of legal and physical strictures.
Incarcerated behind ghetto walls, forbidden to follow all but a few professions, the Jews had little choice but to be a people.
The situation radically changed with the advent of the modern age.
For the first time, the Jews had the option between remaining apart and joining the rest of humanity—between peoplehood and universalism, the two conflicting components in their identity.
Impelled by their twin impulses of collective guilt and noblesse oblige, a great many chose the universalist idea of Communism which supposedly would redress all of the world’s evils.
At the turn of the 20th century, membership in the Russian Communist Party was disproportionately Jewish.
A Polish Jew named Zamenhof founded another universalist project, Esperanto, that aspired to create the first global language. It, too, attracted a great many Jewish adherents.
Meanwhile, millions of eastern European Jews immigrated to the West and, especially, to the United States.
They had to choose whether to remain within the folds of Jewish tradition and people anglicize their names, forget the haggim, and assimilate.
Similarly, they had to decide whether to support specifically Jewish or universalist causes—whether to give to the UJA or the United Way.
Was their first responsibility to their fellow Jews, their fellow Americans or their fellow man?
Judaism itself was wrestling with these dilemmas. Could it strike a balance between commitment to the Jewish people and Jewish commitment to the world – between tribalism and universalism.
The response came in the latter part of the 20th century with the emergence of the concept of tikkun olam, which translates literally as repairing the world.
The term, which we recite in our Aleinu prayer, does not appear in the Bible.
Rather, it is taken from the Talmud and, later, from Kabbalah, with different interpretations – from the rights of divorced women to the mystical need to reconstruct broken vessels of divine light.
But increasingly in the United States, tikkun olam came to connote the responsibility of Jews not only or even firstly to their own people, but as a moral obligation to the world as a whole.
To manifest our destiny as a light unto the world.
That dedication was not solely spiritual but also financial and even physical.
Instead of funding and building a new Jewish community center, American Jewish philanthropists could facilitate the construction of a new school in an impoverished country.
The collapse of the ghetto walls offered Jews yet another choice. Instead remaining in Russia and perhaps becoming a Communist or immigrating to America and possibly assimilating, they could return to their ancient homeland, the Land of Israel.
Jews could become Zionists and blend their traditions with modern modes.
They could take an ancient language that had no word for computer and infuse it with new life. “Computer” in Hebrew, by the way, is machshev, derived from lachshov, to think.
They could teach Jews who had never farmed to plow the earth and invent drip irrigation.
They gave Jews who had never fought the right and the means and the moral guidelines to defend themselves.
They could ingather millions of Jewish refugees, offer them education at six world-class universities and opportunities in a cutting-edge, high-tech market.
They could create an independent nation that would endow them with a new identity and a reborn dignity.
Faced with the challenges and choices of modernity, Israel gave Jews an answer.
It may even have given them the answer.
Communism failed, and Israel offered shelter to hundreds of thousands of its victims.
Assimilation greatly eroded Jewish identity in many communities, but young Jews are now regaining their identity through Birthright and other educational programs in Israel.
And yet the question remains: how can we reconcile Jewish unity with the vision of tikkun olam?
It’s the old biblical conundrum: How can we remain loyal to ourselves as a people and still show empathy for others?
Here, too, Israel offers the solution.
Through its groundbreaking scientific and medical research, its exploration of alternative sources of energy and means of cleansing the atmosphere, its development of sustainable agriculture capable of feeding millions – Israel is performing tikkun olam.
When Israel Defense Force doctors and nurses set up the first functioning mobile hospital in earthquake-devastated Haiti or in a fire-scorched village in the Congo – Israel is performing tikkun olam.
When Israel produces the most scientific papers, the most technical patents, and the most Nobel Prizes per capita in the world, that is also tikkun olam.
The Jewish people have made their greatest contributions when they acted together as a people and nowhere are Jewish energies more concentrated than in Israel.
This does not mean that Jews should stop contributing to schools in developing countries or, G-d forbid, cease giving to the United Way.
But Israel offers us – all of us – a means for channeling our charitable instincts.
In Israel, our identity as Jews faithful to our own people converges with our identity as Jews dedicated to the welfare of the world.
In Israel, we can demonstrate how a country situated in the roughest of neighborhoods can still act morally and justly;
How a country that has known only conflict can still strive unflaggingly for peace.
In Israel, we have the chance to succeed where we failed thousands of years ago – creating a society that lets down neither G-d nor our fellow man.
Yes, it’s true, on our New Year we beat our breasts instead of lighting firecrackers and beg for forgiveness rather than revel.
Yet, this Rosh HaShanah, let us celebrate the extraordinary privilege of being able to unite as a people for our people as well as for all peoples worldwide.
Let us rejoice in the existence of the Jewish state that is once again our homeland and a source of hope for humanity.
Posted in: Worship
Posted/updated: September 09, 2010
L’shana tova.
I approach the New Year, 5771, with great optimism.
You might ask why considering the continued weak state of the economy with joblessness continuing to hover around 10 percent; the lack of confidence being expressed regarding the start of direct peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians; the looming Iran nuclear threat and the constant stream of criticism (sometimes justified) levied at Israel in the media from the United Nations and elsewhere.
The basis for my conviction and optimism is right in front of me and behind me.
It’s because of each and every one of you, it’s because of this congregation, our community and its leaders, and it’s because of the principles that guide us and our traditions.
There is a long and storied history of the Jewish people. And each Shabbos that we celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah, we remind ourselves of that history as we pass the Torah from generation to generation to generation.
As I look back over the recent past at our deeds and actions, both individually and collectively, our link to our ancestors and to Jewish tradition is unmistakable. And it is because of this and my expectations for the future, that I’m brimming with optimism, that I’m proud to be your president and, most importantly, that I’m proud to be a Jew.
Last Yom Kippur we appealed to you in connection with our annual Yom Kippur appeal. Our message was quite different than in the past. We were experiencing ever-increasing numbers of congregants that were seeking dues relief, tuition relief and, in some cases, pleading for assistance in securing the bare essentials including food, clothing and shelter.
Nearly one out of every five congregants, or almost 400 families, is on some form of assistance. You responded in a manner that, frankly speaking, far exceeded my expectations. So many of you increased your gifts over historic levels and our participation rate also increased. But I would like to think this was not just a case of people further “opening their wallets” but rather people “opening their hearts.”
You responded to a pressing human need. You demonstrated a burning desire to help the less fortunate. You reached out to help our own.
This was accomplished without fanfare and without prodding (or at least not much prodding). This was a real demonstration of who we are as a people and as a community.
This enormous show of compassion, caring and a desire to help those in need, this outpouring of support, surely is a defining characteristic of the teachings of the Torah and of long-held Jewish beliefs.
This makes me proud to be your president, proud to be part of this central synagogue community and proud to call myself a Jew.
Every year for the past 13 years, central synagogue has sponsored Mitzvah Day. We send teams of congregants to such varied organizations as the Ronald McDonald house, the Doe Fund, Meals-on-Wheels, Habitat for Humanity and many others. The number of participants continues to grow, last year totaling more than 400 congregants. We serve meals to the elderly and the infirm, we spend quality time with terminally ill children, we assist in renovating residences for homeless families and we make home visits to long time members of central synagogue. We plant and we knit and we sing.
And for the past 28 years, Central Synagogue has partnered with some neighboring churches to sponsor a breakfast program for the homeless. Last year we served more than 20,000 meals to these less fortunate individuals.
Programs like Mitzvah Day and the Breakfast Program are just two examples of the wonderful institutional and individual display of acts of love and kindness. We experience the joy of giving and extending a hand to others. It’s an opportunity to set an important example for our children and renew our dedication to repairing the world around us. Tikkun olam. These surely are defining Jewish characteristics. This makes me proud to serve as your president, to be part of the central synagogue community and proud to call myself a Jew.
Due to the generosity of certain of our members, beginning in 2004, we were able to implement a full-time teacher program for our Hebrew school, a revolutionary concept in the reform movement. Although we continue to strive for excellence, this program for our more than 700 children attending the Hebrew school, is widely viewed as an unqualified success. For those that may not have seen it, there was a glowing article this past spring in the Jewish week extolling the virtues of our program and the precedent it is setting for reform congregations throughout the united states.
Our children are better educated, more engaged and more likely to live a Jewish life, respecting Jewish tradition and ritual.
But what does this program say about us as a Jewish community? It keenly demonstrates our lifelong commitment to Jewish learning. It reflects the importance we place on Jewish continuity. It is nothing less than our recognition, just as our parents recognized, of the importance of the survival and the perpetuation of Jewish life, Jewish tradition and the Jewish people. This way of thinking, this emphasis on education and continuity, makes this Central Synagogue community a special and holy place and makes me proud to be a part of it.
There are numerous other examples of our commitment to Jewish life, Jewish principles and Jewish tradition that we practice here at Central Synagogue. But they need not be mentioned because you get the point. The Central Synagogue experience captures the essence of who we are as a people and, despite all obstacles, should fill us with optimism and pride. I know it does me.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a further moment of your time and attention to express my gratitude, once more, for your enabling me to serve this past year as your president. This congregation truly is remarkable, in its energy, its spirit, its devotion and its spirituality. And this past year has provided me with an up close and personal look at our remarkable clergy and senior staff.
Rabbis Rubinstein, Friedman and Salth and Cantors Buchdahl and Sacks have made and continue to make such meaningful impacts on all our lives. Their leadership, their compassion, their guidance, their professionalism and their friendship are all so invaluable to us in our personal, professional and spiritual lives.
And working with Livia Thompson and her staff can make even me look and sound knowledgeable and in control of things. Together, they inspire me as I’m sure they do you. We are truly blessed to call as one of our own, each and every one of them.
May the coming year be a good, sweet and peaceful year both within our community and throughout the world.
L’shana tova,
Kenneth H. Heitner
President, Central Synagogue
Posted/updated: August 31, 2010
Now through Wednesday, September 29, 2010:
Our annual food drive will take place during the festival of Sukkot. We hope that you will participate in this mitzvah project by bringing non-perishable items to Stern Lobby through Wednesday, September 29.
You may also make a donation to (or volunteer at) our weekly Breakfast Program, which feeds hundreds of hungry New Yorkers every week.
For more info contact the Social Justice Committee at: socialjustice@censyn.org
Posted/updated: August 11, 2010
Join and Help the Needy in our Community!
Sign up to help make sandwiches for our Breakfast Program - feeding homeless people in our community.
Please RSVP to your teacher if you would like to help on any of the dates. We need your participation!
Sandwich making dates through December are:
• Thursday 10/7
• Thursday 10/21
• Thursday 11/4
• Wednesday 11/10
• Thursday 12/16
All days sandwich making starts at 6:15pm for approximately one hour.
If you would also like to come and serve breakfast on any morning during the year, please join any Thursday or Friday at 6:30am for one hour!
Here is what some students say about helping serve breakfast:
“ It felt so good to come and help serve breakfast a few times with my mom and my dad. I served juice and helped out and also visited with some people. Some were sad and it was nice to help them and some told stories that were interesting. I saw how much our help was appreciated. I also enjoy making sandwiches that we give out after breakfast.”
Sarah Fassberg, 5th grade
“My experience at the Breakfast Program was great. I did mitzvah by feeding those in need and had fun at the same time. The Breakfast Program was an incredible thing for me to experience and I can’t wait to go back again!”
Kayla Gillman, 6th grade
Posted/updated: June 16, 2010
Andrew Cohen, the 2-year-old son of members of Temple Israel of New Rochelle, is currently a patient at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. His treatment for Neuroblastoma requires regular blood and platelet transfusions.
Andrew and his family would deeply appreciate your donation of blood and/or platelets and requests you ask others you know to donate. Donations not used by Andrew will be released for use by other patients - many of whom are children.
To benefit Andrew, all designated donations must be made in the Blood Donor Room of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Please visit them online for complete information about donor eligibility and the donation process for blood or platelets.
Contact:Joe Licata, (212) 639-8177
Manager, Blood Donor Program
licataj@mskcc.org
Blood Donor Room
(212) 639-7648
1250 First Avenue (between 67th & 68th Streets)
Schwartz Building Lobby
Open Every Day:
Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon: 8:30am - 3:00pm
Tues, Weds, Thur: 8:30am - 7:00pm
The process for donating whole blood takes approximately 1 hour. The process for donating platelets takes about 2½ hours. Appointments are necessary. All blood types are acceptable.
Free Donor Parking: Somerset Parking Garage, 1365 York Avenue (entrance on NW corner of 72nd Street)
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: June 03, 2010
Dear Congregants,
Many of you have read with concern the coverage of Israel’s encounter with the Turkish ship, the Mavi Marmara.
We mourn the loss of civilian life in this tragic incident as well as the serious injuries to Israeli soldiers. We also regret that this event has become another touchstone in the ongoing battle of perception about Israel.
It can be difficult to sift through the many media images, videos and opinion pieces swirling around this incident to understand exactly what happened. There is a rush to judgment and a desire to understand who is to blame. We urge you to stay informed about what is happening in Israel and to push leaders both here and in Israel to work toward peace in Gaza and in the wider region.
We at Central Synagogue affirm Israel’s right to exist and to defend herself. We do not all agree with all the actions of the government of the State of Israel, but we commit ourselves to continue to engage with and support Israel in these challenging times. We must educate ourselves, speak up, and sometimes cry out.
In this spirit, I am including links to a few articles on the recent Flotilla incident.
Michael Oren in The New York Times
Daniel Gordis in The New York Times
Response from Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA)
I hope, also, that you will read the following sermons recently delivered on this topic at our Shabbat services:
May these recent events spur us to learn, to engage and to act on Israel’s behalf.
We pray for the State of Israel and all her people:
Oseh Shalom Bimromav, hu ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu v’al Kol Yisrael.
May the One who makes peace in the heavens, bring peace to us, to Israel, and to all the world.
B’shalom,
Cantor Angela Buchdahl
Posted/updated: February 12, 2010
"Justice, Justice, Shall You Pursue:" The Chief Judge's Perspective on Justice and Jewish Values
New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman
You may download a PDF version of this speech. Click here
Posted/updated: October 13, 2009
All concerts are free of charge and held on Tuesdays (various dates) in the Main Sanctuary, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm.
October 11, 2011
Olivier Eisemann - Zurich, Switzerland
October 25, 2011
Student Organist
November 8, 2011
Brad Hughley, St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church - Atlanta, Georgia
November 22, 2011
Student Organist
December 13, 2010
Lynn Trapp, St. Olaf R. C. Church - Minneapolis, Minnesota
January 10, 2012
Jan Kraybill, Community of Christ, Kansas City, Missouri
January 24, 2012
Student from Curtis Institute of Music
February 14, 2012
Boyd Jones, Stetson University - DeLand, FL
February 28, 2012
Student from Cleveland Institute of Music
March 13, 2012
Roman Krasnovsky - Tel Aviv, Israel
March 27, 2012
Student from St. Olaf College
April 10, 2012
Sergio Paolini - Milan, Italy
April 24, 2012
Student from Vassar College
May 1, 2012
Student from Duke University
May 8, 2012
Thomas Dahl - Hamburg, Germany
May 23, 2012
7:00 pm - Gail Archer
*Programs subject to change without notice*
Posted/updated: June 30, 2009
For the first time in 30 years, the Reform Movement’s Biennial Convention will be held in Canada. So get ready to experience the magic of the Biennial, when 5,000 Reform Jews from around the world gather at the most exciting convention in today’s Jewish world. Visit the Union for Reform Judaism’s Web site for more information.
Posted/updated: June 29, 2009
UJA-Federation of New York’s Connect to Care initiative provides employment services and financial services and legal counseling free of charge for those impacted by the economic downturn. For more information about this program or to make an appointment in Manhattan, Riverdale and Brownstone Brooklyn, call JBFCS, a lead agency for UJA-Federation’s Connect to Care, at 212-399-2685 x206. You can also see the full description and workshops or find UJA-Federation’s Connect to Care Centers in other regions.
www.jcprograms.org/connect-to-care
Posted/updated: May 08, 2009
The Adult B’not Mitzvah Class of 2009/5769 invites you to read their personal D’vrei Torah, which they shared with the congregation on May 8, 2009.
On Giving Thanks: Reflections on Parshat EMOR and Becoming a Bat Mitzvah
Ravelle Brickman
Gail H. Geltman
Barbara Hochberg
Carol Hochberg
Robin Sue Kahn
Ruth Leibert
Alice Nanes
Susan Lee Rein
Patricia W. Rich
Martha Schwartz
Carol Winer
Elaine Weiss
If coincidence is God working behind the scenes, then it is no accident that my Torah portion today is about the Festival of Sukkot. In Emor, the holiday is described as a celebration of the harvest, commanded by God so that we, as Jews, will remember the days of wandering in the desert and give thanks for the gift of life.Just as giving thanks is the essence of this portion, it is also the catalyst for my own journey toward commitment. For me, the road back to Judaism began with the birth of my first grandchild more than nine years ago. Today, there are four girls. Their names—Eva, Abigail, Miriam and Hannah—recall some of the great women of Jewish history while preserving images of a more recent past.
Ironically, I never knew my own grandparents. There were not many people of that age in the mostly child-oriented streets of Queens when I was growing up in the 1940s. We had a few older relatives—my father’s stepmother, whom we rarely saw, some great-aunts, uncles and cousins—but they lived far away, in Brooklyn. My mother considered our family to be very lucky. She and my father were both born in America, allowing us—my parents, brother and I, our cousins, aunts and uncles—to escape the terrible fate that befell our relatives in Europe. Every night she led us in a simple prayer, thanking God for the fact that we were safe. We also prayed for the end of the war and the creation of a State of Israel, two things that actually happened.
The synagogue we attended was Conservative. My mother liked it because of the mixed seating and the fact that people chanted in unison. Although I could not become a Bat Mitzvah—the very idea was shocking—I was nevertheless packed off to Hebrew School to learn the first lines of Genesis and the Sh’ma. At 12, I joined the other girls for a Confirmation service where we wore white robes and took turns reading English speeches written, presumably, by the wife of an Episcopal deacon.
The speech I read, called the Flower Offering, bore no relation to Genesis, nor did it reflect on Judaism or rites of passage. My mother was nevertheless proud. I think she saw it as an aspect of the American dream. My mother had a surprisingly good Jewish education. Her Hebrew pronunciation was perfect, with not a hint of a Yiddish accent, and she could recite many prayers by rote. As a teenager, she studied the Hebrew Bible at the Jewish Theological Seminary. In 1926—another case, perhaps, of God pulling the strings—she worked for Dr. Stephen Wise, rabbi emeritus of Central Synagogue.
While my mother and I had a difficult relationship, I would like to think that we might have gotten along if we’d had another 29 years of practice. She would have been thrilled to see me standing at the bima in this place. She would certainly have said a prayer of thanks for the gift of great-grandchildren. Giving thanks is a common refrain in Jewish liturgy. Nearly all our prayers are blessings. We thank God for the creation of the sun and for the privilege of learning Torah, for the divine and the mundane in equal portions, for bread and wine and the fruit of our labors.
My own prayers, today and throughout the year, involve a simple litany. I am grateful, first, for the bounty of nature, for the lives of children and grandchildren; second, I am thankful for the love of Judaism they share, and for the light they will bring to the future. Third, I am grateful for the seeds that were sown by others along the way. And last, I thank God for the gift of life and for allowing me to celebrate this new season.
In Parshat Emor the Israelites are still wandering in the desert. They began their wandering in Exodus and continue to wander throughout the Torah. In Emor, God reiterates the need for faithful obedience to His commandments and reminds the Israelites, it is “I, Adonai, who sanctify you and I who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God, I, Adonai” (Lev 22:32-33).
Emor continues to discuss God’s laws of holy living. Through our observance of God’s commandments, God sanctifies and makes holy the Israelite community. Just as Adonai brought the Israelites out of Egypt and made them wander in the desert for forty years, I too have wandered. I have been brought out of my own personal Egypt to be with God. Mine is a story of self-discovery – a story of a stranger in a strange land – not a stranger among the Egyptians, but a stranger among my own people, the Jews. My “wandering” stopped when my disability began. When I could barely walk, sit, or stand, I found my way to Central Synagogue for Shabbat services.
The nearly thirty-two months of my disability brought me on a path to God. This challenging period of physical infirmity was a period of profound introspection and spiritual awakening which provided me with both the opportunity and the time to delve into my heritage. Emor contains a calendar of sacred times that belong to God and the Jewish people. The most sacred occasion of all is Shabbat, defined as the seventh day, a day without work and of complete rest. I have “wandered” and found my way into this Temple to welcome Shabbat, to observe and celebrate our holiest day of the week, which is now my holiest day.
My greatest joy is attending Shabbat services and basking in the community of friendships I have formed at Central Synagogue. The greatest surprise of all to me is my profound love of chanting Hebrew. The Torah calls to me. My new found love for Judaism started with my commitment to become a Bat Mitzvah and with my realization that it is my passion and my dream to study to become a rabbi when I retire from the legal profession. I am most grateful to Central Synagogue for putting me on this path. I am softer, kinder, more gentle and loving to others than I have ever been. I am filled with love of God, of my fellow people, and all God’s creatures.
People have asked me, “Why become Bat Mitzvah now?,” “Why after all these years is it so important to you?” These questions prompted me to reflect on my history, my family and the journey through Judaism that led me to this day.When I was young, girls did not become Bat Mitzvah or go to Hebrew School We lived in a non-Jewish immigrant neighborhood and religious tolerance among my friends was not an attribute, probably because they really only knew the stereotype of a Jew. They kept telling me I was not like other Jews which was really confusing because I was just like the other Jewish people I knew. Those were mainly my family and my parents’ friends.
My parents were not very religious. However, I did learn all about the Jewish holidays because I did not go to school on them, since it was important for our neighbors to recognize our Jewish identities. My mother did light the Shabbat candles every Friday night and we went to synagogue on the High Holidays. Our synagogue was Orthodox. My memories of the service are limited. I loved standing next to my father while he chanted the prayers. Then we were asked to leave and I spent my time standing on the corner with a group of friends. It was not until I met my husband and we went with his family to a Conservative temple that I actually attended services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
As a child, Passover was my favorite holiday. I loved the story of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. My imagination was stirred by the parting of the Sea of Reeds, and the ten plagues. Usually being the youngest at the table, I was able to ask the four questions. It was a time for family and friends to celebrate our freedom and to examine our heritage.
My parents did give me a strong sense of Jewish identity, though it was cultural rather than religious. When I had children, I insisted on belonging to a Reform synagogue since I really wanted to be able to understand the services. My husband and I were instrumental in building a new temple. I have always felt a responsibility and commitment to the Jewish people. I spent many years volunteering for Women’s American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training). ORT is a Jewish organization that provides cutting-edge training and strategic educational initiatives that empowers students in 63 countries. I became President of the Westchester Region and went on to the State board. That organization was important to me because I have always felt the best gift you can give anyone is the opportunity to have the skills you need to get a job and be self-sufficient. Yet with everything I accomplished, I still felt something was missing.
When my daughter told me she was going to enlist in Hebrew at Central Synagogue, I decided to join her, as I always wanted to be able to read the prayers. I was not thinking about becoming Bat Mitzvah. During my studies, I realized how upset I would have been if any of my grandchildren did not become B’nei Mitzvah. If I expected them to do it, why not Grandma when she had the opportunity? I loved reading the Torah portions. In doing so I felt a strong emotional attachment to God that I had never before experienced. A passage that really resonates with me is “Then you will begin to seek God your Lord, and if you pursue Him with all your heart and soul, you will eventually find Him” (Deuteronomy 4:29). The discussions and the interpretations of the Torah portions were fascinating and illuminating. Belonging to this Bat Mitzvah class has given me a sense of belonging and community. I especially feel blessed that I have been lucky to have a teacher like Sandi who has patience, knowledge and a real sense of caring for her pupils.
In Parshat Emor, we are told to declare certain days as the “set times of God, the sacred occasions, which you shall celebrate each at its appointed time.” (Leviticus 23:4) This passage emphasizes that the holidays are significant and powerful moments in time. Our holiday celebrations are these sacred fixed times and become sacred moments through ritual and worship.
My Jewish identity has always been a strong force in my life. My Jewish life has always been marked by our holidays. They are the fabric of our lives interwoven into family and traditions. We rejoice on these holidays with rituals that allow us to take time out of our everyday lives. These are times for my family to gather and open our doors to friends of the same and different faiths. We share these sacred times and celebrate in the warmth of our Jewish community. Every Jewish holiday has a unique mitzvah that expresses true power and beauty. I particularly appreciate the rituals of Shabbat as a way to connect with holy time, my spirituality and our community. There is no question that, “The holidays are the jewels on the crown of Judaism.”
Two years ago, as I embarked on my new Jewish learning experience to become Bat Mitzvah, I began to attend Shabbat services regularly. This was a completely new experience for me. In the beginning, Shabbat was simply a tool for practicing reading Hebrew and developing the proficiency and speed needed to keep pace with the services. Over time, week by week, an amazing transformation occurred. Shabbat became an essential part of my “holy and sacred time.” Each Friday, I would rush out of my office, in anticipation of walking into our beautiful sanctuary to feel the serenity of Shabbat. Shabbat allows for a time of calm sanity, for grounding and rebalancing not found during a hectic work week filled with responsibilities and obligations. Shabbat is at the heart of Judaism. Shabbat’s still moments allow for a type of Jewish meditation. Shabbat nourishes my mind and body, creating a renewal of spirituality and energy. It has become my “food” that fuels my inner spirituality. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, rabbi, theologian, and activist of the twentieth century states, ‘The Sabbath itself is a sanctuary which we build, a sanctuary in time … The Sabbaths are our great cathedrals.”
Each Shabbat we open the Torah and are presented with a new story of the cycle of creation, reminding us about the importance of human relationships, values and community. I am constantly amazed by the Torah’s timeless lessons of life and how eloquently they relate to the present time. We must read between the lines to understand the many interpretations these powerful words express. Today, I am in awe, actually overwhelmed to stand in front of you and chant the power of the Torah’s words.
I value the significance of these “fixed times” in our lives. I have come to understand the significance of observing the Sabbath. Parshat Emor also tells us, “when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger” (Lev 23:22). This teaches me, I must set aside time not only for Jewish learning and Shabbat, but I must make a meaningful contribution to society. Otherwise, I will not realize the full potential Judaism has to offer. It is my goal this year to set “fixed time” aside to volunteer and use this “sacred time” to reach out and make a difference in others lives who are in need. I am in the process of applying to an organization that aids children and families in need. Just as Heschel said when he marched with Martin Luther King, when engaging in helping others, I too will feel that “my legs were praying.”
On a side note, I would like to mention how proud I am of my mother, who has embarked on this wonderful learning journey with me for the last two years. Her dedication and depth of insight reading the Torah has been a truly inspirational. This experience has been empowering-life changing; it is a path I never thought I would have taken. As a class of 13 women, we worked together with humor, dedication, sharing, writing, thinking and discussion: flexibility, and strongly held opinions. We took small steps and today we are miles from where we began. Our individual spiritual journeys have been heightened by the process we created and shared. We committed to each other to complete a task connecting us to each other more strongly. I thank my Bat Mitzvah classmates for sharing their strong sense of community and all their support. I will always be thankful for this gift.
Parshat Emor, this week’s Torah portion, is similar to others in Leviticus in that it provides lists of rules as to how holidays should be observed. It also outlines how sacrifices should be performed and discusses qualifications for who can and cannot be priests. It commands the Jewish people to act in very precise manners. This parsha provides ways for people to manage their time in a sacred way and find a place for themselves in the world. It suggests basic morals and values that help us to live our lives.
Throughout the year, as we read and studied the Torah as a class, I sometimes found it difficult to find meaning for myself in this four thousand year old document. Each week, each student in the class led a discussion of the parsha and I searched for ways to connect with the text. I found the Torah commentaries useful, as they provided thoughts concerning how the text could be interpreted for us today. We delved into this during classes and debated concepts. I discovered that it takes a great deal of thought to find ways to understand and identify with aspects of the Torah, in the culture of the twenty-first century.
I applied this same determination to my understanding of Parshat Emor. I struggled with the way that this parsha approaches the discussion of Shabbat and the desire for priestly purity. Through my study and wrestling, I have clarified my beliefs and strengthened my own understandings of Shabbat and the Torah’s ideas about purity.
Parshat Emor discusses the fact that a priest’s body has to have no physical imperfections. The presence of physical imperfection impairs holiness, according to the authors of Emor. This confuses me. Humans were created in God’s image, therefore presumably all acceptable to God. This being the case, I wonder why there is so much emphasis placed on bodily perfection. Weren’t we all created holy in our present state blemished or not? In modern-day culture, the same lack of tolerance for imperfection remains. It becomes increasingly apparent that American society strives for physical beauty. People strive for the presence of a “perfect” figure, clear skin and youthful appearance, among other things.
Parshat Emor also discusses the Sabbath, specifically dictating that one must rest on the seventh day. This is not always practical in today’s world. The concept of taking time out each week is meaningful. I have tried to create rituals such as reading a book or the newspaper, watching a mindless program on television, or going to the gym. These activities help me to re-group and relax. I have also carved out time to connect with family members, even if only by e-mail or a short phone call. Sometimes this is not done on the seventh day alone; but throughout the week. That has meaning for me, rather than saving “rest” up for one day out of seven.
Over the course of our studies together in the B’not Mitzvah class, attending Friday night services has become a meaningful way of connecting with classmates and other familiar people in the congregation. Whereas once sacrifices drew us closer to God, today, Jews grow closer to God as they join in Sabbath prayers in the form of songs. It is the music of these services that speaks to me in a special way. It brings back some very happy childhood memories shared both with my brothers and my parents. It brings back memories from summer camp where Friday evening, dance and music were a significant and very happy event. It enables me to remember my dad, when he was healthy. He gave me the love that I have for music. As I observe Shabbat in my own way, I find meaning in the rituals and feel connected to my family and community. Though I will not always find every word of the Torah relevant to my life, I appreciate the way in which it provides rituals that help us to construct our lives.
“And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying…even these are My appointed seasons.” Thus in this parshah do we learn about that with which we are already familiar, the very fabric of the years of our lives. We learn of the sanctity of Shabbat, of its holiness to God. We learn of the seven days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We learn of Shavuot, of Rosh Hashanah and of the Day of Atonement. We learn of the seven days of Sukkot.
The annual rhythm of these festivals marks our lives in many ways. We savor the peace of Shabbat. We gather in extended family celebrations for Seders, for dinners in our decorated sukkot, for rejoicing at each new year. These festivals bind us together, not just as families, but as a community. They are the unique festivals of our Jewish community. They hold the sweetness of our childhood memories and they are a tangible manifestation of the legacy we hope to pass to our children. They are what we share.
It is this emphasis on community, on the importance of the shared in Jewish life, that continues to draw me to the Jewish faith. In our studies in preparation for this day of our B’not Mitzvah we have observed the mitzvot of tzedakah and community service. Our studies have included joint efforts and many hours of shared conversation about the texts, about their relevance to our lives and our community, and about world events and social justice. We have emerged from this effort as more than B’not Mitzvah. We have become good friends.
I began my journey to this day with a simple quest to learn enough Hebrew to keep up with the pace of the service. From my first aleph-bet, I was fortunate to find friends. I want to thank Susan Alt and Phyllis Lusskin (who are here today) for their support as we gathered weekly to read to each other, oh, so haltingly. As I progressed, I began to feel a need for more understanding of meaning. How, in fact, could one pray without understanding the words? Three years ago this interest led me to an intermediate Hebrew class here at Central Synagogue. While I was, at the time, content with my language study, many of my classmates and new friends felt the need for more and requested a class leading up to a Bat Mitzvah. I agreed to be part of this group and I have been so enriched by the experience.
Our Torah is truly a blueprint for a good life that we can create in the here and now. It is not easy but it is made easier by being a burden shared. We will continue to focus on making our community and world a better place. One very basic way to build that community is to keep and share our traditions. Therefore, these are indeed our appointed seasons. As instructed by Torah, let us remember these festivals and observe them together.
Parshat Emor is about numbers, counting and rhythm. I find it fascinating that this Parsha contains 63 of the Torah’s 613 mitzvot—leaving 550 mitzvot for the other 54 parshiyot. The most significant part of this Torah portion speaks of preserving the holiness of times; it gives instructions for the weekly Sabbath and the annual festivals. It reads: “God spoke to Moses saying, these are My fixed times, the fixed times of God, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions.” Leviticus 23 tells us when we shall celebrate our holidays, our sacred occasions—dates set apart as belonging to God. It begins with the Sabbath, continues in the spring with Pesach, and ends in the fall with Sh’mini Atzeret. We learn about the shofar, and when to observe other annual rites.
And it is precise. We are told that the Passover offering occurs on the 14th day of Nisan; in the 7th month, Tishrei, we observe the Festival of Alarm Blasts or Rosh Hashanah; and one week after Sukkot, on the eve of Simchat Torah, we mark the day we complete the reading of the Torah in its annual cycle.
We count, we have rhythm. One thing has remained constant since ancient times: these holidays are occasions for the entire family and community to come together and celebrate. By taking part, we feel in sync with the rhythm of Jewish life that has guided the Jewish people for millennia. This rhythm is what specifically identifies the Jewish people, even as we find our lives being influenced by various calendars. Perhaps it is one reason that we persist in debating whether the holidays are early or late—they almost never seem to be on time. In our family, if Rosh Hashanah fell near Labor Day, we returned from summer at the seashore and dressed in cottons for services. If it fell late, it was a wonderful autumnal holiday and we got to wear our new woolens. Whatever the temperature, Rosh Hashanah always felt like such an important time to us.
The holidays God provided give us sacred times in the midst of a less than sacred world. Spending the day in the synagogue and fasting at Yom Kippur. Guests in the Sukkah. Friends and family around the seder table. Being together at the Passover seder is the high point of our Jewish calendar. I’ve made the seder for at least 30 years, after watching my mother-in-law make it for years and learning from her how to make gefilte fish! Days of preparation of the special delicious foods, a long table set with our best finery and family heirlooms, setting out the haggadot, reviewing the order of the service beforehand, and finally the family arriving—it is a joyous time. But most importantly, it is the time when we “retell the things that befell us,” when we recall our ancestors following Moses out of bondage in Egypt to travel to the Promised Land. It is a story I am proud to tell. I know that my children, nieces and nephews will continue to make the seder, tell the story of the Exodus, and observe the “sacred times” of our tradition.
While holidays are among the primary guideposts for Jewish time, they are not alone. The cycle of the Torah reading itself, for example, is a primary indicator of Jewish time—where we stand in the ongoing saga of the journey of the ancient Jewish people. Jews like cycles. The cycle of the five books of Torah. The cycle of holidays and the Sabbath as set out in Emor.
Tonite we complete another cycle, that of studying to become a Bat Mitzvah. The preparation and study for this occasion has brought a group of 13 women together. Some of us knew one another, but not well. Others were new to us. We’ve come together weekly for two years to study Hebrew and Torah. This was a difficult period of time for me because my husband was ill and finally passed away. These women came to my side and gave me much needed support at every step of the way. We’ve gotten to know one another and become friends. Above all, our study has brought us to Shabbat services every Friday nite. We meet to pray, to read the Hebrew that we’ve learned (never the transliterations!), to sing, and to be there for one another. Our cycle will continue in the fall when we begin another area of study, yet to be chosen. Shabbat Shalom.
I dedicate this to my husband Malcolm who loved to attend Shabbat services every Friday for many years.
I enjoyed studying Leviticus Chapter 23 in which the festivals and other holy days of the year are scheduled in a calendar of sacred time. It is comforting to know, in advance, when these special events in the Jewish religion will occur. A spiritual feeling arises when we perform a rite that goes back through the generations. It feels special to know that Jewish people in other places are performing the same rite in the same way and at the same time. Ismar Schorsch, former Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote that “Each of us needs a sense of holiness to navigate the relentless secularity of our lives.” Jewish festivals, holy days, and Shabbat provide us with specific times when we can step back and participate in the most sacred of Jewish ritual events.
I particularly liked reading Leviticus 23:42 in which it is written, “Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths.” This verse speaks to me in many ways. When my four children were small, we erected a sukkah (booth) on our back porch under our canvas awning. My children grew up experiencing and appreciating the joy of the Sukkot celebration in our make shift sukkah.
My husband and I and members of our family have been constructing a sukkah in the garden of our current home each year since the birth of our first grandchild 16 years ago. As we build our sukkah we recall and discuss that it is a symbol of the “booths” or “huts” in which the children of Israel lived during their journey through the wilderness. The booths represent the glorification of God’s role in the redemption of the Jewish people. The booths also represent the fragility of life itself. My father-in-law and my daughter-in-law’s father died a few years apart just before Sukkot emphasizing, for us, the fragility of life.
Maimonides did not consider a sukkah to be kosher unless one could see the sky and stars through its roof. The roof is usually made of impermanent organic materials. The sukkah is not designed to offer any real protection from the elements. Our grandchildren tie down their homemade decorations to keep them from flying away in the wind. We have to wear warm jackets, inside the sukkah, when the temperature gets cold. At the conclusion of the holiday, when we take down the sukkah, we have to discard our grandchildren’s rain damaged drawings. The children don’t mind. They look forward to making new decorations next year. It is part of the fun of the holiday.
One of our granddaughters celebrated her Bat Mitzvah last Sukkot at her synagogue. Everyone happily partook in the Shabbat meal which was held in the synagogue’s sukkah. The sun was shining and the wind was blowing while the decorations swayed. I will always cherish those memories. Leviticus 23:42 speaks to me because it reminds me of my relationship with my family and the importance of celebrating holidays together.My connection to Sukkot is one of the many ways that I identify with Judaism. I feel more complete as a Jewish person as I approach the B’not Mitzvah day. I am grateful to my rabbis, cantors, and teachers at Central Synagogue as well as my Me’ah teachers for guiding me on my Jewish educational journey. I intend to keep studying and learning. I love the experience.
Becoming a Bat Mitzvah as an adult has enormous meaning. I chose this path to mark my commitment to Jewish study and to intensifying my practice of Judaism. I have gained great satisfaction from studying, following a line of inquiry, and indulging my curiosity in such meaningful areas. The Great Wall of China; the Pyramids; the Roman Aqueduct; Stonehenge: each has survived for centuries; each demonstrates the achievements of a highly organized society that was advanced in mathematics, engineering, and transport. The Jewish people have no such monuments; and yet, the culture and the people have survived—the question of how that happened has been the impetus for my studies; and finding my answer has been rewarding.
The Jewish people have the Torah. We are “The people of The Book.” “It was the Holy Book, and the study of it, which kept the scattered people together,” according to Sigmund Freud. What is the Torah? A collection of stories, about people many of whom have serious flaws; and of extraordinarily detailed laws and regulations for situations no longer pertinent. And yet…In its repetitiveness, its inconsistencies; with its poetry, its moral tone; its psychological power, it is a brilliant document that has fulfilled its purpose: to hold together a people who were living through a time of crisis, and through many times of crisis throughout the world and the years.
I am a writer. I have always been interested in the power of communication. The WORD is the foundation of our Jewish world. God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light…God created the world through God’s words. We are told that God inscribed the commandments on the tablets that God gave to Moses. When Moses came down from Sinai he instructed the people, “enjoin [these teachings] upon your children, that they may observe faithfully all the terms of this Teaching. For this is not a trifling thing for you: it is your very life; through it you shall long endure on the land that you are to possess upon crossing the Jordan.” (Deuteronomy 32: 46-47).
Traditional Jews explain that God also gave the people the Oral Torah—the Talmud—at Sinai, as they were given the written Torah. The Torah is a living document because it demands constant study, interpretation,, analysis, and resolution. The critical directive to study Torah implies “ask, discuss, postulate, argue,” to try to attain answers that are meaningful for the situation at hand. The process of interpreting the main texts of the Talmud is continual. If the participants—even the earliest Rabbis—did not agree, their differing opinions were nevertheless respected and noted in the Talmud. The perennial engagement of Jewish people with study and questioning, which begins with and is epitomized by the child asking the Four Questions at the Seder; has shaped the people as well as our literature, our laws, and our history.
Many groups have found their own meanings in Torah; developed their own rationale, explanations, interpretations—Gemara, Midrash, Mishnah, Kabbalah…Because they are Jews, there are numerous understandings and interpretations. And that is why Torah lives. Ben Bag Bag said, “Turn it, and turn it, for everything is in it. Reflect on it and grow old and gray with it. Don’t turn from it, for nothing is better than it.” (Pirke Avot 5:22).
The Torah invites and requires constant interpretation. The Rabbis whose thinking contributed to the Talmud and later works investigated, explored, and argued over literal and metaphorical meanings, over word repetition, over scribal errors. Always, they were striving to make the Torah meaningful. When not enough detail was included, they extrapolated to find ways to observe. They related sacrifices in the no-longer existing Temple to prayer, study, and mitzvot. Through detailed descriptions of Temple construction they found directions for Sabbath observance. Always, they and we, learned the importance of attention to detail and of seeking meaning in all we do.
As I prepare to read from the Torah, I see additional evidence of the levels of personal involvement that are incorporated into the process of understanding: the Torah scroll was inscribed without punctuation or vowels that clarify connotation. Readers over the centuries seek further levels of meaning contributed by vowels, by crowns above some of the consonants, and by cantillation marks. Each reader, at his or her own level, faces the challenge of understanding the meanings, the intentions, the deeper significance of the Torah. And after two thousand years, we continue to confront ourselves and those who have gone before us. In our world, in our time and nation, most Jews consider the laws that concern human relationships—social justice—to be our religion’s most important teachings. And because the Torah and Talmud are so rich, we have many proof texts and stories to support those positions….Yet the same sources provide arguments for those fundamentalists whose point of view is completely different.
Emor, our Torah portion, is not very inspirational in its פשט p’shat, or apparent reading, to this modern intellectual, feminist, liberal, Reform Jew. Yet, my section, and much of Emor, deals with time; and as Abraham Joshua Heschel said, “Jewish ritual can be characterized as the architecture of time.” Our architecture is not physical, but spiritual and intellectual.
I am not a fundamentalist; I do not believe in the literal interpretation of these passages; and yet I am convinced that it is indeed the Torah and its teachings that have allowed the Jewish people to endure for centuries.
Just as the book of Leviticus is the center of the Torah, the Torah has become the center of my life: my guide to the right path to a better “me”. Parshat Emor bases itself on rituals and ethics; first, explaining the laws of priesthood, holiness, perfection and sacrifices; followed by descriptions of the holy days and festivals; and concluded by the laws pertaining to lighting the Menorah and the bread offering in the Sanctuary. All these have the end result of having a link to God.
The idea of sacrifice has evolved throughout the ages. While in ancient times, the ideal ritual to approach God was the sacrificing of animals (especially the lamb), in modern times, these have been substituted by the sacrifices and offerings made by humans. I am now the creature coming close to God with all of my heart and spirit. I do this by observing Sabbath, praying, studying Torah, Tzedakah, performing good deeds, among others…
In order to connect with God I create a sacred environment, converting my home into a sanctuary every Sabbath and on holy days. The perfection that was expected in the past may now be replaced, for example, with the “unblemished” offerings I make to the Blessed One. When setting my dinner table, I use the most beautiful flowers, the nicest candlesticks, the loveliest Kiddush cup, the best tray, and the tastiest wine. All of these flawless, so that I may come closer to God.
It is important to emphasize that while perfection was demanded for sacrifices, humanity has been and continues to be imperfect. Nevertheless, the Holy Blessed One has always accepted sacrifices from us all, whether we have suffered from physical disabilities or a broken heart and/or spirit. God after all is merciful because He is beyond body, beyond limit and beyond understanding. In the end, our spirituality is the best sacrifice we offer Him. This past year of studies has been the most wonderful and transcendent time in my life because it was another way to approach the Holy One. My Bat Mitzvah seals the covenant between God and me.
I will always be grateful and thankful to Him and will revere Him for the miracles in my life, while I ensure to keep my spiritual flame burning from now to eternity.
We learn that in the Torah there are 613 mitzvot or commandments. In this week’s parsha, Parshat Emor alone, there are 63 laws. Laws, laws and more laws. Today, we examine these commandments and try to understand them in the light of the history of the Jewish people. In biblical times, the children of Israel needed to hear the strong will of God spoken by Moses, their trusted leader. The precise details in every law pertaining to the worship of God were necessary in order to impress them with the power and righteousness of God.
Leviticus 23 is devoted to “the appointed seasons of the Lord which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations.” God reveals to Moses the time, the season and the meaning of all the holidays. Throughout the centuries the Jewish people have kept the holidays that God commanded as His appointed times for meeting. We have remembered our history and added a few more. In this Torah portion there are three sets of laws that are significant to my way of thinking. They concern Passover, the commandment of gleaning and the Ner Tamid.
Passover has always been special to me. I grew up in Albany NY, three hours away from my grandparents in New Haven CT. Every spring my parents, sister and I would drive down to their house to have seder with all my aunts, uncles and cousins. It was crowded and hectic, but the whole family was there, Maxwell House hagaddot and all. And so much wonderful food.
Several years later, at the family seder, I introduced Bob Weiss, my soon-to-be husband to the entire Schiff family all in one evening. He will never forget it. Today, the Weiss family seder is crowded and hectic too. We celebrate with our friends from near and far, and the children tell the story of Moses and teach the adults.
Another commandment, seemingly unrelated to worship or holidays is slipped into the text. Leviticus 23:22 reads, “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the Lord am your God.”
This sense of caring and being responsible for members of our community who are in need is, I believe, a trait of the Jewish character prompted by God’s commandment to the children of Israel so long ago. My grandfather told me that in the late 19th century, his mother, a desperately poor woman herself, baked extra challah each week for those families less fortunate than hers. My grandfather delivered them in secret on Friday mornings. This story had a tremendous influence on me. In part because of this story, I became a social worker and an advocate for the elderly, the needy and the hungry.
When I received my assignment for this week’s Torah reading, I was pleasantly surprised to see that its subject was the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light. A year before I was Confirmed, our Temple sponsored a NFTY group. A newspaper was started and I was asked to draw a picture for the mast head that would represent the paper’s name. I drew the Ner Tamid that was hanging in the sanctuary.
I think of the Eternal Light that God commanded Aaron to place before the veil in the Temple and how it could be a symbol for my own life. It shines with strength and constancy. I think of how many times in the past 57 years that I have tried to learn to read Hebrew. At Temple Beth Emeth in 1954, girls did not become Bat Mitzvah. Two years ago, when Central Synagogue offered adults the chance to study for Bat Mitzvah, I joined the class immediately.
We have just celebrated Passover and this year I felt comfortable with the Hebrew. Through the years I have been drawn to the study of the history and culture of the Jewish people. It has instilled in me a sense of responsibility for my fellow human beings and a deep love for my family. When I think of the Ner Tamid and its continuous beam of light, it reminds me of my own determination to become a Bat Mitzvah. I thank God for bringing me to this day.
Posted/updated: February 13, 2009
NYU Law Professor Stephen Gillers, a renowned expert on legal ethics, presented the following address at Central Synagogue’s 2009 Jethro Shabbat Program and Dinner on February 13, 2009.
When Ron Tabak e-mailed me about giving the Jethro talk this year, I was in Cambodia speaking about the American legal system to graduate law students at the Royal University of Law and Economics. That experience offered one further example of the intense interest globally in the rule of law in the United States. To my mind, the rule of law is America’s best export. If we can instill in other nations our respect for the rule of law, an independent bar, and an independent judiciary, we will go along way toward the creation of democratic institutions worldwide.
But our achievements in establishing a nation based on the rule of law should not be allowed to obscure problems with the work of lawyers here at home. When Ron and I agreed on the title of the talk, I was not yet clear on what I would say about honor and the legal profession although I had some vague ideas. Events this fall, however, have clarified what needs to be said. When talking of honor, one could hardly begin in a better place than the events surrounding the fall of Bernard Madoff. So I will. I will then move to the question posed in my title and conclude with references to the bible.
What I find most remarkable about the Bernard Madoff story so far is that his sons turned him in. Bernard Madoff confessed to his sons and on the advice of counsel, they turned him in. And the whole business came crashing down.
I don’t question the legal advice or the sons’ action. What puzzles me is something else. Why did no one do this sooner? Why did it take so long? Sooner or later, the fraud would be revealed. Tens of thousands of people would suffer. Those who invested would suffer. Charities dependent on donations from the investors would suffer. All those whom the charities helped would suffer. And the suffering would be great. Is great.
Now, the incontrovertible fact is that it is impossible—impossible—to run a business like Madoff’s in our highly regulated society without the help of professionals—accountants and lawyers—all along the way. Did none of them know? Did none have suspicions? Did they look the other way? We will in time, I hope, get answers to these questions. Unfortunately, they are not new questions. They are asked in the wake of all great frauds.
Stanley Sporkin asked them after the S&L crisis of the 1980s. The government took control of failed banks, including Lincoln Savings & Loan. Charles Keating, CEO of Lincoln’s parent, challenged the takeover. In rejecting the challenge, Judge Sporkin wrote this now famous passage:
“Keating testified that he was so bent on doing the ‘right thing’ that he surrounded himself with literally scores of accountants and lawyers to make sure all the transactions were legal.
“The questions that must be asked are:
“Where were these professionals, a number of whom are now asserting their rights under the Fifth Amendment, when these clearly improper transactions were being consummated?
“Why didn’t any of them speak up or disassociate themselves from the transactions?
“Where also were the outside accountants and attorneys when these transactions were effectuated?
“What is difficult to understand is that with all the professional talent involved (both accounting and legal), why at least one professional would not have blown the whistle to stop the overreaching that took place in this case.”
Judge Sporkin’s questions are no easier to answer today than when he asked them. We do know that lawyers and auditors for the failed banks paid tens of millions of dollars to settle civil claims based in part on their silence. Or their insurers did. Was the price of silence then merely a cost of doing business? A ledger entry? Nothing more?
The New York courts did not heed Judge Sporkin’s questions when in December they adopted new Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers, effective April 1, 2009. In the current climate, you might expect that the courts would have made it a bit easier for lawyers to reveal client information to stop fraud or prevent great harm, especially if the lawyer discovers that he or she has unwittingly assisted the fraud. Following the corporate scandals of the last decade, the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct and rules in many states were changed to grant this authority. It is not a radical idea by any means. But not only did the New York courts not adopt these ABA provisions, the new rules they did adopt actually further limit a lawyer’s duty to reveal fraud on others than exists today under New York’s current rules. We’re backsliding here in New York, the nation’s financial capital.
The title of this talk is “Is Law (Still) An Honorable Profession?” So I have to say what I mean by honor? It is more than acting lawfully. It is that, certainly, but it is more. It is also how you behave even when you can do as you please, especially then. Honor, at the least, means not exploiting the trust of vulnerable others for your own advantage—including strangers—who are relying on certain basic standards of human decency.
Honor shares the stage with two other civilizing qualities. One is shame. To value honor is to be capable of shame. For the shameless, honor does not exist. They don’t prize it and they don’t miss it. The other quality is empathy even for those you do not know. Empathy is compassion for the plight of others, because you understand that they are tied to you and you to them.
Honor, shame, and empathy, then, make up the glue of civilization. Without them, things will fall apart. And as bad: when the public sees a loss of honor in how institutions and professionals behave, we have a loss of trust. That is what we see happening now. Some examples:
Reviewing Charles Morris’s book, The Trillion Dollar Meltdown, in the “New York Review,” Jeff Madrick writes:
“Morris makes it clear that it was an unquenchable thirst for easy profits that led commercial and investment banks in the US and around the world—as well as hedge fund, insurance companies, private equity firms, and other financial institutions—to take unjustifiable risks for their own gain, and in so doing jeopardize the future of the nation’s credit system and the economy itself.”
George Packer, in a recent “New Yorker,” describes in wrenching detail the plight of some of the vulnerable victims of this behavior—blue collar people in southwest Florida who have lost their jobs and sometimes their homes. These are people largely invisible to the masters of the financial universe who produced the mess under which they now suffer.
In “The New York Times,” Gretchen Morgenson’s columns have shown that the credit-rating agencies gave ridiculously optimistic grades to mortgage backed bonds. The bond issuers paid the agencies’ fees. The income from this part of the agencies’ business was especially lucrative. Put two and two together: The inference is compelling.
Elsewhere, health, not wealth, has been jeopardized. In January Eli Lilly agreed to pay $1.42 billion to settle a probe into alleged improper marketing of the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. Gardiner Harris reports in the “Times”:
“Among the charges, Lilly has been accused of a scheme stretching for years to persuade doctors to prescribe Zyprexa to two categories of patients—children and the elderly—for whom the drug was not federally approved and in whom its use was especially risky….
The company…pressed doctors to treat disruptive children with Zyprexa, court documents show, even though the medicine’s tendency to cause severe weight gain and metabolic disorders is particularly pronounced in children. Over the last decade, Zyprexa’s use in children has soared.”
And staying on health, Marcia Angell in the “New York Review,” Gardiner Harris in the “Times,” Senator Charles Grassley with subpoena power, and others have told of psychiatrists with economic interests in a drug, sometimes along with their universities, or who have received huge consulting sums from drug companies, then doing National Institute of Health studies on those very drugs or on drugs owned by the very companies that paid them so handsomely. Some universities did not enforce their conflict of interest rules. Some of this conduct also violates NIH conflict of interest rules.
A particularly outrageous example of dishonorable behavior in my lifetime was Big Tobacco’s decades long suppression of conclusive proof that tobacco kills, while all the while implying the contrary, including in ads targeting young people. I needn’t ask Judge Sporkin’s questions this time. We know where the lawyers were. Big Tobacco’s success in hiding the science that showed that tobacco kills was accomplished with the highly creative help of clever lawyers who managed to bury the information by concocting a theory that the laboratory results were protected by the attorney-client privilege.
Which takes me back to lawyers. As I say, in our regulated economy, lawyers are deeply embedded in all sophisticated commercial and financial transactions. So, often, in situations like those I’ve described and others, the conduct would not have been possible at all or for long without the assistance of lawyers. Or if not the assistance, than with the knowledge and acquiescence.
Let me be clear: It is more than honorable to help clients achieve their goals under law. And it is more than honorable to be devoted to a client’s goals. In a civilized society, it is necessary. Lawyers say, with justification, that it is not their job to judge the worthiness of the clients’ goals, only if those goals are legal. A lawyer is but an advisor on the law, they say. The client calls the shots.
And almost always, this is true. But it is not always true. Sometimes, this defense undermines the rule of law itself. Our popular model for the work of lawyers—the way lawyers are portrayed in popular culture—envisions a trial lawyer, usually a criminal defense lawyer, whose arguments can be challenged by an opposing lawyer and will be exposed to the ruling of a judge.
This is a misleading model. Most American lawyers are not trial lawyers. They are counselors or advisers, operating where there is no judge and no adversary. No one is watching. And there may never be. Then, the temptation is to push the limits, sift the language of the law, find hidden meanings. Now, our social understanding is that law is not endlessly pliable in this way. But the problem is this: It can be made to be because law, after all, is only a language and language is pretty pliable. In the hands of a creative, motivated lawyer, with a demanding client, the language of the law can have astonishing elasticity. Through interpretation, the rule of law can be turned into what it is not. A fine exercise perhaps if you are interpreting Shakespeare or Kafka. But not for law.
Our law cannot be defined solely by the limits of a lawyer’s linguistic imagination. That is a recipe for destabilizing the rule of law, not preserving it.
Are you shocked by the torture memos the Justice Department lawyers wrote during the Bush years, some of which were later disowned by the same Justice Department in the face of popular repulsion? So am I, especially after I had a chance to study them closely. They are worse than you think. They are dense, with hundreds of footnotes. This is no accident. They are dressed up to appear scholarly, erudite, learned. But they are junk law.
The torture memos are but a far more egregious example of the kind of behavior I’m describing. Push the limits. Use your imagination. Who’s looking? The client wants it. If the client is ever challenged, it has an excuse. The lawyers said it was okay. That is in fact what former federal officials now say. “We had a legal opinion.”
A lawyer who uses his or her legal education and skills to distort the law, to destroy the rule of law, because he or she is adept at manipulating language, when no judge, no adversary is watching, is as blameworthy as the client. You cannot hide behind your professional mask.
What I have just said may seem unremarkable to nonlawyers. To many lawyers, it will sound like blasphemy, a rejection of the duty of loyalty to the client. My reply: Loyalty does not require you to aid morally offensive goals, even if they are legal.
Or lawyers may say, “But if I decline, someone else will do it. So what is gained?” My reply: “Let someone else do it. But not you. Honor is personal. Worry about yourself. You don’t get a pass from moral responsibility because you acted for a client.”
That’s the first lesson I would offer, aimed at lawyers. A second lesson, aimed at all, is this: Keep ready your capacity for outrage. This is very important. Next to the vote, outrage is the one response each of us can contribute. Outrage is how honor must confront dishonor. If we lose the capacity for outrage, we are in serious trouble.
It is tempting to put outrage aside. There are other things to do every day: make play dates, plan dinner, read a novel, learn Italian, not to mention our jobs. Outrage takes energy. It is stressful. Today, the demand for it is seemingly endless. Nonetheless, outrage is a duty of citizenship. Its opposite is complacency, which will bring more reasons for outrage in a downward spiral.
I’m a lawyer and law professor. For more than 30 years I’ve taught legal ethics. So maybe I can be forgiven for believing that honor among lawyers is the best hope for a civil society, especially in times like these when it can daily appear that those we believed were good people, good institutions private and public, good companies, seem to have lost their moral bearings, that we have a scarcity of honor and capacity for shame. If the bar loses honor and capacity for shame, what have we left?
We have the clergy. Necessary but not sufficient.
So here is my third lesson, again for lawyers: Do not become skilled facilitators of whatever legal goal a paying client may desire. That’s not what you envisioned for yourself when you answered the question on your law school application: “Why do you want to study law?” Practice saying no. No has moral power. It can be liberating – for you and for your client.
I would have hesitated to give this advice if I did not have eminent precedent. Elihu Root, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Secretary of State under Theodore Roosevelt said it better a century ago: “About half of the practice of a decent lawyer is telling would-be clients that they are damned fools and should stop.”
And more recent are the words of Thomas Shaffer, an emeritus professor at Notre Dame Law School. Professor Shaffer often writes about legal ethics and religious values. He gave a speech at Vermont Law School some ten years ago. It became an article in the school’s law review. The title is Jews, Christians, Lawyers, and Money. It began:
“Years ago, when I was the resident guru in legal ethics at Washington and Lee University, in the little mountain town of Lexington, Virginia, a reporter from the daily newspaper in Roanoke asked me to identify the most serious ethical issue for American lawyers. My answer: ‘Money.’”
And Shaffer continued with references that resonate today:
“My purpose so far is to suggest to you that money is the number-one most serious moral problem for American lawyers and their clients. My moral observation is biblical: God destroyed the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in a rain of brimstone and fire. The Rabbis of the Mishnah wondered why. They did not decide, as many Christian preachers have decided, that God got upset because of the Sodomites’ sexual irregularities. It wasn’t sex. The reason for the destruction of Sodom was money.
“The Rabbis said the relevant text is in the Book of Leviticus. ‘Thy brother may live with thee.’ The wealthy Sodomites were not generous to one another; they did not take care of the poor…. Sodom was destroyed by God, in the view of the Jewish tradition, because ‘individual selfishness . . . had become an integral part of its communal culture.’
“The book of Leviticus also says: ‘You shall not put a stumbling block in the path of the blind.’ The sages of Judaism decided that the rule does not apply to those who harass blind people as much as it applies to those who misuse the law, who are dishonest, but legal, who, ‘through perfectly legal transactions,’ mistreat vulnerable people….”
Let this be our lesson, too.
Posted/updated: January 26, 2009
By Cantor Angela Warnick Buchdah
In light of recent events, I suspect that many of us have been examining what is most important to us, what we most value, and what is expendable. Central Synagogue has been engaged in a similar process of reflection as an institution, examining our budget, clarifying our priorities and trying to set an example of what a religious community can be for people in a time of need. Sometimes even painful periods can bring forth good, and it would be a shame to waste a good crisis.
It is in this spirit that Central Synagogue has embarked on a B’nei Mitzvah House Meeting Initiative—a series of small-group conversations with families in our community to challenge some of the assumptions and expectations around the culture of B’nei Mitzvah in our community. Between Jan 16, when we started the initiative, and March 14, when we end, we hope to talk to at least two hundred families with children in the fourth through seventh grades, to hear their stories, and to ensure that we make this important life cycle reflect the best of our Jewish values.
The B’nei Mitzvah House Meeting Initiative evolved from Central Synagogue’s Listening Campaign, which we kicked-off over a year ago. The challenge of raising “kids who care” in a society of privilege and abundance emerged as a core concern for many in our community. Once the listening phase was over, the Listening Campaign became “Central Action,” and the “Kids Who Care” group decided to focus on how the Bar Mitzvah could be used to convey our values. The current financial crisis offers a special opportunity for this project to have major impact.
What would it be like if our B’nei Mitzvah class joined together and donated a portion of their gifts to a tzedakah collective that helped resuscitate one of the Jewish philanthropies devastated by the Madoff financial scheme? What if the class decided to use Evites instead of printed invitations to save some trees and to draw from the financial savings to plant 1000 trees in Central Park? As we engage our parents and students in this challenge, who knows what they might think of?
Too often the stories we read in The New York Times about New York Bar Mitzvah celebrations embarrass us and fail to reflect the true values of the Jewish community. With the proper effort, the next article written about New York City B’nei Mitzvah could instead describe how Central Synagogue emerged from this financial crisis to create a new paradigm of mitzvah in B’nei Mitzvah.
We welcome your participation in this important project. If you would like to attend a House Meeting as part of our B’nei Mitzvah Initiative, please contact Sabrina Ferrer at 212-838-5122, ext. 1012, or at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
May we move forward in strength.
Posted/updated: January 13, 2009
Help Military Families
SOFAR NY provides mental health support and psycho-educational services to families of the military; people who often feel alone, distraught, and are in need of meaningful professional help, which the military does not provide. All our services are provided pro bono, in complete confidence and at no charge.
We started here at Central Synagogue, and our core membership has grown to include clinicians from throughout the region. But now we have grown substantially and are seeking more volunteers: primarily licensed psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists. We also would benefit organizationally from business-related skills: organizational development, human resources, training, and educators. Since we started in 2008, SOFAR NY Inc. (Strategic Outreach to Families of all Reservists) has incorporated and become a 501 (c) (3) organization. To see whether you can help this important project, please contact Central member Patricia Rich, SOFAR Co-Director, 212-688-2570 or sofarny@gmail.com.
Notes from Service Men and Women
We are pleased to share with you thank-you notes from the following Service Men and Women:
Other Articles of Interest
Read about the experience of one congregant who adopted a U.S. Marine serving in Iraq. Click here
Columbia News Service article (April 2, 2008): “Reform synagogues ‘adopt’ U.S. troops in the Middle East” by Zachary Goelman. Click here for the article.
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: January 07, 2009
By Rabbi Peter J. Rubinstein
Fundamental agreement across the broad spectrum of Israeli politics is hard to come by. Yet, as increasing number of rockets were fired into Israeli population centers from Gaza, massive Israeli support emerged for a military response to obliterate the danger. As Israel began its military campaign, sensible political leaders around the world expressed that it would be reckless and irresponsible for any country to allow deadly rockets to be fired into its territory especially when these rockets come from a neighboring government that has made your own nation’s destruction its covenantal goal.
There was broad support for Israel to react militarily. But then the consensus faltered and the debates began over how far should Israel go, how this military action will end, and what the goals are. Basically the question is what now and to that there is no clear answer.
We who look in from the outside cannot know the substance of the discussions of Israel’s cabinet and the military or intelligence information available to them, nor do we experience the fear and danger of living in cities within reach of continued rocket fire from Gaza. I believe that the concept of a “proportional response” does not make sense. The point is to stop the rockets.
I believe that our responsibility as a synagogue is to engage with Israel and its citizens in every meaningful way and in that regard I have attached links to articles across the ideological spectrum. I agree with many of the writers and vehemently reject some of the ideas expressed but think they are important to read.
On Thursday morning January 15th from 8:15-9:30 a.m. in the Community House, Professor Fred Lazin will speak about recent events in Israel and Gaza. Professor Lazin is Professor of Politics at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva Israel and has written extensively on subjects, including Israeli politics and society, immigration, housing, and Jews in American politics. This year he is a Visiting Scholar at the Taub Center for Israel Studies at NYU.
I have also attached links to important websites from our own movement and from the State of Israel.
Obviously, our hope and prayer is for the well-being, safety and security of Israel, the well-being of innocent citizens on both sides of the border, and peace in the region.
Israel and Gaza Seminar with Professor Fred Lazin
Thursday, January 15, 8:15 – 9:30 AM, Community House
Join us for an important seminar on the recent events in Israel and Gaza, presented by Professor Fred Lazin. Professor Lazin is Professor of Politics at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva Israel and has written extensively on subjects including Israeli politics and society, immigration, housing, and Jews in American politics. This year he is a Visiting Scholar at the Taub Center for Israel Studies at NYU. Please RSVP to Yonni Wattenmaker, Director of Lifelong Learning, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or at 212-838-5122, ext. 4031.
Links to Articles:
“The Confidence War” by David Brooks
“War Without End?” by Gershon Shafir
“Collective Responsibility versus Collective Punishment” by David J. Forman
“As My Son Goes to War, I Am Fully Israeli At Last” by Yossi Klein Halevi
Links to some relevant Websites:
For the statement by the World Union for Progressive Judaism
For statements by the Union for Reform Judaism and links to magazine articles
For statements and background for the Israeli Embassy
For news from Israel: Haaretz and Jerusalem Post
Posted in: Social Action
Posted/updated: November 16, 2008
We thank everyone who participated in our 2008 Mitzvah Day. In the coming months, we will begin working on our plans for next year. Please check back again for more information.
Posted/updated: April 02, 2008
Please join us on one or more of the following Central Synagogue trips to Israel.
Posted/updated: February 05, 2008
From time to time, we learn about Jews who need medical transplants – i.e., an organ transplant or bone marrow transplants. Below are several requests that have come to our attention.
The decision to become a donor is a personal one, and Central Synagogue shares these requests for informational purposes solely. No information in this listing is intended to be construed as medical advice or recommendations. Nor should the information contained herein be a substitute for seeking proper medical consultation from qualified healthcare professionals. Users of the information below agree to indemnify and hold harmless Central Synagogue from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities and costs arising out of or resulting from the use of this information.
Imagine having everything to live for—two beautiful children, a loving husband and loyal friends—and then finding out in a flash that your life is literally dependent on the kindness of a stranger. Lisa Gershowitz Flynn, 41, is looking for the match of her life. A vibrant and active 41-year-old, Lisa was recently diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), a fast-moving version of the disease. She was immediately hospitalized and has gone through three rounds of chemotherapy in the past two months. Unfortunately the treatments have not put her into full remission, and it is now critical for her to have a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Her brother, Steven, is not a match, so she must rely on a finding a donor from outside her family. Because Lisa has an acute form of Leukemia, which is growing in incidence very year, she has only months to beat this cancer.
The family has searched donor banks worldwide, with some close matches, but has not yet found a match that can help save Lisa. The doctors are fully confident that there is a match—it’s just a matter of getting more people tested. There are so many misconceptions about bone marrow donation and the availability of genetic matches to patients in need. 80% of those who search the registries never find a match. We need to educate everyone so they can understand how simple it is to save someone’s life!
Her friends and loved ones have rallied to spread the word and have organized donor drives with record-breaking numbers, in the hopes that not only can a match be found for Lisa, but for the thousands of others waiting for life-saving transplants as well. Lisa’s heritage is Eastern European, and she has a very good chance to match someone from the same ethnic background.
Lisa is truly a special woman who lights up a room with her happiness, even when her mood is not so bright, and she has retained her sense of humor and optimism throughout her illness. An attorney at I-preo in Manhattan, Lisa grew up in Jericho, Long Island, and attended Duke University and Fordham University Law School. Her husband of 10 years, John Flynn, is originally from Scarsdale, New York, and works at Garnter Group in Stamford CT. Lisa and John live in Manhattan with their two children, Michael, age 5, and Alexandra, age 3.
* Source: National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).
During the drive each donor will be asked to fill out a one-page form and to complete a cheek swab sample test. After the test is processed, within 3 to 4 weeks the donor will be placed on a national registry list where medical professionals can determine if he or she is a match to any patient looking for a donor.
The donor will only be asked to donate if he or she is a match to a patient. There are two ways a donation can take place: 80 percent of the time the cells needed for the transplant are collected via the blood stream (PBSC). The donor gives blood through one arm, the needed cells are filtered by an aphaeresis machine, and then the blood is returned through the other arm. The other 20 percent of the time, cells are collected directly from the bone marrow. The donor is given anesthetics for comfort, and a needle extracts the cells from the back of the pelvic bone. Both procedures are outpatient.
Contact: Anne Flynn (203) 570-0415 or anne@giftforlisa.com
I am writing this letter to reach out to each of you to let you know what is going on in my life with my health and appeal for your support in helping me to find a friend, family member, altruistic person that is willing to undertake a liver donation that can possibly help to save my life.
A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with Hepatocelllular Carcinoma or liver cancer. This is an aggressive cancer that is usually treated through liver transplant. Patients are evaluated for transplant based on specific criteria, assigned a score and placed on a list to wait for a cadaveric donor - this usually takes anywhere between 12 and 18 months.
About 70% of patients on the list make it to transplant and many are successfully transplanted and live a normal life time with the help of immune-suppressant drugs. In my case I was originally listed yesterday and was very hopeful that with appropriate pre-transplant treatment I would be able to make it through the waiting list and be successfully transplanted. This morning I received a call from my doctor at UCSF that a second CT Scan had disclosed a second mass. The criteria for being listed for transplant states a single mass less than 5 cm or 3 or fewer masses less than 3 cm. The original mass they found was 3.4 cm and the second is 1.8 cm. Because there are 2 masses and one is greater than 3 cm I have been de-listed. I will not be placed back on the transplant waiting list unless the larger mass is downsized to less than 3 cm. This is possible through a process called chemoembolization.
However, it is not always successful and when it is it takes time for the tumor size to be reduced. Consequently the time to transplant is longer and the probability of my dying before a cadaveric transplant is possible is much greater. The alternative to being placed on the waiting list is to find a live donor. Someone that is willing and physically able to donate a portion of their liver which would be transplanted in me.
The requirements are that the donor have the same blood type ( I am Type O) and be in good physical condition, and less than 55 years old with no prior history of cancer or liver disease. The liver is an amazing organ that regenerates itself in a short period of time. Potential donors are put through a number of tests to insure that they are physically and emotionally able to donate and that their odds of a successful and complete recovery are very good. The procedure itself takes about 3 or 4 hours. A % of the liver is removed from the donor and placed in the recipient - me. The donor liver regenerates to its full size within 6 or so weeks and the hospital stay is generally around 5 days. Complete recovery with the ability for the donor to return to work takes 3 to 4 weeks. As with any surgery there are risks but these are very well known and controlled. The recipient procedure takes longer and the recovery as well is longer but the long term disease free survival rates tend to be very good. Most importantly, being able to receive a live donor transplant soon and not having to wait to see if chemoembolization will work to reduce the size of the mass so I can be relisted for a cadaveric liver (one from a deceased donor) is my best chance to live.
Please reach out to all of the friends you have and organizations you know of to help me secure a living donor transplant or if able to consider donating yourself. You all know me well enough to know I am a fighter and will not give in to this cancer. I am not ready to die and need each of your help to make this transplant a reality. Please understand that we're not asking for, nor do we need donations or fund raising, but rather for each of you to reach out to people in the community that might be a potential donor. Our insurance covers the entire process and that of the donor's and we are legally allowed and able to compensate for all lost wages. Our treating hospital is UCSF.
God bless each of you.
Ben Bernstein
Contact: ben@workcentives.com
Over age 18, under age 55 - Healthy and physically fit - Type O blood (negative or positive) RH factor does not affect suitability to donate. Donor must be proportionately large enough, relative to the size for the recipient in order for the donated piece of liver to regenerate. If you are overweight, you may be considered if you can lose weight. Donors are limited to a body mass index of 30 or less. Body mass is based upon height and weight. You can NOT be a smoker and If you are serious about donating, you should stop drinking. You do not have to contact us and tell us you want to be donors. This info is confidential and between you and UCSF. During the entire screening process, all info is confidential and we will not be notified. If you choose to notify us, it's your option but if you disqualify or opt out which you can do so at any stage, we will not be told as this is your confidential information. If you pass all criteria, at some point we will all meet to discuss the financial arrangements, hospital dates, etc. The number to call for the first step is at UCSF's Transplant office at (415) 353-1888. Office hours: 9-5, Mon ? Friday. Advise the receptionist that you wish to discuss being a Live Liver Donor. A coordinator will get in touch with you and conduct a phone interview. A detailed medical questionnaire will then be mailed out to your home. Do not be discouraged by the personal and lengthy questions nor feel insulted if some of their weight related questions seem insensitive. Over weight isn't an issue but a fatty liver can't be transplanted and this is their area of concern when that topic gets broached. I'm not sure that they are real rigid on the age factor and likely wouldn't turn away a candidate still in their late 50's if healthy. The process can be intimidating so please understand that regardless of how far you go with the various tests in place, you can always change your mind and opt out without judgment from the team.
Next steps: Chest X-ray, blood work, EKG, ultrasound of abdomen. Blood vessels will be examined to determine they branch a pattern that allows removal of the right part of your liver. THE EVALUATION PROCESS WILL REQUIRE SEVERAL VISITS TO UCSF HOSPITAL. TESTING NEEDS TO BE DONE AT UCSF TO QUALIFY. You will not incur medical expenses related to medical tests, evaluations, surgery, hospitalization or post op care. All charges are billed to our insurance which is contracted with UCSF.
In addition, you must either have your own insurance to cover additional medical expenses or have an agreement with the recipients (us) that we will cover all related expenses in and out of the hospital that are not covered. We will make sure this agreement is in place to protect you.
Payment for organ donations is strictly prohibited by law and donors must not anticipate or receive monetary gain. That said, we will cover all expenses related to lost wages and living expenses during the recuperation period until the donor is able to return to work as well as compensate care givers, pet care services, house cleaning, etc. to eliminate any financial concern you may have and allow you to recover without feeling any financial duress. You do not need to keep us in your private loop because at some point UCSF will contact us if they feel you are a suitable donor and a meeting will then take place with all parties. A support system of your own (only needs to be one person) is needed for your own approval). This person needs to understand the process and post operative care. For Ben's best chance of survival, this transplant should take place within the next 12 weeks. This time frame should help you decide if it helps or hinders your process in making a decision. A minimum of 2 weeks prior will be required to get the testing and various medical meetings taken care of ahead of time. UCSF is very organized with this type of procedure.
SHOULD THE CHANCES FOR SUCCESS OR FAILURE AFFECT MY DECISION TO DONATE? You are volunteering with extraordinary generosity, to donate to save or attempt to save another person's life. It is important you understand that there is no guarantee that your sacrifice will actually save your recipient's life.
HOW QUICKLY CAN I BECOME A DONOR: Generally, within 2 weeks of completing every component of the evaluation process. Evaluation process is approx. 6 weeks long. If you are approved, you will need to donate a unit of your own blood within 2-4 weeks prior to surgery. Approx. 40 to 60 percent of your liver is removed. THE LIVER BEGINS TO REGENERATE ALMOST IMMEDIATLEY. MOST REGENERATION OCCURS WITHIN THE FISRT 2 WEEKS AFTER SURGERY. BY 3 MONTHS YOUR LIVER WILL BE NORMAL SIZE. The incision is large and the same for donor and recipient. It is call the Mercedes incision. The average hospital stay is up to 6 days. You may be uncomfortable for at least the first week. You may need as long as 12 weeks to fully recovery and be off work, the minimum time is 6 weeks. You need to be able to take up to 12 weeks off from work. You must remain close to UCSF for at least 3 weeks post surgery. UCSF is currently #1 in its success rate (highest in the country) (over 92%) with these procedures done on the recipient and 99% of donors go on to live a healthy and normal life.
Posted/updated: November 07, 2007
This is the story of one congregation and how it found inner meaning and purpose by looking outside itself. It is also a Jewish tale of guilt, but one with a happy ending.
It begins with an admission. I am a rabbi with a history of visiting, being involved with and supporting the State of Israel. Thus I knew about the World Union for Progressive Judaism, but only as a philosophical construct. Frankly I didn’t know what it was or what it did.
I knew that the World Union had something to do with the struggle of Reform Judaism for recognition and equal treatment in Israel but — admission number two — it was difficult for me to distinguish them from the alphabet soup of other Jewish groups including, but not limited to ARZA, IRAC and the IMPJ.
I began to pay more attention when Rabbi Uri Regev became president of the World Union in 2002. His passionate support of the disenfranchised in Israel, brilliant arguments before the Israeli Supreme Court and impeccable loyalty as a friend mandated that I support him in every possible way by taking “his” (not “my”) organization seriously. I decided that I needed to raise the level of my own, and my congregation’s, awareness of our, responsibility to world Jewry.
My campaign was launched with my Rosh HaShanah sermon in 2004. I began by telling the story of my grandparents who left Ivinetz (a shtetl outside Minsk) before the First World War. I had assumed that any Jews who remained behind in Eastern Europe would have been vanquished by the Holocaust and the Communist regime so I was stunned to discover that a small but continuing Jewish population had survived the pogroms and the Nazis and Stalin and had miraculously returned to communal life in the region of Minsk. And not only in Minsk, but in St. Petersburg, Prague, Budapest, Berlin, Warsaw, Kiev and Vienna as well. These renascent Jewish communities yearn — with vigor and purpose, with resilience and longing — to reclaim Jewish life in its fullness.
I proceeded to recount the history of Jews in Argentina, the former Soviet Union (FSU) and Israel, and then offered my congregation this challenge and invitation:
Let us give testimony to our forebears’ actions and courage by nourishing the rekindling of Jewish life in places from which so many of them came. We will bring Reform Judaism to the Former Soviet Union.
And we will respond to our brothers and sisters struck by poverty in Argentina, for quite frankly, but for a fortuitous decision of our grandparents to come here, we could be those people.
And we vow again to nourish the movement of our colleagues in Israel who themselves yearn to live as Jews as we live as Jews, and who cannot do it alone.
I, personally, have committed myself to that task and I invite you to join me.
Thus was launched our amazing congregational voyage — literally and figuratively — into the universe of the World Union and the incredible communities that are part of the movement of Progressive Judaism throughout the world. Groups from my congregation traveled to Argentina, Israel, the FSU, Cuba and most recently to Germany bringing resources and energy those communities and receiving so much from them in return.
On the congregational trip to Minsk in the fall of 2005, I hoped to uncover my past and the world of my grandparents, as well as to encounter the World Union-affiliated community there. We met Rabbi Grisha Abramovich, the remarkable and only rabbi serving the Progressive Jews of Belarus. He alone serves 16 separate communities and travels extensively among them, teaching students, organizing social and liturgical services, and training the next generation of lay leaders. One of these congregations is for the deaf, who gifted us with a painting they created in appreciation of our visit.
Our congregation developed a vital ongoing relationship with Rabbi Abramovich and his community as a result of our warm welcome in Belarus. Following our visit, eight young leaders from Belarus came for a week to New York City to learn about our synagogue and Reform Jewish life here. These amazing young people stayed in our homes, led our services and transformed our Yom HaShoah commemoration, conducted in cooperation with a neighboring Lutheran church, by telling their family stories and naming the members of their families who died in the Shoah.
Members of our congregation then decided to fund a World Union summer camp in Belarus as one measure of our support of the youth and future of the Belarus Progressive community. We sent two of our full-time religious school teachers to spend a week working at their winter camp program.
Our congregational leaders were so impacted by these interactions and relationships that they decided to contribute a percentage of all funds we raise each year to the World Union for its ongoing operations around the globe in support of the renewal of Jewish life.
Our understanding of the World Union has enhanced our synagogue’s life and deeply touched the souls of every one of us who has become involved. While I originally went to Minsk to uncover my past, I was amazed to discover my future. Perhaps you can too.
