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Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

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The bi-monthly magazine of B'nai Jeshurun in new York City. Featured articles include: Children of Abraham, BJ Visible and Vocal for Marriage Equality, Nourishing the Soul and the Community, Letting Go , and The Whole Megillah: Purim, Queen Esther and Mordechai.
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“Lekh Lekha! Go forth from … your birthplace, from your father’s home … to a land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1) Some version of God’s famous words to our patriarch, Abraham, is what conversion candidates recount in sharing with me the geneses of their journeys. As supervisor of conversions at BJ, I am privileged to guide and support the journeys of those who, in one way or another, are called to join the Jewish people. Some are moved initially by Jewish theology, others by observance, still others by a clear sense that somehow, they are and have always been Jewish. They embark upon a process of examining and owning Jewish beliefs, behavior and belonging—a path that engages (and ultimately invites and requires them to immerse) mind, body, and soul. My understanding of some of the language around conversion has been aided in viewing conversion through the lens of Abraham’s call and journey. While we are all considered “children of Abraham,” some among us are more explicitly so than others. Upon converting, “Jews-by-choice” are given Hebrew names by which they are henceforth called to the Torah. In noting parentage, converts are referred to as ben/bat Avraham v’Sarah: “son/daughter of Abraham and Sarah.” Traditionally, Abraham and Sarah’s names are used instead of those of the convert’s biological parents as a way of expressing the transformation undergone by those who choose to cast their lot with that of the Jewish people and the sense that this process is a rebirth of sorts; they are—says this practice—reborn as Abraham and Sarah’s children. I’ve struggled with this practice in the sense that it implies a convert’s renouncement of his or her family of origin and a need to disavow his or her roots. My work with conversion candidates here at BJ, however, has given me a new and deepened appreciation of what it means to be known to the world as a ben/bat—as a direct child of—Abraham. Although the text of the Torah provides us with precious little information about Abraham before his being “called” by God, as readers, we yearn to know that it is not simply his being singled out by God that makes Abraham special, but that his own uniqueness causes God to reach out to him (continued on page 6) Children of Abraham RABBI MICHELLE DARDASHTI KOL HADASH asj kue new voI ce . BJ Visible and Vocal for Marriage Equality ................................................. 2 Nourishing the Soul and the Community.................................................... 4 Letting Go ...................................................................................... 7 The Whole Megillah: Purim, Queen Esther and Mordechai ............................... 8 Jon and Jacob Join BJ ....................................................................... 10 Bim Bim Bim Bim Bim Bam ................................................................. 13 Social Action/Social Justice . . . . . .2-3 Member Spotlights . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5 Lekh Lekha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Purim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 H avurot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Staff Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Youth & Family Education . . . . . .12-13 Donations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15 Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Bible characters come to life through the LOMED program. See page 12 for story and more photos. The BJHS Gimmel Class Bible People Extravaganza JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 My work with conversion candidates here at BJ has given me a new and deepened appreciation of what it means to be known to the world as a ben/bat— as a direct child of— Abraham. ” SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 TEL: 212.787.7600 FAX: 212.496.7600 WEBSITE: www.bj.org PHOTO: IVY SCHREIBER inside:
Transcript
Page 1: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

“Lekh Lekha! Go forth from … your birthplace, from your father’s home … to a land that I will showyou.” (Genesis 12:1)

Some version of God’s famous words to our patriarch, Abraham, is what conversion candidatesrecount in sharing with me the geneses of their journeys. As supervisor of conversions at BJ, Iam privileged to guide and support the journeys of those who, in one way or another, are calledto join the Jewish people. Some are moved initially by Jewish theology, others by observance,still others by a clear sense that somehow, they are and have always been Jewish. They embarkupon a process of examining and owning Jewish beliefs, behavior and belonging—a path thatengages (and ultimately invites and requires them to immerse) mind, body, and soul.

My understanding of some of the language around conversion has been aided in viewingconversion through the lens of Abraham’s call and journey.

While we are all considered “children of Abraham,” some among us are more explicitly so thanothers. Upon converting, “Jews-by-choice” are given Hebrew names by which they arehenceforth called to the Torah. In noting parentage, converts are referred to as ben/bat Avrahamv’Sarah: “son/daughter of Abraham and Sarah.” Traditionally, Abraham and Sarah’s names areused instead of those of the convert’s biological parents as a way of expressing thetransformation undergone by those who choose to cast their lot with that of the Jewish peopleand the sense that this process is a rebirth of sorts; they are—says this practice—reborn asAbraham and Sarah’s children.

I’ve struggled with this practice in the sense that it implies a convert’s renouncement of his orher family of origin and a need to disavow his or her roots. My work with conversion candidateshere at BJ, however, has given me a new and deepened appreciation of what it means to beknown to the world as a ben/bat—as a direct child of—Abraham.

Although the text of the Torah provides us with precious little information about Abraham beforehis being “called” by God, as readers, we yearn to know that it is not simply his being singled outby God that makes Abraham special, but that his own uniqueness causes God to reach out to him

(continued on page 6)

Children of Abraham RABBI MICHELLE DARDASHTI

KOL HADASH

asj kuenew voIce.

BJ Visible and Vocal for Marriage Equality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Nourishing the Soul and the Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Letting Go .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

The Whole Megillah: Purim, Queen Esther and Mordechai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Jon and Jacob Join BJ .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Bim Bim Bim Bim Bim Bam ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Social Action/Social Justice . . . . . .2-3

Member Spotlights . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-5

Lekh Lekha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Purim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Havurot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Staff Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Youth & Family Education . . . . . .12-13

Donations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Bible characters come to life through theLOMED program. See page 12 for story andmore photos.

The BJHS Gimmel Class Bible People Extravaganza

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011 • TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771

“My work with conversioncandidates here at BJhas given me a new anddeepened appreciation ofwhat it means to be known tothe world as a ben/bat—as a direct child of—Abraham. ”

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

PHOTO: IVY SCHREIBER

inside:

Page 2: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

2

rom adults to babies, the B’naiJeshurun community took to thestreets on September 26 to send a

loud and strong message that now is thetime to pass marriage equality legislation in New York State. More than 130 BJcongregants and friends joined with Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon to participate in the 7thAnnual Wedding March across the BrooklynBridge, organized by Marriage Equality NewYork and co-sponsored by the Marriage

Equality Hevra. BJ was the largest organizedgroup at the march, providing an extremelyimportant religious voice in support of thiscivil rights issue.

Participants marched across the bridge withcolored umbrellas in hand as a symbol ofsolidarity with the LGBTQ community andthe importance of everyone being “covered”by the law. BJ proudly marched under blueumbrellas!

The rainbow of umbrellas crossing theBrooklyn Bridge was both energizing andbeautiful. People strolling by joined in, and itwas exhilarating to hear our cheers echoedby the honking horns of encouragementfrom the roadway.

Same-sex couples are relegated to second-class citizens when marriage rights aredenied; marriage is the bridge to more than700 rights in New York State, such as thosethat deal with property ownership,inheritance, and ensuring parentalrelationships for families.

Last spring, the Marriage Equality Bill wasdefeated in the New York State Senate,despite approval three times in the New York

State Assembly. The Wedding March was animportant step in building momentum toachieve passage of the legislation thiscoming spring.

There’s much work to be done so everyonein our community has equal protectionsunder the law. The Marriage Equality Hevrainvites you to join us. We meet the secondTuesday of each month, or you are welcometo be part of our mailing list and stayinformed. Please contact either of the co-chairs: Dale Bernstein [email protected] or Lisa Safier [email protected]. n

— Lisa Safier, Dale Bernstein, and Amy Lavine

Dale Bernstein retired as the head of humanresources for the NYSE and is the founder ofUnCommon Human Resources, a firmproviding strategic HR consulting to both forprofit and not for profit firms. She and herhusband Gary joined BJ with their two sons in1996 and she co-chairs the Marriage EqualityHevra.

Lisa Safier is a Brooklynite who has been a BJmember for 12 years. She is co-chair of theMarriage Equality Hevra and works at theMuseum of Jewish Heritage.

Amy Lavine has been the Foundation relationsOfficer for eight years at the Lesbian, Gay,Bisexual & Transgender Community Center inGreenwich Village. She joined BJ in 1996 andworks with Panim el Panim on its Task Forceand on the Marriage Equality Hevra.

KOL HADASH.SOCIAL ACTION/SOCIAL JUSTICE

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

BJ Visible and Vocal for Marriage Equality

f“Participants marched across the

bridge with colored umbrellas inhand as a symbol of solidaritywith the LGBTQ community andthe importance of everyonebeing ‘covered’ by the law.”

Part of the BJ contingent, including Roly, at the pre-March rally.PHOTO: ARIEL SCHNEIDER

Jeff Levin, his partner Andrew Goffe, and their sonZack pictured with fellow BJ members CarolineJeanjot, Daniel Schreiber, and their son Max.

PHOTO: CHANNA CAMIINS

Page 3: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 • new voIce asj kue

3

“I was proud that I belong to a synagogue,B'nai Jeshurun, that had the largest group inthe march. I signed up because I felt stronglyabout the rights of gays to marry.”

—Carol Jackson, BJ member

“My partner and I thought it important to bepresent at the Marriage March with our one-year-old son. It is our responsibility to letopponents of marriage equality know thatwe are a family.”

—Jeff Levin, BJ and Marriage Equality Hevra Member

“It was an honor to be part of the MarriageMarch because as far as I'm concernedeveryone is entitled to marry, and no one hasthe right to tell them differently. I was soimpressed with the number of people whoattended.”

—Roz Hochberg, BJ community friend

“I have always been proud to be a BJmember, but that pride certainly grew onthat day. Marching alongside not only ourrabbi, but also so many different membersof our congregation: gay, straight, male,female, young, and old, I was so glad to bepart of such a strong Jewish voice for such aworthy cause, and so happy to be a part ofBJ—a congregation never afraid to speak up(and in this case, march) for what's right.”—

—Aly Viny, new BJ and Marriage Equality Hevra member

“It was very powerful for me to join with agroup of BJ members in a common cause. Iloved being in the diverse multiracial crowd,gay, straight, young, old all united forequality. It was empowering for both my sonand I to hear the speakers standing up forcivil rights and to see a large group of gaypeople from many walks of life standing upfor themselves.”

—Jamie Emhoff, Co-Chair of Panim el Panim

and Marriage Equality Hevra member

BJ received a warm thank you from DoreenWohl, Executive Director of the West SideCampaign Against Hunger, for the $26,310collected at Kol Nidre this year. She notedthat BJ has donated $195,189 since 2005toward WSCAH ‘s emergency food pantryand counseling services and wrote, “Thisamazing spirit of philanthropy among yourcongregation is what allows us to continuefeeding so many despite the great increasein need.”

This makes it an appropriate time to recallwhat WSCAH is all about: “changing theperception of hungry people by working inpartnership with them, providing food withdignity and empowering customers to findsolutions.”

With contributions from BJ and otherpartners, WSCAH has evolved and grownover the last 31 years to fulfill its mission to“alleviate hunger and create a culture thatpromotes self-sufficiency.” It organized thefirst Customer-Cooperative SupermarketFood Pantry that is open to all, wherecustomers shop for their own food and are

active participants in running the pantry. Italso provides social-service referrals forenrollment in health insurance, healthservices, entitlements, vocationalopportunities, legal assistance, housing, andeducation. WSCAH runs self sufficiencyworkshops, English-as-a-second-languageclasses, a comprehensive Wellness Programwith nutrition education, cookingdemonstrations and exercise classes, and aCustomer Chef Training Program. To expandthe reach of its approach WSCAH alsoconsults regularly with other programs thatwant to convert to the customer-choicemodel by arranging site visits and offeringhands-on experience.

It is fair to say that BJ is profoundly thankfulfor WSCAH. n

— Denise Waxman

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

An Amazing Spirit of Philanthropy

PHOTO: ARIEL SCHNEIDER

PHOTO: ARIEL SCHNEIDER

Left: Jamie Emhoff and her son, Matt Gottesfeld, at the Wedding March.

Page 4: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

usan Fishman was baking amolten chocolate espresso-chipsouffle during Sukkot. As she

whipped her egg whites, she silentlyreviewed a to-do list in her mind's eye:confirm dinner plans, call her parents, andthink about all the upcoming projects for theMembership Steering Committee (MSC).

New Member Orientation Programs,Shabbat dinners, and smaller gatherings.

Shabbat morning aliyot, intergenerationaloral history, and a cultural series for oldercongregants. Outreach to non-members andto those who have left our community.Articles in the Kol Hadash and new uses forthe website. The list goes on and on.

Luckily, the challenges of chairing the MSCat B'nai Jeshurun are not borne alone.Susan's co-chair, Suzanne Schecter, wasalso cooking for the holidays, and she toowas thinking about membership initiativesin the upcoming year. Both Susan andSuzanne are renowned chefs and bakers—their friends know not to turn down offers ofdesserts and other goodies—and they bringthe methodical forethought, patience, and

creativity found in a molten chocolateespresso-chip soufflé to their work as co-chairs of Membership.

Susan and Suzanne come from differentbackgrounds and different generations.Suzanne grew up in Manhattan; Susan grewup outside of Washington, D.C. Suzannespent several years in banking beforeattending culinary school and pursuing amore fulfilling and nourishing career as a

producer for food-oriented televisionprograms. Susan is a Vice President withPrudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate. Butfittingly for two women who know their wayaround a kitchen, both women becameinvolved in BJ through cooking for theBJ/SPSA Homeless Shelter. Suzannecontinues to deliver one meal a month tothe guests … and no doubt they feast ongourmet goodies each time!

Neither Suzanne nor husband Todd Rubackfelt particularly connected to Jewish lifebefore they got together, but once theymarried, their conversations often circledback to an underlying philosophy. Living inthe same neighborhood as BJ, it was easy

enough to pop into a Kabbalat Shabbatservice. Inspired by their experience, theyofficially became members in January 2007.Their first formal foray into BJ life wastaking the Me'ah class, a two-year intensiveadult Jewish learning program about thehistory of the Jewish religion and culture.Each found a connection: Todd's love ofhistory was satisfied, and Suzannesocialized with new friends who invited herto join the Potential Members Team and theMembership Steering Committee.

Susan began to attend Friday night servicesat BJ after moving to New York. She lovedthe services and wanted to attend moreevents and programs. After joining in 2005,she took Katie Mizrahi’s suggestion andchecked out Tze’irim. The rest is history—after cooking for the shelter once, Susanwas hooked. She easily moved into her firstleadership role at BJ by organizing Tze’irimparticipants to cook once a month for theshelter. In 2006, Susan joined the Tze’irimSteering Committee, and in 2008 shebecame chair.

Those who know Susan know that she rarelydoes just one thing. While serving theTze’irim community, Susan joined theMembership Steering Committee and co-chaired the Current Members Team withSheila Bleckner. She also participated inseveral trips to Israel. 

Asked about what she most hopes tocommunicate to new and current membersof BJ, Suzanne insists that members getinvolved by volunteering and serving thecommunity using their skills, talents, anddesire to interact with others. It is the onlyway to meet people and feel a sense offulfillment. She communicates the need forpeople to get involved at the New MemberOrientation Programs this season.

Knowing that a couple of great cooks can’tbe interviewed without asking for a recipe,we asked them to name a dish thatrepresents a taste of BJ. Suzanne happilyshared thoughts about her red-wine braisedshort ribs with celery root purée. Using beeffrom ethically kosher happy cows (free

4

MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

Nourishing the Soul and the Community: Suzanne Schecter and Susan Fishman

s

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011KOL HADASH.

“... They bring the methodicalforethought, patience, andcreativity found in a moltenchocolate espresso-chip souffléto their work as co-chairs ofMembership.”

From left, Suzanne Schecter and Susan Fishman PHOTO: BELINDA LASKY

Page 5: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

5

ekiah!” This was the welcome thatAmy Cohen received upon deciding tobecome a member at BJ, weeks

before Yamim Nora’im. Amy wanted very muchto become an active member in such anenormous community as BJ but didn’t knowhow. We discussed several of her passions andthe stars began to align. This is how Amy, anew member fresh from Long Island, becamea rising star at BJ. —Jon Wood

Weeks before our move to Manhattan in thesummer of 2010, my husband, daughter,and I decided to join BJ. We had been active“regulars” in our cozy suburban Long Islandsynagogue for 15 years, and, although wewere excited about our move to the city, wewondered how we would experience our firstHigh Holy Day season in a vastly largercommunity of strangers. That the holidaysdirectly coincided with our move presentedpractical and spiritual challenges as well asopportunities.

My first morning as a city resident, I awokein our new, box-filled Upper West Sideapartment. We had gone through months ofstressful but cathartic down-sizing from ahouse to a small apartment. It was the firstof Elul, which seemed like a perfect day tostart a dramatic change of lifestyle. I had anappointment that morning to meet AriPriven for the first time to sound shofar forhim. I had been sounding shofar for 10 yearsand, in addition to attending the daily minyanat my former synagogue, it had been mypractice to visit homebound or hospitalizedcongregants who were unable to get tosynagogue to hear the shofar. In introducingmyself to Ari as a new congregant, I hoped

to explore opportunities to continue thispractice. I enjoyed a warm and engagingconversation with Ari, concluding with my“audition.” Ari welcomed me to attend themorning minyan and then startled me bycalmly adding, “and you will sound theshofar on Rosh Hashanah.”

My first month in the city, I walked to BJeach morning and sounded shofar at theminyan. Although it was a time ofuncertainty and adjustment for me, theopportunity to participate in the service gavemy life structure. BJ no longer seemed quiteas vast when I sat with 10 or morecongregants each day. Being “counted” inthe minyan was my introduction to BJ, aswas joining my fellow shofar soundersproviding minyan attendees the mitzvah ofhearing the calls. Knowing no one in the city,it was an unusual way to start a dialogue,albeit a wordless one, with my newcommunity. The people with whom Idavened each morning knew nothing aboutme, my education, career, familybackground, and accomplishments, yet I feltan immediate sense of purpose andbelonging. It was actually quite simple tobecome involved as a new member—bybeing there.

The first night of Rosh Hashanah happened

to be my birthday, continuingmy trajectory of new home,new month, new year. As Istood to sound the shofar thenext day I was suddenlyoverwhelmed with a sense ofawe that I was not on LongIsland but at Lincoln Center. Iclosed my eyes and listened.

It is hard to describe theexperience of sounding theshofar. It feels as if I am not

actually sounding the shofar but that I am avehicle through which a divine presence isbreathing. I can never hear how I soundbecause the act requires such an intensecombination of air and energy that I feelphysically and spiritually subservient to ahigher power. I have felt it provides me witha rare opportunity not only to connect withGod but also to channel the divine. WhetherI am standing at the bimah or standing bythe hospital bed of a fragile congregant, Iexperience the same loss of self but notemptiness. I am merged with the hollowshofar through which air and sound moveand resonate.

In a short time, we have become “regulars”at BJ. I will never forget our spectacular,rich, and moving first High Holy Day seasonat BJ. I was honored and deeply grateful toAri for granting me such a meaningfulopportunity. Each Shabbat, I treasure theways in which I am enriched musically,intellectually, and spiritually by BJ'sextraordinary Rabbis, Cantor, and my newcongregation. n

— Amy Cohen

Amy Cohen is an award-winning artist andeducator. Noel Rubinton, Bella CohenRubinton, and Amy joined BJ in August 2010upon moving to New York City.

“t

Tekiah! New Member Blasts Into BJ

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 • new voIceasj kue

range and grass fed of course!), Suzannedescribed a combination of uniqueingredients that are greater than the sum oftheir parts; when combined together, theycreate something both rich and unassuming. And, it goes without saying,incredibly delicious!

Just as they nourish their friends, theirfamilies, and our guests at the BJ/SPSAHomeless Shelter, Susan Fishman andSuzanne Schecter are nourishing the entirecommunity through their work on theMembership Committee. Look for them atupcoming events and please stop to say

hello and introduce yourself. Whether youare interested in getting involved further atBJ—in any capacity—or whether you are justlooking for a good soufflé recipe, Susan andSuzanne are great resources. n

— Samara Minkin and Belinda Lasky

Nourishing the Soul and the Community continued from page 4

PHOTO: NOEL RUBINTON

“Knowing no one in the city, it was an unusual way to start adialogue, albeit a wordless one,with my new community.”

Page 6: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

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KOL HADASH.

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

in this way. This desire to demonstrateAbraham’s inherent specialness is evidentin the myriad midrashim (stories written toexplain biblical questions or seeming gaps)constructed by the rabbis on this subject.These tales depict a child who, unsatisfiedwith the notions of God (or, in fact, gods)that exist around him, is spurred toexamination, intense inquiry, and rebellion;a young boy who, filled with what Heschelcalls “radical amazement” at the world, iscertain such a magnificent kingdom musthave one unifying master; a personbrimming with wonder, gratitude and aninsatiable curiosity that lead him to God …and that lead God to respond.

Why did God choose Abraham to unfold theJewish way? The answer from our traditionseems to be: because Abraham chose God.It is in this way that I find converts to be“children of Abraham (and Sarah).”Attributing to them this parentage is notmerely a superficial or generalized way ofmaking them eternally identifiable ashaving converted; God forbid—for in fact,once a person converts to Judaism, theirstatus as a convert is never to be a subjectof attention. Instead, I believe that thebestowal of this Hebrew name (ben/batAvraham v’Sarah) is intended as a badge ofhonor; it speaks to the heart of their havingbeen “inexplicably” called to take anuncertain journey—to their being meaning-seeking, awe-appreciating iconoclasts ofthe same ilk as Abraham—a profoundconnection, indeed.

This brings me to another aspect ofconversion terminology that has not alwayssat well with me: the word “ger.” This word,literally translated as “stranger,” is theHebrew word used for convert. This seemsquite a, well, strange word to describepeople welcomed into our midst. How canthey be at once fully one of us and officiallycalled “strangers”? But this word, ger,comes from the verb gar, to reside or dwell.And here we find a beautiful irony: Ger canbe understood as both “one who is astranger” and “one who is at home.” This

double meaning is not dissimilar from thatfound in the words “Lekh lekha“ themselves.These words are often translated as “goforth”—as directing Abraham to uproot, totake leave of all he knows. But because ofthe reflexive nature of the formulation ofthese words, they are also interpreted asmeaning “go unto yourself”—instructing ourpatriarch not to uproot, but rather tojourney inward, to his truest self.

Just as “Lekh lekha” implies, at its deepestlevel, not only a going from, but a returningto oneself, I believe the title “ger” pointspoignantly to converts being not strangers

to Judaism but rather ones who, in leavingtheir “father’s home,” so to speak, return toa truth that has always been theirs—that“dwelt” within their souls already. Asgenuine inheritors of Abraham’s seekingspirit, their journey to Judaism is a journeyhome.

This perspective on conversion has beenrevealed to me through the holy texts withwhom I am blessed to work—theapproximately 20 individuals into whose

travels I have been invited thus far. On thefirst evening of my Introduction to Judaismcourse (comprised of a mix of Jewish BJmembers and other students on orconsidering the path toward Judaism), Iasked each student to briefly share whatbrought them to the chair in which they sat,plus one word that expresses what for themis most compelling about Judaism. People’swords constituted a collage of rich andvaried images: challah, happy,countercultural, books, tolerance,timelessness, family, ritual. One person’sword took my breath away: “home.” Sheshared with a mix of pride and timidity, as

though wondering whether it would bethought an inappropriate word to describeJudaism as a non-Jew.

I felt tears threatening. I was moved by howapt this word is to the experience of thisspiritual descendant of Abraham; at thesame time, I lamented the overwhelmingnumber of Abraham’s “biologicalchildren”—born Jews—who lack a feeling of“home” in their Jewish identity. I wonderedfor a moment whether there was a way to

Children of Abraham RABBI MICHELLE DARDASHTI continued from page 1

“I believe that the bestowal ofthis Hebrew name ... speaks tothe heart of their having been‘inexplicably’ called to take anuncertain journey ... ”

Above: “Abraham Goes to the Land of Canaan,” Gustave Doré, 1866. Right: “The Caravan of Abraham,” James Tissot, ca. 1903.

Page 7: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

7SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

Go forth from your native land and fromyour father’s house to the land that I will show you.

he familiar, haunting cadencebegan echoing in my mind shortlyafter my son Ari dropped his

bombshell. It was in January, 2010, whenhe told me of his decision to make aliyahwith his family. My initial reaction was aresolve to retain as much of my serenity as Icould and not overreact. After all, Iconsoled myself, I’m not really losing a son… I’m losing a son … a daughter-in-law …and three grandchildren!!!

But, in short time, I regained composureand turned to the reliable methods I hadlearned in dealing with life’s challenges. Iturned to God, to my loved ones, and to myinner self for comfort and guidance. Doingso, I kept hearing this stirring, awe-inspiring refrain—that rhythmic ominousprecursor that seems to get repeatedwhenever God sends Abraham a life-altering challenge.

For me, the beauty of our immersion inTorah lies in its perennial repetition. Wecontinue the cycle primarily for theexperience of seeing something new andunpredictable with each retelling. I hadheard the words of this heavenly directionso many times since childhood. Withinthem lies the seed of our history; the wordsthat set in motion the events leading to ourformation as the Jewish people. Over theyears, I have looked at them from manydifferent angles, always stirred with newlyfound inspiration. But never did I considerthis divine challenge from the perspectivewith which I was now seeing it.

What does this mean for Terach—Abraham’s father—from whom Abrahamwas called upon to liberate and find a newlife? There I was—not in Haran but inTeaneck, New Jersey—hearing my sonrepeat what might have been a verbatimaccount of a discussion Abraham had withhis father in ancient Mesopotamia four

millennia earlier. Yet I found myself unableto channel old Terach or relate to how thatidol-worshipping pagan may have reacted.Rather, I chose to focus on my own feelingsand—to the best of my ability—project theway God would prefer that I react.

I began to suspect that God’s command toAbraham on that day is an eternal messagefor every generation. Hadn’t I heard andfollowed a similar one in my adolescence …and beyond? Don’t I continue along thispath even now, three years after my ownfather’s passing? Don’t we all? I realizedthat at some point, on some level (actual ormetaphorical), all children must go forth“for themselves” … to the place that Godshows them.

Seeing the issue through this prism, I wasbetter able to process the life-alteringevents Ari and I now faced together. Imanaged to tell him how sad I felt and howmuch I would miss him, his lovely wife, andtheir beautiful children. I spoke of the pridethat I felt for his strength, his courage, andhis faith and—most of all—how much Iloved him.

As I watched my children boarding theirNefesh B’Nefesh charter on August 2, I feltthe acute pain, pride, and joy of thisenormous (involuntary) contribution I wasmaking to the State of Israel. And I thoughtwith fear and dread of the far greatersacrifices they, along with the rest of ourparents, siblings, and children in Israel,seem destined to continue to make for theforeseeable future. Through my tears, Iprayed for peace in a kavannah and anintensity I didn’t know I had in me. n

— Bob Gruenspecht

Bob Gruenspecht’s children have settled inBeit Shemesh and report that they are happyand comfortable in their new home. An activeBJ member and a devout Luddite, he stilldoes not have Skype.

Letting Go

t

TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 • new voIce asj kue

“I realized that at some point, on some level (actual ormetaphorical), all children mustgo forth ‘for themselves’ … to the place that God showsthem.”

LEKH LEKHA

bottle up the exuberance—the joy, the love,the feeling of “at home-ness” about andwithin Jewish life and practice—felt anddemonstrated by these b’nei Avrahamv’Sarah … to share with all the rest of us.

The Bible is filled with tales of our ancestorswho heard and heeded (or sometimesevaded or flouted!) God’s call, God’s words.Abraham is the first to hear God’s call andrespond “hineni,” here I am. Centuries later,hineinu, here we are, his descendants,striving in various ways still to live up to thatdaunting declaration of presence andpreparedness. Tradition holds that directprophecy, of the “And God spoke to ____”variety, no longer exists today. But ifneviim/prophets we are not, b’nei neviim/thechildren of prophets we most certainly are.Having ears and eyes trained to perceive thesublime, if subtle, divine markings andmurmurings in our world—and hearts andminds bold enough to respond—this is whatit means to be children of Abraham.

Converts in our midst serve as embodiedreminders of the mandate to live up to thisstatus ourselves each day—of the powerand privilege of our inspired heritage.Hineinu—May we heed the call. n

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here are five main characters in theScroll of Esther. (There would havebeen six if it were like any other

book of the Tanakh, but famously anduniquely, the Holy One the Blessed is not init.) These five are the King of Persia; his wifeVashti; Haman, his second-in-command;Mordechai, a Jew in exile from the fallenJerusalem; and the eponymous Esther,Mordechai’s niece and foster-child.

In the traditional summary of the book, theking is a fatuous, erratic man of serial

inconsistency; Vashti is a haughty, mindlessbeauty in a harem of similar women; Hamanis no less fatuous than the king but also apersonification of spiteful hatred; Mordechaiis a pious Jew whose merit is eternal; andEsther is the heroic queen who drives thestory, saving all the Jews of Persia fromextinction. This she does by empoweringMordechai, convincing the King to dropHaman for him.

In my own reading , the cast of five is dividedinto two brave, authentic, self-aware women

and three vain men willing to cause thedeath of tens of thousands of innocentstrangers. The first are of course Vashti andEsther, and the last are the king, Hamanand, sad to say, Mordechai. Vashti finds hervoice when the king demands she do astriptease for his court as part of his half-year self-idolatrous celebration. She saysno, and no means no, so she is made todisappear. Midrash says she was burned atthe stake, but in any event, she pays for herautonomy and pride by being made todisappear from the narrative. We should

honor her more than we do.

Immediately the king's courtiers make surethat she has set no precedent that mightthreaten their own authority as husbands bydeclaring that "every man would be themaster in his own house." As the king's ownhouse is declared off limits thereafter forVashti, a search of the land is ordered, tofind a less uppity beauty to take her place.Enter Esther, encouraged by Mordechai tomake herself available for the king'scontest. She enters, and she wins.

But what exactly does she win, and whatdoes she lose? And what exactly wasMordechai, her foster-parent thinking, tosend her into this contest? Mordechai, piousman that he is, refuses to bow beforeHaman, so he must have some idea of theJewish obligation to maintain humanautonomy before human might. Yet hesends off the one person he is responsiblefor to a life of bodily utility and no humandignity. To make her degradation morecertain if more "safe," he tells her not tomention "her people." It is unclear whethershe even knows that she is a Jew like him.We may wonder whether he has given herany notion of her specific risk, or simply lether go to marry the king as any otherobscure, marginal, lucky Persian girl mightrush to do.

Does the text wish us to wonder why it isthat piety in a man is so easily found side byside with dismissal of the equal humanity ofa woman? Haman as expected offers us noneed to ponder the inconsistencies of asoul; he is just an egocentric and angry manwhose response to Mordechai's refusal tobow is to convince the king to order theslaughter of every person sharingMordechai's religion. On hearing thisMordechai does two things, but not a third.

First, he fasts and puts on shredded rags asprescribed by the religion for times ofdisaster such as the destruction of theTemple that has brought him to this exile.Then, he gets word to Esther in the king'shouse that this has been ordered to be doneto all the Jews, that she is a Jew and will notescape this order as queen, and thattherefore she has to do something. Third,one thinks reading this, he should havetaken his own advice and done somethinghimself, rather than continuing to lie downin front of the palace gates in his sackcloth

KOL HADASH.PURIM

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

The Whole Megillah: Purim, Queen Esther and Mordechai

t

“Esther Before Ahasuerus,” Artemisia Gentileschi, 1628

“ In my own reading , the cast offive is divided into two brave,authentic, self-aware womenand three vain men willing tocause the death of tens ofthousands of innocentstrangers.”

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and ashes, leaving it to the only woman heknows to save him and every other Jew.

That's all Mordechai does. Esther on theother hand says, "If I perish, I perish," andgoes to stand outside the king's chamber onher own. Knowing that to the king she is nomore than a body, just as Vashti was nomore than a body, and knowing Vashti's fateas we do, she must have understood that theprice for such effrontery as to show a willfuldesire of her own in the presence of the kingwas worth her life. Yet there she is, and theking, noticing her where no woman ought tobe unless summoned by him, offers her hisGolden Scepter to touch. She quickly getsthe king to hang Haman on the gallowsHaman built for the purpose of hangingMordechai, to replace Haman withMordechai as his new second-in-command,and to give Mordechai the authority to speakfor him on all matters.

But, that is not the end of the story.Mordechai, saved from death by Esther,does not shed the slightest bit of hisstubbornness and passivity, even as theking's new confidante. When the fecklessking says, "You can tell all my kingdom thatthe Jews are authorized to defend

themselves from the murderers I sent outpreviously. Just don't countermand theorders I gave to them," Mordechai does notsay to himself, "If I perish, I perish" and thengive the king the benefit of his counsel,perhaps to reconsider his position that hisprior orders might in this case be rescinded.Instead he writes a decree in the king's

name that results in the death of about100,000 non-Jews, deaths that serve nopurpose at all, since the king had changedhis mind.

How are we Jews today to understand thisoutcome as a set of miracles, or even of theintention of a hidden heavenly presence?Perhaps by attending to the scroll'smessage that men, in particular Jewishmen, must attend to the minds and theactions of women, in particular Jewishwomen, if both are to live at peace in thelarger world. In addition to its other statedfunctions, the mehitza that separates menfrom women in an Orthodox serviceseparates men from Esther. Thus Esther,the only Jew in the scroll to act out ofautonomy and in full keeping with the gifts ofthe covenant, would not be allowed to readfrom it in an Orthodox service, except toother women. How do we understand this ina larger Jewish context, with or without amehitza? The Scroll of Esther is telling us tothink about this; Esther herself teaches usthe way. n

—Bob Pollack

Professor Robert Pollack and his wife Amyhave been members of BJ since 1994.

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

he Shomrei Adamah Havurah at BJis working on ways to move thecongregation toward vegetarianism

and sustainable dining. Many of us believe,for environmental and ethical reasons, thatthe ideal diet is vegetarian. We believe thatJudaism demands us to be compassionateto animals and responsible to theenvironment.

The meat and dairy industries account for atleast 18% of all global warming gasses.Approximately 99% of the animals raised formeat, fish, and dairy products are treatedinhumanely. Are BJ members ready to go100% vegan for Friday night dinners? Wedoubt it! Consequently, we are looking forways to ensure that the meat and fish webuy for communal events are sustainablyand ethically produced.

To date, we have found two sources ofchicken that are either organic and/orethically and sustainably produced, but theyare much more expensive thanconventionally produced chicken. At thistime, we are still looking for a good sourceof sustainably produced fish. Right now,

when guests register for a Friday nightdinner they have to request a vegetariandinner. What if we turn that around andrequire guests to request a fish or chickendinner? In other words, the default mealwould be vegetarian rather than fish orchicken. Most guests would probably notmind eating a vegetarian meal, and wewould be able to purchase fewer fish andchicken meals.

What’s your opinion? If you are interested inhelping the Shomrei Adamah Havurahexplore ways of being environmentallysustainable and compassionate to animals,please contact Les at [email protected] or718-601-8918. n

— Les Judd

t

HAVUROT

Moving Toward Vegetarianism and Sustainable Dining at BJ

“Esther Accusing Haman,” Gustave Doré, 1870©SuperStock)

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new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011KOL HADASH.

10 SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

acob Shemkovitz and Jon Wood arenew staffers in the B’nai Jeshurunoffice. Jon is the Membership

Associate, and Jacob is the Communicationsand Development Associate as well asassistant to the Executive Director.

Jacob: So Jon, tell me about where you’refrom and how you made your way to the BigApple.

Jon: Well, I grew up in Dix Hills, Long Island,so I’m originally from the New York area.However, I decided to pick up and move formy undergraduate degree, which Icompleted in Chicago. After I graduated Ispent some time volunteering in Ramla,Israel, where I learned Hebrew and taughtEnglish to high-school students. My nextadventure led me to the Washington, D.C.,area, and there I continued on my Jewishpath working at the University of MarylandHillel. Now I find myself at home on theUpper West here in New York City. Howabout you, Jacob?

Jacob: I grew up in West Hartford,Connecticut, where I was fortunate to bepart of a great Jewish community. I went toart school at RISD in Providence for graphicdesign. Then I lived in Northampton, inWestern Massachusetts, for a couple ofyears before moving to Brooklyn last year.My parents are still very involved at theEmanuel Synagogue back home. Iunderstand your family is pretty involved inJewish life, too?

Jon: Absolutely. Both of my parents and myuncle are cantors in different congregations.You might say I took something from that, asI also love to sing. In college I started my“career” of singing Jewish a cappella in agroup called “ShireiNU,” then continuedafter college with a D.C.-based group called“Makela,” and most recently I joined a groupon the Upper West Side called “Avir.” Whatare some things you like to do for fun?

Jacob: I always wanted to be a comic-bookartist growing up, but I’ve never been greatat representational illustration, even though

I enjoy drawing. I’m still very interested inthe form, so I enjoy putting together mycomic collection. I also watch and read a lotabout movies, so I know a lot of film history.So, I have to ask: What’s your favoritemovie?

Jon: One of my favorites is “The ShawshankRedemption,” but I also love a good comedy.But regardless of the type of movie I’mwatching, one thing stays constant: divinginto a bucket of popcorn. Do you have afavorite comfort food?

Jacob:Whenever my fiancée goes away fora couple of days I’ll buy a carton of cookies

and cream ice cream and eat it by myself.It’s not very healthy, but a man has to lethimself go every once in a while. Is thatwhat the life of a bachelor is like?

Jon: Essentially. But I definitely wish I was abetter chef. Thankfully I manage to stayaway from the dreaded “microwave only”diet. Do you cook?

Jacob:My fiancée and I cook together, butshe’s the competent one. Every once in awhile we’ll host some friends at ourapartment. It’s very domestic. We’re alsopart of a book club, and I learned to makesushi for one of our meetings.

Jon: Sushi? That’s definitely one of myfavorite cuisines. In fact, I still can’t get overhow many Japanese restaurants there arein the city. I would say there is an average oftwo per square block!

Jacob: Very true. I really see New York as abig adventure. I love all the people, andwhile moving here was probably the craziest

thing I’ve done in my life, it was also themost rewarding.

Jon: I’m definitely with you on that one. Buta close runner-up to the craziest thing forme would have to be sky-diving, but I’m notsure I could say it was as rewarding … otherthan the fact that I survived! n

— Jacob Shemkovitz and Jon Wood

STAFF PROFILES

Jon and Jacob Join BJ: A Mutual Interview

j

From left, Jon Wood and Jacob ShemkovitzPHOTO: CHANNA CAMINS

Page 11: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

To the following members and their families on their b’nai mitzvah (November and December):

Micah Dicker

Alexander Dicker

Benjamin Korman

Annabel Strauss

Milo Davidson

Alexander Parrasch

Quentin Dupouy

Benjamin Pickman

Ethan Geismar

Ethan Rosenbaum

Eli DuBois

Noah Scholnick

Daniel Goldstein

Noah Wartels

Madeline Bender

Naomi Shifrin

Allison Boyar

Rebecca Mantel

Mazal Tov Condolences (through November 26)

To the following members and their families (through November 26):

Alexandra and Joshua Metzl on the birth of their daughter, Anna Rose.

Miriam Palmer-Sherman and David Vaisberg on their wedding.

Sarah Verity and Larry Collica on their engagement.

Marisha Krupkin and Dennis Neier on the wedding of Marisha’sdaughter Abbe Meryl Schindler to Isaac Josef Feder.

BJ staff member Elizabeth Stone on her wedding to GregoryRosenblum.

Aaron and Alissa Wright on the naming of their daughter, AvivaMiriam.

Rachel, Bertie, Noa, Dani, Ariel and Georgia Bregman on the birthof their son and brother.

Leora, Jules, Susan and David Frankel and Andrew Sage on the wedding of Andrew and Leora.

Brooke Stone and Adam Cohan on their wedding.

Former MTM Fellow Rabbi Esther Lederman on her wedding toScott Gant.

Stephanie Green, Zeke and Ella Vanderhoek on the birth of their daughter and sister, Ruby.

Rabbi Stephanie and Darone Ruskay on the birth of their twins,Nachshon Eitan and Betzalel Zamir, and to the Ruskay,Greenberg, Kidd, Liron and Bernstein families.

Kerrith Solomon and Derek Rosenbaum on their wedding.

Robin and Martin Wanner on the naming of their daughter,Alexandra Pearl Wanner.

Dan Kestin and Elissa Meth Kestin on the birth of their daughter, Hazel Jean.

The community of B’nai Jeshurun mourns the death of our belovedmember Hella Moritz in São Paolo, Brazil, and we extend oursincere condolences to her family and all her loved ones.

The community of B’nai Jeshurun extends sincere condolences tothe following members and their families:

Sharon Feuer and Hannah and Arthur Margulies on the death ofSharon’s father and Hannah’s brother, David Feuer.

Jody Prusan on the death of her beloved father, Nathan Prusan.

Michael Reingold on the death of his beloved father, VernonReingold.

Mirian Landau, David, Brian and Caroline Landau on the death ofMirian's beloved father, Izaac Zugman.

Sonia, James, Jennifer and Rebecca Cummings on the death ofSonia's beloved mother, Esther Dane.

Lori, Ron, Justin and Johanna Seitenbach on the death of Lori'sbeloved father, Morris Ribler.

Rabbi Jonathan Lipnick, Susan Scheuer and Daniella, Abigail and Noah Lipnick on the death of their beloved mother, mother-in-lawand grandmother, Joan Lipnick Abelson.

Dova Marder, her husband Stephen Friedgood, and their son Matan on the death of Dova's beloved mother, Martha Marder.

Robin and Sophia Reif on the death of Robin's beloved father, Dr. Irving Reif.

Arthur Rovine on the death of his beloved wife, Phyllis Rovine.

)

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 • new voIceasj kue

BJ staff member Jacob Shemkovitz on his engagement to AllisonHoltman.

Myriam Abramowicz on her Award of Recognition from The WorldFederation of Jewish Children Survivors of the Holocaust forcreating the groundbreaking 1980 prize-winning documentary “AsIf It Were Yesterday” and the formation of the First InternationalConference of Hidden Children in New York City in 1991.

Carole Lurie and Gerry Hirsch on their wedding.

Herbert and Marilyn Levy on the election of their daughter-in-law, Kelly Levy, as a City of New York Civil Court Judge.

Sally Gottesman and Rachel Tiven and their children Alice and Ezraon the birth of their daughter and sister.

Page 12: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

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YOUTH & FAMILY EDUCATION

white-bearded but youthful-looking Moses is chatting with ayoung woman carrying a jug of

water. Could it be Rachel?

They are students in our 3rd grade Gimmelclass taking on the personae of Torahcharacters for our Bible PeopleExtravaganza. At this event each studentdresses as Jacob, Leah, Moses, Miriam, oranother character and “comes to life” asthat person in an afternoon of learning,presentations, and dialogue with parentsand other students. The students spendmany weeks preparing for the role they havechosen, learning everything they can aboutthat character, writing journal entries fromthat character’s perspective, and puttingtogether a realistic first-personpresentation and Bible-era costume. In thecourse of these activities they compare howthe struggles and stories of theseindividuals are similar to or different fromtheir own modern-day life experiences. Theresult? The Torah stories from Bereshit

(Genesis) through Shemot (Exodus) comealive for them.

This is only one example of the creativelearning that goes on at BJHS.

Our ongoing efforts to be creative andeffective have been supported since the fallof 2009 by our participation in LOMED, apioneering program that helps Jewisheducators to innovate and improve theirteaching.1 BJ is one of 24 congregationsdiverse in movement, affiliation, size, andgeography across the metro New Yorkregion who make up the Coalition ofInnovating Congregations and participate inthe LOMED program. Handily, LOMED alsotranslates into a meaningful acronym:Learner Outcomes and Measurement forEffective Educational Design. It’s amouthful, but it’s meaningful and right ontarget.

We’re proud to have two BJ Hebrew Schoolteachers, Hannah Kass (Kitah Zayin) andBronwen Mullin (Kitah Hey) as part of ourLOMED Professional Leadership Team. Theyreceive ongoing training and learningthrough LOMED and serve as teachertrainers for the rest of the Hebrew Schoolfaculty. Through them BJHS is gainingexperience in “teaching with assessment forreal-life experiences,” while continuing toinnovate and experiment with new programsand ideas. The experience with LOMED hasbrought learning to new levels in our school.

Hannah Kass, a teacher of Kitah Zayin (7thgrade), describes the effect LOMED has hadon her teaching and classroom:

“The LOMED program offers a wonderfulstructure, helping teachers to createmeaningful and rich lesson plans withcareful assessment. One of the aspects ofLOMED that I have found especiallyimportant is the emphasis on makingcertain that the material presented in classis really reaching the students, as teachersalways hope it will. LOMED challengesteachers to find creative ways to ascertainstudent comprehension and progress. Now Ifocus on gathering evidence that shows theextent to which each student understandsthe material: In my class I use consistentjournaling as a medium for studentresponses, and the journal entries provideme with excellent insight into how my 7th-graders process the complicated materialwe study.”

Our Hebrew school staff studies togetherthroughout the year at staff meetings andshares ideas for engaging ways to learnthrough games, drama, and other creativemeans. We also discuss our particular classexperiences so we can learn from eachother. We are guided by a vision of Jewisheducation for children and families thatnurtures the whole person. The “wholeperson framework,” adapted from researchin university education and day schools,creates learning and assessment aboutwhat a child knows (head), what a child putsinto action (hand), what a childbelieves/values (heart), and where a childbelongs (feet). It recognizes that the wholeof a person, not just the head or the heart,needs to be nurtured to enable a Jewishchild to grow to be an engaged Jewish adult.The “whole person” approach also ensuresthat learning speaks to the real-lifequestions of learners, can be applied todaily life, builds relationships, and iscontent-rich and accessible.

I’m very proud of the work we have donetogether so far and especially of the manysigns of enthusiasm and engagement thatour wonderful students show us. It’s not aneasy task, but this is the high bar that wehave set for ourselves. n

— Ivy Schreiber

LOMED in Hebrew Means LEARN

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new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011KOL HADASH.

“We are guided by a vision of Jewish education for childrenand families that nurtures the whole person.”

1. This program is funded by UJA-Federation of New York and supported by the partnership of BJENY-SAJES, the Experiment in Congregational Education; and the LeadershipInstitute for Congregational Educators of HUC/JTS.

a

PHOTO: IVY SCHREIBER

PHOTO: IVY SCHREIBER

Page 13: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

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ast year I was asked to coordinatethe 6th graders’ cooking for theBJ/SPSA Shelter. I said yes,

although with some trepidation. In ourfamily, I am the baker, and my husband isthe cook. (As my grandmother famously saidto my then-fiancé on the night of ourengagement, “You know, she’s nobaleboosta!”)

On the afternoon we were scheduled to cook,I found my way to the kitchen downstairs at88th Street. Although initially befuddled bythe convection oven, I was fortunate that oneof our 6th graders’ parents, StephaniePietromonaco, was a caterer. She helpedlead the way through the kitchen. With thekids busily washing and choppingvegetables, the parents, many of whom Inever met, stepped back and enjoyed gettingto know each other.

After the salad was made, the table was set,and the ziti was in the oven, we gathered onthe floor of the social hall. Surrounded bythe folded cots where the shelter’s clientswould sleep that night, the children were fullof questions: Who are the people who stayhere? How many days a week? Do we get tomeet them? Why don’t they have a home tostay in? Emily Walsh answered all the

questions thoughtfully and then shared withus an excerpt from Barbara Ehrenreich’sbook Nickled and Dimed: On (Not) Getting Byin America. I was transfixed by the stories ofpeople struggling on minimum-wage jobs,whose housing was so precarious. Theensuing discussion was challenging andmoving, and I left feeling that this was one of the most enriching two hours I had spentin years.

When Emily asked if I would volunteer tocoordinate the 2nd graders’ cooking for theshelter later that year, I didn’t hesitate to sayyes. While the parents had to be morehands-on during the vegetable chopping, the2nd graders’ culinary skills and enthusiasmwere impressive. Their questions about theshelter were as penetrating as the 6thgraders’ had been. Many had attended theBJHS 2nd grade field trip to the food pantryin the basement at SPSA. My own 2ndgrader commented about how manydifferent ways the basements at BJ andSPSA could be used—Junior Congregation,Mishpaha Sheli, Shabbat dinner, homelessshelter, food pantry.

I signed up to coordinate for the 3rd and 7thgrades this year. The 7th graders cooked inearly October. Because my family had joined

the BJ CSA (Community SupportedAgriculture) in its first season, we were ableto donate our share of that week’s romainelettuce and arugula for the salad, andcooked a delicious new chili recipe. Welearned about Abraham and Sarah’sperformance of hakhnasat orhim—welcoming strangers and hospitality. Wetalked about how cooking for the shelter wassuch an act and discussed other ways wecould perform hakhnasat orhim in our dailylives. I left looking forward to cooking withthe 3rd graders later this year and hopingthat the 7th grade families can continue tovolunteer together at the shelter in thecoming years even after our childrenbecome b’nai mitzvah. n

— Ellen Bender

Ellen Bender found her home at BJ five yearsago. She and her husband, Sam, have twodaughters at BJHS. Ellen and her olderdaughter have enjoyed walking with the BJ“Race for the Cure” team for the past threeyears. In addition to cooking for the shelter,she has enjoyed volunteering for BJ’s CSA thisyear and meeting other BJ members who areexcited about eating healthy, local, andsustainable food.

Cooking for the Shelter and Finding My Inner “Baleboosta”

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 • new voIceasj kue

l

im bam, bim bim bim bam, bim bimbim bim bim bam.

The words are simple, the music is catchy,and the connection is long-lasting. EachFriday morning, babies and toddlers gather

on the floor of Frankel Hall. As they grabtheir favorite instrument (bells and eggshakers are the most popular), they findtheir place in the circle and prepare to singthe class’s title song. After a series ofHebrew and Shabbat-themed songs, the

little ones clean up their toysand instruments and getready for a special project.Related to the weekly Torahportion or nearest Jewishholiday, the special projectincludes activities that rangefrom arts and crafts toparachute games. Each week,the class concludes aroundthe Shabbat table, where thechildren give tzedakah, lightthe candles, receive ablessing from their parent orcaretaker, and of course enjoy

their favorite part—a cup of grape juice anda bite of challah. n

— Emily Walsh

Bim Bim Bim Bim Bim Bam

b9:30AM or 10:45AMJanuary 21-May 20 (except April 22 – it’s Pesah)The cost is per family.Members: $175 (Note: New members are FREE)Non-members: $250

Find more information and register atwww.bj.org/bimbam.

Other questions? Contact Emily Walsh,[email protected] or at x243.

Bim BamWinter/SpringSessions

PHOTO: EMILY WALSH

Left: David Frankel sings his heart out with some of Bim Bam's most enthusiastic participants.

Page 14: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

14

Adult Education FundLeon Morris and DaseeBerkowitz in memory ofZillah Goldstein

Barry and Mira Schlein

Beba BronsteinScholarship Fund

Robert and FrimetteKaplan in celebration ofthe birth of Felicia Sol'sson

Lilli Platt in honor of LeoraFrankel's marriage

David Schatsky and SusanBodnar in celebration ofthe birth of Felicia Sol'sson

Bikkur Holim FundDov Fobar in memory ofShelley Bernard

Amelia Korn in memory ofher mother, Anna Korn

Ellen Medins

BJ Hebrew School FundRichard Fields andMarjorie Vandow in honorof Gabe Fields’ BarMitzvah

Louis Geser and IleneRosenthal in celebrationof the birth of Felicia Sol'sson

BJ/SPSA HomelessShelter Fund

Judy Geller-Marlowe andGlenn Marlowe in honorof their 25th weddinganniversary

Stefan and Mary Krieger inmemory of ElizabethKelliher

Harold and Helen Lehrmanin memory of MortyLevine

Barbara Miller in honor ofJeanette Brizel

Michael Roffer and SusanLerner Roffer in memoryof Celia Roffer

Susan Schwartz in memoryof Deborah Brudno andElfriede Baum

Building FundGary Sherman in honor ofMiriam Palmer-Shermanand David Vaisberg'smarriage

Barry and RachelleGoldsmith

Bernice LevineAyala Weiner-Usdin

Children's Service FundScott Black in honor ofBernard Black

Louis Geser and IleneRosenthal in honor ofLeon Kraiem's BarMitzvah

Marlene Jaffe in memoryof Nathan Prusan

Samara Minkin and TrentGegax in honor of LeoraFrankel's marriage andMiriam Palmer-Shermanand David Vaisberg'smarriage

David Schatsky and SusanBodnar in honor ofRonen's Bar Mitzvah

Daily Minyan FundDavid Bloom in memory ofMorty Levine

Trudi Levine in memory ofMorty Levine and inappreciation of "TheFriday Morning Girls"

Malcolm and EstelleNewman in memory ofMorty Levine

Irma and Robert Radus inmemory of Morty Levine

Penelope Raphaely inmemory of Morty Levine

Hadassah Weiner inmemory of Morty Levine

General FundMyriam Abramowicz inhonor of Glenn Marloweand Judy Geller-Marlowe

Susana Gordon AttiasHoward BermanDavid and BarbaraBlumenthal

Dan BridgeBeth Brodsky and AmirShaviv in honor of theirson's Bar Mitzvah

Joel Collamer in honor ofIrv Rosenthal's 60thbirthday

Thomas and Donna Divinein appreciation of theirTorah honor

Amy Feldman in memoryof Nathan Prusan

Harvey Friedman in honorof Melvin and BarbaraBerger

Jane Fuchsberg in honor ofMyriam Abramowicz andSandee Brawarsky

Arthur Gurevitch and LindaMoses in honor of GilbertGold's birthday

David and Champa Jarmulin honor of IrvRosenthal's 60th birthday

Elida Kamine in honor ofEmily Walsh

Joel Kazis and SaraNathan in honor of RabbiAnne Ebersman

Michael KeslerRachel and Mark Klein inhonor of Rabbi AnneEbersman, Mira Rivera,and Jerry Korman

Otto and Lotte Knoller inhonor of the engagementof Cara Hillary Suvall andJoseph Peretz Fishmanand in celebration ofMiriam Palmer-Sherman's marriage

Karen Koenig and JeromeSolomon

Belinda Lasky incelebration of LindaGolding and DianeWondisford's wedding

Bernice Levine in thanks toCarol Gelles, DorothyLuft, Elana Roberts andher BJ friends who havebeen her support

Michael and Nancy Mostowin honor of FredericGoldstein

Severine Pardo in honor ofNicole and Jean-VictorPardo

Irvin Rosenthal and RuthJarmul in memory ofMorty Levine, in honor ofAndrew Shermanbecoming Hatan Torahand in honor of RabbiAnne Ebersmanbecoming Kallat Bereshit

Rivka Rudner inappreciation of Fridaynight services

Adina SchecterJerome Siegel and PhyllisHarlem

Shari ThomashowMark and Robyn Tsesarskyin honor of Jeff Feig

Adina WagmanJudith and StevenWeinstein in appreciationof their Aliyah

Myron Yolkut inappreciation of theShabbat Aliyah

Hevra Kadisha FundSusan Viuker Landau inmemory of her husband,Sidney Landau

Israel Trip ScholarshipFund

Ricki Goldman in memoryof her father

Marjorie Shik in memory ofLydia Uzan Shik and IrvingShik

Judith Bernstein LunchProgram

Roslyn Auerbach inmemory of Dorothy Hilf

Martha Faibisoff inmemory of her parents,Max and Lillian Faibisoff

Judy Geller-Marlowe andGlenn Marlowe inmemory of Morty Levine

Ruth KamermanElaine Nevins in memoryof Morty Levine

Newton Country DaySchool of the SacredHeart

Andrea Bigelisen Riskin inmemory of Morty Levine

Norman Saunders inmemory of Morty Levine

Ronald and LoriSeitenbach in memory ofMorty Levine

Sharon Stein in honor ofDede and StephenKessler

Michael Teitelman andSharon Kozberg in honorof Becca Clarren and GregEsmer's wedding

Kiddushim FundDaniel and Leslie Merims

Marshall T. MeyerMemorial Fund

Lisa Schachner in honor ofCharles Weinshank's BarMitzvah

Miriam Siroky EducationFund

David Schatsky and SusanBodnar in honor of AnneEbersman becomingKallat Bereshit

Music FundAudrey Maurer

Shira Palmer-ShermanMemorial Fund

Dede and Stephen Kesslerin honor of BJ's KallatBereshit, Rabbi AnneEbersman, and HatanTorah, Andy Sherman

Lowell and DeborahKirschner in honor ofMiriam Palmer-Shermanand David

Vaisberg's marriageDavid Schatsky and SusanBodnar in honor ofAndrew Shermanbecoming Hatan Torah

Social Action/SocialJustice Fund

Stacy Cotler in honor ofRabbi Felicia Sol

Malcolm and EstelleNewman in memory ofStella Kramer

Teen Programming FundRachel and Mark Klein inhonor of Mark’s birthday

David Schatsky and SusanBodnar in honor ofRonen's Bar Mitzvah

Yizkor Fund Allen and PhyllissAppelbaum in memory ofFannie Arluk, Paul Arluk,and William Appelbaum

Livia Asher in memory ofher sister, Miriam Siroky

Georgette Bennett andLeonard Polonsky inmemory of SidonieBennett

Barbara Blum in memoryof Bernard Blum

Judith and CharlesBogomol in memory ofher father, SolomonMatmon

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

DONATIONS (received as of November 1, 2010)

new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011KOL HADASH.

Page 15: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

15

Charles Borrok in memoryof his wife, Cathy Borrok

Irwin and Arlene Brandonin memory of his motherand father, Kitty andJoseph Brandon, and hisgrandfather, IsraelBrandon

Jacqueline Bravermanin memory of her brother,Harald Becker, and herfather, Robert Becker

Edward Brill and MicheleLevin in memory ofBeulah Brill and SeymourBrill

Richard Chirol in memoryof Nathan Prusan

Elizabeth Cohen in memoryof Herbert and PaulineCohen

Don and Rochelle Cohen inmemory of her mother,Libbie Weisbard

Madeline and ElizabethCohen in memory ofPauline Cohen

Francine Collins in memoryof her parents, Annetteand Louis Collins

Judith Cromwell inmemory of her mother,Charlotte Breuer Lissaver

Larry and Lisa Davidoff inmemory of HowardDavidoff

Marion and Alan Dienstagin memory of Batya Koltun

Bart and Terri Eagle inmemory of Herman Eagle

Rae-Carole Fischer andJoseph Saltiel in memoryof his mother, Sara Saltiel

David Fitterman in memoryof Jenny Chinitz, MortyLevine, and NathanPrusan

Jules and Susan Frankel inmemory of his mother,Rose Frankel

Earl Freiman and PauletteDouglas in memory of herparents, Helen and HalDouglas

Sheila Gabins in memory ofher mother, Helen Janice

Nora Gaines in memory ofher grandmother, Mina

Bonita and Harvey Ganot inmemory of her mother,Sylvia Estrin

Jeffrey and LaurieGoldberger in memory oftheir grandfather, MosesHornstein

Harriet Goren in memory ofher grandfather, HarryPfeffer, her cousins,Jerome Pfeffer and BunnyMarkowitz, and her father,Daniel Goren

Nancy Greenblatt and JackRichard in memory ofElaine Richard and MortyLevine

Steven Greenhouse inmemory of JackBrawarsky

Barbara Greenspan inmemory of her father,Solomon Matmon

Sonny Greenwald inmemory of JacobGreenwald

John Guffey and BarbaraSomerfield in memory ofBetty Goldsmith Guffey

Lisa Halprin Fleisher andArthur Fleisher inmemory of hergrandmother, DorisHalprin

Jessica Hammerman andIsaac Peterson in memoryof Jack Brawarsky

Richard and Elaine Heffnerin memory of her father,Joseph Segal

Joan Jankell in memory ofher mother, Laura Sweet

Richard and RosemaryKalikow in memory ofMorris Ribler

Robert and FrimetteKaplan in memory ofMollie Spilberg, HerbertSilberg, David Kaplan, andJeanette Kaplan

Ilene Katz in memory ofIrene and Charles Katz

Stephen Kaufman andMarina Pinto Kaufman inmemory of her father,Salomon Pinto, and hismother, GertrudeKaufman

Nina Kaufman in memoryof her grandfather,Emmanuel Kaufman

Norman and LenoreKaufman in memory ofher father, SamuelBuckalter

Jeffrey and Shelley Kehl inmemory of their motherand grandmother, PearlKehl

Florence Keller in memoryof her mother, Anna Glick

Dede and Stephen Kesslerin memory of her aunts,Ruth Berger Haber andAnnette Berger Gerson,her cousins, HowardHaber and Scott Haber,and her parents, LettieBerger Glicksman andJack Glicksman

Stephen and Susan Kippurin memory of his mother,Shirley Kippur

Carole Klepper in memoryof her parents, Mary andMoe Kaperst

Otto and Lotte Knoller inmemory of JackBrawarsky

Drew Kopf in memory of hisfather, Harold Kopf

Lorraine Korn in memoryof her parents, David andRene Korn

Miriam and Jonathan Kosein memory of theirmother, mother-in-law,and Bubbe, Toby Kaufman

Ceil Kraus in memory ofher mother, AnnaHandelsman

Stefan and Mary Krieger inmemory of Norman andVivien Krieger and Jamesand Betsy Kelliher

Trudi Levine in memory ofher mother, father andsister, Lena, Jack andJudy Levine

Sara Levine and PhilipFriedman in memory ofher father, Arthur Levine

Bernice Levine in memoryof Morty Levine

Albert and Naomi Levine inmemory of her father

Richard and Barbara Litt inmemory of his mother

Lili Lynton and MichaelRyan in memory of MarkLynton

Susan Margolis in memoryof her father

Robert and Iris Markewichin memory of her father,Milton Grass

Faith Marshall in memoryof Morty Levine

Audrey Melkin in memoryof her companion, WernerEngel

Leana Moritt in memory ofher aunt, Laura Katz

Michael and Nancy Mostowin memory of Cynthia CateBeal

Sherwood and SallieNewman in memory ofSherwood's father andSallie's father

Bonnie Oglensky and IraSchwarz in memory ofBurtis Oglensky and YettaCohen

Howard Perlman andPhyllis Cosley Hirsch inmemory of his father, MaxPerlman

Elenor Radzivilover inmemory of her father,Cantor Matus Radzivilover

Jack Richard and NancyGreenblatt in memory ofHenry and Ida Richard

Andrea Bigelisen Riskin inmemory of her mother,Gertrude Bigelisen

Carlos Rizowy in memoryof Charlotte Rizowy

Arlene Robbins in memoryof Lilly Needleman

Andrea Roman in memoryof her grandmother, HertaReis

Herman and Myrna Rosenin memory of her father,Irving Wener

Terry Rosenbaum inmemory of her husband,Arthur Rosenbaum

Jerry and Sheila Rothmanin memory of Morty Levine

Charles and Amy Rudnickin memory of her mother,Rita Teicher and hisfather, David Rudnick

Wendy Sax in memory ofAlice Sax

Muriel Schaffer in memoryof Morty Levine

Eric Schlesinger in memoryof his mother, AnneSchlesinger

Amy and Jacob Schrader inmemory of hergrandmother, FannieWachstein

William Schwartz and LucyChudson in memory ofhis father

Ronald and Lori Seitenbachin memory of VictoriaSchonfeld's father

Barbara Simon in memoryof her father and mother,Wink and FlorenceToretsky

Jeffrey Singerman andRuth Borchardt inmemory of Martha Sklar

Robert and Barbara Smallin memory of her father,Marnny Kanowitz

Ellen Small in memory ofher father, IrvingPerlmutter

Sharon Stein in memory ofMichael Stein

Mitchell and Enid Stuart inmemory of Muriel Kravitz

Judith and StevenWeinstein in memory ofBlanche, Daniel and MarkRosenthal

Barbara and RobertWillinger in memory ofEdward Halin, father,father-in-law, grandfatherof Barbara, Robert andJeremy

Vivian Yale in memory ofher husband, Milton Yale,and her father, JacobGordon

Holly Zabitz in memory ofher grandmother, SadieChesler, her aunt,Annabelle Kalina, hergrandfather, SamuelZabitz, and her father,Emanuel Finkelman

KOL HADASH new voIceJanuary/February 2011

The Kol Hadash is published every othermonth. We would love to print your stories and articles about BJ! For submissionguidelines, contact [email protected]. All material is the propertyof B’nai Jeshurun andcannot be reprintedwithout permission.

The Kol Hadashis printed using

soy-based inks on 50%recycled paper by an eco-friendly printer.

Designer: Harriet R. Goren

SYNAGOGUE: 257 W. 88th St. • OFFICE: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • TEL: 212.787.7600 • FAX: 212.496.7600 • WEBSITE: www.bj.org

TEVET/SHEVAT/ADAR I 5771 • new voIce

continued from page 10DONATIONS

asj kue

Page 16: Kol Hadash Janaury/February 2011

Rabbis:J. Rolando MatalonMarcelo R. BronsteinFelicia L. Sol

Hazzan and Music Director:Ari Priven

Marshall T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellow:Rabbi Michelle Dardashti

Rabbinic Fellow:Jason Fruithandler

Cantorial Intern:Shoshi Rosenbaum

Executive Director:Harold Goldman, x248

Assistant Executive Director:Belinda Lasky, x224

Director of Education for Youth and Family:Ivy Schreiber, x225

Director of Social Action/Social Justice:Channa Camins, x259

Program Director:Guy Felixbrodt, x255

Major Gifts Officer:Nancy Gad-Harf, x262

Associate Director of Development:Erzsébet Arora, x228

Communications Manager:Denise Waxman, x275

Director of Administration & Finance:Ron Seitenbach, x226

Director of Facilities:Roma Serdtse, x258

Assistant to Rabbi Matalon andCommunications Associate: Sarah Guthartz, x234

Assistant to Rabbi Bronstein and Hazzan Priven: Naomi Goodhart, x240

Assistant to Rabbi Sol:Elizabeth Rosenbaum, x233

Assistant to Executive DirectorHarold Goldman:Jacob Shemkovitz, x256

Board of Trustees:Jonathan AdelsbergºPresident

Susan Kippurº*Chair

Jeannie BlausteinºVice President

Joel KazisVice President

Stephen StulmanºVice President

Debra FineºTreasurer

Andrew LittSecretary

Robert BuxbaumGene CarrAnne EbersmanRochelle FriedlichChristina GantcherBarbara GlassmanSally GottesmanSofia Hubscher

Richard KalikowBeth KernDebbie LernerHenry MeerSamara MinkinAndrea NewmanBernie PlumBenjamin RossEmily WeissMichael Yoeli

Honorary TrusteesVirginia Bayer*Ted Becker*Frederic GoldsteinMarcy Grau*David Hirsch*Richard Janvey*Robert KanterJoan KaplanSara Moore Litt*Naomi MeyerJudith Stern Peck*

General CounselRichard Kalikow

º Executive Committee Member* Past President

SYNAGOGUE:257 West 88th Street

OFFICES:2109 Broadway (Ansonia), #203

Main Telephone Number 212-787-7600

Fax Number (2109 Broadway)212-496-7600

Websitewww.bj.org

Committees & Services:Accounts Payable.......................227Accounts Receivable ..................237Adult Education Information .....233Bar/Bat Mitzvah .........................223Bekef ..........................................255Bikkur Holim..............................233BJ Reads ....................................391Communications........................275Community Programs ...............255Conversion .................................264Daily Minyan...............................232Development

& Donation Information ........228

88th Street Rental......................223Family Activities: Hotline ...........318Hakhnasat Orhim.......................255Havurot.......................................255Hevra Kadisha ...........................233Homeless Shelter .....212-339-4250Interfaith Committee ............... 379Kiddush Scheduling...................255Kol Jeshurun...............................275Kol Hadash .................................275Life Cycles..................................233Lunch Program..........................338

Membership Information...........224Ralph Bunche School

Partnership ...........................301Social Action ..............................259Teen Programming ....................253Torah/Haftarah Reading ............232Tze’irim ......................................264Ushering ....................................305Visiting Groups...........................234Volunteer Information................255Youth & Family Education ..........225

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 530New York, NY

new voIce • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011

16

KOL HADASH.

2109 Broadway (Ansonia) • Suite 203 • New York, NY 10023


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