shaaray tefila messenger · messenger e are extremely excited to welcome rabbi joel mosbacher to...
TRANSCRIPT
Messenger
e are extremely excited to welcome Rabbi Joel Mosbacher to Shaaray Tefila.
With the help of many lay leaders, staff and clergy, we have been busy preparing for a smooth and meaningful transition for the Rabbi and our community. A core group of active members, including Amanda Burnovski, Jay Freiberg, Len Lubinsky, Michelle Parker and Jolie Schwab, have volunteered to partner with us as the Rabbinic Transition Steering Committee. The group has been instrumental in shaping Rabbi Mosbacher’s first 100 days and beyond with us. Our larger Transition Committee will also provide critical support for Rabbi Mosbacher and our transition efforts
throughout his entire first year. One of our initial responsibilities is to organize a variety of events that will connect him with our congregational community as well as the NYC community.
The core tenets of Rabbi Mosbacher’s rabbinate are connection, meaning and purpose as the driving forces of the 21st- century synagogue.
These will be intertwined into everything we do.
We are embarking upon a very important time for our community. We look forward to the Congregation being an integral part of a seamless transition for Rabbi Mosbacher and are confident that he is fully prepared to engage with all during this next chapter of his rabbinate. n
— Pam Mittman and Kyle Solomon
are Co-chairs of the
Rabbinic Transition Committee
A Message from the Rabbinic Transition Committee
Summer 2016 • Kahyeets 5776 n Vol. XLI No. 4
IN THIS ISSUEMay Mitzvah Week ..........................................2-3
Community Activities ....................................4-7
The 2016 Spring Celebration .........................8-9
Backpack Buddies......................................10-11
Welcome to the Board of Trustees ................12
Rub-a-Dub-Dub ................................................13
From Our President .........................................14
Personally Speaking .......................................15
Volunteer Recognition at Shaaray Tefila.......16
Shaaray Tefila
The core tenets of Rabbi Mosbacher’s rabbinate are connection, meaning and purpose as the driving forces of the 21st-century synagogue.
W
Shaaray Tefila’s Clergy Team
Meet Shaaray Tefila’s New Senior Rabbi Joel. M. MosbacherJuly 1, 5:15 pmWelcome Reception with July 4th-inspired refreshments followed by Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:15 pm
July 11, 5:15-6:45 pm Pizza, Popsicles, and Playtime on the Roof July 11, 7:00-8:30pm Wine, Cheese & Dessert
July 12, 8:30-10:00 amTopic Tuesday: Modern Moral Meanings in the 21st Century and the Guidance of Jewish Responsa
August 6, 5:00-7:30 pm Havdalah in the Hamptons
August 8, 7:00-8:30 pm Wine, Cheese & Dessert
August 9, 8:30-10:00 amTopic Tuesday (topic to be announced)
August 16, 6:30-8:30 pmWelcome Back from Camp/College Send-Off Reception
To RSVP for these events please visit www.shaaraytefilanyc.org/ rabbimosbacherevents or email [email protected]
Pam Mittman
Kyle Solomon
COMMUNITY
rom Monday, May 16th, through Sunday, May 22nd, congregants of all ages were busy performing mitzvot in and out of the building—there were 20
projects in all, including four new ones.
Around Manhattan, volunteers:• prepared and served meals at soup
kitchens, senior centers, and a facility for formerly homeless individuals with psychiatric disabilities
• cleaned one park and gardened at another
• visited and sang for seniors• visited and lunched with residents of a
supportive housing facility• did craft projects with kids living in a
shelter.
At the Temple, volunteers:• made sandwiches for the hungry• designed onesies for babies in a
N.I.C.U.• assembled art therapy kits for
traumatized children served by the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services
• knit squares to make blankets for sick babies
• made cards, toiletry kits, and a mural for hospitalized children.
There were well over 300 volunteers in total, with participation from the School of Rock, a TaSTY contingent, and the Israel MASA track.
Many thanks to our project captains Erin Bach, Rich Birnbaum, Carol Crossen, Ethel Donner, Matthew Haiken, Jamie Hirsh, Jill Hunter, Joanne Jahr, Steve Linde, Andrea Linne, Nancy Merberg, Arlene Provder, Barbara Russek, Faith Silberstein, Marsha Starr, Jeff Stolow, Rob Stolz, Rebecca Ulanski, Laura Wechsler, JoDi Weiss, and Sabrina Wolkoff. Special mention to our cantors for lending their voices to the effort.
And thanks to the Temple staff for their support before and during the week — in the office, behind the scenes, at the door, everywhere. While much was done there is still much left to be done. We hope you will join us on Sunday, December 4th for Fall Mitzvah Sunday and throughout the year for our MITZVAH INC. programs. n
May Mitzvah Week: A Week of Tikkun Olam
By Marlene Nadel, May Mitzvah Week Coordinator
F
With more than 20 projects both on-site and in the community, the participants in May Mitzvah Week touched the lives and enriched the experiences of thousands of our neighbors.
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 2 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008
Messenger
Shaaray Tefila Summer 2016 • Kahyeets 5776
The congregation extends congratulations to the following young members and their families who celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvah:
September 2016 / Av - Elul 5776■ Benjamin Scott Rosenfarb, son of Heidi &
Jason Rosenfarb■ Mia Medney, daughter of Heather &
Eric Medney■ Matthew H. Milman, son of Stacey &
Richard Milman
BAR /BAT MITZVAH HONOR ROLL
May Mitzvah Week: A Week of Tikkun Olam Continued from page 2
Above: Volunteers help clean up John Jay Park.
Left and below: Bagged lunches distributed by City Harvest help the food insecure in our city.
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 3
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 4 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008
Messenger
Shaaray Tefila Summer 2016 • Kahyeets 5776
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 5
#cu
t her
e
Sun
day
Mo
nd
ayT
ues
day
Wed
nes
day
Th
ur
sday
Frid
aySa
tur
day
Build
ing
Clos
edIn
depe
nden
ce D
ay –
Bui
ldin
g Cl
osed
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
12:3
0 pm
: Mid
tow
n To
rah
Stud
y12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
6:30
pm
: Ree
l Isr
ael F
ilm S
erie
s
Gett:
The
Tria
l of V
ivian
e An
sale
m
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
Build
ing
Clos
ed10
:00
am: S
enio
rs5:
15 p
m: P
izza,
Pop
sicle
s &
Play
time
7:00
pm
: Win
e, C
hees
e &
Dess
ert
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
8:30
am
: Top
ic Tu
esda
y Br
eakf
ast
Prog
ram
: Mod
ern
Mor
al M
eani
ngs
in th
e 21
st C
entu
ry a
nd th
e
Guid
ance
of J
ewish
Res
pons
a
12:3
0 pm
: Tor
ah Ta
lk6:
30 p
m: M
ah J
ongg
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
Build
ing
Clos
ed10
:00
am: S
enio
rs8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n12
:30
pm: M
idto
wn
Tora
h St
udy
12:3
0 pm
: Tor
ah Ta
lk6:
30 p
m: R
eel I
srae
l Film
Ser
ies
A Bo
rrow
ed Id
entit
y
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
1
2
2725
26
28
3 4
56
78
9
10
1112
1314
15
16
24
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
5:15
pm
: Wel
com
e Re
cept
ion
6:15
pm
: Ere
v Sh
abba
t Ser
vice
Led
by R
abbi
Mos
bach
er
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
17
18
1920
2122
23
July
201
6 ■
5
776
Build
ing
Clos
ed10
:00
am: S
enio
rs8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
Si
van
25Si
van
26
Si
van
27Si
van
28Si
van
29Si
van
30Ta
mm
uz 1
Tam
muz
2Ta
mm
uz 3
Ta
mm
uz 4
Tam
muz
5Ta
mm
uz 6
Tam
muz
7Ta
mm
uz 8
Tam
muz
9Ta
mm
uz 1
0
Ta
mm
uz 1
1Ta
mm
uz 1
2Ta
mm
uz 1
3Ta
mm
uz 1
4Ta
mm
uz 1
5Ta
mm
uz 1
6Ta
mm
uz 1
7
T
emple
Shaa
ray
Te
fila
Ta
mm
uz 1
8Ta
mm
uz 1
9Ta
mm
uz 2
0Ta
mm
uz 2
1 Ta
mm
uz 2
2 Ta
mm
uz 2
3 Ta
mm
uz 2
4
31Ta
mm
uz 2
5 Bu
ildin
g Cl
osed
2930
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 6
#
cut h
ere
NFTY
-NAR
JYG
Ka
llah
April
1-3
Sun
day
Mo
nd
ayT
ues
day
Wed
nes
day
Th
ur
sday
Frid
aySa
tur
day
Build
ing
Clos
ed10
:00
am: S
enio
rs7:
00 p
m: W
ine,
Che
ese
& De
sser
t Re
cept
ion
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
8:30
am
: Top
ic Tu
esda
y (to
pic
to
be a
nnou
nced
)
12:3
0 pm
: Tor
ah Ta
lk8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n6:
15 p
m: K
abba
lat S
habb
at
Serv
ice
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
Tish
a B’
AvBu
ildin
g Cl
osed
10:0
0 am
: Sen
iors
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:30
pm
: Wel
com
e Ba
ck fr
om
Cam
p/Co
llege
Sen
doff
12:3
0 pm
: Mid
tow
n To
rah
Stud
y12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
6:30
pm
: Ree
l Isr
ael F
ilm S
erie
s Ya
na’s
Frie
nds
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
Build
ing
Clos
ed10
:00
am: S
enio
rs8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
6:30
pm
: Mah
Jon
gg8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n6:
15 p
m: K
abba
lat S
habb
at
Serv
ice
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
1
2
3
4
5
6
3129
30
7 8
910
11
12
13
14
1516
1718
19
20
28
10:0
0 am
: Sen
iors
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
12:3
0 pm
: Mid
tow
n To
rah
Stud
y12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
6:30
pm
: Ree
l Isr
ael F
ilm S
erie
s Ra
bin:
The
Las
t Day
6:30
pm
: Mah
Jon
gg8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n5:
15 p
m: T
ot S
habb
at in
the
Park
7:30
pm
: Ere
v Sh
abba
t Ser
vice
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
5:00
pm
: Hav
dala
h in
the
Ham
pton
s
21
22
2324
2526
27
AU
GU
ST 2
016
■
Build
ing
Clos
ed10
:00
am: S
enio
rs8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
Ta
mm
uz 2
6Ta
mm
uz 2
7Ta
mm
uz 2
8Ta
mm
uz 2
9Av
1Av
2
Av
3Av
4Av
5Av
6Av
7Av
8Av
9
Av
10
Av 1
1Av
12
Av 1
3Av
14
Av 1
5Av
16
Av
17
Av 1
8Av
19
Av 2
0Av
21
Av 2
2Av
23
Av
24
Av 2
5Av
26
Av 2
7
T
emple
Shaa
ray
Te
fila
5
776
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 7
#cu
t her
e
Sun
day
Mo
nd
ayT
ues
day
Wed
nes
day
Th
ur
sday
Frid
aySa
tur
day
Build
ing
Clos
edLa
bor D
ay –
Bui
ldin
g Cl
osed
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
7:00
pm
: SAG
E Cu
rrent
Eve
nts
Disc
ussio
n7:
30 p
m: K
ol R
inna
h
12:3
0 pm
: Mid
tow
n To
rah
Stud
y12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
2:00
pm
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tora
h St
udy
3:00
pm
: San
dwic
h Sa
turd
ay
11:1
5 am
: San
ctua
ry S
titch
ers
12:0
0 pm
: TaS
TY L
eade
rshi
p Lu
nch
9:00
am
: Nur
sery
Sch
ool H
ome
and
Clas
sroo
m V
isits
10:0
0 am
: Sen
iors
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
7:00
pm
: SAG
E Bo
ok G
roup
I7:
30 p
m: K
ol R
inna
h
NS O
peni
ng D
ay12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
6:00
pm
: TaS
TY B
oard
Mee
ting
6:30
pm
: TaS
TY H
HD P
lann
ing
Dinn
er
6:30
pm
: SAG
E Pr
ogra
m6:
30 p
m: K
lezm
er J
am8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n2:
00 p
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n6:
15 p
m: K
abba
lat S
habb
at
Serv
ice/
Boar
d In
stal
latio
n
10:0
0 am
: Ser
vice
Bar M
itzva
h: B
enja
min
Sco
tt Ro
senf
arb
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tora
h St
udy
12:3
0 pm
: Sin
gle
Boom
ers
3:00
pm
: Ope
ning
Day
for M
ASA—
Grad
es K
-5
Relig
ious
Sch
ool O
peni
ng D
ay
Grad
e 5
10:0
0 am
: Sen
iors
6:00
pm
: Sch
ool o
f Roc
k
Relig
ious
Sch
ool O
peni
ng D
ay
Grad
es 6
& 7
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
7:00
pm
: SAG
E Bo
ok G
roup
II7:
30 p
m: K
ol R
inna
h7:
30 p
m: N
ASHI
M G
athe
ring
12:3
0 pm
: Mid
tow
n To
rah
Stud
y12
:30
pm: T
orah
Talk
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
2:00
pm
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
9:30
am
: Tot
Sha
bbat
10:0
0 am
: Ser
vice
B’na
i Mitz
vah:
Mia
Med
ney,
M
atth
ew H
. Milm
an10
:15
am: M
inya
n12
:00
pm: T
orah
Stu
dy
1
2
3
2826
30
29
4 5
67
89
10
11
1213
1415
1617
25
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
2:00
pm
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
7:30
pm
: Ere
v Sh
abba
t Ser
vice
10:1
5 am
: Min
yan
12:0
0 pm
: Tor
ah S
tudy
18
19
2021
2223
24
SEPT
EMB
ER 2
016
■
577
6
Relig
ious
Sch
ool O
peni
ng D
ay
Grad
es 6
& 7
9:00
am
: Re
ligio
us S
choo
l Pre
-K3:
00 p
m: I
srae
l MAS
A12
:30
pm: N
FTY
Juni
or Yo
uth
Grou
p Su
shi M
akin
g5:
30 p
m: T
aSTY
Roo
ftop
Party
10:0
0 am
: Sen
iors
6:00
pm
: Sch
ool o
f Roc
k8:
00 a
m: N
esha
ma
Med
itatio
n Se
ssio
n7:
00 p
m: I
srae
l Disc
ussio
n Fo
rum
7:30
pm
: Kol
Rin
nah
12:3
0 pm
: Tor
ah Ta
lk6:
30 p
m: M
emph
is Tr
ip P
rep
and
Dinn
er M
eetin
g
8:00
am
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
2:00
pm
: Nes
ham
a M
edita
tion
Sess
ion
6:15
pm
: Kab
bala
t Sha
bbat
Se
rvic
e
Av 2
8Av
29
Av 3
0
El
ul 1
Elul
2El
ul 3
Elul
4El
ul 5
Elul
6El
ul 7
El
ul 8
Elul
9El
ul 1
0El
ul 1
1El
ul 1
2El
ul 1
3 El
ul 1
4
El
ul 1
5El
ul 1
6El
ul 1
7El
ul 1
8El
ul 1
9El
ul 2
0 El
ul 2
1
El
ul 2
2El
ul 2
3 El
ul 2
4 El
ul 2
5 El
ul 2
6 El
ul 2
7
T
emple
Shaa
ray
Tefila
27
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-80088 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008
2016 GALA
n Tuesday, May 24th, the community gathered to honor and celebrate Michael and Marsha Starr for their tireless, selfless and ceaseless
dedication to Shaaray Tefila, as well as to the Temple’s rich tradition and bright future. The event took place at espace and nearly 200 of the Starrs’ family, friends and fellow congregants shared their appreciation for the couple. Clergy past, present and future, including Rabbis Stein and Mosbacher, gathered to perform a priestly benediction, and the Daryl Roth production of Stars of David: Story to
Sing used comedy and song to share the Jewish journeys of some of America’s most famous Jewish celebrities.
Our thanks to all those who served on the Spring Celebration Committee and who volunteered their time at the event. A special thanks to Lissie Diringer, Shaaray Tefila’s Development Committee Chair, and the Celebration’s co-chairs: Esther-Ann Asch, Ruth Holzer and Michael Byowitz, Sandra and David Gorman, Marcia and Richard Scheiner, Liz and David Sherman, Melissa and Larry Stoller and Barri and Dan Waltcher.
Contributions to the Spring Celebration provide much needed support for many of Shaaray Tefila’s ongoing programmatic and worship opportunities. For a complete list of supporters, please view the Contribution Insert within this issue of Messenger. n
The 2016 Spring Celebration: An Evening of StarrsBy Chip Schrager
O
... The community gathered to honor and celebrate Michael and Marsha Starr for their tireless, selfless and ceaseless dedication to Shaaray Tefila ...
Page 8, top: Honorees Michael and Marsha Starr. Bottom: Senior Rabbi Joel Mosbacher and his wife Elyssa with Rabbi Hirsch and Carole Rivel.
Page 9, top: Clergy past, present, and future bless Michael and Marsha. Bottom: President Barri Waltcher with Vice President Liz Sherman, Melissa Saperstein, and Lissie Diringer.
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-800810
hen I wake up in the morning, breakfast is ready,” says Amanda Silberstein,a seventh-grader who’s preparing for her Bat
Mitzvah in November. “My mom packs a sandwich and snacks for lunch, and after school I get ice cream with my friends. When I get home, dinner is on the table. I chose Backpack Buddies as my Bat
Mitzvah project because it shocks me that for the kids we are helping, school breakfasts and lunches might be the only meals they get. I don’t think any child should have to experience hunger.”
Amanda is one of seven Shaaray Tefila students who have chosen Backpack Buddies as their mitzvah project. Her peers Benjamin Gerschwer, Zachary Greenberg, Benjamin Kudelka, Darrah Parker, Reece Peltzman and Benjamin Rosenbarb are also focusing on the group. “We ask all Bar and Bat Mitzvah students going through the process of becoming responsible members of our community to choose a way to give back to the world,” says Rabbi Beni Wajnberg. “It’s our responsibility as Reform Jews to bring forth positive change.”
Rabbi Wajnberg meets with students to help them choose a volunteer project that is meaningful to them. He often suggests Backpack Buddies, which helps the students connect with Shaaray Tefila. “We are a neighborhood congregation and the program raises awareness of hunger in our community and lets our members engage in a positive way,” he says.
When students care about their mitzvah project, Rabbi Wajnberg adds, “they’re more likely to continue volunteering when it’s no longer a requirement.” Benjamin Gerschwer, who celebrated his Bar
Mitzvah in April, plans to continue his work for Backpack Buddies. Ilana Segal, an eighth-grader, participates in the program
even though she’s already celebrated her Bat Mitzvah.
Tenth-grader Amanda Cavaliero and senior Ari Cavaliero, under the supervision of their mom, Mindy Wigutow, organize the bi-monthly packing. Amanda also works with Carol Crossen, who plans and orders the food, to create menus in English and Spanish that are included in each backpack. (If you’d like to help pack this summer while the kids are away, please let us know.)
This past February, the students conducted a bake sale at Shaaray Tefila and raised approximately $700 for the project. An off-site bake sale in December also raised $300. “The kids, who weren’t friends before Backpack Buddies, have become a mini-community within the Shaaray Tefila community,” Mindy says.
“Backpack Buddies is a program that makes sense to children of all ages,” says Connie Heymann, Shaaray Tefila’s Assistant Director of Religious School. “It’s easy to understand what the need is.” Students’ tzedakah money from Thanksgiving to March also supported Backpack Buddies, with $1,614 raised.
To help students relate even more directly to the program, the Religious School conducted an intergrade challenge: Each grade was assigned a food item
typically included in the backpacks, such as beans, corn, oatmeal and raisins, to bring to school. The fifth-graders won with their 154 cans of black beans, and Connie estimates the value of all the donated food to be approximately $1,000. “There was so much excitement,” Connie says. “They really understood that each time they came into my office with a food item, some child would be less hungry.”
“We’ve studied shalom as completeness in the world,” says fifth-grader Samantha Furman. “Helping others completes the world, so we are all together. It’s hard to believe other children are hungry. You feel very lucky to have opportunities to get food when you want it.”
BACKPACK BUDDIES
Shaaray Tefila Students Say: Backpack Buddies MattersKids of every age embrace the program because kids shouldn’t be hungry.By Andrea Linne
“W“Judaism’s ethical mitzvot compel, if not command, us to care for the stranger and feed the hungry,” says Rabbi Deborah Hirsch. “Torah
instructs us more than once to take care of the needy in our midst.
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 11
Messenger
Shaaray Tefila Summer 2016 • Kahyeets 5776
“It’s a mitzvah and something you should do,” classmate Andrew Shaz agrees. “Thinking about other children being hungry makes me feel grateful that I have everything I need.”
“I felt good because we were helping people and it’s doing a good deed,” says second-grader Brielle Fischbein. “I feel sad for children who don’t have enough food.” Hayden Fabricant, also in second grade, “wanted to help so the children would not be hungry anymore, and would be happy like us.”
“Judaism’s ethical mitzvot compel, if not command, us to care for the stranger and feed the hungry,” says Rabbi Deborah Hirsch. “Torah instructs us more than once to take care of the needy in our midst. These traditions have been passed down L’dor Vador – from one generation to the next. Each time we pray the words of the V’ahavta, we are reminded to teach our children diligently – teach them those commandments that speak to our compassionate core and motivate us to pursue justice. The best way to teach our children is by modeling the behavior we desire them to emulate.”
To learn more about Backpack Buddies – and to donate – please visit shaaraytefilanyc.org/backpackbuddies. n
Andrea Linne is co-chair of Backpack
Buddies.
Above, from left: Ari Cavaliero, Ilana Segal, Jesse Cavaliero, Benjamin Kudelka and Amanda Cavaliero.
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 12
OUR BOARD IN ACTION
Michael ByowitzMike Byowitz and his wife, Ruth Holzer, have been members of Shaaray Tefila for about 20 years and were previous honorees at a Temple Gala. Their children,
Alice, David and Suzanne, attended religious school and were involved in TaSTY, Shaaray Tefila’s youth group, as well as celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah and became confirmands at the Temple. Mike is a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and has long served in a number of leadership roles in the American Bar Association and the New York City Bar Association, including on City Bar committees that evaluated the qualifications of Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Debra Goldstein With a particular interest in blending innovation and tradition, Debra Goldstein serves on a number of progressive committees at Shaaray Tefila. This year
she also joined the Benefit Committee for the 2016 Spring Celebration. Debra has been a member of Shaaray Tefila since 2012, and is looking forward to celebrating her daughter Emma’s Bat Mitzvah this coming fall. She lives on the Upper East Side with Emma and her longtime partner, Paul Brody, and is a professional writer and collaborator specializing in health, fitness and inspirational books.
Len Lubinsky Len and his wife, Marian, have been members of Shaaray Tefila since 2008, having moved to Manhattan after thirty years in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Len has
participated in numerous committees and affinity groups, including the group exploring the role of men in the Congregation. He served as Superintendent of the Erving (MA) School Union #28 for 25 years and then was the founder and director of the teacher certification program for the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton, Massachusetts. He and Marian are more than fortunate to have their two sons and their families in New York – one family in Brooklyn, the other in Westchester County.
Michele Silverstein Michele Silverstein and her husband, Richard Furman, have been members of Shaaray Tefila since 2001. Their two children, Matthew and Samantha,
attended Nursery School at the Temple and are both enrolled in the religious school. Michele currently serves on the B’nai Mitzvah Working Group Committee and is looking forward to serving on the Board of Trustees. Michele is an obstetrician/gynecologist and has been in private practice at Eastside Women’s OB/GYN Associates for the past 20 years. She is a voluntary faculty member at the Mount Sinai Hospital.
Rob Stolz Rob and his wife, Marlene Nadel, have been members of Shaaray Tefila for more than 25 years and are both active in the Congregation. Rob previously chaired several
committees as well as served on the rabbinic search committee. Currently, he is co-chair of the Congregational Involvement Committee and is part of the newly-formed Men’s Working Group. Marlene is a former trustee who chairs the Worship Committee and coordinates Mitzvah Day/Week and MITZVAH INC. Their two sons celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah and were confirmed at Shaaray Tefila, and their older son, who lives in New York, is now a Temple member in his own right. Rob has been a judge for the past 21 years, currently serving as an Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court. Prior to that, he spent 12 years as a federal prosecutor and seven years in the private practice of law. n
Welcome to the Board of Trustees
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 13
Messenger
Shaaray Tefila Summer 2016 • Kahyeets 5776
GENERAL INTEREST
s I sit here and write this, it’s early May. It’s overcast and it’s been drizzling on and off all day, the air is crisp and there’s a biting wind that
seems to cut through you. Yet here I sit, looking out over Second Avenue, and my thoughts turn to summer. What does my summer time happy place look like? I’m glad you asked.
It’s a backyard, my boys are playing with our friends’ children, there’s music playing and we’re all holding cold drinks ranging from crisp beers to mojitos. There’s a grill and the smell of meat being cooked over an open fire fills the air. I know, for many in this city the open fire is out of the question; hey, I live in an apartment too – I feel your pain. It’s not exactly the same, but you can still make a delicious grilled meal by using the broiler feature of your stove or a range-top grill pan. Whether I’m cooking swordfish, chicken, hamburgers or, my personal favorite, skirt steak, the key is seasoning. And when I think of seasoning, I think of dry rub.
There are lots of people who will swear by marinade instead of dry rub. Marinades are fine in certain situations but I tend to find that they make it harder for grilled food to achieve that delicious outer crust. A dry rub, on the other hand, permeates the food you’re cooking without bringing more liquid to the party. In fact, dry rubs all contain some measure of salt, which helps remove water from your food and concentrates the natural flavors even more. Here’s the rub I use:
What you’ll need:27 grams granulated garlic21 grams onion powder92 grams salt21 grams cayenne (if you like spicier foods
you can use ghost pepper powder, but for the love of all that you hold dear cut the amount in half)
21 grams freshly ground black pepper 22 grams white pepper172 grams paprika22.5 ounces brown sugar14 grams chipotle powder8 grams ground cumin7 grams cocoa powder
Directions:Mix everything together in a bowl and store in a clean glass jar in the fridge for as long as you want. I like using the crushed pepper jar you see at pizza restaurants – I just put some plastic wrap over the top and hold it tightly in place with a rubber band to keep it from picking up flavors from other foods in the fridge (or from spilling and annoying my wife).
Sprinkle the mixture liberally on whatever food you’re cooking and then let it sit for anywhere from 20 minutes to overnight (depending on what you’re cooking) before grilling. Like I said, I love skirt steak; I’ll rub this onto a good cut, let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes and then cook in a screaming hot grill pan for three minutes on each side for a perfect rare done-ness. n
Rub-a-Dub-DubBy Chip Schrager
A
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 14
Temple Shaaray Tefila 250 East 79th Street New York, NY 10075 Phone: (212) 535-8008 Fax: (212) 288-3576 www.shaaraytefilanyc.org
General Email [email protected]
Religious School (212) 535-0912
Nursery School (212) 535-2146
Senior Rabbi Joel M. Mosbacher [email protected]
Senior Cantor Todd Kipnis [email protected]
Assistant Rabbi Beni Wajnberg [email protected]
Associate Cantor Maria Dubinsky [email protected]
Executive Director Amy Schwach [email protected]
Early Childhood Director Bonnie Blanco [email protected]
Director of Religious School and Educational Innovation Mindy B. Davids, RJE [email protected]
Director of Youth and Informal Education Hope Chernak, RJE [email protected]
Rabbinic Intern Nicole Berne
President Barri Waltcher [email protected]
Rabbi Emeritus Jonathan A. Stein
Rabbi Emeritus Harvey M. Tattelbaum
Cantor Emeritus Bruce Ruben, Ph.D.
Have a question, comment or story suggestion? Contact Chip Schrager, Communications Coordinator at [email protected] or by phone at (212) 328-9394.
FROM OUR PRESIDENT
The following was written in June, 2016.
This past year, Shaaray Tefila initiated a new Friday night service called “L’dor vador” (from generation to generation). During that service, religious school students from various grades come forward to lead congregational worship.
The liturgical underpinning of that service is a verse from the K’dushah (sanctification) prayer, which says “L’dor Vador nageed god’lecha” (“From generation to generation, let us declare [O, God]
your greatness). That struck me as an apt theme for my last formal communication to you as president of our synagogue.
Committing ourselves to declare God’s greatness does not depend on having any particular conception of God, or even having any conception of God at all. Since for Jews God is revealed through Torah – our compendium of ancient values and ideals – to declare God’s greatness is to affirm that Torah
precepts are true and valid even in our own day.
To many modern Jews, affirming the truth of Torah may smack of religious chauvinism. But it need not be that at all. It is rather the affirmation that there are moral truths and that Torah shows us what they are.
The most repeated precept in Torah – even more than to observe the Sabbath – is to not oppress the stranger (e.g., Ex. 22:20; Lev. 19:33). That is a core Jewish value. Those who advocate mass deportation of undocumented immigrants or the exclusion of refugees because of their religion seem not to have learned it.
Torah also instructs that farmers are to leave the corners of their fields ungleaned and are not to retrieve the bales of grain that fall from their carts during the harvest – in both cases so that the landless poor can obtain that grain for themselves (Lev. 23:22; Deut. 24:19). This rule embodies the precept that each of us individually is required to give up some of our own wealth to assure a modicum of subsistence for those economically at risk. That value is inconsistent with the assertions of certain government officials in recent years comparing the social safety net to a hammock for the lazy and unmotivated.
For me, one of the most under-appreciated rules of Torah is that we cannot take possession for ourselves an ox we see wandering in the field (Deut. 22:1.) This is so much more than a rejection of the maxim, “Finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers.”
In Biblical times, oxen were not wild animals. They were entirely domesticated, and instruments for productive work. If you saw one wandering in the field, this meant that your neighbor’s economic subsistence was at risk. According to Torah, we are not permitted to turn our neighbor’s loss into our advantage, nor is it permitted to let the ox just wander off. Rather, we are instructed to take it into our custody and, using our own resources without promise of recompense, care for the ox until it is retrieved. Incurring personal cost to protect a neighbor from unanticipated economic dislocation is a value still unlearned by those who begrudge financial assistance to workers who lose their jobs to globalization.
To many modern Jews, affirming the truth of Torah may smack of religious chauvinism. But it need not be that at all. It is rather the affirmation that there are moral truths and that Torah shows us what they are.
Continued on page 15
www.shaaraytefilanyc.org n 212-535-8008 15
Messenger
Shaaray Tefila Summer 2016 • Kahyeets 5776
The following was written on June 8, 2016.
Dear Friends,
I write this message while the memory of this past Shabbat is fresh and indelible in my mind. I cannot adequately express on paper the humility and awe I felt Friday night, whether standing on the bimah or sitting in my seat. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make the June 3rd evening perfect and thank you to all who formed a sacred community in the sanctuary, and thank you to those who were there in spirit and have not yet mastered how to dance at two weddings.
As I said in my remarks Friday night, my role throughout my tenure at Shaaray Tefila has been to be the spiritual “vawv” – the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet (reminiscent of my six years at Shaaray Tefila). The vawv is also the conjunction “and” – linking words and ideas and even having the power to transform past tense to future. Whether as Associate Rabbi, Director of Congregant Life or Interim Senior Rabbi, it has been my sacred privilege to help connect people to the congregation and to their own spiritual core. Sometimes that spiritual connection occurred during the celebration of a daughter’s Bat Mitzvah or when wrestling with the emotional angst of a parent’s death.
Ashrei: How fortunate I have been to be part of Shaaray Tefila’s rich legacy. Let me take this final opportunity to say thank you to all those who have made my journey here so meaningful: a dedicated lay leadership, an amazing and talented staff and congregants who care deeply about this community and its bright future and storied past.
As interim rabbi, my role has been to help prepare the Congregation as it embraces its next senior rabbi. Rabbi Mosbacher is a gifted, passionate rabbi whose neshama (soul) embraces kindness, empathy and warmth. I know in my heart that he is a spiritual leader who will endear himself to each of you and will lead this congregation into a bright and dynamic future. Please embrace him and his family with your special gifts that help make Shaaray Tefila so special.
May God continue to bless this Congregation, and may you go from strength to strength in the years ahead. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of being part of your journey.
I will miss you!L’shalom,
Rabbi Hirsch
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
Michael Starr
B’ydidut (in friendship),
Perhaps we should not be so reticent to assert that there are moral truths in our Torah – many more than just the Ten Commandments – and that they are not just true for Jews. They are true for all.
In a few weeks, leadership of our Congregation will pass to Barri Waltcher, our president-elect, and the new and returning officers and Trustees who will join with her in that sacred task. We must all do everything we can to help this new leadership succeed.
Let us do so with a clear understanding that success of our synagogue is vital to our own well-being as Jews and that Judaism is important to us, in part, because Judaism and what it teaches is important to the world. We need not be timid to say so out loud. L’dor vador nageed god’lecha.
President’s Message Continued from page 14
Shaaray Tefila
Shaaray Tefila
250 East 79th StreetNew York, NY 10075-1274
First Class U. S. Postage
PAID Farmingdale, NY
Permit No. 51
am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”
— Edward Everett Hale,
American author and historian
On Friday, June 10, at Kabbalat Shabbat services the Congregation of Shaaray Tefila thanked and honored its dedicated and determined team of volunteers. These members are largely responsible for the myriad activities and opportunities available to members and guests. Whether they work in our soup kitchen, serve on committees, participate in Sanctuary Stitchers, serve
as Dorshei Shalom or are members of our Board of Trustees, Shaaray Tefila could not function as it does without their generosity of time, spirit and kindness.
Vice President Ben Janowski was awarded a special kavod as our Volunteer of the Year for 2016. As of July 1, Ben has resigned from the Board of Trustees after years of dedicated service, including chairing the committees that brought both Rabbi Wajnberg and Amy Schwach to our sacred community.
We thank Ben and all of our volunteers. n
Volunteer Recognition at Shaaray Tefila
“I
volunteering