WEEKLY NEWS
Shabbat HaChodesh / Parshat Vayakhel / Pekudei
March 18, 2023 / 25 Adar 5783
THIS SHABBAT
Friday Night with New Voices--Teen-Led Kabbalat Shabbat and Oneg: Friday, 5:30pm in the Chapel
Sanctuary Service: Saturday, 9:45am in the Sanctuary, or via Livestream or Zoom
Minyan M'at Service: Saturday, 10am in 5 North
Mishpacha Service: Saturday, 11am in 2 North
Big Kids Service: Saturday, 11am in the Chapel
TeleTefila Service: P'sukei D'zimra 9:40am, Shacharit, 10am on Zoom
TeleTefila Havdallah: Saturday, 7:48pm on Zoom
THIS WEEK
Saturday, 9am: Rabbi Jules Harlow Parshat HaShavua Class in the Chapel or via Zoom ------ Click here for the Source Sheet (updated Friday afternoon)
Sunday, 10-11:30am: Mitzvah Knitting Group in the Chapel
Tuesday, 7:30-9pm: Shirei Chesed Community Chorus on the 5th Floor
Wednesday, 7pm: Weekly Talmud Study with Rabbi Kalmanofsky in the 5th Floor Office Conference Room or via Zoom
Thursday (Mar. 23), 7-8:30pm: Keshet LGBTQ+ Training 101 for Parents, Siblings, Grandparents and Loved Ones in 5 North
Please note that this newsletter may be cut off, especially if you are reading it on Gmail or Outlook. To see the rest of the newsletter, either click here or scroll to the bottom of the email and click "view entire message" (or similar prompt.)
MAZEL TOV
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thank You to Everyone Who Made Our Mishloach Manot Program a Huge Success!
ACHS Kitah Hey
Daniel Avilla
Arielle Cohen
Naomi Cohen
Yona Corn
Kay Cynamon
Erick DeJesus
Jose Diaz Pacheco
Artie Diemar
Gail Eisen
Ray Freedman
Laurie Gluck
Jeremy Goldman
Debbie Greenberg
Marty Greenberg
Josh Hanft
Rebecca Hirade
Laurie Izes
David Kaplan
Dawn Kellman
Lisette Martinez
Linda Messing
Eden Messing
Zeke Messing
Sandra Novick
Olivia Peterson
Steven Pooran
Hy Rosen
Jennifer Rosenberg
Juan Salvador
Hector Sanchez
Fran Schiff
Aliza Sebert
Nick Shabgels
Roberta Shapiro
Martin Sivorinovsky
Thaddeus Smilevski
Caryn Spaet
Abigail Spaet
Arleen Stern
J.J. Switzky
Tony Viscioso
Sylvia Weber
Anat Zloof
Communications & Development Professionals: We Want Your Help!

The Nominating Committee is looking for members with communications and/or development expertise who would like to be considered for service on the synagogue's Board of Trustees or on committees. Board terms run for three years and begin in July. For consideration, please contact Martha Graybow, chair of the Nominating Committee, at mgraybow@yahoo.com.
Kiddush

Kiddush next Shabbat (3/25) will honor the many Torah readers who have elevated our services in the Sanctuary over the past year. Please join us to thank and celebrate our leyners for enriching our communal Torah reading with their dedicated practice and beautiful voices.

Thank you to David Kronfeld, Sara Krulwich and Sarah Jacobs for sponsoring.
Help Ansche Chesed Find its Next Executive Director!

The Executive Director Search Committee would appreciate your help spreading the word by sharing the recently-posted description within your networks:

For more information about the position or to apply, please send a cover letter and résumé by email to directorsearch@anschechesed.org.
AC's Fourth Floor is Available to Rent

Do you know a non-profit or community group looking for reasonably-priced space on the Upper West Side ? Our sun-drenched fourth floor is now available for rent. The flexible space - ideal for classrooms, offices and meetings - offers:

  • High ceilings
  • Large windows
  • Built-in bookcases
  • Storage
  • ADA-compliant bathrooms
  • Full-time security

Pass along THIS VIDEO to anyone in your network who may have an interest. Post on social media! You’ll be helping the shul establish an important source of revenue.
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
Mitzvah Knitting Group
Sunday, March 19 from 10 - 11:30am in the Chapel

Experienced and novice knitters are invited to join an intergenerational AC Mitzvah Knitting Group! Knitting instructor, Judith Kane, will advise knitters as needed. AC will supply the yarn.

Let us know on the registration form if you'll bring your own needles, or need AC to provide needles.

Click here to register. If you'd like to join in, please also contact Miriam Schulman at schulmanART@yahoo.com for suggested materials. We're making hats using patterns suitable for beginners.
Keshet LGBTQ+ Training 101 for Parents, Siblings, Grandparents and Loved Ones
Thursday, March 23 from 7 - 8:30pm in 5 North

Are you a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle or cherished loved one of a child or young person who is part of the LGBTQ+ community? Do you want to learn more about how to celebrate them and show that you love them for who they are? You’d do anything for these kids to make their path in life smoother. But the issues they’re grappling with, the words and terms they’re using, and the times they’re living in, are new to so many of us. Join us for a fun and informative 'LGBTQ+ 101' session that’s geared towards you, and led by a facilitator from Keshet.

Please register here; contact Rabbi Yael with any questions.
Jewish-Muslim Iftar Dinner
Monday, April 3, 7 - 8:30pm at AC

Please join Rabbi Kalmanofsky for a special evening with members of Peace Islands New York, a Turkish-American Muslim community dedicated to interfaith encounters building harmony among diverse groups.

Our Muslim guests will break their Ramadan fasts at sunset, say their evening prayers as we say ours, and share an informal dinner with us.

Spaces are limited, so please write to Rabbi Kalmanofsky at rjk.nycac@gmail.com if you would like to participate. Although this event is just two nights before Seder evening, let me urge AC members to take 90 minutes to join this event. Our world has too much antisemitism and Islamophobia. During a holy season for both faiths, let’s join together. 
Community Second Seder: Breaking Matza and Breaking Free
Second Night of Pesach
Thursday, April 6 at 6:30pm in Hirsch Hall

Join us for a night of breaking matza and breaking free.

Our seder will be led by our clergy Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky,
Rabbi Yael Hammerman, and Hazzan Natasha Hirschhorn.

Help us fill Hirsch Hall with ruach, friendship, stories and song!
"Let all who are hungry come and eat." -- Our seder is open to AC members and non-members, adults and children.
ONGOING PROGRAMMING
Yesodot: Jewish Foundations Class
Mondays at 7:45pm in the Chapel, next session on March 27

Jewish life often seems to demand a lot of background knowledge. Where do you learn it all, especially as an adult? Please join Rabbi Hammerman and Rabbi Kalmanofsky to learn anew or go back and review some core Jewish practices and concepts.

March 27, April 17, May 8, 22
Shirei Chesed Community Chorus
Tuesdays, 7:30-9pm on the 5th Floor
 
Shirei Chesed Community Chorus continues to build community through learning a rich and diverse repertoire of Jewish music, bringing harmony into a world that needs it more than ever. To enable us to sing together safely, all participants will be required to submit proof of vaccination, and masking will be required for indoor rehearsals.  

Our 4-part chorus brings together lovers of choral singing from both Ansche Chesed and the wider Jewish community. Our recent performances include classical programs with The Bachanalia String Orchestra, a jazz concert with The Afro-Semitic Experience ensemble, Oratorio Souls on Fire based on the book by Elie Wiesel, a celebration of Jewish Love Songs from around the world, performed both at AC and at the Curtis Institute of Music, and a collaboration with the Grammy-nominated vocal sextet The Western Wind.

Ability to carry a tune is important; reading Hebrew or music is not required; Tuesdays 7:30-9:00pm. Free for Ansche Chesed members; non-members pay $90 per semester or $180 per year. For more information, or to schedule an audition, please email NHirschhorn@AnscheChesed.org.
Weekly Talmud Study with Rabbi Kalmanofsky
Wednesdays at 7pm in the 5th Floor Office Conference Room or via Zoom
 
This year in Rabbi Kalmanofsky's weekly Wednesday Night Talmud class we will study Bava Metzia chapter 6, known as "One Who Hires Artisans," and the obligations of employers and employees towards each other, as well as problems created by breaches of contract. The chapter also includes some spiritually rich material about freedom and obligation, as well ethical excellence beyond the letter of the law.

You can use any Talmud edition you like, including the Koren-Steinsaltz or Artscroll
(both of these are Bava Metzia vol. 2). You can also use websites like Sefaria (which uses the English from Koren-Steinsaltz).
Rabbi Jules Harlow Parshat HaShavuah Class
Saturdays, 9am in the Chapel or on Zoom
 
Join us for our weekly Parashat HaShavua class before the start of Shabbat morning services in the Chapel. Come before class at 8:45am for hot coffee and a chance to schmooze!

Also available virtually on Zoom.

This weekly class is dedicated to Rabbi Jules Harlow, a great teacher of Torah and Jewish liturgy.

Parsha Talk
 
Continuing their tradition from summers at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, Rabbi Kalmanofsky and his buddies, Rabbis Barry Chesler and Eliot Malomet host Parsha Talk, more popularly known as "Three Old Guys Talking About the Parsha."
PRAYER
Upcoming Friday Nights at a Glance
Fridays at 5:30pm or 6:30pm in the Chapel

Please note that Kabbalat Shabbat services will switch to a 6:30pm start time beginning on Friday, March 24.
March 17 at 5:30pm: Friday Night with New Voices
We invite all teens to bring their friends and families to Ansche Chesed, to welcome Shabbat together with songs and stories, led by our teen leaders, clergy and Aliza Sebert. After services, all are invited to stick around for a delicious oneg!

March 24 at 6:30pm: Shirei Shabbat - with a Musical Surprise!
Join Hazzan Hirschhorn for an evening of song and prayer as we support and elevate the voice of our community with the help of Shirei Chesed singers. We hope that everyone will feel empowered and inspired to lift their voice with us in holy harmony, b'nima kedosha. Come to hear what musical surprise we have for you today!


March 31 at 6:30pm: Shabbat Shir Chadash and Oneg Shabbat to Honor Josh Hanft
Please join us for Shir Chadash Shabbat services at 6:30pm, and stay for an oneg afterwards to wish farewell to Josh Hanft, on his final day as our Executive Director. Josh’s contributions to AC as both a professional and lay leader have been incalculable over the years. Come and express your thanks and good wishes to him in person.

Click here to RSVP for the Oneg. RSVP requested, not required.

This Friday night, we will once again bring musical instruments into Erev Shabbat services, led by Hazzan Hirschhorn and talented guests. Join us to welcome Shabbat with beautiful music and ruach.


Misheberakh List

We invite you to add the names of your dear ones to our Misheberakh List so that we can include them in our weekly Shabbat prayers for healing. Submit names here: https://anschechesed.shulcloud.com/form/2022-ansche-chesed-misheberakh-submissions-htm. Names will remain on the Mishaberakh list for one month.
Weekday Morning Minyan
Monday-Friday at 7:30am 
Sunday at 8:30am
In-Person in the Chapel or on Zoom
or call: 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 933 006 171
Passcode: minyan

Morning Minyan now meets in-person in the Chapel on Sundays-Fridays. Minyan begins at at 7:30am on weekdays and at 8:30am on Sundays and Civil Holidays. Services are also available virtually via Zoom.

Feel free to join our WhatsApp group, which will allow us to send out notes when we need people. You can also use this Google Sheet, adding your name on days when you expect to join us so we have a sense of when we’re set for numbers. If you want to lead or read Torah, perhaps to mark a special occasion, you can do that too. (Everyone can “edit” this doc, so please be careful not to erase anyone else’s name.)
FAMILY AND TEEN PROGRAMMING
Mishpacha Service (Ages 0-4, with Parents)
Saturday, March 18 at 11am in 2 North

Babies, toddlers and preschool age kids and their families are invited to join us for our Mishpacha Service. Get in the Shabbat spirit with songs, puppets, movement — and your friends from Ansche Chesed.
Big Kids Service (Ages 8-12, Kids Only)
Saturday, March 18 at 11am in the Chapel

This service delves into the structure, purpose and words of our Shabbat morning tefillot (prayers) and the weekly parshah (Torah portion), which we experience as community through discussion and interactive activities.
DUGRI, Let's Talk Straight
Thursday, March 30 at 7pm, for Teens and Adults
Ansche Chesed is co-sponsoring this event, which will take place at the JCC 

In May 2021, a blunt Jew/Arab rap-battle music video about history, war, family, trauma, and the Israeli-Palestinian reality went viral, serving as a mirror to society and evoking civil discourse on hatred, discrimination, and co-existence. From this phenomenon DUGRI was born, a social venture bringing Jews and Arabs together by creatively echoing a new, moderate Israeli-Palestinian narrative.
Join Israeli educator/creator Uriya Rosenman and Palestinian rapper Sameh SAZ Zakout to hear their mutual story and analysis of Jewish-Arab relations, a live performance of DUGRI’s songs, and engage in an open and honest conversation with all the hard-hitting questions. This is a unique opportunity to engage with deep questions about the current reality in a new and fun way that is accessible to a broad audience.

AC Teens are invited to stay after the event and debrief together in the JCC Teen Center. AC Teens, please email Aliza if you are planning to attend.
Discount Code for free tickets for AC members: DUGRIVIP

This event is in partnership with The David H. Sonabend Center for Israel, the Upper West Side Shlichut, Ansche Chesed, and B’nai Jeshurun.
SOCIAL ACTION & COMMUNITY SERVICE
DOROT Passover Package Delivery
Sunday, March 26 and Monday, March 27
Can you believe that spring is nearly here...and with that, DOROT's Passover Package Delivery!

Please consider volunteering for this meaningful and fun program, and sharing this opportunity with others in your community who may be interested. Advance registration is required.

Feel free to reach out to DOROT Outreach Worker Hilary Forrest with any questions.
Ansche Chesed Refugee Assistance
ACRA is part of Ansche Chesed’s response to the world refugee crisis. Over the past year, we have helped 4 families rebuild their lives in the US. In 2023 we will extend our work to others in need.

In her presentation at Ansche Chesed on Refugee Shabbat, Ruth Messenger spoke about the need for education, direct service and advocacy on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers.

EDUCATION 

Please CLICK HERE for a copy of Ruth's dvar torah from February 4th.


DIRECT SERVICE 
Team TLC NYC is active locally in assisting asylum seekers arriving in NYC. They need volunteers and some donations.

CLICK HERE to sign up to volunteer with Team TLC NYC.

CLICK HERE for the list of items that Team TLC NYC is collecting for asylum seekers.

ADVOCACY

HIAS often asks us to join them in advocating with members of congress, and reminding them that "Welcoming the Stranger" is important to our community, and that we expect our representatives to act. We know that hearing from a large group of constituents affects which issues they prioritize. Right now, congregations across the country are joining in this advocacy by signing on to a Welcome to Congress letter for our elected officials.

CLICK HERE. Read the letter, then scroll down to the list of congregations. Select Ansche Chesed and simply fill out the form.

Learn more about AC's Refugee Assistance efforts HERE.
To become more involved, please reach out to us HERE.
REACH OUT
Chesed Chevra
The Chesed Chevra empowers our congregants to fulfill the mitzvah of helping community members who are in need by performing acts of loving-kindness. Our aim is to ensure that all shul members who are experiencing a life event such as the birth of a child, illness, or loss feel supported by the Ansche Chesed community. 

How to get involved: 

  • Volunteer to help! You can make a difference within your community in just five minutes a week. Please email us to get involved at chesed@anschechesed.org.
  • Let us help you! As a beloved member of our community, we would like to be there for you whenever you need support. Please contact the clergy or email us at chesed@anschechesed.org. 
  • Make a gift! Contribute here toward the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund to ensure there are resources to provide support to members in need.
COMMUNITY
USA 4 Israeli Democracy Rally in Washington Square Park
Sunday, March 19 at 12pm
Join this NYC protest to demand a Democratic Israel.

Featuring special guest speaker, Reform Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Knesset Member from the Labor Party.
Virtual Workshop on Local Law 97
Tuesday, March 21 from 10am - 12pm on Zoom
This new law sets limits on emission levels from buildings over 25,000 sq. ft.—because buildings are the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

Gale Brewer has organized a program with a speaker from the Building Department who will explain the law, and someone from the Accelerator Program who will explain how buildings can get an assessment of the changes they can make to comply with the law and the subsides that are available to them.

Learn what steps your building should take now before the law takes effect in 2024. It will be cheaper for buildings to make the changes if they plan ahead.

RSVP here for the Zoom Workshop.
KOL Foods Buying Club
Order Deadline on Monday, March 27 at 12pm
Pick-Up on Thursday, March 30 from 5:30 - 7:30pm at AC
Passover is just around the corner, and KOL Foods is here to help supply your gathering with tasty, sustainable food. KOL Foods sells the only kosher grass-fed, ethically raised, humanely treated, regenerative meat anywhere - and it's yummy too! Order now for cheap shipping through your Buying Club: $10 flat fee per order! Place your order at www.kolfoods.com and select the NYC Buying Club as the shipping method. The more you buy, the more you save.
 
The order deadline for the Passover Club is at noon on Monday, March 27th, and the pick-up will be on Thursday, March 30th at Ansche Chesed from 5:30 - 7:30pm.
 
More information is available here.
Chef's Table
Our long-time friend and kitchen tenant, Bruce Soffer of Chef's Table, offers you catering menus for Shabbat and holidays.

Chef's Table prepares delicious kosher meals, delivered right to your door.

Contact Bruce at (917) 868-7964 or his website for more information.
SHUK
Need Recommendations for a Primary Care Physician who accepts Medicare
 
If you've got a PCP you love, who takes Traditional Medicare Part B and is accepting new patients, please send recommendations to: doc.recs.for.ellen@sent.com
Cooking Lessons with Kosher Caterer Janice Tannin

Interested in one on one cooking lessons with kosher caterer Janice Tannin in your home? I tailor classes to your skills, experience and interests. Cooking lessons make a wonderful wedding or graduation gift! They are also a fine gift for anyone who wants to learn new techniques and get creative in the kitchen.

For information please visit my website: Janicetannin.com.
If you are a member, you may send "shuk" postings to Josh Ashley at jashley@anschechesed.org. All postings must have a member's contact info, and be received by Tuesday at 3pm. Please send in Word or plain text format with your title, date/time, and brief blurb. Postings run for only two weeks.
Despite our best efforts and extensive proofreading, we apologize for any errors or omissions.