WEEKLY NEWS

Yigdal Service (Ages 5-8, with Parents): Saturday, 11am in 2 South

Family Beit Midrash for 4th - 6th Grade Families: Saturday, 11am in the Multipurpose Room

Project Aliyah Parsha Study with Rabbi Yael for Upcoming B'nai Mitzvah Families: Saturday, 11am in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel

TeleTefila Havdallah: Saturday, 5:17pm on Zoom

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Mazel Tov to Isaac Perlman, his parents, Pamela Bookman and Jeffrey Perlman, and his brothers, Raphael and Aaron, on his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat at mincha.

Speakers from the Tzedek Centers this Shabbat After Services/Kiddush

Please join us this Shabbat after services and kiddush in the multipurpose room at about 12:45pm to meet with activists from the Tzedek Centers, a national grassroots movement of communities in Jewish, Arab and mixed cities across Israel, working to build a vibrant democracy.

They will present on From Street Protests to Hope: A Blueprint for Building Lasting Change. Drawing from their expertise in municipal governance and community organizing, they will share how grassroots efforts in Israel’s 18 Tzedek Centers are revitalizing democracy, fostering leadership, and empowering communities—particularly in some of Israel’s most challenging frontline communities. 

Celebratory Kiddush This Shabbat

Saturday, November 23 after services

Join us this Shabbat to honor members who coordinate our Shabbat morning service in the Sanctuary. Among those we will honor are Joel Feuer (Sanctuary committee chair), the leyning coordinators (David Lock & Erica Fishbein), our Aliyah assigners (Tony Zak, Roberta Shapiro, Sheldon Lewis), the Shamash team (Rachel Tiven, Jeremy Goldman, Todd Chanko, Fran Gordon, Gurval Caer & David Tolchin), Bena Medjuck-Bruckner (candy distributor par excellence), Sandra Novick (for Sanctuary cleanup), our greeting coordinators (Nancy Reibstein, Gail Eisen & Steve Gross), the kiddush committee (Gail Eisen, Sara Krulwich, Deborah Kaufmann, Patty Goldman & Dawn Kellman) and all our gabbaim!  

Thank you to all of you who have already contributed to this special occasion.

We invite friends, families, and community members to co-sponsor the Kiddush and would be thrilled if you would join us on this special day. We’re asking sponsors to make a donation of at least $50 to join in the celebration. Questions? Contact info@anschechesed.org.

Annual Kol Nidre Appeal

Ansche Chesed’s programs and operations rely on the generosity of our community. Your Kol Nidre contributions help pay our dedicated clergy, educators, and office staff, as well as our hard working maintenance and security teams. They also ensure that our facilities are as safe, warm, and welcoming as the people and activities they host. Please consider investing in Ansche Chesed and making a meaningful contribution to our annual Kol Nidre Appeal. We continue to thrive with your support and genuinely appreciate your generosity.

THIS WEEK AT AC

An Evening Discussion with Dr. Michael Koplow

Thursday, December 5 from 7 - 8:30pm at AC

Join us for an evening discussion with Israel Policy Forum Chief Policy Officer Dr. Michael Koplow. Dr. Koplow will analyze the current state of Israel's multi-front war, covering the unique challenges in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank. He will also explore how the incoming U.S. administration may shape the future of U.S.-Israel relations, focusing on potential policy shifts and their implications for regional stability.

Learn More and Register

This event will begin with a briefing from Dr. Koplow, followed by an IPF Atid New York young professionals reception with Michael for attendees in their 20s and 30s.

Co-hosted with the Israel Policy Forum, IPF Atid New York, and B'nai Jeshurun.

About Dr. Michael Koplow

Dr. Michael Koplow is the chief policy officer of Israel Policy Forum, and also serves as a senior research fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He writes Israel Policy Forum’s weekly Koplow Column and edits Israel Policy Exchange, a leading source for commentary and analysis on Israel and American Jewry, and his work regularly appears in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Atlantic, and the Forward, among other publications.

Tour of Ilit Azoulay Exhibition at the Jewish Museum

Thursday, December 19 at 1pm at The Jewish Museum (1109 5th Ave. at 92nd St.)

Private tour of the Ilit Azoulay exhibition currently on view at the Jewish Museum. The exhibition features Azoulay’s work from 2010 to the present, showcasing large scale digital photocollages of archival objects. Azoulay represented Israel at the Venice Biennale in 2022 and has been featured in exhibitions at MoMA and throughout the world. Limited to 20 people because of the size of the galleries.

Ansche Chesed member Marge Goldwater, who has known the artist for 15 years, will also join the tour and invites everyone to her apartment on E. 68th Street for coffee and cake after the tour to see her collection of contemporary Israeli art and ceramics.

Learn More and Register

Family Volunteer Morning at West Side Campaign Against Hunger

Sunday, December 8 from 9:30 - 11pm

Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew (263 W. 86th St.)

Please join Rabbi Yael and other AC friends for a family-friendly volunteer opportunity at WSCAH. Activities will include packing healthy food and writing heartfelt cards to WSCAH customers. Children ages six and up are welcome to attend with a parent or guardian.  

1) Please Register Here

2) Then, email Rabbi Yael to let us know you will be attending!

West Side Campaign Against Hunger

For over a decade, with the help of their generous community of donors and volunteers, West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH), has provided food insecure New Yorkers with turkeys and healthy holiday foods throughout November. This year, with food insecurity in NYC at all-time highs, West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) has increased the Healthy Foods Holiday Challenge fundraising goal to $320,000. This will allow WSCAH to provide a turkey or voucher (for vegans & vegetarians) to 16,000 food insecure families. Visit www.wscah.org/holidaychallenge to learn more about the holiday challenge and donate to support a family this Thanksgiving season.

Rabbi Jules Harlow Parshat HaShavuah Class

Saturdays, 9am in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or on Zoom

Come before class at 8:45am for hot coffee and schmoozing! This class is dedicated to Rabbi Jules Harlow, a great teacher of Torah and Jewish liturgy. Click for this week's Source Sheet (updated Friday afternoons). 

Shirei Chesed Community Chorus

Tuesdays from 7:30 - 9pm in 5 North (Starting 7pm on December 5 and 12)

Shirei Chesed continues to build community through a rich repertoire of Jewish music, bringing harmony into the world that needs it more than ever. For more information or to schedule an audition, email Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn.

Wednesday Night Talmud: Holy Books and Holy Time, with Rabbi Kalmanofsky

Wednesdays at 7pm in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or via Zoom

This year we will study tractate Shabbat, Chapter 16, which addresses how to write and care for sacred texts.

If you want to purchase a copy of this text it is Artscroll vol. 4 or Koren vol 2F. We will also share electronic copies of the material.

Parsha Talk

Join Rabbi Kalmanofsky and his buddies Rabbis Barry Chesler and Eliot Malomet for their weekly Parsha Talk. Watch the latest episode

Misheberakh List

We invite you to add the names of your dear ones. Please re-submit them each English calendar month if you'd like us to keep davvening for them.

The Ultimate Questions: A Seder of Faith and Doubt

Thursday, December 5 at 7pm at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave. at 76th St.)

Pull up a chair at America's most exclusive "seder table" as Professor Arnold Eisen, MMJCCM CEO Rabbi Joanna Samuels, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky, and Rabbi Yael Rapport dive into the central questions of Jewish life today. After nearly half a century of studying, teaching, and leading the Jewish Theological Seminary as its former Chancellor, Arnold Eisen – one of the world’s leading scholars on American Judaism – has written a personal theological essay remarkable for its honesty, accessibility, and insight. Seeking the Hiding God is a rich, original, and moving work. It invites readers to join the author in asking, perhaps for the first time, what they actually believe about ultimate matters of faith and doubt. Books will be available for purchase and inscription by Professor Eisen. Learn More and Register