WEEKLY NEWS

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Join us in wishing comfort to Alon and Luciana Lederman, and their sons, Beni and Roni, at the passing of Alon's grandmother, Dvora Rabinowicz. 

Renew Your Membership and Reserve High Holiday Seats

During this challenging time of conflict and divisiveness, Ansche Chesed enables our community to learn, grow, celebrate, mourn, reflect, and live our best Jewish life, individually and together. Please help support our communal Jewish home by renewing your Ansche Chesed membership.

High Holiday seats are now being assigned on a first come, first served basis. Please renew your membership to reserve seats.

If you plan to renew your membership by stock donation, contact Martin in the office as we have switched brokerage account numbers.

Alan Mintz Memorial Study Session, with Minyan M'at

Sunday, September 8 from 11 - 12:30pm on Zoom

Join Minyan M'at for a teaching session in memory of our dear friend Alan Mintz, a longtime member of Ansche Chesed and Minyan M’at and one of the preeminent scholars of modern Hebrew literature. This annual series brings friends and colleagues of Alan’s to teach something appropriate to Alan’s many scholarly and personal interests. Teaching this year's session will be Alan’s friend and fellow Agnon scholar Dr. Anne Golomb Hoffman, Professor Emerita of English and Comparative Literature/Fordham University and a member of AC and M’at.

Anne invites us to consider the ways in which we connected with Alan and continue to feel his presence in our lives. With Alan’s work in mind, she will share thoughts about an Agnon story, האדונית והרוכל (The Lady and the Peddler) and draw on Freud’s conception of melancholia to explore loss and connection as facets of literary experience. We encourage everyone to read the story in advance, in Hebrew or in English, but it is not required to attend and participate!

Please RSVP online.

Beginner's Hebrew Course

Monday Evenings from 7 - 8:30pm, September 9 through November 18, in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel

Learn Hebrew with experienced and skilled teacher Nadav Wiesel. In this advanced-beginner class, we will delve deeper into modern Hebrew, in speaking and listening as well as reading and writing. We will engage in structured conversations on useful everyday themes, Learn new vocabulary and use it to read, write and discuss new ideas.

Hebrew is a magical link between past and future; in this class we will find connections between modern Hebrew and our prayer book, as well as use some native texts to apply our learning to today's culture of Israel. Some of the grammatical structures covered will be the verb system (primarily in the present tense, possibly some past), possessive expressions, infinitives, and inflected prepositions. 

Class size is limited, so every student has enough opportunity to participate.

Please contact the office with any questions, or if you want to learn more about whether the class would be a good fit for you. Register Online

AC Community Security Training: Welcoming and Aware

In-Person Training Session on Tuesday, September 10 at 6pm in 5 North

We are continuing our security initiative with Community Security Services to provide the whole community with a baseline level of awareness and training. Please join your fellow members who have already taken this important step in making us all safer so that we can all be partners in enhancing our security while continuing to be a welcoming "community of kindness."

This two-part training consists of an initial self-paced online course (not more than 3.5 hours) followed by an in-person session (2.5 - 3 hours). Learn More and Sign Up

ELUL PROGRAMMING

Learn more about the High Holidays at AC on our webpage, and stay tuned for more Elul Programs.

Jewish Daughters Poured Out Their Hearts: Yiddish Women's Prayers for Elul

Saturday, September 7 During Kiddush (around 12:45pm) in the Multipurpose Room (Upper Hirsch Hall Lobby)

Ashkenazi women traditionally had limited knowledge of Hebrew and were excluded from formal communal prayer and study. Still, they developed a rich array of texts and customs rooted in their vernacular: Yiddish. Please join us to study women's tkhines, "supplicatory prayers," particularly those for the month of Elul including the practice of measuring graves with wicks to make candles for Yom Kippur Eve. 

Taught by AC member Prof. Cecile Kuznitz, Bard College. Please enjoy communal Kiddush food and join us for discussion and study.

"Questions You'll Be Asked in Heaven" with Rabbi Yael Hammerman

Thursday, September 12 from 10 - 11:30am in 5 North

Elul is a month of self-reflection - a time to prepare yourself for the Yamim Noraim. But, what exactly should you reflect on? Join Rabbi Yael Hammerman in exploring the “Questions You’ll Be Asked in Heaven” - at least, according to the Talmud (Shabbat 31a). In truth, no one has ever come back to verify this... Nonetheless, we’ll look at what the rabbis proposed to get our minds, hearts and spirits warmed up for Tishrei. No Hebrew or Talmud skills required. Just bring your curiosity -- we’ll provide the coffee and questions. Online registration requested, walk-ins welcome.

Time-Machine Teshuva, with Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky

Wednesday, September 18 at 7pm in 5 North

"The past is never dead," William Faulkner wrote. "It's not even past." OK, Faulker was probably not talking about Jewish concepts of penitence. But he could have been. One of our deepest teachings is that teshuva today today transforms both tomorrow and yesterday. Let's talk with sages through the ages to reflect on how reshaping the future reshapes the past. Please RSVP online. Walk-ins also welcome.

Shirei Chesed: First Rehearsal on Tuesday, September 10

Tuesdays from 7:30 - 9pm in 5 North

Shirei Chesed Community Chorus continues to build community through learning a rich and diverse repertoire of Jewish music, and bring harmony into the world that needs it more than ever. Our 4-part chorus brings together lovers of choral singing from both AC and the wider Jewish community. For more information or to schedule an audition, email Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn.

Parsha Talk

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

ANSCHE CHESED HEBREW SCHOOL

2024-2025 Hebrew School Registration

Register for our 2024-2025 Hebrew School year online. We look forward to building our Hebrew School community with you and your children. Spread the word to your friends; we'd love to welcome them too!

Contact Education and Family Program Director Aliza Sebert with any questions at 212-865-0600 ext. 217 or ASebert@anschechesed.org.