The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue

America's First Jewish Congregation

8 WEST 70TH STREET

NEW YORK, NY 10023

PHONE (212) 873-0300 - FAX (212) 724-6165

To our congregational family,

I hope that you had a wonderful Pesah. Here are a few brief updates on synagogue happenings:

Song of Songs Reading

On April 14, the final Shabbat of Pesah, seven girls of our congregation, aged 12-18, read the entire Song of Songs in our Main Sanctuary. It was a magnificent reading, and we are very proud of Maxine Ainetchi Julia Levi, Amelia Margolis, Sofy Maxman, Jordana Offer, Ruth Malka Rohde, and Tess Solomon. The special readings of the Song of Songs (girls aged 12-18), Ruth (girls aged 6-12), and our teen boys' services (twice annually) are among the highlights of our calendar. Our children have mastered our unique and beautiful minhag, and we are delighted that they read for the entire congregation. Our next teen boys services will be on May 19, and the Ruth reading is on May 27-the first day of Shavuot.

Shearith Israel-Livorno Concert 

On April 16, we hosted a moving concert featuring our own Rabbi Ira Rohde and Hazan Daniele Bedarida of Livorno (Leghorn), Italy. The two Hazanim alternated singing pieces in their respective liturgical traditions. The concert drew approximately 300 to our Main Sanctuary. The concert was featured in the Italian newspaper, Il Corriere. You can download the article (in Italian) here.

Torah on the Road: Ultimate Digital Haggadah App/Yale

On April 11, the Spanish Benevolent Society on 14th Street hosted a launch of a new IPAD app, the Ultimate Digital Haggadah. It is modeled after medieval Spanish illuminated manuscripts. Our member Bentsi Cohen was involved in the preparation of the text, our Associate Hazan Philip Sherman sang some of the melodies, and I gave a lecture on the Haggadah to approximately 150 people. It was a wonderful evening to connect the medieval Spanish tradition with 21st century technology, and to teach Torah to a wide array of people while promoting our synagogue and its unique history and its role in the post-Expulsion development of Judaism.

        On April 22, I gave a class to students at Yale University. As always, it is a wonderful opportunity to share words of Torah and to discuss our synagogue (by the end, students who had been to Shearith Israel were strongly encouraging the others that to visit).

Graduations 

We would like to congratulate all of our graduates in our July-August Bulletin. If your child is graduating 8th grade, High School, College, or a Graduate program, please email me details in this format:

NAME graduated from NAME OF SCHOOL. HE/SHE will attend NAME OF SCHOOL in the fall (or alternatively, what he or she will be doing having completed school).

Hayyim Angel

Rabbi

Congregation Shearith Israel of New York

212-873-0300 ext. 206