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Quote of the Day

“For me, every hour is grace. And I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.”


Elie Weisel

Masorti Special Report

Solidarity Mission

Masorti Leadership Solidarity Mission to Israel Special Report


From November 6-8 global Masorti/Conservative leaders gathered in Israel for the Masorti Leadership Solidarity Mission. The initiative, organized by Masorti and MERCAZ Olami together with the Masorti Movement in IsraelUnited Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly, aimed to give leaders a better understanding of what happened on October 7 in the populated areas of Israel near the border of the Gaza Strip, the subsequent war against the terrorist group Hamas, and its impact on the Jewish people in Israel and the diaspora.


The 35 participants from the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Germany, UK, and Israel had the opportunity to see firsthand the chaos and destruction left behind by terrorists; talk to survivors and hear their painful stories about what happened to them, their families, and friends; hear from families of the hostages about their heartbreaking reality and help honor the stories of each of the hostages; meet with IDF representatives and learn more about the military actions carried out since the first attack; and share with elected officials some of the struggles the participants are experiencing in their communities and hear about these very challenging times facing Israel.


The Mission's main goals were to provide accurate information about the reality on the ground and the real situation of the population affected by the war; connect the Masorti/Conservative global family by providing a space for leaders to share the struggles communities around the world face regarding antisemitism and to learn ways to deal with them; and guide them on how to report back to their communities and organizations on how to support Israel and her population.


With fully scheduled days, the Mission started at the Masorti Movement in Israel’s offices with a meeting with Major General in the reserves, Yair Golan who on October 7 headed south and managed to find and rescue many of those who had fled the music festival, saving their lives.


The meeting was followed by a visit to Ahim LaNeshek (Brothers and Sisters in Arms), the heart of Israel's main civil operations room, where participants donated thousands of dollars worth of donations and supplies for soldiers; and a talk with Ayelet Hashachar, mother of Naama Levy, who was taken hostage by Hamas. After introducing her daughter and telling us about the day she was taken, Ayelet asked people to keep talking and sharing, and not to forget the brutal attacks and the hostages who are still being held captive.



They later joined a prayer and singing circle led by the Masorti Movement in Israel in the renamed “Hostage Square” in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In an incredible moving moment, the group was accompanied by everyone present, regardless of their religious identities.

Community Security

Anti-Israel Activity in New York City

Anti-Israel Activity in New York City

November 16-18


Click here for all information and activity!

New York Metro Region

Jewish Community Stands With Israel

World Wide Wrap

Wrapping Tefillin

in Solidarity with Israel

Sunday, November 5, 2023


Northshore Jewish Center We held a community gathering of adults and kids from our religious school. Together, we put on tefillin and stood in solidarity with Israel. We lit a yahrzeit candle in memory of the fallen. 


Northshore Jewish Center

Robert Benson, Men's Club President

This Shabbat, No‍vem‍ber 1‍7-1‍8, join millions of Jews, and those in solidarity with the Jewish community, in lighting a memorial candle in honor of those who were murdered in Israel and those who gave their lives fighting for the Jewish state.


FJMC Men's Clubs who purchase and distribute Yellow Candles, and who currently have an inventory, should offer Yellow Candles to their Synagogue members to be picked up and used for this Shabbat.


Across America, American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) are uniting the Jewish community to stand with Israel following the horrific Hamas attack—the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.


In addition to calling on all American Jews—and all allies of the Jewish community—to light a memorial candle, we also encourage everyone to:

Additional Shabbat resources for this Unity Shabbat can be found here.


  1. You can also show unity by Lighting an extra pair of Shabbat candles for those unable to at this time and to bring more light into the world.
  2. Recite prayers for the State of Israel, the United States, Israeli soldiers, and for those in captivity.
  3. To end Shabbat, after saying Havdalah, recite psalm 121.

Jewish Disability Awareness,

Acceptance and Inclusion - JDAIM

Save The Date!

February 2024

More information to follow

Mental Health

Support is available for physicians with substance use disorder, allowing them to return to health and their profession.

The Whole Physician: Physicians with Substance Use Disorder: Help Is Available 


By Joseph A. Hirsch, PhD, Steven Mandel, MD, Linda R. Bresnahan, MS, Christina M.

Puchalski, MD, Jonathan Avery, MD, Keith A. Nichols, MD, and Chris Bundy, MD


(practicalneurology.com) The prevalence of mental illness, burnout, and substance use disorder (SUD) in physicians is high and similar to rates reported in the general population or other occupational groups.


This article details the landscape of SUD in physicians and offers an overview of the PHP rehabilitation and recovery process.

New York Metro Man & Youth of the Year

Save the Date: June 2024

Mark your calendars for June 2024!


Man and Youth of the Year

will be an in-person event!


Let's look back on the 2023 Man and Youth of the Year!

Around the World

People gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday for the rally.Credit...

Leigh Vogel for The New York Times

Jewish Groups Rally for Israel on National Mall


(New York Times) Washington, DC, Demonstrators from across the United States gathered on Tuesday on the National Mall in Washington in a vast show of solidarity with Israel as it wages war in the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas...


Click here to read the article!

Israeli flags wave at a solidarity rally for Israel in Cologne, Germany, Nov. 5, 2023. (Christoph Reichwein/picture alliance via Getty Images)

As Europe’s Jews see a new era of antisemitism, governments struggle over how to respond


(JTA) In synagogues, schools and ordinary streets across Europe, Jews are voicing a similar refrain: They live in a different world from the one they knew before Oct. 7. That’s not only because Hamas’ attacks in southern Israel killed the most Jewish civilians in one day since the Holocaust. Across Europe, the rate of antisemitic incidents has fueled an atmosphere of fear and motivated some to conceal their Jewish identities...


Click here to read the article!

A Saturday night Havdalah ceremony was one of the highlights of the Limmud FSU event in Lublin, Poland, Nov. 4, 2023. (Boris Bukhman)

Ukrainian Jews gathering in historic Polish city champion solidarity with Israel


(JTA) LUBLIN, Poland — With wars raging in Ukraine and Israel, many Ukrainian Jews feel doubly traumatized by the troubles roiling their native country and the Jewish homeland...


Click here to read the article!

World Wide Wrap

WWW2024 will soon be here!

Sunday, February 11, 2024!

Club Registration is now open!


Hoping the WORLD WIDE WRAP will be in-person for many of you. Of course, it can be done virtually if needed, and whether virtual or in person, you need to register!


Please visit www.fjmc.org/wrap for registration and programming ideas!


Register on the website! Be one of the top 50 and register now!


Remember, you must register your club to qualify for a Quality Club Award.


Len Abrams 

leonardabrams@yahoo.com

2024 World Wide Wrap Chair



Bill Becker

wbecker1919@gmail.com

2024 World Wide Wrap Co-Chair

Build-A-Pair

Be a part of Build-A-Pair Program!


Order your kits now!


Your children will learn about

Tefillin, Mitzvot, and Traditions!

Around the Region

Park Avenue Synagogue

50 E 87th Street

New York, NY 10128

www.pasyn.org

Phone: (212) 369-2600

BEYOND THE HEADLINES:

A CLOSER LOOK AT ISRAEL AT WAR

Tuesday, November 28 at 7:00 pm

87th Street and Online 

Dr. Michael Koplow and Rabbi Zuckerman 


After the horrors of October 7 and the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the situation has continued to develop and grow in complexity. Go beyond the headlines with Dr. Michael Koplow, Chief Policy Officer at Israel Policy Forum, and take a deeper look at the situation in Israel, including what led to this moment, and what may lie ahead for Israel and the Middle East. 


Register here!

Dix Hills Jewish Center

555 Vanderbilt Pkwy

Dix Hills, NY 11746

www.dhjc.org

Phone: (631) 499-6644

Congregation L'Dor V'Dor

49-10 Little Neck Pkwy

Little Neck, NY 11362

www.olnjc.org

Phone: (718) 224-0404

Plainview JC

95 Floral Drive West

Plainview, NY 11803 

www.plainviewjewishcenter.org

Phone: (516) 938-8610



Forest Hills JC

106-06 Queens Blvd

Forest Hills, NY 11375

www.fhjc.org

Phone: (718) 263-7000

Temple Israel of Great Neck

108 Old Mill Road

Great Neck, NY 11023

www.tign.org

Phone: (516) 482-7800

Israeli Folk Dance Class November 21, 2023


Join us on Tuesday nights for an Israeli Folk Dance Class led by Randi Barenholtz. 


The class will be held in the Multipurpose Room: 7:30 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. (beginners) & 8:15 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (regular). Great for the mind, body and soul! Catch the spirit!  There is a charge of $14/session.


For more information contact Randi Barenholtz at (917) 991-6408 or email randib919@gmail.com.

Midway Jewish Center

330 S. Oyster Bay Road

Syosset, NY 11791

www.mjc.org

Phone: (516) 938-8390

Forest Hills JC

106-06 Queens Blvd

Forest Hills, NY 11375

www.fhjc.org

Phone: (718) 263-7000

Congregation L'Dor V'Dor

49-10 Little Neck Pkwy

Little Neck, NY 11362

www.olnjc.org

Phone: (718) 224-0404

Chinese Shabbat Chanukah Dinner Friday, December 8 at 7:00 p.m.


Following our Kabbalat Shabbat Service Beginning at 6:30 p.m.


Adults at $40.00

Children Ages 7-12 at $15.00

Children 6 years and under at no charge


RSVP by clicking here

No Later Than Tuesday, December 5th

Men's Sports

Adam Fox during a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 14, 2023. (Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

Jewish New York Rangers star Adam Fox partners with local bagel chain


(New York Jewish Week) At only 25 years old, New York Rangers star defenseman Adam Fox has already accomplished plenty. The Jewish Long Island native was a star player at Harvard University. In 2021 he became the first Jewish player to win a major NHL award when he was named the league’s best defenseman. He’s also a two-time All-Star. On Tuesday, Fox announced a new partnership with Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company, which is routinely ranked among the best and most popular bagel spots in the city. Curiously, despite the name, the mini-chain has three locations in Astoria, Queens and two in Manhattan — and none in Brooklyn.


Click here to read the article!

Jewish Culture

Artist and author Miriam Libicki came from her home in Vancouver to participate in the inaugural Jewish Comics Experience in Manhattan on Nov. 12, 2023. (Elizabeth Karpen)

At a Jewish comic book festival, fans and creators take time to celebrate joy


(New York Jewish Week) — More than 400 comic book lovers flocked to Manhattan’s Center for Jewish History on Sunday for the first-ever Jewish Comics Experience, a pop culture convention that was billed as the “ultimate comics and pop culture event.”



Click here to read the article!

Bebe Neuwirth and Steven Skybell join the cast of 'Cabaret' revival opening on Broadway in 2024. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images, Courtesy National Yiddish Theater Folksbiene)

Jewish actors Bebe Neuwirth and Steven Skybell to join ‘Cabaret’ revival on Broadway


(New York Jewish Week) — The forthcoming Broadway revival of the iconic musical “Cabaret” has added two Jewish actors to its star-studded cast. Previews for the revival, which is titled “Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” are set to begin April 1, 2024, at the August Wilson Theater on West 52nd Street. 


Click here to read the article!

New York Nosh

The menu at Malka, Chef Eyal Shani's first kosher restaurant in the U.S., features meat and fish — but more than half of the dishes will be plant-based. (Max Flatow)

Celebrity Israeli chef Eyal Shani opens his first kosher restaurant in NYC


(New York Jewish Week) — Celebrity Israeli Chef Eyal Shani arrived in New York City early on Monday morning, two days before the launch of Malka — his 41st restaurant and his first certified kosher eatery outside of Israel. 


Click here to read the article!

Eyal Shani's Manhattan restaurant Shmoné won a Michelin star on Nov. 7, 2023. (Max Flatow)

I was at Eyal Shani’s Manhattan restaurant Shmoné when it won a Michelin star


(New York Jewish Week) — Little did we know that our long-anticipated group dinner was set to coincide with the Michelin awards ceremony, held Tuesday at Spring Studios in Tribeca. There, 13 New York City restaurants received one or more Michelin stars — including, yes, one star for Shmoné, Shani’s first...


Click here to read the article!

Historical New York

The corner of 64th Road and 108th Street in Forest Hills, Queens was named Gavriel Davidov Corner. (Courtesy Davidov Family, Collage by JTA)

The unofficial mayor of Queens’ Bukharian Jewish community gets a long-awaited honor


(New York Jewish Week) — Throughout his nearly 50 years living in Forest Hills, Queens, Gavriel Davidov was the unofficial mayor of the borough’s Bukharian Jewish community. He was widely known a peacekeeper, and the first person someone could turn to for help. Last month, Davidov’s dedication to the Bukharian community — and his legacy of humility, leadership and honesty — was honored by the City of New York with the co-naming of the corner of 64th Road and 108th Street, near the epicenter of Bukharian life in New York, as Gavriel Davidov Corner.


Click here to read the article!

Affinity Groups & Webinars

FJMC Affinity Groups & Webinars are open to all.

Join us for Yiddish Lite!

Beginner's Yiddish Group

Alternate Tuesday Evenings

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

at 8pm ET

Hosted by Al Davis

Click here to register!

Join us for Yiddish Alive!

Advanced Yiddish Group

Monday, November 27, 2023

at 8pm ET

Hosted by Jeffrey Newton, Joe Rotstein,

Esther Scheer and Barry Wagner

Click here to register!

Join us for Israeli & Jewish Music!

Sunday, December 3, 2023

8pm ET

With Jason Hecht

Click here to register!

Join us for Torah Talks!

Thursday, December 7, 2023

7:30pm ET | 6:30pm CT | 4:30pm PT

With Norm Kurtz and Benny Sommerfeld

Click here to register!

Join us for Sports Affinity!

with Eliza Kanner

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

8pm ET

Affinity Group Leaders:

David Kravitz and Danny Mandeau

Click here to register!

IMPORTANT REQUEST:


At FJMC, we welcome and encourage feedback as to how you, your synagogue, your communal organization, etc. has mobilized to address the events of these past several weeks. We want you to be heard. We would like to share your thoughts and comments through Gesher.


Email: Lisa Pollack at assistant@fjmc.org

We invite you to check out our new website!


  • What's happening around the NY Metro Region
  • Upcoming NY Men's Club events
  • FJMC International Programs
  • NY Metro Fundraisers
  • NY Metro newsletter archives
  • Resources

And much more to come!


Reminder: If your New York FJMC Men's Club would like an event published in the newsletter or on our website, please email it to Lisa Pollack at assistant@fjmc.org


New York Metro Region Newsletter edited by Lisa Pollack.

Without the FJMC, valuable Jewish programming might never occur. FJMC needs your financial support to in order to continue to create the important programs which keeps your Men’s Club vibrant. You can help preserve the significant impact the FJMC and its members have made on behalf of the Jewish men and their families around the world by making a pledge. Our movement depends on you!

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