SHABBAT SHALOM, GESHER SHALOM!


 
January 18th, 2018
 
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Shabbat Times: 
Candle Lighting
Tu B'Shevat Supper
Evening Service
Morning Service
Minha
4:38 pm
6:00pm
7:15pm
9:30am
4:15pm
 
  Forecast: 33/snowy

IN THIS ISSUE...
Shabbat Kiddush
Join us for Kiddush on Shabbat. This is the perfect opportunity for us to experience community and get to know each other better.

Birthdays and Anniversaries 
Eve Kohut
Greta Flam
Rita Berliner
Elai Kindler
Eran Gensler
Sara Rak
Samuel Wasserman
Livia Kraut
Reggie Feuerstein
Michael Glantz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                         
 
   UPCOMING EVENTS
                   
Saturday 1/19
Morning Service 9:30 am
Minha , S'uda Shlishit (3rd Shabbat Meal), timely topic, Maariv and Havdalah 4:15 pm
Sunday 1/20
On the Road with the Rabbi to Valley Cottage, NY to see our High Holiday Shofar Blower, Mitchell Shedlarz, and "Mitchell's Mellow Madness" band 1:30 pm. Pre-registration required.
Monday 1/21
Office Closed
Thursday 1/24
Rabbi's Class "Talmud and Tangents" 10:30 am
Visiting Scholar Rabbi David J. Fine-Lecture series "The Jews in Germany: A Complicated Legacy" 12:45 pm
Friday 1/25
Bible Class 11:30 am

Torah Rea ding   405                 Haftarah 424
B'SHALLAH

God  leads the Israelites out of Egypt, appearing as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Egyptians pursue the Israelites to the shore of the Sea of Reeds and appear to have them cornered. The sea parts for the Israelites, who cross through on dry land, but the waters crash down upon Pharaoh's army. Having been saved by God, the Children of Israel break into a song of praise, acclaiming God's victory and affirming their faith in God. Miriam, Moses' sister, leads the women in song and dance. (This shabbat derives its name, Shabbat
Shira, from these songs.)
The Israelites wander for three days without fresh water. They come to Marah and encounter bitter water there. God tells Moses to throw a branch into the water and it becomes potable. Subsequently the Israelites complain that they want meat to eat. God sends quail in excessive quantities, and in the morning the Israelites are provided with manna, which will sustain them throughout their years in the wilderness. As the manna does not keep overnight, the people need to gather manna each day, but miraculously, the double portion gathered on Friday remains fresh through Shabbat. At Refidim the Israelites again complain about the lack of fresh water. Moses cries out to God, who tells him to take his rod and strike a rock to produce water.
While at Refidim, the Amalekites attack the Children of Israel. Joshua recruits an army to launch a counter-attack. Moses ascends a hilltop and while he keeps his hands aloft, the tide of battle favors the Israelites. As Moses tires, Aaron and Hur support his arms until the Israelites are victorious.  





We honor the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. this coming week. For the Jewish community's legacy recalls a time of strong alliance and mutual support with African-American community. It is a far cry racism of Lewis Farrakhan, much of the Black Lives Matter movement, the women of color involved in the Women's March, which is taking place this weekend. (Much more on that below...).  It is hard to believe that there was such harmony in the 1960s, an otherwise very tumultuous decade.                         Y'Hi Zichro Baruch!  (May his memory be for a blessing).

Minyanim will remain at 7:00 a.m. and 7:45 p.m. on Monday

Courtesy of the Focus Project:
Viewing Black-Jewish Relations Through the Prism of the Civil Rights Movement 
 
In advance of our national holiday honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the nation's continued pursuit of full civil rights, it's worthwhile to review how Rev. King's nonviolent, civil rights legacy impacted American Jews - and the State of Israel.

King was a strong supporter of both the Jewish people and the reestablishment of its ancestral homeland. "Israel's right to exist as a state in security is incontestable," he wrote in a 1967 letter to the president of the Jewish Labor Committee. On King's view that African Americans and American Jews have a "special relationship," his peer, Representative John Lewis, said, "[MLK] knew that both peoples were uprooted involuntarily from their homelands. He knew that both peoples were shaped by the tragic experience of slavery. He knew that both peoples were forced to live in ghettos, victims of segregation. He knew that both peoples were subject to laws passed with the particular intent of oppressing them simply because they were Jewish or black. He knew that both peoples have been subjected to oppression and genocide on a level unprecedented in history."

Alongside both men during the final Selma to Montgomery march was Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who described the march as feeling like his "legs were praying." Several years later, both men were featured speakers at the United Synagogue of America's Golden Jubilee Convention. On one of Heschel's signature issues - the plight of Soviet Jewry - King said he could not neglect his "brothers and sisters who happen to be Jews in Soviet Russia."
 
In 2008, King's personal attorney and close adviser, Clarence B. Jones, said: "I can say with absolute certainty that Martin abhorred anti-Semitism in all its forms, including anti-Zionism" and "Martin...warned repeatedly that anti-Semitism would soon be disguised as anti-Zionism."

Cooperation between African Americans and American Jews was instrumental during the Civil Rights Era of the 1950s-1960s. Jews were one of the most actively involved non-Black groups in the movement, including making up half of the non-African American volunteers participating in the Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964. Both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 were drafted in the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. The largest mass arrest of rabbis in American history took place in St. Augustine, Florida, after Jewish leaders heeded a call of support from Dr. King in 1964.
 
For various reasons - from internal struggles within the Civil Rights Movement to demographic changes in the rise of the suburbs - the narrative of collaboration between the two groups did not last. Although partnership on civil rights-related issues continued, a history of tensions prevailed. But a new generation of African American and Jewish leaders aims to rekindle the cooperation. The ADL launched a Black-Jewish Alliance pilot program in 2018. Rabbi Jonah Pesner was named to the NAACP board of directors in 2017. And progressive Jews are finding ways to fight systemic racism in America without abandoning support for Israel. Representative Lewis has argued for increased interactions between Jews and African Americans too young to remember the 1960s coalition: "If we know each other and understand each other, there would not be a schism."
 
Jews in the U.S. remain a minority vulnerable to both verbal and physical attacks from the extremes of the political spectrum. While many people tend to describe Jews as a religion, they are in fact an ethnic group - a people. Congress must update civil rights protections so Jews are covered based on ethnicity under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act - as the Department of Education has already done. 




T"U b'Shvat
 I hope that many of you will be joining us tonight for our T"U  b'Shvat Seder and Shabbat Dinner
Just in time for T"U b'Sh'vat:
Israeli Startup SeeTree Aims at Better Fruit Yield    
How Blessings Help Us Celebrate Tu Bishvat
Here's How to Celebrate Tu Bishvat with a Series of Rituals and Blessings    
Get to Know the Blessings    
Trees That Transgress    
Trees don't follow human rules, like property boundaries or borders. Trees that we are never as independent as we may have thought.                                                                                



Tonight: Seder/Shabbat dinner at 6:00 p.m.  
Musical service at 7:15 p.m.
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.
Tomorrow afternoon at 4:15 p.m. (The days of starting get longer...And of course, with the lengthening of the days and T"U b'Shvat, comes our first serious snow!)
During Seudah Shlishit we will read: There Is No "Israeli-Palestinian Conflict"   And to understand why, you have to zoom out - a NYT op-ed written by Matti Friedman. When you "zoom out" you realize that Israel's main opponent is Iran, and that Israel is not Goliath, but David. That is why the first section after this week's yahrzeiten is all about Iran and Hezbollah.

This Week's Yahrzeit Observances
We hope that our weekly listing of yahrzeit observances will serve 2 purposes:
1)     To remind those who ha ve the yahrzeit for a second time, much closer to the date of the actual observance
2)     To alert friends and acquaintances that someone they know is observing a yahrzeit. We hope that you will show them your support by joining them at our minyanim, and helping to assure that Kaddish can be recited with a minyan 
Hilda Reisner will be observing yahrzeit for her brother, Solomon Bortz on Friday evening, January 18th
Milton Breit will be observing yahrzeit for his brother, Bernard Breit on Friday evening, January 18th
Terry Plawker will be observing yahrzeit for her mother-in-law, Anna Plawker on Friday evening, January 18th
Trudi Mohl will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Albert Brown on Saturday evening, January 19th
Edith Adler will be observing yahrzeit for her father,, Julius Kahn on Sunday evening, Jauary 20th
Gloria Singer will be observing yahrzeit for her father-in-law, Alexander Singer on Sunday evening, January 20th
Stephanie Stern-Protz will be observing yahrzeit for her grandmother, Sylvia Sobel on Sunday evening, January 20th
James Rosenberg will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Phyllis Rosenberg on Sunday evening, January 20th
Iris Coleman will be observing yahrzeit for her husband , Tobias Weissman on Sunday evening, January 20th
Myrna Block will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Benjamin Rosen on Monday evening, January 21st
William Katz will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Helen Katz on Tuesday evening, January 22nd
Naomi Altschul will be observing yahrzeit for her father-in-law, Isidore Altchul on Wednesday evening, January 23rd
Solomon Arbeiter will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Philip Arbeiter on Wednesday evening, January 23rd
Hilda Froelke will be observing yahrzeit for her husband, Richard Froelke on Wednesday evening, January 23rd
Ruth & David Korn will be observing yahrzeit for their mother, Helen Korn on Wednesday evening, January 23rd
Carolyn Tauber will be observing yahrzeit for her great-grandfather, Moses Schipper on Wednesday evening, January 23rd




Iran and Hizbullah
 
Satellite Photos Show Iranian Missile Depot Leveled by Israeli Strike                                  
 

IDF Finds Sixth and Largest Hizbullah Attack Tunnel; Destroys It, and Declares End of Operation         
Still monitoring other active sites that have not penetrated the Israeli border           
 

Do Hizbullah's Gains from Syria War Equal Its Losses?             
 

Why Israel Chose to End Its Ambiguity over Syria Strikes             
 

Revealed: Iranian Site for Production of Uranium Metal and Nuclear Weapons Components     
Iranian Atomic Chief: We Can Enrich Uranium to 20 Percent within Four Days                                             

The Man (Retiring IDF Chief of Staff) Who Humbled Qassim Suleimani (Cmdr of Iran's Al Quds Forces)   
Iranian Satellite Launch Fails                                                                            
Iran "Shooting Itself in the Foot" with Spying, German Diplomat Warns
Iran Exploring New Uranium Enrichment                       


Women's March
You can listen to the relevant portion beginning at 15:22-32:00   
How New York City Ended Up With 2 Competing Women's Marches                                                                             
At issue is the question of inclusivity, one that has haunted the national movement since its inception
Southern Poverty Law Center and Prominent NY Synagogue Leave National Women's March                                
Why 2 Jewish Women Say They Joined the Women's March Steering Committee                                                     
The position is an opportunity to learn and have some difficult conversations, say former URJ staffer April Baskin and transgender activist Abby Stein.    
9 NY Rabbis Endorse Women's March Following Talks with Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory  
          
Rabbis Torn About Women's March Despite Sarsour Meeting                                                             




Israel
"I envy you": Tom Segev on Israel, Parenthood and Australia
IDF Troops to Get Advanced Gunsight  
Aim is to reduce collateral damage  

U.S. Army Eyes Purchase of Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense System  
 
Drone Over Tel Aviv-Yaffo        
Tel Aviv-jaffa at sunrise dji phantom 4 pro
Tel Aviv-jaffa at sunrise dji phantom 4 pro
   
                                                                 
               





The Palestinians
New "Divided" Road Another Step Toward Annexation-or Will It Just Considerably Shorten Travel Time for Palestinians ?
Or maybe it's all about safety, just like the separation wall and fence:    
The "Apartheid" Wall that Isn't                                                                            

Will Israel's Sea Barrier Protect It from Future Hamas Infiltration?           
Israeli UN Envoy Danon: A Riot, Not a Protest, at the Gaza Border
Abbas Celebrates 14th Anniversary of His Four-Year Term
New Threat from Gaza: Landfills and Sewage Build Up along Israeli Border                                                
The Many Ways Palestinians Violate International Law: Environmental Pollution, Ecological, and Humanitarian Crimes                                                                                                                  
Israel Police: "Hebron International Observer Mission Deliberately Creates Friction"                                                                             


Around the Middle East
Arab League: Palestinian Issue Has "Reduced" Importance
Last week it was a delegation of Iraqis visiting Israel; this week:
Iraqi Politician Calls for Peace Accord with Israel                                                                  
 
This should not be a surprise:
Israeli Intelligence Infiltrates ISIS in Sinai  


BDS / Anti-Semitism
Trudeau: "I Will Continue to Condemn the BDS Movement"                                                                                     
 "When you have movements like BDS that single out Israel, that seek to delegitimize and in some cases demonize, when you have students on campus dealing with things like Israel apartheid weeks that make them fearful of actually attending campus events because of their religion in Canada, we have to recognize that there are things that aren't acceptable, not because of foreign policy concerns but because of Canadian values."                                                                                          

Ilhan Omar Claims She Didn't Hide Her Support For BDS During Campaign
 
MESSAGE FOR RASHIDA TLAIB: EVERYONE HAS DUAL LOYALTIES  Surely one can have multiple loyalties. In my case, I am both an Australian and an Israeli, and a Jew. 

EAPPI: The World Council of Churches' Training Camp for Anti-Israel Advocacy  
Juvenile Lebanese Chess Player    
Lebanese Chess Prodigy on Refusing to Play against Israeli Opponents: Israel Is the Enemy
Lebanese Chess Prodigy on Refusing to Play against Israeli Opponents: Israel Is the Enemy
     Anti-Semitism among Yellow Vest Protesters Demoralizes France's Jews 
Defending Jewish Comedian, British Author J.K. Rowling Blasts Anti-Semitic Tweeter  
Anti-BDS Bill Battles Up Senate Hill    
The delay of a proposed vote on an anti-BDS bill sparks rumors of a rift among Senate Democrats and dirty tricks from Republicans                  
A Better Defintion of BDS







 





 
At Ramah's three specialty camps, campers pursue their passions within the transformative Jewish communities that have distinguished the Ramah experience for over 70 years.





Love Chapter 2
L-E-V at The Joyce Theater
Choreographer Sharon Eyal
January 23 |7:30 pm
January 24*, 25**, 26 | 8:00 pm
Sunday, January 27 | 2:00 pm
The Joyce Theater
Sharon Eyal's Love Chapter 2 is a spellbinding and provocative dance that stares unflinchingly at isolation and loneliness. Blending striking imagery with intoxicatingly powerful movement, the work explores what we are left with when our connection to each other breaks down. Driven forward by the pulsating techno beats of DJ Ori Lichtik, the dance is an uninhibited and exhilarating look at the inexplicable nature of love.
*Curtain Chat: Thu, Jan 24
** Master Class: Fri, Jan 25 (registration req'd)


Dance
Like and Maim
ZviDance @ LUMBERYARD
Choreographer Zvi Gotheiner
Friday, January 25 | 8:00 pm
Saturday, January 26 | 7:00 pm
LUMBERYARD Catskill, NY
ZviDance explores our relationship with technology in Like, and our historic relationship with water in the new work, Maim. Zvi Gotheiner draws on his experience growing up in kibbutz in Israel in creating the work. Showing January 25 and 26 only.


Exhibition
Open the Land to the People
Exhibition Opening, SOLOWAY
Artist Keren Benbenisty
January 20th | 6:00 - 8:00 pm
SOLOWAY Brooklyn, NY
This solo exhibition presents selected works (2016 - 2018) from Benbenisty's study into the Lessepsian Migration of fish from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, which slices through the Egyptian Desert. Benbenisty's critical intervention into the scientific discourse over the migration of fish provides for an insightful metaphor for the complex and painful issue of human migration that is stirring up unrest across Europe and the U.S.


Architecture
Inside Out/Outside In: Second Nature in Japanese Architecture
Architect Rachely Rotem
Thursday, January 31st | 6:30 pm
Japan Society New York, NY
In our climate-shifting world, the traditional Japanese notion of mediating between interior and exterior has re-emerged as an essential concern for contemporary architects. Rome Prize-winning architects Rachely Rotem and Phu Hoang, of architectural firm MODU, explore this dynamic in their own weather-centric projects. Funded by the NEA and US-Japan Creative Artists Program, Rotem and Hoang visited Japan to research the role of weather in the conception of architectural space. Moderated by Beatrice Galilee, Associate Curator of Architecture and Design at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
* Followed by a reception


Film
Who Will Write Our History
NYJFF 2019
Poland/USA | 2018 | 95 min.
Thursday, January 17 | 3:30 pm, Thursday, January 17 | 8:30 pm
Walter Reade Theater
Director Roberta Grossman
When the Nazis created the Warsaw Ghetto, a group of scholars, journalists, and community leaders, led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum, conducted a secret effort to document the fate of the 450,000 Jews sealed within. These testimonies comprise perhaps the most important archive of original material compiled by Jews during the Holocaust. New York Premier
Q&As with Roberta Grossman, producer Nancy Spielberg, and historian Samuel Kassow on January 17; actor Joan Allen also in attendance for 8:30pm screening
English, Polish, and Yiddish, with English subtitles


Film
Life According to Agfa
NYJFF 2019
Israel | 1992 |100 min.
Saturday, January 19 | 9:15 pm
Walter Reade Theater
Director Assi Dayan
In this touchstone of Israeli cinema, an assortment of Tel Aviv citizenry-Jews, Arabs, kibbutzniks, city-dwellers, and soldiers-gather in a bar to play out a series of bitter and ultimately tragic dramas over the course of one night. U.S. Premiere of the restoration.
Hebrew with English subtitles


Film
Mohamed and Anna: In Plain Sight
NYJFF 2019
Germany/Israel | 2017 | 58 min.
Monday, January 21 | 1:00 pm
Tuesday, January 22 | 5:45 pm
Walter Reade Theater
Director Taliya Finkel
During WWII, Mohamed Helmy, an Egyptian doctor living in Berlin, saved a Jewish woman from capture by the Nazis by disguising her as a Muslim woman. This astounding documentary uncovers the many extraordinary maneuvers and deceptions he took to save her life, at great risk to his own. U.S. Premiere
Q&A with director Taliya Finkel and Anna Boros's daughter Carla Greenspan

Film
Dear Fredy
NYJFF 2019
Israel | 2017 | 74 min.
Sunday, January 20 | 2:45 pm
Walter Reade Theater
Director Rubi Gat
This documentary tells the story of Fredy Hirsch, a remarkable openly gay German Jew who fled to the Czech Republic when the Nuremberg Laws were passed, became head of the youth department in the Ghetto Terezin, and set up a daycare center in his final, tragic days in Auschwitz. New York Premiere
Introduction by Columbia University Film Professor Annette Insdorf.
Hebrew, Czech, and English with English subtitles


Film / Master Class
Master Class
Yehonatan Indursky
NYJFF 2019
January 20 | 4:00 pm | 60 min.
Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
Writer and Director of Autonomies
Join Yehonatan Indursky, writer and director of NYJFF Centerpiece selection Autonomies, for a master class on writing, directing, and producing for television and film. A writer and director of multiple films and television series (such as Shtisel, which won 11 awards from the Israeli Academy of Television including Best Screenplay), Indursky will focus on the difference between creating for film and television, and the process behind Autonomies.


Film
Fig Tree
NYJFF 2019
Israel/Germany/France/ Ethiopia | 2018 | 93 min.
Monday, January 21 | 5:30 pm
Tuesday, January 22 | 12:30 pm
Walter Reade Theater
Director Aalam-Warque Davidian
Mina is 16 years old and has lived with her brother and grandmother in the midst of the Ethiopian Civil War her entire life, but they are planning to flee for Israel, where her mother awaits their reunion. So Mina is spending her last days in Addis Ababa with her Christian boyfriend Eli, who has ensconced himself in the woods to avoid being drafted into Mengistu Haile Mariam's army. But Mina wants the best of both worlds and hatches a plan to rescue him. This coming-of-age film is tender and poignant, based on director Aalam-Warqe Davidian's experience growing up during the Ethiopian Civil War. U.S. Premiere
Q&As with Fig Tree producer Naomi Levari
Amharic with English subtitles


Comedy
Just the Tip: A Comedy Show
Iris Bahr
January 17th | 8:00 - 10:30 pm
GoldBar New York, NY
Comedic duo Iris Bahr (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Periel Aschenbrand (On My Knees) return for their hit monthly comedy show at Soho hot spot, Goldbar. This month's line up features Comedy Cellar regulars Ricky Velez, Phil Hanley hot off his tour with Aziz Ansari and Norweigan comedy star Daniel Simonsen!


Exhibition
Unfolding
Shony Rivnay - The Yard New York
SARAHCROWN
Opening January 23rd | 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Exhibition January 23rd thru April 20th, 2019
The Yard Columbus Circle
SARAHCROWN is pleased to present Unfolding, a solo exhibition of Israeli-American artist Shony Rivany. The project is conceived for the public spaces at The Yard - Columbus Circle as part of the Art In Lobbies program. The installation, spanning three floors, will feature a selection of recent paintings shown for the first time in New York.


Exhibition
My DNY Male Princesses Collection
Photographer Noam Atia
January 25 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm
January 26 | 4:00 - 8:00 pm
Gallery MC New York, NY
This exhibition explores a unique project by photographer Noam Atia, and reveals disny-inspired male princesses. These works covering three aspects from Atia's life; his favorite city, New York, mans and Disney princesses.
Noam Atia is a New York-based photographer who primarily specializes in portraits.


Music
'New Path'
Yogev Shetrit Trio
January 17 | 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm @ Williamsburg Music Center
January 18 | 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm @ Sylvana NYC
Composer and Producer, Stav Goldberg, Drummer, Yogev Shetrit, Piano, Ayal Tsubery
The "New Path" project contains instrumental pieces composed, arranged and produced by 'Yogi' Shetrit, who plays drums and percussion. He elegantly fuses traditional North African music, Gnawa, Andalusian music from his Moroccan heritage, along with contemporary jazz, Jewish and Mediterranean music. His funk and Drum & Bass influences are also evident on some of the tracks.


Music
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Carnegie Hall
February 3, 2019 | 2:00 pm
Carnegie Hall
Zubin Mehta, Music Director & Conductor--Itzhak Perlman, Violin
The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Carnegie Hall for a program led by Maestro Zubin Mehta in his grand finale performance with this orchestra in New York City. Mehta has led the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra since 1969 and will step down as Music Director in 2019. Itzhak Perlman performs Beethoven, Kreisler, Pártos, and John Williams with the orchestra on the first half of the program. Tchaikovsky's majestic Symphony No. 6 concludes the performance.


Trip
Israeli Art + Culture Immersion Trip
Mishkan Museum of Art in Ein Harod
March 24 - 29, 2019
Friends of the Mishkan Museum of Art in Ein Harod ISRAEL
Join the team of Americans and Israelis interested in playing an integral role in establishing The Friends of The Mishkan Museum of Art in Ein Harod. The trip is focused on Israel's world-class, vibrant multicultural but largely under the radar art scene in the North of the Country. Enjoy privileged access to the emerging cultural panorama in the historic Jezreel Valley and the Western Galilee. Spaces are limited!
Contact: [email protected]@gmail.com

Exhibition
YOU NEVER KNOW
ZAZ10TS + ARTIS
Artist Uri Katzenstein
January 31st | 6:00 - 8:00 pm
10 Times Square
The late Uri Katzenstein focused his artistic expression on video projects and installations in the latter stages of his career. Mirroring the complexities and layers of life, his videos mixed linear storytelling with bursts of images and vignettes created to raise more questions than answers, shunning obvious clarity. Katzenstein is also credited with founding a new language called "Backyard font," developed to depict the English language graphically.