Shabbat Services

Friday Evening Services

Friday, November 17 at 6:15 (in-person at WRT)

Shabbat service features the rituals, melodies and warmth of our congregation. The service includes a sermon or presentation by one of our rabbis, cantors or special guests.

Participate alongside fellow congregants in-person, or join us on any of our live-streaming platforms.

Sharing Shabbat

Saturday, November 18 at 9:00 am (in the CJL)

Our engaging, musical Shabbat service for children in Grades K-6 and their families is open to the congregation and community. This weekly service is led by our clergy and followed by engaging learning and conversation organized by cohort – a special JLL curricular experience for the children, and time for the adults to concurrently study, share stories, and ask questions together with a member of the clergy team. All are welcome!

Torah Study

Saturday, November 18, at 9:00 am (in-person in the Sifriyah or Zoom) 

Each Shabbat morning we gather informally to read and discuss the week’s Torah portion. The morning begins with a brief Shabbat service at which mourners who wish to say Kaddish are warmly welcomed. The group is led by volunteers, with clergy participation. No prior experience with Torah is necessary. 

Programs and Special Events

Invitation to Participate in Congregational Chanukah Video

The WRT clergy team invites you and your family to participate in a special Chanukah music video. As a show of pride in our Jewish community, we invite you to record a short video of yourselves lighting your Chanukah candles and displaying your Chanukiah in the window. We will include your clip as part of a music video featuring the WRT clergy team and community choir, which we will release just before the holiday. We know that the image of our candles burning together for all the world to see will bring us all courage when we need it most. 

Please record your video horizontally at night in a well-lit room. To submit your video, please email it to submissions5784@gmail.com by Sunday, 11/26. Please feel free to contact Cantor Kleinman and Cantor Sonett-Assor with any questions.

Come together as a community to feed those in our community that might otherwise go hungry on Thanksgiving. All Food will be donated to Meals on Main Street for distribution to residents in need in Port Chester, NY, and surrounding areas.

WRT Community Volunteer Opportunities

JLL Volunteer Opportunities

ECC Volunteer Opportunities

Donate Food and Supplies

Donate to the Food and Housing Insecurity Fund – Indicate WRT Delivers Thanksgiving

Adult Learning: Talmud Shiur (Class)

Led by Rabbi Jonathan Blake

Thursday, November 16, 10:15 - 11:45 am (Zoom)

Every Thursday morning, eager learners from our WRT community gather with Rabbi Blake to learn Talmud together.

During the current crisis between Israel and Hamas, Rabbi Blake will be teaching on subjects related to the war.

Class meets for 90 minutes, over Zoom, each Thursday from 10:15 AM to 11:45 AM.

We also record every session, and you can view previous classes here:  https://www.youtube.com/rabbiblake

FALL CHAIR YOGA SERIES AT WRT

Thursday, November 16 at 2:00 pm (In person at WRT)

Our summer series was a resounding success, and participants have asked for more! We invite you to come back or try this series to nurture your body and soul. RSVP via email to receptionist@wrtemple.org or call the temple office at 914-723-7727.

Upcoming dates: November 30 and December 7th.

ECC and JLL Parent Coffee with Clergy

Friday, November 17 at 9:15 am (In the Sifriyah)

Sunday December 3rd 10:30-11:30am (In the Sifriyah)

Please join the clergy for an informal coffee, where you can ask your questions about the events unfolding in Israel. We'll also discuss how to talk with your children about Israel.

Meditation with Rabbi Baken & Norm Goldstein

Friday, November 17 at 11 am (In the CJL Living Room)



Many of us are aware that mindfulness and meditation have become increasingly present in people’s lives as a set of tools to navigate stress, increase calmness and clarity, and to promote joy. We at WRT are excited to be continuing our Meditation Lab, which utilizes Judaism as a context for meditation and explores Jewish meditative techniques. While each of us continues to navigate our emotions and responses to the ongoing crisis in Israel and Gaza, we will also continue to use meditation as a way of creating more space in our hearts and minds.

Night of Jewish Learning

Saturday, November 18, 2023, 7 pm (Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle)

Don’t miss this unique opportunity! Learn with Rabbi Blake and Westchester Rabbis representing all denominations and from all over Westchester.

Walk-ins are welcome but register before online registration closes Friday morning to receive the discount pricing!

Zionism, Israel, and the Conflict: A 5-Session Mini-Course with Rabbi Blake and Cantor Kleinman

Sunday, November 19 at 11:45 am (in-person)

Since the brutal attacks on Israel by Hamas on October 7th, our community has been standing in solidarity with the Jewish State.  

At this critical time, many in our community have expressed a desire to learn more about the roots of Zionism and the history behind the present conflict between Israel and Hamas.  

All are welcome to join Rabbi Blake for several upcoming Sundays, 11:45-1:15 PM, for a deep dive into the foundations of Zionism and a historical overview of the Conflict. This class is aimed at an adult audience; high school and college-age students are most welcome to join. This class is open to the community, and sessions will be livestreamed on the temple website and recorded.  

Sunday, November 19th, 2023 - Arab-Jewish Relations Until 1964

Sunday, December 3rd, 2023 - The Israel-Palestinian Conflict 1964-2023

Sunday, December 10th, 2023 - The Israel-Hamas War in its Historical Context

Sunday, December 17th, 2023 - Reflections on the War through Israeli Music (with Cantor Kleinman & guests)

Please RSVP to our office by emailing receptionist@wrtemple.org, so that we know how many chairs to set up.

Light refreshments (beverages) will be served; please feel free to bring a lunch if you like. 

Evening Book Group

Tuesday, November 21 at 7:30 pm (in person at WRT)

Interested in joining the evening book group? This month's book selection for discussion is “The Netanyahus” by Joshua Cohen. To RSVP, please contact Lenore Rosenbaum at papoobeads@optonline.net.

Cooking4HOPE, Hot Meals

Monday, November 27, 10 am – 12 pm, Westchester Reform Temple Kitchen

Sign up to join other members of the WRT community to cook a hot dinner, make sandwiches, and pack sandwich bags for HOPE Community Services. You can also sign up to bake desserts to be included in the sandwich bags, to shop for groceries, or to deliver the sandwiches to HOPE.  Sign up here. Please consider volunteering for a leadership role in Cooking4Hope. Contact sharon.stiefel@wrtemple.org to volunteer or learn more.  Cooking4HOPE is funded by WRT’s Food and Housing Insecurity Fund, so please continue to support these efforts by contributing to the Fund.

Spousal Bereavement Group

Wednesday, November 29 at 11:30 am (in-person)

These Support Groups are for those in mourning over a loss, and to help find comfort and process feelings of loss through caring discussion and in sacred Jewish context. Led by Jane Slevin, LMFT (Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist from Westchester Jewish Community Services), and Cantor Laura Stein, LMSW, a social worker specializing in spiritual care. 

Come join the FreeBirds and Rabbi Blake for a talk with Liel Leibovitz, author of the new book: How the Talmud Can Change Your Life: Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book. 

Thursday, November 30, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm (WRT Center for Jewish Life)

Join us for a lively, entertaining and enlightening talk with Rabbi Blake and author Liel

Leibovitz about his new book, How the Talmud Can Change Your Life:

Surprisingly Modern Advice from a Very Old Book. This is a great opportunity to come for a drink, see some friends and hear Liel and Rabbi Blake engage in an entertaining dialog about his book and his perspective on life.

The cost of this event is $36 per person, which includes a copy of the

book. Additional books will be available at the event for purchase. Makes a great

Chanukah gift for all generations!

Any questions? Contact Lori Gertzog at Lori.Gertzog@gmail.com.

Community Chanukah Candle Lighting & Celebration

Friday, December 8

5:00 - 5:30 pm - Community Candle Lighting

5:30 pm - Community Shabbat Service & Lab Shabbat

Join the clergy and our WRT families as we light our 10-foot tall out-door menorah, sing songs and enjoy some treats. Performances by the youth and adult choir will make the evening festive.

WRJ Lilith Salon

Next Zoom meeting is Dec. 14 at 7:30 PM

Interested in becoming a Salon member??

What's a Lilith Salon? We're a group of women who meet four times a year to discuss thought-provoking articles from the quarterly Lilith Magazine. It's more free flowing than a book club, more intimate than a class. It's the place for great conversation and warm connections. 

If you're Interested in joining the WRJ Lilith Salon (or want to come as a guest to try it out)  Just contact Rita Freedman - freedmanrj@aol.com - 914-772-1238

Check out  Lilith Magazine at  www.lilith.org

Greater Centennial & Westchester Reform Temple Present Shared Legacies

*Postponed due to the Israel March in DC, stay tuned for a new date*

Greater Centennial Fellowship Hall, 312 South 8^th Avenue, Mt. Vernon, NY

Come view the documentary Shared Legacies, winner of the Meyerson JCC Jewish & Israeli Film Festival Audience Favorite Award, at Greater Centennial A.M.E. Zion Church. The documentary tells the often forgotten story of the coalition and friendship between the Jewish and African-American Communities during the Civil Rights Movement. The viewing will be followed by a conversation with our communities led by Pastor Stephen W. Pogue and Rabbi Jonathan E. Blake. Light refreshments will be served. Questions? Email sharon.stiefel@wrtemple.org.  If you would like to receive transportation from WRT to Greater Centennial and back, please sign up here.

Visit the Jewish Learning Lab (JLL)

For WRT members: If you would like to receive notifications of birth announcements and deaths within the WRT community, please email receptionist@wrtemple.org with your full name and email address. Please specify if you would like to be added to one or both of these notification lists.  

For more information about Inclusion at WRT, click here.

For more information about Our Jewish World, click here.