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Shabbat Lech Lecha
October 26, 2026 / 13 Cheshvan 5787
| | Kabbalat Shabbat Service: Friday, 5:30pm in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel | | Minyan M'at Morning Services: 10am in 5 North | | Combined Mishpacha-Yigdal Family Service: 11am in 2 North | | Family Beit Midrash (3rd Grade - Bnai Mitzvah): 11am in the Multipurpose Room (RSVP) | | Sunday, 1 - 2pm: Alan Mintz Memorial Study Session: Mapping the Shtetl, with Dovid Roskies on Zoom (RSVP) | | Monday, 7pm: Mazal Bueno Concert in the Sanctuary (Register) | | Tuesday, 7 - 8:15pm: Maimonides & the Merchants in 5 North (Register) | | Wednesday, 7 - 8pm: Weekly Talmud Class with Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or on Zoom (RSVP) | | Morning Minyan: Monday - Friday at 7:30am, Sunday at 8:30am in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or on Zoom | | Have a birth, marriage, or other family simcha you'd like to share? Send us your good news! | | Mazel Tov to Andrew Melmed, his parents, Shoshana Quint and Jonathan Melmed, and his brothers, Henry, Josh, and Russell, on his Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat. | | Join us in wishing comfort to Daniella Phillips and her children, Noah, Sarah and Adam, at the passing of their father and grandfather, Philip Phillips. | | |
Kabbalat Shabbat Service Time Changes Tomorrow (Oct. 23)
Starting tomorrow (Friday, October 23), our weekly Kabbalat Shabbat service will begin at 5:30pm instead of 6:30pm.
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Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky's High Holiday Talks
This year, Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky is sharing written versions of his talks from the High Holidays. Please read his message about this, and use these links for the talks:
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AC Shelter in the News
AC has been proud to partner with Broadway Community on the reopening of our shelter, which continues to house seven guests every night. In this op-ed, AC member and Broadway Community Executive Director Isaac Adlerstein discusses how similar partnerships with houses of worship can help our unhoused neighbors, and specifically considers Ansche Chesed's volunteer-driven model.
Learn more about volunteering to support this vital communal initiative.
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Kol Nidre Appeal: Hinenu -- We are Here!
Please say hinenu - we are here - by investing in our Ansche Chesed community and making a meaningful contribution to our annual Kol Nidre appeal. If you have not participated in the past, we hope this year will be your first. If you have, thank you for your support, and please give thought to increasing your donation this year to mark Jeremy’s quarter century milestone with our community.
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Alan Mintz Memorial Study Session, with Minyan M'at
Sunday, October 25 from 1 - 2pm on Zoom
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Join Minyan M'at for the annual Zoom teaching session in memory of our dear friend and longtime AC and M'at member Alan Mintz, z”l. The venerable Jewish community of Buczacz in Galicia became Alan Mintz’s adoptive home, and one of his proudest achievements was commissioning this multidimensional map for his book Ancestral Tales: Reading the Buczacz Stories of S.Y. Agnon. In this illustrated lecture, Alan’s lifelong friend and associate Prof. David G. Roskies, will situate Alan’s map within a long line of memory maps of the shtetl, from didactic to redemptive, from disenchanted to covenantal, which in turn can provide us with a cartography of the Jewish literary imagination. RSVP here
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Mazal Bueno: A Portrait in Song of the Spanish Jews
Monday, October 26 at 7pm in the Sanctuary
Julie Benko, star of Harmony and Funny Girl on Broadway, and the GRAMMY-nominated Western Wind Vocal Ensemble are joined by Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn, guest instrumentalists and The Shirei Chesed Community Choir. The narration by Jane Mushabac is dedicated to her grandmother, Djoya Mushabac (1877-1958), from the Dardanelles in Turkey. Djoya, portrayed by Julie Benko, introduces 25 exquisite Ladino songs that colorfully depict the Sephardic life that flourished in Turkey after the expulsion from Spain in 1492. Learn more and buy tickets
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Maimonides and the Merchants: Jewish Law and Society in the Medieval Islamic World
Next on Tuesday, October 27 from 7-8:15pm in 5 North
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Please join AC and Minyan M’at member, Mark R. Cohen, Professor Emeritus from Princeton, for a fascinating journey to Medieval Egypt. Jews were deeply embedded in commerce, but Halakha had not yet developed forms well-suited to the realities of the contemporary marketplace. Exploring Maimonides’ writings, Islamic law, and texts from the famed Cairo Geniza, we will see how Rambam developed legal tools that enabled Jewish courts to lead their communities. Learn more and register
Course fee $100 (finances should never be an obstacle at AC. If you need to pay a reduced fee, speak to the office.)
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Rabbi Natalie Lestreger
Shabbat, November 13 and 14 at AC
Join us to learn with Rabbi Natalie Lestreger from Israel, a brilliant and brave teacher, whose journey has taken her from ultra-Orthodoxy to the Masorti rabbinate, including fierce civil disobedience to sexist rabbinic courts during her own divorce proceedings.
Friday Night Dinner: Liberal Judaism in Israel After the Elections
Saturday Lunch: Being a Zionist Jew Today
Register here by Tuesday, November 10 at 12pm to join the dinner.
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Shirei Shabbat Musical Kabbalat Shabbat Service
Friday, November 13 at 5:30pm
Please join us to begin our Scholar in Residence Shabbat with an evening of song and prayer, led by Hazzan Hirschhorn, as we support and elevate the voice of our community with rich harmonies. Come hear our special musical surprise!
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Blood Drive
Sunday, November 1 from 10am - 4pm in 5 North
Come donate blood with the New York Blood Center. It's a mitzvah, and it's easy: it takes only about an hour, and each donation can save up to three lives. Remember to eat, drink and bring your donor ID card or ID with name and photo. Make your appointment
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Welcoming and Aware Shabbat
Saturday, November 7
We invite the whole Ansche Chesed community to come together in the sanctuary at the end of our respective services for a special program on security and Jewish values. We will explain new security features and how to use them in case of emergency. Following this introduction, and throughout a joint Kiddush, members of the Welcoming and Aware Team will be available to take smaller groups through the building to show the standard features on each floor. The walk-through will not take long (15-20 min), and we encourage everyone to take advantage of it. Many members in our community participate in events on the 2nd and 5th floors, as well as in the chapel and Hirsch Hall, so these areas are especially worth seeing. We hope you’ll join us for this important Shabbat to help strengthen our shared commitment to making Ansche Chesed a safe, welcoming community for all.
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Celebrate Bill Meyers' New Book of Photographs, Civics
Sunday, November 8 from 10:30am - 12:30pm at AC
Join the community to hear longtime member Bill Meyers discuss his new book, Civics, in which he captures moments, over 25 years, of civic engagement in New York City. Speaking with Dan Asia, Bill will discuss why civic life was a natural subject, how his long-term experiences influenced his photography, why he chose to work in black and white, and how this project came together across a quarter century of photographing the city and its people. Books will be available for purchase and signing. RSVP by Friday, October 30
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The Future is Peace: Meet Peace Activists Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah
Wednesday, November 11 at 7pm at B'nai Jeshurun (257 W. 88th St.)
Join the New Israel Fund in partnership with AC, Congregation B'nai Jeshrun, and SAJ to hear from renowned activists Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah. Both Aziz and Maoz carry profound personal loss from the conflict. In the face of unimaginable grief, each made the extraordinary choice to reject vengeance and dedicate their lives to partnership and peacebuilding. The event will celebrate Maoz and Aziz’s relentless pursuit of justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians, and the publication of their new book, The Future is Peace. Learn more and RSVP
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Reflections Through Painting & Collage: Workshop with Amy Tenenouser
First on Sunday, November 15 from 10:30am-12:30pm in 5 North
In this painting and collage workshop series led by member and artist Amy Tenenouser, participants will be introduced to a range of artists and art historical periods while exploring painting and collage through memory, reflection, and Jewish spiritual ideas and culture. Drawing inspiration from still life set-ups and themes that spark imagination and personal life stories, participants will begin to build the foundation for their own unique form of creative expression. Register here
Save the date for future sessions on 12/27, 1/17, 2/21, 3/14, 4/11, 5/9, and 6/13.
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Intergenerational Mitzvah Knitting Group
Sunday, November 15 from 10-11:30am in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel
Knitters needed! Experienced and new knitters of all ages welcome: bubbies, bring your grandkids; kids – bring your parents. Please RSVP by emailing Emily.
Save the date for monthly sessions on 12/13, 1/10, 2/7, 3/7, 4/11, 5/2, and 6/6.
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AC Book Group
Wednesdays, 6 - 7pm at AC
Next Meeting: December 2: An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic by Daniel Mendelsohn
Join our in-person book group for literary conversation rooted in Jewish themes and storytelling. We’ll rotate facilitators (voluntary), and our discussions will be warm, thoughtful, and welcoming. All are welcome—members and non-members alike. Learn more and RSVP
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Volunteers Needed
Please consider signing up for a volunteer shift at the reopened shelter. Volunteer shifts are easy, with step-by-step procedures and an on-call volunteer to answer questions that come up. Learn more and sign up
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Weekly Talmud Class with Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky
Wednesdays from 7-8pm in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or on Zoom
Our Talmud class will celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, our Silver Jubilee! Please join us -- in person or via Zoom -- to study the 4th chapter of Berakhot, about prayer. This year, we will also bring material from the "other" Talmud, from the Land of Israel, and hope to enjoy seeing where the two works are converge or diverge. Learn more and RSVP
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Shirei Chesed Community Chorus
Wednesdays, 7:30 - 9pm in 5 North
Shirei Chesed Community Chorus continues to build community through learning a rich and diverse repertoire of Jewish music, bringing harmony to a 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. Our recent performances include classical programs with The Bachanalia String Orchestra, a jazz concert with The Afro-Semitic Experience ensemble and Oratorio Souls on Fire based on the book by Elie Wiesel.
For more information or to schedule an audition, email Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn.
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Rabbi Jules Harlow Parshat HaShavuah Class
Saturdays, 9am in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or on Zoom
Source Sheet (updated Friday afternoons)
Dedicated to Rabbi Jules Harlow, a great teacher of Torah and Jewish liturgy. Come before class at 8:45am for hot coffee and schmoozing!
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Caregivers' Circle, with DOROT Social Worker
Biweekly Wednesdays from 12 - 1:15pm at AC or on Zoom
This group is facilitated by DOROT social worker Jane Blumenstein, LCSW, to provide a supportive community where caregivers can connect and find strength. Whether caring for a spouse, parent, or another loved one, we're here to support you. Learn More and Register
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Parsha Talk
Join Rabbi Kalmanofsky and his buddies Rabbis Barry Chesler and Eliot Malomet for their weekly Parsha Talk. Watch the latest episode
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Weekday Morning Minyan
Mondays - Fridays at 7:30am
Sundays and Civil Holidays at 8:30am
in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or on Zoom
Join our WhatsApp group, which we'll post to when we need people.
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Misheberakh List
We invite you to add the names of your dear ones. Please re-submit them each English calendar month if you'd like us to keep davvening for them.
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Pre-Shabbat Climate Action from Jewish Climate Action Network NYC
Subscribe for weekly emails with a quick action you can take to support climate legislation, and a short reflection for Shabbat. View this week's.
| | Want to stay updated on Ansche Chesed's family programs and services? Subscribe to our "Family Programs" email list or see our Family Calendar. | | |
Heschel Community Orchestra
Tuesdays, 5 - 6pm at 30 West End Avenue.
The Heschel Community Orchestra is an opportunity for musicians in our community to play orchestral and chamber music together. Participants must have several years of experience with their instrument and be proficient at reading music. We would love for you to join us! Email avigail.malachi@heschel.org for more info.
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Demystifying Solar for Your Co-op or Condo, with JCAN NYC
Tuesday, November 10 from 7 - 8:30pm at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan or virtually
Hear from Noah Ginsburg, executive director of NY Solar Energy Industries Association about the power and possibility of solar on NYC buildings. Hosted by the Jewish Climate Action Network NYC, Noah and other experts will explain the incredible progress that has been made to install solar on our rooftops, and talk about solar installation and potential savings for you and your building. RSVP here
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DOROT's Aging Alone Together® in collaboration with Synagogue Partners
6 sessions on Zoom, 10:30am - 12pm
January 5, 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9
Join us for Aging Alone Together®, DOROT's flagship program for solo agers — individuals who, by choice or circumstance, expect to age independently. This virtual six-week series explores tools, strategies and support to help you prepare for the future through interactive presentations and group discussions. Each week covers key topics such as building community, preparing for future medical decisions, considering financial and legal matters, and exploring how to age at home or make a move. Whether you're aging without family, feeling alone, or seeking meaningful connections, we welcome you. This program is offered at no cost and in partnership with DOROT’s Synagogue Partners. Learn more and register
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