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Shabbat Lech-Lecha
November 9, 2024 / 8 Cheshvan 5785
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Kabbalat Shabbat Service: Friday, 5:30pm in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel | |
Minyan M'at Morning Services: Saturday, 10am in 5 North | |
West Side Minyan Hybrid Services: Saturday, 9:40am P'sukei D'zimra, 10am Shacharit on the 6th Floor or on Zoom | |
Mishpacha Service (Ages 0-4, with Parents): Saturday, 11am in 2 North | |
Yigdal Service (Ages 5-7, with Parents): Saturday, 11am in 2 South | |
Big Kids Service (Ages 8-12, Kids Only): Saturday, 11am in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel | |
TeleTefila Havdallah: Saturday, 5:26pm on Zoom | |
Sunday, 10am: Three Great Hebrew Poets, with Rachel Korazim on Zoom (Registration) | |
Tuesday, 7 - 8:30pm: Shirei Chesed Community Chorus in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel | |
Wednesday, 7pm: Talmud Class with Jeremy Kalmanofsky in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or via Zoom | | |
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Ansche Chesed is now on Instagram! Follow us (and like us on Facebook) for photos, events and more. | |
If this newsletter is cut off, click here to view in browser. | |
Mazel Tov to Leila Feldman, her parents, Amanda and Craig Feldman, and her sister, Maggie Feldman, on her Bat Mitzvah this Shabbat. |
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Join us in mourning our long-time member Anne Golomb Hoffman z'l, and in sending nechama to Anne's husband, Leon, and their children and grandchildren: Miriam and son-in-law, Steven Kleiner, and their children, Shoshana, Eli and Hillel, and Liora, son-in-law Rob Yalen, and their children, Max and Greta. |
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Thank You
A sincere and heartfelt thank you to Rabbi Justin Schwartz and the company Atlantic, for printing and donating the hostage banner we have displayed on the outside of our building, as well as an updated banner that will be put up before Shabbat.
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Annual Kol Nidre Appeal
This year has been immeasurably difficult for us, individually and collectively as a Jewish community. It has never been more important to support the institutions that we hold dear.
Ansche Chesed’s programs and operations during the High Holidays - and all year long - rely on the generosity of our community. Your Kol Nidre contributions help pay our dedicated clergy, educators, and office staff, as well as our hard working maintenance and security teams. They also ensure that our facilities are as safe, warm, and welcoming as the people and activities they host.
Please consider investing in Ansche Chesed and making a meaningful contribution to our annual Kol Nidre Appeal. We continue to thrive with your support and genuinely appreciate your generosity.
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Celebratory Kiddush
Shabbat, November 23
On the Shabbat before Thanksgiving, we’re going to thank members who make the Sanctuary service tick. This includes Joel Feuer (Sanctuary committee chair), the leyning coordinators (David Lock & Erica Fishbein), our Aliyah assigners (Tony Zak, Roberta Shapiro, Sheldon Lewis), the Shamash team (Rachel Tiven, Jeremy Goldman, Todd Chanko, Fran Gordon, Gurval Caer & David Tolchin), Bena Medjuck-Bruckner (candy distributor par excellence), Sandra Novick (for Sanctuary cleanup), our greeting coordinators (Nancy Reibstein, Gail Eisen & Steve Gross), the kiddush committee (Gail Eisen, Sara Krulwich, Deborah Kaufmann, Patty Goldman & Dawn Kellman) and all our gabbaim!
We’re asking sponsors to make a donation of at least $50 to join in the celebration. Questions? Contact info@anschechesed.org.
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PS 145 Library
AC is partnering with the public school on 105th and Amsterdam to create a library for their students. PS 145 serves many children who are economically disadvantaged and/or living in temporary housing. Some have experienced war or other trauma, having arrived from Central and South America, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries.
Here’s how you can make a difference in these children’s education:
Donate funds: We’ll purchase books for the circulating library. Thank you to those who have already donated.
Volunteer: Potential opportunities may include reading to students, sorting and shelving books, providing homework help, designing and painting a mural, planning a fundraiser, and organizing a used children’s book drive.
Donate books: AFTER we establish the circulating library, we’ll be holding a book drive to collect used children’s books (for grades pre-K through 5th grade) in excellent condition. These books will be for kids to take home to keep. Please note: neither the school nor AC can accept used book donations at this time.
Questions? Contact ps145library@anschechesed.org.
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AC Seeking New Facility Manager
We are looking for a new Facility Manager to oversee overall operation and maintenance of our building, including oversight of building systems and supervision of maintenance and security staff. Know someone who might be a good fit? More info and job application here. Feel free to share with your networks!
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Three Great Hebrew Poets, with Rachel Korazim
First Session: Sunday, November 10 at 10am on Zoom
Join us for a series exploring Hebrew poetry with the great poetry teacher Rachel Korazim, who will join us for three Zoom sessions from Tel Aviv.
Our first session will discuss Natan Alterman (1910-1970), one of the leading poets of the pre-state period and the first decades of Israel. Every Israeli knows Alterman for “The Silver Platter,” a 1947 work, iconically associated with Israeli independence and remembrance. But his work is hardly known in the Diaspora.
We will explore Alterman’s lyrical personal poems and the monumental “Seventh Column” – Alterman’s weekly writings in the newspaper Davar, poetic responses to many social and political issues of early Israeli life.
Register for the full series, or register for sessions individually using the links below.
Natan Alterman: Sunday, November 10 at 10am (individual session registration)
Leah Goldberg: Sunday, December 15 at 10am (individual session registration)
Haim Gouri: Sunday, January 19 at 10am (individual session registration)
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Lunch and Learn: Why is That in the Bible?
Monday, November 18 from 12:30 - 1:30pm in 5 North
Working remotely? Retired? Stay-at-home parents? Taking a day off?
Please join Rabbi Kalmanofsky for a monthly lunch-and-learn program to study some of the stranger passages in the Hebrew Bible. You’ll meet giants and sea monsters, psychedelic visionaries and stone-cold killers. We’ll retell the Torah’s dirty jokes, sexy poems and gruesome horror stories. Some of this material will raise important religious or moral questions. Most will be fun and funny.
Bring your lunch, according to the AC Kashrut policy, and we will provide cookies and drinks.
Save the date for future meetings on December 18, January 23, February 18, and March 12.
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The First Jew in Canada: A Trans Tale in NYC, with S. Bear Bergman
Monday, November 18 at 11am at 7:30pm at AC
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The First Jew in Canada is a storytelling event mapping the life of Jacques LaFargue, a trans Jewish 18th century historical figure whose existence challenges current perceptions of transgender history and identity. Through the lens of nine verifiable facts, this show weaves the historical records of Jacques LaFargue with the personal narrative of narrator S. Bear Bergman, a Jewish transgender man whose life mirrors Jacques’s in profound ways. From daring adventure to startling truth, each fact becomes a gateway to exploring broader themes of identity, history, and the desire to be seen.
Learn More and Register
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Jewish Values vs. Jewish Interests: A Post-Election Conversation
Tuesday, November 19 at 7:30pm at Congregation Rodeph Sholom (7 W. 83rd St.)
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With the elections over, where are American Judaism and the American Jewish community heading? Long-developing polarization and hyper-partisanship, amplified by local discourse around October 7 and the Israel-Hamas war, have led many to wonder if liberalism, American Jewish values, and Zionism are truly compatible, and if the Jewish community can survive as a collective enterprise.
Join Shalom Hartman Institute president Yehuda Kurtzer as he reflects on the post-election moment and offers a new framework for how American Judaism might continue to thrive in the future.
Learn More and Register
This is the final session of a series co-sponsored by Ansche Chesed and neighboring synagogues, with the Shalom Hartman Institute, to explore the implications of this defining moment on American Jewish civic identity.
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Ceramic Workshop: Menorah Making
Monday, November 25, 6:30 - 8:30pm
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave at 76th Street)
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AC is partnering with the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan for a pre-Chanukah Ceramics workshop. Join AC members at the JCC to create your own handmade Chanukiyah! This is a unique opportunity to express your creativity while celebrating the holiday in a meaningful way.
During the workshop, you will have the chance to craft a distinctive chanukiyah that reflects your personal style. Choose from our curated selection of glazes, and our skilled staff will expertly finish each piece for you.
Completed menorahs will be available for pick-up during the week of December 16, 2025.
Register here. Open to adults and teens ages 12+.
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"What do Jews Believe about Heaven?" with Rabbi Yael Hammerman
Tuesday, November 26 from 1:30 - 2:45pm in 5 North
In September, many of us grappled with “Questions You’ll Be Asked in Heaven” at least, according to the Talmud (Shabbat 31a). This has led us to another question: "What do Jews believe about heaven?"
Let's explore this great unknown together!
No Hebrew skills or background knowledge required. Just bring your curiosity -- we’ll provide the coffee, cookies and company.
Registration requested, walk-ins welcome.
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"Hatishma Koli: Can You Hear My Voice?"
Songs of Longing, Hope and Praise
Free Concert with Hazzan Natasha Hirschhorn and Shirei Chesed Community Chorus
With special musical guests
Nashirah: the Jewish Chorale of Greater Philadelphia
Artistic Director Dr. Julia Z
Sunday, December 8 at 4pm in the Sanctuary
In times of heightened animosity and political divisions, when we struggle to hear each other, two Jewish Community choirs invite you to experience diverse musical voices that long for connection, dare to hope and celebrate life. In 2018 the two choral collectives commissioned and performed “That Love” by the Palestinian musician and activist Wisam Gibran. Join us for an inspiring afternoon of harmony featuring an excerpt from Gibran’s monumental work, as well as exciting new commissions, Israeli and Ukrainian songs, and beautiful classical settings of the Jewish liturgy.
Learn More and Register
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Cookie Pledge for Goddard Riverside Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Make Your Pledge by Wednesday, November 20
Warm up your ovens and your hearts, it’s time to bake for the Goddard Riverside Community Thanksgiving Dinner. We are going to make COOKIES: 10,000 homemade cookies to be exact!
Make your pledge online if you (and/or your friends) can help.
When baked and packaged, cookies can be dropped off at St. Paul and St. Andrew church (263 West 86th Street) on Sunday, November 24 (12:30 - 5pm) or Tuesday, November 26 (4 - 7pm).
AC teens can participate at our special Cookie Baking, details below.
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Teen Cookie Baking for the Goddard Riverside Community Thanksgiving Dinner
Sunday, November 17 from 6 - 7:15pm in 5 North
Teens, come do a mitzvah while hanging out with your friends and eating delicious snacks! In collaboration with St. Paul and St. Andrews church and members of the larger UWS community, we are going to help bake thousands of cookies for the Goddard Riverside Community Thanksgiving Dinner. RSVPs to Aliza encouraged.
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Shirei Chesed Community Chorus
Tuesdays from 7:30 - 9pm in 5 North (Starting 7pm on December 5 and 12)
Shirei Chesed continues to build community through a rich repertoire of Jewish music, bringing harmony into the world that needs it more than ever. For more information or to schedule an audition, email Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn.
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Wednesday Night Talmud: Holy Books and Holy Time, with Rabbi Kalmanofsky
Wednesdays at 7pm in the Mayer Cavalier Chapel or via Zoom
This year we will study tractate Shabbat, Chapter 16, which addresses how to write and care for sacred texts.
If you want to purchase a copy of this text it is Artscroll vol. 4 or Koren vol 2F. We will also share electronic copies of the material.
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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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If you are looking for ways to help or resources addressing the ongoing conflict, check the Israel page on our website. | |
Stand Together Rally in Washington: Free Bus Available from Riverdale
Sunday, November 10
In partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America and the JCC Association, Riverdale will now be a "busing hub" for this Sunday's event. There will be buses to Washington, DC from Riverdale not only for residents of the Bronx, but also residents of Manhattan, Queens, Westchester and Stamford, CT. JFNA will be covering the cost of the buses.
There is still time to register for the event and to secure your spot on the buses from Riverdale, as well as registering for the event.
Please register as soon as possible at www.riverdaley.org/standtogether.
The deadline is this Friday, November 8 at noon.
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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
Please Note: Morning Minyan will start at 8:30am this Monday, November 11 for Veteran's Day.
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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Members may email us Shuk postings, sending a brief blurb including a member's contact info. Must be received by Tuesday at 3pm. Posts run for two weeks. | |
Despite our best efforts and extensive proofreading, we apologize for any errors or omissions. | | | | |
