Kol Hadash March/April 2012

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asj kue Jerusalem by Night

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Besides the many insights I have gained and the sheer pleasure of learning Talmud with such a fascinating group, this study has given me a new appreciation for nighttime.”

New Members Cook for the Shelter

MARCH/APRIL 2012 • ADAR/NISAN/IYAR 5772

Rabbi J. ROLANDO MATALON "From what time may we recite the Shema in the evening?" (Berachot 2a) These are the opening words of Talmud, and the rabbis usher us into a discussion about the experiences of evening and night. With exquisite sensitivity, the rabbis guide us through evening and night and call our attention to the light changes, to human concerns at the day's end, to the night's divisions, to its noises and its music, its dangers and its potential.

Why does the entire Talmud begin with the evening, when most human beings return home from their daily activities and get ready to get some rest and go to sleep, as opposed to the morning when we begin a new day? How is time established, does nature establish it or do humans?

What is the night for? What scares us at night? What does it open up for us? What does night represent? What is the relationship between night and prayer? Between night and study?

I had the privilege to explore these and many other questions during my three-month sabbatical in Jerusalem at Beit Midrash Elul with a group of about 25 people: academics, artists, businesspeople, educators, observant and non-observant, a few with advanced degrees in Talmud, others who are encountering the Talmud for the first time. Besides the many insights I have gained and the sheer pleasure of learning Talmud with such a fascinating group, this study has given me a new appreciation for nighttime.

PHOTO: BELINDA lASKY

New members prepare a meal for the BJ/SPSA Shelter, December, 2011. See page 14 for more information about this year’s new members.

During my time in Jerusalem, I rented a small apartment in the neighborhood of Nachlaot, which was established toward the end of the 19th century and where Jews arriving from Iraq, Kurdistan, Iran, Turkey, and Syria in the following decades made their residence. Right next to the colorful Machane Yehuda open market, Nachlaot is a charming neighborhood of narrow streets and alleys, old houses interspersed with a few modern buildings. Nachlaot contains a huge number of little synagogues, and it has been an incredible experience to pray there and discover the variety of customs and musical traditions. Every Shabbat I would get up at 2:45AM and walk the narrow streets of Nachlaot in order to attend the singing of bakashot. During the winter months, a crowd of about 120 people, ranging in age from 8 to 80, gathers at the Ades synagogue in Nachlaot on Shabbat at 3:00AM in order to sing a collection of 64 devotional poems, written over a span of 1,000 years, known as bakashot (petitionary poems or poems of supplication; le-bakesh—to ask, to request, to petition). The practice of Jewish devotional singing at night was quite prevalent in pre-expulsion Spain, and it was strengthened by the 16th-century kabbalists of Safed. It has been perpetuated until today by some communities, such as the Jews of Aleppo. For four hours, ending (continued on page 13)

Social Action/Social Justice. . . . . . 2-3 Community. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Executive Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Youth & Family Education. . . . . . . . 6-7 Purim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 The BJ Maintenance Team. . . . . . . . 10 Member Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Yom HaShoah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Membership. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Announcements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Contacts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

inside: Sylvia’s Story: A Path to Leadership........................................................................... 2 How BJ Is Measuring Success..................................................................................... 4 Dreams and Visions for Jewish Education­­.................................................................. 6 Confessions of a Purim Addict.................................................................................... 8 The Men Behind the Scenes at BJ............................................................................. 10 Meet Jeannie Blaustein, BJ’s New President........................................................... 11

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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MARCH/APRIL 2012

Social Action/Social Justice

Sylvia’s Story: A Path to Leadership

By Larissa Wohl

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he Aging in New York Hevra is one of two new campaign groups of Panim el Panim: BJ’s Community Organizing and Advocacy Initiative and Sylvia Vogelman is its newest co-chair.

Sylvia has been a member of B’nai Jeshurun since 1995, but it is only recently that our social justice volunteers have had the privilege of her leadership. We couldn’t be happier!

Larissa Wohl: Hi, Sylvia. Can you tell me a bit about how you came to B’nai Jeshurun.

What made you join?

aging parents, isolation, navigating benefits and services, accessibility, and the ability to retire and live with dignity after work.

These issues resonate for me, so I joined.

I work at the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit that counsels people who are on Medicare—people who are either elderly or handicapped or both. I felt I had a lot to bring to the committee, that it was a natural role for me to play—and at the same time, an opportunity to do something positive for the congregation.

Sylvia: I was looking for a synagogue that was inclusive of a whole community— and BJ fit the bill. I like and respect the rabbis, and I really like the spirit of the congregation. When I come into the shul on Friday nights something very special comes alive in me. And I sense that it’s the same for everyone in attendance. This is what I wanted from a congregation. I went to other synagogues, but they just didn’t feel right. I love the sense of openness; of being there all together.

Larissa: Have you ever volunteered at B’nai Jeshurun before?

Sylvia: I was a sleep-over volunteer at the BJ/SPSA Homeless Shelter for a year and then became a substitute volunteer. At that time, I had my own consulting business, so I could easily work the time into my schedule.

Larissa: But that wasn’t enough for you?

Sylvia: No. As much as I liked being helpful and doing direct service, it wasn’t enough.

I wanted to get even more active, and so when I saw the Panim el Panim Community Cafés advertised last spring, I decided to go. I attended and participated in those community conversations to learn more about what issues were most pressing in the BJ community. In the end they announced the formation of an Aging in New York Hevra in response to the palpable sense of anxiety in our congregation about aging, taking care of

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Larissa: Has joining the Aging in New York Hevra deepened your relationship to BJ and to other members as you hoped it would?

Sylvia: Yes. Or, I guess you could say, that all of the potential I had hoped to find is there for a deeper relationship. The committee is just starting, so we haven’t made much of an impact yet, but I’ve gotten to know some people who I wouldn’t have known before.

So, I’m beginning to build relationships, which makes me feel more connected to the community. And I’m gaining a deeper appreciation of BJ’s inner workings. It’s an amazing place.

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I wanted to get even more active, and so when I saw the Panim el Panim Community Cafés advertised last spring, I decided to go. I attended and participated in those community conversations to learn more about what issues were most pressing in the BJ community. “

Larissa: What does it mean to you to have taken on this leadership role?

Sylvia: I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility. I am—we all are—committed to making this happen. And I think it will be a great thing for the congregation and for the community.

I know how powerful volunteerism can be, how much of a difference an individual can make in an organization and in another person’s life. I was the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors for God’s Love We Deliver for more than 10 years, and I’m very proud of what we have been able to do. I feel the same way about my day job, as the Development Director for the Medicare Rights Center.

Larissa: Does your Judaism inform the work you’re doing or the other way around?

Sylvia: I think it’s because I’m a Jew that I feel that I want to give back. I feel a responsibility to my community and to my city. That’s why I got involved in God’s Love We Deliver, a nonprofit that 25 years ago began as an organization that delivered hot meals to people with HIV/ AIDS. I had friends passing away from HIV/AIDS. I wanted to help in any way that I could—raising money, working in the kitchen—and that was a feeling that I shared with all of the other volunteers. In fact, that powerful urge we all had to “do something” has helped the organization grow and evolve. Today, they also deliver meals to people with other serious illnesses, in addition to those with HIV/AIDS. We felt if we did such a good job for our original clients, why couldn’t we help others in need? (continued on page 3)

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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Larissa Wohl Introduces Herself

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ello! I’m Larissa Wohl, and I am excited to be the new Social Action Program Assistant working with Channa Camins in the SA/SJ Department.

I am fortunate to be working with the cochairs and volunteers of our CSA and our four direct-service programs: BJ Reads, the BJ/Ralph Bunche School tutoring partnership, the Judith Bernstein Lunch Program, and the BJ/SPSA Shelter. Despite having only been at B’nai Jeshurun for a few short months, I can already say that I’m beginning to feel a part of this community. As a former corps member in AVODAH: the Jewish Service Corps, I’m looking forward to grappling with similar issues around direct service and advocacy that both I and the nonprofit social service organization I worked for last year faced.

How do we, as individuals and as part of a larger community, make a significant change for the 30,000 homeless men, women, and children in NYC every day? I’m proud to be working with a synagogue that is committed to social action and social justice; a synagogue that has created both direct service programming and advocacy initiatives designed to address this and other issues our society faces today.

My work last year in AVODAH with N Street Village, a community of empowerment and recovery for homeless and low-income women in Washington, D.C., had a huge impact on how I view work in direct service and advocacy. Through this amazing nonprofit, I had contact with women whose stories taught me so much about the struggles of our society’s most vulnerable individuals. One woman, with whom I worked and developed a very close relationship, is a

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I’m looking forward to becoming part of an environment at B’nai Jeshurun that recognizes the need for both organizing community members and making a difference on an individual level.”

PHOTOS: DENISE WAXMAN

Larissa Wohl and Channa Camins.

current client and volunteer receptionist team leader in the Wellness Center. She, like many other Americans within the last few years, became sick, needed hospital care, and was subsequently fired from her job while in the hospital. Unable to afford her mortgage she lost her home and had nowhere to turn. She found herself at N Street Village where it took her many months before she regained the drive to get herself back on her feet and to involve herself in the community of women, but once she did, she found she was in a supportive, warm environment where she began to thrive. She began mentoring other women, started her own crocheting class, and took on more and more responsibilities.

For her, an organization like N Street Village is helping her back to where she needs to be to move out on her own again. It is direct service at its best. Unfortunately, not all social-service organizations like N Street

Village are as successful. Not all of them view homeless and low-income individuals as whole people. How do we replicate the organizations that are working? How do we utilize their models on a larger scale to affect change in a broader way?

My work this past year both solidified my faith in what social services are capable of accomplishing and forced me to continue thinking about how to reconcile the need for direct service and advocacy at the same time. It was difficult for me to want to affect change on a large scale, to fix the system which had failed many of the women I met, but to also focus on the daily needs.

I’m looking forward to becoming part of an environment at B’nai Jeshurun that recognizes the need for both organizing community members and making a difference on an individual level, whether it’s reading with a child once a week or providing a safe and welcoming space for 10 women at the shelter. My work has only just begun, but the discussions and important conversations are ongoing and I can only imagine what’s in store. n

Sylvia’s Story continued from page 2 Larissa: But BJ allows you to have a different kind of volunteer experience?

Sylvia: Yes, it does. It’s more than being willing to put in the time and effort.

There are other things at work here.

The spirituality is very powerful. I love going to synagogue. I love being part of the community. I love the vibe. And while the time I have available to be active is

fairly limited, the way the Aging in New York Hevra was being formed—through conversation, exploration, and planning—is right up my alley. It’s something I think is very worth giving time to.

Larissa: And when you’re not here, or at work or at another volunteer “job,” what do you do?

Sylvia: I’m a huge theater- and dance-goer.

And I love spending time with my friends.

For more information about how you can lend a hand in the advocacy efforts of the Aging in New York Hevra, please contact Sylvia Vogelman, svogelman@medicarerights.org or call x259. n

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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COMMUNITY

How BJ Is Measuring Success Compiled by Belinda Lasky

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he B’nai Jeshurun community is as strong and vibrant in spirit and action as ever. Together we reacquired the 89th Street building. Now, the rabbis and BJ’s leadership are busy planning for what comes next.

Last spring, a timely opportunity arose for BJ to take part in a special cohort of six urban and suburban New York synagogues through Synergy: UJA-Federation and Synagogues Together. UJA-Federation works in conjunction with Measuring Success, a firm with an excellent history working with synagogues to measure performance.

The critical tool of measuring performance was a community survey designed to assess our strengths and weaknesses. We invited members to complete the survey in May 2011 and were delighted that 48 percent of you took the time to share your thoughts and feelings around everything from our Shabbat and holiday services to social action/ social justice work to our Hebrew School

program. Measuring Success handled the data collection, analysis, and reporting. It also assisted in interpreting the findings and setting priorities for action.

The results of the survey are helping us to move from impressionistic to fact-based decision making. Its purpose was to: • measure our performance and perceived quality • identify key areas of strength and opportunity • create benchmarks against which to measure future performance • provide input into our process of continuous improvement and planning The feedback we received through the survey has been invaluable in better understanding the needs of our community, and your input and suggestions are being taken very seriously. Since the survey period, a team of dedicated lay leaders and professionals have participated in an intense process of data analysis and interpretation

to glean as much as we can from the survey data. We have held a number of meetings to review the survey results and discuss next steps. Here are some of the key findings that have emerged from this work: • BJ can do more to create a sense of welcoming and hospitable environment for everyone who walks through our doors.

• We need to do a better job creating an integrated community of children, teens, and adults.

These general observations from the survey data serve as a platform on which we will conduct secondary research around key topics and further analyze the data. We hope you’ll continue to be part of the process, and we will continue to update you. The May issue of the Kol Hadash will provide even more data results, so stay tuned. We appreciate your continued enthusiasm and assistance around helping BJ reach its full potential. n

Harold Goldman: An Appreciation

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driving force at BJ during one of the most momentous and transformative periods of our recent history, Harold Goldman helped us to return to our home at 89th Street. With that accomplishment complete he is now retiring from his position as Executive Director.

Harold came to BJ originally to assist us with the development department, which is his field of expertise, but very soon we realized that we had at home what we were looking for in a greater leadership position.

He has brought to the office wisdom, calm and serenity, an appreciation for the Jewish communal experience, as well as charm and elegance. He has the skill to navigate stormy waters with a sense of control and optimism;

his life experience and intelligence give him an ability to help others to see the bigger picture. Harold quickly earned the kavod, the respect, of our staff and lay leaders, and everybody who interacted with him has become a closer person to BJ. Harold: We say good-bye to you from the office with a deep sense of gratitude. We are all better because of the blessing of having worked with you. We are looking forward to having you and John at services without your needing to concern yourself about the dayto-day issues of the congregation.

With tremendous fondness and appreciation, — Rabbis and Staff

PHOTO: DENISE WAXMAN

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synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Steve Goldberg: Hitting the Ground Running

By Sian Gibby

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lthough Steve Goldberg laughingly says he’s not a morning person, you would never know it to talk to him bright and early on a Monday.

His enthusiasm for his new position at B’nai Jeshurun is so manifest in his manner—audible in his voice and forcefully articulated in his words—that you’re left with the unmistakable sense that he’s ready to hit the ground running as our new Executive Director.

“unique brand of spirituality and energy. I’ve heard it called an ‘avant-garde’ spirituality.”

With all the people he has met here, “there’s a passion and commitment that’s so evident and necessary—I don’t take it lightly. If people aren’t engaged on a visceral level, as they are here, then you won’t succeed in the same manner. You want people to find the value in what you’re doing… I would love to see us find ways to engage as many people in the congregation as possible.”

Asked about the opportunities and challenges facing BJ at this critical juncture in the congregation’s history, Steve spoke in a way that indicates he has given the topic a great deal of thought; ideas came pouring out of him. He knows how BJ got to where we are, and is in awe of our achievements.

And he brings a compassionate and refreshing perspective to his new duties born of his experience in the Jewish world (particularly in his years as director of Hadassah’s Executive and Member and Unit Services Divisions).

This experience provided critical lessons that will help him in his leadership role with BJ. One lesson has to do with the power of grassroots engagement, something he sees becoming of particular significance at BJ. The challenge, he explains, “will be to create the necessary balance. You don’t want to get so clinical about the business aspects of the congregation that you forget about the importance of doing creative and inspiring things to engage people. I’ve seen on the ground level [at Hadassah] what a movement can accomplish.” And he can envision how at BJ the grassroots power can be similarly harnessed. “One of the things I’m really looking forward to is further developing BJ’s brand of cutting-edge educational and social action programming.

It’s such an important and compelling corollary to the charismatic leadership of the rabbinate and hazzan.”

When I asked him what had impressed him initially about B’nai Jeshurun, he immediately mentioned the congregation’s

Steve spoke very appreciatively of his experience thus far at B’nai Jeshurun, getting to know the synagogue and its community. In particular he expressed his admiration for Jeannie Blaustein, her intelligence and warmth in welcoming him and getting him up to speed. “Jeannie has an incredible depth of understanding; not just of the challenges that face BJ, but of the amazing opportunities that exist to overcome them. I am thrilled to be partnering with Jeannie and this wonderful leadership team—the Board, the rabbis and hazzan, and all the dedicated professionals—to further develop and articulate a vision that aligns with needs of the community while striking a balance between thinking strategically and doing creatively.”

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One of the things I’m really looking forward to is further developing BJ’s brand of cutting-edge educational and social action programming. It’s such an important and compelling corollary to the charismatic leadership of the rabbinate and hazzan.”

He acknowledged the success of the capital campaign and how difficult it will be to fill Harold’s shoes. With Harold’s leadership, we reached the historic moment of purchasing the 89th Street building.

“I’m very excited about bringing everyone together into our new home. And what better gift to ourselves than to fill every inch of our new home with an energy and enthusiasm befitting this congregation—a vibrant and engaged congregation with an equally exciting and sustainable future.”

Steve, a native of Connecticut who has lived in Israel and worked at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv, has a degree in international relations with a concentration in cross-cultural negotiation from the University of Connecticut. His mother’s family left Spain during the Inquisition and settled in Jerusalem. Steve’s grandfather’s entrepreneurial spirit brought the family to Cali, Colombia, where his mother was born: She is a violinist and violin instructor, and Steve’s father is a retired middle-school principal. Steve grew up in a Conservative home, the third of four children. He currently lives on the Upper West Side with his longtime partner, Greggor Petrovic, and their pup, Grover. n Sian Gibby has been a BJ member since 2005.

She is the copy editor for Tablet Magazine and is writing a book about Jewish food.

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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YOUTH & FAMILY EDUCATION

Dreams and Visions for Jewish Education

By Ivy Schreiber and Emily Walsh

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s we began our respective journeys as Jewish educators, we each had visions of developing Jewish education defined not by the four walls of a classroom, but rather by the people, values, beliefs, and practices in our tradition. We envisioned educating a new generation to be knowledgeable, participating, committed, and dedicated Jewish leaders.

In their book A Jew Within, Dr. Steven Cohen and JTS Chancellor Arnie Eisen write, “American Jews speak of their lives, and of their Jewish beliefs and commitments, as a journey of ongoing questioning and development.” Our work at BJ gives us the opportunity to transform our goals for Jewish education into reality every day by supporting learners and families along that journey of ongoing development.

a year-long enriched learning track. Today, that track has become the annual Reach for Shabbat Retreat that brings all 3rd-, 4th and 5th-grade Hebrew School families to Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center each fall to experience a full Shabbat as a community. This year, we added a new pilot program to the retreat with a 6th grade B’nai Mitzvah family track. We continue to innovate, creating new opportunities for families to engage with our tradition as a community. One highlight for families is our ritualized opening program for 4th grade families to kick off the b’nai mitzvah journey.

We open up the entire Torah scroll and families find the place in the Torah that will be the child’s parasha (portion) when s/he is called to the Torah to become a bar/bat mitzvah.

Six years ago through the process of Re-Imagine, a project of the Experiment in Congregational Education that guides synagogues through innovation, the Hebrew School created an opt-in pilot program where 19 4th-grade families participated in

Our desire to innovate remains strong as we enter into the next chapter of BJ’s history.

We stand at the cusp of a great opportunity as we expand our vision, yet again, for Jewish education in our new Community Home on 89th Street.

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In 2012 we will pilot a Jewish Journey Project (JJP), a vibrant new model to transmit Jewish culture, language, and values.”

Now a great new opportunity is in the works. In 2012 we will pilot the Jewish Journey Project (JJP), a vibrant new model to transmit Jewish culture, language, and values. Together with the JCC in Manhattan and other area synagogues we have been working for months to create this project collaboratively. The launch of JJP will dramatically transform the traditional Hebrew School experience for children in the years leading up to b’nai mitzvah by drawing on the rich programming resources in the greater New York area to serve as a living learning laboratory for Jewish children and their parents. Rabbi Joy Levitt, Executive Director of the JCC in Manhattan and the visionary behind JJP says, “We look forward to creating new models that will work for children and parents, helping them grow and learn while strengthening Jewish life and community.”

Cohen and Eisen remark, “The most important thing a Jew should do as a Jew is to pursue a Jewish journey.” We are excited to now be designing maps for our learners’ and families’ Jewish journeys. Our early dreams and visions for Jewish education are coming to fruition. We will continue to explore the best and most innovative ways to bring Jewish practices and knowledge to life and so to inspire our learners and families on a path toward a committed Jewish life. n

PHOTOS: DARA Schaefer

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Left and above: At the Reach for Shabbat Retreat at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center, October, 2010.

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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Meeting Rabbi Marcelo

By Galit Ben-Joseph

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n Monday, Dec. 5, BJ’s Gan and Kitah Aleph groups had the very special opportunity to meet with Rabbi Marcelo. The students (ages 4-6) were invited to ask him any question they wanted. Some came prepared with questions, others thought on the spot.

Everyone eagerly awaited Rabbi Marcelo’s arrival, and when he got there, he joined the children on the floor, told us a little about his background, and then opened it up for questions. We learned that Rabbi Marcelo was at Camp Ramah for a very long time, until he was 30 years old! And that he studied Clinical Psychology!

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The students (ages 4-6) were invited to ask him any question they wanted.”

We also learned that he loves his job, especially when he gets to spend time with people. The part he likes least is reading through the hundreds of emails he receives every single day! Other questions included: “How many times have you read the Torah?” Answer: “Many.” and “How many times can you use a Havdalah candle?” Answer: “Depends on how flat or thick it is—sometimes, it can last for many, many times.” We concluded by taking an adorable picture of Rabbi Marcelo with all the children. Everyone had a fantastic time, and it was very special to be able to learn with our Rabbi. Rabbi Marcelo, thank you so much: You are amazing!

Galit Ben-Joseph is an investment adviser at Neuberger Berman and Professor at Yeshiva University. She lives on the Upper East Side with her husband, Neil, and two children, Rachel and Joshua. She first began attending services at BJ almost 20 years ago.

PHOTOS: Galit Lopatin Bordereau

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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PURIM 1994

Confessions of a Purim Addict

By George Klas

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t started off innocently enough when a newly minted rabbi asked me to help out with a Purim Spiel. It was 1987, and Roly had just joined Marshall to help re-build BJ. Our first effort, Robbery at Jeshurun Junction, was a forgettable spaghetti western. The following year we hit the hard stuff with our own script, Follow the Hamentash Road. So started a decadelong habit of shamelessly stealing ideas from luminaries such as Rodgers & Hammerstein, Walt Disney, The Beatles, and George Lucas.

High on success, we became more ambitious with the plays. We rented costumes, volunteers built sets, while choreographers, directors, make-up artists, and musicians added to the joy of standingroom-only audiences of kids and adults in outrageous costumes. Heady stuff for a bunch of amateurs.

But we had our challenges. One year the stage was extended to handle a larger cast.

Predictably, in mid-performance it buckled, the sound system failed, and a petrified Esther lost her voice. On another occasion a grand finale that took days to stage was overshadowed when a dramatic drop of hundreds of balloons was miscued and kids ran around wildly popping them. The pandemonium was delicious.

Over the years an odd assortment of characters graced our stage: a lamé -suited

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We rented costumes, volunteers built sets, while choreographers, directors, make-up artists, and musicians added to the joy of standingroom-only audiences of kids and adults in outrageous costumes.”

Elvis, meat-head goons, amorous lions, an aerialist flea, minstrels, Miss Ethiopia, Mayor Ed Koch, Barbra Streisand (actually sighted at BJ), and R2D2. All worked for scale.

Of the nine plays I wrote and produced, Purim Circus was my favorite. Two screwy clowns (guess who?) both named Biff, anchored a series of zany acts that included a weakling strongman, an opera singer who swallows a flea, a maestro conducting Beethoven with an orchestra of toy instruments, and a hot doo-wop group. In the name of art I took the prerequisite pie in the face. Bravo.

After years of Purim dependence it was time for rehab. So, in 1995 the tradition was handed off to the next generation of Purim junkies. n

1994

1991

George Klas, his wife Enid, and son Noah have been members since 1985. When not clowning around, he is a marketing consultant.

The photographs and program covers shown were provided by George and Enid and have been added to the BJ Archive.

Purim Spiels Revisited 1987...........Robbery at Jeshurun Junction

On Wild, Wild, West 88 St.

1991...........Purim Circus

A flea tamer and his daredevil star steal the show.

1988/94......Follow the Hamentash Road

Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

1992...........Miss Purim

A politically correct beauty pageant.

1989...........Sound of Purim

Unemployed social worker becomes a nanny to

NYC mayor’s adopted kids. Don’t ask.

1993...........Esther and the Beast

A beastly king is tamed by a brave woman.

1990...........Purim Wars

The BJ Force prevails with a little help from The Beatles.

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1995...........Purim, A Rock Musical

Graceland meets Shushan.

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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1994

Many contributed to my rich memories of our Purim Spiels. Apologies to those inadvertently left out.

1995

Purim Scenes From Years Past

Support Myriam Abramowicz, Elizabeth Amelkin, Jill Nathan Astrow, Seth Baumrim, Steve Brennan, Tami Crystal, Penny Dannenberg, Leonardo Farkas, Marta Felcman, Gene Ferrell, Carol Gelles, Jennifer Hakkov, Phyllis Katz, Mark Kaufman, Jonathan Memmert, Jill Nathanson, Ari Priven, Angela Racolin, Gabriela Ricardes, Mark Sameth, Helene Schingh, Ricki Segall, Roma Serdtse, April Stewart Klausner.

Ingenues Jonathan Berger, Danielle Bergman, Sophie Eisner, Rachael Ettenger, Noah Klas, Rachel Levi, Sarah Levithan, Susie Levithan, David Lieberman, Alexandra Newman, Lindsey Newman, Suzanne Polivy, Marianna Racz, Rachel Rosenthal, Rebecca Rosenthal, Danielle Segal, Jessica Segal.

Below: Cast party, 1990

Cast Ilana Abramson, Vivien Bacaner, Cherise Barri, Jacob Bender, Marion Capriani, Susan Bodnar, Phyllis Carson, Todd Chanko, Melah Gindl, Bruce Gitlin, Joyce Goodman, George Golden, Aviva Hay, Sigfrida Herma, Lydia Herman, Ed Joyce, Abigail Katz, Phyllis Katz, George Klas, Tamara Leeds, Esther Levi, Suzanne Levi, Nick Levitin, Roly Matalon, Sara Meyer, Sue Miller, Alison Pepper, Mark Perman, Kim Radsken, Jeff Roberts, Sam Schatsky, Laurie Schwartz, Jeff Segall, Nan Siegmun, Julie Siegmund, Johanna Skilling, Deborah Stern, Phil Turner, Nancy Wayne, Cindy Weiner, Hadassah Weiner, Tom Weiss, Marshall Wise, Elaine Zeldman.

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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THE BJ MAINTENANCE TEAM Roma Serdste

The Men Behind the Scenes at BJ

By Guy Felixbrodt

w

hen I started working at BJ, I assumed that we would all be under one roof—literally. It didn’t take long for me to realize that BJ has three “roofs,” between 88th Street, 86th Street, and the BJ office, and that during the High Holy Days BJ is in two additional locations! We wanted to discover a bit about the team that makes it happen against all odds of limited space and multiple locations, and who have been doing it faithfully for years—the building caretakers and maintenance staff.

All of the men on this team were born in the former Soviet Union, except for Damian, who was born in Poland. Damian communicates in English to the rest of the crew, who mostly speak to each other in Russian. Damian and Raman both take classes and like the flexible work schedule that allows them to combine work and study. Raman also volunteers in the NYPD as an auxiliary police officer. Both Mikhail and Dmitry love spending time with their respective grandchildren; Dmitry also enjoys visiting his family in Israel. Leonid is a graduate of the Soviet army academy and attained the rank of colonel there; when he wanted to join his family in the United States, his younger brother Vladimir suggested he join him working at BJ. The brothers are happy working together as literally a part of bigger Jewish family.

Lyubomir’s hobbies are fishing and traveling on his free time, and Solomon is an avid basketball fan and player. Boris likes it much better in America since it never gets as cold as it does in his birthplace: Siberia!

“

All of the men on this team were born in the former Soviet Union, except for Damian, who was born in Poland. Damian communicates in English to the rest of the crew, who mostly speak to each other in Russian.“

When asked about his men, Roma said: “I enjoy working with my team very much. I can rely on them anytime, especially when the unexpected happens. They always step up to the plate and put everything else aside till the situation is resolved!”

Raman Khaklou

Mikhail Kremerov

So, next time you see them at BJ, say “hi” or “privyet” (pree-vyet), and you can thank them in person for everything that they do to allow us all to enjoy our communal life at B’nai Jeshurun. n Damian Mazuchowski

Boris Serheyev

Lyubomir Mulyava

Dmitry Ziskin

Leonid Tayts

Vladimir Tayts

Solomon Tsveitel

PHOTOS OF B. SERGHEYEV & V.TAYTS: ROMA SERDSTE ALL OTHER PHOTOS THIS PAGE: DENISE WAXMAN

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synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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MEMBER PROFILE

Meet Jeannie Blaustein, BJ’s New President

By Susan Reimer-Torn

l

ithe and energetic, her youthful face framed in long curls, Jeannie’s manner is open, lively and unpretentious. She is assuming a leadership position at a crucial time in BJ’s history.

What, I wonder, has led her to devote all her time and considerable skills to this endeavor?

As she holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology, we begin with a chat about psychotherapy.

Although she remains a believer in its benefits, Jeannie is aware of some missing components, “We need a path to hope, optimism, connection, faith, community.”

Working in a hospice, she was struck by the need to address the spiritual needs of the dying. “Whether they were Jewish or not, people saw their lives in terms of a journey, there were powerful biblical themes that kept emerging.”

“

We, like the angels on Yaakov’s ladder, must move between the world of human affairs and the world of all that is sacred, holding a space for the awareness and honoring of both. “

Jeannie decided to complement her education with training in pastoral care and a Doctor of Ministry degree from HUC-JIR as well as four years of study with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality.

“Is it a tension? Is it a synergy?” Jeannie asks. Her own life reflects a quest for a synthesis between apparent polarities.

Jeannie was born into a prominent Jewish family in Baltimore who dedicated their commitment to Jewish life through philanthropy and volunteer work in local, national, and international organizations.

While the focus of her socially conscious family was outward, and Jeannie did spend a year in Israel during college, her early adult life was shaped largely by her clinical training as well as her more private practice of meditation and inner work.

When her first daughter Sophie was born in 1995, however, Jeannie felt a need to reconnect with Jewish tradition. She returned to the Shabbat traditions of her childhood, the celebration of Jewish holidays in her home with family and friends, and the search for a Jewish community. She is now the mother of two daughters, Sophie, 16 and Livia, 13, each of whom went through BJ’s Hebrew School, became a bat mitzvah at BJ, and is active in BJ’s Teen Service Learning Program.

She recalls that instant feeling of home when she and her husband Peter Bokor first came to a BJ Friday night service.

“The rabbis’ authenticity, the singing, the aesthetic—it was beautiful and real and accessible to us as a place of transformation of both oneself and the world. It felt like home. It was perfect.”

“Is it a tension? Is it a synergy?” At BJ, Jeannie was finally able to find a deeply satisfying synthesis between her belief in personal spiritual growth and her commitment to tikkun olam, “as well as a new understanding of the personal and communal power of mitzvot through the deeply engaging work of the Bikkur Holim committee.”

Jeannie thinks about synagogue leadership in a probing, original way.

“Is it an organization or is it a community?

Of course, it is both. This is a big part of the challenge,” Jeannie says. “On one hand, BJ is large and complex, so we need a professional level of organizational management. But we also need psychological and spiritual awareness when dealing with the needs, longings, and vulnerabilities that people inevitably bring to the place they call their extended family or spiritual home. BJ is a spiritual home and it is also a model community to the outside world. It’s a place where we celebrate newborns and bury our loved ones, where

PHOTO: DENISE WAXMAN

we worship, educate our children, and act in the world. It is also a guiding light to other institutions in a rapidly evolving Jewish world.”

Is it a tension? A synergy? Jeannie replies,“Marcelo put it beautifully during a recent Kabbalat Shabbat service: As Jews, we can never be all in one world at the expense of the other. We, like the angels on Yaakov’s ladder, must move between the world of human affairs and the world of all that is sacred, holding a space for the awareness and honoring of both. My hope is that at BJ, we will continue to hold this awareness as well, and move ahead in creating for ourselves a more effective and sustainable organization even as we deepen our commitment to BJ’s transformational mission of social justice, tikkun olam, spiritual growth, and Jewish tradition.” n Susan Reimer-Torn is an author and executive coach. She blogs on her travels with Roly in Talmud land and other things at susanrtorn.wordpress.com.

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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YOM HASHOAH

Each of Us Has a Name

BJ Yom HaShoah Commemoration Wednesday, April 18 | 6:45PM | 88th Street Sanctuary

By Zelda

The reading and hearing of the names of those killed during the Shoah will follow the Yom HaShoah service. A panel discussion will follow, featuring the BJ members who shared their personal stories of the Shoah at the Eileh Ezkerah service on Yom Kippur. The panel, moderated by Myriam Abramowicz, will discuss both the stories as well as the difficult logistical and emotional process of gathering and writing them.

Translated by Marcia Falk Each of us has a name given by the source of life and given by our parents Each of us has a name given by our stature and our smile and given by what we wear Each of us has a name given by the mountains and given by our walls Each of us has a name given by the stars and given by our neighbors Each of us has a name given by our sins and given by our longing Each of us has a name given by our enemies and given by our love Each of us has a name given by our celebrations and given by our work Each of us has a name given by the seasons and given by our blindness Each of us has a name given by the sea and given by our death.

Zelda Schneersohn Mishkovsky (June 20, 1914-April 30, 1984), widely known as Zelda, was an Israeli poet. She received three awards for her published works.

Published here with permission from Marcia Falk, The Spectacular Difference: Selected Poems. Trans. Marcia Falk.

Cincinnati, Hebrew Union College Press, 2004.

Page from a book of names of those killed during the Shoah.

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PHOTO: DENISE WAXMAN

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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PHOTO: Yahel Matalon

Jerusalem by Night RABBI J. ROLANDO MATALON at 7:00AM when the time for Shaharit arrives, the singing goes through the variety of middle-eastern musical modes, with each side of the congregation alternating in call and response, interspersed with short improvisations by expert hazzanim. Tea is passed around in trays, and eventually the changes of light become perceptible until the sun comes out. These are the fastest four hours I have ever experienced.

Being immersed in religious poetry and song at a propitious time for the soul, from the darkest time of the night until dawn, when everything around is quiet, was one of the most significant of my sabbatical experiences.

continued from page 1

Yehuda Amichai, the great 20th-century poet of Jerusalem wrote: “Jerusalem is built on the vaulted foundations of a held back scream. If there were no reason for the scream, the foundations would crumble, the city would collapse.

If the scream were screamed, Jerusalem would explode into the heavens.”

Jerusalem has much to scream about: the absence of peace, endless strife among its communities—haredim, secular Jews, Ashkenazim, Oriental Jews, Palestinians— injustice and inequality and discrimination, demolition and evictions, poverty and

hunger, the growing religious zealotry that segregates and humiliates women, as well as the mounting, ugly winds of an antidemocratic nationalism.

In the narrow alleys, in the cold of the Jerusalem winter nights, the held-back scream has penetrated my soul, as well as the bakashah for a hope that is still elusive.

Our faith seeks to turn oppression into redemption, darkness into light, scream into song. Perhaps that is why the Talmud begins by discussing the evening Shema.

May we learn to bring about the Shema of a new dawn. n

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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MEMBERSHIP

Welcome! BJ welcomes new members to the community (as of November 2011): Andrea Adelstein Cara Akselrad Michael Anstendig and Hanna Lee Angie and Norman Atkins Laura Ballance Kate Ballen Anna Bank Michael and Margaret Bayer Richard Behfarin Nancy Beltrandi Brett Benowitz Manor Ben-Shaul Naomi Berkowitz Alexandra Berman Genya Bernstein Rebecca Blum Barbara Bock Jonathan Bock Matthew Bock Abram and Melissa Bohrer Ron Bondy Elise Bornstein Laurence Bromberg and Renee Rachelle

Jessica Feldman Alexander Fellman Nancy Fried Mitchel and Meggan Friedman Andrew Garland Lisa Gelber Adam and Sarah Gerber Michael and Rita Gerber Orly Gilat Sara Giovanitti Robert and Cecilia Gluck Allison and Gary Goldenstein Steven Goldman Maia Gottesfeld Seth Greene Laurabeth Greenwald Scott Greiper and Angelica Mojarro Harold Grinspoon and Diane Troderman Jonathan Grossberg Aaron Grossman Steven Grossman Olivia Grubman

At the November 2011 New Member Orientation Program.

Barry Brown Eduardo Butelman Judy and Matthew Cahill Steven Cohen and Kirk Iwanowski Ariana Cooper Debra Cooper Casey Corey Paula Crane Jaime Davidovich Samantha Dines Allie Drabinsky Marcy Drogin Miriam Duron Steven East and Katie Cone Tamara Epelbaum Benjamin Everett Nasim Farjad KOL HADASH

PHOTO: HARRIET R. Goren

Laurie Gruhn and Ira Feinberg Nicole Hadad Avery Halfon Scott and Lauren Henkin Anne Herlick Beth Herz Allyson Himelstein Elisheva Hirshman-Green and Steven Finston Joshua and Alison Holden Yael Holoshitz Eveline Hunt Josh Hurwitz Ana Ines Leibovici Estelle Irwin Joan Jablow Laura Jacobs

Jordan Rochelson Adam Roffman and Shira Wallach Eleanor Rooks Lois Rooks Deborah Rosenbaum Ari and Jennifer Rosenberg Viki and Jon Rosman Joseph and Wendy Rosner Howard Roth Alana Rouff Jesse and Keri Ryback Rollene Saal Melanie Sackheim Jessica Safir Barbara Schwartz Jonathan and Oriyan Schwartz Daniela Sciaky and Reed Corderman Alona and Lacarya Scott Ellen Selditch David and Lori Sherman Marjorie Siebert Bradley Silver and Michael Franco Itorye Silver Rosalind and David Silver Audrey Simons Marilyn and Jim Simons Sharon Sklar Laura and Andrew Slabin David and Michele Slifka Robert Dolman and Heidi Slimm-Dolman Aaron Smargon Aaron Soffin Sandra and Alexander Southwell Marlene and Arthur Spielman Thomas Stanton and Martha Zaslow Miriam Steele Gregory Stein Carol Stella Samara Stern Bill Swersey Elizabeth Szaluta Barbara Taranto Caryn Teitelbaum Meryl Teitelbaum Marjorie Tiven Ina Torton Rachel Travis and Michael Chiert Josh Trutt Tor Tsuk Ria Van Ryn Jesse Weinberg Benjamin Weiss Shira White Harry Zlokower Jeremy Zweig

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The Kol Hadash is published every other month. We would love to print your stories and articles about BJ! For submission guidelines, contact communications@bj.org. All material is the property of B’nai Jeshurun and cannot be reprinted without permission.

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Seth and Lindsay Jacoby Lisa and Steven Jaffe Simon Jaffe Steven Solomon and Moira Jaffe-Solomon Barbara Jerud-Lorch Rachel Kaplan David Katz and Lauren Hurvitz Nancy Kaufman Madelyne Kirch Ilana Kirschbaum Sue Koch and Kiyoshi Otsuka Allison Kohn Shanna Kowalsky Dan Kramer David Kravitz and Lisa Fernandez Lindsay Kulla Sarah Kurz David and Amy Landesberg Lucy Langenkamp and David Feldman Ruth and Ira Langer Cheryl Lazarus Barry Le Vine Rebecca Lederhausen Luciana and Alon Lederman Robert Leventhal Evan Levine Alice Lewin Joseph Litman Jonathon and Michelle Luft Stacy Malin Stacy Menzer Joshua Meredith and Emily Metz-Meredith Jenna Michael Lesley Michael Sandra Michael Hilary Miller Laurence Miller and Karina Romao Ari Mintz Katherine Moss and Douglas Hochstadt Marilyn Moss and Sam Hanson David and Wendy Nanasi Saul Nathan-Kazis Michael Nazarian Rachel Nazarian Rachel and Gregory Obenshain Jesse Paikin Adena Philips Bill Platt Caroline Racond Margaret Ray Joshua Rechnitz David Rochelson Ellis Rochelson

The Kol Hadash is printed using soy-based inks on 50% recycled paper by an online, eco-friendly printer at a substantial cost saving compared to traditional printing methods.

Designer: Harriet R. Goren

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mazal Tov To the following members and their families on their B’nai Mitzvah (January and February): Gabriel Barnett

Condolences (through January 27) The community of B’nai Jeshurun mourns the death of our beloved members: • Arthur Margulies, and we extend sincere condolences to his family, Hannah Margulies, Sharon Feuer, and their families.

Max Schatsky

• Otto Knoller, and we extend sincere condolences to his wife, Lotte Knoller, and their entire family.

Aurie Greenberg

To the following members and their families (through January 27):

• Hazzan Mordechai Schram and Sonia Gordon-Walinsky and Peninnah Schram on the birth of their son and grandson, Yitzhak Eliyahu.

• Susan, Stephen, and Joanna Samuels and Jeremy, Natan, and Orli Hockenstein on the engagement of their daughter, sister, and aunt, Alicia Samuels, to Eric Rosenstock.

• Peter Geffen and Karan Kessler and Jonah Geffen and Julia Mannes on the engagement of their son and brother, Dan Geffen, to Luanne Tyzzer.

• Isabelle Sarah Kish (3rd Grade, BJHS) on being selected as a finalist in the 2011 Yaldah Magazine Jewish Fiction Contest.

• Joseph and Wendy Rosner on the birth of their daughter, Naomi Brooke.

• Mira and Barry Schlein on the birth of their granddaughter, Arden Rose.

• Wendy Leiser and Robby Dykan on their recent engagement.

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• David Hochman, and we extend sincere condolences to Joan Hochman and Christopher Reid, Marcia Hochman and Joel Mitnick, and their families.

• Bonnie Goldman, and we extend sincere condolences to her husband, A. David Lori, her daughter Hilary, and their entire family.

The community of B’nai Jeshurun extends sincere condolences to the following members and their families: • Michael and Rita Gerber on the death of Michael’s father, Robert Gerber.

• Amy Moses and and Linda Moses and Arthur, Eric, Jason, and Matthew Gurevitch on the death of Amy’s and Linda’s mother, Carol Moses.

• Dov Bronner and Shula Wiener and Danielle, Arielle, and Michael Bronner on the death of Dov’s father, Gamiliel Bronner.

• Cindy Wachenheim and Hal Bacharach on the death of Cindy’s father, Kurt Wachenheim.

• Cindy Levy on the death of her stepfather, Herbert Steinhardt.

• Bruce and Marsha Noble on the death of Bruce’s brother, Ken Noble.

• Jeffrey, Chirona, and Manny Silverstein, Erin Santana, and Stacie Deiner on the death of Jeffrey’s father, Herbert Silverstein.

• Robin Glasser Sacknoff on the death of her daughter, Tray Glasser.

• Melvin Prostkoff and Helen Hanan on the death of Melvin’s mother, Edith Prostkoff.

• Peter Goldman and Peter Eckert on the death of Peter’s father, Eugene Goldman.

• Suzanne Levy and her entire family on the death of her father, Marvin Levy.

• Kathleen Peratis, Richard Frank, Dimitri, Ellen, Stephen, and James Willert, Katherine Peratis Willert, Samuel Peratis Frank, Julia Peratis Frank, and Christopher Spannaus on the death of Kathleen’s mother, Mae Peratis.

synagogue: 257 W. 88th St. • office: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), Suite 203, New York, NY 10023 • tel : 212.787.7600 • fax : 212.496.7600 • website : www.bj.org

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 530 New York, NY

2109 Broadway (Ansonia) • Suite 203 • New York, NY 10023

KOL HADASH new voIce • . ­ YNAGOGUE: S 257 West 88th Street OFFICES: 2109 Broadway (Ansonia), #203 Main Telephone Number 212-787-7600 Fax Number (2109 Broadway) 212-496-7600 Website www.bj.org Rabbis: J. Rolando Matalon Marcelo R. Bronstein Felicia L. Sol Hazzan and Music Director: Ari Priven

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MARCH/APRIL 2012

Committees & Services: Accounts Payable........................227 Accounts Receivable...................237 Adult Education Information..... 233 Bar/Bat Mitzvah..........................223 Bikkur Holim...............................233 BJ Reads.....................................391 Communications.........................275 Community Programs................255 Conversion..................................261 Daily Minyan................................232 Development & Donation Information.........228

88th Street Rental.......................255 Family Activities: Hotline............318 Hakhnasat Orhim........................255 Havurot.......................................255 Hevra Kadisha . ......................... 233 Homeless Shelter......212-339-4250 Interfaith Committee ................ 379 Kiddush Scheduling....................255 Kol Jeshurun...............................275 Kol Hadash..................................275 Life Cycles...................................233 Lunch Program...........................338 Mekusharim................................224

Membership Information............224 Ralph Bunche School Partnership........................... 301 Social Action...............................259 Teen Programming.....................253 Torah/Haftarah Reading.............232 Tze’irim ..................................... 264 Ushering.....................................233 Visiting Groups............................250 Volunteer Information................255 Youth & Family Education..........225

Director of Events: Guy Felixbrodt, x255

Board of Trustees: Jeannie Blausteinº President

Beth Kern Henry Meer Bernie Plum Irv Rosenthal Jack Stern Emily Weiss Michael Yoeli

Interim Director of Development: Arlene Swartz, x228 Director of Communications: Denise Waxman, x275

BJ Rabbinic Fellows: Jonah Geffen, x262 Adam Roffman, x261

Director of Administration & Finance: Ron Seitenbach, x226

Cantorial Intern and Teen Educator: Shoshi Rosenbaum, x242

Director of Facilities: Roma Serdtse, x258

Executive Director: Steve Goldberg, x266

Assistant to Rabbi Matalon: x234

Assistant Executive Director: Belinda Lasky, x224

Assistant to Rabbi Bronstein and Hazzan Priven: Naomi Goodhart, x240

Director of Education for Youth and Family: Ivy Schreiber, x225

Assistant to Rabbi Sol: Sarah Guthartz, x233

Director of Social Action/ Social Justice: Channa Camins, x259

Assistant to Executive Director Steve Goldberg: Jacob Shemkovitz, x256

Jonathan Adelsbergº Chair Sally Gottesmanº Vice President Joel Kazisº Vice President Stephen Stulmanº Vice President Debra Fineº Treasurer Andrew Littº Secretary Katie Boyar Robert Buxbaum Anne Ebersman Christina Gantcher Barbara Glassman Sofia Hubscher

Honorary Trustees Virginia Bayer* Ted Becker* Frederic Goldstein Marcy Grau* David Hirsch* Richard Janvey* Robert Kanter Joan Kaplan Susan Kippur* Sara Moore Litt* Naomi Meyer Judith Stern Peck* General Counsel Richard Kalikow º Executive Committee Member * Past President