Shalom KJ - The Shavuot Issue

Love in the Shadow of Death: The Story of Ruth

By Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz

All of life is a footnote to love and death.

These two poles of existence overshadow everything else; love creates life and death takes it away, filling our lives with joy and sorrow in unending succession.

It is easiest to consider love and death separately, as two very different chapters of life; and emotionally, they are worlds apart. Halakhah reflects this instinct and treats mourning and celebration as irreconcilable opposites. Mourners don’t attend celebrations and parties, and the joy of the holidays terminates shiva. The heart cannot accommodate both joy and grief at the same time because both love and death inspire intense, all-encompassing emotions.

Love is intoxicating. Shir Hashirim, the Song of Songs, portrays the exceptional power of love, with couples who are “lovesick” and unable to act rationally. And this reality repeats itself over and over in history. When Jacob falls in love with Rachel, he dramatically overpays for her dowry, offering to work seven full years for her hand. Even so, Jacob imagines that he is the one who is getting a bargain, because he is so much in love with Rachel; the seven years seem like a small price to pay for Rachel’s hand in marriage. Jacob is blinded by love.

William Blake captures this mindless blindness in a short poem: “Love to faults is always blind, Always is to joy inclin’d, Lawless, wing’d and unconfin’d, And breaks all chains from every mind.” Love hatches remarkable dreams that fly in every direction; with love nothing seems impossible. Lovers are oblivious to reality and live in their own two-person universe, just like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Death brings a blindness of its own. When King Solomon writes the book of Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, he begins with a lament about the pointlessness of life; as Rashi puts it, “The author of Kohelet issues a complaint against the seven days of creation, that (the world) is all a vanity of vanities.” Death, the question without an answer, confounds him. What point does life have, Kohelet asks, if the righteous man meets the same end as the wicked, and the wise man has the same fate as an animal?

(The bitter, skeptical tone of Kohelet seems out of place in the Tanakh; I sometimes wonder if the purpose of Kohelet is to expose us to our own bitterness and cynicism, to recognize that hope will disintegrate without faith.)

Whenever one looks death in the eye, optimism and joy quickly evaporate. Franz Rosenzweig notes how life stands in the shadow of death, and “all that is mortal lives in fear of death… each newly born waits with fear and trembling for the day of its passage into the dark…every new birth multiplies the fear (of death) ...for it multiplies that which is mortal.” When one enters the realm of death, a cold cynicism descends, choking off any experience of joy.

The poetry of Shir Hashirim and the acerbic philosophy of Kohelet each deserve their own book; they faithfully explore the experiences of passion and despair. And because the emotions of joy and grief are opposites, we assume that the experiences of love and death are utterly incompatible. But they are not.

A third biblical book, the Book of Ruth, brings death and love together. In it, a family moves from Israel to Moab, where the sons take Moabite wives for themselves. In short succession, this family is devastated by death, with the father and his two sons passing away at a young age. Alone and impoverished, one of the son’s wives, Ruth, returns with her mother-in-law Naomi to Israel. Ruth abandons her homeland to remain with her beloved mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth persists despite discrimination and desperation and insists that she will perpetuate her husband’s family’s legacy; and in the end she does just that. She marries a relative of her husband’s, Boaz, and the family continues; their great-grandson is King David.

The Book of Ruth is not just a book of love and death; it is a book about a different type of love, love in the shadow of death. After the family’s tragedies, Naomi succumbs to cynicism; she even suggests she should rename herself as “bitter.” Ruth refuses this path; she battles with the angel of death. Ruth teaches us how to pursue redemption in the valley of the shadow of death.

The Hebrew word for redemption, ga’al, appears multiple times in the Book of Ruth, because it is a book about redemption, ones both large and small. By remarrying and bringing grandchildren to Naomi, Ruth redeems and rebuilds a once broken family. And later, her descendant King David will be the very symbol of Messianic redemption and bring redemption to the nation as a whole.

Ordinarily, death erases life, and destroys all that love has built. But in redemption, it is love that gets the final word, staying one step ahead in a cosmic wrestling match. It is when you continue to love after a tragedy, when you courageously pour your broken heart into rebuilding a broken world, you have taken the first steps on the road to redemption.

The very foundation of Jewish history is redemption; it is the story of a people who, despite having every reason to be bitter and cynical, continued to rebuild and repair. This has never been more evident than in the past century. Crushed by the Holocaust, it would have made sense for the Jews to give up. Instead, following Ruth’s example, they built the State of Israel, a modern-day miracle of redemption.

Last year, I joined the Ramaz Upper School mission to Israel, together with nearly 500 students and teachers. Israel is filled with stories of redemption, both large and small. At Tel-a-Saki, the site of one of the fiercest battles of the Yom Kippur War, we were told about the heroism of the soldiers who fought there. Three tanks, under the command of Yoav Yakir, held off hundreds of Syrian tanks for nearly two days, giving the army precious time to reinforce their defenses on the Golan Heights. Even after it became clear that they were no longer able to hold off the Syrians, Yoav chose to fight as long as possible, and fell in battle. After the war, a member of Yoav’s unit, Yitzchak Nagarker, had a baby boy. (Yitzchak is a war hero in his own right, with his own incredible story of courage.) At the bris, Yitzchak invited Yoav’s father to be the sandek; and he named his firstborn Yoav, in honor of his fallen comrade. “Love is as strong as death” and is the very instrument of redemption; and Yoav’s legacy continues to live on in Yitzchak’s son.

Our mission prayed at the Kotel that Friday night, just a day before Yom Yerushalayim. Through hundreds of years of exile, the passion the Jewish people had for Jerusalem never wavered. They continued to dream of this place, to declare l’shanah haba’ah b’Yerushalayim, “next year in Jerusalem.” And on June 7, 1967, for the first time in 1900 years, that dream came true. An Israeli flag was raised over the Kotel. With tears in their eyes, the exiles had returned to Zion. The Kotel is the ultimate monument to redemption, and its stones whisper, Am Yisrael Chai, the Jewish people live on.

After services on Friday night, the Ramaz students gathered in the plaza, waiting to walk together as a group to Shabbat dinner. Then something remarkable happened. They gathered in one large circle, singing Jewish songs for a half an hour; other visitors came over to watch this moment of inspiration. At that moment, the students were making Ruth’s legacy their own. They were singing the song of redemption, continuing an undying love story that has lasted for thousands of years. •

ANNUAL MEETING BRINGS KJ’S 150TH YEAR TO A CLOSE

50 New Member Households Welcomed into the KJ Family

The 151st Annual Meeting on Wednesday, March 29, was comforting in its sameness when compared to pre-Covid gatherings. After so many years of making adjustments to a beloved tradition to accommodate social distancing and to prevent the spreading of the virus, we welcomed a big crowd to the Heyman Auditorium to celebrate KJ tradition and decorum.

Following are the highlights of the meeting - from the Invocation to a Collation of hot dogs, knishes, and ice cold beer, compliments of Foremost Caterers - and a musical interlude by the Kol Ram Community Chorus, that will impart the spirit of our membership and leadership.

Invocation

by Rabbi Roy Feldman

In this vein have those who revere the Lord been talking to one another. The Lord has heard and noted it, and He has written a book of remembrance concerning those who revere the Lord and esteem His name.

Thus said the prophet Malakhi in the Haftarah we will read this coming Shabbat, Shabbat Hagadol.

We gather here today as members of a sacred community that strives to serve God and His Torah. We are grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the past year, our 150th as a congregation, to celebrate our achievements and to plan for the future.

: Just as the Lord has written a book of remembrance, so too we have written our book of remembrance. In one sense, literally, a just published, magnificent bound

book sharing the history of our community. Beyond that, our book of remembrance included a dinner celebrating our committed lay leadership, programs celebrating our synagogue’s historic significance in world events, and even a Proclamation by the Mayor of New York City establishing Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun Day.

Those who revere the Lord talk to each other.

As we conclude our 150th year, we pray that we may be among those who revere the Lord and esteem His name. May we speak with one another with respect and kindness, as befits a holy congregation. May we listen to each other with openness and humility. With all of the division in the world, may KJ be a voice for moderation and unity as we, yir’ei Hashem, talk to each other.

Eternal God, as we begin this meeting, please grant us wisdom, courage, and unity. Please help us to fulfill our mission and vision as a congregation. And please bring peace and prosperity to our community, to Israel, and to the world. Amen.

"Love in the Shadow of Death," continued

Induction of New Members

Yaira Singer presented new members for community approval.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRANTS TRIBUTE

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein acknowledged the following milestone anniversaries:

JoBeth & William Abecassis

Liat & David Bengio

Rachel Elgazi & Yosef Aviv Cohen

Roza & Norman Chideckel

Danielle & Justin Cooper

Lindy & Josh Dembowitz

Noemie Elhadad

Kimberly & James Englund

Avital Szulc & Jonathan Garshofsky

Jonathan Greenstein

Pearl & Ron Gross

Mary & Ben Gutkovitch

Lara & Ben Guzik

Jaclyn & Daniel Haddad

Marilyn Haft

Chloe & Isaac Harrouche

Randi & Dan Hefter

Sally & Keith Hoffman

Rachel & Ari Kaissar

Irina Klionsky

Shelley Poniachek & Arcady Lapiro

Jonathan Levinson

Rubin Levinson

Evan Lieberman

Molly & Zach Mandel

Chaviva & Jeremy Mehl

Jordana & Avi Moche

Sara & Aaron Moskowitz

Catherine & David Moussazadeh

Sivan Aloni-Olidort & Julian Olidort

Joanne & Eli Papir

Nechama Pielet

Joseph Potasnik

Dr. Bradley Rauch

Aleeza & Matthew Reichel

Issa Saunders

Oliver Schwalbe

Nirit Weiss & Michael Shaoul

Lara & Matt Sherman

Britt Zaffir & Judah Siegal

Joyce Swartz

Claire Moskowitz & Daniel Tavakoli

Orit & Warren Teichner

Gil Treger

Ronnit & Nick Vasserman

Ilana & Michael Verstandig

Dr. Sarah Lieber & Jonathan Wachter

Larissa Marco & Joseph Wallins

Deborah Aschheim & Robert Weiss

Sima Wilensky

SIXTIETH

Ruth Lewittes

FIFTIETH

Harvey Arfa

Mark Brecker

Raquel Oppenheim

Brigitte Rosenthal

FORTIETH

Lillian Applebaum

Ruth Brod

Gerald Cohen

Marylene & Alan Friedman

Wendy & Sholem Greenbaum

Rhoda Cohen & Asher Haymovits

Sharon & Howard Katz

Noemi & Daniel Messing

Barbara & Mayer Moskowitz

Gail Propp

Florence & Robert Rothman

Adina Cimet Singer & Michael Singer

Ralou & Ronald Stern

Gerard Tugendhaft

TWENTY-FIFTH

Lawrence Adolf

Wilma & Kenneth Aschendorf

Corinne & Jeffrey Ascherman

Victor Benel

Elana & Aryeh Bourkoff

Judy Schwartz & Michael Brizel

Sherry & Neil Cohen

David Fields

Zella & Glenn Goldfinger

Jill & James Haber

Karen & Michael Hershkowitz

Rochelle & David Hirsch

Michele & Stephane Ifrah

Wendy Kruger Yadid

Cathy & Marc Lasry

Fran Margolin

Jacqueline Muss

Judith & Daniel Ottensoser

Charmaine Rapaport

David Rapaport

Hannah & Jonathan Shapiro

Jody & Ari Storch

Elana Unterman Newman

Alice & Leon Wildes

Gail Suchman & Jerald Zimmerman

The President’s Report

As I mentioned last year when I was inaugurated, I am very humbled to serve in this position. My predecessors, one of whom is here, set a great example of service to the community. It is also very gratifying for me to see our dedicated clergy and staff, officers, trustees and members, all working together for the benefit of the community.

My message to you is as follows: in our 151st year, and after three years of Covid, KJ is back – in ways big and small.

When I was inaugurated last year, I said that our goals should be: First: returning members to the Synagogue. And second: serving the needs of our community and of the broader Jewish community – as KJ is a leading, if not the leading, Modern Orthodox synagogue in the country.

I am pleased to report that our membership is returning, both in terms of numbers and in terms of engagement. If you come to KJ on a Shabbat or on a Chag, our services are full. And it’s not just one service as it was 40 years ago – it’s eight different services!

We have an extraordinary Benevolent Fund, the Sandy Eisenstat Benevolent Fund, that cares for the needy. We have first-rate programming. We have a Men’s Club that is second to none, and a Sisterhood that is second to none. And last, but certainly not least, we’ve had a tremendous upgrade in our kiddushes. On this issue and others, we have listened carefully to our membership.

Let’s review together some of the programs that we ran this year. Some were for the 150th anniversary, and some were not. We started off the year with a welcome Shabbat with the Mayor, Eric Adams. The next week we heard two presentations by Dr. Jeffrey Gurock of Yeshiva University, concerning KJ and Ramaz and their place in American Jewish history. For Kristallnacht, our speaker was Abe Foxman. During his address this room was completely full. And he did something which I thought was extraordinary: After he finished his formal presentation, he solicited questions only from the children – and they asked great questions.

And then just four days later, we convened a memorable program with Rabbi Lookstein and Natan Sharansky, a

historic figure with whom our congregation has very deep ties. For that program, the Main Synagogue did not have a single empty seat.

The week after that, we heard the Leah Modlin Annual Lecture on Caring and Community given by Miriam Moskowitz. Who is Miriam Moskowitz? She, along with her brave husband, run a Chabad Center in Ukraine. And excepting addresses by the KJ rabbis, her address was one of the most moving addresses I’ve ever heard in this building.

We had a 150th Annual Dinner that brought together every segment of our congregational family uniting in solidarity and good cheer. Well, it wasn’t the 150th Dinner. The KJ Dinner is only about 25 years old. But it was in honor of our 150th anniversary. And the guests of honor were our past presidents, each of whom has served with distinction.

We welcomed back on a Shabbat in December our former Building Engineer and Superintendent, Rudy Arjune and his family, who were deeply touched by our memorializing their slain daughter. And in January, we convened a Shabbat Chazzanut featuring Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson and the Hampton Synagogue Choir.

As we have done for many years, we hosted Yeshiva University Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Dr. Jeremy Wieder, our Scholar in Residence, while simultaneously celebrating a double bris in shul on Shabbat.

We’ve undertaken a significant rebranding. Our website has been upgraded. We have a new format for the bulletin. Our website is getting an enormous number of hits. And our weekly emails are being opened at a far higher rate this year than ever. Thank you, Esther Feierman, Director of Communications, for spearheading these branding changes in collaboration with KJ’s Graphic Designer Talia Laniado.

I want to speak in depth about the Sandy Eisenstat Benevolent Fund—perhaps the best work we do and a reflection of KJ and its values. We help our members in need. We help New York organizations like Met Council. We fund national Jewish organizations. We give help to Israeli organizations. We help worldwide Jewry, including Ukraine. The Sandy Eisenstat Benevolent

presented by Jonathan Wagner, immediately following the tribute

to our anniversarians

Fund is chaired by Rabbi Lookstein – just one of the many things Rabbi Lookstein does as Rabbi Emeritus.

I am very privileged to work with an outstanding group of dedicated officers who are deeply invested and who are real partners: Nicole Agus, Robyn Barsky, Larry Baruch, Richard Cohen, Ken Eckstein, Rebecca Feit, Wendy Greenbaum, Eric Gribetz, Sidney Ingber, Yaira Singer, Jonathan Stern, David Sultan and Adam Weinstein. It was an inspired idea of David Lobel’s to organize the officers into committees, and our committee process really does work.

David Sultan is retiring as an officer. He did a terrific job as chair of the Investment Committee. We are sorry to see him retire. But I am happy to see that Phil Wilner is rejoining as an officer after his prior service as an officer was cut short on account of his sterling service to Ramaz.

A word about our many services:

What can I say about Kesher and our youth activities? Take a trip to the eighth floor on a Shabbat and you will see something extraordinary—and extraordinary Kavanah.

The Sephardic minyan: Led by Rabbi Lookstein, the Congregation made an inspired and farsighted decision in late 2010 to provide a home for the Sephardic services. That service and that community has blossomed through the leadership of Rabbi Meyer Laniado alongside Chazzan Benny Zalta and Charles Zami. Our partnership with the Sephardic community has set a great example of kol Yisrael areivim zeh lazeh. With Sephardic and Ashkenazic services under the same roof, we are a model of cooperation and synergy. And I note with great pride that this is the KJ Sephardic Minyan’s Bar Mitzvah year.

What about the Main Synagogue? We’ve undergone changes. And I am referencing not

only the relaxed dress code. The services today are still very much like they were when Phyllis and I joined almost 40 years ago. But at the same time, they move along quickly and crisply, but without any sacrifice of Kavanah thanks to Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson and the rabbis, along with Lionel Etra, Larry Baruch and Warren Graham.

As you might imagine, there are financial challenges that we face in keeping our dream team of clergy and staff together. We don’t have a salary cap at KJ, but we likewise do not have unlimited funds.

Finances become more and more challenging every year. As I mentioned during the Board of Trustee meeting last week, Nicole Agus has sensitized me to the difficulty that other Jewish organizations are having in recruiting and keeping first-rate leaders and staff. We face challenges too. Right now, we’re facing having to replace our Youth Director, Chevy Rubenstein, who has done a terrific job. Please God, and with your generous help, we will meet the challenges.

On the bright side, this is the first time in a dozen years that we are debt-free. We paid off the construction loan this past year. That is a very positive development. In terms of finances, it’s worth noting that we have a benevolent financial model. Although there will be a dues increase this year, and I’ll get to that in a minute, with one exception we have the lowest membership dues of any comparable congregation on the Upper East and Upper West Sides. The way we raise most of our revenue during the year is through the voluntary Annual Synagogue Appeal. And that campaign, for which people are extremely generous, is a tremendous credit to our rabbis and to our members.

In considering dues, we thought it was important to invest in our youngest members, as they are the future of our community. And while we have proposed a modest dues increase this year -

the first dues increase in four years - we made a conscious decision not to raise the dues on our youngest members. The increase is $150 for couples over 35 and $85 for single members over 30. There were some who thought we should have raised dues by a larger amount, but among other things we thought it was important coming out of Covid to keep the increase as small as possible.

Thank you to our outstanding clergy, starting with Rabbi Lookstein, who has set an example for both his fellow clergy and for us for 60-plus years. Thank you to Rabbi Steinmetz, Rabbi Feldman, Rabbi Laniado, Rachel & Rabbi Daniel Kraus, Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson, Chazzan Benny Zalta, and Charles Zami. I’d also like to thank our staff led by Lenny Silverman and Riva Alper, and our Chief Financial Officer, Sy Yanofsky. Thank you Superintendent Freddie Rodriguez for your hard work and dedication. Thank you to our staff Dina Farhi and Yael Haller. Thank you to our Youth Director who we are sorry to see go, Chevy Rubenstein.

I’d like to thank my fellow trustees and officers. Leading a synagogue of KJ’s size and complexity requires a team effort, and we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of fellow officers and trustees. Finally, thanks to all of you here, our members. Without you and your generosity, we would be nowhere–and KJ wouldn’t be what it is today.

There is room for improvement, and you have my commitment to listen to you and to do everything possible to improve. And I make that statement on behalf of my fellow officers and trustees as well. We cannot do this without your help. You should volunteer, and you should feel free to speak up, whether to me or to my fellow officers and trustees, at any time.

With that, I include the president’s report. Thank you.

election of new officers & Trustees

At this point in the program, the report of the Nominating Committee, as approved by the Board of Trustees, was presented by Wendy Greenbaum and adopted by the congregation.

The following officers were elected to positions for the 2023-2024

Congregational year:

Jonathan Wagner as President

Wendy Greenbaum as Vice President

Nicole Agus as 2nd Vice President

Sidney Ingber as 3rd Vice President

Larry Baruch as 4th Vice President

Robyn Barsky as Secretary

Adam Weinstein as Treasurer

Kenneth Eckstein as Assistant Treasurer

Eric Gribetz as Financial Secretary

Yaira Singer Binstock as Executive Secretary Richard Cohen, Rebecca Feit, Jonathan Stern and Phil Wilner as Officers.

Officers

Assistant Treasurer David Sultan has completed his term as an Officer. We are very grateful to David for his outstanding service as Chair of the Investment Committee. KJ has benefitted enormously from his keen financial acumen and tireless dedication.

Regular Trustees

Orrin Feingold, Yonina Gomberg, Robert Katz and Rina Kestenbaum are completing their terms as Trustees and are not eligible for re-election. Four Regular trustees’ terms have expired and were re-elected.

They are Andrew Charles, Stephanie Katz, Joshua Kaufthal and Berndt Perl.

The following new Regular Trustees were elected: Barbara Braffman, Jamie Chubak, Abby Doft, Julie Lobel and Janie Schwalbe.

Associate Trustees

Jamie Chubak and Naamit Kurshan have completed their terms and we thank them for their service.

Jamie was nominated to the role of Regular Trustee.

Jack Gindi, Tani Gordon and Hannah Topiel were named new Associate Trustees.

The KJ bylaws permit up to 39 Regular Trustees (including Officers) and 15 Associate Trustees. This slate gives us 38 Regular Trustees and 14 Associate Trustees.

departed members

A terrific musical presentation by the Kol Ram Community Chorus under the Direction of Daniel Henkin was followed by a solemn moment at which time, with warmth and sensitivity, Rabbi Lookstein paid tribute to the members of the Congregation who were called to their eternal reward since the 150th Annual Meeting:

Joseph A. Bierman

Norma Nussbaum Bruckner

Arthur Fried

David S. Gottesman

Andrew Gyenes

Don Lebell

Armand Lindenbaum

Janice Linzer

Evelyn Mandelker

Dr. Naomi Miller

Barbara Nadler

Gabrielle Propp

Irwin Robins

Irwin Shapiro

Judy & Isaac Sherman

Moses Stein

Dr. Massimiliano Szulc

Leonard Wisse

RAMAZ SCHOOL MEETING

Community Board Members:

Becky Zwillinger

The following Board members were elected to serve on the Ramaz Board:

Charter Trustee

Dr. Roy Davidovich

Board Members

Parent Board Members

Jack Ashkenazie

Dr. Susan Zoltan

Alumni Board Member

Erica Schwartz then stepped in for Ramaz Chair Jimmy Haber and presented the slate of Officers for the Ramaz School as approved by the nominating committee consisting of Jimmy Haber, Joshua Kaufthal, Erica Schwartz, Alissa Shams and Randi Sultan.

Erica thanked the Board Members who completed their terms of service and are rotating off the Ramaz Board:

Charter Trustees

Alissa Shams

Board Members

Randi Eisenstein

Wendy Modlin ’91

Abigail Tambor ’92

The following people were re-elected to the Ramaz Board:

Charter Trustees

Diane Rein ’87

Board Members

Alumni Board Members

Daniele Bleier ’96

Michael Distenfeld ’01

Rena Sichel Rosen ’93

Meryl Degen ’87

Community Board Member

Avi Spodek

The following Honorary Board Members were re-elected for a one-year period:

Harvey Beker

Fred Distenfeld

Lillian Eisman

David Gruenstein

Robert Kapito

Ilan Kaufthal

Dr. Jerry Kestenbaum

Gail Propp

Concluding Remarks

by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz

Allow me to speak about the most important day in KJ’s history.

From the very beginning in 1872, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun has made a profound impact, both on the Upper East Side and throughout the Jewish world. Our synagogue pioneered an inspiring Orthodox Judaism that is fully at home in America, and at the same time capable of speaking to modern Jews about eternal truths. KJ has been a paradigm of activism and leadership, and through its deep relationship with the Ramaz School, always stood at the very forefront of Jewish education.

We stand proud of our 150 years of history.

So what was the most important day in KJ’s history? Or, perhaps to take it a step further - How do you even answer this question?

I think we can find guidance in the Passover Seder.

After spending hours discussing the Exodus from Egypt, the Seder takes a dramatic turn at the very end. Instead of discussing the past, we turn our eyes to the future, and call out: L’shanah Haba’ah b’Yerushalayim - next year in Jerusalem.

After an extensive history lesson, we immediately pivot and look ahead at was is to come. And the lesson of the Seder is very clear: The past is only meaningful if there is a future to continue its legacy.

The very point of history is to inspire us to do more and to be more in the future.

And so, as we close this meeting while looking back at 150 years of KJ, we can say this with certainty: the most important day in our history is …TOMORROW. Our most important objective is the future.

And I have no doubt that our future is very bright. Chag Sameach!

Kesher

Kesher helps serve young professionals and families in our community through a weekly minyan, hot kiddush and social events that are aimed at bringing our constituents together in a meaningful way. We have active Instragram and Whatsapp channels where we deliver important messages to the community to keep everyone up-todate.

Creating a community that is rooted in Torah values and unity is our goal. This past fall, we had our first Annual Kesher Mitzvah Day, where we partnered with Hibuki, Emunah, JOIN Israel, the Ellie Ruby Foundation, Urban Outreach Center of NYC, Knock Knock Give a Sock, and DKMS for a Sunday filled with Chesed opportunities for children and adults. We held a women’s wellness event and a mother’s event featuring registered dietitians from our community, and partnered with Renewal, an organization that helps those suffering from kidney failure, at our welcome back game show event!

We had exciting events this spring – we hosted our Kesher Saturday Night Out with pizza and bowling, held an Infertility Awareness Challah Bake featuring the Stardust Foundation, a men’s whiskey tasting event, and several themed Kiddushes following the Kesher Minyan. We also partnered with the KJ Sisterhood and the Orach Chaim Sisterhood for a mixology event in January!

We believe that Kesher is the future of KJ and we partner with all branches of the shul to lift and complement our experiences in this community and the larger congregation. We are grateful for, and strongly rely on, our Kesher community members to help with our weekly minyan and exciting events. Please reach out to us at kesher@ckj.org for any volunteer opportunities or if you have any questions! We love to hear from you!

kjyd

As the academic year winds down, we look back with pride and accomplishment at a season jammed with inspiring programming, and we are excited to imbue meaning into our final KJYD activities.

In Parshat Emor, when discussing the festivals, the Torah writes, “These are My fixed times, which you shall proclaim, declaring them holy.” The Torah could have written that God declares time to be holy, but instead writes that we proclaim holy time.

No matter what happens, there's comfort in knowing that we have the power to bring joy to the day to day, and we wish you many joyful moments as the school year winds down and summer break begins.

After flexing their superpowers in our superhero-themed Purim extravaganza, our youth not only attended a Knicks pregame, but took photos and got autographs with New York's finest ballers. In addition, our 3rd & 4th graders got to make mouth-watering candy sushi at their shabbaton.

Be on the lookout for our Shavuot programming at the end of May, and some final end-of-year celebrations.

May Calendar

May

May 20 Shabbat Mevarchim Celebration

May 25 KJYD Torah Event

May

Events Sisterhood

Spring Luncheon

MONDAY • MAY 22 • 11:30 AM

Join us as we honor Rachel Kraus with the Ninth Annual Gertrude Lookstein Award.

Entertainment with Mentalist Alex Voz. Purchase your Capri wear with 20% off your purchase and 20% to KJ Sisterhood.

Chairs: Erica Kashi, Bonnie Silvera , Becky Zwillinger

RSVP - ckj.org/appevents.

125 East 85th Street

Israel Day Parade

SUNDAY • JUNE 4 •

11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

The Parade is the largest public event celebrating Israel in the world. Come cheer participating schools like our own Day School, Ramaz, as they demonstrate their love of Israel marching up Fifth Avenue. KJ gathers on Fifth Avenue between 72nd - 74th Streets.

FNL Season

Yom

Yerushalayim

FRIDAY • MAY 19 • 7:00 AM

Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson and Rabbi Lookstein will lead a festive morning service, including Hallel recited with a bracha, followed by breakfast.

125 East 85th Street, Main Sanctuary

Finale - Martinis & Matzah Balls

FRIDAY • JUNE 9 • 6:45 PM

Welcome Shabbat with an uplifting, explanatory service featuring Cantor Mo Kiss and the Neshamah A Cappella group, with words of Torah by Dr. Adena Berkowitz and Rabbi Daniel Kraus.

A delicious dinner will follow with terrific company, and of course martinis and matzah balls will be served.

RSVP - ckj.org/fnldinner

125 East 85th Street, Heyman Auditorium

SHAVÜÖT

Thursday

May 25

7:57 pm Candle Lighting

8:10 pm Evening Services

9:15 pm Dairy Bu et Dinner

10:45 pm Tikkun Leyl Shavuot

CLASSES FOLLOWED BY ALL-NIGHT LEARNING

Friday May 26

5:05 am Sunrise Services

9:00 am Morning Services

6:45 pm Evening Services

7:58 pm Candle Lighting

Shabbat May 27

9:00 am Morning Services

Yizkor is recited

FEATURING

KETER TORAH AWARDS

CEREMONY AND HOT, DAIRY CONGREGATIONAL KIDDUSH LUNCH

7:55 pm Evening Services

9:00 pm Yom Tov Ends

sephardic Schedule

Thursday, May 25

7:57 pm Candle Lighting

7:00 pm Minha

9:30 pm Traditional Tikkun Leil

Friday, May 26

9:00 am Shaharit

6:05 pm Azharot & Megillat Ruth 6:45 pm Minha 7:58 pm Candle Lighting

Shabbat, May 27 9:00 am Shaharit 7:10 pm Azharot & Megillat Ruth

8:52 pm Holiday Concludes

For general KJ programming including classes and meals, see main schedule at left and following pages.

Sponsored by the Edelman family in loving memory of Julian Edelman, z”l

Shavuot

Dairy Dinner

THURS • MAY 25 • 9:15 PM

Delicious dairy buffet dinner followed by Tikkun Leyl Shavuot (all-night learning).

$35/Adult and $15/Child. Following 8:10 pm Services.

RSVP ckj.org/shavuotdinner

Reservation Deadline

Monday, May 22 at 10:00 am

TIKKUN LEYL SHAVUOT

THURSDAY • MAY 25 • 10:45 PM - 5:05 AM

All-Night learning for young and old, with delicious treats throughout.

10:45 pm PANEL DISCUSSION

Between AI and SinAI: How will Judaism

Respond to the Artificial Intelligence Revolution?

Featuring three short presentations, followed by a spirited discussion and debate between the panelists.

Will AI Destroy Humanity?

Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz

AI and the Death of Dialogue

Rachel Kraus

Is the Computer My New Rabbi?

Rabbi Ben Skydell

12:30 am CROSS CULTURAL CURIOSITIES PT. II

Answers to the Top Questions

Ashkenazim & Sephardim Ask Each Other

Rabbi Roy Feldman & Rabbi Meyer Laniado

Followed by all night learning.

5:05 am SUNRISE MINYAN

Sponsored by the Edelman family in loving memory of Julian Edelman, z”l. In his lifetime, he loved studying Torah and bringing people together over Torah. He especially loved Tikkun Leyl Shavuot. Inspired by his example, our Tikkun Leyl brings together the KJ and Orach Chaim communities, uniting in their shared love of Torah.

Shavuot Class Taught By Rabbi Laniado

Location given upon RSVP

Co-Sponsored by KJ & Orach Chaim

Surie Sugarman & Liora Schulman to Receive Twentieth Annual Judith Kaufman Hurwich Keter Torah Award on Shavuot

The Officers and Executive Committee of the Congregation are pleased to announce that the Twentieth Annual Judith Kaufman Hurwich Keter Torah Award will be presented to Surie Sugarman and Liora Schulman on the second day of Shavuot, May 27, 2023. The practice of conferring such an award is to appropriately recognize women in our congregation on the holiday when we celebrate the lives of two great Jewish heroines, Naomi and Ruth. It offers us an opportunity, as part of a religious ceremony, to express our appreciation for the services rendered to our community by women.

The award is named in memory of Judith Kaufman Hurwich, daughter of Rita and Benjamin Kaufman, of blessed memory, mother of our former members - yibadlu l’chaim tovimMeryl Jaffe and Adam Hurwich, and grandmother of three former Ramaz students: Talia, Leah, and Zev Hurwich. Her family continues her tradition of fostering opportunities for women to study Torah.

Surie Sugarman

Approximately 20 years ago, Surie received a call from Benjy Brown, z”l, inviting her to join KJ’s Executive Committee. That was the beginning of Surie’s service to KJ in many capacities. She served on the Executive Committee and later as an officer of the shul under four presidents: Chaim Edelstein, Eric Feldstein, Joel Katz and David Lobel. Surie was a member of the Rabbinic Search Committee that chose Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz to be KJ’s Senior Rabbi, and the Cantorial Search Committee that chose Chaim Dovid Berson to be the shul’s cantor. She served for several years on the shul’s Nominating Committee and Ritual Committee and has served and continues to serve on the shul’s Benevolent Fund Committee. And, until recently, Surie was an active member of KJ’s Chevra Kadisha. Surie has been a regular participant in the Women’s Tefillah group and has enhanced women’s experience of Simchat Torah and Shavuot through the many shiurim she has given over the years.

All of the many types of community service Surie has engaged in have added meaning and satisfaction to her life. But her greatest passion is learning and teaching Torah. Surie has been, and continues to be, a regular and enthusiastic participant in Rabbi Lookstein’s Parshat Hashavua class, Rabbi Steinmetz’s Jewish Thought class, and Shera Aranoff Tuchman’s Torah class. She also trained to become a kallah teacher and has taught dozens of brides-to-be the laws of family purity.

Outside of KJ, Surie served as President of the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education for several years. She was one of Drisha’s first students when it opened its doors in 1979 and continues to take Drisha classes with Rabbi David Silber and many other of the outstanding members of Drisha’s faculty.

Bob and Surie have had the pleasure and privilege of hosting many visitors to our community over the years, be they Shabbat scholars, people needing proximity to one of our local hospitals, or people visiting our community for smachot. Through their acts of hachnasat orchim they have met many wonderful people, some of whom have become repeat visitors and even lifelong friends.

Surie and Bob are extremely proud of their children. Amanda is a beloved teacher of Tanach in SAR High School and is the school’s very popular Director of Student Activities, having been inspired by the late Dee Dee Benel. Jason is an accomplished lawyer at

the Davis Polk law firm and an active member of the Riverdale Jewish Center’s Young People’s minyan. Most meaningful to Surie is Jason’s role as a shaliach tzibbur at KJ on the Yamim Noraim, following in the footsteps of Surie’s late father, Stanley Rudoff, and her late uncle, Sheldon Rudoff.

Surie and Bob also take great pleasure in their grandchildren and are extremely grateful that they live close by! Amanda and her husband Jonathan Klatt, a Judaic Studies teacher at the Abraham Joshua Heschel High School, live in Riverdale and have 4 children: Orly, Rena, Talia, and Elan. Jason and his wife Ariel, a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Fellow at New York Presbyterian Children’s Hospital, also live in Riverdale, and have 2 children: Abie and Charles. They are the lights of Surie and Bob’s lives.

Surie thanks KJ for the honor of receiving this award and looks forward to many more years of membership in KJ and participation in everything our extraordinary shul has to offer.

Liora’s fondest

childhood

memories surround shul. Having grown up in Cape Town, South Africa, where her father served as president of The Green and Sea Point Hebrew Congregation (the Marais Road Synagogue), Liora grew up with the notion that community was of utmost importance having watched her parents volunteer and participate in their shul. As a young child, Liora affectionately remembers sitting along the pews in shul waiting for a candy on Friday night and looking up at awe at the beautiful bimah while the Chazan and choir recited Lecha Dodi. When Liora and her family immigrated to Boca Raton, Florida at age 8, her life was turned upside down, but attending shul felt familiar and gave her and her family a sense of belonging in a new country where everything was so unfamiliar.

As Liora and her husband, Ben, thought about where to start their family, they were drawn to KJ as it resembled the South African shul she grew up in. When they moved to the Upper East Side in 2016, they felt instantly at home at Kesher and felt a desire to get involved and give back.

Shortly after moving, when they were deciding where to hold their son Charlie’s Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot Bris, they picked Kesher and although they didn’t know many people at the time, looking back nearly 7 years ago they knew that they made the right decision because the Bris allowed them to meet so many people and they were so touched that all the rabbis made an effort to attend.

Since then, they have celebrated a Simchat Bat for both of their daughters, Sophie and Nellie at KJ.

What began with weekly minyan attendance turned into Liora volunteering to help with Kesher programing. In 2018, Liora along with a few others saw a need for community support and awareness of infertility, infant loss, and miscarriage and started an infertility awareness Challah Bake. Over the last 6 years this Challah Bake has brought Kesher women and men together to share their stories and say the Bracha of Haphrashat Challah in the zechut of those in the community needing support. In 2019 and 2020, Liora served as co-president of Kesher in which she proudly helped plan many events including the Shemini Atzeret Luncheon, Family Chanukah concert, Purim costume party, and many social events. During Covid, Liora and her co-presidents pushed for Kesher programming that allowed those attending to stay connected to KJ. Most recently, Liora and her husband, Ben, co-chaired the Kesher Mitzvah Day in which community members came together to perform various acts of Chesed and do mitzvot as a community.

In her professional life Liora also enjoys being engaged in community building at Pace University where she serves as an Assistant Professor of Accounting. Liora has served as a faculty advisor for a student business club and has enjoyed supporting students in the events that they plan. She enjoys engaging with her students outside of the classroom as it allows her to connect with them and help them along their paths by informally and formally mentoring accounting students.

Liora is very touched by receiving this honor and is thankful for those she has volunteered alongside and all of those who continue to give their time to Kesher and KJ.

We honor these extraordinary women for their service to our community and to the Jewish People in general. We pray that God reward them with many years of health and happiness and with much nachas from their children.

May they continue to serve as stellar examples of Jewish commitment and service to this entire community, which loves them and blesses them.

Liora Schulman

Weekly Classes

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Dr. William Major Memorial

Advanced Shiur in Talmud

Continuing our study of Masekhet Brachot with its classical commentaries.

Exploring Jewish Thought

What is the foundation of ethics? How did Orthodox Jews understand the Holocaust? Dive deeply into questions of Jewish philosophy and wrestle with challenging ideas. Appropriate for intellectually curious students of any background. Translated texts provided.

Reading the Prophets: The Book of Samuel

Read Sefer Shmuel closely and explore the literary and philosophical aspects of this book.

Back to BasicsUnderstand Prayer

Take a deep dive into the amida.

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

A classic, concise work of halacha that covers the complete spectrum of Jewish law. The class is a text based class and open to all.

Beginners Hebrew

For those who want to start building a foundation in Hebrew to help them read Jewish Prayer.

Hebrew Ulpan

This popular class enables those with no previous background in Hebrew to learn to read Hebrew in just a short time.

Prayerbook Hebrew

Designed for those with some ability to read Hebrew, students practice reading skills using the siddur and other Jewish texts.

Contemporary Halakhic Issues

An in-depth look at some of the most fascinating halakhic response of the 20th century.

King Solomon - For Women Only

An in-depth study of Pharoah's daughter and the Queen of Sheba, the two women directly associated with King Solomon's dismal failure, despite his unparalleled wealth, wisdom, and accomplishments. Email riva@ckj.org for class location.

Meaningful Jewish Living

The Weekly Parsha Class

A textual analysis of the parasha with the help of classical commentaries and modern Biblical exegesis.

A comprehensive yearlong course covering major themes in Jewish law, practice and thought. Explore how a 5,000 year old religion is more relevant today than ever before.

Bnei Mitzvah

Kate Kestenbaum

Mazal Tov to Rina and Zachary Kestenbaum upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Kate, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Thursday, March 23, at which time she read the Rosh Chodesh portion of the Torah. Kate is a sixth grade student in the Ramaz Middle School. Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandparents, Ruth Kestenbaum and Gerald Kestenbaum.

Max Obstfeld

Mazal Tov to Adina and Josh Obstfeld upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Max, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on April 22. Max read Parashat TazriaMetzorah as well as Maftir Shabbat Rosh Chodesh, and the Haftarah for Rosh Chodesh. The title of his D’var Torah was “Caring for the Dispossessed.” Max is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Michael Massel

Mazal Tov to Caroline and Morris Massel upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Michael, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Shabbat morning, May 6, at which time he read Parashat Emor and delivered a D’var Torah. Michael is a seventh grade student at The Shefa School. Mazal Tov also to Michael’s proud KJ grandfather and step-grandmother, Harvey and Heni Arfa.

Eden Niditch

Mazal Tov to Daniela and Steven Niditch upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Eden, on May 7th. Eden will deliver a D’var Torah on the significance of candle lighting on Shabbat and the roles of women in Judaism. Eden is a sixth grade student at The Shefa School.

Alexander & Max Majzner

Mazal Tov to Jenny and Marc Majzner, upon the Bar Mitzvah of their sons, Alexander and Max, at Fifth Avenue Synagogue on Shabbat morning, May 13, at which time they will read Parashat Behar-Bechukotai and deliver a D’var Torah. Alex and Max are seventh grade students at the Ramaz Middle School.

Ari Yehudah Hadel

Mazal Tov to Anne and Don Hadel upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Ari Yehudah, on Shabbat Mevarchim, May 20, at which time he will read Parashat Bamidbar at Congregation Orach Chaim. Ari is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Eitan Kraus

Mazal Tov to Rachel and Rabbi Daniel Kraus upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Eitan, on Shabbat Parashat Bamidbar, at which time he will read the parasha and the haftarah, as well as deliver a D’var Torah and make a siyum. Eitan is a seventh grade student at Yeshiva Ketana of Manhattan.

Juliette Kamali

Mazal tov to Michele and Steven Kamali upon the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Juliette, at the Bowery Hotel on May 21. She will deliver a D’var Torah on the Mitzvah of Challah. Juliette is a sixth grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Jacob Samuel Rubenstein

Mazal Tov to Samantha Epstein-Rubenstein and Jonathan Rubenstein upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Jakey, on Shabbat Shavuot, May 27, at the Kotel Tunnel Synagogue in Jerusalem, at which time Jakey will read Parashat Naso and the Haftarah and deliver a D’var Torah. A celebration also took place in New York City on April 25, where Jakey gave a D’var Torah entitled “Yom Haatzmaut - We need Israel - Israel Needs Us.” Jakey is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School.

Daniel Nathan Propp

Mazal Tov to Dina and Douglas Propp upon the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Daniel, at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on Shabbat morning, June 10, at which time he will read Parashat Beha'alotecha and deliver a D’var Torah. Daniel is a seventh grade student at the Ramaz Middle School. Mazal Tov as well to proud KJ grandmother Eve Propp.

Welcome!

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun warmly welcomes the following new members who joined the Congregation between the printing of the last Bulletin, March 14, and this Bulletin, which went to press on May 11:

A Twofold Congratulations!

Danielle and Justin Cooper

Rachel and Ari Kaissar

Sofia and Isaak Kobzan

Naomi and Dr. Ira Litzenblatt

Sissy and Gary Stein

Dov Tuzman

Jessica and Michael Zimmerman

Congratulations to Jamie Lassner’s “Accessibility Accelerator” charity upon sharing the 2023 Genesis Prize just awarded to several non-profits for their work supporting the Ukrainian people in the wake of the humanitarian crisis. Their Purple Vest Mission (arranged through “Access Israel,” their Israel-based collaborative partner), was hailed as instrumental in providing accessible evacuations, information, and humanitarian aid to Ukrainians with disabilities and the elderly in Ukraine and along the Polish border with Ukraine from the outset of the war. Visit wizevents.com/accessibilityacceleratorgala2023 to support their good work.

Congratulations to Rabbi Haskel Lookstein upon being honored with the “Lifetime Humanitarian Award” at the First Annual Accessibility Accelerator Gala on Thursday, June 15, at 6:30 pm at the Moise Safra Center on 82nd Street. To honor Rabbi Lookstein and support this deserving charity, visit the Wiz Events link above. “Accessibility Accelerator” charity, under the stewardship of home-grown Founder/Executive Director Jamie Lassner and founding board members Alan T. Brown and Abraham Eisenstat, has been making headlines and winning international awards for its work with Ukrainian refugees, and its primary mission is hastening society’s embrace of individuals with disabilities by accelerating the pace of access-enhancing improvements such as ramps, elevators and hands-free interfaces.

Within Our Family

BIRTHS

Mazal Tov to –

Shira and Larry Baruch upon the birth of a grandson, Leo Judah (Tzvi Yehuda), born to their children, Erica and Elisha Friedman. Mazal Tov as well to KJ greatgrandparents Audrey & Rabbi Haskel Lookstein.

Dr. Batya and Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson upon the birth of a baby boy, Nathaniel Isaac (Yitzchak Netanel).

Susan and Peter Frankel upon the occasion of the birth of a grandson, Henry Daniel (Aryeh Don), born to their children, Audrey and Michael Frankel.

Rachell Gober and Ira Gober upon the birth of a granddaughter, Liv Joelle (Yocheved Chaya), daughter of Rachel and Benjamin Gober.

Jennifer and Gabe Gershowitz upon the birth of a daughter.

Dina and Marshall Huebner upon becoming first-time grandparents with the birth of a grandson, Noah Charles (Noach Asher), born to their children Rachel and Ari Kaissar.

Yvonne Koppel, upon the birth of a great-grandson, Miles Gideon (Mordechai Gedalia), born to her grandchildren, Amanda and Brian Fine. Mazal Tov as well to proud grandparents, Sharon and Michael Koppel of West Hempstead.

Juliana and Howard Levite upon becoming first-time grandparents with the birth of a grandson, born to their children Danielle (Ramaz ‘09) & Brett Levine.

Lisa and Nathan Low upon the birth of a grandson, Theodore Liam (Nadav Liam), born to their children, Chantal and JJ Katz.

Pam and former KJ Israel Bond Representative Robert Lunzer upon the birth of a grandson, Ami Zion (Ami Tzion Beck), born to their children Yosefa and Eli Lunzer.

Debbie and Kenny Rochlin upon the birth of their first grandchild, Samuel Nathan (Shalom Moshe), born to their children, Tamara & Zachary Rochlin. Mazal Tov as well to the overjoyed KJ great grandmother, Evelyn Rochlin.

Marcelle and Benjamin Sandel upon the birth of a baby girl, Linda (Esther). Mazal Tov as well to KJ great, great-aunt, Ruth Shapiro.

Dayna and Marc Schron upon the birth of a daughter. Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandparents Jewel and Ted Edelman, first-time great-grandmother Trina Cleeman, and to long-standing KJ member and great-great aunt, Anne Addison.

Claire Moskowitz and Daniel Tavakoli upon the birth of a son.

May these children grow up in the finest tradition of Torah, chupah, & maasim tovim.

ENGAGEMENTS

Deborah and Barry Berg upon the engagement of their son, Michael, to Hadley Rosen, daughter of Ann and Harry Rosen of Maryland. Mazal Tov as well to KJ grandmother, Lili Goldberg.

Drs. Michelle Meersand and Allen Heller upon the engagement of their daughter, Alexis Heller, to Daniel Breitner. Both will graduate in May from Sackler Medical School in Tel Aviv. They will be married in June in NYC, following which Alexis begins a Pathology Residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital and Daniel begins a Pediatric Residency at Jacobi Medical Center.

Aliza and Steven (Yankie) Major upon the engagement of their son, Reuben, to Adel Rubin, daughter of Inna and Eric Rubin. Mazal Tov to the KJ grandmother, Gabriella Major.

Aviva Preminger and Alan Kestenbaum upon their engagement.

May their weddings take place in happiness and blessing.

MARRIAGES

Lisa and Nathan Low upon the marriage of their son, Gabriel, to Brook Damaghi, daughter of Bobby and Nazy Damaghi of Great Neck.

May the newlywed couples be blessed to build homes faithful to the traditions of the Jewish people.

MILESTONES

KJ Comptroller Sy Yanofsky, and his wife, Bracha, upon celebrating their 30th Wedding Anniversary.

COMMUNAL NEWS & HONORS

Sue and Dr. Norman Javitt upon their granddaughter, Amalia Osofsky (daughter of Gail Javitt and Sam Osofsky of Silver Spring, MD), being a fourth-place finalist in the 7th-8th grade division of the USA Chidon Hatanach National Finals. Amalia is a student at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD.

Phil Schatten & Chery Fishbein upon Phil being honored at The Jewish Education Project’s “Spring Event” on Wednesday, May 17. To honor Phil and support their cause, visit jewishedproject.org/donate. Nathan Royce Silverstein who will receive an honorary degree on June 6 from Haifa University, reflecting his generosity in dedicating a new Law School building in memory of his parents, Max Silverstein & Elizabeth Blume Silverstein. If you would like to attend the ceremony, please contact lss@ckj.org.

In Memoriam

David Fields

The KJ family lost a treasured soul with the passing of David Fields. Committed to Torah learning, the performance of mitzvot, and an ardent supporter of the State of Israel, David melded his love of all things Jewish with a natural good humor and affable disposition that successfully modeled for his many friends what being Modern Orthodox is all about. Though he eventually succumbed to illness, his spirit was never dimmed and neither was his love of teaching, travel, photography and Tai Chi. Losing David is a real blow to our community and members who so looked forward to his Kiddush schmoozes.

David Gordon

David Gordon passed away after fighting off several difficult illnesses. He loved life. He loved his family which included Adam Gordon, Rachel Hyman, Benjamin, Aaron and Daniel Gordon and seventeen grandchildren, and he deeply loved his wife, Goldie. He kept up the good fight because he didn’t want to leave any of them.

David founded and headed the I. David Gordon Associates - an insurance agency. His motto was, “To do well by doing good.” Unquestionably, he did well, and he did a lot of good.

Generous and loving by nature, he was beloved by a host of friends here at KJ. He was so proud that three of his children were educated at Ramaz and all of their children are either receiving or will receive a Yeshiva Day School education. He came to Jewish religious commitment through Goldie, and he never looked back. He gloried in his religious life, and relished his longstanding role of Greeter at the Beginners High Holy Day service, where he ushered scores into a life of inspired tradition by sharing his enthusiasm for Torah and mitzvot.

His belief in God, despite his many medical struggles, was unshakable. He thanked God for every day that he lived and, in so doing, he set a beautiful model for his beautiful family and community.

We will all miss him.

Leonard Wisse

Len Wisse was born with a remarkable spirit. He was only 2 and 1/4 lb at birth, and was, in 1930, the smallest baby in Canada to have survived childbirth to that point. His childhood was marked with overwhelming difficulty, yet Len overcame it all, with optimism, humor, kindness, and an incredibly competitive spirit.

Len truly had a lev tov, a good heart, and was profoundly devoted to all that was good. He served as the President of Montreal’s Akiva School, and Board President of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America(CAMERA). In his notarial practice, he served many high-profile clients; but what mattered to him most was helping clients who were Holocaust survivors find success in business. Len made friendships wherever he went, in Montreal, Boston, or New York, and those friendships extended from people who were classmates in third grade, to people he had just met.

Above all Len was devoted to his family. He was a role model for his children, Billy, Jacob, and Abby. His grandchildren adored him and loved to play with him, and when they got older they had serious conversations with him. There was no generation gap for Len.

Len met his wife, Ruth, at summer camp. Ruth immediately made sure to schedule her days off to coincide with Len’s. Years later they could be seen leaving conferences holding hands; and in recent years, Ruth would accompany him to KJ on Shabbat, a tribute to 66 years of partnership and love.

Chevra Kadisha

Join a dedicated group of men and women performing the sacred mitzvah of preparing the recently deceased for proper, dignigied burial in accordance with Jewish Tradition and law. Contact Riva Alper for the women’s Chevra Kadisha at riva@ckj. org and contact Isaac Pollak for the men’s Chevra Kadisha at isaac@lgpltd.com.

Synagogue Memorial Plaques

To order plaques for deceased loved ones (or to reserve for yourself after 120 years of health and blessing), see ckj.org/plaques.

CONDOLENCES

Dr. Howard Eisenstein upon the passing of his mother, Hinda Nina Eisenstein.

Debra Frohlinger upon the passing of her mother, Marion de Klerk.

Vivian Goodstein upon the passing of her brother, Lawrence Berger.

David Icikson upon the passing of his mother, Esther Icikson.

Josh Leinwand upon the passing of his father, Robert Leinwand.

Kenny Rubinstein upon the passing of his father, Max Rubinstein.

Debbie Schwartz upon the passing of her mother, Evelyn Hoffman.

May they be comforted among all those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.

Community Resources

Yoetzet Halakhah

Julia Baruch serves as the KJ Yoetzet Halakhah. This position of great responsibility falls to a woman with recognized expertise in the field of Taharat Hamishpacha and women's health issues who can advise women on topics such as niddah, fertility problems, and sex education for teens. Julia is reachable by phone at 929-274-0628 or email at JB.Yoetzet@gmail.com.

Community Mikvahs

The Jacques and Hanna Schwalbe Mikvah at 419 East 77th Street (1st and York Avenues); 212-3592020

The Rennert Mikvah at 5th Ave Synagogue at 5 East 62nd Street (Fifth Avenue) 212-753-6058

The West Side Mikvah at 234 West 74th Street (Broadway and West End Avenue) 212-579-2011

Bikur Cholim

For over 35 years, a dedicated group of KJ members have been visiting patients at Memorial SloanKettering Hospital. For more information, contact Volunteer Coordinator Karen Lerman at lerman. karenj@gmail.com.

Judaica Shop

Judaica Classics by Doina is at 1248 Lexington Avenue, between 84th and 85th Streets. The store has a great selection of Judaica for all gift and holiday needs, including exquisite silver, embroidery, ceramics and all manner of artistic expression.

Business hours are: Sunday 10 am–5 pm, MondayThursday 10 am–6 pm, Friday 10 am–2 pm, and by appointment. Call Doina Bryskin at 212-722-4271 or email doina@judaicaclassics.com.

Manhattan Eruv

The Manhattan Eruv includes an expanding number of neighborhoods in the city. Please call the hotline to check on the weekly status of the Eruv at 212874-6100 x 452. View the Manhattan Eruv Map.

JYC - The Hebrew School with HEART

The Jewish Youth Connection (JYC) is the Sunday morning Hebrew school founded by KJ members Susan and Scott Shay with the goal of providing a meaningful Jewish education to unaffiliated families. A total reinvention of the Hebrew School experience, its focus is to help foster a quality connection to Judaism for students and families alike.

No synagogue membership is required to attend JYC or participate in any of the school programming, and JYC families are invited to take advantage of congregational offerings. Visit jyc.info to learn more.

KJ Caring Initiative

At KJ you are not alone. Homebound? Isolated? Ailing? Our helpful volunteers are available to visit, call, and give emotional support. All interactions are strictly confidential. If you know someone who might benefit from our attention, or if you would like to be called, please contact Leah Modlin at 212-7226575 or leahm23@gmail.com.

Hatzolah

The Upper East Side Division volunteers volunteer EMTs and provides immediate response and the highest quality emergency medical and life-saving services to our community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 212-410-9796 for information. For emergencies, dial 212-230-1000.

Shabbat Hospitality

Let’s build a warm and welcoming KJ community! Are you new to the community? Do you still feel like you’re new to the community or not sufficiently connected? If you’re interested in meeting new people, hosting members, or being hosted, please contact yael@ckj.org.

Dorot

Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Dorot has distinguished itself as a bastion of support for the frail elderly. We encourage our community to participate in their many volunteer initiatives - both holiday related and year-round - that forge bonds between the generations. See dorotusa.org for volunteer opportunities.

Mitzvah Toy Campaign

This heartfelt program encourages children from Nursery School through Grade 8 to donate one or more of their birthday presents to children in need. For information contact Joanna Kleinhaus at JoannaKleinhaus@gmail.com.

W Connection

A grassroots organization created to meet the needs of widows. To learn more about the KJ/Ramaz chapter, contact 212-879-4783 or Gabriella Major at gabriellamaj@gmail.com.

Career Network

The KJ/Ramaz Career Network endeavors to help members find jobs, or fill a vacancy with a qualified shul member. Contact Larry Kassman at KasTrade@ aol.com.

UJA @ KJ

UJA @ KJ is a partnership between KJ members and UJA-Federation of New York that facilitates KJ Members receiving unique opportunities to utilize the resources of UJA-Federation. With an assortment of causes and agencies in need of our support, UJA @ KJ enables KJ Members to become involved in and exposed to the important work of UJA-Federation in New York, Israel and around the world. For more information or to register, contact Atara Burian at 212-836-1267.

KJ Food Pantry

One of the few kosher food pantries in Manhattan, it provides weekly (every Monday) staples as well as fresh fruit and vegetables to those in need in our community. For more information or to volunteer, contact Bernice Kahn at bernice.berman@gmail. com.

Cemetery Plots on Paramus, NJ KJ Grounds

To purchase burial plots at Beth El cemetery in NJ, visit ckj.org/burialplots. If you would like to speak with someone about this opportunity, please contact Sy Yanofsky in the synagogue office at 212774-5620 or sy@ckj.org.

THE SHAVUOT ISSUE

DATES TO REMEMBER

Tuesday, May 9

Lag B’Omer

Friday, May 19

Yom Yerushalayim • 7:00 am Services

Thursday - Saturday, May 25 - 27

Shavuot • Service Schedule on page 14

Monday, May 29

Memorial Day • 8:30 am Services

Monday - Tuesday, June 19 - 20

Rosh

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Visit ckj.org/shalomkj for digital publication & photo credits.

Creative Direction by Esther Feierman & Graphic Design by Talia Laniado