FALL/WINTER2021
THEMAGAZINEOFWESTCHESTERJEWISH CENTER
8
MINDFUL NIGHTSOF HANUKKAH CREATINGTHEPERFECT JELLYDOUGHNUT
WJC'SOWN IRONMAN MEDIEVALMODERN MEETKOSLOWEGALLERY FEATUREDARTISTKARENKASSAP
Westchester Jewish Center
EDITOR?SNOTE JACQUESSTEINBERG
Introducing Voices Fall/Winter 2021 Guest Editor JACQUESSTEINBERG Editorial Services and Design Director KATIESCHLIENTZ Production Director EVAN J. SCHAPIRO Guest Contributors RABBI JEFFREY ARNOWITZ TAMI ARNOWITZ JEREMYBLACHMAN CHERYL VIGDERBRAUSE JILL CASLIN HOLLYROSEN FINK CAREN OSTEN GERSZBERG ALISON GOTTSEGEN HOWARD HUSOCK AMYLEVINE-KENNEDY SETH SCHAFLER Senior Rabbi Assistant Rabbi Cantor
JEFFREY ARNOWITZ CORNELIA DALTON ETHAN GOLDBERG
Rabbi Emeritus Rabbi Emeritus
JEFFREY T. SEGELMAN DR. IRVINGKOSLOWEz??l
Ritual Director Emeritus Executive Director CommunicationsAssistant
MAX FRIEDMAN z??l DAVID GOLDSTEIN ALEXANDRA PAISLEY
Educational Director & Congregation Program Coord.
ALEZA R. KULP
Early Childhood Director Librarian Building Superintendent
ANN PARDES ARLENERATZABI JOSELUISFONSECA
Westchester Jewish Center 175Rockland Avenue, Mamaroneck, NY10543 914-698-2960 - wjcenter.org
What if WJC had its own, full-color, glossy magazine? What if that publication came out several times during the year? And what if it were produced entirely by WJC members, in partnership with our clergy and staff, for an audience of WJC members ? with the goal of helping us all to think and learn and laugh, as well as feel, a bit more deeply? These were among the pointed questions that Rabbi Arnowitz put to Kate Schlientz, Evan Schapiro and me about a year ago. Our answer is the publication you are holding in your hands (or viewing on your screen, for those of you who prefer pixels to paper.) We are calling WJC?s new magazine ? ???? , the Hebrew word for ?VOICES.? It is intended as a megaphone to broadcast and amplify the voices of our members? especially those who like to do research, report, write and edit, whether in their day jobs or just for fun. As a blank canvas that will allow the writers in our midst the space to explore subjects of interest to them (and to us) in depth? illustrated by photos, art and graphics blown up big? our magazine is also intended to supplement WJC?s many other communications channels and platforms. These include The Review, as well as our website, emails, and social media outlets. To that end, our inaugural issue features Howard Husock raising, and then setting about answering, questions that he has long wanted to research about the architectural design of the WJC sanctuary and surrounding physical spaces. Meanwhile, our own Cheryl Brause, who has spent decades studying, as well as teaching, the practice of mindfulness, has created a night-by-night guide to infusing the celebration of Hanukkah with a sense of presence (as opposed to presents) and a heightened awareness of each candle-lit moment. In addition to the talented and indefatigable Katie and Evan, as well as Rabbi Arnowitz, a contributor to our inaugural issue himself, I wish to thank David Goldstein, Kostya Kennedy and Jill Caslin, as well as all those whose bylines are featured in these pages. If you?d like to contribute to a future issue? or you just want to let Katie, Evan and me know what you think of this initial effort, which is very much a work in progress ? I encourage you to reach out to me via email, at jacques.steinberg@gmail.com. In the meantime, I wish you a joyful Hanukkah, full of wonder and possibility.
Jack THISISSUE'SCONTRIBUTORS
JEREMY BLACHMAN
ALISON GOTTESEGEN has
isthe author of two satirical novelsabout the legal profession, and aghostwriter working with industry leaders. He and his wife, Nina, and sons, Micah (8) and Rafi (4), are membersof WJC.
been aMuseum Educator for 27 yearsat avariety of museums. She chairsWJC?s Musical Enrichment Committee and enjoys spending family time in NYCand the great outdoors.
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HOWARD HUSOCK isaSenior Fellow in domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, and alongtime journalist. He livesin Rye, isa father of three sons, grandfather to four, and married to Robin Henschel.
WHAT'SINSIDE
6 WJC'S OWN IRONMAN After adevastating injury, Sam Karliner got back on hisbike, on the road, and into the water..
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8 MINDFUL NIGHTS (AND DAYS) OF HANUKKAH Interested in making your Hanukkah celebration more about being present, than receiving presents?Let Cheryl Vigder Brause show you how, in thisoriginal guide.
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BY THE NUMBERS Some fun Hanukkah figuresthat add up to much more than 8.
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CREATING THE PERFECT JELLY DOUGHNUT How Tami Arnowitz introduced four sonsto her favorite Hanukkah confection.
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HANUKKAH CHILDREN'S BOOKS FOR YOUR LIBRARY A WJCauthor, Jeremy Blachman, shareshispicks
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BLINDED BY THE LIGHT, SEEING PAST THE OIL Rabbi Arnowitzreminds usthat there are many miracles and wondersbeyond the burning oil that made the original Hanukkah story so compelling.
THE ARCHITECTURE OF WJC Howard Husock exploresreligiousarchitecture and whether WJCfitsthe mold.
10 PROTECT, GUIDE & LOVE THE STRANGER Congregant Holly Rosen Fink dedicatesher time to supporting refugeesin our community, and advocating for them, too.
12 LEADING BY LEGACY Seth Schafler shares hisJewish journey, tracing hisrabbinic roots through the familiesof hisfather and mother.
13 TRACK ONE: HANUKKAH MUSIC In the inaugural installment of Music Notes, congregant Alison Gottsegen chatsHanukkah music with Cantor Ethan Goldberg.
17 MEDIEVAL MODERN Highlightsfrom the Koslowe Gallery'scurrent exhibition, featuring artist Karen Kassap, with notes from curator Amy Levine-Kennedy.
24 REWIND
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Offering athrowback to Hanukkah in WJC?spast. wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 3
BYTHENUMBERSKATESCHLIENTZ
OFFICERS President Executive Vice President Financial Vice President Treasurer Assistant Treasurer Financial Secretary Assistant Financial Secretary Administration Adult Programming Children & Families Communications Development Spiritual Life Synagogue Arms Tikkun Olam Recording Secretary Assistant Recording Secretary Chair of the Board
SETH SCHAFLER LAURENCETHALER YALE ZOLAND MICHAEL LAPIDES ROBIN NAZARZADEH JEFFREYTAFFET SUSAN MILLER HAROLD TREIBER LAURA GRILL NANCYSHERMAN EVAN J. SCHAPIRO IAN WINTERS LAURENCETHALER MARKBERGER EVEEDELMAN RUSS AMYLEVINE-KENNEDY ALYNN PERL RANDYHELLER
Presidents, Brotherhood CRAIGRUBIN & STUART SELTZER President, Sisterhood GLENNA LEE Co-Chairs, Parents LAURA GRILL, MIA MANDEL, MARISA DESA President, Cemetery Association MILESFEDERMAN
400,000 Dreidels sold each year in the United States.
17.5 million +
TRUSTEES Ali Abrahms Rachel Aronow Stewart Ault RebeccaBaron AlisaCohen Barney Ilene Bellovin Jonathan Berg Mark Berger Marisade Sa Elise Dowell Eve Edelman Russ Amy Fastenberg LauraGrill Randy Heller Howard Husock Lawrence Iason
Andre Kaplan Danielle Klein Michael Lapides GlennaLee Amy Levine-Kennedy JoannaLiebman MiaMandel Susan Miller Susie Miller IlanaMoskowitz Cheryl Natbony Bill Natbony Robin Nazarzadeh DinaNelson Alynn Perl Jill Rivel
Beth Rudich Seth Schafler Evan J. Schapiro Nancy Sherman Rosie Smith Andrea Stoltz Jeffrey Taffet Steve Taubenfeld Laurence Thaler Harold Treiber Rob Weisstuch Ian Winters Yale Zoland
HONORARY TRUSTEES Victor Badner Alan Benet Dan Berkowitz LouisBrause Ruth Brause Beverly Cannold David Cannold z?l Jill Caslin Saby Castro z?l Louise Cohen Bobby Cohen Martin Freiman z?l Stuart Gilbert JulesGorlitz Cindy Heller
Randy Heller Mark Jacoby Greta Koppel z?l Jeff Lavine Howard Lazarus Albert Lefkowitz z?l Jenny Levy z?l Gail Marcus Martin Marcus Richard Melchner Zabathy Meltzer Abraham Mizrahi Lenny Queen Shirley Queen z?l Josef Raboy z?l
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Marilyn Reader Ronny Rosenberg z?l Elaine Stein Roberts Robert Savin z?l Sol Schargel z?l Stuart Schapiro Sarene Shanus Gerhard Spies z?l Norman Trieger z?l Edward Weinberg z?l Swain Weiner RhonaWexler Irving Yasgur z?l Gerald Zeidner
Jelly donuts consumed in Israel during the eight nights(and days) of Hanukkah.
44
Total number of candlesused during Hanukkah.
5,000 Potato latkesmade each day during Hanukkah at Russ & Daughtersin New York City.
30'
Height of the National Menorah in Washington, D.C.
FINDINGOURCENTER Creating the Perfect Jelly Doughnut How Tami Arnowitz introduced four sons to her favorite Hanukkah confection. BY TAMI ARNOWITZ
A good Hanukkah jelly doughnut should be carefully? and completely? pinched shut, so it doesn't open up and lose filling while cooking. It should be golden on the outside, carefully cooked in hot, but not boiling, oil so that both sides are the same color. My favorite fillings are chocolate, Ribat Halav (similar to dulce de leche), or jam (with a strong preference for strawberry or raspberry.) Even though it's tempting to load in the filling, you have to be careful not to overdo it, or you won't be able to keep it closed. As we always tell our children, remember that the jam inside is going to be really, really hot when it first comes out of the oil, so don't dive in too fast and burn your tongue. And Hanukkah jelly doughnuts HAVE TO be eaten warm. Once they're cold, it's just not the same.
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COMMUNITYCARENOSTENGERSZBERG
WJC?s Own Ironman After adevastating injury, Sam Karliner got back on hisbike, on the road, and into the water. On a summer?s day in August 2019, longtime WJC congregant Sam Karliner left his house for what he imagined would be a nice, easy bike ride. After an hour, he was cycling home from Rye when his bike hit a pothole. The rear wheel fell off, his bike flipped over, and Sam landed on his right hip and skidded into the road. Soon, Sam's wife, JIll, and an ambulance quickly arrived on the scene, with the help of some kind onlookers.
Once at the hospital, Sam and Jill learned that he?d shattered his right hip socket. ?We were unsure whether Sam would walk again,? said Jill, who taught at WJC?s religious school for 13 years. As a boy growing up in Pearl River, Sam was always a runner. He started doing marathons in his twenties, and after the onset of fatherhood prompted a hiatus from marathoning, he circled back to the sport around 2000. Quite competitive in his age group, Sam loved the challenge and excitement of running the 26.2 mile course, and especially making the day? whether in NYC, Boston or elsewhere? a family event with Jill and their twin sons, Jake and Elliott, now 26. Intrigued by the notion of competing in an Ironman triathlon, which he?d sometimes watch on TV ? How can you swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a marathon? he wondered ? he signed up for his first Ironman in Lake Placid, New York in July, 2012. ?I was so nervous I didn?t tell Jill for six weeks,? Sam recalls. ?It seemed like such a daunting thing; I was afraid of what I did.? Once committed, Sam joined the 6 - WJCVoices| Fall/Winter 2021
An X-ray revealing the screws keeping Sam's hip together as it healed.
Hommocks pool to build up his endurance for the swim, and trained hard to build strength and speed for the bike and run portions of the race. He did a lot of reading about what it takes to undertake the three, grueling parts of an Ironman (one after the other), all of which must be completed in under 17 hours, and was energized by the supportive community and charged atmosphere of the day itself. ?I survived the swim,? says Sam about his first Ironman, but it was seeing Jill two
different times during the run that would ultimately keep him moving forward. When he saw her at mile 13, he felt as if his body was giving out and called out, ?Should I keep going or stop?? Knowing he?d see her again a mile later on the return, he looked for her to respond and heard her shout, ?Keep going!? So he did. As he crossed the finish line, the monumental words ?Sam Karliner, You are an Ironman!? rang out from the public address system. ?My body was destroyed, but I was so happy with the experience,? Sam said. Eight Ironman competitions later, Sam, a criminal defense attorney, had taken his hobby to a whole new level. He got a coach to help him train, as well as a nutritionist, recognizing that how you fuel your body is another discipline for which you need to train. ?It took five years until I understood it all and then a few years after that to put it all together,? he said. It?s not simply the competition that has brought meaning to Sam?s journey.
Throughout his racing career, he has raised money for the Forever Families through Adoption (FFTA) organization, where he sits on the board. Joining his fundraising efforts with the event itself, he writes the names of the children of donors on a sticker which he adheres to his bike frame during the competition. And for every race, he writes the name of each of his sons, who are adopted, on the back of his running shoes. After Sam?s bike accident in 2019, he had state-of-the-art surgery at Montefiore Hospital that involved the insertion of three 8-inch screws into his hip and ischium, which is more commonly known as the ?sit? bone. After four months of rehabilitation, his doctor told him he?d beaten the curve on recovery. ?I never thought I?d ever be able to enjoy running or biking let alone compete,? he recalls. ?Recovery became my fulltime job.? Which incidentally, worked out well since his office closed down during the Covid-19 pandemic, providing Sam with much more time to focus on healing and building back
his body?s strength. Intense amounts of focus and hard work got him back into the shape he needed to compete again? 18 months later. In July 2021, Sam competed in his ninth Ironman at Lake Placid. He?d long dreamt about qualifying for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii, a place Jill had longed to visit. In fact, she encouraged him twice during the run course with a sign that read: ?My husband is a superhero. He promised me a trip to Kona.? In order to qualify for the world championship at Kona, Sam would need to finish first, second or third in his age group (55-59 years old) in the Lake Placid competition. The morning of the race, the rain poured for an hour while Sam rode the bike, and then the sun came out and it got humid, before it turned windy. ?You need to be prepared for whatever happens and not let it throw you,? said Sam. He knew he?d had a good swim, exiting the water in 37th place for his age group, and by
end of the bike portion, he?d moved into 12th place. Feeling great on the run, he gave every ounce of energy and ran across the finish line, placing second in his age category. ?He doesn?t have a lot of memory of crossing the finish line,? said Jill. Lightheaded and in need of fluids, Sam spent some time in the medical tent until he felt better and his mind cleared. And then he realized his dream had become a reality. In October 2022, Sam Karliner will compete in the Ironman Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Caren Osten Gerszberg, a member of WJC since 1993, isa writer, certified life coach and meditation teacher. She haswritten for The New York Times, Psychology Today, Travel & Leisure, and other publications.
6 World Championship in Hawaii. Back at it? biking, swimming and running! Sam competed in Lake Placid and Maryland, where he qualified for the wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 7
FAMILY JEREMYBLACHMAN
Hanukkah Children's Books for Your Library Especially for parentsof young children, it?sall too easy to end up experiencing Hanukkah asaholiday mostly about the giving and receiving of presents, eight daysfor kidsto grow more and more disappointed that they?re not getting an iPhone. Fortunately, if you want to recast the holiday in adifferent light, there are lotsof children?s booksthat can help. Here are afew of my favorites, and the important holiday lessonsthey can share for your family. If you?re looking to celebrate Hanukkah as an extension of the American Revolution and draw unexpected parallels between the Jews and the New World colonists?
If you?re looking to celebrate Hanukkah as a moment to reflect on the people in your community who may need some extra medical attention?
Finally, if you?re looking to celebrate Hanukkah as a week of utter chaos through a collection of imitative behaviors?
Read Hanukkah at Valley Forge by Stephen Krensky, illustrated by Greg Harlin. A Jewish soldier explainsthe holiday to General George Washington, inspiring him to continue hispursuit of freedom for America, and leaving your children asking for an explanation of what distinguishes historical fiction from liesabout the Presidents.
Don?t missHanukkah Bear by Eric Kimmel, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. Ninety-seven-year-old BubbaBrayna mistakesareal live bear for her local rabbi and pacifieshim with aplate of her latkes. And then the real rabbi comes, and? given her impaired vision, I?m not sure how safe it is for BubbaBraynato use the oven.
Please come take my copy of Eight Wild Nights: A Family Hanukkah Tale by Brian P. Cleary, illustrated by David Udovic. Food is spilled, dreidels are hidden, toilet paper rolls are unspooled, chocolate is put in the VCR, and more. Seemslike the miracle of Hanukkah here is that the house doesn?t burn down.
If you?re looking to celebrate Hanukkah as a cartoon battle with giant insects and anthropomorphic potatoes?
If you?re looking to celebrate Hanukkah as a holiday spent wiping oil, flour, and raw eggs from your kitchen floor?
If you?re looking to celebrate Hanukkah as a time to teach your kids how to count to eight?
You?ll love Meet the Latkes by Alan Silberberg, in which Hanukkah meetsDog Man, the Maccabeesbecome Mega-Bees, there are lasersand aliens, and somehow the story of Hanukkah is accurately communicated in aconcise, compelling way.
There is something unexpectedly emotional about Mrs. Greenberg?s Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Nancy Cote. A girl visitsher elderly neighbor, hoping to make latkes, but by the time her parentsreturn to pick her up, all she hasmade is aterrible mess. It?s amarvelous book, aslong as it doesn?t inspire your kidsto crack all of your eggs.
Check out Hanukkah: A Counting Book in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish by Emily Sper. One of my three-year-old?s favorites, thisbook distinguishesitself from the dozensof other booksthat reduce the holiday to aseriesof numbersby incorporating Yiddish into the mix. Pretty soon, your toddler will be saying Gut Yontif and asking for aNosh.
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RABBI JEFFREYARNOWITZ SPIRITUALLIVING
Blinded by the Light, Seeing Past the Oil Rabbi Arnowitz exploresthe miracle of Hanukkah and how thisstory isstill relevant today. The hanukiah, the nine-branched candelabra we light each night of Hanukkah, is one of the most recognizable and treasured symbols of the holiday, not to mention of Judaism as a whole. It reminds us of the miracle of Hanukkah? when only one properly-sealed cruse of special Temple oil was found. That single cruse should have been enough to burn for only one day but instead lasted for eight days, until more oil could be produced. But is that in fact the miracle of Hanukkah? The story is full of holes. If the Syrian Greeks had indeed rendered the Temple and all of its holy objects impure, how could the great, golden, seven-branched Menorah be lit? Furthermore, outside of the accounts in sources about the Hanukkah story, there is no place that we are told the Temple oil had special seals that could not be broken before use. There are lots of sources about every aspect of Temple worship, wouldn?t one have mentioned that the Temple oil jars had a special seal? The story of the preternaturally long-lasting oil is not even mentioned in the Book of Maccabees! There is nothing wrong with focusing on the Talmudic account of the miracle of the oil, except that its glaring light may be obscuring the view of other equally important miracles, wonders that continue to inspire us and provide a source of inspiration to this day. We usually say that the ?other miracle? celebrated on Hanukkah is the military victory of the Maccabees over the militarily superior and better-organized Syrian Greeks. While our Israeli brethren more than
...The true miracle being celebrated is the survival of the Jewish people against all odds and reason, starting with one candle and adding makes perfect sense.
live up to the miracle of the strength of the Maccabees (hence the Menorah on the Coat of Arms of Israel), for us less militarily oriented folks, let?s frame that miracle a little differently. The military victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian Greeks may be one part of a larger miracle: the survival of the Jewish people for millennia. Military prowess has at times been the key to our survival, but it is hardly the only, or even most common, tactic. Through grit, dedication to learning Torah, the ability to carve niches for our people in foreign lands, observance of mitzvot, undying hope of redemption against terrible odds and so many other tactics, the survival of the Jewish people is miraculous. And you don?t have to take my word for it? dozens of writers and intellectuals have declared the miracle of Jewish survival over the millennia from Louis Pasteur to Mark Twain and even notable antisemites, like Voltaire. But what about the hanukiah? Am I suggesting that we abandon the central symbol of Hanukkah and the miracle of light in favor of the miracle of Jewish survival? In fact, we don?t have to. The hanukiah actually makes more sense as a symbol of survival than it does as a symbol of burning oil. How so? Each night we add a candle to the hanukiah. If we hold that the miracle of the hanukiah symbolizes long-lasting oil, then that ritual doesn?t make a lot of sense. First of all, assuming the oil burned down every day of that original Hanukkah, wouldn?t it make more sense to start with the hanukiah full of candles and reduce one each day to symbolize the daily reduction of the oil? Secondly, if the oil was supposed to last one day, then the first day isn?t really a miracle, there were only seven miraculous days. Yet we light for eight days. However, when we posit that the true miracle being celebrated is the survival of the Jewish people against all odds and reason, starting with one candle and adding makes perfect sense. We start from a small light? an idea, a couple, an encounter? and that light burns brighter and brighter into the future even until today. Throughout Jewish history, even in the most difficult times for our people, we have continued to add light to the world, to add Torah learning, mitzvot, a sense of God?s holiness and the tikkun? the repair the world so desperately needs. Hanukkah is many things. It is a holiday of fun and games. It is a holiday that is often ranked by children as their favorite. It is a holiday about light and burning oil you may or may not believe lasted miraculously. But let us also see that Hanukkah is a holiday about you and me, a holiday about the miracle of a people burning with faith and purpose and spreading the light of holiness into the world. This Hanukkah may we embrace the miracle of our survival and embrace our role as the next Jewish candle to light up the darkness of a chaotic world that needs the light of Torah and holiness as much as ever. Rabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz became the Senior Rabbi of 8 h Center in August 2019. Westchester Jewis wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 9
CARINGFORTHEWORLDHOLLYROSENFINK
Protect, Guide & Love the Stranger Congregant Holly Rosen Fink dedicates her time to supporting refugees in our community, and advocating for them, too Six years ago, a visit to Auschwit z and Birkenau changed my life. As my grief deepened with every step walking through the concentration camps, I pictured parents and children as they were separated at the gate, never to see each other again. I was haunted by the deaths of 1.5 million inmates who died at the hand of the Nazis. That visit helped light a fire in my heart that was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was at that moment that I decided I would gather my strength and not only say, ?never again? but do something about it
Afghan children get ready for a big day out in NYC, with Holly as their guide.
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when I returned home to America. Rabbi Segelman encouraged me to bring WJC into this holy and necessary work. He told me that there are 36 references in the Torah to protect, guard, and even love the stranger,
crisis, images surfaced of a three-year-old Syrian boy drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach Europe. These images intensified my drive. I got in touch with HIAS, founded as the Hebrew Immigrant
In the past five years, we resettled several refugee families who left immense danger behind. obligating us to shelter, nourish and protect displaced people in our midst. Rabbi Segelman also helped me convince community members that assisting and supporting refugees was no longer a political issue; it had become a humanitarian issue. In late 2015, during the Syrian refugee
Aid Society in 1881 to assist Jews fleeing pogroms. Today the organization provides humanitarian aid to refugees regardless of religious background. HIAS encouraged me to team up with people of different faiths. In the past five years, we resettled several refugee families who left immense danger behind. Two of these families hailed from Afghanistan. They came to the United States as Special Immigrant Visa holders, meaning that the men served the American military as interpreters and were seen as traitors by the Taliban. Back home, women and children were deprived of basic human rights. Now their children are able to run free and are getting a good education. Throughout the pandemic, I worked with six Afghan women on a mask-making project, through which they earned an income for the first time in their lives. In Afghanistan, few women work outside the home and those who do risk social stigma and harassment. The project was not only empowering, but I am grateful for the beautiful friendships with these women that have blossomed in the process. In addition, several of these women now work professionally as a result of that project as seamstresses or caterers. We were all once refugees, or the children and grandchildren of refugees. Like Jews who were forced to leave home throughout the ages due to antisemitism and discrimination, refugee families leave everything behind in search of a safer life. Ironically, one Afghan man recently told me that the Pashtuns, a tribe in Afghanistan, have a proud oral history that speaks of descending from the Israelites. We are not so different after all. Due to my close relationship with Afghan families, and as the co-founder and President
CARINGFORTHEWORLD
FOUR WAYS YOU CAN HELP
1
WELCOME THE STRANGER
2
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
3
GET INFORMED
Email info@wjci.org to get involved in resettling incoming Afghan refugee familieshere in Westchester aspart of the work of SOJAC.
Call your representativesand speak up for equipping our communitiesto welcome at-risk Afghans.
Being an ally means educating yourself about the issuesof the Afghan communitiesyou support.
Holly helps Afghan children discover new passions, like kayaking for the first time on the Long Island Sound.
of Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration, I have been very engaged in the current crisis in Afghanistan. With the recent withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan and thousands of Afghan lives at risk, including family members of the many Afghan families living in Westchester, I have stepped up my efforts to not only advocate for? but also actually aid ? the evacuation effort of at-risk Afghans. I am also involved in a global advocacy effort to ensure that Westchester opens the gates to welcome this community and helps them thrive. The fire lit inside me that day in Auschwitz continues to burn. My personal relationships with so many Afghan families
who have suffered have further pushed my resolve to make their lives easier. Let?s help the Afghan community live peacefully. As a Jewish community, we will never forget, and we must also not let these kinds of injustices happen to others. Holly Rosen Fink isa psychotherapist and president of the Westchester Jewish Coalition for Immigration. She has served on the SOJAC and World Jewry Committeesand iscurrently President of the Holocaust Learning Center.
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DONATE
Aspart of thisyear'sMitzvah Day, SOJACis collecting new make-up kitsand make-up for Afghan women at Fort Dix, including lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, and mascara. You can bring your donationsto WJCon November 14 or place an online order by November 21. For more information, visit 10 wjcenter.org/mitzvahday2021. wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 11
FROMOURLEADERSHIPSETHSCHAFLER,PRESIDENT
Leading by Legacy Seth Schafler shareshis Jewish journey, tracing hisrabbinic roots. If you were to ask me who I am (not what my name is , but WHO AM I, really?), I?d say, right up front: a Rabbi?s son. That?s what I call myself when I get called up to the Torah ? Zalman Dov ben Harav (son of the Rabbi) Shmuel Mordechai Eliezer. And not just a Rabbi?s son? a Congregational Rabbi?s son; one of the Rabbi?s unruly six kids who grew up at Temple Gates of Prayer in Flushing, Queens, under the watchful eye of the congregation, whether sitting in my seat or (more frequently) running around the hallways. A bit of a celebrity? for better and for worse. I thought of becoming a Rabbi myself, but my father was such a larger-than-life character that his footsteps seemed too big to walk in. So I became a lawyer instead? which, if you think about it, is not that different of a path for someone steeped in Talmudic method at a Yeshivah. My father was an intellectual, an historian who specialized in antisemitism (you can find his antisemitism collection in the WJC library) and the Hellenistic period, as well as a leader of the Jewish community. He became Superintendent of the Board of Jewish Education and later President of Hebrew College in Boston, the position he held when he died way too young, at age 62 in 1991. His Judaism was powered by pride in the Jewish people, intense support for Israel, perfectionism and intellectual combativeness. He railed against injustice and mediocrity. He was a bit of a rebel ? against authority in general and the state of the world, particularly (though not exclusively) in its treatment of the Jewish people. He also was very involved the civil rights movement. To him, and for us, good was never good enough. We could always be ?gooder? (to quote one of his many pithy sayings). He encouraged us to dream big dreams ? dreams of changing the world, not rearranging the furniture. Truth be told, however, my family?s 12 - WJCVoices| Fall/Winter 2021
rabbinic roots actually run deeper on my mother?s side than my father?s. Or, to put it another way, my ?yichus? (Jewish lineage) is more on my mother?s side than my father?s. My maternal great grandfather, Rabbi Moshe Weinreb, was the first Orthodox Rabbi and leader of the Jewish community in Toronto. He had a long white beard, pictured in a family photo in top hat and tails. He descended from a long line of European Rabbis.
Seth graduating from Cardozo Law School in 1981flanked by his parents.
My mother became a genealogist, authoring an article on the subject in the Encylopedia Judaica, and devoted much of her life to preserving her family history. My mother?s Judaism was gentler, more lyrical, more steeped in family, in tradition, in food, in music. She had genuine ?emunah? (faith in God), a fierce devotion to Jewish observance. Her body and her soul would take flight when she sang and danced to one of her family?s traditional melodies. The holiday of Hannukah meant more to my father than my mother. In terms of its significance in the traditional Jewish calendar, Hannukah pales in comparison to the major Jewish holidays of the year, particularly the High Holidays and Pesach. We observe Hannukah by lighting candles,
playing dreidel, singing a few songs, perhaps giving and getting some gifts. No heavy lifting. Nothing like the intense preparation and deeply ingrained rituals of the other holidays (including Shabbat). But to my father, Hanukkah offered a window to an exciting period in Jewish history? not an apocryphal legend of the creation of the world or the Exodus, but a real life battle, of which there are actual historical records; both an internal struggle between assimilationist and traditionalist elements in Jewish society (a struggle that still continues) and against the world power of the day. Not just a quaint story about candles that magically remained lit for eight days. Maybe the point of convergence in the traditional and historical approach to Hannukah observance is in the obligation of ?pirsuma nisa?? to publicize the miracle. We are obligated to place the candles where they can be seen by the public ? to take pride in our Jewish heritage. Not to hide our light under a barrel, but to take it out into the world. Each year before the High Holidays I visit my parents?graves, located at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens. I don?t say much, but I make sure they have an equal number or rocks arrayed on the top marking the visits. A line in Proverbs says, ?My son, heed the lesson (?musar?) of your father and do not forsake the instruction (?torah?) of your mother.? (Proverbs 1:8) From each of my parents I learned a different kind of Torah. When I took on the presidency of Westchester Jewish Center, I was channeling my father. When I lead davening on High Holidays, or play guitar and sing in the Renewal service, I?m channeling my mother. May their names be a blessing. And may their Torah continue to be taught and carried forward for generations yet to come. Seth Schafler, a member of WJC since 1989, began a three-year term aspresident in June 2019.
ALISONGOTTSEGEN MUSICNOTES
Track One: Hanukkah Music In the inaugural installment of Music Notes, congregant Alison Gottsegen chatsHanukkah music with Cantor Ethan Goldberg. ACG: Hi Cantor, it isgreat to have this opportunity to chat with you about Hanukkah?sritual melodiesfor thisfirst Music Notes. Let?sstart by discussing where the music that enrichesthisbeloved holiday comesfrom. Cantor: Hanukkah music as we know it comes from a variety of sources. Many are reworked Yiddish songs (O Hanukkah, O Hanukkah) or Israeli imports (Sevivon, Sov Sov Sov; Mi Yimalel). In terms of formal music, Jews look to George Frederick Handel?s ?other? oratorio, Judas Macabeaus, as an alternative to the oft-performed Messiah. In fact, one of the final choruses (See the Conqu?ring Hero Comes) from the former work is often applied (appropriately in my view) to the Kedusha for Musaf on the Shabbat(tot) of Hanukkah. Then, of course, come those peculiar pieces of Judeo-Americana, Tom Lehrer?s "Hanukkah In Santa Monica" and Adam Sandler?s "Hanukkah Song," both of which were written to answer the need for a musical nod to the holiday in popular music. As Sandler puts it, ?when you?re the only kid in town without a Christmas tree,? plausible alternatives are a must. ACG: Do we have any idea if there wasmusic during the first Hanukkah? Cantor: Yes! The First Book of Maccabees recounts the story of the Maccabean revolt and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. It is not part of the canonical Hebrew Bible but is, nonetheless, an important source of information about the period. It reports that "At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it [the Temple], it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals" (I Maccabees 4:54). As the original Hanukkah was probably something of a postponed Sukkot, it is extremely likely that Hallel (Psalms 113-118) was sung as part of the rededication. We obviously have no idea what the music sounded like, but it's
clear that there certainly was music on the first Hanukkah. ACG: The American composer, Samuel Goldfarb, composed the candle lighting prayer melodiesin the early 20th century. But thisancient revolt and miracle occurred more than 2,000 yearsago. Prior to Goldfarb?scomposing thismelody, were the blessingsjust recited, or wasthere a melody different from the familiar Goldfarb tune we now use? Cantor: Goldfarb's melody has become ubiquitous amongst American Jews, but there exist many other musical settings of the blessings. The standard melody in Israel is distinct yet similar to ours. Here's a video of this melody accompanied by the Israel Philharmonic. There is also documentation of several other settings that were used in Europe by Ashkenazi Jews. Jews from the Middle East also have their own unique melodies for these blessings. ACG: Hanukkah isoften referred to asa ?minor?Jewish festival yet hasbecome prominent amidst Jewish culture. Besidesits proximity to Christmas, why do you think that is? Can you make any connection between Hanukkah?sprominence and the catchy songswe all know and love? Cantor: Jews don?t sing on Hanukkah just to mirror their neighbors, but for deeper reasons. Both Jews and Christians are reacting to the darkness early winter brings. To cold and darkness, both groups bring light and song. We sing on Hanukkah because the winter would be too cold and dark without a joyous, music and light-filled holiday. Rather than seeing European Jewish culture as merely an imitation of Christian culture, the case of Hanukkah Music should teach us that there are times when both Christians and Jews can imbue a cultural production with similar, yet distinct, meaning. If both a church and synagogue have, say, stained
glass, or Christian and Jewish illuminated manuscripts include similar symbolism, it can?t be assumed that Jews were merely mirroring their neighbors. Rather, both groups imbue neutral imagery, melodies or methods that often have ancient cultural roots with their own intentions. ACG: Some contemporary songswe now associate with Hanukkah include: ?Light One Candle?by Peter, Paul and Mary or Adam Sandler?s?Hanukkah Song.?There isalso The Maccabeats?2010 masterpiece, ?Candlelight,? an a cappella version of Taio Cruz?s ?Dynamite!? Are there other, newer songs celebrating the victory of freedom over oppression or other composers/singersthat have created a more contemporary take on Hanukkah? Cantor: Certainly? especially recently. Some of my favorites are Billy Jonas' "Let There Be Light," Jacob Spike Kraus' "EP Light Up the Night," The Klezmatics' album "Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah" and the Eyal Vilner Big Band's EP "Hanukkah." ACG: Thanksso much for your time and wealth of music knowledge. Happy Hanukkah singing to all!
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T HE ARCHI T ECT URE OF WJ C BY HOWARD HUSOCK
One is not apt to discuss the architecture of a religious institution. Its fundamental purpose, after all, is providing a shared place for prayer, not making a visual impression.
Yet it?s worth wondering why Westchester Jewish Center was built as it is. It combines what all synagogues include? an impressive sanctuary? with a series of functional spaces, including a gym, classrooms and a library. Useful without a doubt. But, at the same time, it?s an architectural departure. Consider the historic styles of the ancient Middle East (such as the famed mosaics of the Tiberius synagogue on the Sea of Galilee, also the site where the Sanhedrin gathered ), Europe (such as the simple but awe-inspiring wood interiors of the Portuguese synagogue in Amsterdam) or the grand American Jewish ?cathedrals? such as Fifth Avenue?s Temple Emanuel El. All of which leads to a question: How did our synagogue come to take the form that it did?
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An examination of WJC?s own archives and a review of a scholarly literature about postwar American Judaism puts us in context: the functional modernism of our sanctuary, chapel, classrooms, offices and other physical spaces was part of a broad American Jewish postwar suburbanization. It sparked a nationwide schul building boom? all amidst a combined desire both to Americanize and to forge community, as urban Jewish neighborhoods declined and dispersed. Indeed, if some architectural plans drawn up in the early 1950s had been executed, there would have been four tennis courts in what is now part of our parking lots, and a sanctuary that might have been more evocative of Star Trek than the Sanhedrin, at least to the outside world.
What Might Have Been: An architectural drawing found in the WJC archives.
But we?re getting ahead of ourselves. Let?s start with the basic WJC history, available to us thanks to the work of archivist Jill Caslin (a lansman of mine from Jewish Cleveland). What began in Mamaroneck as the Social and Aid Society (a classic Jewish mutual aid group) in 1906, became the Hebrew Institute of Mamaroneck in 1919 and moved, in 1926, into a modest and dignified brick building on Halstead Avenue? marked by an attractive pointed front entrance way of decorative brick patterning and a Star of David. As the congregation outgrew the building, however, it raised funds to purchase, in 1948, the five-acre site at the corner of Rockland and Palmer in 1948 and broke ground on what would now be called the Westchester Jewish Center in 1951. From the first, it was more than a place for prayer? and included not only a chapel but, as the official history notes, ?classrooms, lounges, offices and a social hall.? The range of uses that went well beyond a traditional sanctuary implicitly called for a different type of building? but larger changes in the Jewish situation in America mattered a great deal, as well: as Jews the emerging postwar architectural style: modernism. That synagogues would reflect the surrounding culture was nothing new. In the ancient Tiberius synagogue, the names of local community leaders were inscribed in Greek letters. And, as Lauren Cimbol noted in her 2014 Brandeis thesis, ?How 1950s Suburban Synagogue Architecture
Reflects Changing Attitudes Within American Judaism,? ?the architectural trends of the nineteenth century (synagogues) particularly centered on stylistic revivals such as Gothic, Classical, and Moorish. The book Antiquities of India by Thomas Daniell was published in London in 1800 and it played a major role in the trend of architects worldwide. Synagogues in German cities such as Leipzig and Cologne were erected in this style and the trend made its way to the United States. The Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati built in 1866 was built in the Moorish-style and it was the first of many Moorish synagogues across the United States.? Modernism, however, as the Louis Sullivan notes, calls for form to follow function? and postwar synagogues would do so. Not that newly-suburbanizing Jews did not want their synagogues to be impressive. Prominent architects? including Percival Goodman who alone designed 50 suburban synagogues, and Phillip Johnson, the modernist extraordinaire who designed Congregation Kneses Tifereth in Port Chester? were hired to design them. A synagogue building boom? ?an unprecented number?, as Philadelphia rabbi and historian Lance Sussman has put it? got underway in the 1950s and 1960s.
As Sussman has noted, ?most of the 4,200 synagogues in use in America have been built since World War II.? As Sussman writes in ?The Suburbanization of American Judaism as reflected in Architecture and Synagogue Building, 1945-1975?: ?Jewish religious leaders concluded that a fundamentally new type of synagogue needed to be created that would boldly symbolize the community?s arrival in the suburbs, their feeling of ?at-homeness in American society. The new synagogue would be not only a Jewish house of worship but a symbol of suburbia itself. It programs promoted the values of recreation and a youth-oriented society. Aesthetically it embodied a sense of newness in everything from furniture and light fixtures to Torah covers and candelabra. It was primarily accessible via automobile? (as per explicit authorization by the Conservative movement, for instance.) Synagogues would be renamed as ?Centers?? to reflect a new purpose: to bring together a community now dispersed among the scattered homes of the suburbs in a way it had not been in Brownsville (Brooklyn), the Grand Concourse (Bronx), Blue Hill Avenue (Boston), Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, or Cleveland?s Glenville section. Some cynics have called the ?Center? movement as a trend toward ?the Schule with a pool.?
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The Westchester Jewish Center fits squarely in the trend Sussman described. A central circular stairway that was a centerpiece of the original building epitomized modernist openness (the addition of second-floor office space led to its removal). The community and recreation focus was key to the vision of Rabbi Irving Koslowe, named chief rabbi of WJC in 1943? himself a basketball and tennis player who viewed recreation as a key means to draw the congregational community to the Center. Indeed, in an early, and later discarded, design, there were tennis courts set in a campus, on what would ultimately be a parking lot. That 1951 design, never realized, included four buildings, all at different height levels, all with the glass-front style of the era. The piece de resistance was to be a multi-story sanctuary resembling a spaceship-with a Mogen David and a Torah scroll incorporated in the glass front. It was little short of stunning (my wife describes it as ?hideous?) and one can only wonder why it was never built. Too expensive? Too showy? Form over function? Too inviting a target for vandals?
Architectural contracts and blueprints can be found in the archives but no minutes of discussion or debate. But for whatever reasons, a fundamentally different building with a windowless front marked by Hebrew
Synagogues would be renamed as ?Centers?? to reflect a new purpose: to bring together a community now dispersed among the scattered homes of the suburbs lettering would be ours instead. Like most postwar synagogues, it would combine space for multiple purposes? and, notably, include ways to adapt its interior to accommodate the full congregation for the High Holidays. Synagogue architecture must account for what economists call a ?peak load problem?? those few days when
Another architectural drawing, unearthed from the WJC archives, imagines a WJC with tennis courts and a sanctuary seemingly bound for outer space.
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attendance is fully subscribed. All of which leaves us with a history but also with questions. Have we sacrificed the awe-inspiring for the functional but non-descript? To my own way of thinking, yes. Will our postwar style prove appropriate as Jewish demographic and residential patterns again change? It is sobering to note that many urban synagogues, built at great expense and care, were outright abandoned and sold to churches in the rush to suburbanization. What unforeseen trend might yet lead us in another unexpected direction? A fascinating set of questions, to be sure, but ultimately all are secondary to prayer, repentance and tzedakah---which, as Halachic scholars will note, require no special place at all to be practiced. Ours is a moveable feast, whether through the desert to Canaan, from Jerusalem to Babylon, from Brooklyn to Mamaroneck, and indeed, as we?ve now learned, from sanctuary to Zoom (and, mercifully for many of us, back to sanctuary again.)
N R E D O M L A V E I MED E GALLERY TOR, KOSLOW RA CU Y, ED N E- KEN BY AMY LEVIN
Karen Kassap's exhibition ison view until January 2022. The dichotomy between freedom and confinement fascinates Karen Kassap, an attorney and trained artist who caught our eye during one of the pandemic?s silver linings, the Jewish Art Salon?s ?Open Studio? talks. Kassap, who lives and works near New Haven, CT, virtually presented her ?Creativity in an Uncertain Time? talk one February afternoon last winter. And as she shared image after image of her colorful, complex, multilayered collages, she discussed what drives her technique and her creativity: a vision for connecting our outward and inward dimensions. After listening to Kassap describe her dance with her Jewish identity and her contemporary viewpoints about such things as, modern explorations of justice, women?s roles in trying times and the forces she views as demons among us, we realized that her art is a means of reconciliation. This show at WJC is a gateway for our gallery friends and members to walk through as we enter a new world. We present this exhibition as a means of embracing, even celebrating, the schism we may feel between opening up and
keeping it all close. Kassap?s work is constructed with paint, handmade papers, gels, pen, pencil, and other marking techniques. Her imagery emerges after she applies layer upon layer of symbolic elements, colors, and textures. This meticulous method of playing with exposure and intimacy, Kassap says, is her way of exploring the hidden layers in each of us. For much of the past 18 months Kassap has worked on a Pandemic Series to address the beauty and the omens and monsters she sensed throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, as well as during the ongoing chaos of the world ? including from the reverberating aftershocks of the #MeToo movement, the Black Lives Matter protests, and divisions in the country across political and social constructs. Influenced by imagery and symbolism inherent in Renaissance art, Kassap explores many themes in her work, much of which centers on her dual roles as an observant Jewish homemaker and a working citizen of modern American society. She plumbs the many sides of things and turns them over and around as she gives them form in her art.
Black Wedding, 2020 mixed medium collage: acrylic, paper, found objects 32? x 24? A Black Wedding isarelic of superstitious ceremoniesthat took place during the time of the Black Plague. A community would decide upon an ?unmarriageable? couple and bind them in matrimony in a cemetery. Kassap focuseshere on the inter play between light (flowers) and dark (monsters) in the left and right panelsof the piece.
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A. Ready for Rosh HaShana, 2019 mixed medium collage: acrylic, paper, found objects 12? x 9? Here Kassap isexploring one of her favorite topics, the role of women in Judaism and the conflict between ritual and lived life. She makesanalogous here the fate of Sisyphus, caught in an eternal cycle of carrying aheavy boulder on his back up ahill, only for it to roll down again. B. Shabbat, 2019 mixed medium collage: acrylic, paper, found objects 18? x 12? Kassap?swork conveysmany thingsand it isathing of beauty. Her collagesoften embrace symbolsof Judaism and ritual. Here, achallah isflanked by a pair of candlestickspainted in blue, acolor pervasive throughout Torah and Judaica. The vinesgrowing around the challah, whose browns, rusts, and goldsreflect the weekly baking process, recall the lushnessof the Garden of Eden.
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B
I am fascinated by the conflicts between the idealized woman and the lives that we actually live."
C. Cocooning,2020 mixed medium collage: acrylic, paper, found objects 23? x 27? The concept of the nurturing embrace of acocoon, supported by clasped hands? a common motif in Kassap?s work? suggestsastate of home and security. She often returnsto the human desire to protect and shelter, and she layersher papersto illustrate the prevailing sentiment of folding inward. D. Kapparot, 2007 mixed medium collage: acrylic, paper, found objects 16? x 12? Here Kassap considers Kapparot, aritual practiced by some ahead of Yom Kippur. She exploresthe motif of raising a bird over one?shead asan atonement offering for sins commitment in the last year. Looked at another way, Kassap says, awoman might hang on tight to the bird and be lifted away from the arduoustasksof her domestic responsibilities.
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D To view the virtual exhibition online, visit wjcenter.org/community/judaicagallery
Amy Levine-Kennedy joined WJC in 2007. She hasbeen the curator of the Koslowe Gallery, founded by Terri Trieger z"l, since 2011.
As Hanukkah approaches this year, I am struck by my wonderful memories of past Hanukkah celebrations as well as how different the world seems this year (and how different I seem) after all that we have been through.
8MINDFULNIGHTS (ANDDAYS) OF HANUKKAH>>> BY CHERYL VIGDER BRAUSE 18 wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 19
As a child, I loved the sound of potatoes sizzling in the pan, the smell of crispy, fried latkes wafting through the air, and my Uncle Saul standing over a large pot of boiling apples and cinnamon as he made his homemade applesauce from an old Russian recipe he learned as a boy. I remember barely being able to contain my excitement each night as I opened my presents and then sitting on the cold tile floor in my pajamas playing dreidel with my brother and sister, trying to win as many delicious chocolate coins as I could. I remember reading the story of the Maccabees with my mom and feeling pride and exhilaration as the story of their unexpected victory unfolded. I remember feeling the awe as I learned about how bravely they fought against the odds, with only a tiny drop of oil that miraculously gave them light for eight days and nights. As a child I was so present, easily excited and filled with wonder. Each day was full of possibility and a new adventure. Some of the many reasons I love exploring the practice of mindfulness? which I would define as paying attention to what you are experiencing in this moment, inside you as well as around you, with openness and curiosity? is that it has given me back the ability to be more present each day. Through my mindfulness practice, I am able to dive into the wonder and joy of simple moments that make up our lives, and to connect more deeply with my life as it unfolds, rather than
NIGHT1
TheGift of Presence Hanukkah may be best known for giving presents. Instead of starting off the holiday with gifts and material items, take a moment as you light the Shamash to explore how it feels to become fully present in the moment. Take turns holding the candle and feeling its weight in your hands, notice its texture and its color as you place it in the menorah. Think about where it came from, what it is made of and how it was made. Then, notice the menorah you are using. Where did you get it? How many places have you used it? Perhaps it is new or perhaps is holds many memories of past celebrations. As you place the first candle in its spot, note that this is the first night of your mindful Hanukkah adventure and set an intention to explore how you can be more present each 20 - WJCVoices| Fall/Winter 2021
mindlessly checking things off my ?to do? list each day. The practice of mindfulness has also taught me to slow down and ask myself quite often, ?What am I so busy doing?? After living through this pandemic, we have all been forced to slow down, to find new ways to live each day, and to see things differently. Although it has been hard and we have all endured so much, there are many lessons that we have learned. We have been forced to discover new perspectives, a new appreciation for so many things that were suddenly taken away, new ways to work, new ways to connect to each other, and new rituals to commemorate milestones like birthdays, graduations, social gathering, and, yes, even Jewish holidays. So in this (relatively) new year, I invite you to join together with me to explore how we can celebrate a bit differently. Let?s harness that childlike spirit and take a new journey through the eight days and nights of Hanukkah and see what we discover. In particular, let?s dive more deeply into one element of mindfulness as we light our menorahs each night. Whether you are 9 or 90, celebrating alone or with others, think of this as an adventure through the eight nights of Hanukkah? a journey we will take together, with fresh new eyes, a new perspective, and the possibility of approaching each day in a new way. Each night, as you light the candles, I invite you to read the corresponding paragraph below and let the adventure begin!
day during the holiday. As you strike the match, simply watch the flame as you light the Shamash and then lift the Shamash to light the first night?s candle. Notice the flame and how it may change and glow. Finally, if you are with others look around and appreciate their presence. Pause and notice how it feels to be together. If you are celebrating alone, take a moment to think of others in your life, present or past, who you love and who love you. Hold them in your heart and appreciate their love. Simply notice how love and connection feel. We can offer each other our presence now and every day, which is truly our greatest gift to one another. We can slow down and listen to each other, share a meal, share a hug, connect by phone, and take the time to notice how different it can feel to offer ourselves to each other in this way.
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TheGift of Breath When we think of lighting candles, we often think of birthday celebrations and the ritual of blowing out the candles. During Hanukkah we do not blow out the candles, but instead we let them slowly burn until the flames go out on their own. We save our breath. During the pandemic, we have all learned to appreciate our breath. Each breath is a gift in a time where so many have struggled to breathe. Instead of blowing out candles, take a moment tonight to take a slow deep breath. Really slow down and feel the air fill your lungs and belly as you inhale. Then slowly and fully exhale, and as you do let all that air gently release as you let go of tension from your body. Repeat this mindful breathing again three more times and simply be with each breath. Appreciate your breath. It nourishes us. It energizes us. It also can relax us and keep us anchored in the present moment. You can also think of your breath as a remote control for your nervous system that is so often stretched to its limits with stress, worry and busyness. By simply giving yourself the gift of a slow, deep breath, you
are automatically down regulating your nervous system. This stops the production of stress hormones in the body and allows your body a moment of ease. By focusing your attention on your breath, you are also giving your mind somewhere to rest. Our busy minds need some time to rest, so by placing your attention on the breath, you are offering your mind and body a doorway to finding calm and ease. Practice pausing and breathing deeply tonight and throughout the second day of Hanukkah to feel the gift you can give yourself with just a few mindful breaths.
your body as you do. On the third day of Hanukkah, remember to look at the world around you with fresh eyes, with interest and curiosity, and find moments of awe and joy. They are all around us, we just need to remember to slow down and notice them.
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Our Hanukkah candles demonstrate how we can find joy and spread joy in taking part in each other?s happiness, rather than simply focusing on our own happiness. No one else?s joy can truly take away from our own capacity to be happy. In fact, we have the opportunity each day to find joy and to share it in so many ways with others. We too can shine brightly in the world like these candles, bask in the happiness of others, and spread joy in this way. The task for this night and tomorrow is to access joy by shifting your focus to what uplifts your heart. What makes you happy? Where can you find moments of joy each day? How can you share it?
TheGift of Joy
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TheGift of Wonder Children look at the world with fresh eyes, often full of wonder for so much that we quickly move past as adults. On this night, let?s harness our inner-child (it?s still in there no matter how old you are) and capture the joy and awe of looking at the world through the lens of a child. For adults, close your eyes for a moment and picture yourself as a child. Think of a happy childhood memory. Remember where you were, how you felt, what you were doing, and how you looked at the world. Connect with the child that is still there inside you. Perhaps you can remember your favorite memories of Hanukkah as a child. Bring that child with you into this moment as you open your eyes and see if you can look at the world through fresh eyes. Look around the room and see if you can notice something new or different that you had never noticed before. Then, share with each other one thing that was special or interesting about your day. If you are celebrating with children or can call a grandchild, share the stories of your childhood with them and notice those childhood feelings of excitement and joy in
As we light the candles on the fourth night of Hanukkah, let?s think about joy. Often, we look for what will make us happy outside of ourselves. We look to relationships, to our jobs, to material items, or to vacation time to make us happy and fulfill us. However, when we make our happiness dependent on someone or something else, it will always be one step out of reach and out of our own control. Instead, think of joy as an innate quality deep within you. It?s there, we just have to get out of own way to experience it. I know this is not as easy as it sounds. We are inundated every day with bad news. It fills our news cycles. It fills our minds as we ruminate and worry. So we must make an effort to see the good all around us and to feel the joy and happiness available to us right now? no more waiting. There are so many ways to find joy each day. We can feel it as we listen to a favorite song. We can notice it as we smile at a stranger or offer someone a helping hand. We can let it fill us up while enjoying a good meal or a conversation with a friend. We can walk in nature and feel the beauty of the natural world. Tonight, take a look at the candles on the menorah. As you light them one by one, see how they each shine on their own. Notice how the flame of the Shamash lights each candle without diminishing its own light. No one candle takes over the light from the other, but they each add their own light to fill the room.
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TheGift of SlowingDown As we light the candles tonight, let?s slow down. Try choosing each candle that you place in the menorah carefully. Place each candle slowly, one by one, in the menorah. As you light them, notice the sound of the match as you light the Shamash and even the sound of the candles burning. As you enjoy your dinner tonight, slow down and eat mindfully. Taste each bite, one bite at a time. Notice your food?s color, texture, smell, and taste. Try ?single tasking,? doing one thing at a time, instead of multitasking. Put away all devices (in a drawer where you cannot see them). Relish the luxury of slowing down in a world that seems to overvalue ?busyness.? As we learn to move slowly, mindfully, and with greater awareness, we find more interest and joy in what we are doing. Although this may seem less productive and less efficient, studies have shown that ?single tasking? reduces mistakes and actually increases efficiency because we are more focused and attentive. Research also shows that ?single tasking? reduces the stress, anxiety, and fatigue we feel from 20 being physically and mentally always wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 21
MyHanukkahMemory Let'sget nostalgic! Congregant Caren Osten Gerszberg asked membersof the WJCFamily about their favorite holiday memories. "I recall, very vividly, amemory of Hanukkah when I wasalittle girl. My Dad, who emigrated from the Czech Republic, lived on afarm in the Carpathian Mountains. He told me, in Yiddish, that for Hanukkah his parentsimprovised aMenorah. They used ahalf, scooped out potato, filled it with alittle oil and laid athin cotton wick in it. I could just imagine the eighth day with all the half potatoesablaze with light."
MARCIA JAEGER
?Two yearsago, we went to San Diego during Hanukkah with my family, cousinsand grandparents. Every night we lit amenorah or two, and each of the five grandchildren took turnslighting acandle. We got matching pajamasand socks, and I loved hanging out with my family.?
ZOE PERL ?When Seth, our oldest child, now 30, wasin first grade, we started a tradition we call ?carpool Shabbos Hanukkah.?Each year, we invited all the parentsand kidsfrom our carpool, and made several batches of latkesand brisket. One Hanukkah, there wasso much hullabaloo from the latkeswe set off the smoke alarm! It isall about being together with our friends, and we still do it even though there?sno more carpooling.?
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distracted and pulled in so many different directions, especially through the constant buzz of our cellphones. One more bit of interesting research is that even seeing a cell phone within our line of sight triggers anticipatory anxiety in people and pulls our attention away from the present moment. On this night, give yourself the gift of slowing down. Ask yourself: What am I so busy doing? How often do I feel rushed? What is really important to me and how much time do I spend doing it? Tonight and tomorrow, try going a bit more slowly through your day. Take a few moments several times during your day to pause and simply notice where you are and what is all around you. Turn off your cell phone for an hour during the day (that?s right ? I am confident you can do it) and notice how it feels to be more present and less distracted. Try focusing more on whatever it is you are doing, as you are doing it, and immerse yourself in it with your full attention. Notice how different your day can feel when you give yourself the gift of time and slowing down.
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TheGift of LettingGo
LAURIE GIRSKY
As you place the candles in the menorah on this sixth night of Hanukah, think about what burdens you. We often carry around regrets, anger, fear, or sadness. These feelings not only are felt in our emotional bodies, but they can manifest as pain, stiffness, tightness and tension in our physical bodies. These feelings also trigger our stress response which can cause more serious physical ailments like hypertension and inflammation. So, it is not only important to learn to manage these feelings for your emotional well-being, but also important for your physical health. As you light each candle, imagine each candle represents what you are holding on to
that is holding you back from peacefulness. And as those candles burn imagine you are releasing those feelings. As you watch those candles burn, imagine how it will feel to put down all that you have been carrying around, if even for a few minutes while you light the candles. Perhaps there is someone you can forgive, an opportunity to let go of a long-held grudge that has only served to keep you stuck in the past and angry. This letting go is not an act of condoning bad behavior, but it is an act of self-care, of setting you free from all that stands in the way of your moving forward with greater happiness in life. In mindfulness practice, we are not suppressing or avoiding any feelings. No feeling is right or wrong, good or bad. All feelings are visitors that must be acknowledged and felt. But like all visitors, they can overstay their welcome. We learn to let go of the ?stories? we tell ourselves about our feelings ? the guilt, the justification ? that often keeps us stuck in those feelings. Instead, we can learn to say good-bye as we allow them to go. As the candles burn, acknowledge what you are holding on to and honor those feelings. Be honest about what is holding you back from feeling at peace. Watch the candles burn, take a deep breath and begin to let go of the stories and the feelings that are not serving you.
choice. On this seventh night of Hanukkah we remember the miracle of light and that tiny drop of oil that lasted for eight days. Which leads me to ask: What miracles are you witness to in your life? The skeptical or scientific mind might say, there are no miracles as everything can be explained. But as Albert Einstein, one of the world?s greatest scientists, explained, we can choose to see the miracles all around us each day. Looking at a child, admiring the sunset over the horizon, gazing at the stars shining in the night sky ? all of these are miracles if we choose to appreciate and see the incredible multitude of moments that have led to us experiencing, loving, and witnessing them. Even one breath, just one breath, is a reminder of the miracle of our bodies, the miracle of so many parts and functions all operating in sync so as to allow us to be here in this moment of our lives. That is no small thing. On this seventh night of Hanukkah, as you light each candle, name one thing you are truly grateful for, something you appreciate, something or someone that has brought you joy. Share it with those around you. Choose tonight and every day to notice life?s miracles, to appreciate the beauty and mystery inside and around you.
NIGHT8 NIGHT7
TheGift of Choice Albert Einstein once said, ?There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.? Although we cannot control our external circumstances, the one thing we can control is how we choose to see things, how we want to show up for this life we are living. We have that
TheGift of Kindness On this final night of Hanukkah, we light all eight candles. Think of the Shamash as the helper candle, offering its light to all the rest. Watch as the menorah glows brilliantly, and the light from each candle joins together helping to illuminate the room. On this final night of Hanukkah, let?s remember that we are all interconnected. Every being on this planet, every action we take has a ripple effect on every other being. What we do, what we say, how we treat one
another matters. Our words and our actions affect each other and our planet. Take a moment as you watch your menorah glow and feel the light and heat of those candles. Take a moment to feel your feet on the ground beneath you and know that you are supported by the earth at all times. Feel the gentle pull of gravity connecting you downward. As you eat this evening, think about where your food came from and how it got on to your plate. So many people and animals, so much sunlight and soil, went into that food that we eat each day. All of it is a part of us. We are all a part of one larger whole. As we recognize the connection we have with each other and this planet, we can also see how deeply we can impact one another and our beautiful planet with acts of kindness. Just as the Shamash was kind enough to share its light with all of the other candles, at no cost to its own light, we too can spread kindness and love to one another. In doing so, we not only spread kindness, but we also grow our own hearts and capacity to feel love and kindness ourselves. Take a moment to offer words of kindness or gratitude to those you are celebrating with tonight. Take turns telling one person something you love about them, admire them for, or want to thank them for. If you are celebrating alone this evening, make a call to a friend or loved one or write a letter to offer kindness and gratitude to someone in your life. Notice how it feels to offer your kindness to others. Just like the beautiful candlelight of our menorahs, feel how that love and kindness can be shared and spread. Thank you for taking this mindful Hanukkah adventure with me! Take these practices with you each day and integrate them into your life. Just like our Hanukkah candles, let your inner light grow brighter and share it with the world around you. Cheryl Vigder Brause, a member of WJC since 1999, isthe co-founder of Pause to be Present, a Virtual Meditation Studio, and 2bpresent, a website about mindful living. Cheryl now writesand teachesabout the transformative 22 of mindfulnessmeditation. practice wjcenter.org | Fall/Winter 2021 - 23
WJC Voices, the magazine of Westchester Jewish Center Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543
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REWINDFROMTHEARCHIVES
What did the celebration of Hanukkah look like at WJC in 1957? a period when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States, and the most popular toys in the nation included Gumby, Play-Doh and Silly Putty? This image, as published in The Daily Times, a local paper, provides some clues. From left to right, kindergartners Jonathan Holt, William Cummings, Alec Karp and Toni Furst, along with Rabbi Irving Koslowe. ? Jill Caslin, Archivist, and Jacques Steinberg
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