FALL2022 THEMAGAZINEOFWESTCHESTERJEWISHCENTER THETORAHANDUS SHOFAR CHRONICLES BUILDINGTHE PERFECTSUKKAH INSIDETHERELATIONSHIP:WHATDOESITMEANTODAY?
EDITOR?SNOTEJACQUESSTEINBERG
In thisspirit,weaskedahandful of congregantswhohavespent extended time with WJC?sown Torahscrolls?Hazzan Ellen Arad,Rachel andScott Aronow, HowardLazarus,TraceyLevy,DavidNanus,and Dan Rosenbaum?torespond to thequestion of what theTorah meanstothem You will findtheir short essaysin thepagesthat follow,andwehopetheywill servetoinform and deepen your own thoughtsand experiencesin theweeksahead,includingon Simchat Torah. Wearegrateful tothem,and toall theother congregants(and clergy) whotook timetolend their resonant and insightful voicestoour current issue At therisk of highlightingjust afew:Cantor Ethan GoldbergandAlison Gottsegen explore thehistoryof ?Mi Sinai?music,and,in theprocess,deepen our understanding and appreciation of thenotesand tuneswewill each hear on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.JeremyBlachman introducesustothe?radical rabbis?who gaveusour modern dayHigh Holidayservices StuSeltzer,whohasbeen blowingtheShofar at WJCfor aquarter century,explainswhat it takestoget readytoplaythat criticallyimportant,high profilegig Meanwhile,Spencer Wolff introducesustoArt Kaplan,whohasbuilt acommunitywithin our communitythrough theWJCsoftball team that hehaslongled (andestablished achampionshipdynastyin theprocess).And LarryThaler,WJC?snewpresident, invitesusalongashetravelsback in timetotracehisown Jewish journey
JEREMYBLACHMAN
DAVIDGOLDSTEIN CommunicationsAssistant ALEXANDRAPAISLEY EducationalDirector& CongregationProgramCoord ALEZARKULP
EarlyChildhoodDirector ANNPARDES Librarian
JACQUESSTEINBERG,a memberofWJCsince 2003,isaNewYorkTimes Best Sellingauthor,most recentlyofTheCollege Conversation:APractical CompanionforParentsto GuideTheirChildrenAlong thePathtoHigher Education,writtenwith EricJ.Furda.
KOSTYAKENNEDY
EditorialServicesandDesignDirector
RABBI MENACHEM
GuestEditors
ProductionDirector
TAMIARNOWITZ
KATIESCHLIENTZ
JOSELUISFONSECA
AssistantRabbi
JACQUESSTEINBERG
2 WJCVoices|Fall2022 Jacques COVERIMAGE:AWJCTorahscrollandyadonourbimah, andalefthandthatshouldbefamiliartomanyofus. PHOTO CREDIT:FredR Conrad
DRIRVINGKOSLOWEz?? l RitualDirectorEmeritus MAXFRIEDMANz?? l ExecutiveDirector
JEFFREYT SEGELMAN RabbiEmeritus
BLACHMANisthe authoroftwosatirical novelsaboutthelegal profession,anda ghostwriterworking withindustryleaders Heandhiswife,Nina, andsons,Micah(8) andRafi(4),are membersofWJC.
THISISSUE'SCONTRIBUTORS
JILLCASLIN
ARLENERATZABI BuildingSuperintendent
CREDITORservesasthePearl andIraMeyerScholarin ResidenceatUJAFederation
The Torah has70 faces.
Westchester Jewish Center
GuestContributors
Westchester Jewish Center 175RocklandAvenue,Mamaroneck,NY10543 914 698 2960 wjcenterorg
ALISONGOTTSEGEN
EVANJ SCHAPIRO
Weclosebyextendingaword of thankstotwotalentedand tirelesscolleagues: KatieSchlientz,our editorial servicesand design director,and Evan J Schapiro, our production director I alsowish tothank KostyaKennedy,whoservedasa fellowguest editor of thisissueof Voices,and whoseexpertise,sensibility,and touch can befelt throughout.Wishingyouall aShanaTova.
Fall 2022
RABBIJEFFREYARNOWITZ
JEREMY
RabbiEmeritus
CHLOESTRONGIN LARRYTHALER SPENCERWOLFF
JEFFREYARNOWITZ
NewYork An acclaimed author,scholar,andspeaker withover1millionviewsofhis onlinevideosandessays,he wasnamedbyNewsweekas oneofthefiftymost influentialrabbisinAmerica.
SeniorRabbi
Or at least that iswhat the Zohar, the central Jewish mystical text, tells us (And for those of you who arefans of the movie ?Big,? weare not talking about the similar sounding Zoltar, the fortune telling machine critical to the film?s plot and depicted in Westchester?sown Rye Playland.) As the High Holidays beckon, and our thoughts turn to the tumultuous year just past and the promiseof the New Year that will soon be upon us, the image of our Torah having dozens of different dimensionsprompts arange of emotions, not least: awe, wonder, reflection, confusion, engagement, and comfort.
RABBI MENACHEMCREDITOR
CORNELIADALTON Cantor ETHANGOLDBERG
AMYLEVINEKENNEDY STUSELTZER
2 WHAT'SINSIDE BECOMINGA HIGH-TECH RABBI? WJC?sspiritualleaderplugsin THEHISTORYOFHIGH-HOLIDAYMUSIC Today?stunesmaycomefromthemountaintop THETORAH HAS70 FACES. WHICH DOYOUSEE? WithSimchatTorahonthenearhorizon,theeditorsofVoices putthatquestiontoahandfulofWJCcongregants. A PERSONAL PATH WJC?sincomingpresidentlearnedtheFourQuestionswhile watchinghisfathershave REWIND MarchingwiththeLulavinthe20thCentury RADICAL RABBIS Theprogressivepast(andpresent)ofConservativeJudaism. BEAUTYAND JEWISH LEARNING TheKosloweGalleryHooksUpwithaBeitMidrash. 4 5 6 BYTHENUMBERS Seeds,beesandmusicalnotes SHOFARON THESOUND WJC?sStuSeltzerhassomeseriouspipes THEART OFFIELDING (AND HITTINGANDWINNING) ArtKaplanhashelpedtobuildasoftballdynasty? anda brotherhood ?CHICKENSON STRIKE!? Agoodbook,andlessonsonatonement SECRETSTOTHEPERFECT SUKKAH Aseasonedmasteroffersenlightenment 11 12 20 16 10 14 wjcenterorg|Fall2022 3 THEJOURNEYHOME TwoRabbis(andlongtimefriends)makeapilgrimagetothe holyland. 8 928 25
TRUSTEES
JEFFREYTAFFET AssistantFinancialSecretary SUSANMILLER Administration HAROLDTREIBER Children&Families NANCYSHERMAN Communications&Programming EVANJ SCHAPIRO Development
AliAbrahms
SUSANMILLER SynagogueArms MARKBERGER Facilities&Environment ANDREKAPLAN Membership&Inclusion
AMYLEVINEKENNEDY TikkunOlam&RecordingSecretary EVEEDELMANRUSS
President LAURENCETHALER ExecutiveVicePresident YALEZOLAND FinancialVicePresident IANWINTERS Treasurer MICHAELLAPIDES AssistantTreasurer LAURAGRILL FinancialSecretary
Presidents,Brotherhood RITCHIEZEITOUN&DANDESA President,Sisterhood GLENNALEE&JOANNASHLESINGER Co Chairs,Parents STEPHENTAUBENFELD&ZACHARYSIGEL President,CemeteryAssociation SOLISRAEL
MarkJacoby GretaKoppelZ"L JeffreyLavine HowardLazarus Albert LefkowitzZ"L JennyLevyZ"L GailMarcus Martin Marcus RichardMelchner ZabathyMeltzer AbrahamMizrahi LennyQueen ShirleyQueenZ"L JosefRaboyZ"L
MarilynReader RonnyRosenbergZ"L RobertSavinZ"L StuartSchapiro SolSchargelZ"L SareneShanus GerhardSpiesZ"L ElaineSteinRoberts NormanTriegerZ"L EdwardWeinbergZ"L SwainWeiner RhonaWexler IrvingYasgurZ"L GeraldZeidner
AlisaCohenBarney RebeccaBaron JonathanBerg MarkBerger MarisadeSa EliseDowell EveEdelmanRuss JerryFortinsky KennethGlasser LauraGrill HowardHusock
HONORARYTRUSTEES
SpiritualLife&Enrichment
JONATHANBERG ChairoftheBoard SETHSCHAFLER
1,152 bees Neededtomake one16 ounce jarofhoney Seedsinapomegranate, correspondingtothe613 mitzvotintheTorah 613 BYTHENUMBERSCHLOESTRONGIN Notesthatareblown fromtheshofaronboth daysofRoshHashanah 100 4 WJCVoices|Fall2022 Chloeisatenthgrader whoenjoysart, photography,and writingfor her school newspaper.
AlynnPerl JillRivel BethRudich SethSchafler EvanSchapiro NancySherman RosieSmith AndreaStoltz EricaStrongin JeffreyTaffet SteveTaubenfeld LarryThaler HaroldTreiber
OFFICERS
NaphtaliJoseph AndreKaplan DanielleKlein HeatherKlein MichaelKoffler MichaelLapides GlennaLee AmyLevine Kennedy JoannaLiebman MiaMandel SusanMiller SusieMiller IlanaMoskowitz BillNatbony RobinNazarzadeh
VictorBadner AlanBenet LouisBrause RuthBrause BeverlyCannold DavidCannoldZ"L JillCaslin SabyCastroZ"L LouiseCohen RobertCohen MartinFreimanZ"L StuartGilbert CindyHeller RandyHeller
ROBINNAZARZADEH
IsabelleArditi RachelAronow StewartAult
AssistantRecordingSecretary
My Shofar Story
FINDINGOURCENTER
monthofElulsincetheshofarissoundedeveryday Forme,Ifindit important tonot onlypracticebut practiceinfront ofothers
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Seltzer on theSound during sunrise September 7, 2021
BY STU SELTZER
I?vebeenblowingshofarsinceIwas12yearsold
OnedayduringHebrewschool,Iwaskickedout ofclassandsent to theprincipal?soffice(thestoryofthereasonwhyisfor another time) Iwassittinginhisofficeandnoticedtheshofarandpickedit upand triedit
It hasbeenagreat honorfor metobetheBaalTekiaat WJCfor 25 yearsnow Toprepare,Itypicallyattendmorningminyanduringthe
Oneofthemost meaningfulandspiritualshofarsoundingsfor me hasbeenduringaninformal,RoshHashanahsunrisekayakgathering coordinatedinrecent yearsbyKostyaKennedyandMarkSegal It is trulyanhonor tosoundtheshofarontheSound
StuSeltzer,hiswife,Danielle,andtheirthree childrenhavebeenmembersofWJCsince1997 He ownsaglobalbrandlicensingagencyandisan adjunctprofessoratNYU.
wjcenterorg|Fall2022 5
Iwasalreadyplayingtromboneintheschoolbandsoit waseasyasit isaverysimilartechnique Thefollowingyear,after mybar mitzvah,I becametheBaalTekiaat myhomesynagogue?TempleBethSholom inRoslyn That lastedfor over15years
I?vehadtheopportunitytoblowshofarinIsrael(at thestart ofthe WheelsofLovecharitybikeride),NYCUnitarianChurch,Central School(whereWJCcongregant CathyGabelholdstherecordfor longest TekiaGodolaamongst alltheteachers),Cologne(aminyanin theColognegreat synagogueduringatradeshow),Wesleyan UniversityChabbadopeningceremonyandmanyothers
Areyouoryour childreninterestedinlearninghowtosoundthe shofar?PleasejoinmeonSundaySeptember24thfrom9to930am (right after morningminyan)for afreeshofarlessonat WJC YoucanalsofollowStuonInstagram@ShofarStu
?Earlyon,??hecontinues,?wewerereally inept I wasin left fieldbut thecenter fielder called for theball andgot hit right in
TheWJCsoftball team isoneof the longest runningprogramsat the synagogue,andArt Kaplan hasbeen at the center of it since1987,when hehelpedto foundtheteam
6 WJCVoices|Fall2022
COMMUNITYSPENCERWOLFF
Healsohad ahead for thegame:Asan adult,Kaplan began managing(aswell as playingon) competitivesoftball teamsin both NewYork andOhio.League
The Art of Fielding (and Hitting, and Winning)
Formorethan35years,ArtKaplanhasbeentheheartandsouloftheWJCsoftballteam. Latelythathasmeantanextraordinaryrunofchampionships.
A glasscase next to WJC?slibrary hasahandful of trophiesin it, yet there?s more than glittering hardware inside, The collection tells the story of a35-year WJC institution that has not only excelled on the field, but hasalso been successful in cultivating connections and growing the WJCBrotherhood
Art Kaplan and his wife Anitaafter the breakthrough title in 2012
?I wasinterestedin baseball from ayoung age,?saysKaplan,anativeof theWest Bronx ?Myfather passed early,but oneof mymemorieswassittingon myDad?slap watchingaYankeegame I played in middleschool andhighschool,andI had a try-out withtheYankeesin high school at oldYankeeStadium.I alwayswanteda competitiveteam toplaywith?
Kaplan movedtoWhitePlainsandjoined WJCin 1987.Aroundthesametime,WJC andtheBrotherhood werelookingfor ways toexpandsynagogueinvolvement andfind activitiesthat wouldnot onlybegood social eventsbut alsocultivaterelationships between members.?I washavingameeting in myhouse,?saysKaplan ?Andthe Brotherhoodpresident joined themeeting andtoldusthat wehadan opportunityto join aleague?
championshipsseemedtofollowhim.?I likefast pitch andcompetition,??hesays, ?and,tome,thisistheclosest thingto baseball without beingbaseball?
VoicesaskedRichardZeitoun, co presidentoftheWJC brotherhood,toreflectonthe finalhoursofYomKippur
thetopof thehead? that?sasymbol of how inept wewere Wehad alot of fun but therewasahigh level of interest in evolvingfrom just gettingout thereto winning Andthewaytowin isbeing together andhavingalevel of responsibility Thiscreated acommunity amongthepeoplewhoplay.?
culmination of alot of hard work and dedication,andtoseeif all payoff wasa great moment for everyoneinvolved? Despitetherun of success,Kaplan has foundrecruitingnewplayerschallenging ?It?sharder tofindpeopletoplay competitivefast pitch softball,?says Kaplan,whomight useasynagogue gatheringor golf courseschmoozetotryto bringin fresh blood Hispitch might go somethinglikethis:?Our focusison good played,competitivegames Weall knoweach other andthere?salot of brotherhood It?salwayscompetitive,but it?snever mean or malicious?
Kaplan saidheunderstoodthat having that community,andbuildingbonds between teammates,iswhat helpstobuild excellenceon thefield That,andacertain level of drive.Dan Kaplan,Art?sson anda longtime,keyplayer on theteam,said:?My competitivenesscertainlycomesfrom my Dad,andsoftball isabigpart of it Weboth absolutelyHATEtolose,andthat extends beyondsports.?
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In recent years,competingin the Westchester HebrewSoftball league,the team hasnot donemuch losingat all In 2012it won itsfirst titleandsincethen has blossomedintoakindof dynasty,having won sixof thelast seven championships For all that successthefirst onemay remain thesweetest
?Webeat ateam that had beaten usover theyears AndI got dousedin a Champagnebath,?Art recalls,Dan also remembersthe2012titlefondly:?When wefinallywon it wassuch afeelingof accomplishment MyDad wassohappy, andmyMom wasat thegamesthat day andwasabletocelebratewith us It wasa
Andif that failstoconvincesomeoneto join,hecan alwaysbringarecruit over to seethat trophycase
Kaplan saysthat interest in theteam has helpeddrawyoungfamiliestoWJC,?and it hasalsohelped keepyoungmen involved in our communityafter they?vegrown up andmovedout It?samulti generational activity,from age16thrusenior citizens?
Spencer Wolffhasbeena member ofWJCfor as longashecanremember. Heparticipatedin religiousschool and HebrewHighprograms. Heiscurrentlya sophomoreat Davidson College
The team that won it all in 2012 wjcenterorg|Fall2022 7
A Break-the-Fast Memory
RICHARD ZEITOUN
"Ididnotgrowupinanobservant household Mymothergrewupina religioushouseholdinGermany,but afterlosingeverythinginthe Holocaustshenolongerfeltcloseto thereligionorGod.Myfathercame fromNorthAfrica It wasa?mixed marriage?,shewasAshkenazicandhe Sephardic.Hiswasasimplereligious upbringingandhisbreak the fast customistheonethatweobserved andtheoneIrememberwiththe mostfondness.Thefamilywouldfast fromsundowntosundownbutwe didnotgotoservices Myfather wouldsitinhisfavoritechairwithno lightsonandquietlyobservethe holiday Atsundownwewouldbreak thefastwithaglassofcoollemonade andapieceofhomemadepound cake Thatwasit Nobigmeal,no bagels,nolox,nobigspread. Sometimesanextrapieceofcake "
Of ChickensonStrike, and What They Can Teach Usabout Atonement
In our home thereis alibrary of more than 200 picturebooks organized in a very specific way according to the Jewish calendar! Over the years wehave gathered quite acollection, and when our boyswere younger wespent the weeks leading up to each holiday building excitement, anticipation and our children?sunderstanding of the holiday?s history and traditionsby reading these books
imagination thecommotion of the chickens,thedesperation of thepeople whowant awaytoatonefor their mistakes,and thelittleboyin themiddleof thestorytryinghisbest todowhat?sright Theemotionsof thecharactersin the storyfeel sofamiliar.Haven? t manyof us looked for waystomakeupfor past mistakesand hoped for awaytobebetter in thefuture?Thosegoalsarewhat many of our ritualssurroundingtheHigh Holidaysareall about,but there?s somethingin thephysical act of kapores that can reallydrivehomethepoint In this oneact webothacknowledgewhat we?ve
?You can useaturnip!?saidtherooster. However,I think theother reason it caught myattention isthat kaporesisnot a custom I grewupdoing In fact,I had only ever seen it donein itstraditional form from thewindowof an Egged busin Jerusalem asI rodethrough MeaShearim on mywayfrom HebrewUniversitytoBen YehudaStreet Reading?When the ChickensWent on Strike?stirredmy
donewrongand quicklyturn it intoan opportunityfor amitzvah Nowyou might likethisideain concept, but theideaof wavingalivechicken over your head feelsalittletooforeign and uncomfortable.If that?sthecase,consider thisadaptation:usemoneyinsteadof alive chicken In thisvariation,individualshold moneyover their headsand swingthe moneyaround(manychoosetouse$18or amultipleof $18) Themoneyserves asastand in for theperson?smistakes andisultimatelydonated tothe tzedakah organization of your choice, therebyturninganegativeintoa positive Perhapsthisyear isagoodtimetoadd anewritual toyour family?s preparation for theHigh Holidays As youconsider what you could have donebetter youcan alsothink about what you aregoingtodonowtoput yourself on apath tomitzvot,starting right awaywith whereyouwill donate what you used for kapores Maybe there?san organization that?sspecial to your familyor an organization that is agood match for thechangeyou want toseein yourself in thecomingyear. Whatever youchoose,I hopeyou will beinspiredbythe?ChickensWho Went on Strike?and seethat wecan takeour mistakesandturn them into somethinggood
?Theemotionsofthecharactersinthestoryfeelsofamiliar.Haven?tmanyofuslookedforwaystomakeupforpastmistakes??
AsweheadintotheJewishNewYear andI look at our library,I seesomany booksthat I haveread(andreread and reread) andloved,such as?Howthe Rosh Hashanah Challah Became Round,??NewYear at thePier,?and ?Sadie?sSukkah Breakfast?Yet,there?s onethat alwaysstuck out for me The book iscalled?When theChickens Went on Strike,?byEricaSilverman andMatthewTrueman
8 WJCVoices|Fall2022
?What if wecompromise?Wecan hold you moregently Wecan praymore quickly?
Thestoryisadaptedfrom awork of Sholom Aleichem?sand tellsthetaleof chickenswhodecidetorun awayfrom their villageandgoon strike,because theynolonger want tobeused in the custom of kapores Kapores,or Kapporot,meansatonement In the traditional kaporescustom aperson wavesalivechicken over his/her head, declaringthechicken asastand in for theindividual in atonement for their sins Thechicken isthen donatedtothose in needor issoldand thevalueisgiven as tzedakah
?Sha,goodchickens,sha!?Therabbi?s wifeheldupher hands
Tami Arnowitzisa MortgageLoanOriginator, aLifeCoachanda Teacher.ShehasaBAin economicsfromWellesley College,anMBAfrom ColumbiaBusinessSchool andhasstudiedat Hebrew UniversityandThe ConservativeYeshiva Tami livesin Mamaroneckwithher husband,Jeff,their 4 boysand2dogs,Lucky& Evie.
Oneof thereasonsthisbook stuck out to meeach year isthat it ticklesme(and was alwaysahit with our children);something about thedialogueof thechickensmakes melaugh Everytime For example:
FAMILYTAMIARNOWITZ
?Werefusetobeyour Kapores!?achicken shouted
OREN: First,it needstostandbyall Jewishlaw Also,it shouldbe stable,andabletowithstandrain,with awaterproof fabric We knowNewYork weather in October! Onetipthat?sespecially important in thesetimes:makesurethat whomever youbuyyour Sukkah from fullycommitstodeliveringit on timefor theChag
This may be more arabbinical question but is thereanything a husband and wife should NOT do in a Sukkah?
What should someone consider in deciding what kind of Sukkah to buy?
Is therea Tiny Sukkah story?
A cutekidcameintothestoreand askedtobuyasmall sukkah jutsfor him.Weendedupgivinghim amini sukkah,amodel that weusefor showingthebuildingmechanism That wasless than 4?high andabout 2?x?3in size Of course,wegaveit tohim asapresent
Thefanciest Sukkah weever deliveredwasahugeonefor abig Chabad communitythat needed tohost 200+ men andwomen for Shabbat Chol Ha?moedKiddush.That wasacomplicated structuretobuild But it cametogether
As Sukkot approaches, Voicessat down with Oren, a co founder of Sukkah Market and sukkahmarket com, which each year providesSukkahs for hundredsof families in the U S and elsewhere Oren, who since childhood has treasured the family time and environment of Sukkot, prefers to keep his surname private
How long should a Sukkah last?
VOICES: What makesa good sukkah?
KostyaKennedyisalongtime memberofWJC. Aneditorial director at DotdashMeredithand author,hislatest bookTrue:TheFour Seasonsof JackieRobinson cameout inApril
Any other Sukkah tips?
Have you shipped Sukkahsto unusual places? Yes Onethat standsout isaSukkahweshipped toaJewish American soldier in Afghanistan
9 Questions for aSukkah Master
If it isstoredcorrectly,meaning,useit outsidefor the8daysand then dryit well beforeputtingit away,aSukkahcan easilylast for 10years
Somekeyquestionstoask:Howmanypeopledoyou want toseat in theSukkah?Areyou planningtosleepin it?Also,consider if you arehopingtogrowyour familyin thecomingyears.Will you want toexpandtheSukkah in thefuture?
Besuretotieyour Schach with ziptiestothemetal rods.We don? t want your Schach tobefoundbyyour neighbor!
Tell us aBig Sukkah story
8 wjcenterorg|Fall2022 9 KOSTYAKENNEDYNEWSYOUNEED
How long doesit take to build/install a typical Sukkah? For aprofessional or someonewith alot of experience,it should not takemorethan 35minutes.If you?relikemost peopleand simplybuildyoursonceayear,I wouldsayit shouldtakeabout 90minutes? andthat can beaveryenjoyabletimetosharewith thefamily
AmyLevineKennedyhasbeen theCuratoroftheKoslowe Gallerysince 2011.A writer and editor,Amyalsoenjoysfamily time,exercise,anddrawing greetingcards
Theartistsrangein agefrom their thirtiestotheir eighties,and haveproducedamulti mediaexhibition of contemporaryJewish art derivedfrom thestudyof themedtextspresentedbyKahn andthreeinstructingrabbis:Rabbi DianneCohler Esses,the Director of LifelongLearningat Romemu;RabbaWendy Ansellem,headof theBeit Midrash at Maharat;andRabbanit Leah Sarna,theAssociateDirector of Education at Drisha.. Kahn isaprofessor at theSchool of Visual Arts,in NY,and a painter andsculptor whoseart isheld in museumsworldwide, includingtheGuggenheim,JewishMuseum,9/11Memorial,and YaleUniversityArt Gallery,aswell asspiritual spaces
Susan Kaplow felt sculpture felt
"Theseworksbeganasaninstallationat CeresGalleryinChelseawhereIshowed thesmallvesselsandinvitedviewersto writegriefstatementsonpaper parchmentandplacetheminthevessel Morethan60peoplecontributed I committedtomakinganewartwork incorporatingtheparchments,signifying thatgriefacceptedandsharedmaybe transformedandmaytransformus."? SK
TheArtists?Beit Midrash wasfounded in 1999through the collaboration of Kahn and Rabbi Leon Morris Morrisis currentlyPresident of Pardes,an inclusive,diverse,andrigorous Jewishlearningcommunitybasedin Jerusalem Hewasthe foundingdirector of TempleEmanu-El?sSkirball Center for Adult JewishLearningin NY(nowtheStreicker Center),which isinstructivebackground totheArtists?Beit Midrash philosophy.
"WereadinPirkeiAvot(5:22):?Turnit,and againturnit,foralliswithinit?Indeed, studyingandwrestlingwithourtexts(such asthedailyTalmud?Daf,?andtheweekly Torahportion)creates,overtime,unique spacesofengagementandcommunity, refuge,andrest."? EL
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The Koslowe Gallery ispleased to greet 5783with apartnership with conceptual artist Tobi Kahn The gallery and Kahn have teamed up to present the work of Kahn?s artistsat the Barbara C Freedman Artists?Beit Midrash at the Streicker Center of Temple Emanu El with ?The Art of Healing.?
"Itdealswiththehealingpowerofprayer. Ontheversoithasthefollowing fromthehecticrush ofourdailylives forquietreflection andprayer Itisinthese specialmoments thatwehavethechance torediscover whoweare andwherewearegoing inlife" ? BF
Barry Friedfertig UsTake Time
TheKosloweGalleryisexcitedtobringitsemphasison hiddur mitzvah? incorporatingbeautytoenhanceJewish learning? to WJCand thegreater Westchester community Wewelcomethem toour international circleof artists
10 WJCVoices|Fall2022
Hiddur Mitzvah: Incorporating Beauty to Enhance Jewish Learning
Eleni Litt RestingintheWordsof the Torah 24 x 2022
Acrylic paint, collage, organic material (soil and flower petals) on wrapped canvas
Eachyear,thegroupexploresthemed textsand producesand critiquesartwork based on inspiration from their innovativeand contemporaryrabbinicmethodsof study
IndiaInk on canvas 12x 10 2017
GALLERYAMYLEVINE-KENNEDY
Let
AcollaborationbetweenWJC?sKosloweGalleryandTempleEmanu El?sArtists?BeitMidrash.
Though I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, I spent my first two years of undergraduate studiesas apsychology major at CarnegieMellon University Among my friends, who were gifted students of robotics, business, and computer science, I was the tech ignoramus the one who used his computer for writing papers, surfing the nascent web, and playing games while they were coding datain long spreadsheets, programming self driving vehicles and, well, also surfing the web and playing games
That isan aspect of myrabbinatenoonewouldhavepredicted at myordination 20yearsago,especiallynot me
Jeff Arnowitztech savvy?
Thisisan ongoingproject Still,I?d liketoshareafewpiecesof wisdom wehavegainedover thelast twoand ahalf yearsof mixingtechnologyand congregational life.
Thank Godfor thevideosharingand streamingtechnologywe havetodayandtherelativeeaseof makingit widelyavailableand user friendly.I honestlynever imagined that virtual meetingsand serviceswouldbecomean essential part of myrabbinateanymore than doctorsor therapiststhought it wouldbean essential part of their practices When I becametherabbi of WJCthreeyearsago, even streamingliveservicestotheinternet,what wewouldnow call hybrid,wasacontroversial andtrickyissue.NowI cannot imaginemyrabbinatewithout heavyuseof thesetechnological wonders
10 RABBIJEFFREYARNOWITZSPIRITUALLIVING
Of course,I am nomoreatech wizard than I was20yearsago What wereallymean bymytech based ministryistheabilityto usetechnology,likeZoom and YouTube,toquicklytransition the congregation tovirtual worshipand meetingswhen it proved necessary,aswell astoexploretheoptimal,ongoingroleof technologyaswemoveforward Thetruth isthesetransitions werechallengingfor me,astheyhavebeen for most of us
Virtual Gratitudeis Real
There Is No ?Right? Way For Everybody
Perhapsmost importantly,when it comestotechnology,just like everythingelserelated tothepandemic,solutionsand decisions arenot onesizefitsall Thereisnot oneright waytouse technologyasasynagogue,asaboard or committee,or in any other setting.Similarly,thereisnot onecorrect approach for individualsand familiesregardinghowmuch theyshouldrelyon virtual experiencesfor their spiritual needs
Moreimportantly,in thoseearlydaystryingtonavigatethe challenginghalachic(Jewish legal) issuesof technologyand Shabbat seemedlikeaburden and I wasn? t sureif it wouldbe worthwhile.What afool I was! All I can saytoday,onceagain,is thank God
Thetruth isthat everycommunity,everyfamilyandevery person hasdifferent needs,tolerancesand skill setsfor interactingvirtually Wecan and shouldall learn from each other when it comestothisbravenewvirtual world,but weshould not expect that toresult in auniversal norm for technologyin spiritual life Theneedsof thiscommunityand itspeoplewill continuetobeunique That iswhat makesour shul,andsomany others,sowonderful and necessary
wjcenterorg|Fall2022 11
Andyet,in myannual reviewlast year,thetoppieceof positive feedback I receivedwasgratitudethat I am sotech savvy! When I toldoneof mycollegebuddiesabout it,heliterallylaughed out loud.
Most Comfortable DoesNot Always Mean Best I knowthat it isnicetoattendservicesor work in anicetopand pajamabottoms I understandthat commutingtowork or shul in themorningisan added,and often onerous,step I get that interactingwithpeoplein person isnot easyfor everyonesome of thetimeor anyoneall thetime.
And still,when it ispossible,puttingon theright clothesfor a moment setsthetoneand feel of that moment,for usandothers Also,in person human contact isoften worth thesacrificeof somecomfort,alittletimeand abit of energy I am not saying that weshouldn? t takefull advantageof theseaccommodations Beingcomfortableisnice.However,I am sayingthat weshould beawareof thesacrificeswearemakingfor that comfort and recognizethat comfort andeasearenot theonlycriteriaupon which weshould bebasingdecisionsregardingour work,play,or spiritual lives
So,maywecontinuetocelebrateandgivethanksfor the wondrousmoment in which welive,andthetechnological tools wearesoblessedtousein thismoment of need Maywecontinue tochallengeourselvestousetechnologyasneeded,but not to tradecold comfort for thewarmth of human contact And may weapproach all thiswith understandingand mutual support sothat wecan continueon this spiritual journeytogether,however much and in whatever wayswearetakingadvantageof virtual technology
Rabbi JeffreyArnowitzbecametheSenior Rabbi of Westchester JewishCenter inAugust 2019
Becoming aHigh-Tech Rabbi?
WJC?sSeniorRabbireflectsonhisunlikelypathfrom?techignoramus?tosavvy,streaming,spiritualleader.
In manycases,yes. CertainlyKol Nidre, theeveningBar?chu,the?Great Aleinu? thehalf Kaddish beforetheAmidaand theopeningof theAmidaincludethese melodies Other melodiesaremuch newer,and weknowtheir origin and composers
Can you describethemusical style or anything else specific and interesting about the music? How doesthe style differ from weekly Shabbat music? Stylistically,wehear influencesboth from Eastern andWestern music: the ?melodies?arean arrayof short melodic fragmentsthat arecombined in different ways(asin Arabicor Asian music) but themotifsthemselvesareveryEuropean ThisspeakstotheJewish experienceasa cultural bridgebetween East and West
first used for theHigh Holy Daysand how they made their way into synagogues acrossthe continent throughout the years?
Most likely,theyoriginatedin the Rhinelandin theMiddleAges,and were carriedbyAshkenazi Jewsin their travels, first toEastern Europefollowingthe crusades,then from Eastern Europeto English speakingcountriesandIsrael in the19th and20th centuries.
CANTORETHAN GOLDBERG: Whilewe don? t knowfor certain whocomposedthe melodiesor wheretheyoriginated, scholarspoint toGerman minnesinger ballads,French troubadour melodiesand Gregorian chant asprobableoriginsand in afewcasescan showthelikelypath of influencefrom onetotheother ?Mi Sinai?means?From Mount Sinai,? meaningthat thismusicwasbelievedto beasoldanddivinely inspiredasthe Torah itself! Callingthem ?Mi Sinai?and insistingon their uniform usagein the synagogueisgenerallyattributed toRabbi Jacobha-Levi ben MosheMollin (known as?theMaharil?) wholivedin Mayence [Mainz,Germany] 1358 1427.
AConversationwithCantorEthanGoldbergaboutthemelodiesfromMountSinai thatwillfillthespacesofWestchesterJewishCenterduringtheDaysofAwe
High Holy Daysliturgy reminds usto think about how we may havefallen
MUSICNOTES ALISONGOTTSEGEN
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ALISON GOTTSEGEN: Britannica.com defines Mi Sinai tunes as?music of the Ashkenazic Jews; any of agroup of melodically fixed chants for the liturgy of the High Holy Daysand other festivals Developed in theRhineland in the 12th?15th centuries, they were held in such high esteem that they became known asMi Sinai (?from Mount Sinai?) ? Help usunderstand more about ?Mi Sinai? tunesand how this rich history fits into the larger context of contemporary Jewish music Where did these powerful and sacred Mi Sinai melodies comefrom?
Arethese Mi Sinai tunesthemelodies we still hear on theHigh Holy Days today?
High Holy Days music is clearly very old, as you and Britannicaclarify Do we know when these melodieswere
Exploring the History of High Holiday Music
I liketosaythat thereisboth oneversion and onethousand versionsof Kol Nidre Therearecertain motifs,themesand tendenciesthat arefoundin all of them, but at thesametime,notwocantorsor composersrender it note for note identically
Regarding Kol Nidre, this is oneof the most recognizable High Holy Days melodies Doesevery Cantor sing it the exact same way?
When might we hear more contemporary melodiesduring the High Holy Days?
How many different melodiesare there?
We also associatemany of theHigh Holiday melodiesonly with this time of year I just want to confirm that we only sing thesemelodiesonce ayear ? during the High Holidays? Prettymuch,although someof them also appear on Passover and Sukkot.
Did these melodieshave any influence on Western art music?
encouraged hisJewish studentstouse traditional Jewishmaterial asabasisfor their own compositions,which anumber of them didin theearly20th century
I liketousenewer melodiesfor the piyutim (prayer poems),especiallyon Kol Nidrenight,sothemusicfor Ya'ale Tachanuneinu,Ki HineKachomer and Rachamana,for example,aremuch newer and in somecaseswritten byliving composers
AlisonGottsegenhasbeena museumeducator for 27years atavarietyofmuseums.She chairsWJC?sMusical Enrichment Committeeand enjoysspendingfamilytimein NYCandthegreat outdoors
short during the year and how to try to live even better ? to ahigher standard in the new year Istherea connection between theholiday message and itsmusic?
Tobegin with,centuriesof associating thesetextswith thismusicitself imbues themusicwith themeaningof the holiday Themotifsalsoreoccur in different placesthroughout theliturgy,so hearingsimilar phrasesin Kol Nidreand at N?eila,for example,givescoherenceto themusicof theday. Thetraditional melodyfor ?Ashamnu?often strikesusas ?happy?but wehavesomereason to associatethissoundwith plain, unadornedtruth- exactlythestanceof a confession
It dependshowyou count it?safluid oral tradition with similar material appearing in multipleplacesandthereareabout 100 melodicfragmentsin total
Over time,other compositionsand melodieswerewritten for theHigh Holy Days,uptoand includingin our own lifetimes. Someof our most iconicHigh HolyDaysmelodies,likeB?sefer Chayim, S?lach Lanu Avinuand M?chalkeil,were written in the20th century
wjcenterorg|Fall2022 13
Ritual music and prayers connect us with Jews all over theworld ? across cultures and geography, as we all share melodies. That makesme wonder if there areeven younger composers also composing new High Holy Dayssongs or melodiestoday? Somewhat Someof thecontemporary Jewish singer-songwritershaveset parts of theHigh Holidayliturgy,and also applied their songsfor other wordsto High Holidaytexts. But it seemstome that thisliturgyhasattracted far lessof their attention comparedtoShabbat texts Perhaps,thelessfrequent theoccasion, thestronger thedesiretopreservethe traditional music,discouragingtoday?s composersfrom settingtheHigh Holy Daystexts
Perhapsthrough itsorigins Thismusic probablycameintoJewish lifeasaresult of theCrusadesand their terribleeffect on theRhinelandJewish communities Yom Kippur becameadaytorecite elegiesand memorial prayer tothe martyrs(theorigin of theYizkor ritual) Thesetextswereprobablyset tothe Mi Sinai melodies,andthemelodies remained associatedwith Yom Kippur even astheoriginal elegytextswerelost Yom Kippur,amongother things,isaday for ustolick our wounds,check in on our grief and takeinspiration from thepast in order torepair our ways.
12 MUSICNOTES
Certainly,Kol Nidrehas It wasset for celloandpianobytheGerman Protestant composer MaxBruch in 1880 Bruch learnedthebasicmelodyfrom afriend whowasacantor Beethoven?sString Quartet Op 131appearstobeinfluenced byKol Nidre;Beethoven might have learnedthemelodyaspart of an unrealizedcommission bytheVienna Jewish communityalthough some scholarsquestion this TheRussian composer Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov
Can you describe how themusic connectsus to the themesof Yom Kippur?
How has High Holy Daysmusic remained the same and how has it changed/expanded from theoriginal Mi Sinai melodies?
Chag sameach!
andfounderofRabbisAgainstGunViolenceHangingoutatCampRamahin1990 . 14 WJCVoices|Fall2022
BYRABBI MENACHEM CREDITOR
CreditoristhePearlandIraMeyerScholar-in-ResidenceatUJA-FederationNewYork
Startingaschildhoodfriendsin1990atCampRamahinthe Berkshires,tobecomingrabbiniccolleagues,andnowto experiencetheblessingsofbeingincommunitytogether,our cupsoverflow.IttookmeandJeffreyArnowitz32yearsto journeythroughourhomelandtogether,anditwasworththe wait.Oursharedexperiencebroughtsomuchinto focus,mostof allhowpreciousitistodiscovermeaning,withalifelongfriend
Standingatthebaggageclaima t BenGurionAirportinIsrael,ready tostartthejourney! StandingattheKoteltogether,feeling theheartbeatofourPeople.Whoknewthe journeyfromCampRamahinthe Berkshires32yearsagowouldleadus here?
Animageoftruefellowship-Westcheste r faithleaderssittingtogethe r asfriends ontheTayeletinJerusalem,sharing holinessandbuildinghope .
14 wjcenterorg|Fall2022 15
An"onlyinIsraelmoment"-runningintoou r Ramahcounselorfromthesummero f 1990,GeoffWinston,onthestreetso f Jerusalem !
BackhomeinWestchesterwithrabbis andministerswhosharedthejourney. ThiswasacommunityRallyAgains t Hatred,wherethelovewesharedin Israeldirectlytranslatedintoactionon thegroundbackhome .
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?Even just in thepast 60or 70years,?explainsRabbi Jeffrey Arnowitz,?therearefewinstitutionsasdynamicasthe conservativesynagogue. Manystill hadseparatemaleand femaleseatingin the1950s,and nowtherearefemalerabbisand cantors,gayandlesbian weddings,thechavurah movement withcongregantsleadingservices,musical instruments,a growingprominenceof English in our servicesalongwiththe Hebrew Thetrappingslook thesame,sowedon? t alwaysthink about it thisway,but we?veactuallybeen quiteradical.?
Andyet,allyouneedtodoislookfromtheWJC sanctuarytothetentsoutside? or intothecamera, tothecongregantsjoiningthelivestreamfromhome ? torealizethat thewayweprayisanythingbut static
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Thesurprisingly-progressive past (andpresent!) of conservativeJudaism.
ByJeremyBlachman
wjcenterorg|Fall2022 17
It?stemptingtoimaginethat inaworldfilledwith changeanduncertainty? ineverydirection,onevery dimension? Judaismalwaysstaysthesame Thisis especiallysoduringtheHighHolidayseason,aswe chant melodiesthat havebeenaroundforhundreds ofyearsifnot longer,repeatingtheversessungbyour ancestors,goingcountlessgenerationsback.
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But then theSecond Templewasdestroyed,andtherabbis neededtoreinvent theholiday? indeed,reinvent somuch of thewayweobserve? in order tomeet thenewrealityandkeep Judaism relevant tothecitizens. ?TheTorah givesustheAvodah service,andtheself deprivation aspect of theholiday? fasting, etc,?continuesRabbi Arnowitz,?but after theTemplewas destroyed,therabbisleanedintotheUnetanah Tokef and developedwhat wenowcan? t imagineJudaism without The High Holidaysweall recognizearebarelyreminiscent of what?s describedin theTorah.?
Thewritingsof Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks,former Chief Rabbi of theUnitedHebrewCongregationsof theCommonwealth (UK),whopassedawayin 2020,explain further:?Therewasno longer aHigh Priest,nosacrifice,noDivinefire,noLevites
TakeYom Kippur,for instance ?TheTorah positsavery different Yom Kippur servicethan what wetakefor granted
Thiscapacityandwillingnesstochangein order tomeet shiftingcommunityneedshasmadesynagoguesespeciallyagile institutions,in termsof their abilitytopivot toonlinemodels andfindwaystodeliver spiritual opportunities,social connection (andmore) even when thesynagoguebuildings themselveshadtoremain closed Indeed,associologistsand researchersRon Wolfson and Steven Windmueller wrotefor Tablet magazine,?Virtuallyovernight,nearlyall synagogues? with theexception of most Orthodox congregations,which for halachicreasonswouldnot livestream on Shabbat andholidays? went virtual bynecessity.Suddenly, clergylivingroomsand emptysanctuariesweretransformed into television studios? contributinggreatlytothespiritual lifeof Jewish peoplein Americaand thelarger world?
But panningback tolook at thelonger arcof historymakesit clear that thepandemicwasonlythelatest exampleof atradition of changethat startedmorethan twothousand yearsago,with thedestruction of theSecond Templein Jerusalem bythe Romansin 70CE
today,?saysRabbi Arnowitz ?Asfar astheTorahisconcerned, Yom Kippur isapriestlyholiday,not apersonal one,with the priestsmakingatonement for thesinsof theentirepeople There wasnonotion of apersonal journey,or that individualswouldall showuptotheTemple? in part becauseit?shard tobelievea farmer back in thosedayswouldleavetheir farm for twoweeks andshowupin Jerusalem?
Theevolution hasn? t stopped. TheTalmudcamealmost five centurieslater,andthen theGeonicperiod from thesixth to eleventh centuriesbrought usthefirst siddur that wewouldstill recognizetoday ?Thetradition weinheritedisn? t something
Movingfrom aset of priestlyritualstothemorepersonal way weobservetheholidaytodayisrepresentativeof thebroader changesthat happenedunder therabbisafter theSecond Temple?sdestruction.?Theydidn? t reallywant thepriesthood to comeback,?contendsRabbi Arnowitz ?Theywrotevolumes about it,implyingthat theywantedit toreturn,but their actions spokedifferently Theycreatedasystem of prayer toreplace somethingelsethat hadbeen verycommon,namelyanimal sacrifices?DuringYom Kippur,theKohen Gadol walkedagoat ninemilesintothedesert beforepushingit off acliff toitsdeath. Theoriginal Passover seder involvedkillingalamb(beforeeating it with matzah andmaror,in agiant neighborhoodcelebration)
?Afteryearsofdebate,?wrotetheNewYork Timesin1985,?theworldwidegoverningbodyof ConservativeJudaismhasdecidedtoadmit womenasrabbis?
singingpraisesor crowdsthrongingtheprecinctsof Jerusalem andfillingtheTempleMount? .A transformation took place that must constituteoneof thegreat creativeresponsestotragedy in history Yom Kippur wastransferred from theTemplein Jerusalem toeverysynagoguein theworld Insteadof theHigh Priest actingasarepresentative,God Himself wouldpurifyHis peoplewithout theneed for an intermediary Even ordinaryJews could,asit were,comefacetofacewith theShechinah,the Divinepresence.?
Radical Rabbis: Making Room for Women
ItwasacontroversythathadoccupiedtheRabbinical Assemblyforyears,afterReformJudaismbeganordaining womenin1972 ?Asoftoday,Jewishwomenneednever againfeelthattheirgenderisabarriertotheirfull participationinJewishlife,?AmyEilberg,thefirstfemale conservativerabbitobeordained,saidin1985 Thejourney hadbeenslowinsomeways,butincrediblyquickwhen lookedatinthecontextofthelonghistoryofthereligion It wasonlyin1973whentheconservativemovementeven allowedwomentocountasmembersofaminyan.Andthen, justoveradecadelater,womenwereonthebimah,leading theirowncongregations,andmore.
Asweproceed through aHigh Holidayseason defined by blessings,and howtheycan help createapath forward intothe future,wecan look back and realizethat therabbishavealways been creatingthisforward lookingpath,in part out of tragedies liketheTemple?sdestruction,and thepandemicof today,but also aspart of an ongoingcreativeprocess,embracingthechallenge of howtoavoidbecomingobsolete It?san impulseat thevery coreof our religion,onethat wecan all recognizeand appreciate
AsRuthWisse,nowProfessorEmeritaofYiddishLiterature andProfessorofComparativeLiteratureatHarvard University,wroteinCommentarymagazinein1979,thecall forwomentobeordainedbytheConservativemovement was?affirmingwhatoneofthemovement?sleadershas called?ourdeterminationtorespondtomodernity,toresist fossilization??proofofthe?life affirmingadaptabilityofthe Jewishtradition?andofthecreativevitalityofthe Conservativemovement.?
Thereinvention doesn? t end there,and in fact theYom Kippur serviceisonlyoneexample,and just thebeginning Tashlich,to look at another pieceof High Holidayobservancethat wetake for grantedtoday,emerged muchlater,basedon aversein the book of Micah,which reads,?God will takeusback in love/ God will cover upour iniquities/ God will hurl all our sinsintothe depthsof thesea?
wjcenterorg|Fall2022 19
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But after thedestruction of theTemple,sacrificestops,?andthe rabbis,?accordingtoRabbi Arnowitz,?werechallenged tocreate thesamelevel of gravitasand dramawithout thosesamerites Instead,weendupwith alongverbal ritual,with education and liturgy? ToRabbi Arnowitz,it wastheGreat Democratization of Judaism,bringingtheholidaystoeveryoneinsteadof just the Kohanim,Jewsyoungand old Speakingof theyoung:?It?ssomuch moreinterestingtobe immersedin asynagogueservicethan havingtowitnessancient ritualsin whichanimalsareledtotheir death,?saysWJC congregant Micah Blachman,age8 Thepivot from ritual sacrificewasn? t theonlychange ?Theydidn? t reallyhaverabbis beforetheTemple?sdestruction,?addsRabbi Arnowitz ?Now anyonecan becomearabbi if you studyhardenough,and obviouslythat wasn? t thecasetobecomeamember of the Kohanim.Thepriesthoodwasan aristocracy.Theytaxed people terribly Post destruction,publicTorah readingwasintroduced Thereligion movedout tothepeople Synagogueshad existed beforehand,but nowtheyweregiven thekind of weight they havetoday?
we?restuck with,?concludesRabbi Arnowitz ?Therabbishave been thevehiclesof changefor alongtime,lookingtoconnect, tocreatemeaning,and toreimagineour ritualsin order tofit the spirit of themoment,whatever that might be?
BYJACQUESSTEINBERG
20 WJCVoices|Fall2022
20 WhatdoesTorahmeantoyou? WithSimchat Torahonthenearhorizon,theeditorsof Voicesput that questiontoahandfulof WJCcongregants Some of theirthoughtswent tothephysicalscrollitself.Others,totheactualtext.Stillotherstothephysicalprocessof learningTorah?orlearningfromtheTorah?aswellasrelatingtoit andincorporatingitsteachingsintotheirdailylives. Wealsoaskedthemtoconsiderthat thecentralJewishmysticaltext,TheZohar,estimatedtheTorahhas?70faces? Whichfacesdoyousee?Andasyoulookat thefacesof theTorah:What memoriescometomind?Howdoyoufeel? What doyouthink? >> wjcenterorg|Fall2022 21
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theminwrittentexthundredsofyearslateragain Thisisno longeraworldthatwecanbarelyguessat,butaworldofwarring kingdomsanddynasties,andofpriestsandnobles andprophets,withtheirowncompeting perspectivesandagendas
IwasfortunatetoliveinaJewishhomewhereTorahwasacentral partofmyfamily?sethicsandmyownmoralcompass I lovedreadingthewordsofTorahinsynagogue,from thebimahormyseatinthesanctuary
My eyes filled with tears asI stood beside my son on the bimah, in front of theTorah, oneShabbat morning this past summer and tried to follow along ashe read the aliyah for which I had been called IhavealwaysbeenmystifiedbytheTorah,itsphysical formtakingusbacktohowwordsweretranscribed literallycenturiesago,thebeautifulandintriguing calligraphyoftheHebrewletterswiththeirspacingand flourishes,readwithacarefullydefinedtrup,conveying meaningtothosewhoareprivilegedenoughto understandthecontentofthescrolls Onaviscerallevel,theTorahformerepresentsour centuriesofhistory,theessenceofwhyweare?the peopleofthebook,?andanancestralconnectionthat providesreassurancethatIampartofsomethingfar greaterthanmyselfthathasperseveredthroughthe worstoftimes Ihavebeencalledforaliyotperiodically
Growing up, I wasthekid who looked forward to going to Hebrew School
overthecourseofthispandemic,butthoseweretakenfrommy seatorfromthecantor?slectern,andthetearsinmyeyeswerefor thefullsensoryexperiencethatIhadmissed Backatmyseat,ItypicallyfollowtheTorahreadingin EnglishIappreciatethestoriesofourancestors, capturedinsparseprosethatconveystheirgenerosity andflaws,makingthemrelatable.Andthenthereareall therules.Iusuallyglossoverthosethatseem misalignedwithcurrentvaluesordonotmakesense I trytoabsorbandupholdtheessence,ifnotallthe detail,oftherulesdesignedtosetusapartasadistinct people
Itisthismany layeredaspectofTorahthatreallybringstolight theincredibledepthandbreadthofJewishhistoryandJewish experience,andinmanywaystracestheevolutionofthoughtnot onlyamongJews,butallpeople
OneShabbat,whenIwashomefromcollegeand decidingwhattodowiththegapyearIhadplannedto takebeforemedicalschool,IattendedaScholarin ResidenceweekendfeaturingRabbiNeilGillman.My eyeswereopenedtoawholenewversionoftheTorahI loved.IjoinedinaTorahstudysessioninwhichwewere challengedtothinkaboutafewwordsofTorah differently Eachpersonsittingaroundthetableinthe libraryhadadifferentinterpretation,adifferent perspective,adifferentinsightintowhatthosewords meant Thatmorning,aflamewasignitedwithinme, andIrealizeditwasn?tonlytheliteralTorahasteaching thatIloved,buttheactofteaching,thelower case?t?Torah,the
TRACEYLEVY
Butwhatkeepsmehookedaretherulesthatare designedtocreateajustsocietyinharmonywiththe physicalenvironment Ispendmuchtimereflectingon thatvision,andwhetheriteverwasorcanbeachieved
RACHELARONOW
Andthen,thereistheaspectofTorahthatonly existsinthecommunalprocessoflearning:Itisthe processofuncoveringanddiscussingthe thousandsofyearsofinterpretationoftheTorah byscholarsovercenturiesofconversation This dimensionisespeciallyfascinatingbecauseit consistsofsomanylayers:modernscholarstrying tounderstandtheanalysisofmedievalrabbis,who weretryingtoparsethewordsofancientpriests, whowerethemselvescapturingtheoraltraditions ofdesertnomads,whoweretryingtounderstand theirownfoundinggenerations.
I first began studying Torah several yearsago, with Rabbi Adir on Tuesday mornings MywifeRachel? whoismuch morelearnedonthesubjectthanIam? began attendinghisclassonherdayoff,andshecamehome soenergizedbytheconversation,thatIwasjealousof whatIwasmissing SoIjoinedher,andveryquickly becameenergizedtoo
SCOTTARONOW
Torahteachingasaverb,notanoun
Butouroutlooksaredifferent,andweapproached thematerialincomplementaryways She?smore spiritualthanIam I?mafanaticalhistorybuff,andam endlesslyfascinatedbywhatthetextandtheeternal processofpickingapartthetexttellsmeaboutthe Jewishpeople? andsometimesnon Jewishpeople too? anddifferentmomentsinourhistory
IusedmygapyeartoattendtheJewishTheologicalSeminary A decadelater,mylifewasfullofworkandfamily,butsomethingwas missing WhenIheardaboutWJC?sweeklyTorahclass onTuesdays,mydayoff,thatflamewasrekindled Each week,teachingsIrecountedfromclasswouldtrigger hourslongdiscussionsbetweenmyhusband,Scott, andme.ItwasonlyafewweekslaterthatScottjoined theclasstoo.Sincethen,everyTuesday,weparticipate indiscussionsledbyourknowledgeableclergy. Theteachingsoftheweeklyparshahteachustohear theperspectivesofourclassmatesandtoshareour own Theyteachustodisagreerespectfully,andthen toopenourmindstotheteachingsasthey?reperceived byothers Ipraythattheboundlessteachingsofthe Torahcontinuetoteachallofus,andthatImanageto teachmychildrentolovethenounandtheverbforms ofTorah,sothatinittheymayfindthesamefulfillment oflearningandteaching
ThenIthinkaboutwhatthesetextstellusaboutthepeoplewho composedthesestorieshundredsofyearslater,andcodified
First,IliketothinkaboutwhattheTorahsaysaboutits actualsubjects:thePatriarchsandancientIsraelites themselves.Iliketotrytoimaginehowthosestories playedoutinanalmostunimaginablydistanttime,thatisboth primitiveandalieninmanyways
onaShabbosorHoliday?Wasitamemoryofanevent,happyorsad, thattheyhadperformedinfrontoftheTorah?AndItooksuch personaljoythatIwasfacilitatingthatexperienceformyfriendsand fellowcongregants FormanyyearsIsaidthattheTorahparadewas thebestpartoftheservicesforme,andforme,thatwasenough Mostrecently,withCovid,myopportunitiestobe physicallyclosetotheTorahhavebeenlimited My Torahlearningnowoftencomesinvirtualstudygroups ledbyRabbiArnowitzandRabbiDalton,forwhichIam sograteful Thesmallcommunitieswhichhavebeen createdhavebecomeimportantandnecessarytome, andforme,thathasbeenenough
AssomeoneeducatedinOrthodoxdayschool,the TorahcontainsthelawsthatshapeJudaismand instructmyobservance
DAVIDM.NANUS
Iunderstoodthegoaloftheassignmentwasto conveythatTorahisasvitaltotheJewish peopleaswaterinthattheybothsustainlife ButIfelttheneedtotakeitastepfurther: ?Torahislikewaterbecause?ittakestheshapeofitscontainer?For millennia,generationshaveminedthisholytextformeaningandhavefound itthroughthelensoftheirtimeandplaceinhistory EveryyearonSimchat Torah,wefinishandbeginthereadingofTorah Thisisthetruemiracleof oursacredtext:nomatterhowmanytimeswereadit,there?salwayssome newinsighttobegained Likewater,thelifelonglearningofTorahiswhat sustainsus,andcausesustothrive
AndasIage,IseemoreclearlythattheTorahisa friendthatwalkswithmeandguidesmethroughthe manypathwaysofmylife.
Asanovicearcheologist,theTorahisthehistoryof myancestors,andofIsraelthenandnow Asanoncologist,theTorahprovidescomfortand hopeduringthemosttryingandincomprehensible times
Tocontinuetodotheholyworkoftransmittingthistofuturegenerationsis ablessingandajoy Chazak,Chazakv?nitchazek togethermayweall continuetobestrongandbestrengthenedbythewordsandmelodiesof ourbelovedTorah
Asaparent,theTorahprovidesmeaningtomy childrenandgrandchildrenthatbindsustogether throughShabbatandholidays
LookingbackatthearcofmyTorahconnection,Inow understandthatithasneverbeenonlyonething Itisa history,andalessonbook;alistoflaws,andaprompt forseriousdiscussionsaboutimportantissues Itisa sourceofcommunalconnection,andasupportduring difficulttimes.Indeed,Ihopethatwhatitmeanstome willcontinuetoevolve.ImaynotknownowwhatTorah willmeantomeinthefuture,butIamconfidentitwill bespecialandimportantinmylife.Forme,thatisenough.
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During my time at theJewish Theological Seminary, one of my professors required hisstudents to complete the following analogy: ?Torah is like water because? ? ThroughoutthebooksoftheTanakh,aswellas withintheTalmud,theTorahitselfis metaphoricallycomparedto,andevencalled, water.Justaswatermakesthedesertbloom intoaveritableGardenofEden,sotoodoes Torahfillourheartsandsoulsandmakeus vibrant,holypeople
The Torah hasmany meaningsfor me
When I was young, Torah was our Jewish history book. This waswhereIlearnedthestoriesofourPatriarchsandMatriarchs,of MosesandAaron,andofthegreateventsthatshapedourJewish past IknewthatwereadthesestorieseveryShabbat,andforme, thatwasenough Later,asayoungadult,Idiscoveredthestories,laws, lessons,andhiddenmeaningsthatneededtobe developedfromtheseseeminglyonlyhistorical recitations,andthejoyoflearningaboutthesethingsin aTorahstudygroup AndIalsolearnedthatasaJewish peoplewehadbeendoingexactlythatforthousandsof years Thelearningwasstimulatingtome,andthe longevityofourdoingsoasapeoplefurther strengthenedmyconnectiontoJudaism,andforme, thatwasenough
HAZZANELLENARAD HOWARDLAZARUS ?Torahislikewaterbecause?ittakestheshapeofitscontainer.? wjcenterorg|Fall2022 23
Asahazzan,Ihavethesacredprivilegeofteachingtheartofcantillationtoall whodesiretolearnit.PerhapsI?mbiased,butitisthisskillthatmakesthetext comealive;tropemelodiesstrategicallyplacedcanbringaninexplicabletear toyoureye,alumpinyourthroat,orfillyouwithawe.ThechantingofTorah, comparedtosimplyreadingit,makesitdramatic,memorable,andallowsus tomakeourownmeaning.It?ssomethingwe?vebeendoingsincethe9th century
WhenIhadtheprivilegeofbeingaleaderatWJC,and theopportunitytoparticipateonaregularbasisinthe paradeoftheTorah,Ilovedtoseethelookin everyone?sfacesastheyreachedforwardtohonorthe Torah.SometimesIwouldtrytopicturewhatthe expressionmeant.Wasitjoyatthesimplepleasureofbeingpresent
TraceyLevyandherhusband,Evan,and theirfourboyshavebeenmembersof WJC for14years.Traceyrecently assumedtheroleof chairof WJC's spiritual lifecommitteeandhasdrawnon herprofessional skillsasanemployment lawyerandworkplacetrainertosupport WJC onaprobonobasis
Despitethesevariations,everySeferTorahusesthesametraditionaltext,which nevervaries ThemostancientextantwrittenSifreiTorah,about1000yearsold, areremarkablyconsistentwithmodernversions,withnotmorethanafew differentlettersoutofthe304,805lettersintotal Sotakealookatthewordsthenexttimeyougetanaliyah,orthenexttimeyou?re atWJCforSimchatTorahandweunrollanentireTorahScroll It?sreally somethingtosee
ABOUTOURCONTRIBUTORS
SotheTorahisthestartofaJewishspiritualormoraljourney It?snotthewholejourney andit?snotthefinaldestination,butit?stheplaceandtexttostartwith Goodluckwith yourownJewishjourneythisholidayseason
HowardLazarusandEllenhavebeen membersof WJC formorethan35years andraisedtheirthreechildrenhere Howardisanhonorarytrustee Heisalsoa past president andaformerco chairof theritual committee.Herecentlyretired fromtheNYC realestatebusinesshe co foundedin1990
DanRosenbaumhasbeenamemberof WJC since1996,alongwithhiswifeSandi andsonsMax,BenandGideon.
InanacknowledgementoftheTorah?smanydimensions,DanRosenbaumusedtwo differentlensestocrafttwoseparateresponsestoouressay?prompt,?whichyoucan findbelow.? TheEditors.
As someone who regularly chantsfrom theSefer Torah at WJC, my most intense experiencewith the Torah is interacting with the physical words hand written in ink on parchment
EverySeferTorahhasthesamewordsandletters,buteachoneisdifferent becauseeachoneishandmadebyascribewithinkandaquillpen Unlikea printedbook,thescribe?shandwritingstyleputswordsondifferentlinesandwith differentshapes,soawordmightbecomealmostunreadableasit stretches outtoreachtheendofaline
Thewordspredatethemodernstandardizationofexactlywhatsoundsthe Hebrewlettersrepresent.Forexample,thenameIssacharisspelledwitha second,unpronouncedS(?? ? ??).Also,HooandHee(meaningHeandShe)are oftenspelledthesame(???)andaguidebook,calledaTikkun,isneededtoknow whichoneismeant
DANROSENBAUM
Rachel Aronowworksasapediatrician andlivesinLarchmont withherhusband, Scott,andherthreechildren,Hannah, Michael,andJoshua ShehasbeenaWJC memberforfiveyears,isaTrustee,and hasbeeninvolvedinthePurimshpiel as well astheinstallationsof Rabbi Arnowitz andof Rabbi Dalton
HazzanEllenArad wasordainedfromthe JewishTheologicalSeminaryin2009,and hasservedvariouscommunitiesinthe tri stateareaandaroundthecountryasa hazzan,scholarandartist inresidence,and chaplain SheandherhusbandGraham joinedWJC in2019,andaredelightedto beapart of thiswarmandwelcoming community
Torah to me meansthe foundational text of our tradition
TheletterslookdifferentfromtheonesusedinprintedHebrewbooksorthefont inyourprayerbook Afewlettersarewrittenwithtinycrown likedecorations
It?sthebasisforthebeliefsandpracticesthatmakeuphow webehaveasJews,whetherspiritual(Godlovesusbutgets jealousaswellinExodus32),ethical(payyourworkerson timeinDeuteronomy24),orpractical(buildafencearound yourroofinDeuteronomy22)
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TheTorahisnotalwaysinfallible,witheachdivinelyinspiredwordhandeddownto MosesatMt Sinai Therearetoomanyinternalinconsistenciesforeverywordtobe absoluteandunquestionabletruth Soit?sOKtoaskquestionsandchallengethe directionsandsuggestionsbuiltintothetext InNumbers30there?sasetofrules cancellationofawoman?svowifsheisundertheauthorityofherfatherorhusband Fromamodernperspectiveit?sunacceptabletoeliminateawoman?sagencythatway, butevenwithoutadoptingtheexactrequirementsofthetextthispassagecanleadto insightsabouttheimportanceoftakingvowsseriously,ortoinsightsaboutwhenit mightbeappropriateforoneperson(likeaminorordisabledperson)tobeunder anotherperson?scontrol
Thecrownsdon?tsignifyanythingtomebuttheMidrashsaysthatRabbiAkiva?s studentsdeducedlawsandrulesfromthecrownsontheletters
Scott Aronowisadesignerof sceneryfor theaterandopera;husbandtoRachel; fathertoHannah,Michael andJoshua;a Larchmont resident forsevenyearsanda WJC memberforfive;also,heisunusually experiencedat installingrabbis.
It?sthestartingpointforinquiriesintohowweshould behavewithaJewishworldview Atremendouslylengthy andcomplexdiscussionoverseveralvolumesofTalmudof thelawsofdamagesisbasedonafewversesabout misbehavingcowsinExodus21.Thelawsofdamagesdon? t derivefromrationallyderivedrulesofethics,becausewe can?tbeconfidentthattherationalconclusionsarecorrect. Instead,weknowthatfromaJewishperspectivetheTorah?s rulesaboutthecowsaretherightplacetostart.
DavidNanusgrewupinChicagoand, togetherwithhiswife,BonnieSilverman, hasbeenamemberof WJC since1989 Histhreechildrenhadtheirbarorbat mitzvahat WJC,andRabbi Segelman presidedoverhisdaughterShira's wedding.HeiscurrentlyaproudSabaof fourgrandchildren.
A Jewish Journey That Has Not Followed aStraight Line
One of the wonderful thingsabout WJCisthe myriad wayswe get to participatein Judaism Some of you may remember Pam Mizrachi?sgreat ?Moth Shabbat? program, when I shared my ?Wicked in Whitestone? story It was clear from that story that Judaism for me was not always easy, and certainly not astraight line. Along the way, I learned that my love of Judaism isderived from the experiences I have. It is about hearing, feeling, tasting, smelling, breathing, hugging It is, in short, about participation. For me, spirituality cannot becreated watching from the sidelineslike afan I need to be in the game
I alwaysenjoyedwalkingtoshul Saturdaymorningwith my father,attending?junior congregation?andleadingaprayer or a
ForWJC?snewpresident,thewarmthofJudaismwasfirstfeltatopthe radiatorinthechapelofaQueensshul
MyJewish journeybegan at theWhitestoneHebrewCenter,a conservativeshul in Queens,NY Someof myearliest memories areof sittingon theradiator in thechapel for theFast of theFirst Born,feelingthewarmth of theheatingsystem whiletheRabbi presented hisstudies Asalittleboy,I learnedthefour questions whilemyfather wasshaving.I can still smell theaftershavewhen I hear thewords Passover issuch an experiential holiday tastes,songs,odors nowonder it left alastingimpact on me and hasbecomeoneof myfamily?sfavoriteholidays
24 wjcenterorg|Fall2022 25 25 WJCVoices|Fall2022 LARRYTHALERFROMOURLEADERSHIP
FROMOURLEADERSHIP
LarryThaler isamediatechnologyexecutive,honoredbythe industry withfour Emmyawardsforinnovation,whoiscurrently CEOoftheVCC. Heandhiswife,Sherry,joinedWJCin1994and enjoyedwatchingtheir daughters,Ali andCam,growup surroundedbythecommunity. Larry feelsindebtedtoallthe leadersandvolunteersofWJCandlooks forwardtoworkingwith andgettingtoknoweveryoneduringhistenure asPresident
equally,and sit side-by-side,in servicesthat arenot watered down I hopetousemypresidencytoexpandthese opportunitiesandwant your ideastoencourageparticipation andmakeeven themost intimidatingof servicesfeel welcoming andinclusive
Judaism isdesignedtovalueparticipation Ever sincethe templewasdestroyedand wemoved from sacrificetoprayer,the Rabbishaveincludedan Amida,or personal prayer,in every service. Thisdirect,one on onecommunication with Hashem is reallyunique andfor meprovidesan opportunityfor introspection,andpetition WJCisan incredibleplacebecausetogether,weembracethe concept that Judaism isan activeprocess We?renot simply listeningtoachazzan with abeautiful voicesingingon our behalf it?sour activeengagement that makesussospecial. Wehave choicesbetween Shabbat morningservices,Simpleand Soulful, Rhythm andRuach,Renewal,YogaShabbat,Meditation, Tashlich bythewater andeven Torah for Tots,which all offer waystoparticipatein Judaism that resonatewith uspersonally Each of thesehavebeen built byvolunteerslikeuswhowanted newexperiences.
Duringtheseyears,I wastaught byRabbi Mark Cohen,a Holocaust survivor and asavant whospokeseven languages, whowasmypersonal yoda:?Thereisnotry,onlydo? ? He wouldnot hesitatetotwist myear or pull mynosewhen I was misbehaving. Somehow,heinstilled in meandmypeersalove for readingTorah There?svaluein thechallenge:each word hasa melody,andthemelodyin turn helpsustoremember thewords When I readfrom theTorah,I can even smell theparchment Asateenager,I wasengagedwith USY,CampRamah Berkshires,USYon Wheels,and Israel Pilgrimage,whereI got to sharein theincredibleexperienceof Fridaynight zemirot. In each of these,theentiregroupwouldsingsongsafter dinner, often lastinghours Tothisday,thosesongsand theRuach (spirit) theyprovidedhaveapowerful resonancefor me
section of theservicewhen I got oldenough The camaraderie with myfellowstudentsandthesoundof theamazingmelodies createdtheearlyfoundationsfor myJewishsoul and ayearning for more
After theseexperiences,I startedstaffingUSYeventsand taught theteenagerstoparticipatein Judaism through their senses. A highlight wastakingthestudentson blindwalks through thewoodstohelpamplifythenon visual sensory sensations Withtheir eyesclosed,everystepwasachallenge, everytwigcrackingbecamean explosion,everybird whistlea song,everybushhad atextureand scent What an incredibleway toexperienceShabbat!
SherryandI joinedWJCeven beforestartingour familyand felt embracedbytheincrediblecommunity Onepowerful memory:I joinedRabbi Segelman on aBrotherhood tripto Israel wherewedavenedafternoon servicesnear theoldCityof David,surroundedbyavalleyringed bytheArabcityof Silwan Twelvemen prayingunder our own talits,near theplacewhere Judaism began. Tension,balanced byloveandcompanionship madeour prayersalittlestronger that day
I becamepresident of WJCbecauseI believein thepower of ConservativeJudaism Women,men and thoseof uswhose gender identityandpronounsmayrangewidelycan participate
MyJewish journeyisnot nearlycompleteand I hopeyou will join meon theride Thisholidayseason,I am askingyouto?get in thegame? Takeamoment tofind anewwaytoparticipate? somethingyouhavenot donebefore.Blowashofar,attend anew service,leadastudysession,singanewprayer,createan experiencewithnature andtell meabout it! I cannot wait to seethenewthingswecreate,learn,and experiencetogether In themeantime,pleasedon? t hesitatetoreach out tomeat
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Larry@WJCenter org Wishingyou all aShanaTovaTikatavou
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WJCVoices,themagazineof Westchester Jewish Center Mamaroneck,NY10543 NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION USPOSTAGEPAID WHITEPLAINS,NY PERMITNO 4317 Forupdates,events,photos,andmorepleasevisitusonFacebookandInstagramat@westchesterjewishcenter REWINDFROMTHEARCHIVES For thisinstallment of ?Rewind,? weasked Rabbi Segelman to reflect on thisphoto Here is what he shared: ?These pictures bring back wonderful memories First, there wasatimewhen I wasnot grey Moreimportantly, we see our beloved teacher Max Friedman z?l, from whom I learned so much Torah At that time, wewere in our ?new?chapel I remember how much weall loved that space Finally, asI look at these images, I think that aswe marched around with the lulav, wewere re enacting an experienceof theancent Temple in Jerusalem Seeing that procession happen in Mamaroneck 2,500 yearslater is seeing alink in aholy and preciouschain of tradition I wasso honored to bepart of it ? ? Jill Caslin, Archivist, andJacquesSteinberg
