october 2017 - Congregation Habonim

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Oct 1, 2017 - A friend reminded me ... Join me on six Monday nights throughout the year as we ..... Brothers Home World
OCTOBER 2017 TISHREI / CHESHVAN 5778 103 West End Ave / New York, NY 10023 ph 212-787-5347 / fax 212-595-3542

www.habonim.net

From the Rabbi I write on the heels of Rosh Hashanah - during the Aseret Y'mai T'shuvah days of honesty with self which help to move us forward from a place of strength. We take the joy, uplift and sense of humanity that accompanies our communal entry into the new year and make room for the new year to become a part of us. We dream of a year filled with blessings - for health, good fortune, adventure and wellbeing. Sometimes our dreams come to fruition. Sometimes, the difficult, unexpected and even unimaginable greets us when we awake in the morning. The High Holy Day liturgy urges us to write ourselves into the book of life. Judaism teaches us how to do just that. When Facebook CEO Sheryl Sandberg's husband died unexpectedly while on vacation, she wondered how to move forward. The powerful working mother of young children wanted the life she imagined, not the one unfolding in front of her. Sandberg’s book, Option B - Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy emerged out of Sandberg's path towards becoming resilient. She writes, "Looking back over the darkest moments, I can now see that even then there were signs of hope. A friend reminded me that when my children broke down at the cemetery, I said to them, "This is the second worst moment of our lives. We lived through the first and we will live through this. It can only get better from here. Then I started singing a song I knew from childhood: Oseh Shalom, a prayer for peace. I don't remember deciding to sing or how I picked the song. I later learned that it is the last line of the Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for mourning, which may explain why it poured out of me. Soon all the

adults joined in, the children followed, and the wailing stopped." More than a personal story, Option B opens the door to all of us as we find our way in the world, expanding our lens on what is possible in life when we give ourselves the gift of compassion and build resilience by strengthening the muscles around our backbone (p.10). Join me on six Monday nights throughout the year as we read Option B together and explore the Jewish themes and values that emerge as guideposts for building resilience as individuals and community. Using the book's chapters as our guide, we'll reflect, share stories and insights, sing, pray, and develop strategies and practices for strength and compassion - all within sacred community. From Where Does My Strength Come: Option B - Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy, with Rabbi Lisa Gelber – Mondays, November 6, December 4, January 8, February 5, March 5 and April 9, 7:30 – 9:00 pm. Open to all - both members and non-members of Congregation Habonim. Contact Kenny at 212-787-5347, x.103, [email protected] to register. I look forward to seeing you! Rabbi Lisa Gelber Habonim Sukkot Dinner at JCC Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue @ 76th Street Thursday, October 5, 7:00 pm Rabbi Rachel Bovitz of the Florence Melton School for Adult Jewish Learning will join us for dinner and will lead an interactive discussion, “If These 3 Walls Could Talk: The Messages of the Sukkah.” RSVP at goo.gl/bm7KEL by Tuesday, October 3. Contact Kenny at 212-787-5347, x.103, [email protected]

OCTOBER 2017 Kabbalat Shabbat Services Fridays, 6:30 pm, 10/6, 10/13, 10/20, 10/27 Shabbat Morning Services Saturdays, 9:30 am, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28 Torah Tots (age 5 and under with parent/caregiver) Saturdays, 11:00 am – 12:00 noon, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28 Religious School Youth Shabbat (K – grade 5) Saturday, 10/14, 10:45 am – 12:00 noon Sukkot Dinner with Habonim at JCC Manhattan Thursday, 10/5, register at goo.gl/bm7KEL by Tuesday, 10/3 or contact [email protected] Queens Service Friday, 10/6, 8:15 pm Weekly Study with Rabbi Gelber Tuesdays, 10:00 am, 10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24, 10/31 Sisterhood Membership Kick-off Luncheon Sunday, 10/15, 12:00 noon Sisterhood Book Group Tuesday, 10/24, 7:00 pm, And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer. B’nai Mitzvah (at 150 W. 83rd Street) Saturday, 10/7, Leo Greenberg, son of Suzanne Nossel and David Greenberg Saturday, 10/28, Elana Rappaport, daughter of Suzanne Gordon and Evan Rappaport Religious School Community Dinner Friday evening, 10/20, Kabbalat Shabbat service @ 6:30 pm, followed by dinner Sunday Morning Minyan Sunday, 10/29, 9:30 am OFFICE CLOSINGS Wednesday, 10/4 Office closes at 12:00 noon for Erev Sukkot Thursday, 10/5 and Friday, 10/6 Offices closed for Sukkot Monday, 10/9 Offices closed for Columbus Day

Wednesday, 10/11 Office closes at 2:00 pm for Erev Shemini Atzeret Thursday, 10/12 and Friday, 10/13, offices closed for Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah Service times: Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah Thursday, 10/5 9:30 am, Sukkot Day 1 service Friday, 10/6 9:30 am, Sukkot Day 2 service Wednesday, 10/11 7:30 am, Hoshana Raba morning service Thursday, 10/12 9:30 am, Shemini Atzeret service, including Yizkor 6:00 pm, Simchat Torah service and programming, including Hakafot Friday, 10/13 9:30 am, Simchat Torah service, including Hakafot

CONGREGATION HABONIM [email protected] / www.habonim.net / 212-787-5347 Rabbi Lisa B. Gelber Cantor Bruce Halev x. 107 x.109 Richard Kargauer, Rina Cohen Schwarz, Executive Director, Religious School Director, x.101 x.105 Tina Lobel, Nursery Ann Obsatz, Associate School Director, x.108 Nursery School Director, x.123 OFFICE STAFF Kenny Altman, x.103 Roy Ramsey, x.106 Adina Rifkin, x.100 Louise Rode, x.102 MAINTENANCE STAFF Matvey Khazanov, Jesus Guttierez, x.122 x.122

Please send all donations and payments to: Congregation Habonim c/oKesef Accounting Services POB 418, Montvale, NJ 07645 Please inform the Habonim office of all life cycle events in your family: births, deaths, anniversaries, awards, promotions & other significant events. Contact Adina at 212-787-5347 x.100, [email protected]. To schedule time to meet with Rabbi Gelber, contact Kenny at 212-787-5347 x.103, [email protected].

BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS Neil Goldstein, President Stephen Berman, Treasurer Susan Grant, Secretary David Feuerstein, Vice President Michael Harwayne, Vice Richard Verner, Vice President President TRUSTEES Mindy Abramson Beth Bornstein Jonathan Chariton Deena Ecker Nita Gottesman Wendy Halperin Debra Karlstein Jennifer Kenter Michael Massen Marc Mehl Maya Levy-Merdinger Jeffrey Moelis Abigail Schlaff Howard Stoffer Elaine Witkoff HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS Arthur Falkenstein, z”l Herman Lichtenberg, z”l Peter Mayer, z”l Marga Walter, z”l EX-OFFICIO BOARD MEMBERS (non-voting) Rabbi Lisa Gelber Cantor Bruce Halev Richard Kargauer, Saul Sanders Executive Director John Keller PAST PRESIDENTS Elaine Witkoff Saul Sanders Leo Asen John Keller Carol Kahn Strauss Ralph Stein, MD z”l

CONTRIBUTE TO HABONIM    

Yahrzeit/Memorial Plaques Tree of Life Leaves – to acknowledge a special occasion or remember a loved one Prayer Books – book plate dedications for all occasions Kiddush Sponsorships

CEMETERY PLOTS Plots are available at Cedar Park Cemetery, Paramus, NJ, in the Habonim section. Contact Adina at 212-787-5347 x.100, [email protected]

CONDOLENCES 

To the family of Eva Bergmann z”l on Eva’s passing.

Our classrooms are full of life with children playing cooperatively and engaging in creative activities. Our teachers are enjoying getting to know the unique and special qualities of each of our children. It is exciting for all of our staff to share these new beginnings with our young children and it adds a sweetness and delight to the New Year. The teachers will help to transform a part of the classrooms into a sukkah. The children will enjoy adding their own decorations as they take pride in their work. They are thoroughly enjoying playing, eating apples and honey, singing and listening to stories. Our Early Explorers Program has begun. Our youngest group is actively engaged in exploring and learning. Our caring, creative and knowledgeable teachers are thrilled to be guiding this program. We have also added a Toddler Time Class for children 12-20 months on Thursday afternoons from 12:15 – 1:00 pm. It is a funfilled age appropriate program that promotes learning. Our first Rock Shabbat will be on Friday morning, October 20 at 11:00 am. For Rock Shabbat, all of our students will gather every Friday in the Sanctuary with Rabbi Gelber, Cantor Halev and the Nursery School team. The children’s enthusiasm grows with each week as they celebrate Shabbat in dance and song. Our After School Program will begin the week of October 16. This fall, children will have an opportunity to play soccer, explore science, engage in Enrichment Games, dance, cook and learn about Jewish culture. We look forward to many more programs in the coming year. We are excited about the wonderful times ahead, as we encourage our children to become engaged learners and help strengthen their Jewish identity. Chag Sameach to all! Tina Lobel Nursery School Director

different Tefillot (prayers and blessings) they will be leading during their service.

‫ וְ אֵ ת הָ אָ ֶרץ‬,‫ אֵ ת הַ שָּׁ מַ יִ ם‬,‫ בָּ ָרא אֱֹלהִ ים‬,‫אשׁית‬ ִ ‫בְּ ֵר‬ B’resiheet bara Elohim et ha-shamayim v’et ha’aretz. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. God set the standard for awesome beginnings, as we see in the first chapter of our Torah, in Parasha B’reisheet in the Book of B’reisheet/Genesis. In the month of October, we celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah, when we read the very end of our Torah text, after which we re-roll the scroll to the very beginning and read B’reisheet. This very text will be chanted aloud for the congregation come hear all about the original beginning!

Our Habonim Teen Lomdim, #Lomdim, program is being taught by Sam Feldman-Green and Daniella Axelrud. Our teens will be learning “Hot Topics within Our Jewish Community” and how to navigate the world at large with the tremendous teachings and lessons of our Jewish values and mitzvot. From the first minutes of our school year, in our Breisheet Ha-shana (Beginning of the year), we have already seen truly happy students and teachers with high quality teaching and learning happening within our Religious School. May the entire year be chock full of joyful Torah learning. Chag Sukkot Sameach - Happy Sukkot to the entire Habonim community. Rina Cohen Schwarz, Religious School Director

Please join us in this very special Simchat Torah celebration on Thursday evening, October 12 and then again Friday morning, October 13. We have music and dancing and it is a joyous time for all. Everyone present will be called up to the Torah for an aliyah, with a very special aliyah for all of the children of our Habonim community. Within the Religious School of Congregation Habonim, we are blessed to have amazing teachers working with all of our students. Our Gan (Kindergaten) teacher is Karen Sacks, and our Aleph/Bet teachers are Daniella Axelrud and Rob Silverbush. All of our Gan, Aleph and Bet students learn Hebrew through a fully immersive exposure program taught by Tamar Matza - she speaks only Hebrew with her students, and they learn a tremendous amount of vocabulary over the year. Our Gimmel Judaica teacher is Daniella Axelrud, our Dalet Judaica teacher is Sasha Zacharia, and our Hei Judaica teacher is Rabbi Gaby Danielli. On our Ivrit team are: Noam Zeffren, Rob Silverbush, Tamar Matza, Avi Jezer, and Max Fineman. The students work on their reading and modern Hebrew vocabulary skills in small group instruction each Monday. Our Vav and Zayin teachers are Sasha Zacharia and Rabbi Gaby Danielli. New for this year is a Hebrew Tefillah (prayer) reading review built into the class time for these students. As each of these students continues to or begins to prepare for their becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, it helps them to review the

Habonim is forming a new committee, the Information Technology Committee. The committee’s goal will be to find and leverage technical solutions to help in all aspects of synagogue life. If this is something that interests you, please contact Michael Massen, [email protected].

Bar Mitzvah, October 7, Leo Greenberg, at 150 W. 83rd Street Leo Greenberg is in 8th grade at Hunter College High School where he is an active member of the Jewish Cultural Awareness Club. He has an avid interest in politics and enjoys volunteering on campaigns. He is also an enthusiastic debater, runs crosscountry and loves spending summer weeks at Crane Lake Camp. His bar mitzvah project is organizing a school supplies drive at Hunter for Hurricane Harvey. His portion is from Exodus and centers on the dialogue between Moses and God as the Israelites prepare to enter Canaan.

Bat Mitzvah, October 28, Elana Rappaport, at 150 W. 83rd Street Elana Rappaport is currently in 8th grade at The Computer School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. She has been dancing since she was threeyears old, and currently dances at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Elana also enjoys skiing, swimming, hiking, and biking with her family. For the past three summers she has loved attending Ramah-Nyack. Her parasha is Lech Lecha. It is very meaningful to Elana, since this parasha was the inaugural parasha for Congregation Habonim in NYC, after the Congregation moved from Essen. Germany. In this parasha Avraham Avinu is called upon to take a journey, and to leave the safety of home and all that knows behind; to go to the Promised Land and father a new nation.

NEWS FROM THE BOARD At its September 12 meeting, the Board discussed the work of the Marketing Committee, co-chaired by Debra Karlstein and Jean Hellering, and its consultant, Shira Dicker, to improve Habonim’s website and increase its social media presence. Members were encouraged to raise the synagogue’s online profile by taking such actions as “liking” Congregation Habonim on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CongregationHabonim/, and by sharing posts. The Committee will also attempt to raise Habonim’s profile through the use of press releases to the Jewish press, and the like. Executive Director Richard Kargauer reported that membership and Nursery School enrollment are up from last year, while we are still waiting for final Religious School enrollment numbers, which typically occurs later in the year. He also updated the Board on High Holiday preparations. With a new Board now starting its work, members discussed how they can ensure that the lay and religious work of the synagogue gets done more efficiently and effectively. The Board authorized donations up to $3,600 to the Florida Jewish community in the wake of Hurricane Irma. This sum is in addition to the $3,600 previously approved for donation to the Houston Jewish community following Hurricane Harvey. The Board also discussed how to address other humanitarian issues on a non-financial basis. Susan Grant, Board Secretary __________________________ Sisterhood Torah Fund Pins Torah Fund pins have arrived! If you would like a pin, please send a check for $180, payable to "Torah Fund" to Janet Schwartz in care of Habonim, 103 West End Avenue, NYC 10023. Torah Fund supports the institutions that educate Conservative rabbis, cantors and educators including the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York, Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies at the American Jewish University in Los Angeles, Zacharias Frankel College at the University of Potsdam in Germany, Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano, in Buenos Aires. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Sisterhood Book Club "Time moved in two directions because every step into the future carried a memory of the past," one of the Fergusons muses, "... and while all people were bound together by the common space they shared, their journeys through time were all different, which meant that each person lived in a slightly different world from everyone else." Paul Auster’s epic novel of four parallel lives during the formative years of Archie Ferguson, a Jewish boy born in Newark in 1947 evoked a lively discussion amongst book club members on Tuesday, September 12.

From Our Sisterhood President Sisterhood kicked off the year with its first event – participating in Race for the Cure with Team Sharsheret on Sunday, September 10. In addition to raising money for a worthy cause, it was an opportunity for Habonim members ranging in age from one year to 50 plus to meet and spend time together. I attended my first meeting of the Sisterhood Book Club on September 12 where Paul Auster’s novel 4-3-2-1 was discussed. I am looking forward to the next meeting of the Book Club on October 24, focusing on And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer. Sisterhood’s 2017-2018 kick-off luncheon will be held on Sunday, October 15. This is a great opportunity to meet new people, schmooze and share ideas for 5778. Flyers are in the lobby, or online; join us! Deena Ecker and Danielle Kaufman are working together to introduce parents of Nursery School students to Sisterhood. Sisterhood welcomes their involvement and the involvement of the parents of children in the Religious School. Everyone is welcome in Sisterhood – the young in years and the young of heart. Sisterhood is interested in your ideas and suggestions for programming and events, and your help in implementing your ideas and suggestions. Please contact us at [email protected]. All the best, Janet Cord, Sisterhood President

While Auster liberates the writer and the reader from the linear logic of realistic narrative, he tells each of the stories in parallel from Archie’s childhood to his early 20s, and focuses on conventional coming-of-age subjects including family, friends, school, sports, sex and politics and poses intriguing what if questions about fate, identity and the power of individuals to control their own lives. One of Auster’s central points, it seems, is that the essential core of our character gets fixed early in life and remains relatively impervious to the fluctuations of circumstance. What changes with each scenario are the people Ferguson comes in contact with and the influence they exert on his life. There are a few constants among the different Fergusons. In all four versions, Archie is the only child of Rose Adler — sometimes she’s a photographer, sometimes a stay-at-home wife and mother — and Stanley Ferguson, an industrious, uncommunicative man who owns either a single appliance store called 3 Brothers Home World or a chain of appliance stores called Ferguson’s. In each retelling, the family lives in a different (but almost identical) New Jersey suburb — Montclair, West Orange, Millburn or Maplewood. While the four versions of Ferguson’s early life are so similar, the differences become clearer as the book progresses and the Fergusons start making drastically different choices from one another. Opinions on the book were varied. While some felt that Auster is a gifted observer, and his writing is energetic and makes it work, others felt that the novel is perhaps longer than it needs to be with a heavy focus in the last half on history during the tumultuous 1960’s and 1970’s. It is an ambitious novel, and to some it was a pleasure to read and to others, rather onerous and somewhat difficult to keep the characters and the relationships clear

in each life. At a minimum, Auster proves himself to be capable of navigating these worlds, and even though all might not happen for the best in any of them, it's a moving journey. The next book club discussion will take place on Tuesday, October 24 at 7:00 pm at Congregation Habonim. We will be discussing And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer. This is a literary thriller about the improbable discovery of a manuscript lost at the end of World War II. We look forward to discussing the next book with you. Karen Krieger, Sisterhood Membership VP

Sisterhood, Upcoming Events (all invited, unless noted otherwise), contact [email protected] for information or to RSVP. Find us on the Web at www.habonim.net/sisterhood.   

Renee Edelman, Elisa Milkes, Race for the Cure

Sunday, October 15, 12:00 noon, 2017-2018 Membership Luncheon. Find information at https://goo.gl/XumTMc. Tuesday, October 24, 7:00 pm, Book Club, discussing Lauren Belfer’s And After the Fire. Thursday, November 2, 6:00 pm, Sisterhood invites you to join a guided tour of Modigliani Unmasked, the newly opened exhibit at the Jewish Museum, on Thursday, November 2 at 6:00 pm. This event is made possible through the generous support of Habonim President Neil Goldstein in memory of his beloved wife Linda, who was both a docent at the Jewish Museum and a Modigliani enthusiast. Please RSVP as soon as possible at [email protected]. Habonim Sukkot Dinner at JCC Manhattan 334 Amsterdam Avenue @ 76th Street Thursday, October 5, 7:00 pm Rabbi Rachel Bovitz of the Florence Melton School for Adult Jewish Learning will join us for dinner and will lead an interactive discussion, “If These 3 Walls Could Talk: The Messages of the Sukkah.” RSVP at goo.gl/bm7KEL by Tuesday, October 3. Contact Kenny at 212-787-5347, x.103, [email protected]

The first three years of life set the stage for all future experiences. Babies and toddlers learn about the world through their parents, their caregivers and other significant people in their lives. We are very excited to offer opportunities for babies and toddlers to explore the world in a warm and welcoming Jewish environment. Here are a few of the programs we are offering this fall for Babies and Toddlers and the special adults in their lives

Early Explorers – Ages 18 to 30 months Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 – 11:00 am Toddler Time – Ages 14 to 24 months Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30 am to 12:30 pm Super Soccer Stars Kick and Play Class - Ages 12 to 24 months Mondays from 9:15 - 9:55 am Baby Book Club Babies and Toddlers up to 30 months Wednesdays from 9:15 – 9:45 am Jam with Jamie – Mixed Ages - 0 to 5 years (great for siblings, too!) Wednesdays from 12:15 pm – 1:00 pm

Lil Yogi’s – Ages 16 to 30 months Fridays from 10:15 to 10:45 am Children are invited to stay for Rock Shabbat from 11:00-11:30 am Please Contact Ann at 212-787-5347 extension 123 for further information or email her at [email protected]. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

TEAM HABONIM

BUILDING A JEWISH COMMUNITY TOGETHER

THANK YOU TO THE SISTERHOOD OF CONGREGATION HABONIM FOR ITS GENEROUS SUPPORT OF THE MONTHLY BULLETIN MAILING

CONGREGATION HABONIM 103 West End Avenue New York, NY 10023