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Ansche Chesed Monthly Bulletin |
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This weekend, December 4th & 5th, the Hanukkah Arts Festival returns to Ansche Chesed. With over 40 top-quality craftspeople coming from as far away as Israel and as nearby as our own community, the 24th Annual Ansche Chesed Hanukkah Arts Festival offers something for everyone. Festivities begin with the Saturday evening gala, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., featuring live music with our own Mike Cohen, and include delicious hors d'oeuvres and sumptuous desserts. The festival continues all day Sunday. Children's activities begin with a preschool Hanukkah workshop at 10:30, sponsored by Yaldaynu and AC. The Crafts show is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Maccabee Café opens at noon. Admission for the Saturday evening gala is $20 per person. Sunday's admission is $6 per person. Other December events: Next Shabbat we are privileged to host Rabbi David Saperstein as Scholar-in-Residence. Rabbi Saperstein, who is the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and the Co-Chair of the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, will speak on Religion and State in Israel and America. Registration for the Friday night dinner is due Tuesday, December 7. Families: Save December 17 for a Kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner hosted by the Family Education Committee. See the details below.
CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES
12/3 Light candles 4:10. Shabbat ends 5:15 12/10 Light candles 4:10. Shabbat ends 5:15 12/17 Light candles 4:12. Shabbat ends 5:18 12/24 Light candles 4:15. Shabbat ends 5:19 SERVICE TIMES On Shabbat Family and Children's Services 11 a.m. WEEK OF DECEMBER 1 WEEK OF DECEMBER 6 WEEK OF DECEMBER 13 WEEK OF DECEMBER 20
Merry Judeo-Christian holiday season! In this period between
Thanksgiving and New Year's, when our country is consumed with
holiday observances which are not ours, many Jews often feel
reminded of the smallness of our minority. About 160 million
Americans, 77% of our fellow citizens, call themselves Christians.
In contrast, Jews constitute about 1.3% of America, or about 5.5
million people. That makes about 29 Christians for every Jew. Now
seems like a good time for a moment of reflection on being an
American Jew at Christmastime, 2004.
First, this seems an especially pressing moment for reflection in the aftermath of an election that left many Jews (especially New York Jews) reeling and feeling very different from large segments of America. I refer not, primarily, to the fact that Jews again voted overwhelmingly (76%) for the first runner up. But I suspect that even Bush voters among us - and may both corners respect those who chose differently - feel somewhat queasy at the dimension of Bush support dependent on fundamentalist Christianity. Think about the widely reported sentiments from evangelical Christians who believe Bush is God's designated leader. One was quoted after the election as saying: "Now comes the revolution." Particularly disturbing is the narrowness of the religious discourse in the public square, as if every religious person obviously must discriminate against gay people, or oppose abortion, or favor the death penalty. Consider also the stupefyingly large sales figures (40 million plus copies, earning more than $400 million) from apocalyptic novels promising that at the second coming, we and all other non-Christians will all be swimming in the lake of fire. . .except, of course, for the "saving remnant" of 144,000 Jews who will convert to Christianity. Make you nervous? It should. Innumerable American Christians still see us as a symbol of all in the world that rejects God, who must one day convert or burn. For all the advances achieved in inter-religious dialogue in the last 50 years, clearly a spirit of pluralism and respect has not penetrated all corners. But inter-religious dialogue with our fellow liberals does not make everything all sunshine and daisies either. Consider the astonishing developments in the mainline, generally liberal Presbyterian Church USA this year. The national Presbytery narrowly affirmed its commitment to evangelizing us through Jews-for- Jesus "synagogues." Also, this church overwhelmingly passed one-sided resolutions against the separation fence in the Occupied Territories (factually misrepresenting the dimensions of the fence, and making no comment on the terrorism that threatens life and limb of every Israeli) and for divesting its holdings from most companies doing business in Israel. To employ the tactic of divestment is to associate Israel with South African apartheid - a comparison which, for all Israel's faults, I believe is utterly unsupportable. To favor divestment is to condemn Israel as a colonialist invader, implicitly wishing them the fate of the Belgians in the Congo, the English in India and the French in Algeria: withdrawal. While the church did affirm its support for a two-state solution, in this Jew's eyes that affirmation seems hollow, undermined by the blaming of only Israel for the conflict. Immediately on the heels of these decisions, a semi-official Presbyterian delegation visited Hezbullah leaders in Lebanon, praised their commitment to peace and proclaimed them more congenial partners than Jews. After criticism, the church hierarchy disavowed these statements. Subsequent dialogue with Jewish communal leaders proved fruitful in many ways, but was also frustrated when the two sides were unable to issue a joint statement condemning terrorism. My own personal Jewish-Presbyterian dialogue was somewhat satisfying, if more modest. In the wake of these events, I met with an official of the New York City Presbytery to try to understand these decisions. She personally shared my horror at the support for evangelism aimed at Jews. While we did not agree in our analyses of the problems in the Land of Israel, we shared mutually illuminating conversations on the religious meaning of the conflict for each of us. Ultimately, the national Presbyterian Church's actions manifest their ignorance of (or unconcern with) Jewish perspectives on Israel. Since then, the New York Presbytery has pursued additional meetings with more Jewish leaders and rabbis, seeking to understand what Israel means to individual Jews, to the Jewish community and to Judaism. There is no explaining these phenomena away, and no pre-emptive apologizing for Christians who show contempt toward us and our people. Jews should stand up and defend ourselves and our faith. But at the same time, if we are to deepen our understanding of other religions and other religious communities, only dialogue will get us there. The alienation this Jew personally feels in examining these two aspects of contemporary Christian America will not be overcome by silence at fundamentalists or rage at pious condemnations of Israel. Alienation is to be overcome by strengthening ties with other religions, learning from each person, and reminding America of the diversity of religious voices, and of their commitment to sharing God's world. In that context, I want to report that my Thanksgiving week included a stirring experience of interfaith worship, as Jews, Muslims, Catholics and Protestants joined at Advent Lutheran Church for a service about peace and unity. Two high points stand out: first, a terrific d'var Torah by Ibrahim Abdul Malik, secretary of the New York Imams Council, on the essential, indispensable command to love each other. "There is no Judaism, no Christianity and no Islam without love of the other," he said. He is right. He reminded us that the ultimate point of interfaith work is not pragmatic bridge building, as valuable as that is. The ultimate point is to cultivate our love for God's diverse children. Then, the evening concluded with AC member Jeff Segall, with his guitar, leading the group of about 100 Christians, Jews and Muslims in singing Oseh Shalom on Broadway outside the church (and freaking out a number of passers-by). That Thanksgiving service, for me, was worth giving thanks. -- Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky
Shabbat, December 10 & 11
Join Rabbi David Saperstein for a stimulating and enlightening presentation and discussion of some of the political and religious issues facing Jews in America and Israel. RELIGION AND STATE IN ISRAEL AND AMERICA Friday Night Lecture: Shabbat Lunch Lecture: Seudah Shlishit Study Session: Rabbi David Saperstein is the Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, which advocates on a broad range of social justice issues and provides extensive legislative and programmatic materials used by synagogues, federations and Jewish community relations councils nationwide. He currently co-chairs the Coalition to Preserve Religious Liberty, comprising more than 50 national religious denominations and educational organizations. Also an attorney, Rabbi Saperstein teaches seminars in both First Amendment Church-State Law and in Jewish Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Rabbi Saperstein's latest book is Jewish Dimensions of Social Justice: Tough Moral Choices of Our Time. This Scholar-in-Residence Shabbat is funded in part by the generosity of the family of Aviva Isobel Kirsch. Scholar-in-Residence Registration: Registration for Friday night dinner is due in the office by
Tuesday, December 7. Late registrations will not be accepted. Enclosed is $_____________________________ Name(s) ________________________________ ________________________________________ Email or phone ____________________________ AC Member? ____ Friday Night Shabbat Lunch Seudah Shlishit Study Session TOTAL ENCLOSED $____ Supervised play in the gym will be available during the Friday evening and Shabbat lunch lectures.
Torah Study
With Rabbi Kalmanofsky and AC members Join us to discuss the weekly Torah portion. Participants are welcome on either an occasional or regular basis. Shabbat mornings at 9 a.m. Learners Minyan
Shabbat Family Dinner
Friday, December 17 Please Join Us For An Ansche Chesed Family Shabbat Dinner On Friday, December 17th, the Family Education Committee is hosting a Family Shabbat Dinner. This event is designed for families with children, large appetites and boundless ruach. It is open to members and non-members, so please spread the word! A child-friendly Kabbalat Shabbat service will begin at 5:30 p.m. (led by Shai Specht, our Family Educator), dinner will start at 6:15 p.m., and - praise the Lord - the gym will be open for supervised play following the Birkat HaMazon, the grace after meals. The cost of the catered meal is $16 per adult and $10 for children 3-12. This includes a make-your-own sundae bar for the kids! Please call extension 412 in the AC office, 212-865- 0600, to book your spot. For information about family programs call Shai Specht in the AC office at ext. 412 or email Shai.Specht@anschechesed.org
Our series of movies about New York, about Jews, with comedy,
tragedy, and things in between, with pre-film commentary by AC
writers, filmmakers, and movie buffs, continues on November 20.
Enemies: A Love Story Based on an Isaac Bashevis Singer story set in 1949 New York. A
Holocaust survivor (Ron Silver) is involved with three women: his
wife (Margaret Sophie Stein), a married woman (Lena Olin), and the
wife (Anjelica Huston) he thought was killed during the war and
who suddenly reappears. Directed by Paul Mazursky. Next month:
MAZAL TOV TO:
November's b'nai mitzvah and their families: Benjamin Siegel Daniel Deibler Susannah Mathews Madeline Charne Amy Danziger and Richard Rabin on the naming of their daughter. CONDOLENCES TO: TODA RABBA TO: Those who contributed home-cooked food for our shelter guests' Thanksgiving meal, and those who offered to staff the front desk on Thanksgiving morning: Rivka Widerman, Elana Elster, Sandra Edelman, Betsy Uhrman, Gail Mota, Esther Hautzig, Trudy Balch, Yoni Bokser, Ellen Braitman and David Shapiro. Thanks also go to Michael Bloome and Eliav Bock for organizing the Thanksgiving meal. B'RUCHIM HA'BAIM - Welcome to New Members:
As of November 30
GENERAL DONATIONS KIDDUSH FUND MINYAN RIMONIM KIDDUSH FUND KOL NIDRE APPEAL PRAYER BOOK FUND RABBI'S DISCRETIONARY FUND SHELTER FUND YIZKOR FUND TODA RABBA to the following who made contributions
following the death of Sylvia Ortiz's granddaughter, Brianna:
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