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Ansche Chesed Monthly Bulletin |
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CANDLE LIGHTING TIMES
8/5 Light candles 7:50 Shabbat ends 8:51 8/12 Light candles 7:40 Shabbat ends 8:41 8/19 Light candles 7:30 Shabbat ends 8:30 8/26 Light candles 7:19 Shabbat ends 8:19 SERVICE TIMES ON SHABBAT
Family and Children's Services TISHA B'AV Sunday, August 14
Rabbi Nehunia ben Haqanah used to say a short prayer whenever he
would enter or leave the study house. When his students asked
about the nature of these unusual prayers, he responded: “Upon
entering, I pray to cause no offense, and upon leaving, I give
thanks for my portion in life.” (Brachot 28b)
Rabbi Nehunia’s words inspire me as I return to Ansche Chesed this year in my new capacity as Education Director, responsible for Ansche Chesed’s Hebrew School as well as family programs. Through his simple, heartfelt prayers, Rabbi Nehunia demonstrates deep reverence for the study hall, its students and teachers, and the learning and conversation that takes place within it. So too, each time I enter Ansche Chesed, I am inspired by the commitment of its members, the fullness of its communal history, the dedication of its staff, and the holy work that goes on within its walls. Therefore, like Rabbi Nehunia, I also offer a small prayer of thanks for my lot in life, and my fortune to be a rabbi and Jewish educator. I also pray to cause no offense, and hope to positively impact this community as I work with parents, teachers, children, and staff to strengthen youth education at Ansche Chesed. In such spirit, I’d like to share a few of the educational programs and projects currently underway at AC: - We proudly welcome Matan: The Gift of Jewish Learning for Every Child to our Hebrew School. A Matan teacher will work with students who have enrolled in the class to provide support for children with educational challenges, attention deficits, or behavioral difficulties, and who may require extra support to succeed in the rich yet challenging environment of afternoon religious school. For more information, please contact Lauren at x. 413 or Meredith at Matan, (866) 410-5600. - Ansche Chesed invites all 2005-2006 B’nai Mitzvah students to join our new B’nai Mitzvah Tzedakah Collective. Through the program, students will work together to create their own charitable fund, send out grant applications to interested parties, and administer grants. The experience of the collective will allow students to learn first-hand that tzedakah means much more than coins in a jar, and will allow them, as they become Jewish adults, to truly take on the responsibility oftikkun olam. - The Hebrew School proudly announces its first Seventh Grade Class. The class, which will be taught by senior rabbinical student and experienced teacher Kim Blumenthal, will meet once a week on Wednesdays and is open to all seventh graders in the AC community. The students will explore issues in Judaism that concern and interest them, and the class will also provide for social interaction at this critical age. - The Hebrew School is delighted this year to be collaborating with Yaldaynu Preschool in our Gan (kindergarten) class, as well as in family programs throughout the year. - This summer, I participated in the Leadership Institute for Congregational School Principals, a program guided by the education schools at the Jewish Theological Seminary and Hebrew Union College (an inspiring collaboration between Reform and Conservative institutions), and funded by the UJA-Federation of New York. During the two-week seminar, part of a two-year program, I studied leadership, pedagogy and Judaism with educators from across the metropolitan area. As part of the program, I have been paired with a mentor (Rabbi Paula Mack Drill of the Orangetown Jewish Center), and will be attending various symposia throughout the year, sometimes accompanied by Rabbi Kalmanofsky and other AC lay leaders. In January, I will travel to Israel with the program to study for one week at the Leo Baeck Institute. In addition, the Ansche Chesed Hebrew School will be receiving a grant for a School Change Project. - The ReImagine Committee, which is dedicated to strenghtening youth and family education at Ansche Chesed, met in July to formulate ideas for a pilot program for the late fall. Projects under consideration include hands-on tzedakah/tikkun olam with paired learning, and information Beit Midrash-style learning sessions. We meet again in September to evaluate, refine and bring these ideas to fruition. If you are interested in learning more about ReImagine or in joining us, please contact Freda Eisenberg, Task Force Chair, at f.eisenberg@verizon.net. - Our Family Shabbat Services are on hiatus for the month of August, but will resume with ruach (spirit) on September 10, 2005. On September 17th, we will also offer a kiddush lunch for families. As always, all families are welcome. - The High Holidays come late this year, and so October is chock-full of exciting family programs, beginning with children’s High Holiday services on both days of Rosh HaShanah (October 4 and 5) and on Yom Kippur (October 13). These services are without charge and open to the public. If you would like to register your child for High Holiday childcare, contact Michelle in the AC office at x. 407. We will also have programs on Sukkot and Simhat Torah. Please plan on celebrating the fall holidays with us at Ansche Chesed! As did Rabbi Nehunia ben Haqanah, I give thanks. Thank you for your energy, your ideas, your partnership, and your welcome. I look forward to making memories and enjoying many meaningful Jewish experiences with you. Lauren
Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14
On this fast day we commemorate the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem with the chanting of Eichah, the Book of Lamentations, and with kinot, liturgical poems of sorrow. We will end Shabbat with a communal potluck seudah shlishit, the traditional third meal of Shabbat, at 8 p.m., which will be coordinated by Minyat M'at. Candlelit Tisha b'Av services will follow at 9 p.m. Morning services on Sunday, August 14, will begin at 8:30 a.m., and mincha services will be held at 2 p.m.
PREPARING FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS: ELUL CLASS WITH RABBI
KALMANOFSKY
Join Rabbi Kalmanofsky during the month of Elul, which precedes the High Holidays, as we prepare our hearts and minds for the Yamim Nora'im, the Days of Awe. 4 Wednesdays, September 7-28, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. SHIREI CHESED: AC'S COMMUNITY CHORUS Thanks in part to the generosity of the family of Rabbi Gershon Schwartz z”l, this chorus is open to the entire community and free for AC members. Non- members pay $180 per year or $90 per semester. Saturday, September 17
THE ANSCHE CHESED HEBREW SCHOOL
The Ansche Chesed Hebrew School strives to create meaningful Jewish experiences that connect students to the awesome depth and breadth of Jewish tradition. This year we are proud to offer classes for students in kindergarten through seventh grade. Our developmentally appropriate curriculum exposes students to the rhythm and stories of the Bible; the Jewish lifecycle and holiday cycle; the land of Israel; and the song, literature and stories of the Jewish people. In addition, our focus on prayerbook Hebrew offers students the lifelong gift of connection with prayers recited across time and place. Further, by infusing our curriculum with middot, Jewish values, we teach our students the skills to behave in the world in a manner informed by Jewish values. School begins on September 13. Applications are available to download from our web site, www.anschechesed.org. For more information, contact Rabbi Lauren Kurland, LKurland@anschechesed.org or ext. 413 in the AC office. Saturday, September 24 Friday, September 30 at 5:30 p.m.
All are welcome to join Ansche Chesed's reading groups, which
meet monthly. There is still time to catch up on your reading
and come to the September discussion.
Monday, September 12 at 7:45 p.m.
Saturday, August 6 at 7 p.m.
FREE THEATER IN CENTRAL PARK: "SCAPIN" by Moliere See live theater in Central Park presented for free in a unique setting. These productions work with the park's natural terrain: the audience follows the performance from place to place as the plot unfolds from scene to scene. No tickets or reservations are necessary. The performance starts promptly at 7:00 p.m. at West 103 Street and Central Park West. The AC contingent will meet promptly at 6:45 p.m. at the entrance to Central Park on Central Park West at West 103rd Street. For more information check out New York Classical Theatre's website at http://www.newyorkclassical.org/. SUNDAY, August 21
MAZAL TOV TO:
Lillian Israel on the celebration of her bat mitzvah. Katie Herz and Marco Hefti on their marriage. Maya Finch on the adoption of her daughter, Valentina Tsvia, from Ukraine. Lauren Kurland and Rebecca Joseph, who received M.Div. degrees and rabbinical ordination from the Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary. CONDOLENCES TO: TODA RABBA TO: Everyone who donated blood at the Spring Blood Drive on May 22. We collected 43 pints of blood, including 25 units of whole blood and 7 units of platelets. Yasher koach to everyone who participated. Thanks also go to Blood Drive chairs Gail Mota, Linda Messing, and Karen Sawitz and to Sylvia Ortiz for scheduling appointments. All the participants, young and old, who joined in the Riverside Park clean-up day on May 22. Lisa Dubrow and Madeline Charne thank everyone who contributed at the Purim Carnival to Ronald McDonald House in memory of David Charne. TODA RABBA TO JULY'S SHELTER VOLUNTEERS:
June 1-August 1, 2005
GENERAL DONATIONS Ellen and Stuart Bizoza, in honor of Rabbi Charles Simon Michael Brochstein Deborah Brodie, in memory of Hyman Esses; in honor of Rabbi Judith Edelstein’s Ph.D. Sharon Dolin-Magid Ruth Anne Faust Phil Gold Martin and Tamara Green, for a Refuah Sh'lemah to Stephen Marcus, Mary Feinberg, and Jane White. Rebecca and Tomomi Hirade Simon and Natasha Hirschhorn, in honor of Randi Jaffe Marcia Talmage Schneider and Fred Schneider Rabbi Marion and William Shulevitz, for a Refuah Sh’lemah to Mary Feinberg YAHRZEIT DONATIONS RABBI'S DISCRETIONARY FUND SHELTER FUND SANCTUARY MINYAN KIDDUSH FUND
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