At first glance the summer might seem a slow time at Ansche Chesed. Many congregants are on vacation and attendance on Shabbat is lighter. Our afternoon Hebrew Schools are not in session, and our programming and classes ebb likes the tides of summer.

But appearances can be deceptive. The front office is busy processing membership renewals and charting out High Holiday tickets. What starts as a steady stream increases in volume until the post labor-day flood of requests. The Hebrew School starts gearing up and the maintenance staff takes advantage of less activity in the building to clean, patch, prep and paint. Pews get polished and carpets get cleaned. All with the goal of making Ansche Chesed ready for the New Year.

This summer we are completing required Local Law 11 work, and within a week the sidewalk bridge will be removed and the patching, pointing and small amount of roof work will be completed. The project is coming in on budget and the work has caused relatively little disruption to the community. We managed to make most of the roof accessible to the schools for their summer programs.

This summer we also completed the installation of a public address system that works through our telephone system and connects to loudspeakers that have been placed on every floor. Now, in an instant, we can communicate with all our tenants and anyone inside the building, alerting them to any potential emergency. This work has made us a safer institution for all the many adults and children that use the building on a daily basis.

We have also installed security cameras tied into a 24-hour DVR monitoring system. Cameras are in place in the lobby, around the perimeter of the building and on the roof, and there are three monitoring stations.  A panic button that connects to an outside 24- hour monitoring system is in place as well.

All the security work is being funded through a Homeland Security Grant, and I want to thank all the members of the security committee, and especially David Pollock, for helping us achieve this new level of security.

And finally, we will be fixing our elevator floor and installing lovely new carpet tiles in the Hirsch Hall lobby thanks to the hard work of Bali Miller and Jane Head. The work will be completed before the holidays.

This is what happens at Ansche Chesed in the quiet times!

If you have a passion for Jewish music and would like to raise your voice in a welcoming community of singers, we encourage you to visit Ansche Chesed on September 6, 2007, when the Community Chorus Shirei Chesed under the direction of Hazzan Natasha J. Hirschhorn resumes its rehearsals.

This is the third season for the chorus founded in the Fall of 2005 with the generous support of the Rabbi Gershon Schwartz Memorial Fund.  The chorus repertoire is inspired by the richness and diversity of Jewish music from around the globe, ranging from hauntingly rendered liturgical offerings, to updated arrangements of world folk music, new compositions, and Hassidic niggunim.  The chorus performs at Ansche Chesed concerts and events, as well as in the community at large.

We are especially in need of tenors and basses, but welcome all voice parts. Shirei Chesed meets in the Ansche Chesed chapel on Thursdays, 7:45-9:15 September-June.  Ability to carry a tune is important; reading Hebrew or music is not required.

The fee for those who are not members of the Ansche Chesed community is $90 per semester or $180 per year.  For members there is no fee. For more information, please call 212-865-0600 ext. 205 or email CantorNatasha@gmail.com.

CONDOLENCES TO:
Sharon Shulman, Derek, Noah, and Yael Shulman on the death of Sharon's father, Leo Laufer.
Deborah Mowshowitz on the death of her brother, Joseph Bernhardt.
Orly Calderon on the death of her partner, Avi Abramovsky.
Alonzo Cobb on the death of his brother, Leonard Cobb.

MAZAL TOV TO:
Tamara Mann and Ben Tweel on their marriage.
Ann Wimpfheimer and Eddie Snyder on their marriage.

TODAH RABBAH TO JULY AND AUGUST SHELTER VOLUNTEERS:
(Names in bold indicate AC members)

Irwin Abraham, Neil Altman, Judith Atkinson, Trudy Balch, Eugene Bardosh, Andrew Blank, Steven Bloom, Sam Brody, Alonzo Cobb, Naomi Cohen, Pat Corrigan,Elysa Dauerman, Alain Demers, Liz Denlinger, Howard Eisenberg, Rafi Farber, Matthew Feigin, Woody Freiman, Alix Friedman, Joel Friedman, Uri Goldberg, Avi Green, Shannon Green, Stephanie Gros, Carol Gross, Kehilat Hadar, Kareen Halper, Yair Harel, Paul Hanft, Dan Jacob, Samuel Kahn, Wendy Kahn, Gary Kallman, Ken Karan, Shlomy Kattan, Rebecca Kaufman, Becky Klein, KOE Minyan, Julia Kramer, Ira Krell, Tatyana Leifman, Naomi Marcus, Naomi Martin, Jocelyn Maskow, Andy Menkis, Michael Meric, Aaron Messing, Danny Messing, Linda Messing, Michael Mortenson, Reena Needle, Rachel Obenshain, Mike Patterson, Jennifer Raider, Anne Rudder, Fred Rosenberg, Fred Schneider, David Tabatsky, Michael Wise.  And many thanks to Charlie Davidson, Shelter Coordinator; Josh Abrams, Volunteer Coordinator; and Steve Bloom, Assistant Coordinator. We also thank outgoing Volunteer Coordinator Aryea Aranoff.

GENERAL DONATIONS
Oscar Awner
Michael Brochstein: Refuah Shlema to Martin Green
Judith Merion and Richard Fried
Rachel Zucker and Joshua Goren
Irene and Marty Haber in honor of Mary and Paul Feinberg's grandson, Jacob, on his bar mitzvah
Abraham Marvin Konopko
Sharon Meiri Fox in memory of her beloved father, Nathan Meiri
Nahma Sandrow and William Meyers in memory of Deborah Mowshowitz's brother, Joseph Bernhardt
Aaron Brown and Deborah Pastor
Rabbi Marion and William Shulevitz: Refuah Shlema to Martin Green

FAMILY PROGRAMS
Dr. Leah Schaefer in honor of the first birthday of Rabbi Lauren Kurland's and Scott Cohen's twins, Hannah & Micah

YAHRZEIT  
Oscar Awner in memory of his brother, Harold Awner
Bernice Boltax in memory of her grandmother, Sara Unger, and her aunt, Celia Boltax
Seth Bressman in memory of his father, Stanley Bressman
Jerome Ehrlich in memory of his mother, Friede Ehrlich
Mary and Paul Feinberg in memory of Paul's grandfather, Hyman Sweet, and Mary's father, Joseph D. Montalto
Meyer Frucher in memory of his father, Aaron Frucher
Marilyn Goldberg in memory of her mother, Emily Goldberg
Mark Gothelf in memory of his aunt, Sophie Kasten
Walter and Esther Hautzig in memory of Walter's mother and father, Moses and Rosa Hautzig, and Esther's sister, Erna Greenberg Padhaicer
Bethamie Horowitz and Barry Holtz in memory of Barry's father, Melvin Holtz
Phyllis Kish in memory of her father, Albert Rovinsky
Joyce Mann in memory of her father, Joseph Levy
Helen Bohmart Pine in memory of her mother, Rosalie Cherlov
Shirley Pollack in memory of her father, Isadore Steinberg
Lorin Silverman in memory of his mother, Dorothy Silverman, and Sara Rosen and Fannie Silverman
Ira and Lenore Silverstein in memory of Lenore's father, Morris Ashenfarb
Hannah L. Tannenbaum in memory of her father, David N. Levy
Barry Winiker in memory of his father, Charles Winiker
Monica Zalta Feffer in memory of her father, Maurice Zalta

RABBI'S DISCRETIONARY FUND  
Oscar Awner
Trudy K. Balch
Corinne Boren
Michael Brochstein
Deborah Brodie in honor of the bnai mitzvah of Jedidiah Kalmanofsky, Oren Fishman, Gabriel Fisher and Tzvi Tannin, the engagement of Ann Wimpfheimer and Eddie Snyder, and the bat mitzvah of Sheila Lewis
Carl Schrag and Beth Dinkin
Alan Divack and Amy Zarrow
Howard Eisenberg in memory of his mother-in-law, Mimi Scharaga
Nina E. Goodman and Alexander Freudenheim with thanks to Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky for conducting Margot's Simchat Bat
Judith Merion and Richard Fried
Marilyn P. Goldberg to commemorate the 100th birthdays of her parents, Emily and Nathan Goldberg
Jeffrey Gordon
Dr. Neil Guterman and Stacey Gordon
Carol K. Ingall
Kenneth Ziebelman and Lori Koffman in honor of Jedidiah Kalmanofsky's bar mitzvah
Susan Martin
Paula Milla-Kreutzer
Foster and Michal Padway
Lisa Nord and Jay Podberesky
Barry L. Stern
The Helen Matchett De Mario Foundation  

RABBI'S DARFUR FUND  
Ivy Austin, Paul and Oliver Marsh

SHELTER FUND  
Vicki Brower and Michael Gottsegen in memory of Marian Brower and Dorothy Gottsegen, and in honor of the marriage of Ann Wimpfheimer and Eddie Snyder
Benyamin Cirlin and Miriam Benhaim
Howard Eisenberg in memory of his father-in-law, Harry Scharaga
Judith Merion and Richard Fried
Jack and Linda Messing in honor of the bar mitzvah of Paul and Mary Feinberg's grandson, Jacob
Sara Shapiro-Plevan and William M. Plevan

SANCTUARY MINYAN KIDDUSH FUND  
Judith Atkinson
Oscar Awner
Vivian Mamelak and Alain Demers
Tom Freudenheim
Ernest G. Kahn
Sarah Jacobs and David Kronfeld
Anne P. Mintz
Barbara Sontz in honor of the aufruf of Susan Sontz and Jesse Sable
Nahum and Maron Waxman

PRAYERBOOK FUND  
Ernest G. Kahn in memory of his mother, Ida Kahn, and his grandmother, Sophia Kahn

MUSIC FUND  
Alan Divack and Amy Zarrow
Naomi Marcus

LIBRARY FUND  
Feygele Jacobs and Michael Cholden-Brown

AUGUST DONATIONS

GENERAL DONATIONS  
Elizabeth Koltun
Abraham Melezin
Linda and Jack Messing
Bruce Rosen in honor of the aufruf of Rebecca Segal and Jeremy Wallace
Frances Unger in memory of her husband, Martin Unger

FAMILY PROGRAMS
Bertie and Rachel Bregman

YAHRZEIT  
Milton Birnkrant in memory of his father, Harold Birnkrant
Alonzo Cobb in memory of his mother, Lorene Cobb
Stanley Fischler in memory of his parents, Molly and Benjamin Fischler
Laura Gold in memory of her father, Robert Gold
Mark and Carole Gothelf in memory of Mark's father, Louis Gothelf, and Carole's father, Murrary A. Reiter
Richard & Ronnie Grosbard in memory of Ronnie's mother, Pepi Geliebter
Carol Ingall in memory of her husband, Michael Ingall
Susanne Kaplan in memory of her father, Seymour Schwartz
Roberta Kupietz Shapiro in memory of her mother, Blanche Kupietz
William Meyers in memory of his mother, Anne Meyers
Gladys Rosen in memory of her parents, Benjamin and Dora Engel
Sol Rosenkranz in memory of his wife, Sally Rosenkranz, and hisbrother-in-law, Benjamin Leib
Leah Schaefer in memory of her darling brother, Nissen Cahan
Dr. Hugh Segal in memory of his mother, Ruhla Segal
Michele Siegel in memory of her grandmother, Anne Polisar
Ellen Summer in memory of her husband, Ronald Summer
Lori Todd Trishman in memory of her grandmother, Mary Friedman

RABBI'S DISCRETIONARY FUND  
Sandra and David Bergman
Bernice Boltax
Feygele Jacobs and Michael Cholden-Brown
Mark and Maxine Friedman
Amanda Geffner
Adele Gold
Isabel Gros
Jules and Navah Harlow
Marjorie Hort
Ruth and Jacob Kaufman for Refuah Shlemah to Ed Lipton and Phil Gold; condolences to Debby Mowshowitz on the loss of her brother; and to Alonzo Cobb on the loss of his brother
Joseph Giovannelli and Roberta Koenigsberg
Mark E. Kushner in honor of the Milstein bris
Michael and Jennifer Levison in honor of the bris of their son, Nathaniel
Lewis and Bonnie Lewis
Abraham Melezin
Bruce Rosen in honor of Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky
David Fishman and Mindell Seidlin
David Shaked
Michael and Julia Zeuner
Allen and Aviva Zweben

SHELTER FUND  
Benyamin Cirlin and Miriam Benhaim
Rita Falbel
Stephen E. Gross
Marjorie Hort
Fred Rosenberg-Wilmoth
Rabbi Alvin Sandberg
Joseph and Bonnie Schinagle
Fredric Schneider and Marcia Talmage Schneider in honor of David Fisher and Pearl Beck

SANCTUARY MINYAN KIDDUSH FUND  
Paul and Mary Feinberg in honor of the August Birthday Girls
Avi Green in memory of Matthew Weinstein
Martin and Tamara Green in honor of the August Birthday Girls
Stephen Gross
Charles Davidson and Jane Head in honor of the August Birthday Girls
Marjorie Hort in memory of Matthew Weinstein
Steven and Susan Mann in honor of the birth of their triplets
Joseph and Bonnie Schinagle
Ruth Sharfman in honor of the August Birthday Girls
Michele J. Siegel
Arleen Sternand Albert Gal in honor of the August Birthday Girls
Alan Rosenstein and Ellen Tucker in honor of the August Birthday Girls

MINYAN RIMONIM KIDDUSH FUND  
Michele J. Siegel

PRAYERBOOK FUND  
Stephen E. Gross
Ruth and Ira Salzman

KOL NIDRE  APPEAL
Isabel Gros
Ruth and Jacob Kaufman
Robert Frost and Navah Perlman Frost
Barry & Lizanne Rosenstein

BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE
Todah rabbah to all those who made contributions in memory of their loved ones for the Book of Remembrance that is distributed during the Yizkor service on Yom Kippur.