Ansche Chesed September 2008 Bulletin

Ansche Chesed Monthly News
September 2008 - Elul 5768/Tishrei 5769

In This Issue

September Calendar

Article Headline

Message from the Education Director

September Learning

American Jewish Citizens and the Election

News & Notes

September Highlights

Looking forward to 5769, we begin with Rabbi Kalmanofsky's yearly Elul class to help prepare us for the Yamim Nora'im. The theme of this year's class, which begins on Tuesday, September 2, is "Rejoining Our Split Personalities." Another way to begin to prepare is to learn to read Hebrew. If you've never had the opportunity to learn, take advantage of Rabbi Charles Simon's two-part class beginning on September 22.

Our community chorus, Shirei Chesed, is beginning its fourth year on Thursday, September 4 at 7:30pm, and new members are welcome.

In this important election year, we are honored to host Congressman Jerrold Nadler at a dinner and program on Friday, September 19 when we will discuss, with other panelists, political issues important to American Jews.

Our Fall Blood Drive takes place on Sunday, September 21. On that day we will have two new member orientation events. If you recently joined AC, watch your mail for an invitation.

Read on for information about the High Holidays, as well as articles by Rabbi Kalmanofsky, Rabbi Kurland, and Ben Shalva.

SEPTEMBER CALENDAR

CANDLELIGHTING TIMES
September 5 -7:02pm / Shabbat ends 8:05pm
September 12 - 6:51pm / Shabbat ends 7:53pm
September 19 - 6:39pm / Shabbat ends 7:41pm
September 26 - 6:27pm / Shabbat ends 7:29pm
September 29 - Light holiday candles 6:22pm
September 30 - Light holiday candles 7:22pm

SHABBAT SERVICES
Friday Evening Services 6:30pm
Shabbat Morning Services 10am
Minyan Rimonim: September 6, 20
West Side Minyan: September 13, 27

Family and Children's Services 11am
Mishpacha Shabbat (Ages 3 and under). Followed by kiddush and playtime.
Minyan Yigdal (Ages 4 to 7)
Big Kids Service (Ages 8 to 12)

Shabbat Parashat HaShavua Study 9:30am
With Rabbi David Gedzelman, Sept. 6 - Oct. 4

MORNING MINYAN
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday 7:30am
Monday, Thursday 7:20am
Sunday and Civil Holidays 8:30am

SEPEMBER 1-7
Mon. Sept. 1 Labor Day - Office closed
Tues. Sept. 2 Elul Class with Rabbi Kalmanofsky
Wed. Sept. 3 Senior Adult Program 12pm
    Hebrew School begins (Monday & Wednesday classes)
    Talmud for Teens 6:15pm
Thurs. Sept. 4 Shirei Chesed Community Chorus 7:30pm
    Hebrew School begins (Tuesday & Thursday classes)
Sat. Sept. 6 SHABBAT / Shoftim
    Bar Mitzvah: Gabriel Frankel (Sanctuary)
    Bar Mitzvah: Emmanuel Cantor (Minyan M'at)

SEPTEMBER 8-14
Mon. Sept. 8 Me'ah Program begins 7pm
    Israel-Zionist Reading Group 7:45pm
Tues. Sept. 9 Elul Class with Rabbi Kalmanofsky
Wed. Sept. 3 Talmud for Teens 6:15pm
Thurs. Sept. 11 Shirei Chesed 7:30pm
Sat. Sept. 13 SHABBAT / Ki Tetzei
       Bat Mitzvah: Tal Aloni (Sanctuary)
       Bat Mitvah: Arielle Tannin (Minyan M'at)
       Teen Movie Night 8pm
Sun. Sept. 14 Project Aliyah Workshop 10:30am
       Family Programs Event 4pm

SEPTEMBER 15-21
Tues. Sept. 16 Elul Class with Rabbi Kalmanofsky
Wed. Sept. 17 Talmud for Teens 6:15pm
Thurs. Sept. 18 Shirei Chesed 7:45pm
Fri. Sept. 19 Community Dinner & Election Program
Sat. Sept. 20 SHABBAT / Ki Tavo
       Bat Mitzvah: Alice Kallman
       Selihot: 10pm Study Session, 11pm Services
Sun. Sept. 21 New Member Welcome Events
       For Families with Young Children 1-4pm
       Individuals, Couples, and Families with Older Children 6-8pm
       Fall Blood Drive 10am-3:15pm

SEPTEMBER 22-28
Mon. Sept. 22 Learn to Read Hebrew Session I, 7pm
Tues. Sept. 23 Elul Class with Rabbi Kalmanofsky 7:30pm
Wed. Sept. 24 Talmud for Teens 6:15pm
Thurs. Sept. 25 Grades 3 & 4 Cooking for Shelter
        Shirei Chesed 7:30pm
Fri. Sept. 26 Family Kabbalat Shabbat & Dinner
Sat. Sept. 27 SHABBAT / Nitzavim
       Bat Mitzvah: Lily Napach

SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 5
Mon. Sept. 29 Erev Rosh HaShanah
Tues. Sept. 30 Rosh HaShanah, First Day
Wed. Oct. 1 Rosh HaShanah, Second Day
Thurs. Oct. 2 Fast of Gedaliah (Daylight hours)
       Shirei Chesed 7:30pm
Sat. Oct. 4 SHABBAT / Vayelekh / Shabbat Shuvah
       Bar Mitzvah: Noah Mathews
Sun. Oct. 5 Bar Mitzvah: Jesse Foster
       Eldridge St. Synagogue Teen Trip 2:30pm

MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI

This summer's Agriprocessors controversy has made more Jews reflect on the meaning of Kashrut than 100 Chabad Mitzvah-Tanks. How can a sacred eating regimen ennoble us in an age of industrial food production?

To recap the details of the case (which most Ansche Chesed members probably know): Agriprocessors is the largest US Kosher meat producer, providing around 60 percent of all beef and around 40 percent of all poultry, with annual revenue around $80 million, through various consumer labels, including Rubashkin's. In May, federal agents raided its Postville, Iowa plant, for immigration violations. Half the company's work force was arrested, nearly 400 people, most from Central America. Ultimately, the agents identified 57 underage workers at Postville, some as young as 13, doing frightfully dangerous work, wielding saws and knives, on shifts that sometimes exceeded 12 straight hours.

The arrests lifted the lid on a host of troubling practices at the plant, from exploitative wages, to supervisors demanding cash kickbacks and sexual favors from their workers. Many families continue to remain in limbo, some awaiting deportation, as their breadwinners now serve sentences for immigration violations.

Prior to this year's raid, the Postville plant already had a troubling record on treatment of animals and people. In 2004, PETA surreptitiously videotaped the slaughter of cattle in what appeared to be an inhumane manner. Academic food experts aver that when done quickly, Kosher slaughter is humane, for by cutting its throat, the animal swiftly loses consciousness due to blood loss. But the video showed at least some cows flailing and staggering after the cut that should have killed them. The company claimed that the videos were an unrepresentative sample of a rare occurrence.

Also, the plant was cited for worker safety violations beyond those found at other plants. Meat production is notoriously brutal on workers. But all Iowa meat-packing plants totaled 17 safety citations in 2007. Early in 2008, Agriprocessors alone was cited for 39.

For Americans, the largest issue raised in Postville is the coherence of our immigration laws. This case reveals (as do many others) our national economic dependence on an illegal work force. Both literally and figuratively, Guatemalan illegals set America's tables for the feast, then clear away our dishes.

For Jews, though, the critical issue is the linkage of our holy Torah, marked by its exacting food discipline, with the treatment of our fellow humans. At its best, Kashrut ennobles eating by directing our attention beyond our needy bellies. Besides avoiding forbidden foods and reciting blessings, our ancestors celebrated the miracle of sustenance by consuming sacrifices, a meal shared with God. After the Temple was destroyed, the Talmud (Berakhot 55a) taught that our tables were still as sacred as the altar, for through our tables we could fulfill the divine purpose of feeding others. The practices of Kashrut and table blessings have inspired millions of Jews over hundreds of years, and can continue to sanctify our own practice.

But can eating be consecrated if food is produced through actively unethical means?
Some reply with a resounding no. Nothing economically exploitative, environmentally destructive or unheathful deserves the name Kosher, they say. As such, a newly expanded Kashrut should be as willing to forbid Rubashkin's meat because of its worker treatment, as it would when an animal has a punctured lung. Vegetables grown with chemical fertilizer and packaged in Styrofoam should be as treyf as lobster.

This is a partially appealing position. Given its persuasive features, I myself choose not to buy Rubashkin's, and urge you to consider whether you wish to patronize this company. For instance, have you ever wondered why Rubashkin's chickens cost less than Empire? Now you know: Agriprocessors paid staff at or below the minimum wage, while Empire is a union shop. So think about what it costs to save that extra $1.30 a pound. The same goes for your maximally packaged grapes flown in 5,000 miles from Chile. Do you want to choose to consume those grapes next winter?

But ultimately, I think this argument goes half-a-turn too far, rhetorically and in Jewish legal terms. We should not misunderstand Kashrut as meaning "conforming to every Jewish value." Kashrut refers to a set of specific mitzvot. Failing to meet those requirements renders the food forbidden.

In the Jewish world today, there is a pernicious trend of pronouncing other people and their behavior treyf. We work out our hostilities by refusing to eat each other's food. Pre-modern people - who were more poorly nourished and food insecure - hesitated wisely before pronouncing food inedible.

But the requirements of Kashrut are not the only mitzvot. One must treat one's workers equitably and safely. One is religiously bound to follow the civil law. One is commanded to speak up when seeing wrongdoing. It is a sin to tell a lie.

I choose not to patronize Agriprocessors because they demonstrate repeated failure to treat these and other mitzvot seriously. There are two Jewish legal concepts which ground my personal boycott. First, "it is forbidden to aid and abet evildoers [Avodah Zara 55b, Shulhan Arukh HM 369.1]." Second, although providing Kosher meat is a mitzvah, in this case, Agriprocessors "performs a mitzvah by committing a sin [Sukka 30a]," nullifying the mitzvah along the way. Sacred ends must never employ wicked means.

In this way, our Conservative movement has hit the nail on the head with its Hekhsher Tzedek (Certification of Justice) initiative, as did the Israeli group Ma'aglei Tzedek, with its even more fully realized model, the tav hevrati, or "Mark of Social Responsibility." These programs seek to give a stamp of approval to the business ethics of food providers. They would not alter our base loyalty to the details of Kashrut as established by the Torah and the Sages. Rather, it expands our consciousness of how many mitzvot we must perform, and how a rich religious life intertwines both ritual and social commandments.

Finally, people have asked me whether I think there are grounds for considering organic and free-range meat Kosher, by extension, since they represent the most ennobling form of eating in today's market. In a word - no. Kashrut is what it is: a set of food disciplines dating to ancient times, that the Torah commands and that millions of Jews lived and died practicing. Let's not take that lightly.

But eating organic and free range products is an excellent practice in itself. Wise Organic Pastures markets "doubly certified" Kosher and organic products, available in Fairway, among other locations. These are wonderful products, though more expensive than the alternatives. Again, consider what it costs you to save the extra $2 or so a pound for conventional chickens.

A free-range Kosher meat cooperative has begun through our sister Tuv Ha'Aretz in Washington (begun by former AC member Devora Kimelman-Block). They bring in a shochet (slaughterer) and visit local farms to produce their own beef, lamb and chicken. A few such attempts have begun slowly in the NYC area, but so far nothing has taken root. If you want to take up the challenge, let me know, and I will try to direct you to others in the metro area interested in this project.

-- Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky

MESSAGE FROM THE EDUCATION DIRECTOR

Off to Camp!

In mid-August, I pulled myself away from the intoxicating glow of the computer and fluorescent lights in my office to spend the day in Rockland County among the 600 kids and nearly 200 staff at Camp Ramah Nyack.

The energy of the camp was palpable from where I parked, across the street from the camp; the beat of modern Israeli music pumped from loudspeakers as campers danced. I ran into Mindy Fischer, who teaches a very popular class on comic superheroes and Judaism at Ramah, and she escorted me to the main lawn. From there, the campers divided according to age groups for Tefillah, their prayer services. I attend the Kochavim/Shorashim (the youngest campers) Tefillah, where I was delighted to pray with a few of AC's youngest members. The Tefillah reminded me of Ansche Chesed's Saturday morning family services, as it follows the matbea (structure) of the service while remaining clear, straightforward, and accessible, both in its music and its prayer concepts, to kids.

Although I worked as a morah (teacher) at Camp Ramah Nyack in 2001 (where I first met a young Didi Kalmanofsky and other AC kids), the camp has grown a lot since then, as I learned on a tour of the facilities. They now have three layers of camp: the upper, middle, and lower section - again, all the different layers and activities reminding me of Ansche Chesed!

After lunch, all the Ansche Chesed kids gathered together on the camp's main porch for a mini-picnic of apple juice and graham crackers. As you can tell from the photo, we were all delighted to be together and to bring that Ansche Chesed energy to something we do well: noshing and shmoozing.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Honi the circle maker, who plants a carob seed that he will never see blossom into a tree. When asked why he bothers to plant a sapling whose fruit he himself will not enjoy, he replies that he has planted this tree for his children and grandchildren, so that they might enjoy the fruit of his labor. May it be that our children continue to learn Torah in the shade of the trees that we have planted, and in camp fields where the sun shines brightly.

-- Rabbi Lauren Kurland

SEPTEMBER LEARNING

Elul Class with Rabbi Kalmanofsky:
Rejoining Our Split Personalities
The great 20th century sage R. Yosef Ber Soloveitchik is one of our most profound religious thinkers on the meaning of sin, alienation and identity -- and the process of repentance by which we put the pieces of ourselves back together. This year we will study some of his famous discourses on Teshuva, to stimulate our own paths toward integration and integrity.

4 Tuesdays, 7:30-9:00pm
September 2, 9, 16, 23
Registration is not required.

Learn to Read Hebrew in Two Easy Lessons
Rabbi Charles Simon
Think you can't follow along in the mahzor for the High Holdiays? Spend two nights learning the keys to Hebrew reading with Rabbi Charles (Chuck) Simon and it will happen.

Monday, September 22 and Monday, October 6, 7:00-9:00pm
Free. Materials fee $15.
RSVP to 212.865.0600 ext. 205

Dinner and Program:
AMERICAN JEWISH CITIZENS AND THE ELECTION
Friday, September 19

What are the most important issues facing American Jews as we prepare for these historic elections? Join Ansche Chesed for dinner and to think about the intersection of politics, the Jewish community, and Jewish identity with U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler and AC members Susan Chira (Foreign Editor of The New York Times), J.J. Goldberg (Editorial Director of The Forward) and Nathaniel Persily (election law specialist and constitutional scholar at Columbia).

Semi-potluck dinner.
$10 per adult, $8 per child 12 and under.
Services 6:30pm / Dinner 7:30pm / Program 8:30pm

We will provide a main course. Dinner is a dairy meal. Please bring enough to serve 8 people generously. Last names A-L bring salads, vegetables, or other side dishes. M-R bring juice or soda, S-Z bring desserts. Everyone is welcome to bring their own kosher wine.

Checks should be sent to Ansche Chesed, 251 West 100th Street, NY, NY 10025. Please include the names of all attending and the ages of children. You may pay be credit card by calling 212.865.0600 ext. 205, or visit our website, www.anschechesed.org. Click on the "Donate Now" button, and in the special instructions box, note what your payment is for.

(The gym will be open for supervised play.)

For more information, call 212.865.0600 ext. 205

FALL BLOOD DRIVE - SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21

Please take an hour of your time to donate much-needed blood. The hours of the drive are 10:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bonus: Everyone who shows up will receive a $5 gift certificate to Starbucks.

If you have any questions about whether you are eligible to donate because of medical, recent travel, or other concerns, you can call the New York Blood Center Eligibility Line at 1-800-688-0900 (Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). A clinician will answer questions in confidence immediately.

SHABBAT LEARNING

From Kabbalah to Radical Hasidism: Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav's Likkutey Moharan
Rabbi David Gedzelman
We will look at selected passages from Rabbi Nachman's classic text in Jewish mysticism as we explore the radical thought and writings of this late 18th century Hasidic master who paired mystical cosmology with deep psychological insight. We will also compare Nachman's thought to the writings of other Hasidic thinkers.
September 6, 13, 27, October 4, 9:30-10:30am

Through the Prism of Midrash
Rabbi Jeremy Kalmanofsky
In Jewish tradition, the ultimate art lies not in creative writing but in creative reading. Join us to study the classical anscient midrashim on the weekly readings, examining the original and insightful interpretations that our Sages, of Blessed Memory, brought to the Torah.
October 11, 18, 9:30-10:30am

THE ANSCHE CHESED ACT FOUNDATION

By Ben Shalva

For the third year in a row, a group of Ansche Chesed b'nai mitzvah students banded together to form the Ansche Chesed Tzedakah (ACT) Foundation. Hannah Brodheim, Emmanuel Cantor, Ilana Kaufman, Julian Michaels, Max Padway, Shoshi Shapiro, Gabe Sunshine, Lenny Weissman, and Lily Young pledged to donate a portion of their b'nai mitzvah gift money to the Foundation and became board members of their own philanthropic organization.

The ACT Foundation Board first met with advisor and rabbinic intern Benjamin Shalva in early November to study Jewish teachings on tzedakah and gemilut hasadim. During subsequent meetings throughout the winter and spring, the ACT Board voted to focus their attention on organizations providing humanitarian aid in Africa and heard presentations from representatives of nine different Africa-aid organizations.

At their final board meeting on April 16th, the ACT Foundation Board voted to donate $3000.00 to the Student Movement for Real Change (www.studentmovementusa.org). The Student Movement for Real Change (SMRC) will use the money to build the "ACT Foundation Library" in the Makrepeni Village of South Africa to provide reading resources to the Samson Sibuyi Primary School. In addition, the ACT Foundation Grant will provide support for logistics and curriculum development for SMRC's Joining Hands Pen Pal Project, which connects American youth with pen pals in South Africa and Kenya.

HIGH HOLIDAY INFORMATION

HIGH HOLIDAY SEATING CARDS
Tickets ordered after Friday, September 12 may be picked up in the office.

SECURITY
You will be required to show your tickets before entering the synagogue. To simplify security, please leave bags at when when possible.

BIMAH FLOWERS
We rely on the generosity of our emmbers to contribute funds for the flowers that beautify our Sanctuary on the Yamim Nora'im and on Sukkot. Donations for the children's havdalah lights for the procession following Ne'ilah are also needed.

SCHEDULE OF SERVICES

Selihot: Saturday, September 20

Knocking on Heaven's Door: Motifs of Openings and Closing in the High Holiday Liturgy

Study session 10:00 pm, Services 11:00 pm

Erev Rosh HaShanah: Monday, September 29. Evening Services 6:30pm

Rosh HaShanah

Tuesday, September 30

Morning Services 9:00am in the Sanctuary; Minyan M'at and West Side Minyan 9:30am

Minha/Ma'ariv 6:15pm

Tashlikh: Meet at AC 4:45pm

Kol Nidre: Wednesday, October 8, 6:10pm

Yom Kippur: Thursday, October 9

Morning Services 9:00am in the Sanctuary; Minyan M'at and West Side Minyan 9:30am

Minha/Ne'ilah 4:30pm

Tekiat Shofar and End of Fast 6:55pm

INFORMATION FOR FAMILIES

CHILDREN'S AND FAMILY SERVICES
We offer three age-appropriate youth and family minyanim. All are welcome. Services on the first and second days of Rosh HaShanah and on Yom Kippur begin at 10:45am and end at noon.

HIGH HOLIDAY CHILDCARE
Please return your holiday childcare registration forms promptly so that we may properly staff our childcare rooms. Call the office if you need a form.

CHILDREN'S HAVDALAH PROCESSION
We invite all the children to come and help bring Yom Kippur to a close at 6:45pm with our traditional procession of lights, and we invite all who have a shofar to bring it to add to our joyful noise.

AUGUST DONATIONS

NEWS & NOTES

SINCE MAY 1

Condolences to the following members and their families:
Carolyn Greene on the death of her father, Leon Greene.
Sharri Posen on the death of her father, Harry Silberglait.
Sharon Rebell on the death of her father, Nathaniel Howard Kleppel.
Carol and Marge Goldstein on the death of their mother, Blanche Guttman.
Claudia Machaver on the death of her father, William Machaver
Sandra Bergman on the death of her father, Walter Berman.
Valerie Marcus on the death of her father, Norman Marcus.
Iris Korman on the death of her grandmother, Edith Ammer.
Heidi Kahn on the death of her sister, Irma Schwab.
Avi Zloof on the death of his mother, Tikva Zloof.
Erwin Frankel, Saul and Gideon Rafel-Frankel on the death of their wife and mother, Ellen Rafel.
Sandra Bergman on the death of her mother, Regina Berman.

Mazal Tov to:
May-August b'nai mitzvah and their families:
Jonah Adler
Eli Rudavsky
Jamie Bloom
Lina Giglio
Ilana Kaufman
Leonard Weissman

Barbara Sontz on the birth of her grandson, Aaron Benjamin Sable, son of Susan and Jesse Sable.
Meredith and David Schizer, Josephine, and Eve on the birth of their son and brother, Judah Chaim.
Rabbi Iscah Waldman and Matthew Agin on the birth of their daughter, Netanya.
Scott and Sara Harrison the birth of their daughter, Millie Hadassah.
Stephen Burdman and Adena Abramson on the birth of their son, Ezekiel Lev.
Joyce and Martin Mann on the birth of their grandson, Judah Ari Honig.
Shevi Sperber and Peter Ozsvath on the birth of their daughter
Jennifer Raider and Ken Karanon their marriage.
Aryeh Gershon and Litza Stark on their marriage.
Nathan Perl-Rosenthal and Jessica Marglin, Deborah Rosenthal and Jed Perl on the marriage of Nathan and Jessica.
Shuly Rubin Schwartz and Eric Fishman on their marriage.
Lauren Chachkes and Jeremy Monosov on their marriage.

Todah Rabbah to July and August Shelter Volunteers:
(Names in bold indicate AC members)
Irwin Abraham, Rebecca Abrams, Gayle Adler, Marla Alhadeff, Roy Aloni, Neil Altman, Nathan Arnold, David Becker, Shira Billet, Andrew Blank, Rita Calderon, Aliza Boim, Elizabeth Cate, Pat Corrigan, Carol Cutler, Elysa Dauerman, Liz Denlinger, Sarah Dunitz, Howard Eisenberg, Matthew Feigin, Allie Fleder, Joel Friedman, Woody Freiman, Elliot Fruchter, Uri Goldberg, Zoe Goldfarb, Avi Green, Nancy Greenbaum, Susan Greenfield, Stephanie Gros, Carol Gross, Daniel Heller, David Hollander, Meira Katz, Rebecca Kaufman, Kehilat Hadar, Marica Kahnowitz, Gary Kallman, Ken Karan, Meira Katz, Michael Kengmana, KOE Minyan, Ira Krell, Tatyana Leifman, Alex Levine, Hannah Levavi, Ayelet Libson, Naomi Marcus, Jocelyn Maskow, Andy Menkis, Danny Messing, Bill Meyers, Alexandra Herfroy Mischler, Michael Mortenson, Tzvika Nissel, Libby Novak, William Plevan, Lesley Portnoy, Jennifer Raider, Howard Rosenberg, Anne Rudder, Marcia Talmage Schneider and Fred Schneider, Dan Schwarzbaum, Kate Sharp, Lauren Stark, David Tabatsky, Meri Weber, Daniel Urbas, Matt Weissman, Michael Wise, David Witzel, Genady Yusim, Bonnie Zaben. And many thanks to Charlie Davidson, Shelter Coordinator, Michael Bloome, Assistant Coordinator, and Josh Abrams, Volunteer Coordinator.

Congregation Ansche Chesed
251 West 100th Street
New York, NY 10025

www.anschechesed.org

Ansche Chesed | 251 West 100th Street | New York | NY | 10025-5331