January-February 2025 "How Synagogues Become Central to Andrea Viders' Life"by Marcia Muskat Whenever Andrea moves into a new town, her first stop is the local synagogue. Having grown up in Freeport, Long Island in the 1970s -- a town with few Jewish families -- the local Reform temple was a place of joy and connection for the Viders family. Though non-observant, Andrea’s middle and high school years at a modern Orthodox day school were also integral. She took a 1983-84 gap year at Hebrew University’s Mechina studies program for students from around the world. Andrea's visit at the East Jerusalem home of a Palestinian classmate was eye-opening. In 1988, Andrea graduated with a BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell. She then…

~ For all upcoming Sisterhood events, please see the main Sisterhood page ~ January-February 2025 "Winter Is Upon Us Once Again: Setting the Restart Button"by Sisterhood Leadership Team member and Community Development Co-Lead Fern Stampleman Making its yearly return to Sisterhood programming on Sunday, January 12, is Session #1 of the Rosh Chodesh Women’s Study and Discussion Group,in person and on Zoom. Featuring the last of the Genesis matriarchs, Session #1 is “A Tale of Two Sisters: It Begins At The Well.” Our ever-popular impromptu schmooze/potluck breakfast starts us off! Co-leaders Elissa Macklin and Laurie Treuhaft and I are excited to explore the life and times of Rachel and Leah. We look forward to the insightful surprises fellow inquirers can’t…

East End Temple Men's Club Sisterhood of East End Temple Sisterhood Programs Sisterhood Columns

January-February 2025 "Building A Community of Purpose"by Brian Lifsec Rabbi Josh’s reflections on Jewish elected officials highlight an important aspect of Jewish civic life, our ability to lead and contribute in meaningful ways. But leadership is not confined to public office or political engagement. At East End Temple, leadership happens every day within our community, in ways both seen and unseen. Leadership begins with the choices we make about how we show up for one another. It’s in the volunteer who organizes a food drive, the parent who mentors a teen through their bet mitzvah journey, or the member who steps forward to lead a new initiative. Each act of participation strengthens our community and reminds us that leadership is…

Read the latest columns from our clergy! From the Rabbi's Study Cantor's Notes

January-February 2025 "My Trip with HIAS Border Delegation" The Torah contains several passages that emphasize the importance of treating refugees and strangers with kindness and compassion. One key verse is found in Exodus 22:21, which states, "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt." This conveys a moral obligation to empathize with and support those who are vulnerable. With this mitzvah in mind, last week, our Assistant Director of Congregational Learning, Tehilah, and I had the unique opportunity to be part of the HIAS Border Delegation to the US-Mexico border. During this trip, we learned from legal experts about the complexity of the immigration process for migrants, refugees, and asylum…

January-February 2025 "Why Is Change So Hard?by Mindy Sherry, RJE This is the time of year when we think about what changes we want to make to ourselves. We set resolutions; we talk about losing those 10 pounds we put on from the holidays. We don’t keep the resolutions, and we don’t lose the 10 pounds. Why is change so hard?  Despite its inevitable nature, change can be uncomfortable. We are creatures of habit, and routines offer us a sense of control and stability. The fear of the unknown often makes us resist change, even when it could bring benefits. Psychological concepts like "loss aversion" highlight how people tend to focus more on the pain of giving up the familiar…

East End Temple has signed on to a number of “friends of the court” briefs supporting the right for inmates to sue for damages based on religious discrimination: Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections and Public Safety DACA State of Texas, et al. v. United States of America, et al. DACA Vidal v. Duke *DACA Amicus 2nd Circuit DACA Amicus 9th Circuit El Paso County Texas et al v Trump et al 2019.05.01 Border Wall Amicus ND-Cal 2019.08.22 Border Wall Amicus 9th Circuit DACA Amicus SCOTUS 20-828 FBI v Fagaza Amici Curiae Brief in Support of Respondents 19-71 FNU v Tanvir Brief of Amici Curiae in Support of Respondents Fuqua v Raak (CA9) Amicus Brief Loving v Morton (CA2) Amicus…

January-February 2025 "Jewish Governors Named Josh" I am here to announce my non-candidacy for elected office. If a decent rabbi, I would make a lousy public official -- or at least one unlikely to withstand the stresses of high (or medium or low) office for very long. Please vote for someone else. Thankfully, there will be 35 Jewish elected officials in the House of Representatives and the Senate as of this January, all of whom will be far more qualified for public office. In addition, there will be six Jewish governors, three of whom share my first name – Josh Green of Hawaii, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Josh Stein of North Carolina. While much could be said about the…

Torah portions (text only): https://www.sefaria.org/topics/category/torah-portions List of bet mitzvah prayers with Mishkan T'filah (Shabbat) page numbers For blessings/prayers, click the audio player under each title to hear the blessing/prayer sung/chanted Torah blessings: Blessing before Torah reading Blessing after Torah reading Haftarah blessings: Blessing before Haftarah reading Blessing after Haftarah reading Prayers: Adonai S'fatai (Trad.) Aleinu (1st paragraph) Aleinu-V'ne'emar (conclusion) Avot V'Imahot Barchu (Siegel) Chatsi Kaddish (Evening) Ein Kamocha-Av Harachamim Friday Night Kiddush G'vurot (with winter and summer insertions) Hallelu (Sufi) Kedusha (Shur) Ki Lekach Tov-Eitz Chayim (Trad.) Ki Mitzion/Baruch Shenatan L'dor Vador (Zim) Lecha Adonai Nisim b'Chol Yom (Morning Blessings) Shema (Pik) Shema (Trad.) Shema-Echad-Gadlu Tallit Blessing V'ahavta (first paragraph) V'ahavta (l'maan tizkeru) V'Shamru (Rothblum) Yehallelu-Hodo Al Eretz

Being a member of Sisterhood helps to create a community and a sense of belonging, connecting and growth, for the benefit of us all.  By listening to you and your interests and passions, we create meaningful programs and initiatives which connect us to each other and the greater community.  Your annual dues contribution is used to fund our programs, support our religious school, sponsor social justice initiatives, and so much more. If you are a member of East End Temple, your annual contribution to Sisterhood was included on your bill. Thank you for checking the box!   Otherwise, we welcome your contribution or your gift of membership for a friend or family (starting at $36) through our online form. Checks are also…

Recent articles on pertinent topics by (or featuring) Rabbi Josh Stanton, Cantor Olivia Brodsky, Director of Congregational Learning Mindy Sherry and Asst. Dir. of Congregational Learning Tehilah Eisenstadt: 1/6/25 - The Wisdom Daily, "A Jew who has nothing to do with immigration" 1/3/25 - The Providence Journal, "Providence College hockey's Trevor Connelly shining on the World stage for Team USA" 11/6/24 - eJewish Philanthropy, "Renewing the Evangelical-Jewish alliance" 11/3/24 - Haaretz Labels, "JFNA: Who Will Stand With Us?" 10/31/24 - Jewish Federation of North America, "Opinion: Deepening Hindu-Jewish Collaboration in this Sacred Season" 9/19/24 - City and State New York, "Opinion: An argument for what political party Jewish voters should stick with" 9/9/24 - Haaretz, "Opinion: In America and Israel,…

from The Ukrainian Institute of America:What can I do? Stay informed with credible sources of news like The Atlantic Council UkraineAlert. Contact your state and local representatives and let them know you support the strongest measures possible to constrain Ukraine's aggressors. Find your congressional representatives with this link. How can I help? The Afya Foundation (our partner organization for whom we have collected medical supplies for many years) has an Amazon wish list of urgently needed items. The items will be sent directly to Afya, and they are packing pallets of supplies to send to Ukraine. The World Union for Progressive Judaism has launched the Ukraine Crisis Fund to support the Ukrainian Jewish community. To learn more and/or to make a donation: https://wupj.org/give/ukraine/ HIAS…

Just because our name is the “Mens” Club, our events are not just for ‘men-bers’ but to the entire community, all families and friends. The Men’s Club was glad to host many events last fall such as: Game Night Walking tour of Chinatown The first movie brunch was the Mel Brooks Film Festival. The second was “Defiance,” a drama about rebel fighters known as the Partisans during the Holocaust. We have conversations following. Christmas Dim Sum Luncheon at the Golden Unicorn To follow a Jewish tradition, we filled 2 large tables with families of all ages eating Chinese food. Other spring events are listed below. Hope to see you! Any questions or ideas can be emailed to mensclub@eastendtemple.org. 2024-2025 Programs…

We have ordered a variety of recently published books that are on display in our Helene Spring Library. The titles and prices of the books that are available to be sponsored are listed below, and we hope members will continue their tradition of donating book/s of their choice. All books will have member’s name and in honor of/memory of inscribed on the bookplate. For online payment, click here (make a donation to Sisterhood-Helene Spring Library Fund and add a note with the title of the book you would like to sponsor). If paying by check, click here for a printable form and complete the coupon at the bottom. Thank you for your generosity. [Books that are crossed out have already…

For bet mitzvah students if you're not at home, or to listen to recordings of different prayers: https://eastendtemple.org/torah-and-prayer-resources/ A word about "bet mitzvah": Last spring, following careful study, the Central Conference of American Rabbis issued a recommendation that Reform communities use the term “Bet Mitzvah.” Bet is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet and does not have a gendered connotation. It stands for Bar, Bat, or B'Mitzvah at the same time and provides our children and their families with the flexibility not to share more of their gender identities than they would like to at their Jewish coming-of-age ceremonies. Bet also references the Hebrew word for “home,” so that the term Bet Mitzvah references the “Home of Mitzvah.”    Bet mitzvah at…

The Boomers of East End Temple (BEET) is a chavurah (group) formed to build connections among the baby boomer (officially defined as born between 1946 and 1964) community. We look to schedule programs that may interest the generation who grew up through massive social changes which strongly influenced who we are today. During these programs, most of which are open to the general baby boomer community, we enjoy sharing special memories unique to our generation as well as educating and supporting each other as we continue on our current life's journeys. One of our most popular events is our intimate (members-only) Friday, Shabbat potluck dinners where we share our thoughts on a boomer-related topic, ensuring that everyone gets to know…

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password:

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password:

[The Book of Remembrance is also available as a printable PDF] MEMORIALIZED ON THE TREE OF LIFE Anna AlmanMorris AlmanCharles BaderSamuel BeckerEsther BershonPvt. Arthur A. BierCharles BirnbaumBella CukierwarMaurice CukierwarBenjamin DimitmanIda EdelmanSamuel EdelmanDorothy A. EhrenreichAnnie L. FeinJennie GordonLouis GordonShelley Anita GorenSusan Helen GorenSamuel Gruber Max HeibergerRalph M. HolzmanIda HorowitzMorris HorowitzElla KesslerBernard R. King Myron KrugmanRose KrugmanShirley Kaplan LandauSidney LandeJacob LiebermanSarah LiebermanSamuel MaitFlora MorgensternLouis MorgensternLeonard NewmarkLucille NewmarkCelia Perlow Joseph PolanskySarah PolanskyLorence L. PollenBarnett RosalskyPesha RosalskyRose RothEmma RudingerJulius RudingerIsaac SertnerNorma SertnerNettie SperberAaron SteinRose SteinIda SussmanMamie WassermanEphraim WeissteinSarah WeissteinBilly Youchah MEMORIALIZED ON THE MEMORIAL BOARD AAllan AbramsRobert AbrahamYetta AdelmanDr. Hyman AlexanderJoseph AlexanderMildred Alexander Sarah AlexanderNorman AltszulerRita AltszulerHarry AmerRose Amer Dr. Joseph S. AmsterWanda H. AschermanAdela AusterIsrael Auster B May Hartley BarclayWade Crawford Barclay Eugene…

Thursday, April 17 at 6:00pm (in person and Zoom)Open to Sisterhood members using she/her pronouns, plus one guest (ages 13 and older)Click here to register, indicating whether you will join in person or on Zoom. Indicate name(s) of participants.Led by Cantor Brodsky, everyone participates in reading from a Haggadah written especially for us, focused on the women in the Passover story, praying in feminized Hebrew. We sing songs and dance with tambourines, honor women of valor, use a Miriam's Cup for water and place a symbolic orange on the seder plate. If attending in person, space is limited so please reserve as soon as possible and indicate your contributions to the potluck dinner or seder items. If you are not…

Virtual Community Second-Night Seder Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 5:00pm Our virtual seder is free and open to all. Everything you need to join us is on this page: how to register and receive the Zoom link, items to have in your home, an online Haggadah, and guidelines for joining our Zoom seder. Click here to register Once you are registered, you will receive an automated confirmation email with the subject line East End Temple Virtual Seder Confirmation. PLEASE KEEP THAT EMAIL: it will include your personalized Zoom link.  All are welcome to register. (Please don’t forward your own Zoom link, or the other person will appear onscreen with your name.)   List of suggested items to have in your…

Dear Fellow Congregants: It is thanks to the foresight and generosity of those who came before us that EET has entered its eighth decade with strength and vibrancy. We are grateful to them for establishing a spiritual home that cultivates relevant Jewish life through connected community. Now it is our turn to make certain our tradition continues for generations and that EET continues to be a beacon for downtown Jewish life. The EET Legacy Circle will bring together members like you and us, who are eager to help ensure our Jewish community’s future for generations to come by naming East End Temple as a beneficiary in their estate plans. Planned gifts of all sizes can play a significant role in…