September-October 2024

Faye White-Willinger… Doing What Comes Naturally 

by Marcia Muskat

Faye was raised a non-practicing Catholic in Milwaukee. During Faye’s freshman year at U Penn (Nursing ’88-BSN), she found herself close with lots of Jewish friends and their holiday traditions. In 2003, Faye married Jewish. And much to her mother-in-law’s delight, felt the need to raise her children Jewish. 

Union Temple of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn (now part of Congregation Beth Elohim/CBE) became pivotal. Faye was so active in the Religious School that she eventually co-chaired and directed (hiring Mindy Sherry). Adding to the momentum, Faye “audited” RS classes, studied Torah and sang Hebrew prayers alongside her son, Robert. And when Faye needed people most – during her separation from Robert’s dad and her bout with several serious illnesses – Faye couldn’t help but think of Union Temple as family and of herself as Jewish. In 2013, in the presence of a three-rabbi beit din, Faye converted to Judaism. 

Earlier that year, Faye and Robert went camping at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY. As beshert would have it, they pitched their tent next to Jeff Hahn, a nice Jewish guy from Westchester County. In 2017, one month before Robert’s bar mitzvah, Faye and Robert invited Jeff to come live with them. This past June, Rabbi Josh did the honors at Faye and Jeff’s wedding. 

Robert is active in Hillel at U Mass Amherst, where he studies neuropsychology in hopes of becoming a doctor. Faye is Board Certified in Holistic Nursing and Travel Health, keeping NYU/Langone international travelers safe. Jeff is retired as a H.S./college math instructor and is a current math tutor and volunteer poll worker. And because a nurse’s day is never done, Jeff is their family’s “house-spouse,” keeping everything together at home.  

At EET, Faye loves singing with the choir. Jeff loves schmoozing with the Men’s Club. And all things being equal, loves doing what comes naturally. 

~ For all upcoming Sisterhood events, please see the main Sisterhood page ~

September-October 2024

L’Shanah Tovah – Connections,  Collaborations, Leadership, and Giving 
by Sisterhood Leadership Team member and Programming Lead Suellen Eshed

What a summer it’s been! In June, the Sisterhood of East End Temple leadership was represented at the Women of Reform Judaism Fried Leadership Conference  in New Orleans. It was inspirational to sing, pray and learn with hundreds of women dedicated to Sisterhood, Spirituality and Social Justice. In July, our Sisterhood held a dinner to celebrate our accomplishments. The leadership team then began working on strategic planning, while reviewing our new leadership model.  

We chose two recipients of our Birthday Fund, where donations made in honor of a birthday are given to a local NYC organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. We are giving $2,800 to two organizations: Girl Scouts Of America Troop 6000, a unique program serving families living in NY’s shelter system, providing weekly meetings where girls make friends, earn badges and learn skills at no cost; and City Living NY, which supports and empowers 21-year-olds who have “aged out” of the NY foster care system, with mental health counseling, safe furnished apartments, and college and job assistance. 

This year, Andrea Viders joins Jodi Malcom as Birthday Fund Co-Director, focusing on recipient selection and organizing meetings between our donors and recipients to hear about the people that benefited from their outreach. 

Our Annual Welcome Back Family Event will take place on Sunday, September 15, led by Rachel Gibbs-Shapiro, with snacks provided by Men’s Club. Join our fun-filled workshop where we’ll be building a collage-based vision board to help us make change – for ourselves or our families. See more information on our main Sisterhood page. 

Mah Jongg is back, with twice monthly daytime games on Thursdays, starting September 5. All levels are welcome, and lessons are offered by our volunteers, led by Marcia Muskat.  Learn now so that you can win prizes in our Morning of Mah Jongg coming up in December. Be part of this growing community! 

By listening to one another’s voices, we collaborate, create leaders and come together in multiple communities. Check out our upcoming programs here.  

The Sisterhood of East End Temple 

Belong. Connect. Grow.  
Member of  

Food For Families

by Celia Vimont

Come join us as we start a new season of Food For Families on Sunday, September 29 from noon to 2:00pm. We will make sandwiches to be distributed by City Harvest to feed hungry New Yorkers. The need is great: according to City Harvest, nearly 1.3 million New Yorkers are struggling to feed themselves and their families and one in four children in New York City are experiencing food insecurity. 

Advance sign-up will be required (look for the link and details in the eblast). All participants must be age 12 or older (ages 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult) and everyone must wear a mask. Each participant should bring at least five loaves of whole wheat sliced bread (six loaves per person would be greatly appreciated) and 20 pieces of fruit (preferably apples and oranges) and wear a hat to comply with Department of Health regulations. 

Future dates for Food For Families are October 27, November 17, December 8, January 12, February 2 and March 2. 

Help us feed hungry New Yorkers by donating to Food For Families through Sisterhood (https://eastendtemple.org/contribute/

Library Buzz

by Barbara Ringel

As fall and the New Year approach, we have been busy readying our Helene Spring Library with new displays of books about the High Holy Days, in order to provide temple members with an opportunity to enhance understanding and to provide food for thought and conversation on the High Holy Days experience. We hope you will take the time to explore the many offerings. In addition, several new books in other genres have been purchased during the summer and are ready to be borrowed for a three-week period. One title of timely interest is Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew, by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby. Published this spring, the book is a thought-provoking investigation into antisemitism that connects the dots between the tropes and hatred of the past to our current complicated moment. Another new novel, a historical fiction that has received high praise, is The Goddess of Warsaw by Lisa Barr. It is a haunting tale of the cost of survival, sacrifice, and the long-denied secrets of the past. Having read it, I can attest to its impact. 

 Looking ahead, a moving anthology, On Being Jewish Now, edited by author and publisher Zibby Owens, will be published November 1, and it will be a valuable addition to our collection. It is a compilation of essays by 75 Jewish authors about what it means to be Jewish since the tragedy of October 7. As Lynda Loigman, a recent Helene Spring Library Event featured author, stated, “It’s a collection of emotional, funny, sad, traumatic, and inspiring essays about what it means to be Jewish, how Jewish life has changed since October 7th, and the bonds and culture that our group shares.” All the proceeds will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism, founded in the aftermath of October 7 by a group of Jewish authors.  

Wishing everyone L’ Shanah Tovah!

Judaica Shop

by Fran Kolin

Shanah Tovah EET friends! Sisterhood’s Judaica Shop has all sorts of interesting things to add to your Jewish experience. Novels from past Library Event guest speakers, items to enhance your home, Jewish content board books for children, mezuzot, even Sisterhood’s own cookbook is available for purchase when the office is open. We also have many colors of free yarn for you to pick up and knit or crochet into hats and scarves for New York’s needy. We collect these items year-round, so there is no rush. Come take a look, and shop The Shop! 

September-October 2024

Extending Our Reach: Living Our Values Through Action
by Co-President Brian Lifsec

At East End Temple, our community is strongly committed to social justice and helping those in need, guided by our faith’s teachings of compassion and integrity. As we approach significant moments in our religious calendar, I want to highlight how our collaboration with other organizations and houses of worship to support New York’s newest immigrants reflects these core values.

This letter follows my earlier communication where I emphasized “broadening outreach” as a key focus for our temple. We are excited to share that our temple has been awarded the Pathways Trailblazer Award from HIAS, the world’s oldest and only Jewish refugee organization, for our outstanding work in helping refugees, asylum seekers, and forcibly displaced people.

As we prepare for the High Holy Days, a time for introspection, repentance, and renewal, this reflection feels particularly meaningful. The themes of unity, community, and responsibility that mark this season closely align with our efforts to assist immigrants, feed the hungry, and continue working with other business- and faith-based organizations.

In addition to welcoming new New Yorkers, our community is also committed to promoting democracy across the country. We are actively working with the Religious Action Center and other organizations in nonpartisan efforts to protect voter access. Through our DemocRACy Circle monthly gatherings, congregants from all backgrounds come together to write postcards, make phone calls, and discuss issues impacting the upcoming election.

Our recent analysis by the Strategic Planning Committee and Board identified our core strengths and ambitions, focusing on vibrancy, impact, and fiscal stability. This led to key areas of focus: deepening connections, broadening outreach, increasing impact, and supporting growth while maintaining fiscal prudence. Our work exemplifies these priorities, showing how we can extend our reach while staying true to our values.

As we observe the High Holy Days, let’s renew our commitment to these ideals. Our collective efforts to support New York’s newest residents and protect democratic values not only transform lives but also strengthen the bonds within our community. At East End Temple, we will continue to champion the common good, striving to create a more just and compassionate world for all.

September-October 2024
by Jeffrey Hahn, Men’s Club President

During the last two years the Men’s Club has revived itself with many social events, tours, Israel Day Parade marches, food competitions, and parties for all EET members and guests. These picnics, walking tours, game nights, contests, etc… are back again this year! We look forward to the Fall alongside the Sisterhood for the Annual Welcome Back Family Event on Sunday, September 15 (see our Calendar for more details).

At the end of September, Game Night returns, featuring Boggle, Neanderthal Poetry, and other fun games with pizza and drinks. We also have future walking tours, movies, and brunches planned in the fall. And as the High Holy Days get underway, the Men’s Club will construct the Sukkah under Bobby Kolin’s direction and EET’s students will decorate the Sukkah for the weeklong festival of Sukkot. 

I’m inviting all Men’s Club members to come to our monthly meetings as we discuss and plan programming and assistance within and outside our EET community. EET has many diverse interest groups, and we are starting to design how the Men’s Club can add different methods to EET’s overall goals. Help us set goals for our community! Looking forward to seeing many of the EET community at our events. 

Any questions or ideas can be emailed to mensclub@eastendtemple.org.

2024-2025 Programs

Monthly meetings at 6:30pm (in person and via Zoom): Oct. 9, Nov. 6, Dec. 11, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, May 7, June 11

Help Build and Take Down the EET Sukkah
Building — Sunday, October 13 from 12:00-2:00pm (EET downstairs entrance)

Taking Down — Saturday, October 26 from 12:00-2:00pm EET downstairs entrance)

Walking Tour
Sunday, November 3 (time/location TBD)

More information coming soon!

Movie Brunch #1
Sunday, November 17 at 10:30am (in person)

Join us for brunch, a movie (TBD) and discussion.

Dad’s Night Out
Thursday, November 21 at 7:30pm (meet at EET)

Movie Brunch #2
Sunday, December 8 at 10:30am (in person)

Join us for brunch, a movie (TBD) and discussion.

Chanukah and Christmas Day Dim Sum Lunch
Wednesday, December 25 at 12:00pm (in person)
~ at the Golden Unicorn, 18 East Broadway
~
— RSVP to mensclub@eastendtemple.org

Game Night #2
Thursday, February 6 at 6:30pm (in person)

More fun and games with Men’s Club!

Movie Brunch #3
Sunday, March 2 at 10:30am (in person)

Join us for brunch, a movie (TBD) and discussion.

3rd Annual Hamantaschen Contest
Friday, March 14 after Shabbat services

May the most delicious hamantaschen win!

Pillows for Passover
Thursday, April 3 at 6:30pm (in person)

Create a personalized pillow to recline on at your seder! RSVP to mensclub@eastendtemple.org

Spring Picnic with the Sisterhood of East End Temple
Sunday, May 4 at 11:00am

More details coming soon!

Israel Day Parade
Sunday, June 1 from 11:30am-4:00pm

Join our EET delegation to march in the parade.



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 something about each other.

And, as we say, the BEET Goes On!

Belong. Connect. Grow.

The Sisterhood of East End Temple brings together women in all stages of life in friendship, leadership, and intellectual and spiritual growth. We listen to women’s voices and promote their interests, passions, ideas, and concerns. Together we engage in tikkun olam by producing timely and relevant programming, fundraising, and advocating for social justice, while nurturing the life of the congregation, its leaders, and the community at large.

Click here to join Sisterhood today!

Click here for a gallery and a review of our 2023-2024 programs

~ To read the latest columns and messages from Sisterhood, please see the Sisterhood Columns page ~

2024-2025 Programs

We offer a number of programs in different formats — in person, on Zoom and hybrid.  Unless otherwise stated, the entire community, friends and family, is welcome to join us! Please send any questions and RSVPs to sisterhood@eastendtemple.org, except where noted.

Ongoing Programs

Food For Families
Sundays at 12:00pm: Oct. 27, Nov. 17, Dec. 8, Jan. 12, Feb. 2, March 2
For over 30 years, multiple generations of our community have made meals to feed hungry New Yorkers. Advance sign-up will be required (look for the link in an upcoming eblast). All participants must be age 12 or older (ages 12-15 must be accompanied by an adult). Each participant should bring five loaves of whole wheat bread and 16 pieces of fruit (preferably apples and oranges) and wear a hat to comply with Department of Health regulations.

Mah Jongg WeekdayPlay/Learn in Person
Select Thursdays from 11:00am to 1:00pm: Oct. 10, 31; Nov. 7, 14; Dec. 5, 12; Jan. 9, 23; Feb. 13, 20; March 13, 27; April 3, 10; May 8, 22
Interested in learning to play mah jongg or finding players? Cash donation of $5 to play, $15 for a lesson. Coffee, tea and snacks available. Please register or let us know your interest by completing this form

Getting to Know Our Community — Monthly Wednesdays Lunchtime Speaker Series (Zoom)
12:00-1:00pm: Dec. 4, Jan. 15, Feb. 5, March 5, April 2
Bring your lunch and join us as we introduce a fascinating member of our community.  Speakers to be announced.

Claim Your Hebrew Name — beginning in January 2025
Do you have a Hebrew name? Have your children been named yet? Have a Hebrew Name you want to change? Now in its second year, the Sisterhood of East End Temple, under the leadership of Fran Kolin, can help guide you through the process, which can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. Simple, as in choosing a Hebrew name you like that may start with the same letter as your English name. Elaborate, as in researching your family history, visiting the graves of your loved ones, or choosing the name of a figure in the Torah that you admire. And, on Friday, April 25 at a special Simchat Shabbat service, you will be invited, with other newly named members, to stand on the bimah and receive a blessing from the clergy, the congratulations of your fellow congregants, and your certificate signed by the clergy. Please email Fran Kolin at thekolins611@yahoo.com to set up a meeting after the secular new year.

Dante’s Vision of Rachel and Leah,” Dante Gabriel Rossetti 1855

Rosh Chodesh Study and Discussion: “The Genesis Finale” (in person and via Zoom)
Sundays at 10:30am: Jan. 12, Feb. 2, March 2, April 6
Rosh Chodesh, “the head of the month,” is the phase of the lunar cycle when the first sliver of moon appears, a time for renewal. Talmudic and modern-day interpretations connect the holiday to women. As such, Rosh Chodesh has been marked as a time for women to gather, study and pray (click here for more information).

Please join us this season for an in-depth exploration of the ”Leah v’Rachel” or “Rachel v’Leah” debate. NOTE: In the Amidah, “Leah v’Rachel” appears in Gates of Prayer (c. 1994) but in the current Mishkan T’filah (c. 2007), it’s Rachel v. Leah. Why? Fern Stampleman, Elissa Macklin and Laurie Treuhaft lead discussion, we all participate and, if you join in person, we share a potluck brunch.

  • Registration required (link coming soon)
  • No prior knowledge necessary! Reading materials will be emailed to registrants as needed.

Stitch-A-Thon
Sundays at 1:00pm: Jan. 12, Feb. 2, March 2 (in person)
Gather for a while with other stitchers. Show off your latest projects; get help from our experts; make a hat or scarf for our Cold Weather Project for donating to New York’s needy.

Sisterhood Board Meetings (Sisterhood members only)
Thursdays at 6:30pm: Sept. 25, Nov. 6, Dec. 11, Jan. 29, March 12, April 23, June 4 (in person and via Zoom)
All Sisterhood members are invited to join our bi-monthly board meetings when we review programs and social action initiatives, discuss how we can support each other and the EET community, and hear guest speakers on meaningful topics. RSVP requested to sisterhood@eastendtemple.org.

Scheduled Programs

Morning of Mah Jongg Fundraiser
Sunday, December 15 from 10:00am-2:00pm

Join us for four fun-filled hours of brunch, tournament-style games and prizes. Entry $36, plus raffle tickets available for great prizes.  Sign up here.

Mah Jongg Evening
Wednesday, January 22 from 7:00-9:00pm

Introducing an evening of Mah Jongg.  Details to follow.

Hamantaschen For Purim
Mid-February
We continue to sell boxes of yummy hamantaschen in time for Purim.  These sales help us supply hamantaschen for the Religious School, Oneg Shabbats and Shalach Manot (“And they should make them days of feasting and joy, and sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor” (Esther 9:22).) More information to come.

Macaroons For Pesach
Mid-March
Watch for reminders of sales of delicious chocolate covered macaroons in time for Passover.

Helene Spring Library Event 
Sunday, March 16 at 2:00pm
Our annual celebration of our beautiful library includes a featured author speaking about their book, followed by a book sale and signing, and our always-popular homemade dessert buffet.

Sisterhood Shabbat (in person and Livestream)
Friday, March 21 at 6:15pm — more information coming soon

Lilith Seder
Thursday, April 17 at 6:00pm

Sisterhood members, plus one guest,  are welcome (ages 13 and up)
Join us for our annual potluck seder! Everyone participates in reading from a Haggadah written especially for the Sisterhood of East End Temple, focused on the women’s role in the Passover story, including prayers using feminized Hebrew. We sing songs written by Debbie Friedman, dance with tambourines, honor women of valor, use a Miriam’s Cup for water and place a symbolic orange on the seder plate. 

  • Pre-registration required (coming soon)

Celebration of New Hebrew Names
Friday, April 25 at 6:15pm

Join us for a special Simchat Shabbat service where we will honor those who worked with Fran Kolin over the year to obtain a new Hebrew name. Join in special prayers and songs, led by our clergy, as these honorees are called up to the bimah for special blessings and a certificate.

Spring Picnic With Men’s Club
Sunday, May 4 from 11:00am-2:00pm
Details to come.

_________________________________________________________________________

Engaging in tikkun olam – our fundraising and advocacy programs
Sisterhood supports a number of worthy causes for those in need as well as temple staff, clergy and building projects.  If you are interested in donating to any of our funds and/or honoring a loved one, please refer to the Contribute page.

Birthday Fund
In its 13th year, this outreach fund is supported by donations honoring Sisterhood member birthdays, the birthdays of their loved ones, and other life events. Monies are directed to local organizations selected annually that support the lives of women and girls. Jodi Malcom is joined this year by Andrea Viders, who will reach out to our members and research meaningful recipients. Recently, donations were given to the Girl Scouts Of America Troop 6000, a unique program serving families living in NY’s shelter system, providing weekly meetings where girls make friends, earn badges and learn skills at no cost, and to City Living NY, which supports and empowers 21-year-olds who have “aged out” of the NY foster care system with mental health counseling, safe furnished apartments, and college and job assistance.

Food For Families Funds
Led by a team of Sisterhood women for almost 30 years, we gather to make meals to feed hungry New Yorkers, which are picked up and distributed by City Harvest. Donations to these funds are used to buy the meal-making ingredients and materials.

Helene Spring Library Fund
A jewel of the temple, our library houses an extensive collection from which temple members may browse and borrow. Named for one of EET’s founding members, who is both a past temple president and Sisterhood president, we raise funds to keep our library beautiful and well-stocked.

Sisterhood Leadership Development Fund
We are dedicated to creating leaders who can develop programs to enhance our EET community and to raise funds to support meaningful projects.  Women of Reform Judaism, along with other leadership organizations, provides us with access to many development tools, from conferences to training presentations.  Monies in this fund will be used to take advantage of those tools in order to support the enhancement of leadership skills of current Sisterhood members and to develop future Sisterhood leaders.

East End Temple’s Young Professionals meet monthly for Shabbat services and a dinner conversation, connect for Jewish holidays, and gather socially at each other’s homes. This growing constituency is comprised of people who want to be Jewishly involved, Jews by choice, people in relationship with Jews, and those who are Jewishly interested and seeking meaning amid busy lives.

Get connected

Email Rabbi Josh Stanton, jstanton@eastendtemple.org. And to receive the EET Weekly Eblast so you are up-to-date with what’s going on across the Temple, send your email to EET office at info@eastendtemple.org.

Our mission is to cultivate relevant Jewish life through connected community. We seek to expand avenues into Torah (Jewish learning and practice), God (all forms of spiritual connection) and the Jewish people (locally and globally) to help one another live lives of meaning.

We do this through:

Our Diversity: Betzelem Elohim, In the Image of God

We welcome all in the Jewish community: young and old; single, partnered and married; LGBT and straight; interfaith families; Jewish-born or converted; those with and without mental and physical disabilities; financially struggling or well-off.  If you choose us, we choose you.

Our Accessibility: My House Shall be a House of Prayer for All People

We encourage full participation, enfranchisement and leadership through education and relationship-building.

Our Intimacy: Face to Face

We strive to know and care for one another through the cultivation of relationships between and among members. 

Our Giving and Receiving: As Your Heart is so Inclined

We aspire to a high quality of synagogue life, and give of time and resources to create that quality.  Our members who derive the most from their East End Temple experience are often those who give the most. 

Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “world repair”) has come to connote social action and the pursuit of social justice.

Highlights

  • Interfaith support and collaboration with Middle Collegiate Church, one of the oldest continuous Protestant churches in North America, following a devastating fire
  • Sisterhood‘s Food For Families fed thousands of hungry New Yorkers
  • Engaged in Keshet training to improve equality of the LGBTQIA+ community
  • Provided direct assistance to 208 asylum-seeking families in Chinatown
  • Signed on to multiple amicus briefs


Volunteer Opportunities

  • EET Eastside Schleppers, a volunteer apartment set-up team, works with Ruth’s Refuge to move donated household items, including furniture, for the newest New Yorkers. For more information, email info@eastendtemple.org.



Support Israel

The East End Temple Board of Trustees has vetted and recommends the following organizations in supporting Israel.



Broader Support for People Impacted in the Region



Support Ukraine

For more information about East End Temple’s Social Justice activities, please email info@eastendtemple.org.

Welcome Cantor Olivia Brodsky!

Growing up, Cantor Brodsky was touched by liturgical music and recognized it as an accessible and powerful means of connecting with her heritage and community. She believes strongly in the transcendent nature of music, and its unparalleled ability to both convey and evoke emotion and spirituality. 

Influenced by the musical styles of both Reform and Conservative cantors, as well as her background in both Musical Theatre and Classical music, Cantor Brodsky recognizes that the musical preferences of our community are as diverse as the people of whom it is composed. Cantor Brodsky makes a concerted effort to keep the music of Shabbat and Holiday services eclectic, participatory, and engaging. With a combination of folk, contemporary, classical compositions and chazzanut, she hopes that everyone will hear music that speaks to their souls and accentuates the meaning of our liturgy.

Listen to recordings of Cantor Olivia Brodsky here

Enjoy our newsletter, Templet. Stay up to date on the latest events, activities and stories at East End Temple. You can download recent editions of the Templet by clicking the links below.

Giving to East End Temple

We are grateful for your support. Tzedakah, or charity, fulfills some of Judaism’s strongest traditions. It also powers the activities and well-being of East End Temple. You may make a contribution in honor of a person or an event, in memory of someone, or just because you care about the EET community.

HOW TO GIVE

Click on the following links for convenient ways to support East End Temple:

  • Members, please click here.
    If you would like to contribute by check, please mail to: East End Temple, 245 E. 17th St., New York, NY, 10003, or to East End Temple, P.O. Box 418, Montvale, NJ 07645. Please note the fund on the memo line.
  • Guests, please click here to complete the necessary information to process a contribution. A description of our giving opportunities is listed below.

WHERE TO GIVE

TEMPLE FUNDS

  • KOL NIDREI 5784 APPEAL: helps ensure future growth of East End Temple
  • CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND: used for charitable giving, enrichment of the congregation and community. $36.00 minimum
  • EL EMET FUND: helps beautify and maintain our temple, underwrite holiday festivities, projects. In honor of a simchah, a mishebeirach, yahrzeits. $10.00 minimum 
  • FUND FOR THE FUTURE: helps ensure future growth in all temple activities. $100.00 minimum
  • HAMERMESH MUSIC FUND: provides special music programs and resource materials. $18.00 minimum
  • LEONARD AND HELENE SPRING MEMORIAL FUND: Dedicated to providing safety and comfort-based enhancements for the sanctuary and throughout the temple building. Materials that aid the physically and mentally challenged are the focus of this fund. $18.00 minimum
  • RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND: used for charitable giving, enrichment of the congregation and community. $36.00 minimum
  • SARA A. SPENCER CHILDREN’S EDUCATIONAL FUND: provides educational materials for the Religious School. $18.00 minimum
  • SECURITY FUND: provides necessary funding for security measures at East End Temple. $18.00 minimum
  • SIMCHAT SHABBAT FUND: provides musical Shabbatot and diverse community programs. $54.00 minimum
  • SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND: used to provide service to those in need in our neighborhood, city, nation, and world. No minimum

Legacy Circle

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 sustaining our Temple. If you have already included EET in your estate plans, as we each have, please email Judith or simply send this form back to the temple office.

And if you are thinking about including EET in your estate plans, we would love to talk further with you. Please feel free to contact either of us or Rabbi Josh Stanton (jstanton@eastendtemple.org) for a confidential discussion. We are truly grateful for your consideration.

L’Dor V’Dor, From Generation to Generation

L’shalom,
Rebecca Shore and Brian Lifsec, Co-Presidents
Judith Sussman, Chair, The East End Temple Legacy Circle

Contact information is at the bottom of this letter.

For the following gift/naming opportunities, please contact the EET office via phone or email:

Floral (Flowers for the service) $100
Kehilla Plaque on Sanctuary Lobby Wall $5,000 min.
Memorial Board Plaque $720
Oneg/Collation $400 / $250
Simcha Tree Leaf $234

HIGH HOLY DAYS (HHD) purchases/giving: HHD Pledge, HHD Ticket (Member), HHD Ticket (Non-Members), Yizkor.

SISTERHOOD PROGRAMS

Donations to one of the Sisterhood-sponsored programs can now be made online, using one of the above links, under HOW TO GIVE.
However, if you prefer to send a paper check, please make your check payable to EET Sisterhood, indicate the name of the fund(s) and send it to the temple office. Your canceled check is your receipt.

  • FOOD FOR FAMILIES: Led by a team of Sisterhood women for almost 30 years, we gather to make meals to feed hungry New Yorkers, which are picked up and distributed by City Harvest. Donations to these funds are used to buy the meal-making ingredients and materials. $18 minimum
  • FOOD FOR FAMILIES DAY SPONSOR: Contribution designates you as sponsor for the day. $360 minimum
  • HELENE SPRING LIBRARY FUND: helps purchase new and archival books, library equipment and additional materials for our library.  $18 minimum
  • SISTERHOOD BIRTHDAY FUND: contributes to a social action fund benefiting women and girls to be selected annually.  $18 minimum

All contributions to East End Temple or Sisterhood will be acknowledged to the person(s) for whom you make a donation, as well as noted in our monthly newsletter, Templet.

Shira with Shira is a group of congregants who sing with our fabulous Cantor, Shira Ginsburg. We have several sessions about three times a year (not unlike the approach to adult ed), and we occasionally sing at services, the annual Holocaust Observance in the City, and the like. 

The next sessions of Shira with Shira will take place in November, on three successive Tuesdays, the 5th, 12th and 19th. We rehearse in the sanctuary from 6:30 to 7:45 pm, and we will be preparing for a joint interfaith Thanksgiving service on November 26 with singers from the Village Temple. We hope you can join us. 

Singing with Shira with Shira is an opportunity to spend time with Cantor Shira and up to as many as ten or more congregants who love to sing and learn about singing with the Cantor.