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May-June 2025

“Wherever You Go…”
by Mindy Sherry, RJE

As we were exiting the Covid years, October 7 happened. It is a day that changed the Jewish world forever. Educators realized we had been telling students to stay away from one another, but this was a moment when we needed each other, and we realized we had not been doing a good job teaching about peoplehood. We noticed that students did not understand how we are all connected — Jewish peoplehood. Do you remember the song “Wherever You Go (There’s Always Someone Jewish)” by Rabbi Larry Milder? You know the song:

Wherever you go, there’s always someone Jewish
You’re never alone, when you say you’re a Jew
So when you’re not home, and you’re somewhere kind of… “new-ish”
The odds are, don’t look far, cause they’re Jewish too.

This song is about peoplehood, a concept encompassing a shared culture, history, and language. It is a crucial element that helps shape our identity. More than just a collection of individuals, a peoplehood embodies a sense of belonging and mutual responsibility. What is Jewish peoplehood, you may ask? Jewish peoplehood is the concept of a shared identity and sense of belonging that unites Jews across the globe, encompassing a collective history, culture, religion, and ethical tradition, and fostering a sense of responsibility for the well-being of the Jewish people. When one Jewish person is hurt, we all hurt. Jewish peoplehood is something we stopped teaching, and we need to bring back.

Next year, our education theme at East End Temple is Peoplehood. We are going to explore this in the religious school, through our curriculum, and in adult education through study with Rabbi Josh, food, holiday celebrations, and culture. The future is unknown, but Jews have endured because of their sense of peoplehood. Remember what Rabbi Larry Milder wrote: “Wherever you go, there’s always someone Jewish. You’re never alone, when you say you’re a Jew.”

Important Dates:

Tot Shabbat: May 9 (Final Tot Shabbat)
Shabbat B’Yachad: May 2 is the final Shabbat B’Yachad of the school year. The 6th grade will participate in the service.
Graduation Shabbat: Join us on May 16 for our graduation Shabbat to celebrate anyone who is graduating.
Adult Bet Mitzvah/Shavuot: Our Adult Bet Mitzvah will take place on Sunday, June 1 at 6:15pm, during Shavuot services. Please RSVP to info@eastendtemple.org.

“Where Does Hope Live?“
By Tehilah Eisenstadt

All the adults I speak with are walking with, and around, a version of the question: “Where does hope live?” My friends and I respond to this question by sending animal memes, a photo of their toddler passing his pacifier to a neighboring crib during naptime, or sharing news of a neighbor’s son coming back home in Israel after serving in the army.

In global and national chaotic times, I turn to one of my favorite readings, from Bruce Feiler, on the concept of “Oscillating Family Narratives.” This comes from a study that showed the children who do best in challenging situations are rooted in, and identify with, family histories of ancestors who had peak moments along with deep valleys of sadness. Stories like the ones we find throughout our Torah, Talmud, Haggadah, and modern Jewish history. Stories that bring hope in the consistency of peaks and valleys, even if we are never guaranteed whether these come in 400-year or 70-year stints.

This is why learning deeply, mining for meaning, and connection in community brings about hope. Learning that does not start or finish at a desk or screen, or doesn’t begin in a class at all – like at our EET interfaith Passover and Holy Week program with Church of Our Savior (for 20-40 year olds). Or learning like I witnessed in the quiet attentiveness of our 6th graders, with their parents, teachers, and teen chaperones at the Anne Frank exhibit. These experiences do not end in their spaces. The young professionals ended the evening wanting to learn, eat and volunteer together and bring friends. 6th graders came back to EET filled with questions to ask and astonishment to share with one another, parents, teachers, Mindy and me in the sanctuary.

In our Adult Bet Mitzvah and Being Jewish Post-Oct. 7 class communities, we think of each other between sessions and share articles, thoughts, questions via email or WhatsApp. Some folks even went to cheer on a classmate in a band. Our Jewish Tapas and Intro to Judaism students inspired new adult education courses that Mindy is lining up for next year.

In scary and sometimes lonely moments, remembering to connect brings us hope. Hope lies in laughing and passing a hamantaschen, macaroon, or chocolate almond. As you read this in spring-turning-to-summer, I hope things feel better than they do as I write this. Even if, and certainly when, they do not feel better, know that you and I can find hope in each other, learning, praying, volunteering, eating together at East End Temple, in person or on Zoom.

___________________

March-April 2025

“Inspirational Teens”
by Mindy Sherry, RJE

In the beginning of January, I had the pleasure of chaperoning a teen trip with Ben Cutler, our youth director, to Washington DC for the Religious Action Center-L’Taken weekend. Teens from all over the country come together to learn about Jewish values and social justice. The program ends with the teens lobbying on Capitol Hill on behalf of the Reform Movement. The URJ had 200 teens from all over the country gather for this weekend.  

Over the course of the weekend, the teens learned about Jewish values, how a bill is passed, how to lobby and the importance of personal stories and how to tell them. Each delegation picked topics and then learned about the bills related to these topics and the Reform Movement’s stances on them.  

Now I know we are all worried about the future of this country. I know I am, but this weekend gave me hope. The teens from Texas lobbied on behalf of reproductive rights, going into Senator Ted Cruz’s office on Monday and telling his staffers why this is a Jewish value and why this is important. Our teens spoke to staffers from Congressman Goldman’s office about increasing the minimum wage. We also spoke to Congressman Nadler’s staff about mental illness. Here is part of one of our teen’s speeches.  

After opening with a personal story, our teen shared: 

“As it stands now, approximately 80% of children and adolescents with a mental health diagnosis have unmet mental health needs; LGBTQ youth and youth of color are especially underserved. This issue is one close to my heart not just because of my own mental health struggles, but also because of my Judaism. Many figures in the Torah and Talmud endured mental distress, from King David’s despair in the Book of Psalms to Saul’s paranoia – possibly reminiscent of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia – in the Book of Samuel. Their experiences may not perfectly align with our modern-day diagnoses, but even still, these Jewish texts tell a very human story of mental anguish we still bear witness to today. Additionally, the Jewish prayer for healing, Mi Shebeirach, speaks of the healing of both “body and spirit,” affirming spiritual and mental health concerns as worthy of attention and equal to physical ailments. The help I have received from mental health professionals has been incredibly healing – the kind of healing one prays for when they recite the Mi Shebeirach. Having experienced this ongoing support in my life, I’m incredibly passionate about ensuring all youth can access it – not just those with supportive and privileged families, like mine. As I mentioned previously, many children and adolescents have unmet mental health needs; family stigma or lack of access keeps them from receiving the care they require. Schools are well-positioned to address this need, but they lack the resources to adequately target the problem.” 

Our teen ended with, “The writing is on the wall: increased funding for mental health support in schools is not just important, but an imperative if we want to confront this issue together.” 

When our teen finished the staffer had tears in his eyes and needed a moment. He said he was “kvelling” and would share their story with Congressman Nadler. It was clear to the teen that their words made an impact and would continue to do so as their message was passed on.  

Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” That weekend a small group of thoughtful committed teens came together to change the world, and our teens were part of it. 

Important Dates: 

Tot Shabbat: March: 14, 21, 28, April: 11, 25 
Shabbat B’Yachad: March 7 (with 3rd and 4th grade co-leading), April 4 
Family Programs: 
— Purim: Sunday, March 9: 3:00-5:00pm 
— Passover: Sunday, April 6: 3:00-5:00pm 

“Seven Year Olds Are Miracles (And So Are You)“
by Tehilah Eisenstadt

 Recently, Rabbi Josh and I were talking about how the wisdom we repeat in our childrens’ ears sometimes comes back to haunt us, and sometimes comes back to teach us. Like the first time I ran a race in my 30s on a day it was negative 5 degrees and my running partner was too sick to run. My son saw my panic and, at age 6 said, “What’s the problem Mama?” and I shared that I didn’t feel prepared. Adin looked at me, and recited what he’d heard his parents and teachers say throughout preschool: “Just listen to your body.” With this advice I managed to finish my first race… slowly.

On the last day of EET religious school in 2024, I was honored with co-teaching 2nd graders about the story of Chanukah. We were doing a treasure hunt of sorts, through a developmentally appropriate retelling of the ancient Book of Maccabees I. We were listening for the parts of the Chanukah story that lead us to light candles, sing prayers of thanks, eat latkes and donuts, eat chocolate, play dreidel (spoiler, those last two aren’t in the Maccabees text). At the end of the day when we asked, “What new thing did you learn?” one student shared, “That there are miracles every day, if you look for them.” This is her translation of the “Al HaNisim/On the Miracles” prayer said every day of Chanukah and Purim. We have Jewish prayers for everyday miracles — warmth, food, freedom, firm ground, bodies that work in many ways. Having this lesson of everyday miracles taught back to me, in a voice of wonder by a 2nd grader, meant I learned it anew and have been noticing these wonders intensely ever since. On the 8th day of Chanukah, this awareness led me to ask a family member what his miracle was that day. My family member said, “Getting out of bed. What’s yours?” and knowing how much getting out of bed was a miracle for him, I responded, “Going on a walk.” For me, this too is a miracle when I recognize how impossible it was to do just a year ago due to blood clots in my lungs. Though the official holiday of miracles is well over, I invite us all to carry the kernel of it as the booster to see the flicker of the mundane miracles we can gather throughout our continued wintery and shadowy seasons.

_________________________

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 than the potential for new opportunities.

The key to navigating change is reframing it. Instead of fearing what’s to come, we can see change as an opportunity for growth and renewal. One way to overcome the fear of change is to break it down into manageable steps. By setting small, achievable goals, we can build confidence and reduce the overwhelming feelings that large changes can bring. It also helps to remember that change is a process, not an instant transformation.

To embrace change, we must shift our mindset from resistance to acceptance. This means being open to new experiences, trusting in our ability to adapt, and maintaining a flexible outlook. Cultivating resilience, practicing mindfulness, and surrounding ourselves with a supportive community are important strategies for embracing change with grace.

Change is inevitable, and our response to it determines how we experience the transformations in our lives. While change can be challenging, it also holds the potential for growth, new opportunities, and richer experiences. As The Brady Bunch sang “When it’s time to change, then it’s time to change.”

Important Dates:

Tot Shabbat:

• January: 10, 17, 24, 31
• February: 14, 28

Shabbat B’Yachad:

• Jan. 3, Feb. 7

Bet Mitzvah Parent Meeting

• Wednesday, January 29 at 7:00pm (for families with students in grades 5-7)

“When It Comes to Immigration, What Is Normal?”
by Tehilah Eisenstadt

In my grandmother’s family, it was normal for 13-year-old boys to receive a ticket for a boat to the United States for their bar mitzvah gift. It was normal to pack your child off, to a land they never knew, a language and culture that was foreign, in hopes of better survival.

In 2024, Tijuana, a city changed by increased US restrictions and increased numbers of desperate vulnerable people, it is normal for people to be trafficked after making it so far and arriving so close to a more promised land. It is normal for NGO workers like HIAS to have to explain that gender-based violence is not normal, and you deserve support for the mental and physical marks it has left on you. It is normal for these and other NGO workers to teach asylum seekers that waking shaking in the night, that reliving your escape, has a name, and that PTSD is not normal terror they need to accept. There are people who can offer support and coping techniques.

In Tijuana it is normal to pay your last $1000 for a one-way climb up a ladder into the barren land between Tijuana and the US. This is a normal course of action when you fear for your family’s safety, which is what brought you to the border in the first place. It is normal for a sympathetic stranger watching guard at the border to call 911 at least once a night as the drop from hell, into what you were promised would be better, ends with something cracked or burned by the friction of a body sliding down 20-30 feet of metal.

If you make it over the first wall intact, it is normal in the barren lands for strangers to reach through the bars and offer humanity to weary travelers in the form of a stuffed animal for a frightened child, hot cocoa, or water. It is normal to offer a translation in 10+ languages, letting the new visitor know what awaits them. It is normal for ICE to come and shout at children, elderly, for coming here at all, as they pick up weary seekers in vans marked with the phrase “Honor first.” If you are an adult who is not immediately deported, you might be taken to a privately funded detention center like Otay Mesa, where again there are signs, in English only, saying “Heroes work here” and “Respect.” It is normal to have no translations of these ideas because they are not for the visitors, the “detainees” that sometimes walk through doors that say “inmates” though they’ve done nothing illegal.

It is normal for people with power to build corporations to make more money and be part of the story machine that tells you that some of the smartest, most resilient, brave, creative human beings on the planet are drug dealers and traffickers and need to be stopped. It is normal to pour millions and millions of dollars “deterring” individuals and families from fleeing for their lives, and when nothing you do can deter them from seeking safety, to making money off their fear – $10,000 for the ankle bracelet they put on you when they run out of space in detention. It is normal to cause fear in those who live in the country that was designed to be a safe haven for the tired, poor huddled masses. This fear helps keep and build these private prisons in business and keeps some of the smartest, most reliant, brave, creative human beings on the planet from meeting NGOs ready to support their transport and participation in a country they hoped would open their arms as wide as the Statue of Liberty.

For me, a former preschool director, a long-standing anti-trafficking advocate, the mother of a child born thanks to his grandmother’s birth to two Holocaust survivors in a DP camp, and thanks to HIAS’s support of their resettlement in New York, it is normal for me to wonder if I can do anything at all at the border in San Diego or here in NY. My son is called to EET’s Newest New Yorkers program to use his love language (baking the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet) to welcome families like his grandmother’s. In the past I’ve been called to support a 2-year-old in sanctuary, caregivers seeking legal advice for asylum, and to staying informed on “yet another crisis topic.” Except it is not another topic, it is part of my normal life as a Jewish educator, called to work in this world through my Jewish values which include welcoming the stranger, caring for those who are most vulnerable, recognizing that every human is an echo of the Holy One.

The story of US immigration, refugees and asylum seekers has been a story of crisis for decades. Now the story of immigration crisis is normal. But is it the only story we can tell? Is it too overwhelming for us normal, regular, non-legally minded folk to tell different stories? What is our role and what difference can we make? I am dedicated to learning a little more, getting involved a little more, caring a little more about my neighbors, people with stories not dissimilar to my family’s stories. If you feel there’s something I should learn, or if you’d like to be connected to local opportunities to support our Newest New Yorkers, please be in touch.

______________________________

November-December 2024

Seeing In The Dark
by Mindy Sherry, RJE

We are finally out of pandemic mode, but the pandemic has left a mark. During the pandemic, we couldn’t go and see people. We forgot what it was like to interact with other people. We got used to being in our own bubble. Now that we are back to something of a normal life, spending time together, gathering for holidays, it appears we have forgotten how to “see” people. We have forgotten what it looks like to see people suffering and struggling. We forgot what it looks like to see people needing help. We have forgotten how to treat people because we don’t really see them. The pandemic gave us tunnel vision and we can’t see beyond that, but I think we can find a way to break out of the tunnel.  

The brain is a fascinating organ. It stores information that we didn’t know it was storing. This storage allows us to access information again and do something we haven’t done in a while. Think about riding a bicycle. You may not have been on one in a long time, but our brain remembers how to do it, and we can get right back on anytime like it was yesterday. The same goes for seeing people. We might be out of practice, but our brain remembers how to do this. We just need to exercise that muscle, and it will become like secondhand nature again. Here are some simple “exercises” to practice: 

• People are coming from a place of good. 
• Instead of yelling, or demanding, ask.  
• Ask yourself, what are people not saying?  
• Acknowledge people.  
• Kindness goes a lot further and usually gets you what you want.

As we head into November and December, we are in the darkest time of year and people have less patience. Holidays like Thanksgiving, Chanukah and the New Year will be here before we know it, which means a lot of family time, or a reminder that we don’t have family. During this darkness we find it even harder to “see” people. We need help, and this is the opportunity for us to be each other’s flashlights. We can be the light that helps us see each other in the dark.  

Important upcoming dates: 

Back to School nights for Religious School:  

• 6th grade: Tuesday, November 12 from 7:00-8:30pm 
• 4th & 5th grade: Wednesday, November 13 from 7:00-8:30pm 
• Pre-K through 3rd grade: Thursday, November 14 from 6:30-8:00pm 

Tot Shabbat at 5:30pm : November 8, 15, 22 ; December 13, 20 

Shabbat B’Yachad with pre-neg 5:45pm, services 6:15pm: November 1; December 6 

And save the date for our Chanukah Family program on Sunday, December 15 from 3:00-5:00pm.  

What Our Children Are Hearing
by Tehilah Eisenstadt

As I walked out of Grand Central for the rally outside the UN recently, I joined the Jewish yeshiva and day school tween and teen traffic headed in the same direction. Among the somber but hopeful songs, the speakers from Jewish organizations, the NY politicians, and the Jewish clergy followed by interfaith clergy, we heard from an elder who was kidnapped and released in November. Her spouse is excruciatingly still being held by Hamas. A young adult held up her sister’s voice via the last recording her family received from her, as she was being pulled from her home by terrorists.

As someone who works in a sliver of the trauma-care world, I have learned to navigate my boundaries for reading instead of viewing or hearing these kinds of details. But this was the time and the place and the people I needed to listen to. While very little was new to me, it was a punch to my soul, to hear the living breathing truth. As a parent, as an educator, I looked around at all the beautiful young faces. How did these words land for each and every one of them? I think a lot about how we help our children process what many of them are not talking about explicitly, about the stories they’ve been hearing since October 7, about what social media and the hallways to their classrooms are saying about them, about being Jewish. In this vein I am particularly grateful for EET’s educational program with the ADL, for teens and parents, on this topic.

Here at EET I hear parents supporting their children through everything they hear and feel on college campuses. And in Religious School we continue to hear Jewish pride, joy and questions. The EET team remains steadfast in supporting our teen Junior Youth gruop and Youth Group participants along with our professional teen track of Ozrim with all that they’re navigating, as typical tweens and teens in NYC, and as tweens and teens in post-October 7 NYC. 

I know some of what our children will be hearing this High Holy Day season: the sound of the shofar, family stories over delicious food, election-year chatter, along with our thoughts on what’s going on in the Middle East. I will be aching to hear more about what our children, and especially our hyper-connected teens, are hearing, and what they need to hear from us, as they hear and join our prayers for sweetness, togetherness, fixing, taking responsibility, and showing up for the change that is needed.

_____________________________

September-October 2024
“The Torah of Travel: Reflections from spiritual journeys by our educators and clergy”   

Part II: Chesed (Kindness) Always Wins – What I Learned This Summer in The Bubble
By Director of Congregational Learning Mindy Sherry, RJE

We live in a competitive world, and we compete for almost everything — jobs, sports, grades, getting into college. This summer, I spent some time at URJ’s Crane Lake Camp, or as we like to call it, The Bubble. Crane Lake was an independently owned sports camp until it was purchased by the UAHC (now the URJ). When Crane Lake transitioned to a URJ camp, they kept many of the traditions, including competition. To this day, campers continue to compete in tournaments with other camps. We even have the Kiddush Cup, a day-long tournament of various sports with Eisner Camp and Ramah Berkshires participating.

However, through the hard work of the camp directors, Crane Lake has maintained its traditions and culture and also worked hard to create and foster a culture of Chesed (kindness). Everything we do at camp, we do with kindness. On the first day of camp, a member of the kitchen staff dropped a large pile of plates, and you could hear the crash throughout the chadar ochel (dining room). Instead of clapping, several general counselors and campers ran over to help pick up the plates. During Mini Maccabiah (Color War), I watched older campers helping younger campers at different events and cheering for the opposite team. Crane Lake has taken the culture of Chesed to the next level. While competition is a natural part of life, Crane Lake’s emphasis on Chesed offers a powerful reminder that true success is measured not just by winning, but by the way we treat others along the way. Win or lose, the campers return from tournaments chanting “Chesed always wins,” and they know kindness should never be sacrificed. Whether it’s helping someone in need, supporting teammates, or even showing good sportsmanship to opponents, these acts of kindness create a community where everyone feels valued and supported.

As you embark on this new year, I hope you will keep in mind “Chesed ALWAYS wins” as a guiding principle. It encourages us to approach challenges with compassion and reminds us that the impact of our actions on others is just as important as the results we achieve.

Part III: Summer Travels
by Asst. Dir. of Congregational Learning Tehilah Eisenstadt

Hello East End Temple, I know we’re new to each other, so my summer learning might come as a surprise to you. My summer has been about the flip sides of the grief/joy coin. My summer began in Israel, on a fellowship for rabbinical school students. Upon my arrival at Ben Gurion airport, the scrolling signs that usually say “Feel At Home,” read “Feel Everything,” with a photograph of a bloodshot eye and a tear with the Israeli flag inside. As a former preschool director, I never expected to see tough-exterior-Israel advertising “feel all your feelings.” And who was waiting for me near those signs? Two of the most joyful elements of life, my best friend Elishe with shoko b’sakit/chocolate milk in a bag, in hand.   

I learned Ugandan Kabbalat Shabbat tunes from my rabbinical student colleague as we picked (tart!) plums together. We sang as we plucked under a scorching sun, doing our best to make up for the agriculture workers missing due to fear, kidnapping, death, reserve duty or the war leaving Palestinian workers and Israeli employers divided.  

At the Jerusalem Pride parade I met the army buddies of Sagi Golan. They shared the tragic and heroic story of Golan’s death on October 7. His death led to Golan’s fiancé securing gay partner’s rights to financial, medical and psychological support from the state. 

During Shabbat services the family of a wounded soldier were all called up to the bimah. The soldier’s father shared words that sounded like a prepared eulogy-turned-blessing at his son’s side. There was so much hugging of the boy/man/soldier/son on crutches. The rabbi in her gentle, strong voice blessed them in their tears and joy. 

There are more stories than these. When you see me feel free to ask for them. I pray that this year our learning, praying and acts of service will allow us to reap the depth of our sorrow in the heights of our dance, with tears of laughter: “Those who sow in tears, reap in joy” (Psalm 126:).

Important Upcoming Dates

Shabbat B’Yachad: Friday, September 6
5:45pm Pre-neg
6:15pm Special Welcome Back service with special guest Omri Shklar, Crane Lake Camp’s head song leader

Tot Shabbat: Fridays at 5:30pm 
September 13, 20, 27; October 18

First Days of Religious School:
Tuesday, September 10 — 6th-8th grades and Teens 
Wednesday, September 11 — 4th and 5th grades
Thursday, September 12 — Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades

High Holy Days

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
Family Services for Rosh Hashanah (Thursday, October 3) and for Yom Kippur (Saturday, October 12) will be offered in person and online — pre-registration is required:
— Young Family Service (ages birth-5) at 9:00am 
For Tots and children up to age 5, join us for a lively yet intimate service conducted in a sing-along format. Children and their parents will come together to celebrate the holidays with songs, prayers, and stories. 
— Family Service (ages 6-11) at 2:00pm 
A fun and engaging service geared towards families with children ages 6-11 led by Rabbi Josh Stanton and Cantor Olivia Brodsky. The experience is much like a regular service, with many of the traditional prayers as well as readings from the Torah. An excellent opportunity to allow young children to actively participate in a real High Holy Day service that is both age appropriate and very meaningful. 
–Children’s Programing (ages 4-12) at 10:00am
Our kids’ programs will be in person only and will take place during the congregational morning services on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur—snack will be provided and each child MUST have an adult who will be attending the congregational service. The children’s programs are for grades Pre-K (age 4) through 8th grade.

Sukkot 
Sukkot Family Program: Sunday, October 20 from 3:00-5:00pm
Join us for pizza in the hut and other fun fall activities!

Simchat Torah  
Friday, October 25 with Shabbat services
5:45 Pre-neg snack
6:15pm Service, unrolling the Torah, and dancing with the scrolls

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 Brief

Landor v LA (CA5) Amicus Brief

Walker v Baldwin (CA7) Amicus Brief

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

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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 is seeking emergency donations for their response to the Ukrainian crisis: https://act.hias.org/page/6048/donate/1
• The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is working on the ground to deliver social services to the Ukrainian Jewish community and their neighbors. You can give directly through the JDC website, or through a contribution to your local Jewish Federation, many of which have created local crisis funds.
• United Ukrainian American Relief Committee, also known as ZUDAK/ЗУДAК, supports humanitarian projects.
• Ukrainian Congress Committee of America launched a humanitarian effort.
• Razom for Ukraine provides humanitarian assistance.
• World Central Kitchen is already serving meals to refugees at the Polish border.
• For more organizations, please see this list

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 been sponsored.]
Millennial Jewish Stars: Navigating Racial Antisemitism, Masculinity & White Supremacy –
Jonathan Branfman: $30.00
Opening Doors: The Unlikely Alliance Between Irish & Jews in America – Hasia Diner: $30.00
Victory Parade (Pantheon Graphic Library) – Leelah Corman: $19.00

A Place to Hide – Ronald Balson: $23.00
Chutzpah Girls – Julie Silverstein: $35.00
Irena’s Gift: An Epic WWII Memoir of Sisters, Secrets, & Survival – Karen Kirsten: $26.00
*Israel/Palestine World Religions: Whose Promised Land? – S. Troen: $32.00
It Takes Two to Torah – Abigail Pogrebin & Rabbi Dov Linzer: $25.00
Judaism is About Love – Rabbi Shai Held: $22.00
Long Island Compromise – Taffy Brodesser-Akner: $19.00
***Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times – Jonathan Sacks: $27.00
**Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from Stone Age to AI – Yuval Harari: $23.00
On Being Jewish Now: Reflections from Authors &. Advocates – Zibby Owens: $12.00
On Her Own: A Novel – Lihi Lapid: $19.00
Rabbi Akiva: Sage of the Talmud (Jewish Lives) – Barry Holtz: $16.00
Shameless – Barry Tyler Cohen: $19.00
Shylock’s Venice: Remarkable History of Venice’s Jews & the Ghetto – Harry Freedman: $27.00
Songs for the Brokenhearted: A Novel – Ayelet Tsabari: $21.00
Tablets Shattered: End of an American Jewish Century & Future of Jewish Life – Leifer: $19.00
*The Golem of Brooklyn: A Novel – Adam Mansbach: $10.00
The Hebrew Teacher – Maya Arad: $13.00
The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern – Lynda Loigman: $21.00
The Secrets My Mother Kept – Elana Millman: $13.00
When We Flew Away: Anne Frank Before the Diary – Alice Hoffman: $19.00
*Yochanan”s Gamble: Judaism’s Pragmatic Approach to Life – Rabbi Mark Katz: $30.00

*Rabbi’s choice **Cantor’s choice ***Educator’s choice

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 a current Sisterhood member, we welcome you to join or renew for a minimum contribution of $36 for the 2024-2025 membership year. For further information, please email sisterhood@eastendtemple.org. Dues help to support the many programs we offer and funding for gifts and projects which benefit the EET community. 

This is a potluck dinner. You may bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert, or a contribution to the ceremonial seder. We are “Passover Kosher Style” and will welcome meat, chicken and fish, but no pork, shellfish or dairy.  Noodles and grains should be kosher for Passover.  We will confirm your contribution and ensure we have a good mix of dishes.

For any questions, email sisterhood@eastendtemple.org. 

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 home for the seder

2025 EET Haggadah

Guidelines for joining our Zoom seder

Lilith Seder
Women’s Seder sponsored by the Sisterhood of East End Temple (in person)
Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 6:00pm
~ Open to Sisterhood members, plus one guest (ages 13 and older) ~
Our annual Lilith Seder is for women about women, from Miriam to our modern day women of valor. 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.

— Pre-registration is required: Click here to register, indicating whether you will join in person or on Zoom. Indicate name(s) of participants.

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 a current Sisterhood member, we welcome you to join or renew for a minimum contribution of $36 for the 2024-2025 membership year. For further information, please email sisterhood@eastendtemple.org. Dues help to support the many programs we offer and funding for gifts and projects which benefit the EET community. 

This is a potluck dinner. You may bring a main dish, side dish, or dessert, or a contribution to the ceremonial seder. We are “Passover Kosher Style” and will welcome meat, chicken and fish, but no pork, shellfish or dairy.  Noodles and grains should be kosher for Passover.  We will confirm your contribution and ensure we have a good mix of dishes.

For any questions, email sisterhood@eastendtemple.org. 

Other Haggadahs

Mishkan HaSeder: A Passover Haggadah is the newest Reform Haggadah for home use. Replete with poetry, art, and inspiring translations, Mishkan HaSeder sets a beautiful contemporary standard. The EET Judaica Shop willl have limited quantities of Mishkan HaSeder available for purchase, or you can purchase unlimited copies directly from the CCAR, at a 20% discount off the list price: https://www.ccarpress.org/shopping_product_detail.asp?pid=50544

American Jewish World Service Social Justice Haggadah (free download): https://ajws.org/who-we-are/resources/holiday-resources/passover/global-justice-haggadah/#tiles 

HIAS (refugee protection organization) Passover resources and Haggadah: https://www.hias.org/passover

Family Resources

PJ Library: https://pjlibrary.org/passover

Reform Judaism: https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/passover

Recipes using matzah: https://reformjudaism.org/lotsa-matzah-go-resource-recipes-blessings-history-and-more

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 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.

Act today to help ensure a strong foundation for our community’s tomorrow.

L’Dor V’Dor, From Generation to Generation

L’shalom,

Rebecca Shore and Brian Lifsec, Co-Presidents
Judith Sussman, Chair, The EET Legacy Circle

Contact information is at the bottom of this letter.

Click here to access your member login. 

In your member portal, you can:

• update your contact, membership and child information
• enroll your child for religious school
• pay membership and tuition
• donate to East End Temple

Click here for New Membership Application.

Click here for Membership Rate, Tuition and Fees form.

Click here For Pastoral Care. 

Watch this space for upcoming events!

Brit Olam translates to ‘covenant with our world.’ The Brit Olam reminds us of the words from Pirkei Avot: “Study alone is not enough, our tradition demands action.” Click here to learn more.

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