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:
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 welcome, made out to The Sisterhood of East End Temple, mailed to our temple office at: East End Temple 245 East 17th Street New York, NY 10003
Please include this form with your payment and write “Membership Dues” in the memo field.
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/
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.
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 the Sisterhood 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.]
Abomination – Ashley Goldberg $25.00 As Figs in Autumn: One Year in a Forever War – Ben Bastomski $18.00 The Jews of Summer – Sandra Fox $23.00 The State of Desire: Religion and Reproductive Politics in the Promised Land – Lea Taragin Zeller $28.00
Amos Oz: Writer, Activist, Icon – Robert Alter $22.00 Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond – Henry Winkler $21.00 Biblical Women Speak – Rabbi Marla Feldman $23.00 Daughter of History: Traces of an Immigrant Girlhood – Susan Suleiman $26.00 Gateway to the Moon – Mary Morris $15.00 Golda Meir: Israel’s Matriarch – Deborah Lipstadt $23.00 Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism – Sarah Hurwitz $20.00 Inside Information: A Novel – Eshkol Nevo $19.00 ***Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country in the World – Noa Tishby $14.00 Jews in the Garden – Judy Rakowsky $11.00 Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice – Vanessa Zoltan $15.00 *Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution – Yehudah Mirsky $16.00 Shayna: A Novel – Miriam Block $19.00 The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World – Rabbi Sharon Brous $26.00 The Enemy Beside Me – Naomi Ragen $17.00 The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride $17.00 The Little Liar – Mitch Albom $19.00 The Postcard – Ann Berest $24.00 The Wolf Hunt: A Novel – Ayelet Gundar-Goshen $23.00 ** The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow Bible as Literally as Possible – A.J. Jacobs $17.00
We have some programs and worship in person and some online, connecting via Livestream and Zoom. Here are a list of upcoming programs, which we will update often. We look forward to staying connected and would welcome you to invite family, friends, and colleagues to join us, as well.
In order to stay connected online, you may need to use new technology. To join a Zoom event, simply click the “Zoom Meeting Link” for that event and follow the prompts to start video and audio (and if you need help, here’s a handy PDF).
April
Friday, April 12 at 5:30pm: Tot Shabbat (in person) Celebrate Shabbat with Tkiya! We’ll sing, dance, and tell stories during this lively and engaging service designed for families with children ages 0-5.
Friday, April 12 at 6:15pm: Shabbat service (in person and Livestream) Join us as we welcome Shabbat.
If attending in person, photo ID is required for all adults.
Watch via Livestream (chat is available on Livestream, so feel free to greet each other!)
Saturday, April 13 at 1:00pm: Shabbat Schmooze (Zoom). Come catch up, eat lunch together, and discuss a different topic each week on Shabbat!
Sunday, April 14 at 3:00 OR 4:15pm: Family Chocolate Seder (in person) Join us for a sweet celebration as we enjoy delicious chocolate-covered matzah, drink Four Cups of chocolate milk, dip our strawberries in chocolate syrup, and get ready for Passover! Join us to learn about and celebrate Passover. For families with children ages 3 and older.
RSVP required to school@eastendtemple.org with the number of adults and children who will attend and which time (3:00pm OR 4:15pm) you prefer. Each seder session will last approx. 45 minutes. Capacity is limited, so RSVP soon!
If you need dairy-free options, please let us know by Thursday, April 4.
Monday, April 15 at 10:00am: Monday Morning Minyan (Zoom) Join for this soulful and brief service
Tuesday, April 16 at 7:00pm: Screening of “No Accident” documentary, followed by talk-back with attorney Roberta Kaplan (in person)CANCELED
Thursday, April 18 from 11:30am-1:30pm: Mah Jongg (in person) Interested in learning to play mah jongg or finding players? Cash donation of $5 to play, $10 for a lesson. Coffee, tea and snacks available. Please register or let us know your interest by completing this form.
Thursday, April 18 at 7:00pm: Men’s Club meeting (in person and Zoom) All are welcome!
Friday, April 19 at 5:30pm: Tot Shabbat (in person) Celebrate Shabbat with Tkiya! We’ll sing, dance, and tell stories during this lively and engaging service designed for families with children ages 0-5.
Friday, April 19 at 6:15pm: Simchat Shabbat service (in person and Livestream) Join us for a special musical Shabbat with the East 17th Street Band! The Sisterhood of East End Temple also invites the congregation to join us as numerous children and adults are called to the bimah to claim their Hebrew names. Be part of the celebration!
If attending in person, photo ID is required for all adults.
Watch via Livestream (chat is available on Livestream, so feel free to greet each other!)
Saturday, April 20 at 1:00pm: Shabbat Schmooze (Zoom). Come catch up, eat lunch together, and discuss a different topic each week on Shabbat!
Tuesday, April 23 at 5:00pm: Virtual Community Second Night Seder (Zoom) Join the East End Temple community as we celebrate the holiday. All are welcome!
Thursday, April 25 at 6:00pm: Sisterhood Lilith Seder (in person) Sisterhood members using she/her pronouns, plus one guest, are welcome (ages 13 and up) Join us for our annual potluck seder! Led by Cantor Brodsky, 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.
Click here to register, indicating whether you will join in person or on Zoom, and if in person, including your guest’s name and contribution to the potluck dinner or seder items. In-person space fills up quickly so you are advised to respond as soon as possible. If you are not a current Sisterhood member, we welcome you to join or renew for a minimum contribution of $36 for the 2023-2024 membership year. For further information, please email sisterhood@eastendtemple.org.
Friday, April 26 at 6:15pm: Shabbat service (Zoom) Join us as we welcome Shabbat and each other!
Monday, April 29 at 10:00am: Passover Yizkor service (in person and Livestream) Join us as we celebrate the holiday and remember our loved ones.
Watch via Livestream (chat is available on Livestream, so feel free to greet each other!)
May
Thursday, May 2 from 11:30am-1:30pm: Mah Jongg (in person) Interested in learning to play mah jongg or finding players? Cash donation of $5 to play, $10 for a lesson. Coffee, tea and snacks available. Please register or let us know your interest by completing this form.
Thursday, May 2 at 12:00pm: BELL (Business Ethics Lunch and Learn) (in person) Join us for a lunch time conversation with Rabbi Josh about ethical dilemmas in business and life and the ways in which Jewish tradition and ethics guide our choices. RSVP to jstanton@eastendtemple.org for location.
Friday, May 3 at 5:15pm: Mindfulness with Rabbi Josh (in person) Join Rabbi Josh in the EET library for quiet reflection, followed by birthday blessings, the recitation of Mi Shebeirach, and the Mourner’s Kaddish. This is an offering specifically for adults, to meet the needs of those who prefer a more mellow Shabbat service instead of the monthly Shabbat B’Yachad.
Friday, May 3 at 6:15pm: Shabbat B’Yachad: Intergenerational Shabbat service (in person and Livestream) Join us the first Friday of each month as we welcome Shabbat with music and stories for all ages! We will start with a pre-neg snack before services at 5:45pm, and begin singing together to welcome Shabbat at 6:15pm. This service is designed for all ages to worship together, and will include songs, stories, and birthday blessings.
If attending in person, photo ID is required for all adults.
Watch via Livestream (chat is available on Livestream, so feel free to greet each other!)
Saturday, May 4 at 1:00pm: Shabbat Schmooze (Zoom). Come catch up, eat lunch together, and discuss a different topic each week on Shabbat!
Sunday, May 5 from 10:30am-3:30pm: A Day of Mah Jongg — Play, Lunch, and Prizes (in person) ~ Click here to register by April 25 ~ Play, shmooze, and eat to raise money for Sisterhood causes! During the day, we will play Mah Jongg for two 90-minute periods with a break for lunch between. There will be raffle prizes throughout the day and a special prize for the game winner at days end. All levels of play and all genders are welcome!
Your cost of $36 will cover lunch and prizes and provide funds for all the many projects led by The Sisterhood of East End Temple. Some of these projects include feeding the hungry, clothing the needy, and gifts for our students that connect them to the EET community.
Monday, May 6 at 10:00am: Monday Morning Minyan (Zoom) Join for this soulful and brief service
Monday, May 6 at 7:00pm: Yom HaShoah Commemoration (in person) ~ at Brotherhood Synagogue, 28 Gramercy Park South ~ Join Downtown Jewish Life partners and your downtown community as we mark Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, featuring musical selections, prayer, and more. This event is free and open to all.
Friday, May 10 at 5:30pm: Tot Shabbat (in person) Celebrate Shabbat with Tkiya! We’ll sing, dance, and tell stories during this lively and engaging service designed for families with children ages 0-5.
Friday, May 10 at 6:15pm: Shabbat service (in person and Livestream) Join us as we welcome Shabbat.
If attending in person, photo ID is required for all adults.
Watch via Livestream (chat is available on Livestream, so feel free to greet each other!)
Saturday, May 11 at 1:00pm: Shabbat Schmooze (Zoom). Come catch up, eat lunch together, and discuss a different topic each week on Shabbat!
Thursday, May 16 from 11:30am-1:30pm: Mah Jongg (in person) Interested in learning to play mah jongg or finding players? Cash donation of $5 to play, $10 for a lesson. Coffee, tea and snacks available. Please register or let us know your interest by completing this form.
Thursday, May 16 at 7:00pm: Men’s Club meeting (in person and Zoom) All are welcome!
Friday, May 17 at 5:30pm: Tot Shabbat (last session) (in person) Celebrate Shabbat with Tkiya! We’ll sing, dance, and tell stories during this lively and engaging service designed for families with children ages 0-5.
Friday, May 17 at 6:15pm: Shabbat service (in person and Livestream) Join us as we welcome Shabbat.
If attending in person, photo ID is required for all adults.
Watch via Livestream (chat is available on Livestream, so feel free to greet each other!)
Saturday, May 18 at 1:00pm: Shabbat Schmooze (Zoom). Come catch up, eat lunch together, and discuss a different topic each week on Shabbat!
Thursday, April 25 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 2023-2024 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.
Virtual Community Second-Night Seder Tuesday, April 23 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.
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.)
Lilith Seder Women’s Seder sponsored by the Sisterhood of East End Temple (in person) Thursday, April 25 at 6:00pm Our annual Lilith Seder is for women about women, from Miriam to our modern day women of valor. We joyfully share in the reading of our own unique Haggadah, which includes meaningful prayers in the feminine Hebrew form, and we sing songs by Debbie Friedman (z”l). Pre-registration is required — see the Lilith Seder page for full details and registration link.
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
This is a moment in which we need to fully live out our values, in this case to protect each other and society more broadly from the spread of COVID-19. We acknowledge that some other institutions will remain open, but we feel a social duty to engage in “social distancing” in order to slow the spread of the virus. Following the advice of public health officials, we closed our building for all programs, including Religious School and Shabbat services on Friday March 13th. The office remains operational, but staff will work from home, and hourly staff will receive paid time off. We also conducted a thorough, proactive cleaning of our building on Monday, March 16.
At the same time, we need to be even more present for each other. Each
household can expect to hear from our clergy in the coming week. We also invite
you to call and email your friends from the community, so that they can feel
the warmth of relationship.
Tot Shabbat will take
place via Facebook
Live at 5:45 pm on Friday.
Shabbat services will take place via Facebook Live at 6:15 pm on Friday. We suggest that you use Facebook Live, so that you can share kind comments during the service itself and have an even more interactive prayer experience. You can even use a digital version of our siddur, Mishkan T’filah, by clicking here to download a Flipbook version, or purchase one for your e-reader or Kindle. You can click here for our East End Temple Songbook. We will all need the warmth of prayer and Torah.
We will be hosting programs nearly every single day, so that you can feel a sense of community, even from home. Please click here to see the latest offerings on our “East End Temple Everywhere” page.
If there are additional ways that we can be present for you during this difficult time, please reach outto us. We will try to remain particularly available during regular business hours.
You can expect to hear from us often, as we receive updates from civic
leaders and public health officials. We pray for health, healing, and hope. We
will do our very best to meet the needs of our beloved community, understanding
that developments are ongoing. Thank you for your kindness, patience, and love.
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
Ongoing in the Social Hall: “Creation Series” by Susan Schwalb
“Creation XI,” silverpoint, gold leaf, acrylic on paper, 1987
Susan Schwalb’s “Creation” series was suggested by illuminations in a 14th century manuscript known as the Sarajevo Haggadah, celebrated for its complete set of illuminations of Genesis and Exodus. She has stayed close to the symbolic imagery of the manuscript, with sun, moon and stars rendered by circular forms.
Susan Schwalb, a member of East End Temple, is a leading figure in the Renaissance art technique of silverpoint. Born in New York City in 1944, she studied at Carnegie-Mellon University and has had over 50 solo exhibitions in galleries and museums world-wide. Her work is represented in major public art collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Metropolitan Museum. For more information, see her website: www.susanschwalb.com.
DUE TO ONGOING HEALTH CONCERNS ABOUT COVID-19, WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING DONATIONS AT THIS TIME.
Have gently used or new medical supplies to donate? EET is a drop off location for the AFYA Foundation! Monday-Friday 10:00am-2:00 pm.
AFYA collects and delivers critically needed medical supplies, hospital equipment, and humanitarian provisions for acute and ongoing health crisis worldwide. Click Here to learn more about the AFYA foundation and to view the supplies that they accept.
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.
