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.
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
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
Torah portions (text only): https://www.sefaria.org/topics/category/torah-portions
List of bet mitzvah prayers with Mishkan T’filah (Shabbat) page numbers
For blessings/prayers, click the audio player under each title to hear the blessing/prayer sung/chanted
Torah blessings:
Blessing before Torah reading
Blessing after Torah reading
Haftarah blessings:
Blessing before Haftarah reading
Blessing after Haftarah reading
Prayers:
Adonai S’fatai (Trad.)
Aleinu (1st paragraph)
Aleinu-V’ne’emar (conclusion)
Avot V’Imahot
Barchu (Siegel)
Chatsi Kaddish (Evening)
Ein Kamocha-Av Harachamim
Friday Night Kiddush
G’vurot (with winter and summer insertions)
Hallelu (Sufi)
Kedusha (Shur)
Ki Lekach Tov-Eitz Chayim (Trad.)
Ki Mitzion/Baruch Shenatan
L’dor Vador (Zim)
Lecha Adonai
Nisim b’Chol Yom (Morning Blessings)
Shema (Pik)
Shema (Trad.)
Shema-Echad-Gadlu
Tallit Blessing
V’ahavta (first paragraph)
V’ahavta (l’maan tizkeru)
V’Shamru (Rothblum)
Yehallelu-Hodo Al Eretz
Being a member of Sisterhood helps to create a community and a sense of belonging, connecting and growth, for the benefit of us all. By listening to you and your interests and passions, we create meaningful programs and initiatives which connect us to each other and the greater community. Your annual dues contribution is used to fund our programs, support our religious school, sponsor social justice initiatives, and so much more. If you are a member of East End Temple, your annual contribution to Sisterhood was included on your bill. Thank you for checking the box!
Otherwise, we welcome your contribution or your gift of membership for a friend or family (starting at $36) through our online form.
Checks are also 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.
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 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 $28.00Amos Oz: Writer, Activist, Icon – Robert Alter $22.00Being Henry: The Fonz and Beyond – Henry Winkler $21.00Biblical Women Speak – Rabbi Marla Feldman $23.00Daughter of History: Traces of an Immigrant Girlhood – Susan Suleiman $26.00Gateway to the Moon – Mary Morris $15.00Golda Meir: Israel’s Matriarch – Deborah Lipstadt $23.00Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism – Sarah Hurwitz $20.00Inside Information: A Novel – Eshkol Nevo $19.00***Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country in the World – Noa Tishby $14.00Jews in the Garden – Judy Rakowsky $11.00Praying with Jane Eyre: Reflections on Reading as a Sacred Practice – Vanessa Zoltan $15.00*Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution – Yehudah Mirsky $16.00Shayna: A Novel – Miriam Block $19.00The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World – Rabbi Sharon Brous $26.00The Enemy Beside Me – Naomi Ragen $17.00The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride $17.00The Little Liar – Mitch Albom $19.00The Postcard – Ann Berest $24.00The 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
*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.
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
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.
Ongoing in the Social Hall: Richard Gerstman, “Sketch While You Travel”
Artist’s Statement
The art in this exhibition is based on plein-air sketches I have made during 50 years of travel. For me, marker-to-paper sketches, even more than a photograph I might take, demand a special creative focus and concentration. When drawing architecture and botanical forms, I interpret color, light, and shadows in a very personal way. Details are etched in my mind, much more so than with a photograph. This is my challenge – capturing the spirit of my subjects.
When I return to my studio, these drawings may become serigraphs, lithographs, linoleum cut prints, or oil paintings. For this exhibition, I chose limited-edition prints from work I have done in Nantucket, Israel, France, Denmark, Vietnam, and Vermont.
Richard Gerstman is a retired industrial designer and chairman emeritus of Interbrand Corporation. He studied art and painting at the University of Cincinnati with R.L.Grooms and Ed Qualey, and more recently at the Art Student’s League of New York. His work has been exhibited at Main Street Gallery, Nantucket Airport, Tenafly Library, JCC on the Palisades, Art Student’s League of New York, and many corporate offices. He recently authored a published book titled “Sketch While You Travel,” which contains many of his drawings. Richard Gerstman lives in Tenafly with his wife, Jo Ann. They have two children and three grandchildren.
To purchase a work, please contact Richard Gerstman at richard@gerstman.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.
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