Hebrew Institute of Riverdale Bayit BULLETIN December 25, 2015 - January 1, 2016 13 - 20 Tevet 5776 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway, Bronx, NY 10463 718-796-4730 www.thebayit.org

Steven Exler, Senior Rabbi: Mazal Tov To: [email protected]/ x108 Hadassah & Daniel Kestenbaum on the upcoming marriage of their son, Massye, to Emily Sara Hurwitz, Rabba: Katzenstein, daughter of Bonnie & Randy Katzenstein. The wedding will take place in Petach [email protected]/ x107 Tikvah, Israel. Ari Hart, Associate Rabbi: [email protected]/ x124 Sherry & Ezra House and Thea Boyer on the birth of a granddaughter. Mazal tov to the Anat Sharbat, Assistant Rabba: [email protected]/ x106 proud parents Michael & Sierra House.

Avi Weiss, Rabbi in Residence: [email protected]/ x102 This @ The Bayit Richard Langer, Executive Director: [email protected]/ x104 Between Mincha/Maariv: “The Melody of Shabbat: Laws and Legends” Menachem Menchel, Director of with Rabbinic Intern Bracha Jaffe. Education & Youth Programming: The 2nd shiur in the “Melody of Shabbat” series will be given on December 26th [email protected]/ x119 between Mincha/Maariv. Let's explore together different Shabbat topics through the Bryan Cordova, Facilities Manager: lens of Shabbat. We will interweave Zemirot singing with the discussion. Get [email protected]/ x121 ready to learn a new Shabbat Zemer: “Yom Shabbat Kodesh Hu!” David Fain, Assistant Youth Director: Save the date, February 6th, for the final shiur in this series: [email protected] Ariel Meiri, Synagogue Administrator: “The Melody of Shabbat: Transitions” with Rabbinic Intern Bracha Jaffe. [email protected]/ x101 Phyllis Newsome, Bookkeeper: Coat Room Clean Up - This Monday [email protected]/ x103 Yael Oshinsky, Program Associate: There are several abandoned coats that have been left at the Bayit. [email protected]/ x116 We will be donating them on December 28th. Shuli Boxer Rieser, Assistant to R’ Weiss: Please be sure to check the coat closet before then and remove your coats. [email protected]/ x102

Kiddush Next Shabbat @ The Bayit

Kiddush this Shabbat is sponsored by our CELEBRATION KIDDUSH: Join us next Shabbat, January 2nd for our monthly Celebration Simchat Torah Chatanim and Kallat Torah, Kiddush! To sponsor the Kiddush in honor of a birthday, anniversary, graduation, milestone, Charles Gold, Charles Hall and Bracha achievement, or other special occasion, visit www.thebayit.org/celebration. Jaffe. rolls will be available for those who wish to have Kiddush serve as one of Between Mincha/Maariv: Shiur with Shira Berkovits. “Moshe's Journey to Leadership.” their Shabbat Seudot. KAVVANAH TEFILLAH: Sunday, January 3rd at 9:00am: An hour of slower This Shabbat: Parshat Vayechi tefillah with Rav Steven including meditation & song. Light breakfast follows. Halakhic  Candle Lighting: 4:15pm Shacharit requirements met. (Room 3-2)  Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat: 4:20pm  Shalom Bayit: 7:00am Chulent Cook-Off and Tisch  Shacharit Main Tefillah: 8:30am Thursday and Friday, January 14th-15th  Learning Service: 9:30am (LLBM) Think you’ve got the best chulent in town?  Sof Zman Kriat Shema: 9:38am Put it up against some competition!  Parsha Shiur: 3:30pm  Mincha (Main/Sephardic): 4:00pm Alternatively, taste and judge the chulents alongside the rest of the community for treats and tisch!  Listening Room: 4:25pm  Maariv/Shabbat Ends: 5:19pm Contact Yael at [email protected] if you would like to compete. Weekday Times

 Shacharit: Sun: 8:30am Deadline to sign up: January 1st Mon/Thur: 6:40, 8:00am

Tue/Wed: 6:45, 8:00am MLK Concert: Sunday, January 17th (note date change) Fri (New Year’s Day) : 8:30am Join us for an inspirational evening of song  Mincha/Maariv: Sun - Thur: 4:20pm With Reverend Roger Hambrick Next Shabbat: Parshat Shemot &  Candle Lighting: 4:20pm The Green Pastures Baptist Choir  Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat: 4:25pm In tribute to  Shacharit Main Tefillah: 8:30am Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  Mincha (Main/Sephardic): 4:05pm  Maariv/Shabbat Ends: 5:24pm Further Details to follow. THE BAYIT BULLETIN This Week’s Classes @ the Bayit CHESED OPPORTUNITIES Joe Hoch z"l Memorial Daf Yomi Shiur with Rabbi Dov Linzer meets RIVERDALE FREE LOAN GEMACH: Please be advised that a Free 7:30am - 8:30am Sun. - Fri iand Shabbat after Mincha in Room 3-7. Open and Loan Gemach has been established to serve residents of the Riverdale accessible to all. You are invited to join at any time! community. The Gemach of Riverdale is a non-profit organization providing

interest-free loans to those with cash flow challenges, with dignity and Shabbat respect. For further info contact Rabbi Moshe Drelich at 917-408-3035 or 8:05am - Midrash Hashavua with Rav Steven [email protected]. 3:30pm - Parsha Shiur with Rav Steven FEEDING OUR NEIGHBORS: 4:25pm - Listening Room with Myra Estelle (LL BM) Food Drive: 12/10/2015 - 2/1/2015 After Mincha - Mila Ba’Parasha at Beth Aharon: Basic (and love of) HIR is teaming up with “Feeding Our what’s the meaning of Neighbors: An Interfaith Response” and joining the UJA-Federation of ”בִּלְהָה ­ Hebrew is sufficient. This week: "Bilha her name; Ya’akov’s wife or his concubine; our Mother’s slave or our New York, Catholic Charities, and Federation of Protestant Welfare Mother? Agencies as part of a collaborative effort to raise awareness and fight Weekday Classes hunger in our community. Drop off sealed, non-perishable, food in Monday - Rav Avi’s class is on Hiatus until March. the Bayit coat room from now until February 1st. Rabba Anat’s class is not taking place this week. 7:30pm - Advanced Hebrew Ulpan w/ Sara Kinberg* (at the Atria) DONATE YOUR OLD TALLIT: Do you have a worn out tallit? Were you thinking of just burying it? Let your old tallit do one Tuesday - Rav Avi’s class is on Hiatus until March. last mitzvah. Drop it off in the collection box in the Bayit coatroom, 10:30am - Lishma: YCT Community Learning (LHSH) and we will donate it to the Hebrew Free Burial Association Foundations of Judaism - Not taking place this week.

Wednesday SOCIAL WORKER @ THE BAYIT: Rabba Anat’s class is not taking place this week. Questions about an aging loved one, financial pressures, 7:30pm - Intermediate Hebrew Ulpan w/ Sara Kinberg* (Lobby) concerns about children? Contact HIR social worker Anna Kirshblum for guidance, information, referrals and a sympathetic ear. Thursday There is no fee and all conversations are strictly confidential. Rabba Anat’s class is not taking place this week. Anna can be reached on Mon. 8:00am - 7:30pm, Tues. 8:00am - 7:30pm 9:30am - Lishma: YCT Community Learning (2nd Floor Beit Midrash) and Thurs. 8:00am - 4:00pm at 718-601-9714 or e-mail her at 10:00am - Book of Shmuel 2 w/ Rav Steven (Lobby) [email protected]. (In partnership with UJA & JBFCS). Rav Ari’s class is not taking place this week. Sara Kinberg’s Hebrew class is not taking place this week. Jewish Caregivers Support Group: Share experiences, benefit from mutual support and gain practical advice. Group *Sara Kinberg is an experienced Hebrew teacher. For info and guidance on meetings are held once a month on Tuesday at the Beatman Center. placement, please call Sara at 718-548-2461. Payment made directly to the teacher. Bereavement Groups at the Jewish Board 135 West 50th Street, 6th Floor. Draw strength, solace, and support Happenings @ the Bayit from one another and from Jewish spiritual resources. Pre-registration required by contacting Rabbi Simkha Weintraub,

LCSW at 212-632-4770 or [email protected]. Dedicated in Memory of Henry and Goldie Guttman z"l Abraham & Sarah's Tent, Sponsored by Joe Guttman: Support Group for Bereaved Jewish Parents Who Lost an Join us this Shabbat for our open communal Dinner co-sponsored Adult Child: Monday, December 28th, 1:30pm-3:00pm this week by Chani & Steven Laufer. To see which Shabbatot are available for sponsorship and to choose your week, go to Mikvah Construction Update www.thebayit.org/tent, or email James Lapin at [email protected]. The renovation of the Riverdale Mikvah is underway. Please keep in Join us on January 8th for Tent Connections. mind that construction sites are potentially hazardous and that the safety fences around the property are there for our safety and the Learning Service: Shabbat, weekly in the Lower Level Beit Midrash, safety of our children. The Bayit's driveway access will be impacted 9:30-11:00am. An intimate service with explanations and discussions for 2 months. Please use care when visiting the Bayit by car. Most focusing on prayer and the led by Rav Ari, importantly, please ensure that children do not attempt to climb the Rabbinic Intern Bracha Jaffe, and other members of the rabbinic team. fences or otherwise attempt to access the construction area. Questions? Contact Rav Ari at 718-796-4730 x124 or email [email protected]. A Message From The Riverdale Mikvah

Do you know someone who needs any of the following? Beginning Monday December 21st, and for the duration of the Would you like to volunteer for any of these committees? construction project, only two shower preparation rooms at the Mikvah will be accessible. While we hope that there will be no change Meals For Ill Members: in the current hours of operation, we recommend that you call ahead Jackie Binstock - 718-543-9135, [email protected]. to the Mikvah (718-549-8336) to see if there is any wait time for a Shiva: Beth Braunstein, [email protected] room. We would also like to remind you that parking is now lim-

Bikur Cholim: ited. Thank you for your patience while we are under Ruth Licht: 718-796-3491, [email protected] construction. We have many ways to become meaningfully involved. Please pick up a flyer, consider becoming a Bikur Cholim Volunteer. Riverdale Mikvah Hours: Dec 25th - 31st, 2015: Saturday - Thursday: 7:00 - 9:30pm. Meals for New Parents: Friday night: 40 minutes after candle lighting. No appointment is Becca Linden: 434-962-7899, [email protected] necessary but please be on time. Mikvah attendant will be there for 15 min. Hospitality and Welcome: [email protected] Keilim Mikvah: Open during daylight hours.

Bayit Band: Rav Ari Hart, [email protected] For up-to-date information, including photos from the construction Green Committee: Alisa Eilenberg and Ann Rauch, [email protected] site, check out our website at www.RiverdaleMikvah.com. THE BAYIT BULLETIN

Calling all Riverdale kids! The Bayit is the place to be! Be a part of it! Please register your child and become a youth member today!

Home for Winter Break? Looking for fun MISHMAR AND HAFRASHAT CHALLAH activities for children? We have the answer! Thursday, Jan 7th

The Bayit & the Riverdale Y are partnering again 4:00pm-6:00pm this year to offer a fun-filled week of activities Braid and bake you own challah with Tali Michaeli during the December school vacation period. and learn about the important mitzvah of  Program open to children in grades K-5 Hafrashat Challah.  Children enjoy swimming, Design your own Shabbat Shalom card and give it gym time, arts and crafts, with your challah to a neighbor or a friend for Shabbat. Lego robotics, music, karate and more. D'var Torah with Rav Steven (4:45pm) followed by

Camp days are dinner, arts & crafts, and active free play.

Dec. 28, 30-31. (December 29th is full) Ages 5-11. Learn more at www.thebayit.org/wintercamp Cost: $10/child, $18/two children.

Movies - Smoothies Questions? Email [email protected]. Free Play - Drop-Off Sunday, January 17th 1:00-3:30pm, SUNDAY TOTS WITH DONNA Ages 5-11 Sunday, January 17 - 10:30am-12:00pm Movie: TBD Parents and children, join Donna Rudolph for $10/child arts & crafts, edible projects, and more! $10/online; $12/at the door; $40/5 sessions. $18/2 children Register @ www.thebayit.org/totswithdonna

SHABBAT MORNING GROUPS SNACKS 2015-2016 Snacks Sponsorship

This year, we are aiming for sponsorship every single Shabbat. Please see $100 – sponsor all snacks $36 - Tot Shabbat

sponsorship options on the right. Please help us reach our goal of 100% $150 – sponsor all snacks $36 - Nursery-K participation. To sponsor go to www.thebayit.org/youthsponsor! + birthday party $36 - Grades 1-6

Room 3-1: Grades 3-6 Donuts and Drash: Room 3-7: 9:00am - 9:30am - Ages 6+: Room 3-4: Nursery

Room 3-2: Grades 3-6 Enjoy a donut and learn this week’s parsha with David Fain Room 3-5: Pre-K Room 3-2: Girls Grades 3-5 Room 3-6: Kindergarden Room 3-3: Grades 1-2 Shabbat Morning Groups: 3rd Floor Youth Wing: 9:40-11:40am RHSH: Tot Shabbat

PARSHA & DRAMA with Adena Blickstein To sponsor snacks for future 10:40am-11:40am, Ages 6 and up! Shabbatot please contact Menachem

Come experience the Parsha through inclusive or Gillian Steinberg or go to drama, dance & song with new creative arts specialist. www.thebayit.org/youthsponsor.

POTS Teens Chesed Opportunity For assistance, please contact: Attention Riverdale Teens! Volunteers needed at a Director of Programming & Youth Education local community dining room one Sunday a month. Menachem Menchel, Office - 718-796-4730 ext. 119, Cell- 516-233-8285 [email protected] We leave from HIR at 12:00pm and return at approximately 4:00pm. 4 spots left. David Fain, Assistant Youth Director Contact Samantha Verrone: [email protected]. [email protected] Dates: 1/17, 2/14, 3/20, 4/3, 5/8, 6/5 THE BAYIT BULLETIN Golden Age Program ANNUAL YACHAD ! Join us at our second meeting of the year. SAVE THE DATE: February 6-7 Thursday, January 14th. Join us as we welcome 1:00pm - 2:00pm Learn and Light Lunch. our friends of Yachad! 2:00pm - 3:00pm - Golden Age Adult Bat Mitzvah class. There are many ways to participate: For questions or to RSVP, contact Yael Oshinsky, Program Associate at [email protected] or 718-796-4730 x116.  Host guests to sleep and/or eat  Join the communal kiddush/lunch Kulanu Chaverim Program  Join the communal Thursday, January 14th, 6:30pm Join your friends for dinner and a fun activity. More details to follow. To RSVP, call Yael at 718-796-4730 x116.

Kiddush Sponsorship Opportunities

Have a family simcha or milestone coming up? HIR requires a written contract for the Share your moment with the community rental of its facilities. If you would like to by sponsoring a kiddush. rent space in the shul, or if you believe that you have reserved the Bayit for The Kiddush Committee has negotiated pricing on your simcha but have not been several preset menus to help make it easier for you.

contacted regarding the new contract, To view the menu options, pick up a flyer from the boxes in please contact Richard at the lobby or visit www.thebayit.org/kiddush. [email protected]. Only reservations that accompany a signed contract and the required deposit will be maintained. To sponsor a kiddush please email [email protected] or call the office at 718-796-4730 ext. 104 to confirm the availability of your preferred date. BAYIT SEFARIM FUND: Donations to the Sefarim fund will be used to purchase the books we need as determined by the rabbinic team BUSINESS ADVERTISING IN THE BAYIT BULLETIN* and gabbaim. Donors will be recognized with a thank Promote your business to Bayit Bulletin readers in the first bulletin of you in the 2nd bulletin of every month and a every month. Contact the office at 718-796-4730 or [email protected] for more information. dedication label in the book when it is purchased To donate visit our website at www.thebayit.org/sefarim. *HIR's posting of any advertisement shall not be considered an endorsement of the advertiser, or of the product or service involved.

CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY End Of Year Reminder The Bayit is pleased to partner with UJA-Federation to offer our

members the opportunity to invest in a charitable gift To make your tax-deductible contribution in 2015, please make annuity. When you do so, you receive guaranteed income for life, a sure that your credit card or online payments are made on or potential immediate tax deduction, and possible future tax savings. before December 31st. Checks mailed to the office must be Ultimately, the Bayit will receive 90% of the remainder value, while postmarked by December 31st. Thank you for your support. 10% will go to UJA-Federation to support its efforts for the entire Jewish community and to help cover the administrative costs of the program. For more information, including sample annuity rates, please contact the Bayit office. The HIR Office we be closed on Friday, January 1st, 2016 (New Year’s Day). HIR is part of the Amazon Smile Program

Help us earn money at no extra cost to you!

Go to smile.amazon.com, pick your own charitable organization and put in “Hebrew Institute of Riverdale.”

HIR GIFT CARDS - Support our Bayit by purchasing Gift Cards - Buy it for the Bayit! For more information on volunteering or to place an order, email [email protected] or call Shira Gordon at 718-549-5280. NOTE: Purchases do not cost you anything extra. New: Moss Cafe is now participating in the HIR Scrip program and is offering the Bayit a 10% rebate on the gift cards. THE BAYIT The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale – The Bayit – is an open Orthodox synagogue serving the entire Jewish community by warmly embracing all , regardless of affiliation, commitment, orientation or background. It is affectionately known as the "Bayit," which is a home – a place of love and welcome. We are known nationally for bringing spirituality into the synagogue; activism on behalf of the oppressed; youth and teen engagement; learning programs; and work on behalf of the elderly, the homebound, and those with developmental and physical challenges. If these words resonate with you, if our Bayit has touched your life, then please join our growing membership. Beyond the bayit - December 25, 2015 - January 1, 2016 FARM BEGINNERS WINTER ULPAN: 12/28/2015 - 1/5/2016, Goshen, NY. This 9-day introduction to the Yiddish language gives an overview of basic conversational Yiddish grammar and vocabulary. Students will learn 30 Yiddish songs, will go through most of the College Yiddish textbook, and will have the opportunity to practice speaking the language with others. No prior Yiddish knowledge required. www.yiddishfarm.org/winterprogram.html

HAZON FOOD CONFERENCE: Don't miss the event of the year! At this year's Hazon Food Conference, we'll connect the dots between our dinner plates and the changing climate. Learn, eat, cook, and create with leaders in food and sustainability, including HIR's own Dr. Maya Shetreat Klein and Jessica Haller. Raise a glass, dance in the new year, and break (organic, kosher, artisanal) bread with 200 of your friends, both new and old! The conference always sells out early, so be sure to register today. 12/29/2015 -1/1/2016 at Isabella Freedman Retreat Center. www.hazon.org/foodconference.

JASA VAN CORTLANDT SENIOR CENTER will host a musical program by Yanni, an outstanding pianist, on Tuesday 12/29/2015 after lunch. Kosher BBQ chicken breast, brown rice pilaf, kale w/garlic sauce and dessert will be served at 12:15 PM. Yanni will perform international, jazz and pop music at 1:00 PM. Recommended senior voluntary contribution for lunch is $2.25 and $1.00 for the event. Non-seniors are welcome to attend for a meal fee of $5.00 and event fee of $2.00. Please call the senior center office: 718-549-4700 for meal reservations.

JASA VAN CORTLANDT SENIOR CENTER will host a dinner and New Year's celebration on Wednesday 12/30/15. A kosher festive meal of vegetable soup, choice of beef or sole fillet, spinach noodle pudding, carrots and dessert will be served at 4:30 PM. Sigal Chen, soprano, accompanied by Jonathan Dzik will perform classical, Broadway and popular music at 5:30 PM. Recommended senior voluntary contribution for dinner is $3.50 and $2.00 for the event. Non-seniors are welcome to attend for a meal fee of $5.00 and event fee of $3.00. Please call the senior center office: 718-549-4700 for meal reservations by Monday December 28th.

SAR ACADEMY'S EARLY LEARNING CENTER invites all toddlers 12 months to 2 years old (and their parents) to a Lively Friday morning Shabbat sing-along & a sneak peek at their 2's & 3's program - 1/8/2016, at 10:30 AM. 655 W. 254th St, Riverdale, NY. Please RSVP by visiting www.saracademy.org/singalong.

WINTER LEARNING AT YCT AND YESHIVAT MAHARAT: Join YCT and Yeshivat Maharat this winter break for Itim La’Torah: Winter Week of Learning in NYC! Students have the opportunity to spend mornings learning with YCT or Yeshivat Maharat faculty and students, and afternoons exploring the future of Orthodoxy with leading rabbis and scholars. The program, for men and women ages 18–25, will take place 1/11/15 to 1/15/15 and will be followed by a Shabbaton in Riverdale. More information can be found on YCT website, www.yctorah.org. Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions.

WOMEN’S INITIATIVE FOR JEWISH STUDIES (WIJS) is a program with the mission of introducing outstanding women Jewish studies scholars to the Westchester community. Now in its second year, this well attended program features speakers from both the United States and Israel through a series of lectures held throughout the year at Young Israel of New Rochelle, 1149 North Avenue, New Rochelle, NY. All lectures are free of charge and open to both women and men. Please SAVE THE DATE of Tuesday, 1/12/2016 @ 7:45pm for a presentation by Professor Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Assistant Professor, Historical Theology, Fordham University, on the topic “A Matter of Time: The Roman Calendar in Rabbinic Sources.” Due to popular demand, Nomi Smilchensky’s three part-series on “Sheva haNeviot – The Seven Female Prophets,” originally presented as daytime lectures, will now be held on three Wednesday evenings, 1/6/2016, 1/13/2016, and 2/3/2016, from 8:00pm – 9:00pm. A YINR member, Nomi is the Director of Classroom Pedagogy at Ben Porat Yosef in New Jersey. Please visit www.yinr.org for the complete schedule of future WIJS programs. For additional information or to be added to our mailing list, please email [email protected].

THE INSPIRED BY ISRAEL CONTEST will encourage and promote the creation and competition of many short videos that convey a simple message: why are we inspired by Israel? Grand prize for best video is $7,500. There are 15 other cash prizes as well. The registration deadline is 1/15/2016, and the submission deadline is 2/15/2016. For more information please visit http://www.israelvideonetwork.com/enter-our-video-contest/.

CHAI LIFELINE: SPONSOR TEAM SEAN: Two years ago, Sean Michaeli was diagnosed with cancer. With the help of doctors, community, and Chai Lifeline, he is now cancer-free. To thank Chai Lifeline for all their help, Sean will be running/walking the half marathon in Miami, Florida on Sunday, 1/24/2016. Please consider sponsoring Sean by visiting www.teamlifeline.org and clicking on the sponsor link. Enter Sean Michaeli to find his page. To learn more contact Talia Michaeli at [email protected].

Beyond the bayit - December 25, 2015 - January 1, 2016 PARENTING WORKSHOP AT THE RIVERDALE Y: No more yelling! Put an end to morning madness, tantrum troubles, food fiascos, sibling squabbles, uncooperative students, chore challenges, homework hassles, whining woes, bedtime battles, and disciplinary dilemmas. If you’re a parent, educator, or regularly work with kids, this workshop is a must for you! Free introductory class on Wednesday, 1/27/2016. 9-class workshop begins Wednesday, 2/3/2016. To RSVP for the introductory class and/or register for the 9-week workshop, contact Joe Smith at 347-913-4440 or [email protected].

LADIES' GOT TALENT: An all female talent show, by women, for women, helping women. This female initiative gives women artists the opportunity to perform in front of an all female audience. Ladies' Got Talent provides safe spaces for women both on and off the stage. Audition: Sunday, 1/31/2016, 10am-5pm at The Jewish Center, 131 West 86th Street, New York, NY 10024 Event: Sunday, 3/6/2016, 7:00pm at The Jewish Center. Doors open at 6:30pm. Cost: $15 for Jewish Center members $20 for non-members. The show will be followed by an all female dance party. To learn more or to audition, email [email protected].

GAN MIRIAM EARLY LEARNING CENTER incorporates "old-school" and modern educational concepts in our programs. Jewish values and subjects are taught hand-in-hand with secular studies. We have 3 age groups ranging from 1.5 to 5 years old. Our loving, experienced, certified staff provide a wonderful place for children to grow and learn. For more information or to come visit, please contact us at 718-543-2553 or email [email protected].

ISRAEL BONDS: This Chanukah, give the gift of Israel to your children, grandchildren and relatives! For one night of Chanukah, celebrate Israel and buy an Israel Bond. With bonds starting now at $36, and easily purchased online, this is a perfect gift for the holidays. The more ties we can forge between our children and the State of Israel, the greater likelihood they will understand and appreciate their Jewish heritage, and the stronger Israel will be in the future. For more information or to make an investment, contact Cynthia Blustein, Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds, at 914-713-9003 or make a purchase online at www.israelbonds.com.

SUPPORT YACHAD ISRAEL, THANK OUR BRAVE SOLDIERS: Sadly, with the unsettling news out of Israel each day, our protecting soldiers are taxed more than ever. Now is a most appropriate time to support and thank them in any way we can. Yachad Israel will be making and delivering pizzas to our IDF soldiers. $36 = one pie. Donate a pie today at yachad.org/pizza4soldiers. Before delivery, you will be notified that the pizza is on its way and to where it is going.

SEND GIFT BASKETS TO THE IDF SOLDIERS DEFENDING JERUSALEM: We will hand deliver baskets containing coffee, tea and snacks to show our appreciation for their hard work as well as to help keep them awake while they are on the job. Baskets are $54. www.toratreva.org.

ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: LonGenity Study: We are looking for volunteers to participate in a study designed to discover genes that may slow the aging process and protect people from age-related diseases such as heart disease and dementia. Volunteers should be of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, be over 65 years of age, and have at least one parent who lived until 95 years of age. Parking and food are provided. Transportation is reimbursed. To learn more about participating in this study, call 718-430-3880 or email Janet Schein at [email protected].

A CAMP YAVNEH SUMMER FOR $1,000 LESS! A generous donor will provide 10 new campers with a $1000 grant to attend Camp Yavneh, and your child could be one of them! To be eligible to receive this grant, campers must be new to camp (from new camp families) and be registered after December 15th. This grant is also only available for campers to attend second session. This offer may be combined with One Happy Camper & PJ Library grants. To register please go to our website www.campyavneh.org and click on "Enroll Now." For questions or for more information please contact Shani Winton at [email protected]. We will award this grant to the first 10 applications received so act quickly!

THE HUDSON COMMUNITY PROJECT: SAFE AT HOME: The YM&YWHA of Washington Heights/Inwood, Riverdale YM-YWHA, the JCC of Washington Heights/Inwood, and the Hebrew Home at Riverdale bring you The Hudson Community Project: Safe at Home. Services include: Case Management, Housing Advocacy, Kosher pantry, Kosher meals, Social Adult Day care, In-home support, Health Maintenance, Rehabilitation, Benefits/Entitlements counseling, and Transportation. Please contact Rina Hennes, LMSW at 212•569-6200 x233 or [email protected].

SHIR FUN, the popular Hebrew music program for kids ages 0-5 will be starting it's Winter session soon! Come join the fun. Classes are held on Monday and Tuesday mornings at HIR. To register, email: [email protected]. For more info about the program, go to: www.shirfun.com.