Hebrew Institute of Riverdale Bayit BULLETIN September 11 - 18, 2020 Elul 22 - 29, 5780 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway, Bronx, NY 10463 718-796-4730 www.thebayit.org If you would like to join Shabbat Welcome New Member: Diane Aiken Tefillah in person please visit thebayit.org/form/shabbat912 THIS SHABBAT @ THE VIRTUAL BAYIT to complete the health screening 6:00pm - Zoom Kabbalat Shabbat w/Rav Steven: http://zoom.us/j/6136133703. .

and reserve a space! Motzaei Shabbat w/Rav Steven: 8:15pm. zoom.us/j/6136133703. This Shabbat: reading in the Stone begins on page 1086. The Haftorah begins on page Parshiot Nitzavim-Vayelech 1202.  Earliest Candle Lighting: 5:52pm  To listen before Shabbat visit www.thebayit.org/nitzavim & www.thebayit.org/vayelech

 Candle Lighting: 6:52pm  A page guide for tefillah and for most commonly used siddurim and

 Mincha/Kabb. Shabbat: 6:20pm* chumashim is available by clicking here.  Shacharit: 7:00am, 8:30am, Tot Shabbat: To maintain social distancing we are limiting sign up to 14 families per 10:00am, 10:15am session. Register at www.thebayit.org/event/totshabbat.  Sof Zman Kriat Shema: 9:42am  Zman Tefillah: 10:45am SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH @ THE BAYIT  YOUTH DEPARTMENT KICKOFF EVENT (PAGE 2)  Mincha & Maariv: 6:35pm  9/11 COMMEMORATIVE BLOOD DRIVE - FLYER ON PAGE 5  Shabbat Ends: 7:54pm *We will have in person tefillah for Mincha, HIGH HOLIDAYS @ THE BAYIT Kabbalat Shabbat and Maariv. This tefillah will  High Holiday classes and special programs: Page 4 be simulcast on zoom at zoom.us/ j/6136133700 until after Lecha Dodi.  Online Annual Concert! Flyer on page 5. Signup at www.thebayit.org/selichot Link will be sent out after Shabbat. WEEKDAY TIMES: See page 3 for details on the following: To join us in person for tefillah visit  Signup information for Rosh Hashana Mincha/Maariv and all tefillot. www.thebayit.org/form/tefillah913  Order your & . Pickup and delivery options. to complete the health screening and sign up. FIRST NIGHT OF SELICHOT: We will begin Selichot at the Bayit at 10:45pm - about Shacharit: 25 - 30 minutes after the concert ends. Reserve your seat at www.thebayit.org/form/selichot1. To maintain physical distancing as  Sun: 8:30am we enter and exit the building the service on the Terrace will begin at 10:45pm and  Mon/Thu: 6:20am, 7:50am* the Main Sanctuary will start at 11:00pm. The service in the Sanctuary will be  Tue/Wed: 6:15am, 7:50am* simulcast on Zoom at zoom.us/j/6136133700 and will be led in part over Zoom by  Fri: 5:40am, 7:50am* Reb Elli - please join from home, if not in person. Mincha/Maariv:  Sun - Thu: 6:50pm SEAT AND ROLE ASSIGNMENT UPDATE: We are delighted to be organizing 550+ attendees at a dozen services each of the mornings of Rosh Daf Yomi Sun: 7:30am, Mon - Fri Hashanah. This is a testament to our Bayit’s commitment to prayer for those who are able 8:30am, Motzaei Shabbat: 9:30pm. to attend in person and the many who have offered their homes and taken roles in leading Email [email protected] for Zoom services. We hope to have those assignments completed and sent out early next week. If information. you have volunteered for a gabbai/t, makria/h or site coordinator role, you should hear *Zoom only from us early next week as well!”

NIGGUN CIRCLE BLOWING: The Riverdale Jewish Community Partnership is working THURSDAY NIGHTS diligently to set up outdoor Shofar blowing in our community on Sunday, September 20th. Times and Locations will be announced via email and through our phone system next Please join us the night before Rosh week. Hashanah @ 9:00pm Thursday, Sept 17th. We will sing familiar and THANK YOU FOR GIVING BACK TO THE BAYIT: Thank you to the teen beloved songs and niggunim relating volunteers who came last Friday to the Bayit to prepare Youth Department packets for the to Elul and Rosh Hashana. High Holidays: Sarit Lapin, Beth Levine, Hila Loeser, Yosefa, Nava, Rosa, and Lily zoom.us/j/6136133700 Oberstein. Special thank you to coordinator Cecily Oberstein, Youth Committee. Chair

NOTE SPECIAL TIME! To pick up a Youth Department packet with arts and crafts for the Chagim and a copy of the new "3rd Floor Newsletter" stop by the Bayit terrace, this Sunday, 9/13, 12pm-2:30pm.

Next Shabbat: Page 2: Staff Directory, Youth Programs, Pages 7 - 8: Programs and Bayit resources, Rosh Hashana Classes, Virtual Tefillah and Sefarim Fund plus Social Action Committee D’var Torah  Candle Lighting: 6:40pm Pages 9 - 10: Beyond the Bayit Page 3: High Holiday information and signup Pages 11 - 12: Shabbat @ Home Guide  Schedule on page 3. links THE BAYIT BULLETIN Most of our staff is now working remotely. Please use the numbers listed below to contact them. If you call the main line, and leave a message it will automatically be sent to the intended recipient. IMPORTANT: We can only respond to your call if you leave a message with your name, phone number and the reason for your call! Your patience is greatly appreciated.

Contact Us: Phone: 718-796-4730 Email: [email protected]

Steven Exler, Senior : [email protected]/ 917-494-3380 Richard Langer, Executive Director: Phyllis Newsome, Bookkeeper: Ezra Seligsohn, Associate Rabbi: [email protected]/ 732-626-5902 [email protected]/ 201-503-4923 [email protected]/ 610-405-5725 Bryan Cordova, Facilities Manager: Yael Oshinsky, Program Associate: Bracha Jaffe, Associate Rabba: [email protected]/ 914-809-0203 [email protected]/ 201-503-5562 [email protected]/ 443-983-5083 Shuli Boxer Rieser, Assistant to R’ Weiss: Sara Hurwitz, Rabba: [email protected]/ 929-269-2892 [email protected]/ 646-337-4047 Avi Weiss, Rabbi in Residence: [email protected]/ 929-269-2892

YOUTH DEPARTMENT PROGRAMMING & RESOURCES WELCOME BACK! WE MISSED YOU! HIR YOUTH DEPARTMENT DROP-OFF OPENING EVENT Where: The HIR Terrace (socially distanced stations) When: Sunday September 13th Register at: Who: Bayit children, ages 6-11 www.thebayit.org/kickoff What time: 1:00pm - 2:30pm Cost: Free! Please drop your kids off for songs, stories, art projects and more!

Registration available for the first 24 families. All participants must wear masks over the mouth and nose for the duration of the program and wash/sanitize hands upon entering the building. Parents must also wear masks during drop off and pick up.

Registration coming soon. Check your email over the next few days!

TOT SHABBAT - Signups limited to first 14 families. PLAYGROUND TIME www.thebayit.org/event/totshabbat. Our playground opening for individual household use has been a huge success! 45 minute slots (now adjusted to 2 per house- Please note: There will be NO Tot Shabbat on Rosh Hashana, hold per week to start) beginning on the hour will be available or Shemini Atzeret. Sunday-Thursday, 9am - 6pm, & Friday 9am - 4pm. Signups for YOUTH PARASHA PAGE the coming week will open the preceding Thursday around https://images.shulcloud.com/111/uploads/Joseph/Nitzavim- midday - check the Bayit homepage or go directly to Vayeilech.pdf thebayit.org/playtime. Sign up now for next week!

DAILY TEFILLAH B'TZIBBUR: Advance registration is required online at www.thebayit.org/form/tefillah913. All weekday tefillot at the Bayit will be available via Zoom at zoom.us/j/6136133700 and the Mon - Fri Shacharit at 7:50am is via Zoom only.

Classes zoom.us/j/470341910 except where noted Monday: 11:00am - Halacha Chaburah: “Rambam’s Hilchot Teshuva” - Burt Nusbacher

Tuesday: 10:00am - “Psalms Related to Rosh Hashana & Yom Kippur” - Rav Avi 11:00am - “Judges: The Samson Story” - Rav Ezra

Wednesday: 11:30am - “Insights and Discussion on Megillat Kohelet” - Rabbanit Bracha

Thursday: 8:30am (following 7:50am Shacharit) - “Mussar: Personal Transformation Through a Jewish Lens” - Rabbanit Bracha zoom.us/j/6136133700 10:00am - Rabbi Dr. Heschel’s “The Prophets” - Rav Steven

SEFARIM FUND Thank you to this month’s donors:

 Roberta Aranoff in memory of Elliot Goldberg  Janet Axelrod in memory of Sonia Marder and in honor of Sam Marder

To make a donation, visit www.thebayit.org/sefarim ROSH HASHANA SCHEDULE: Shabbat, Sept. 19th Rosh Hashana 1 Sunday, Sept 20th Rosh Hashana II Friday, Sept.18th  Morning Teffilot: Staggered start times Morning Teffilot: Staggered start times  Candle Lighting: 6:40 from 7:15am - 1:00pm from 7:15am - 1:00pm  Mincha: 6:20 (We will Zoom Mincha  Mincha: 6:15pm  Mincha: 6:40pm and Abbreviated Kabbalat Shabbat)  Candle Lighting: 7:39pm  Havdallah/Yom Tov Ends: 7:40pm

RESERVE YOUR SPACE AT ONE OF OUR TEFILLOT Arba Minim From Bnei Akiva @ The Bayit FOR HIGH HOLIDAYS NOW! Seat requests for Rosh We are pleased to partner with Bnei Akiva to bring quality Hashana are past due. The (very) few remaining seats Lulavim and Etrogim to the Riverdale community. will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.  To place an order for pickup at the Bayit, go online to Reserve at www.thebayit.org/form/tefillahRH2. https://www.jotform.com/bneiakivaofnynj/hir-lulav-and-etrog

YOM KIPPUR deadline is TODAY! September 11th. Visit  Orders received by Erev Yom Kippur (Sept 27) will be www.thebayit.org/form/tefillahYK to submit your seat request, ready for pickup Monday night after Yom Kippur. Orders or call Yael (201-503-5562), Shuli (929-269-2892), or Phyllis received by noon on Wed, Sept. 30th will be ready for (201-503-4923) for assistance. pickup by Thu, Oct. 1st.  For home delivery ($10 charge) go online to

bneiakiva.org/Mifal to place your order. For Mincha/Maariv on Rosh Hashana (Friday, Shabbat & You will still be able to pick out your own/shop in person. Sunday evenings) there is a separate signup. Please visit Times to be announced. https://www.thebayit.org/form/RHMM CRIES OF THE SHOFAR: A PRE-ROSH HASHANAH There are two services scheduled for each day. We will add more as BEREAVEMENT VIRTUAL GATHERING they fill up. If you plan to attend please register soon! This Sunday night, September 13 8:30 PM Join Rav Steven and Bayit social worker Taylor Britvan for a one hour virtual gathering to remember those we have lost in the ADDITIONAL ROSH HASHANA SERVICES last year. We will draw on the themes of Rosh Hashanah to The ROSH HASHANA FREE SERVICE will be on the reflect on grief and loss and memory. Readings, melody and a First Day of Rosh Hashana - Shabbat, September19th, at space for personal sharing. http://zoom.us/j/6136133703 3:30pm. This service will be in English. If you know someone who would benefit from this shorter, more accessible service please encourage them to join us. To maintain physical Davening at home this Rosh Hashana? Don’t have a Machzor? The Bayit is here to help! distancing, seating is limited and reservations are required. Reserve at www.thebayit.org/form/freeservicerh We fully support those who do not feel comfortable participating in public prayer at this time. If you are planning to The ROSH HASHANA LEARNING SERVICE will take to pray at home over the High Holidays and do not own a place on the 2nd Day of Rosh Hashana - Sunday, September Machzor (High Holiday Prayer Book), you may borrow a Koren 20th, at 3:30pm. The Learning Service is intended for those Hebrew/English Machzor from the Bayit. Please email who are less familiar with the traditional liturgy. To maintain [email protected] by Wednesday, Sep. 16th and plan to pick up physical distancing, seating is limited and reservations are on Friday, Sep. 18th. Please specify whether you need a machzor required. for Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, or both. Reserve at www.thebayit.org/form/rhls

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS We are close to the final stages or preparation for Rosh Hashana. All that we are able to accomplish is thanks to lay leadership and volunteers who step up to the plate when needed.

Are you able to help?  Set up a tefillah site for Rosh Hashana (Help put up outdoor canopies at offsite locations) - please email [email protected]  Deliver pre-Rosh Hashana packages or to pack Rosh Hashana Packets please email [email protected].

LAST CALL TO JOIN THE ELUL CHESSED DRIVE AND HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS IN NEED We are well on our way to meeting our goal of $12,000 and 100 donors by Rosh Hashanah. Please join us in supporting your neighbors in their time of need. Total amount: $9,409 with 17 monthly gifts! Total participants: 86 The Bayit has embarked on a partnership with POTS (Part Of The Soultion) to help them as they work to serve the hungry, the housing insecure, the jobless, and the needy. Join the effort by donating at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/potsbronx. Thank you to all who participated!

High Holiday Classes & Preparation @The Bayit

UPCOMING CLASSES All classes will take place in​ zoom.us/j/6136133703 ​unless otherwise noted

This Tuesday • 9/15 • 8:15pm - R​ av Avi: Navigating the Covid High Holidays This Wednesday • 9/16 • 8:15pm -​ Rabbanit Bracha: Are Women Obligated to Hear Shofar? This Thursday • 9/17 • 8:15pm - R​ abba Sara: Zichronot: Remembering Forward Sunday Night (Motzei Rosh Hashana) 9/20 • 8:00pm - ​Rabba Wendy Amsellem on Aggada Tuesday 9/22 •​ 8​ :15pm - ​Rabbanit Bracha - Reframing U’netaneh Tokef Thursday 9/24 • 8:15pm - ​Rav Steven: Shabbat Shuva Derasha Wednesday 9/30 • Time TBD - R​ av Avi: An Interpretation of L’ Hashem in Memory of Imma: Miriam Borenstein Weiss

SPECIAL VIRTUAL GATHERINGS & TEFILLOT Selichot Concert ​ with Dr. Elli Kranzler // Saturday Night • 9/12 • 9:00pm Click here​ to register Erev Rosh Hashana Gathering, Singing, and Praying​ with Reb Elli & The Rabbinic Team Friday Afternoon • 9/18 Kol Nidrei & Yizkor ​// Sunday Afternoon • 9/27 Pre-Shemini Atzeret Yizkor​ // Friday Afternoon • 10/9 Havdalah, Connecting, & Torah ​on each Motzei Shabbat and Motzei Yom Tov

MUSIC OF THE HIGH HOLIDAYS - Listen Anytime R’ Elli Kranzler - Lashuv HaBayta - Niggunim of Rosh Hashana : ​click here Bernie Horowitz - Kriat Hatorah of the High Holidays: c​ lick here Weekly Niggun Circle with Rabbanit Bracha • Thursday Evenings (Check Daily E-Mail for exact time)

Special Divrei Torah for the Yamim Noraim Parshat Ki Tavo: D’var Torah from R​ abbi Brad Hirschfield​: The Multiple Layers of L’David - c​ lick here to watch​ (10 min) Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech: Torah and Poetry from D​ r. Wendy Zierler​: “Tishrei Song” by Shapira - ​click here to watch​ (15 min)

Everyone at the Bayit will have the opportunity to spend 30 minutes in the Main Sanctuary during the High Holiday season. Materials will be provided as a spiritual and practical guide, or you may spend the time as you wish. Click here to Sign Up

This week's online Zoom support space for those Please consider adding a special prayer to the Silent for wishing to connect and process this experience Coronavirus. Click here for complete text. together. 8:00pm - 8:45pm: https://zoom.us/j/6136133702 or dial-in audio Breath, Body Mind Workshop w/Shira Gordon: Mon. - at +1 646 558 8656; Meeting ID: 613 613 3702 Fri. 1:00 - 1:45pm https://zoom.us/j/6136133702  Monday, Sept 13th - Open Support Group facilitated Breath-Body-Mind (BBM) classes consist of gentle movement by Dr. Barbara Gochberg (Note new start time!) and breathing practices to relieve anxiety and depression and calm the nervous system. Classes will meet via Zoom Monday- ONLINE WEEKLY PARASHA RECORDINGS Friday 1:00-1:45pm with Shira Gordon, RN, MS MPH.

Visit our website for audio recordings of the entire Torah, Breath-Body-Mind Institute has published an article in their recent arranged by Parasha and Aliyah featuring our exceptional Ba’al newsletter about our very own Shira Gordon. Click here to read Keriah, Bernie Horowitz. The site also includes a guide to each their article titled "Making Lemonade Out of Lemons in the Bronx" trop (cantillation note) and to the Hebrew pronunciation. about Shira and the opportunity to teach Bronx residents through www.thebayit.org/parasha P.O.T.S. BUSINESS ADVERTISING IN THE BAYIT BULLETIN - Promote your business to Bayit bulletin readers in the first LEARNING SERVICE WITH LIVYA TINESTIT bulletin of every month. Contact the office at 718-796-4730 or IS NOW ON THURSDAY EVENINGS! [email protected] for more information. HIR's posting of any The Learning Service now meets on Thursdays from 6:30pm - advertisement is not an endorsement of the advertiser, or of 7:45pm. Join at zoom.us/j/6136133702. the product or service offered. The Bayit in The Bronx: Feeding Our Neighbors REOPENING UPDATE - BAYIT TERRACE NOW A number of Key Food Gift Cards have been donated to the AVAILABLE FOR LIFECYCLE CELEBRATIONS Bayit through our H.I.R. Social Action Committee, WITH MEAL SERVICE working with Dr. Francis Segan, director of The Riverdale, New Baby? Sheva Brachot? The Bayit’s Terrace is now availa- Kingsbridge, Marble Hill Food and Hunger Project Inc, ble to celebrate with a Seudat . All events must ad- which sponsors a food pantry that has been distributing food here to our safety guidelines which include individually at the Church of the Mediator on West 230th Street, and packaged meals, drinks and cutlery and socially distant seating. the Riverdale Y for over forty years.If you or someone you The space can hold up to 10 tables for seating with up to 2 know are in need of support, please contact any member of pods per table. To review the complete guidelines and the clergy. schedule your simcha reach out to Richard Langer ([email protected], 732-626-5902). Social Action Committee D’var Torah—Rabbi Brad Hirschfield More Than God’s Imprimatur Writing about social action is hard — at least it should be if one wants to do more than find proof-texts affirmIng that God is on our side, and that which we already believe, is what God “really” wants anyway. And if that is all we want, how do we know what part is God’s will and what part is ours, or if we are not just reading God’s words in our image, rather that trying to live in light of God’s words?

Nowhere is that more true than in the work of social action and social justice, and nowhere can we find better guidance about avoiding those pitfalls, even as we stay passionately involved in those causes, than in the opening verses of Parashat Nitzavim.

You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God — your tribal heads, your elders, and your officials, all the men of , your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to waterdrawer — to enter into the covenant...I make this covenant not with you alone, but with those who are standing here with us today...and with those who are not with us here this day. Devarim 29:9-14

How can Moshe make a covenant with those not present? How can they be held accountable for a deal to which they did not give there assent? They can’t be! That is why, according to Tanhuma 3, the soul of each person who would ever be a part of the Jewish people was there at that moment. From that, and from the fact that the Torah paints a picture of wildly diverse participants — socially, economically, in gender and in position of power -— I suggest we can learn two principles which help assure that we get beyond prooftext’ing, to working in a spirit of both genuine change and equally genuine modesty.

Principle one: when thinking about long-term issues like policy effecting climate change, energy production and use, etc, we need to think of both the present and the future. We need to seriously consider the impact, both positive and negative, of our choices on both those who living now, and those who will come long after us. We can neither ignore the present pains we often create for the sake of the future, nor the future haz- ards we create for the sake of the present. Most of today’s debates, unlike the opening scene of Nitzavim, tend to discount one or the other, and there is always both.

Principle two: we need thought partners and action partners that will almost certainly not agree about either the current challenges we face, or about how best to address them. Precisely because a tribal head and a waterdrawer were impacted differently by the covenant rules under which they both agreed to live, they both needed to sign on for the deal to work. Their differences are real but they must both be present for the deal to last.

Moses knows that the grander the bargain, the deeper and wider the integration must be — both vertically and horizontally. That is how we move past making alliances, to creating the community through which we are called to steward our world and move ever closer to the fulfillment of our covenant with God, with one another and with the planet we share. 19TH ANNUAL 9/11 COMMEMORATIVE BLOOD DRIVE: SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13TH: 9AM - 3PM URGENT NEED FOR BLOOD DONORS! Coronavirus concerns, blood drive cancellations, and working from home requirements have led to a serious blood emergency!

In addition to honoring the victims of 9/11, this year’s Blood Drive will honor the memories of all those who struggled and perished in the past year from Covid and other causes. We are especially privileged to dedicate this Blood Drive to the memory of Judy Fettman Dreyfuss z’l beloved daughter of our members Beverly & Ted Fettman and wife of Marc Dreyfuss, as a celebration of her life and what her life teaches us all.

To maintain our commitment to following social distancing guidelines we strongly encourage donors to make an appointment in advance. Walk-ins can only be accommodated if a slot opens up. You must wear a mask or face covering and your temperature will be taken. Schedule an appointment online at https://donate.nybc.org/donor/ schedules/drive_schedule/274049 or contact Seryl at 718-549-8152 or [email protected]. Judy Fettman Dreyfuss

NEW SOCIAL WORKER @ THE BAYIT - TAYLOR BRITVAN, LMSW We are delighted to welcome Taylor Britvan, LMSW to the Bayit. Taylor will be serving as our Bayit social worker through UJA- Federation's Partners in Caring program facilitated by The Jewish Board. She can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 516-524-2951. Taylor is available to the HIR community through the Partners in Caring (PIC) program facilitated by Jewish Board and funded by UJA-Federation of New York. Taylor understands our mission and what we are about, and she is excited to be serving our community. Taylor will be working in Riverdale at the Beatman Center on most Mondays and Tuesdays. Taylor is dedicated to supporting congregants during this difficult time. She is passionate about destigmatizing and normalizing mental health issues, and she is eager to expand the Bayit's programming to service our members' needs. Please contact her directly to share ideas, for more information, or to schedule an appointment.

RIVERDALE MIKVAH & 'S TENT: DEDICATED IN Please visit our website to make a reservation and to read the MEMORY OF HENRY & GOLDIE GUTTMAN z"l & protocols due to COVID - 19 SPONSORED BY JOE GUTTMAN z”l www.riverdalemikvah.com | 718-549-8336 The tent continues to operate by delivering meals instead of gathering together in the Bayit. Thank you to all of the Hebrew Calendars for the Jewish year 5781 volunteers who are making weekly deliveries. (September 2020 - September 2021) are available at

The cost of individually packaged meals is substantially higher the Bayit. than our usual weekly expense. Please consider co-sponsoring a Pickup weekdays from 7:30am until after Maariv (approx. week at www.thebayit.org/tent to help keep this program 8:00pm): Hebrew calendars will be placed each day outside the running. front doors, at the top of the staircase.

CONSIDER BECOMING A BAYIT SHOPPING BUDDY OR CALLER

As we continue to adhere to social distancing and as our city continues to gradually re-open, some of our volunteers are returning to work and other responsibilities and that means that we will need more volunteers in the coming weeks.

 Shopping Buddies: We want to continue to discourage "extra" errand running and continue to provide shopping buddies, especially to our immediate neighbors. You can be paired up with someone in your building or geographic proximity.  Callers: We want to continue to check-in on those in our community who have been isolated at home for such a long time and continue to offer an opportunity for callers to connect with other members in the community and reduce loneliness. We need more volunteers! If you can help, or want to learn more, please email [email protected]

THE BAYIT The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale – The Bayit – is an open Orthodox 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 - community announcements THE RIVERDALE YEHUDA BAYME z’l HEBREW FREE LOAN SOCIETY IS HERE TO HELP YAHRZEIT LECTURE: September 13th, 9:30am. DURING THE PANDEMIC. No interest loans for personal Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7063062590 or small business use are available for New Yorkers affected by Join Prof. Syliva Barack Fishman (Professor Emerita, Brandeis the pandemic. University): “Feminist Directions in Contemporary Orthodox WWW,HFLS.ORG Life: How women’s expanding roles in education, scholarship and 212-692-9023 public Jewish institutions have changed ideas and communities - and the lives of Modern Orthodox men and women and their families.” New Israeli Initiative - The Daily Bible Image: Israel’s best Bible researchers and landscape photographers have NEW YORK STATE COVID RENT RELIEF PROGRAM joined forces to create moving Bible Land images that we will If your income has been reduced due to the shutdown you may email to you from , with their related quotes from the qualify for rent assistance. Visit https://hcr.ny.gov/RRP to learn Holy Scriptures. Free. Sign up at dailybibleimage.org. more!

From the Riverdale-Y:

Kid's Space: School Age Program We will be holding a new full-day program at the Riverdale Y where you can send your children to us while they are learning re- motely! Group sizes will be limited, with students organized by pods within each grade. Highly trained staff will assist students to make sure they stay on task with their school classes. An age-appropriate atmosphere will be maintained during school hours, with enrichment breaks according to each group’s school day schedule. For more information, please visit www.RiverdaleY.org/kidsspace.

Dance and Music Trial Classes Starting Sunday, September 13, we are excited to kick off our new Dance & Music schools with trial classes! We have an amazing selection of free dance classes and free music trial lessons that you can try and see what's the best fit for you. We have a mix of in- person and virtual offerings made with your comfort in mind. Check out our Dance Trial Classes at www.RiverdaleY.org/dancetrial and check out our Music Trial Classes at www.RiverdaleY.org/musictrial.

Riverdale Performing Arts Center Auditions Our award-winning Riverdale Performing Arts Center is prepping for the Fall productions. Our Jr. Rising Stars have two options for the Fall - Schoolhouse Rock, Jr. and Peter Pan. Schoolhouse Rock, Jr will be an outdoor, in person production while Peter Pan will be a hybrid production with limited rehearsals and mostly virtual. For more information, including how to audition, please visit www.RiverdaleY.org/auditions.

Volunteers Needed Some of our volunteers that assisted us throughout the summer are now returning to work. We're looking for help delivering hot meals to seniors stranded at home. To date, we've delivered over 65,000 meals. If you're interested in volunteering for a noble cause, please reach out to [email protected].

JOIN THE CHAI MITZVAH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM: Chai Mitzvah is pleased to introduce a six-month-long mentoring program for community leaders and educators. Starting in November, 20 participants will enjoy both personal and professional growth, as well as spiritual development. Once accepted into the program, they will be able to earn credentials as certified Chai Mitzvah instructors. Applications will be available online beginning September 15. For more information on the Chai Mitzvah Leadership Program contact Nina Woldin, [email protected]

KINGSBRIDGE CENTER OF ISRAEL (KCI), THE FIRST KOSHER FOOD PANTRY IN BRONX COUNTY, is excited to be able to offer food deliveries before Rosh Hashana. These deliveries include special holiday food, including challah, honey, apples, chicken, dairy products, and more. The food has been made available to the Pantry at no-cost by Met Council and is available to anyone who thinks that a little extra help will benefit you and/or your family during this holiday season. Please contact [email protected] or (646) 647-1380. All contact remains confidential to a small group of local individuals. Beyond the bayit - community announcements

Happening this Sunday, the 13th! Stay tuned for future dates! Feeling Connection and Combating Loneliness on Shabbat and Yom Tov: A Bayit Guide

“Social Distancing”, the commitment we have all made to save lives in this coronavirus pandemic, has had a profound effect on our lives. We miss the human interaction of one-on-one connection and physical touch and of sharing space with our Bayit community and other communities. During the week we combat these feelings by connecting with others via social media and technology. There is a new phenomenon called “Zoom Fatigue”. Think about Shabbat as a real break from the non- stop chatter of technology and a time to unwind and recharge your screen-time batteries. Shabbat brings with it an opportunity for quiet and reflection. While in many ways that can be welcome, it can also be a particularly lonely time, especially for those of us living alone. We understand the challenge of getting through this 25 hour period with no digital communication. We lovingly offer some ideas to help mitigate those feelings, and we invite you to share your ideas with us as we learn and grow together. Pre-Shabbat Preparations: Planning: In general, setting some type of structure or schedule for your Shabbat will help the time pass smoothly and comfortably. Break the night and the day up into sections. Consider even writing that schedule out and leaving it on the fridge or the table. Reading: Shabbat is a perfect time to read books or articles, ones you’ve been wanting to read and catch up on or returning to old favorites. Perhaps choose a book to read together with a friend be- fore Shabbat - you can discuss it after Shabbat and plan for that conversation on Shabbat. Games/Puzzles: Jigsaw puzzles are great to work on, take breaks and come back to. Here are some suggestions for games that you can play alone: Friday: this card game was created to play solo! The Game: This game is for the logically-oriented or mathematically inclined Music: It is halakhically acceptable in this unique moment to leave music playing (radio or Internet) in one of your rooms. This can feel soothing and connect you to the outside world. We recommend finding a station with music that is calming such as soft jazz or soft classical music. It is about music not radio. It is not about listening to the news. Eating: Prepare or order yummy food for your Shabbat meals!

Socializing: If you can go outside, find a “walking buddy” and set times to walk together with social distancing. Set a time to meet at a park with a friend and find a roomy place to sit or walk. Get to know your neighbors. In apartment buildings you could leave your doors open and chat with each other from afar. Plan specific times you might meet up. On Shabbat: Ritual: When lighting Shabbat candles, take the time to think about setting aside your week and mov- ing into a feeling of Shabbat. What are you grateful for? What are you praying for?. Maintain the structuring rituals of Shabbat: Setting the table, Kiddush, HaMotzi… Tefillah: Daven “together” at the times set for the whole community. If you attend shul on Shabbat, close your eyes and visualize being in shul. Look around at the people you usually see. In your mind’s eye, you can wish them Shabbat Shalom and wish them well. Se’udat Shabbat: Set the table and create a Shabbat atmosphere. Eat with intentionality. Savor the food, think about where it came from. There are eating medita- tions that can bring calm and make extra meaning of our eating experience. Sing aloud - having sound in the home can help us feel less alone. Emotional Health: Practice breathing exercises to relax. Think of the people in your life who bring you strength. Send them, in your heart, messages of love and appreciation. You can share those messag- es directly after Shabbat. Menuchat Shabbat: Enjoy the luxury of the opportunity to sleep a little later. Go to bed early and sleep a full night. If you feel tired during the day, take an afternoon nap. Connect with nature: Make sure to sit by the window for natural light. Open your window if weather permits and wave to people you know who are walking by. Go for a walk - or more than one; bonus points for seeing greenery! The trees are starting to bud!

Sometimes when we are alone, we think that we are the only ones who are alone.

You are not alone in being alone.