בס"ד HEBREW INSTITUTE OF RIVERDALE – THE BAYIT celebrates its Thirty-Ninth Annual Journal Dinner Honoring RABBA SARA HURWITZ & JOSH ABRAHAM GUESTS OF HONOR RABBI STEVEN EXLER & SHIRA BILLET GUESTS OF HONOR ARIELLE BERGER & DANIEL HELD YOUNG LEADERSHIP AWARD א‘ תמוז תשע“ג - SUNDAY, JUNE 9, 2013 HEBREW INSTITUTE OF RIVERDAE – THE BAYIT 3700 HENRY HUDSON PARKWAY, BRONX, NEW YORK 39TH ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNER Message from the Senior Rabbi At first glance, the Book of Numbers is about service. Different groups are singled out to serve Am Yisrael in different capacities with the goal of benefiting the community. And so, the book begins with a census to count the number of men available for military service. It moves on with a discussion of the nesi’im, the leaders of each tribe, followed by the role of the priests who light the Temple candelabra, and then goes on to mention those deemed able to serve as prophets. In short – the leadership served, and the people were served. But this service was not enough. Things go wrong, as the nation believes the negative report of the spies, resulting in the forty year trek through the desert. With a system of service so carefully put in place, one wonders, why this lapse? It’s my sense that while the nation was then service-centered, it needed something more – it needed to understand the larger purpose, the broader mission of Am Yisrael, the mission of walking with God and bringing tzedaka u’mishpat – justice and righteousness, into the world. Synagogues, too, can be broadly divided into two groups. There are those synagogues that are limited to service – a prayer group, a learning group – with people taking advantage of the services offered. And then there are synagogues who present services as part of a larger mission of responsibility to all of our people, and for that matter, the whole world. The mission itself transforms the ta’am, the motif, the goal of the service. Externally the same words are prayed, the same words are learned, but internally they are infused with holier meaning. That has always been the vision of our Bayit. We are not service centered, but mission centered. We, of course, offer countless opportunities for prayer and learning. All this, however, is within the framework of our larger mission. This evening we honor three couples who live and breathe this idea. Arielle and Dan are a rabbi’s dream. They are our rebbes in understanding the meaning of community. They understand that the role of a congregant is not only to receive but to give. They understand that the greatest gift of being part of a synagogue is not to be served, but to serve others. Rabba Sara and Josh, too, live this mission. Josh is a strong advocate of the mission of Open Orthodoxy, and so graciously embraces all who enter our Bayit. Rabba Sara is one of the most courageous, able leaders of our time. With grace and strength and with unlimited support from Josh, a leader in his own right, Rabba Sara has forged her place as one of the greats of contemporary Jewish history. 39TH ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNER And what can one say about Shira and Rabbi Steven. Shira has lifted us through her shiurim and her unassuming way of connecting so deeply with so many people. And Rabbi Steven, of course, has touched the lives of hundreds with his sensitivity, his care, his brilliance, his teaching. If one wants to understand what the mission of Am Yisrael is, all one has to do is watch Rabbi Steven; follow him, learn from him, grow from him. To all our honorees, we owe our deepest thanks. To our president David Schwartz, our entire staff, and of course, to our whole Bayit, this is a wonderful time of celebration. In the most difficult of economic times, we have, with God’s help, built modestly, carefully, beautifully. We have done so for one purpose – to fulfill our responsibility to the mission of our Bayit, a mission of Torah, Outreach, Activism and Israel. To build a Bayit that is true to the Torah mandate of Ve’asita ha-yashar ve-ha-tov be’einei Hashem – “And you shall do that which is right and good in the eyes of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 6:18) Rabbi Avi Weiss 39TH ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNER Message from the President Dear Friends, Thank you for participating in the 39th Annual Dinner of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, honoring Rabba Sara Hurwitz & Josh Abraham, Rabbi Steven Exler & Shira Billet, and Arielle Berger & Daniel Held, along with the many wonderful things that they do for the Bayit. During Kiddush each Shabbat, we hear the words: “V’shamru B’nei Yisrael et ha’Shabbat, la’asot et ha’Shabbat l’dorotam b’rit olam – And the Children of Israel shall observe Shabbat to make Shabbat for their generations an eternal covenant.” The word “la’asot – to make” seems misplaced in connection with Shabbat, as the word generally connotes “m’lacha – work,” which is prohibited on Shabbat. The Eben Ezra connects the use of the word “la’asot” in Kiddush to when Avraham had food prepared for the angels that visited him: “va’yimaher la’asot o’to – and he hurried to make it.” The Eben Ezra thereby suggests that “la’asot” translates to preparation. A meal can be what you have ready to eat—in Avraham’s time that might have involved some dried fruit and salted meat—or it can be prepared, with work, from many fresh ingredients, as Avraham chose to do. Similarly, Shabbat can be just the seventh day of the week—but to celebrate Shabbat as the conclusion of the creation of the world involves preparation. This effort “la’asot – to make” every Shabbat meaningful at the Bayit is why we pay tribute to our honorees this evening. As core members of our rabbinic team, Rabba Sara and Rav Steven, with the support of Josh and Shira, enhance the spirituality of each Shabbat, and Arielle and Daniel enable us to deepen our connections to one another through their leadership of the Kiddush Committee. Together, our honorees have helped build and strengthen our community. Please therefore join me in thanking three of the hardest working couples for the Bayit – Rabba Sara Hurwitz & Josh Abraham, Rabbi Steven Exler & Shira Billet, and Arielle Berger & Daniel Held. A delicious, fun and successful dinner like this one does not come about on its own—it takes preparation. It takes the tireless effort of many individuals to make this evening a success. I want to thank our dinner chairs – Atara Gorsetman and Brian Spira; and our journal chair, David Braunstein. Their dedication to this evening was truly inspiring, and their work, along with the efforts of our honorees and the members of the dinner committee, made this a truly special event. The dinner also requires inspiration, and that inspiration comes from our spiritual leaders – Rav Avi, Rav Steven, Rabba Sara, Rav Ari, Elli and Bernie, along with our Youth Director, Menachem Menchel. Through their commitment to the Bayit and the entire Jewish community, they serve as role models to all of us. 39TH ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNER Supporting our lay and spiritual leaders are our devoted and dependable professional staff. This evening would not have happened without the diligent efforts of our executive director, Richard Langer, our head of maintenance, Jerome Thomas, our helpful office staff of Yael, Shuli and Phyllis, and our attentive maintenance staff of Manny, Brian, Eric, Elmer and Geo. Please join me in thanking them for their efforts on behalf of the Bayit whenever you see them. Thanks also to my wife and family. Shani, Rebecca, Sam and Mike make me both a better person and a better shul president. They allow me to dedicate significant time to the Bayit and are always there to help whether by volunteering or by suggesting ways for the Bayit to serve our members and reach out to the community. They also provide great suggestions for improving my speeches and announcements (usually by making them shorter). They deserve credit for anything I accomplish as president of the Bayit. Finally, thank you again for supporting the Bayit. The participation of such a large and diverse group in this evening’s festivities gives honor to our synagogue, pays tribute to our honorees – Rabba Sara & Josh, Rav Steven & Shira, and Arielle & Daniel, and strengthens our Bayit’s mission of inclusion. Enjoy tonight! All the best, David Schwartz, President Hebrew Institute of Riverdale – The Bayit 39TH ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNER Message from the Journal Chair and Dinner Co-Chairs Dear Friends, It is our privilege to serve as Journal & Dinner Chairs for the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale’s 39th Anniversary Journal Dinner. We have been fortunate to work with an involved, enthusiastic and capable committee who worked diligently to pull together this extraordinary event in a very short period of time. Thank you particularly to the following individuals for their efforts and support: Ronnie Becher, Elaine Bloom, Kara & David Bookbinder, Debbie Braverman, Beth Braunstein, Moshe Edelman, Wendy Zierler & Daniel Feit, Ariel Finkelstein, Aviva Braun-Finkler & Gary Finkler, Ariel Freidenberg, Kathy Goldstein, Shira Gordon, Chaya Gorsetman, Beth & Ari Hait, Lisa Licht Hirsch, Wendy Levinson & Rabbi Bob Kaplan, Sharon & Michael Kaplowitz, Stephanie Nussbaum & Michael Kress, Richard Langer, Ann & James Lapin, Ruth Licht, Menachem Menchel, Phyllis Newsome, Yael Manor-Oshinsky, Daniel Perla, Shuli Boxer Rieser, Melanie Santoriello, Gloria & Greg Schneider, Nancy Stern Scholem, David Schwartz, Ruthie & Joel Simon, Toby Weiss. We pay tribute this evening to a group of dedicated friends, supporters and pillars of the HIR.