September 2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
WJC President Jeffrey Lavine Check out our section devoted to Koslowe Gallery Fall exhibit: welcomes our new Officers and WJC Kids and Teens “Across Divides: Borders and 3 Trustees 5 7 Boundaries in Contemporary Art” WESTCHESTER JEWISH CENTER THE SEPTEMBER 2017 – VOLUME 76 REVIEW NUMBER 1 – ELUL, 5778 COVER STORY September 2017 Highlights 4 Labor Day – Office Closed Welcome Adam Bender, New 7 ECC Parent Orientation – 7:30pm Israeli Dancing – 7:30pm 8 Rhythm & Ruach Under the Stars - 6pm Teen Engagement Director Community Shabbat Dinner – 7pm BY KOSTYA KENNEDY Koslowe Gallery Tour – 8pm 10 First Day RS There’s this analogy about Conservative Judaism that Adam Bender JOY Program – 1pm heard a few months ago, which has stayed with him ever since. Bender Movie-Larchmont –2pm was at a camp in Pennsylvania, a training and bonding getaway for Jewish “Long Time” Member Dinner – 5pm camp staff and leaders from across the country. Bender has been working 11 Israeli Dancing – 7:30pm with or leading United Synagogue Youth (USY) programs for better than 12 Sing Out the High Holidays – 7:30pm five years now, since he was in high school outside Chicago, and through his years at the University 13 Israeli Movie Night – A Tale of Love and Darkness – 7:30pm of Minnesota. Now he is 23 years old, a 2016 college graduate with a finance degree, and, as of 16 Simple and Soulful Services – 10:15am Aug. 1, the Director of Teen Engagement at WJC. Enthusiasm and intellectual curiosity about Selichot Program with Rabbi Segelman – 8:30pm his work are not qualities that Bender has any difficulty mustering up. 20 Erev Rosh Hashanah WJC Office closes @ 1pm “So it was in May at this Foundation for Jewish Camp retreat. It was late at night and we were in ECC & Religious School Closed this breakout room just talking and talking, no one wanted to go to bed,” Bender recalls. “There 21 Rosh Hashanah 5778, Day 1 were about 20 of us and it was great, really interesting, exciting. We were having one of those WJC Office, ECC & Religious School Closed Tashlich at Mamaroneck Harbor – 5:45pm late-night talks about everything to do with Judaism, about our Jewish beliefs and our ideas and 22 Rosh Hashanah 5778, Day 2 everything.” WJC Office, ECC & Religious School Closed Mincha and Friday Evening Service – 6:30pm Imagine Judaism, its teachings and tenets and ways of life, as a game of chess on a chessboard, 29 Erev Yom Kippur Bender heard someone say that night. And imagine that long ago the Orthodox community WJC Office closes @ 1pm ECC Closed continued on page 7 Mincha – 2pm Kol Nidre – 6:15pm 30 Yom Kippur SAVE THE DATE Shacharit – 9am Family Service – 9:45am Yizkor – 11am Ne’ilah – 6pm Get Ready to Rock Shofar – 7:15pm on November 18 Youth & Teens Programs BY JACQUES STEINBERG 6&7 Meet New Teen Director Adam Bender – 3pm Fans of Jewish Rock – or others who may be curious 10 Opening Day Religious School 12 Hebrew High – 6pm what it would sound like to set the liturgy and culture 14 RS First Day 7th Grade of Judaism to a rock-and-roll beat – should mark their 17 K-2 Youth Program – 12pm calendars for the evening of Saturday Nov. 18, when Teen Community Opening Event 5pm a giant of the genre, Dan Nichols, will rock our house 19 Hebrew High – 6pm of worship. 21-22 Rosh Hashanah 5778 ECC and RS Closed Dan’s solo concerts are an intimate experience in which Dan gets the whole room singing together Family Services – 9:30am 26 Hebrew High – 6pm (lyrics are projected for all to see) to his inspiring music. The concert will begin with a moving 29 Erev Yom Kippur Havdalah ceremony. Teen Kol Nidre – 6:45pm 30 Yom Kippur The performance is the latest in a run of similar evenings put on by the WJC Musical Enrichment Family Services – 9:45am Committee in recent years – including those headlined by Trio Shalva, a band that weaves Hebrew Youth Programs – 11:15am folk tradition with jazz and features WJC’s own Nadav Snir Zelniker on drums, and Nava Tehila, a Jerusalem-based group that fuses Hebrew poetry with gorgeous melodies. continued on page 6 1 September 2017 - The WJC Review FROM THE CLERGY WESTCHESTER JEWISH CENTER THE REVIEW Published Monthly (except July & August) Really True Happiness Westchester Jewish Center RABBI JEFFREY SEGELMAN Mamaroneck, NY 10543 914-698-2960 • wjcenter.org Editor: Pat Tinto I am writing this article on Monday August 7th we are serious about it, a month is enough time Design & Production: Evan J. Schapiro which corresponds to the 15th day of the month not only to look deeply and honestly inside of Av. The Talmud tells us that the 15th of Av ourselves to see how we can improve, but it is Rabbi JEFFREY T. SEGELMAN is one of the two happiest days of the Jewish also enough time to think about who we need Assistant Rabbi ADIR YOLKUT year. I will leave it to those who are interested to forgive and which grudges we need to lose. Cantor ETHAN GOLDBERG to google the 15th of Av (Tu B’Av, in Hebrew.) I Rabbi Emeritus DR. IRVING KOSLOWE z’’l would like to focus on the other day. After all, a clean slate is surely the greatest Ritual Director Emeritus MAX FRIEDMAN z’’l Executive Director DAVID GOLDSTEIN happiness. Educ. Dir. & Cong. Program Coord ALEZA R. KULP What is the other happiest day of the year? It Early Childhood Director SABRINA LANDAU is Yom Kippur! That may sound strange as we Marla and my entire family join me in wishing Communications & Marketing Director PAT TINTO do not generally associate happiness with Yom you and yours only the best for a healthy, happy Librarian ARLENE RATZABI Teen Engagement Director ADAM BENDER Kippur. We think of seriousness, holiness, and and peaceful New Year. Building Superintendent JOSE LUIS FONSECA let’s not forget hunger. But happiness? Not so much. OFFICERS But it is the happiest day. After all, at the end of President JEFFREY LAVINE Executive Vice President SETH SCHAFLER the day (and I mean that literally), Yom Kippur Financial Vice President LAURENCE THALER is about the reset, the clean slate, complete Joy Club: Treasurer HAROLD TREIBER forgiveness. Yom Kippur is about putting up Asst. Treasurer MICHAEL LAPIDES a new canvas that need not be stained by New Dynamic 70+ Financial Secretary YALE ZOLAND Asst. Financial Secretary NANCY SHERMAN the mistakes of the past. Yom Kippur is the Administration ROBIN NAZARZADEH victory of forgiveness over guilt and hope over Group Formed Adult Programming JEFFREY TAFFET despair.Could there be any greater happiness JUDY & HOWARD ZWEIG CO-CHAIRS, Children & Families SETH SCHAFLER than that?! JOY CLUB Communications & Member Relations EVAN J. SCHAPIRO Development IAN WINTERS Spiritual Life SUSAN MILLER How does it happen? Surely it is not the result The JOY (Just Older Youth) Club is an Synagogue Arms MARK BERGER of sitting in shul for endless hours. It is not the opportunity for WJC members age 70+ to Tikkun Olam EVE EDELMAN RUSS pangs of hunger. It is not the confessions that socialize, learn, stimulate their minds and Recording Secretary AMY LEVINE-KENNEDY we repeat so many times. Yes, in part it may have FUN with contemporaries. The first Asst. Recording Secretary ELLEN MARCUS Chair of the Board GAIL MARCUS be the combination of all those things. Yet, event sponsored by JOY will be on Sunday all those things are all a means to an end. The afternoon, September 10 at WJC and will TRUSTEES entire experience is intended to help us include the screening of an awarding-winning Benjamin Alliker Michael Lapides Seth Schafler Ilene Bellovin Jeffrey Lavine Evan J. Schapiro introspect - take an honest look at ourselves - filmLarchmont. The showing will be open to the Mark Berger Amy Levine-Kennedy Nancy Sherman and decide that we can be better. Our teshuvah entire WJC Congregation. JOY Club members Louise Cohen Andrea Lightman Jacques Steinberg Eve Edelman Russ Ellen Marcus Jodi Stern is the eraser that we hand to God with which are invited to a pre-showing “meet-and-greet” Amy Fastenberg Susan Miller Marc Strongin the slate is cleaned. coffee. The JOY Club members can schmooze Janie Frieman Pam Mizrachi Jeffrey Taffet Betsy Goldman Julie Musicus Laurence Thaler with old friends, get to know new friends AND Alison Gottsegen Cheryl Natbony Sherry Thaler But there is one more vitally important thing - meet the director/author, Ben Zuckert, a WJC Laura Grill Robin Nazarzadeh Harold Treiber Howard Husock Dina Nelson Giselle Weissman in fact, the most important thing. God wipes Nursery School graduate. Lawrence Iason Robin Nichinsky Rob Weisstuch Jacqueline Kaplan Craig Rubin Ian Winters the slate clean for us if we wipe the slate clean Lisa Kern Albert Sassoon Jennifer Winters for others. No matter how many hours we sit in We also want to solicit feedback for topics of Randi Klaber Robert Sassoon Yale Zoland shul - no matter how hard we beat our hearts - interest for future JOY events at this time. Our no matter how much hunger we have to endure Presidents, Brotherhood CRAIG RUBIN, STUART SELTZER goal is to make the group an exciting, vibrant Presidents, Sisterhood ILEEN GREENBERG, CAROL FASMAN - if we will not push the reset button in our own and on-going organization with maximum President, Cemetery Association RON ROSENBERG relationships, why should we expect that God participation of all eligible WJC members. Judy Co-Chairs Parents Association LAURA GRILL, MIA KANDEL would do it for us.