KOL HADASH SPRING 2019 קולחדש Sanctuary Centennial Joyfully Capped Off With 100 Years of Song ast fall, the BJ community came together in a variety of ways, celebrating a truly historic L event: the centennial of BJ’s Sanctuary. We had the opportunity to remember, reflect, and celebrate in small groups who shared synchronicity in the specific and personal ways they are connected to BJ. We celebrated in style at the Sanctuary Centennial Gala, honoring the leadership of Jeannie Blaustein and Peter Bokor and to celebrate the life and work of Rabbi Rachel Cowan z”l. An exhibit was installed in the gallery of our community house, chronicling the history SHULAMIT PHOTO + VIDEO and impact of our remarkable community, with a focus on the 100 years we have occupied our beloved 88th Street Sanctuary. Each panel of the exhibit reflected themes at the core of BJ, tracing the beauty and the stories of the building and all that it has contained. continued on page 4 CONTENTS The Magic of The Centennial Gala 100 Years of Song . 1, 4 By Shira Nadich Levin Centennial Gala . 1, 3 ou felt the magic the moment Paying it Forward . 2 you entered the Community Y House and walked along the red Purim with Family Life and Learning . 5 carpet, gazing at the moving exhibit Sustainability at BJ . 6 lining the walls, which chronicled Experience the Women’s Retreat . 6 the hundred-year history of our Sanctuary. There was something in From the Executive Director . 7 the air; with everyone greeting each Kadima@BJ: Register Soon! . 7. other as though it were a family Meet Sarah Rosenthal . 8 wedding, making the warmth and joy My Path to BJ: Phyllis Bard . 9 of the evening palpable. CLEVER SANGALAZA Bikkur Holim: Stories . 10, 12 The excitement became even more intense once you walked into the Reimagine: End of Life . 11, 12 magnificent Sanctuary, dressed for the occasion. The kippot dangled from the What Are You Doing After Life? . 13 large, gold fixture hanging from the ceiling, representing b’nai mitzvah and wedding ceremonies that took place during the centennial period. Elegant Marshall T . Meyer 25th Yahrzeit . 14 decorations, special lighting, and delicious food, beautifully served, greeted Remembering Ellen Landau . 15 you as you entered. It was obvious from the very beginning of the evening that Spring Fundraising Concert . 16 everyone was having such a wonderful time, with members of continued on page 3 KOL HADASH SPRING 2019 קולחדש Paying it Forward ince October, over 100 BJ members “This was fantastic. Now I want to host Shabbat have attended a Paying it Forward dinner all the time!” —BJ Member and Paying S Shabbat Dinner in another it Forward Shabbat Dinner Host member’s home, while committing to pay it forward by hosting a meal themselves in the future. Together, we are broadening Shabbat meal culture Hadley Allen Linda and Bob Marshall at BJ and transforming our community Gail Amsterdam Les Nelson and Jill Hayman through building closer connections Renee Cherow-O’Leary and John Jody Prusan and elevating the beauty of Shabbat at O’Leary Ilana and Scott Ruskay-Kidd home. Gail and William Cohen Jonathan and Oriyan Schwartz Ted and Debbie Geiger Leah Silver hank you to all those who have hosted Carol Gelles Orli and Jon Silver a Paying it Forward Shabbat Dinner Alison and Jeffrey Horowitz Lisa and Dan Zucker so far. Through opening your homes, Michelle and Leonard Jacoby you help shape our community—one Ruth Jarmul and Irv Rosenthal There are just a few spots left in Shabbat table at a time. Alissa Koloff and Kerri Lanoue our next series of Paying it Forward Neil and Alisa Kurshan Shabbat dinners. Sign up now at Judith Lipton www.bj.org/payingitfoward. Rabbi Rachel Cowan Chapel Dedication Sunday, May 19 | 5:00-6:30PM | Chapel Join us to name the BJ Chapel in Rachel’s honor, creating a holy gathering space dedicated to her continued legacy and commitment to BJ. Visit www.bj.org/chapeldedication for registration, gifts, and memorial tributes. (And God remembered Rachel (Genesis 30:22 • וַּיִזְּכֹר אֱֹלהים אֶת־ָרחֵל 2 The Magic of the Centennial Gala continued from page 1 the community greeting old friends and and Jessica Feder Mantel and Alan making new ones. Mantel, as well as by Colin Weil, Amanda Greenawalt, and HuiWon Choi. The details that helped to create the But most importantly, everyone was special atmosphere were planned thrilled to celebrate the Sanctuary’s and worked on by a large and devoted centennial, to pay honor to the group, led by the four co-chairs, outstanding and unique leadership and Suzanne Schecter and Todd Ruback generosity of Jeannie Blaustein and Peter Bokor, and to pay tribute to the memory of Rabbi Rachel Cowan, z’l, a beloved member of our community, who made such critical contributions to the world of Judaism and spirituality. Each was commemorated in beautifully Rabbi Marcelo Bronstein remembers Rabbi Rachel Cowan, with her children, Lisa and Matt. executed video tributes, which were presented with moving introductions It was a magical evening, in which from Rabbis Matalon, Sol, and we paid tribute to our history and to Rabbis Erin Glazer, Roly Matalon, Felicia Sol, and Bronstein. individuals who are so deserving of Marcelo Bronstein, and Hazzan Ari Priven honor. And—it was the most successful The opening of the Sanctuary Centennial Exhibition event of its kind in BJ, not only in the 375 attendees (we reached capacity days before the event) but in the $848,000 raised. How fitting that this occasion, and these honorees, were the cause of a tremendous addition to our endowment, which will help make the outstanding programming at BJ Alan Mantel, Jessica Feder Mantel, Peter Bokor, more accessible to this community. Jeannie Blaustein, Suzanne Schecter, and Todd Ruback ALL PHOTOS: SHULAMIT PHOTO + VIDEO Save the Date: Annual Meeting 2019 Tuesday, June 4 | 7:00PM | Sanctuary Save the date for this year’s Annual Meeting, where you will hear from our rabbis, executive director, board leaders, and treasurer about the accomplishments and milestones of the past year. We will also look ahead to next year’s goals, programmatic highlights, and financial outlook, as well as sharing in a moment to say “thank you” to outgoing trustees and to welcome the new trustees to the board. 3 KOL HADASH SPRING 2019 קולחדש Family Life and Learning continued from page 1 Sanctuary Centennial continued from page 1 All of this was capped-off by a community-wide concert and celebration: 100 Years of Song, developed and produced by BJ’s Center for Prayer and Spirituality. This deeply moving concert, brought all who attended on a journey through the past century, through the music With an elegant reception following the concert, the whole event was a wild success. that has sustained us spiritually and culturally over that span. The musical program was developed by our music director, Dan Nadel, and featured our artist in residence, Shira Averbuch, and acclaimed jazz vocalist, Gabrielle Stravelli. Taking us through 100 years of history, the program was narrated by BJ member and actor Ronald Guttman (Homeland, Mad Men, The Under One Roof. The evening brought West Wing), and supported together an intergenerational cross- an ensemble of world-class section of the community, with young musicians. Spanning the children, community elders, and breadth of the experience everyone in between, all dancing in of these hundred years, the the aisles during a rousing Lekha Dodi program brought us from medley, led by BJ’s spiritual leaders. a piece of cantorial music With an elegant reception following the once sung by Hazzan Jacob concert, the whole event was a wild Schwartz z”l (grandfather success, concluding a joyful period of BJ’s gabbai, Freddie of celebration for BJ’s magnificent Goldstein), to the New and historic Sanctuary, inspiring us York Yiddish theater scene; all to imagine the possibilities for the from the Shoah to the hundred years to come. See and share establishment of the State the video of the concert at of Israel; from the American www.bj.org/100. civil rights movement, the gay rights movement; from The 100 Years of Song Community the arrival of Rabbi Marshall Centennial and Hanukkah Celebration Meyer at BJ, his influence, was made possible through the his untimely death, and generous support of Edward Brill finally, our arrival as BJ and the Miriam Siroky Fund. ALL PHOTOS: CLEVER SANGALAZA 4 Purim Celebrations with Family Life and Learning his year’s Purim Carnival was a colorful and joyful affair! Over 100 The BJ Theater Company celebrated T children flooded into the Sanctuary Purim as 31 kindergarten-sixth and Community House dressed as grade shpielniks performed the superheroes, Supreme Court justices, world premiere of Megillah Mia! Young Families Purim Celebration, children in 2nd grade and under Families Purim enjoyed a kid-friendly Celebration version of the Purim story and Community with music, snacks, and a Megillah costume parade. Reading. Then, they had the The BJ Theater Company meaningful celebrated Purim as 31 chance to kindergarten through do a special sixth grade shpielniks mitzvah and performed the world take the show premiere of Megillah Mia! Complete with Purim-ified parodies of all our favorite ABBA songs (think “I’m not your Dancing Queen” sung by Vashti and “Oh Haman’s the name” sung by Haman), Megillah Mia! told the Purim story with a disco twist. These young performers rehearsed every Sunday since January. As they learned on the road, performing for seniors choreography, tried on and Holocaust survivors in our sparkly costumes, and Upper West Side community and This column (top): Our shpielniks take to the stage in Megillah Mia! memorized lines, they participating in a Bikkur Holim This column (bottom) and next column (middle and bottom): Purim also built community, workshop organized by Galit Lopatin Carnival fun.