Congregation Shearith Israel Nonprofit Org The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue U.S. PosTAGE PAID 8 West 70th Street New York, NY 10023 Norwich, CT Permit No. 51 CONGREGATION SHEARITH ISRAEL CONGREGATION GENERAL INQUIRIES HONORARY TRUSTEES Alana Shultz THE BULLE Program Director 212-873-0300 Tel Edgar J. Nathan, 3rd [email protected], (x209) Honorary Parnas 212-724-6165 Fax Philip L. Sherman Dr. Dennis B. Freilich Associate Hazan Honorary Parnas [email protected] [email protected] Alvin Deutsch www.shearithisrael.org Mrs. Lisa Rohde Honorary Parnas Coordinator of Women’s Services For funeral arrangements contact Dr. Edgar Altchek [email protected], (212-787-3161) Zachary Edinger, 917-584-3787, Paul J. Beispel Rafi Blumenthal 212-873-0300 (x 216) Henri Bengualid Junior Congregational Leader [email protected] Arthur A. Goldberg BOARD OF TRUSTEES Leon Hyman David J. Nathan Eva G. Haberman Choirmaster Parnas Saul Laniado Adam Hyman Michael Katz Stuart Marks Associate Choirmaster Segan Jonathan de Sola Mendes Arnie T. Goldfarb Honorary Sexton Louis M. Solomon Edward Misrahi Segan Arthur Tenenholtz Jack Rudin Peter Neustadter Honorary Shamash Honorary Parnas Ronald P. Stanton Roy J. Zuckerberg OFFICE STAFF Harriet Ainetchi 2013 JANUARY–FebruARY Dr. Victoria R. Bengualid Maria Caputo PROFESSIONAL STAFF Office Manager Norman S. Benzaquen Rabbi Hayyim J. Angel [email protected], (x230) Esmé E. Berg (on sabbatical) Maia Kane Karen Daar [email protected] Communications Associate [email protected], (x225) Seth Haberman Rabbi Marc D. Angel T Diana Landau Michael P. Lustig Rabbi Emeritus EBET– [email protected], (x205) Communications Associate Avery E. Neumark Barbara Reiss [email protected], (x221) L. Gilles Sion Executive Director John Quinones [email protected], (x215) Facilities Manager Oliver Stanton T [email protected], (x223) Ralph J. Sutton Rabbi Shalom Morris A Ruth Yasky Educational Director 5773 DAR Elliot Freilich [email protected], (x208) Financial Associate [email protected], (x228) Clerk Rabbi Ira L. Rohde IN Joshua de Sola Mendes Hazan THE BULLETIN Treasurer [email protected], (x217) First published in 1922 by Zachary Edinger The Shearith Israel League. Shamash [email protected], (x216) Design: Aaron Design, Inc. WASHINGTon’s LETTER TO THE JEWS, PURIM AND SHEARITH ISRAEL Barbara Reiss, Executive Director EXPERIENCE SERVICES DIASPORA JEWS AND CIVIC people (‘the stock of Abraham’ was the in their broader community out of their ENGAGEMENT IN EARLY term used in the letter), we were not inherent sense of civic responsibility, if AMERICAN HISTORY centralized, organized under one govern- not at least, enlightened self-interest. By and For Women First, let me start with a confession. ing umbrella or beholden to one religious The reference to Washington’s letter in authority. Yet, somehow we shared a JEWISH CIVIC ENGAGEMENT the title to this piece is somewhat of a ENDURES WOMENS’ SHABBAT SERVICES notion of connectedness to each other bait and switch. I really want to focus Held in the Little Synagogue, these and at the same time, of allegiance to our While Seixas was a pioneer in Ameri- services are an opportunity for women on Moses Seixas’ letter to President new president and all fellow American can Jewish activism, perhaps Mordecai to lead prayer, read from the Torah Washington to which the famous letter citizens. and Esther were his inspiration. These and perform the mitzvot associated by Washington was penned in response. ancient and later models of civic engage- with our services. Many of us who were in attendance at the FINDING A MODEL OF JEWISH ment have persisted throughout our SHABBAT MINHAH/ARBIT Symposium that we held in early Decem- CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN history in America and nowhere are there SERVICE: ber witnessed a lively and illuminating MEGILLAT ESTHER better examples than at Shearith Israel. January 5 at 4:15 pm conversation between Dr. Louise Mirrer, Where do these attitudes come from and While we are known for maintaining the SHABBAT MORNING SERVICE: Professor Jonathan Sarna and Rabbi Dr. what does this have to do with Purim? As Spanish Portuguese tradition for over 350 April 13 at 9:15 am Meir Soloveichik, three leading schol- we know, Megillat Esther is the one book years, our congregants also have a long- ars of American and American Jewish in the Bible which does not reference standing tradition of leadership and par- HAKAFOT History. Among the many nuggets that God’s name. Is God the concealed hero of ticipation in a wider range of communal On the evening of Simhat Torah, a was shared that evening, we learned that the story as Esther’s name suggests (shar- affairs. The breadth of causes to which parallel hakafot ceremony for women Seixas’ letter, which he wrote on behalf of ing the same root as the Hebrew word, our congregation and members have been is held in the Little Synagogue, the Jews of Newport, Rhode Island, and nistar, meaning, hidden and related to involved is staggering: From educational accompanied by a choir of women the English word, star and mystery)? congregants. by extension, the entire Jewish com- institutions such as Columbia University munity in America (which numbered Or is Man or rather, Woman, as the case and Barnard College to civic institutions only around 3,000 at the time) was one of may be, the hero? And who were these such as Mt. Sinai Hospital and the Jewish READING OF MEGILLAT people? Esther and her uncle, Mordecai, ESTHER ON PURIM many letters that was sent to Washington Guild for the Blind. Even neighbor- On the morning of Purim, the by leaders of various religious com- were quintessential Diaspora Jews, by ing religious institutions have benefited women of the synagogue conduct a munities. However, Seixas’ letter, which no means marginal members of society. from our members’ generosity – many women’s Megillah reading in the Little elicited the most famous of Washington’s They lived comfortably as fully inte- of whom contributed to the building of Original artwork by Tamar Messer: www.tamarmesser.com Synagogue. messages to any religious group, was grated and successful Jews in the Persian Trinity Church in 1711. Our congrega- actually one of three letters that were sent empire… until things changed and the tion and its members have helped raise GIRLS’ SHIR HASHIRIM GIRLS’ BOOK OF RUTH WOMEN’S ACTION by the Jewish communities alone (one flames of anti-semitism were fanned by awareness for political causes of Jewish After Musaf on the the eigth On Shabuot, at the conclusion COMMITTEE was sent by the Jews of Savannah and the the villainous but politically powerful concern, such the Damascus Blood Libel day of Pesah, the girls of the of Musaf, the girls of the Exploring the needs of women synagogue recite Megillat other, a joint message from the commu- Haman. I will not recount the story as you in 1840 and the Mortora affair in 1858, synagogue read The Song of at Shearith Israel. Songs in the Main Sanctuary Ruth for the congregation in nities of Philadelphia, Charleston, Rich- will have heard it twice, beautifully read as well as for more universal politi- the Main Sanctuary. for the congregation. mond and Shearith Israel in New York). by our Hazan, on Purim eve and morning. cal issues such as the women’s suffrage As Professor Sarna suggested, aside from But I do want to point out that Mordecai movement in the late nineteenth and For more information, please contact Alana Shultz at [email protected]. appealing for full acceptance and not just and Esther’s scheme to save the Jews was early twentieth centuries. Our members To participate in women’s services, please contact Mrs. Lisa Rohde at [email protected]. toleration, the very fact of these letters predicated on their political acumen and have served in distinguished roles of civil demonstrates something extraordinary status as citizens who could work within service, from local politics to the United Central Park West at 70th Street, New York City • www.shearithisrael.org about Jewish political engagement from the system. They used their political States Supreme Court. Our members the very outset. Even back then, when insight and access to save their Jewish were influential in the Settlement House Jewish numbers in America were so brethren. I’d like to believe that until that movement in the early twentieth century small, while we identified ourselves as a was necessary, they were actively involved and much more recently, the parsonage 2 THE BULLETIN January – February 2013 3 WASHINGTon’s LETTER TO THE JEWS, PURIM AND SHEARITH ANNOUNCEMENTS CLASSES, LECTURES, AND PROGRAMS ISRAEL continued building on Central Park West was used CONGRATULATIONS Louise Defez SHABBAT DINNER* WITH DR. as a homeless shelter during the 1990’s. We wish mazal tob to the following: SCHOLARS IN JON GREENBERG, BIBLICAL PROGRAMS AND David O. Habib ETHNOBOTANIST When specific needs arise our members RESIDENCE EVENTS Birth of a baby girl Olga Rachel to Dahlia FRIDAY NIGHT, FEBRUARY 1 have answered the call, raising money for Karla Homburger and Joe Cohen. RABBI JONATHAN In celebration of Tu b’Shebat, experi- WOMen’s SERVICE victims of the Irish Pototo famine in 1847 Hanna de Leon ROSENBLATT ence Jewish history through food and JANUARY 5 and much more recently lending a help- Birth of baby boy Ari Shemuel to Bob Tam Robert M. Geskin SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 drink with Biblical Ethnobotanist Dr. Shabbat Minhah/Arbit 4:15 pm ing hand in the aftermath of this years and Susan Pinke-Tam Rabbi Rosenblatt has been the Senior Jon Greenberg. Through the hand- By and for women, these services are an devastating hurricane Sandy. Birth of a baby boy Skyler Phoenix to Thank you to the sponsors of our 2012- Rabbi of the Riverdale Jewish Center picked menu items and Dr.