What to Talk About At Your Thanksgiving Dinner...Or While Stuck in Traffic to or From Dinner

This week's Torah portion is Toldot. Check out the latest G-dcast video:


More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com

Here are some thoughts and questions from the curriculum section of their website:

Toldot is an easy episode to connect to. Lies, intrigue, suspense, and mystical stuff like the transfer of birthrights and a baby entirely covered by hair—it practically reads like a Lord of the Rings movie script. For that same reason, it’s a difficult story to grasp. How can we accept the idea that God told Rebecca to deceive her husband? Why does Jacob, who’s a holy person and, in fact, one of the great Jewish forefathers, basically go to war against his brother? These are difficult questions. It’s not that they’re unanswerable—and it definitely isn’t the case that we shouldn’t be asking them; some of the most important rabbis, teachers and artists ever had these same questions. It’s just a pathway to thinking…and a pathway to really understanding the Torah.

As you ponder these ideas and questions between catching up with aunts and uncles, don’t forget to keep us in the loop. Post your answers in the comment section, better yet, post your questions too!

This week’s g-dcast is narrated by Y-Love. To learn more about Y-love and how he used hip hop as a way of learning at Yeshiva in Israel, check this out.

The Top Ten List - We Need Yor Help!

You may have seen our postcard of the Top Ten Reasons I’ll Never Ever Ever Join a Synagogue (But Why You Might Want to Join The New Shul). If not, click here . Now we are ready to create a new top ten list of creative ways our members and friends celebrate Shabbat and we need your help! What do you do to make Shabbat special? This year we are participating in our own Shabbat Project, our year-long quest to discover and reclaim Judaism’s “Stress-free zone.” We have Shtetl Shabbat, Shabbat on Tap, Club Shabateeny, Shabbat Deconstructed and are in the midst of planning a Social Action Shabbat (Feb. 27-28) and a Spa Shabbat (April 24-25).

We want real examples - big or small (they may not make the postcard but they might inspire someone to try it at home) – of ways our members and friends celebrate Shabbat. So talk to us. Is it making Kiddush and singing songs? Is it sushi Shabbat? Is it waiting outside until you see three stars from the city streets? Is it coffee and the Saturday Times in bed? Is it not checking your email or thinking about work for 24 hours (we know, it's harder than you think!)? Is it making your workout holy? Go on, tell us. In fact, tell us what you would like to do - maybe you haven't done it yet but you hope to before the year ends!

The Sandwich Generation: Caught in the Middle?

Are you worried about your aging parents, and stressed about trying to juggle your responsibilities to your family, your work, and yourself?

If you're feeling isolated, sad, angry, frustrated, guilty or anxious about finances?
You are not alone!

Please join Andrea Osnow, LCSW and Nancy Wohl, LCSW for a free discussion where we can share ideas, resources and support

For more information, please call 212-645-1452 or email villager@aol.com

Where
272 West 10th Street (between Greenwich and Washington Streets)

When
Thursday, December 4, 7-8:30pm
Thursday, January 29, 7-8:30pm

Did you know there is a Jewish Book Month?

By Rabbi Niles Goldstein

And we just entered it (though technically it lasts for more then a month!). I wanted to share a few new and interesting titles that I thought might be of interest to some of you. If you read them, leave a note in the comment section about your thoughts. If you have other books you'd like to add to the list, please post them in the comment section as well.

MY JESUS YEAR by Benyamin Cohen, a friend of mine and the son of an Orthodox rabbi, writes with wit and insight about a year he spent amongst evangelical Christians as he explored his spiritual identity. That journey led him right back to his own Jewish roots.

THE WISDOM OF MAIMONIDES by (New Shul member) Edward Hoffman is an accessible and thoughtful book about the great Jewish philosopher and sage, Moses Maimonides. If you have an interest in learning more about Jewish thought and theology, this book is for you.

THE NEW JEWISH FEMINISM by Rabbi Elyse Goldstein offers a wonderful overview of feminist approaches to Judaism from the past and present, as well as a vision of where it ought to be headed in the years and decades ahead.

Happy Reading!

Rabbi Dan's Picks

Welcome to a new feature on our blog, where I'll put up the songs and videos that I'm listening to these days.

I've had so many wonderful conversations with everyone at The New Shul (adults, teens, rishonim kids) about the music that they are listening to and I thought this would be a great place to expose our entire community to it.

If you have any suggestions for "Rabbi Dan's Picks" (or just good music that you think I should be listening to), please don't hesitate to write me - "rabbidan" at gmail.

Our first of Rabbi Dan's Picks comes from the newly formed outfit called "Little Joy" and is the first track from their self-titled debut album which was released two weeks ago.

Featuring Fabrizio Moretti (of The Strokes) on the drums, according to Pitchfork, "Little Joy is not going to stop the world or change your life, but it's one of the sweetest, most listenable, consistently enjoyable records of the season."

I should also note that that Alana has been playing their record around the clock for the past week.

Enjoy their video for "Next Time Around":

We're on Twitter

Are you? Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows people to stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? Barack Obama used it during his campaign to give brief reports on what he's doing and thinking. The New Shul is using it to give updates on events, our blog, our members, and the Jewish community around us. If you're already on Twitter, follow us. If not, click here to sign-up.

Twitter Challenge: We need a picture for our Twitter profile. Help us create an image or find a picture that fits our vision. Email the pic/image to Amy or our office. We'll choose a winner which will become our new "face" of our twitter page.

The "Now I Get It" Service

By Jonny Adler, 6th grade student

At last Friday night's service, Rabbis Dan and Niles led the learners in Shabbat prayers, going through the significance and meaning of each tradition, from the tunes of the brachot/blessings to instruction on when to bow during prayers. (If you weren't there but always wondered when to bow during the Amidah, the central prayer of the service, click here.) All through the service we were lead by the wonderful singing of Ellen Gould.

After most of the prayers were finished, the Rabbi team took questions from the congregants, answering tough questions about the chronology of the Shabbat prayers and what constitutes as work on Shabbat. Did you know that Kabbalat Shabbat means the "Receiving of Shabbat"? It is a mystical ritual designed to welcome Shabbat developed during the 16th century by Kabbalists.

At the end of the service we enjoyed the delicious challah, wine and some of the most amazing string beans ever!

Editor's note: Missed the service? Attended the service but still have questions about Shabbat? Join us for A Taste of Judaism: Shabbat Deconstructed at Cowgirl Hall of Fame on one Sunday of month (brunch and drinks included!). Check the calendar for dates.

$1,000 Plus Exposure!

Nextbook is a Jewish cultural organization that produces an online magazine, publishes a book series, and presents events around the country. They are sponsoring a contest – in conjunction with NYU’s Film School – for the best short film/video promoting “The Jewish Body.”

You do not have to be a student at NYU to enter, nor a professional filmmaker. If you have a digitial camera or the cool Flip Ulta then why are you still reading this? Go out there and make a short video! If you win, don't foget to thank us at the Award Ceremony.

Click here for more details.

I'm Bringing Mitzvah Back

By Emma Block, 8th grade student

As I prepared for my Bat Mitzvah, I wanted to make it special. Rather then an expensive, meaningless party at some fancy restaurant, I wanted a party at a place where it would mean something to Jewish life. I am having it at The Museum of Jewish Heritage. I chose this place to celebrate the memory of the people who made it possible for us to live today. The people, who even as they stared hatred in the eyes, never denied their religion. I must remember the value of this lesson as I become a Bat Mitzvah. Many lost loved ones and family. I think it is important to remember where we come from and respect their memory.

In addition to the venue, I wanted to do a mitzvah project. I am organizing a food drive for City Harvest. As the economy gets worse, more people are finding it hard to buy food and shelter their families. City Harvest is an organization that helps these people and I thought that since I have food on my table, so should every person.

Please drop off any canned foods at my havdalah Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, December 13th at 5pm at VCS. Everyone is invited to stay for the service. Thank you/Todah!

Second Annual Weekend of Action, February 27-28, 2009

The New Shul Social Action Committee met this week to begin to plan our 2nd Annual Weekend of Action, which will be held February 27-28.



There were so many worthy projects on the table, thanks in part to UJA Development Associate Michael Trager, who came to talk about UJA affiliated programs. The difficulty lay in choosing one opportunity over another and our sense that in doing so, we were turning our backs on the group not chosen.

Then Moshe Rothenberg, social worker and committee member, spoke up. "I have to say something," he began. "There's endless need out there. We also have to think about what our needs are, what the members of The New Shul need to get out of this weekend." While something immediately rang true in his words, we non-social worker types took some time to acknowledge that our needs as a community count too. While we are devoting a weekend to helping others, Moshe suggests we stop to consider how we, The New Shul, will grow from this experience.

What do you think? Are we being too self-involved if we bring our own needs into the equation? Have you helped others in a way that illustrates your views on this?

Posted by Maia Wechsler

Happy Holidays

Every year the holidays come earlier and earlier. Not only because of the calendar but because of marketing. It was Halloween in August and now it's Chanukah in November. When people say have a good a holiday this week, are they referring to Thanksgiving or Passover? Here at The New Shul, the holiday on our mind is Chanukah! This year we are celebrating as a community on the first night which is Sunday, December 21 at 5pm.





Do the Light Thing:

A Chanukah Celebration in Washington Square Park

Help The New Shul create a public Light Sculpture that will shine a
light on the miracle of Chanukah and send a message of hope and peace
to our community and the world. Dance to the music of the Cavemen,
sing some Chanukah songs, keep warm with a cup of steaming hot
chocolate and taste tradition with a delicious potato latke! This is a
free event. Bring your family and friends—all are welcome!





Where
Washington Square Park at the Garibaldi statue (enter at LaGuardia Place)

(in case of REALLY bad weather, we'll celebrate indoors at 272 West 10th Street, between Washington & Greenwich Streets)

Thanksgiving (Jewish) Recipe

As you search the internet for Thanksgiving recipes, we thought you may want to try last year's Golden Shmaltz Winner for Best Tasting and Best Overall -- Green Eggs and No Ham Matzoh Balls™ by Cheftestant Jeanette Eichenwald.



Green Eggs and No Ham Matzoh Balls

4 eggs
1 ¼ t salt
½ t pepper
1 cup matzoh meal
¼ cup chicken fat (Schmaltz) or fat scooped from top of chicken broth
¼ cup chicken broth
1 10oz box chopped spinach (thawed/squeeze out liquid)

Combine all ingredients. Chill for at least one hour. Using wet
hands form mixture into balls and drop into boiling water with
chicken soup bullion. Cook for 45 minutes and remove with slotted
spoon.


We currently can't find a picture of Jeanette receiving her trophy, so we thought we'd post Jeanette shaking hands with President Bill Clinton. We know the trophy pic may have been more exciting….


Editor's note: Mark Your Calendar for The New Shul's 3rd Annual Golden Schmaltz Awards: Souper Bowl 2009.
Join The New Shul community and friends at Steven Lyle's Village Restaurant for a rollicking soup smack-down. There'll be an open bar, music, raffle and lots of action.
Come to eat, come to compete—either way, you'll have a souper time!

Contestants can enter their spoon-slurping masterpiece in one of two divisions:

• Chicken Soup

• All Other Soups


Date: Sunday, January 25, 2009 (a week before the Super Bowl!)
Place: Village Restaurant (62 West 9th Street)
Time: 3:30-5:30pm

Juju's Deliciously Informative Food Blog

Many of our adult members blog, but we just found out our young ones do too!

Julian Gerson is a 7th grader enrolled in B'nai Mitzvah Acadmy. Like so many of us, he loves to eat and has a palette for New York's finest. Check out Julian's blog for some classic eats, including a list of 40 NY restaurants he wants to go to - how many have you visited? Feel free to add some of your restaurant recommendations in our comment section.

Beteavon (that's Hebrew for Bon Appetite!).

Getting Rid of Your Chazerei*

A member was recently cleaning out her books to make room for an art studio in her apartment. As fellow members gathered to help, we were amazed by her at home library. One book about teaching yourself Yiddish caught our eye. Unfortunately Yiddish words are used less and less even in New York City.

We try to pepper our speech with Yiddish words at The New Shul - shtetl, tish, shmooze, davening, shmaltz, and even the word shul! To find out the difference between shlemiel and shlimazl click here

We look forward to hearing more yiddish words as we join as a mishpocha for a nosh at Shtetl Shabbat on Friday, December 5th. ZIE GA ZINK!

*junk or garbage

Member Spotlight

Mazal Tov to member and executive at NBC Universal, Lauren Zalaznick, on her cover story of the New York Times magazine on October 30.

To read the complete story, click here.

Congrats Lauren and family!

Why, What, How: A Shabbat Service for Learners and Seekers

Why do Jews do what they do at Shabbat Services?

Join Rabbis Niles Goldstein and Dan Ain as they guide us through a Friday night Shabbat Service, explaining the reasons for and meanings behind some of our key prayers and practices.

Come to pray, ask questions, or simply to learn about how our faith has traditionally sought to welcome in Shabbat, the day of rest. And perhaps even discover ways to reclaim some of that power and peace in your own life!

When
Friday, November 21 @ 6:30pm

Where
272 West 10th Street

The Shabbat Project is The New Shul’s year-long quest to discover and reclaim Judaism’s “stress-free zone.”

Blogging Shabbat on Tap

From member Diane Temkin:

After attending the first Shabbat on Tap, I was really looking forward to the second one, which I attended last week. Gathering in the back room of a neighborhood bar with free beer, challah, and tap water, I felt like this was a throwback to the quintessential Greenwich Village-type salon of past eras, when friends would gather to discuss life, art, politics, and--oh yes--religion too. I enjoyed the vibrant discussion and debate, led by the rabbis, about whether the American people are expecting too much from Obama as if he is a messiah, what really did happen in Biblical times when there were great expectations placed upon leaders, and what lessons can be learned from the past? It was great to hear so many diverse opinions, even some Republican opinions. This was truly an inspiring and relaxing way to start the weekend. I am looking forward to more of these events in 2009.

Please join us for the next Shabbat on Tap on Friday, January 23rd at 7pm in the back room of Dublin6 (575 Hudson Street, b/w 11th & Bank)

Iraq's Last Jews, a new book from member Dennis Shasha

From member Dennis Shasha:

Jews have the unfortunate history of being oppressed by their host countries, culminating in the Shoah. It is possible to read the history of Jews in Iraq through this same lens. Even in Ottoman times, Jews like Christian had to pay a dhimma (a tax to avoid having jihad or holy war committed against them). In 1941 there was a pogrom and in the last years of the Jewish community, there was Saddam Hussein enjoying his tortures.

But there is another, much more positive aspect to the Jewish life in Iraq. First there is the birth of the Talmud: the Babylonian Talmud starting in 474 of the Common Era. Then there are the many stories of prosperous adventurers from Iraq who made their way to the far east in the late 1800s like Sir Albert David Sassoon and the Sir Elie Kadoorie. Ours is about a different story: the Jews in Iraq from the 1920s to the 1980s. It started well. There were Jewish merchants, Jewish musicians, Jewish government ministers, and Jewish schools. This wasn't equality, but there was respect, opportunity, and a strong feeling of Jewish patriotism for Iraq.

We start with those times through the words or direct descendants of the people who lived them.

Click here for more information about Iraq's Last Jews.


Editor's Note: Dennis Shasha will be conducting a reading taking place in the VCS cafeteria (272 West 10th Street) on Monday, December 8th beginning at 6:30pm. This event is open to members and non-members. Rabbi Niles Goldstein will do a brief introduction to what promises to be a very informative evening.

Torah Tish - The Call of the Wild: Genesis/Lech Lecha

In the Torah portion known as Lech Lecha, we meet Abraham, the first Jew. Called by God to “go forth” and create a great nation, he literally takes a leap of faith and leaves behind his country, his culture, and his family to embark on one of the world’s greatest adventures.


Parshat Lech Lecha from g-dcast on Vimeo.

At The New Shul’s Torah Tish, join Rabbi Niles Goldstein for a riveting exploration of the fascinating stories found in in the Torah.We will use commentaries (sometimes unexpected and even outlandish) drawn from the rabbinic sages, to help us better understand these seminal verses of our most sacred book. Have a drink, eat some herring, and dive into a discussion where no question is left off the “table!” It is a custom at a Tish to bring a beverage and/or something to nosh on with the rest of the group.

When: Monday, November 10 from 7-8:30pm

Where: 272 West 10th Street, in the cafeteria

The Shabbat Project is The New Shul’s year-long quest to discover and reclaim Judaism’s “stress-free zone.”

Rabbi Niles on the election

From The Jewish Week -

While many Orthodox voters were reportedly supportive of Palin’s nomination, “most people” in non-Orthodox circles “have viewed [her candidacy] as the last straw,” influencing them to vote Democratic, said Rabbi Niles Goldstein, spiritual leader of The New Shul, an “independent, progressive” congregation in Greenwich Village.

Rabbi Niles also noted that:

Jewish voters “didn’t buy” negative reports about Obama, that he is a closet anti-Semite or a closet Muslim, Rabbi Goldstein said. “None of that washed.”

Are Jews hesitant to vote for a black candidate?

“It’s certainly applicable to [part of] the older generation of Jews in America,” Rabbi Goldstein said. “Just as older, white Americans have certain biases, there are [older members of the American Jewish community] with those attitudes."

To read the full article, click here

Jack Saul and African Refuge Presents "Pray the Devil Back to Hell"

Member Jack Saul and AFRICAN REFUGE present:

Pray The Devil Back to Hell

A Film by Gini Reticker and Abigail E. Disney

A film screening and short presentation held at:
Cinema Village
22 East 12th Street
New York, NY 10003
Saturday, November 8th, 2008
4:00pm

Director Jacob Massaquoi II and African Refuge staff and community volunteers will speak about their work with Liberian refugees in Staten, Island.

The award winning film Pray the Devil Back to Hell chronicles the remarkable story of the courageous Liberian women who come together to end a bloody civil war and bring peace to their shattered country.

To purchase tickets, please visit the Cinema Village website or stop by the theater in person.

Tribeca Film Festivals' Best Documentary Award-Winning Pray the Devil Back to Hell is the gripping account of a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a decades-old civil war. This incredible, uplifting story has also earned awards at Silverdocs (Witness Award), Jackson Hole Film Festival (Audience Choice: Documentary), Traverse City Film Festival (Special Jury Prize: Non-fiction Filmmaking), and the Heartland Film Festival (Best Documentary).

Desmond Tutu, Winner 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, says that Pray the Devil Back to Hell"...eloquently captures the power each of us innately has within our souls to make this world a far better, safer, more peaceful place"

Blogging the Tish

From member Bill Rood:

The tone of the Monday Night Tish

At the Monday night tish we discussed tone. When Cain says to God "am I my brother's keeper?" we don't know what the tone is for sure. While God's reaction implies that Cain is being flip, that is only if you see the mark on Cain as a curse. Rabbi Goldstein pointed out that he had been taught another interpretation, which is to hear Cain as voicing an honest question. If you consider that this is one of the first human beings and that God has given very little instruction at this point, it does stand to reason that Cain doesn't realize he's responsible for the whereabouts (and life?) of his brother. We may be hearing Cain's tone with modern, jaded ears where we wouldn't be surprised if someone spoke back to authority.

Then again he says "since You have banished me ... and I must avoid Your presence ... anyone who meets me may kill me" (4:14). The word "since" may be very important. Unfortunately I don't have the Hebrew skill to know if it was inserted during translation, but "since" signals a cause and effect relationship. Cain is saying that God's banishing him from Eden is causing him to be killed. If Cain felt leaving Eden would get him killed wouldn't he have said that and that only? Banishment from Eden and having to avoid the presence of God seem reason enough for suicide. But should we hear "may kill me" as talk of suicide? Once again we do not know the tone. Was that statement said in a defiant or a worried tone? While one might assume avoiding God would only be about God's disappointment, there might also be a practical aspect. If you are required to avoid God, then God cannot protect you and anyone may kill you. Realizing that we can hear the tone in Cain's voice as very worried (potentially confused), which makes him a very different Cain than we have seen before.

Besides tone, another interesting thing to consider is that Cain is able to avoid the presence of God while living in the world, which seems a contradiction of other Jewish concepts of the presence of God being throughout the world. But that has nothing to do with tone, so it's for another time. Then again, did I just say that with a sincere or sarcastic tone?