Styrofoam Out of Schools Reception

Check out this information about an important cause and benefit event. This message was passed along to us by organizer and New Shul community member Debby Lee Cohen, and you are all invited!

Dear friends of Styrofoam Out of Schools,

National ACTION is needed today to pass the Child Nutrition
Reauthorization Act! Please call your Congressional Representatives.

From New York Coalition for Healthy School Food:
The chance to pass the Child Nutrition Reautorization (CNR) Act is truly in its last days before the session ends. It is on the schedule for tomorrow (Wednesday). We only have once chance every five years.We want it to pass.

If we don't pass the CNR now, our chances of getting a bill this
strong will likely decrease dramatically with the new Congress. Please
support the CNR reauthorization, and urge your Congressional
Representative to find the funds to restore the funding to SNAP - the
food stamp program.

Exciting NYC news:
Speaker Quinn announced the launch of FOODWORKS NYC:
" the first ever comprehensive plan to use New York City’s food system
to create jobs, improve public health and protect the environment."
I am thrilled that the report addresses the typically overlooked post
consumption issues, including the polystyrene tray issue!

AND,
Please joins us, this Thursday, December 2, from 5 - 8 pm.

Proceeds To Benefit
Styrofoam Out of Schools
(SOSnyc.org)

NATIVE AMERICAN JEWELRY

JOHN MOLLOY GALLERY
IN ASSOCIATION WITH MARTI STRUEVER

OPENING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2010
5:00 - 8:00 PM

with artists
Michael Roanhorse and Liz Wallace presenting their work

Featuring work by Charles Loloma, Sonwai, Michael Roanhorse, Liz
Wallace,
Mike Bird-Romero, Gail Bird, Yazzie Johnson and others

JOHN MOLLOY GALLERY
49 East 78th Street, suite 2B
New York, NY 10075
212.249.3020

http://www.johnmolloygallery.com

(photo: Stan Schnier)

Thank you for your support.
Wishing you a happy holiday season!

All the best,
Debby Lee

Martine Kushner's Inspiring Bat Mitzvah Video Project

A recent Bat Mitzvah student at The New Shul, Martine Kushner, created an incredible video project to get new perspectives on the themes of her Bat Mitzvah Torah portion, Toldot. In this portion, we hear about the birth of Jacob and his twin brother Esau, and how he came to trick his brother into giving him their father's blessing and the birthright. When Esau finds out that Jacob has stolen the blessing, Jacob runs away in fear from his enraged brother. These key moments and interactions paved the course for the rest of Jacob's life.

Martine asked a number of people two questions:

1) If you could know one thing about the future, what would it be.

2) What is one day from your life that, if you could, you would want to go back to and relieve or change?

These are their answers. (click on the video below)

Joseph Does Thanksgiving (Torah Oud Vayeshev)

From Youth Rabbi Zach Fredman:

This week Joseph's brothers throw him into the pit, and then they sit down to celebrate Thanksgiving! Turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. They finish the meal, and are about to say a blessing, and they realize - "Joseph is in the pit. We can't possibly say thanksgiving."

A Lesson in Desert Tabernacle Construction from our BMA Students!

In B'nai Mitzvah Academy, one of our electives is Speed Torah. The students get a crash course in the Torah, starting from Genesis and ending with Deuteronomy, all using fun games and lively discussion.

This week, while studying the Book of Numbers, the students were challenged to imagine the Ark of the Covenant the Israelites carried throughout the wilderness and to design what it would look like. Click below to hear from some of the fantastic groups!

The Holidays Are Comin and Goin

The year is flying by! It feels like just yesterday we celebrated Simchat Torah and now we are counting down the days until Chanukah (9 days! See you on Saturday, December 4 at 5pm in Washington Square Park for our community Chanukah celebration). Details here.

Rebbe's Table a Hit!

26 folks attended yesterday's Rebbe's Table at City Winery featuring Stephane Gerson, member and Associate Professor at NYU's Institute of French Studies. Don't miss the next one on Sunday, December 19.

A Different December Festival: The 6th Sephardic Music Festival!

6th Sephardic Music Festival Dec 1-8

Join us for the kick-off event of the 6th Sephardic Music Festival on Dec 1st., the first night of Chanukah. This Art Rave and Fashion Show is in a 20,000 square foot loft with a view of the East River in Brooklyn's Industry City. The festival continues through Dec 8th.

http://sephardicfest.com for more info!

Happy Chanukah

This past Friday, members of the membership committee stuffed Chanukah care packages for our college students. We hope they enjoy them.

Kathi Jacob, Beth Weiner and Wendy Kantor busy at work.

Wishing you all a Hapy Chanukah. Join The New Shul for the 4th night in Washington Square Park at 5pm. Click here for details.

An Inspiring Story

This was sent to us by a dear friend. It inspired us, and we hope it inspires you!

Wow. November Friday Shabbat Serves 50 Members in Song, Prayers and Food

On Friday, November 5th (at our first Shabbat of the month) Youth Rabbi Zach, led a group of kids on a fun, hip Shabbat experience. Downstairs, at the same time, co-founder Ellen Gould, provided a rich and fun evening for the adults. Then it all came together with an energetic and delicious Oneg.

As one New Shul member remarked, "It was Friday night and the last thing I wanted to do was truck down to Shabbat services. I forced myself to go and before I knew it the magic of The New Shul took over. Sitting with friends and other members, singing with Ellen and then hanging out at the Oneg - taking and shmoozing - reminded me that once again The New Shul turned a Friday service into to a great experience. It never stops surprising me."

Jacob Wrestling Angels

By Youth Rabbi Zach Fredman:

In this week's Torah portion, Jacob wrestles with an angel in the night.

The word used - [Va-ye-a-bek] - and they wrestled/struggled - appears only once
in the whole Bible

So no one quite knows what it means - Jacob and the angel - wrestling, struggling.

Ibn Ezra - 12th century, master linguist says [Vayeabek] is from the root [avak] - dust.

And they stirred up the dust together. Or, they wrestled, until dust rose up between them.

We can't be afraid to stir up the dust, with friends, with God, with ourselves.

Stir up the dust.



Join The New Shul this Friday, November 26 as we discuss this very portion with Rabbi Miriam Ancis at Yamuna (132 Perry Street) starting at 6:30pm. At this Satellite Shabbat we'll take on this paradoxical sense of "Rest" and see what we can "Wrest" from the experience by association games of light contact and movement to midrashic readings of the Jacob story. Ellen Gould will be lending musical support for Miriam's service.

The Pajama Program Mitzvah Project

Participate in The New Shul's Second Annual Chanukah Pajama and Book Drive aiding the Pajama Program, a non-profit organization that provides new pajamas and books to needy children throughout the US and all over the world. They provide these essentials to children from ages newborn through 18 years, some of whom have never owned a pair of PJs.

Since 2001, they have provided 550,000 pairs of pajamas and 250,000 books for needy children nationwide. Please help make these children's nights warmer and happier with a new pair of pajamas and a new book this holiday season.

We are collecting PJs and books at Rishonim and BMA between November 29-December 9 to help children ages baby-18 years. Thank you so much for your generous donation during this very important time of year.

Rabbi Zach Chants Jacob's Ladder

In this weeks' Torah portion, Jacob alights upon a magical place and spends the night there.

He has a dream of a ladder. Standing upon the earth reaching to the heavens; and there are angels, ascending and descending.

The question is this: What is your access-point, your bridge, your connection to the sacred?

How do we create ladders, make angels that go back and forth between sacred and profane
ascending and descending?

(Youth Rabbi Zach Fredman chants Torah and plays the Oud)

21 Days 'til Chanukah

Click to enlarge! See you (and your family and friends) there!

WhY Israel?! How much do you know?

Our Generation Y teens and pre-teens are focusing on the complexities of Israel viewed through the prism of art and media. They just finished studying the first topic: Cinema -- The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

SEE HOW MUCH YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS VERY IMPORTANT TOPIC!

1. On what date did Israel declare its independence as a state?

2. Who build the first temple around 950 CE?

3. True or False: The Jewish Holy Temple was built and destroyed twice.

4. True or False: Today, the Jewish Holy Temple stands in tact in the Old City of Jerusalem.

5. Put the Jewish Kings in order: David, Saul, Solomon

6. Who leads the Jews out of Egypt and back to the Holy Land in 1200 BCE?

7. Fill in the blank: When the 12 Hebrew tribes are united in the Holy Land, it comes to be known as ______.

Answers in comment section.

Chanukah Jewpardy

We know. It's not even Thanksgiving yet and we're blogging about Chanukah (don't blame us, it's the Jewish calendars fault). Chanukah begins in 22 days so start warming up with a game of Jewpardy.

Answers appear in the comment section.

FACTS
100…During Chanukah the Jews dedicated this.
200…He was a Jewish old priest, who refused to worship Greek gods.
300…This is the name of the King who decided to destroy the Jewish religion.
400… This is the name of the Greek General who conquered all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea.
500…This is what the Hebrew letters inscribed on the dreidel stand for.
CUSTOMS
100…This is what the Jews needed, a long time ago, in order to light the Menorah.
200…This is a special game children play on Chanukah.
300… This is the time of day that the menorah should be lit.
400… This is how long the candles should burn.
500… This is the number of candles we use for all the eight nights combined.

HEBREW
100… This is the Hebrew name for the Chanukah menorah.
200… This is the literal meaning of the word Chanukah.
300…This is what Maccabee means.
400…This is the name of the special Chanukah candle, used to light the other candles.
500…This is the name of the third prayer we say on the first night only.

Have a trivia question for us? Leave it in the comment section?

The Oldest Holocaust Survivor in the World

This video was sent to us by member Sylvia Stein. Someone sent it to Sylvia's mother, and when she watched it she realized that this was her (Sylvia's mothers) piano teacher in Prague!

Enjoy! It's 12 minutes long and worth every second. Incredibly moving.

Want Some Bagels with Those 16th Century Prophecies?

Satellite Shabbat - Friday, November 19 at 6:30pm

A Day to Wrest

Friday, November 19 at 6:30pm

Yamuna • 132 Perry Street

Rabbi Miriam Ancis will be leading our first Satellite Shabbat of the year, “Shabbat: A Day to Wrest.” We think of Shabbat as a day of rest, but to rest is not to do nothing. Rest can be an opportunity to wrestle, to struggle with who we are and who we want to be. In the parasha, Vayishlach, Jacob falls asleep and, in that state, wrestles with an angel. What does he wrest from that encounter? At this Satellite Shabbat we’ll take on this paradoxical sense of “rest” and see what we can “wrest” from the experience by associating games of light contact and movement to midrashic readings of the Jacob story.

Ellen Gould will be lending musical support for Miriam's service.

Rabbi Miriam is one of The New Shul’s Pastoral Rabbis, and this is a great opportunity for all of us to get to know her. The program is designed to be intergenerational, so come with or without children, but please come! No experience or dexterity needed.

Toldot/Oud: Blessing Jacob

Check out Youth Rabbi Zach Fredman chanting this weekend's Torah portion! If you like what you see and hear, come to Shabbat services on Friday night at 6:30pm or Saturday morning at 10:30am for more beautiful words of Torah.

Are you a real baseball fan? You won't want to miss this movie!

JEWS AND BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY
Begins this Friday, November 5

Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th St., Manhattan

Kew Gardens Cinemas

Malverne Cinema

Sag Harbor Cinema

Filmmakers Q & A after Friday and Saturday

evening shows

at the Quad

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman

Featuring Sandy Koufax, Al Rosen, Yogi Berra, Kevin Youkilis, Shawn Green, Ron Howard, Fred Wilpon, Marvin Miller, Ron Blomberg, and many others

"Fascinating, funny, poignant. Sure to please any audience." - Jeffrey Lyons

"A hard-hitting examination of integration through sports." - Jerusalem Post

"Strikes out a stadium-load of assumptions." - Variety

"Sensationally entertaining." - Bay Area Reporter

More information at: www.jewsandbaseball.com

Torah Reading at Rishonim

Last Thursday, Youth Rabbi Zach Fredman joined us for Tefillah, our community prayer time at the end of Rishonim. Rabbi Zach chanted and translated the weekly Torah portion. It was a really special time for all that participated.

Rabbi Zach plans to do something similar this Friday night, November 5 at Club Shabbat starting at 6:30pm in Room 208.