W Kesher. elcome A WARM WELCOME TO VT S NEWEST MEMBERS: IN THIS ISSUE THE NEWSLETTER

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1 Kesher THE NEWSLETTER Come as you are. Discover who you are. W Kesher elcome to Connection is the force that binds members and clergy to Judaism and to The Village Temple. IN THIS ISSUE November-December 2017 / 5778 A WARM WELCOME TO VT S NEWEST MEMBE: Steve Blader & Robert Swanson, Hannah & Micah Suzie Bolotin & John Rothman Rachael & John Colasante, Luci, Lily & Ruby Jacob Drill & Stewart Wallace, Max & Leo Eve & Richard Kessner, Bar & Avital Renee Feinberg David Ferber & Dorothy Jordan Andrew Flesch & Suzanne Blum, Ivy & Julia Debra Fried Michael Goldsman & Linda McCarty, William Adam & Dana Goldstein, Laya Greg Kaplan, Joanna Rachel Kaplan, Lily A Letter from the Rabbi... 2 Jessica & Matthew Harris, Tess, Eliot, Alice, Solomon & Benjamin A Letter from The Co-Presidents...3 Rebecca Leeman-Neill & Daniel Neill, Ari, Adam, & Tali The High Holy Days Cindy & Dan Schwartz, Maddie & Charlotte Teens at The Village Temple...4 Myra Shapiro Education News...5 Meryl Holt & Eli Silverman Save the Date...6 Sam Sternberg & Meredith Weinsaft, Eliza & Ethan November Calendar....7 Alison Tarnofsky & Robert Kaplan, Eli & Sadie December Calendar....8 Karine & Jason Wittes, Quentin & Reuben

2 KESHER A LETTER FROM RABBI HICH The Newsletter of The Village Temple Congregation B nai Israel of New York RABBI Deborah A. Hirsch, D.Min rabbidhirsch@villagetemple.org CANTOR Nancy Bach cantorbach@villagetemple.org EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Sandy Albert salbert@villagetemple.org DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Alex Tansky, RJE atansky@villagetemple.org DIRECTOR, CHILDREN S CHOIR & ACCOMPANIST Anita Hollander anitahollander@hotmail.com DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Liotte Greenbaum lgreenbaum@villagetemple.org CO-PRESIDENTS Julie Salamon jms118@att.net Fred Basch fredbasch@nyc.rr.com EDITOR Elyse Grusky egrusky@gmail.com PHOTOGRAPHER Susan Rosenberg Jones We invite all who wish to join us to enter our doors: Jews by birth, Jews by choice, interfaith families. Inside you will find a community of people who are on a quest to reshape Shabbat and holiday worship, reinvigorate Jewish learning, and renew our commitment to tikkun olam through social action and justice. 33 East 12th Street New York, NY villagetemple.org 2 Kesher November-December 2017 / 5778 Dear Friends, For many of us, November marks the beginning of the fall season the High Holy Days and Sukkot are now memories, and families are busy making plans for the upcoming secular and religious holidays. Our children s choir is busy rehearsing for both our Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service scheduled for Tuesday, November 21 and our Family Hanukkah Service on Friday, December 15. One holiday links us as Americans and one as a Jewish community. Surely, the underlying theme of both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah is one of freedom our ability to worship as we choose our gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. And for our congregants and neighbors who celebrate Christmas it is a season of hope and renewal. For many this year, Thanksgiving will be harder to offer gratitude as Americans scramble to put their lives together after Hurricane Harvey, Charlottesville, Hurricane Maria, the massacre in Las Vegas, wild fires scorching homes and lives. Each of these tragedies cut across racial, religious, and economic borders. America, as a country, has been diminished by each of these catastrophes, and as Americans, we stand united in our sympathy and aide. With all of the divisiveness that emerged from last year s elections, and as we embrace both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, it is the time to reaffirm the unifying threads of red, white, and blue that weave liberty and freedom through all corners of our country. No story encapsulates the theme of freedom and unity more than that of Hanukkah. Prior to the Maccabean revolt, the Jewish community was poised on civil war those who supported the Hellenization of Judaism under the High Priest, Menelaus, and those who opposed it. The Maccabees restored Jerusalem and the Temple to their prior, sacred state. And although, the Maccabees triumph was overturned four years later, their legacy of victory and strength has been a unifying symbol throughout Jewish history. Similarly, may history look back upon our current year of unrest, and may it highlight those moments and those Americans who united against forces of destruction whether created by nature or inhumane humanity. The following poem, written by Alden Solovy, provides us with direction. We Will Not Yield by Alden Solovy L shalom, Rabbi Deborah A. Hirsch Rabbidhirsch@villagetemple.org Today, I am neither Democrat nor Republican, Neither left nor right nor center. I am an American, Born to a legacy of truth and justice, Born to a legacy of freedom and equality. Today, I am a patriot Who will not yield this nation to hate. Not to neo-nazis. Not to thugs self-styled as militia. Not to slogans or chants. Not to gestures or flags. Not to threats and not to violence. Hate is hate, Ugly and brutal, And we will not yield. Today, I am Christian, Muslim and Jew, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh, Atheist and agnostic. I am Asian, Latino, Hispanic, African American, White, Native American and multi-racial. I am an immigrant, a child of the American Revolution, A veteran and a soldier. I work in the dark depth of the mines And the high towers of Wall Street, In the factories and the farms, In our hospitals and strip malls. I am gay, lesbian, straight, bi, trans, Man, woman and gender-neutral. I am young, old, blind and deaf, Hearing and sighted, Disabled, Powerful and unafraid. Truth is truth, That all are created equal, And we will not yield. Today, I am an American, A citizen of the United States, A child of this great democracy, A child of this wise republic, Dedicated to liberty, Dedicated to action. We will not yield.

3 A LETTER FROM THE CO-PRESIDENTS Interfaith Celebrations Our family, like many in our congregation, is an interfaith family. In our home in New York we celebrate Hanukkah and we celebrate Christmas at the home of my mother- and father- in-law. I don t think our interfaith approach is right or even an advisable plan for others, but it is the one we observed since my wife and I started visiting her family during the Christmas holiday about 25 years ago. I think our tradition may have started to avoid the duplication of efforts. Frugality is a trait shared by both our families. Why have a tree in New York if there will be one in Chicago? My wife s parents were very involved in their faith. Both my father-in-law and my mother-in-law were part of the lay leadership in their church. It seemed appropriate to Celebrate Christmas in Chicago and Hanukkah in New York. Our approach seemed to work for a while but in 2008, 2011, 2014 and most recently 2016, Hanukkah fell during our visit with the in-laws. During those years we have celebrated a combined Hanukkah Christmas celebration with my wife s family. This includes our family, my mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, two nieces, and one very active nephew. Our joint celebration started modestly. In 2008 our family arrived in Chicago with Hanukkah candles but without a menorah. Undeterred, I made a menorah out of tin foil with my daughter Emma. I have made dinner on Christmas for my in-laws for about 20 years, so it was not unusual for me to be in the kitchen making a large turkey, stuffing, roasted Brussels sprouts, spaghetti, and starting in 2008, latkes. I make a good roast turkey but the latkes were a hit. Given that about three-quarters of the crowd does not eat meat, the spaghetti, Brussels sprouts, and latkes seem to be the core of the meal for most. Not a balanced meal but greatly appreciated. In 2011 and 2014 latkes were staple items on the menu and a travel menorah was pressed into use. The travel menorah was somewhat less creative but somewhat more stable. My daughter and I answered questions about Hanukkah from the nieces and nephew. As my mother-in-law died in 2016, and we no longer had a central place to celebrate the holidays, we invited the entire crowd to my father s house in Cape Cod.While there was no tree, there were candles, outdoor lights, turkey, spaghetti, Brussels sprouts, latkes, time for cousins to laugh, sisters to talk, and my nephew got to see the ocean for the first time. I would love to hear from other interfaith families that may have a different take on how they celebrate the holidays. Fred Basch, Co-President fredbasch@nyc.rr.com The High Holy Days 5778 November-December 2017 / 5778 Kesher 3

4 TEENS AT THE VILLAGE TEMPLE At the VT, one of our core values is Tikkun olam repairing the world. The mitzvah of caring for others can be seen every Saturday at The Village Temple Soup Kitchen, where volunteers prepare food for guests in need of a meal. This year, Yom Kippur fell on Shabbat, when our community was observing the holiday in services all day. Even though we fast on this holy day, we did not want our soup kitchen guests to go hungry. The Friday afternoon of Kol Nidre, our teenagers came to temple after school to make sandwiches and prepare bagged lunches to hand out the following day. Thank you to Matthew, Ben, Chloe, Josh, Ayelet, Isabel, Sophie, Sadie, Marc, and Sophia, as well as Jill Chavooshian, for volunteering your time and energy to help feed the hungry in our neighborhood. Liotte Greenbaum Director of Community Engagement lgreenbaum@villagetemple.org Meet our November & December B nai Mitzvah: Cole Rosenthal, son of Steve Rosenthal and Jennifer Gilson, will become a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, November 18 Madeline, Calista, and Gabriella Hill, daughters of Corinne and Steven Hill. will become B not Mitzvah on Saturday, December 2 Sponsor a Village Temple Event We are looking for congregants who will sponsor one of the VT events this year. Would you be willing to sponsor an Oneg Shabbat, Musicians at Shabbat services, or flowers for the bimah? Please consider making your sponsorship in honor of a special event in your life or in loving memory of someone dear to you. Contact Sandy Albert if you can help the VT in this way salbert@villagetemple.org or (212) Kesher November-December 2017 / 5778

5 Shalom! EDUCATION NEWS The Village Temple is off to a fantastic start! This year we welcomed 24 (and still counting) new students who are a wonderful addition to our program and who love their time in school already! Here are a few snapshots of our programs and services in September and October, including the High Holidays, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur services, and New Students Consecration Opening Day Celebration and Open House Meet our Madrichim Teacher Assistants We are very lucky to have post B nai Mitzvah students as Madrichim in our. They assist our classroom teachers, as well as tutor students in need of extra help with Hebrew. But there is always room for more, especially those with a strong Hebrew background. Molly Jacobi Marc Hodorov Olivia Francescon Sasha Tucker Suzanne Haskell Jake Held Lilianna Kelson Sidney Resnick Cate Synnott Jordyn Craig-Schwartz Rachel Hendrickson Julia Sperling Summer King Sophie Steinberg Zoe Oppenheimer Sophie Gordon Sophie Levit Emma Basch Izzy Levit Simone Lipkind Sarah Mehler Ella Wilkinson Daniela Tansky Foundation for Jewish Camp Incentive Grants Attention first-time campers! The Foundation for Jewish Camp is offering incentive grants for families to try Jewish camp for the first time. It is not a scholarship fund and it is not need-based. More info is available at L shalom, Alex Tansky Director of Education atansky@villagetemple.org November-December 2017 / 5778 Kesher 5

6 save the date NOVEMBER SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4: 5778 B nai Mitzvah Class Family Soup Kitchen Mitzvah Day, 9:00 am TUESDAY NOVEMBER 7: Election Day Mini-Camp, 9:00 am-5:00 pm FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10: 7th Grade Family Shabbat and Dinner followed by Shul-in, 6:45pm FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17: Bim Bam Shabbat, 5:30pm TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 21: Interfaith Thanksgiving Service, 6:30 pm DECEMBER SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3: Hanukkah Sale, 10:30 am-1:00 pm FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8: Bim Bam Shabbat, 5:30 pm SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10: Hanukkah Carnival, 11:00 am-1:00 pm SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10: Hanukkah Sale, 10:30 am-1:00 pm FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15: Family Hanukkah Service with Children s Choir followed by Vodkas and Latkes Party, 6:45 pm Holiday Resources for Hanukkah Hanukkah: First candle is lit Tuesday evening, December 12. There are many Hanukkah resources that can make your celebration more joyous. The Union for Reform Judaism s Hanukkah page ( has many informative and fun activities (Hanukkah blessings, how to light a menorah, Hanukkah recipes, and Family Activities). Be sure to check it out! Celebrating Simchat Torah 6 Kesher November-December 2017 / 5778

7 NOVEMBER 2017/5778 SUNDAY MONDAY 27 WEDNESDAY TUESDAY :30-10:45 am Parparim Mini Camp Shabbat Family Service and Dinner & 7th Grade Shul-In Madrich :00 7:30 pm 13 9:00-10:45 am Pre-K & K 2 Pre K & K No Religious School S 5:30-6:15 pm Board Meeting 18 S 10:00 am Bim Bam Shabbat B 6:30-8:30 pm SATURDAY 1 4:00 5:30 pm Election Day FRIDAY 7 9:00 am 5:00 pm THUDAY Bar Mitzvah: Cole Rosenthal :00-10:45 am Pre-K & K S 6:30 pm No = 29 4:00-5:30 pm Pre-K & K 6:00-7:30 pm Madrich M = Meetings 25 Office Closed Office Closed No Interfaith Thanksgiving Service C = Classes 30 S = Service = Choir E = Events B = Board Meeting November-December 2017 / 5778 Kesher 7

8 DECEMBER 2017/5778 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THUDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY r S 10:00 am B nai Mitzvah: Gabriella, Madeline, Calista Hill :00-10:45 am Pre-K & K 9:30-10:45 am Parparim B 6:30-8:30 pm Board Meeting Religious Schoo S 5:30-6:15 pm Bim Bam Shabbat E 11:00 am-1:00 pm Hanukkah Carnival S 5:30 pm Hanukkah Service 6:00-7:30 pm Madrich s including Children s Choir E Following Services Vodka & Latkes No No No No No 12/25-1/1: Office Closed 31 = M = Meetings C = Classes S = Service = Choir E = Events B = Board Meeting 33 East 12th Street New York, NY Kesher November-December 2017 / 5778