We are a Covenantal Community Larchmont Temple is a welcoming community, allowing for myriad gates of entry through the three pillars of our Covenant of membership: Torah (study), Avodah (worship) and Gimilut Hasadim (acts of loving kindness). We offer a wide range of learning opportunities, celebrate Shabbat on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings and take great care to offer High Holy Day and festival services that meet the spiritual needs of all our congregational families. Our clergy is particularly sensitive and loving when it comes to performing all the life cycle events. Larchmont Temple is a Reform congregation, and as such its Social Action Committee is involved in tikkun olam (repairing the world) through initiatives that support our local communities and those in the world at large. As you read through our members' guide you will see many more ways to engage in the life of Larchmont Temple. We welcome you with open arms and would be glad to guide you through the gate of your choosing. B Shalom, Meg Fienberg President
LT Covenant of Membership The world stands on three things: Torah Jewish Study; Avodah Worship; Gimilut Chasadim Acts of Loving Kindness Pirkei Avot 1:2 Larchmont Temple Membership is built upon mutual expectations and responsibility. It is a relationship that endures only as long as its members make it real. Larchmont Temple should provide each member with the opportunity to study. Study should be a part of each member s life every step of the way. Our worship reflects the vitality and rich diversity of Jewish practice, inspiring and challenging us to reach closer to God for us to be a blessing. Through worship, each member can fulfill a personal spiritual need, and collectively we can create the community wherein we find comfort and help in our search for God. Our Temple community is a warm and welcoming place, providing opportunities to support one another and the larger community in which we live. Members should strive to live by the ethics of Torah, practicing social justice each day, caring for our own, reaching out to others, wherever we are, whatever we do. In celebration of our Jubilee, we reaffirm our commitment to the jubilee covenant of congregational life. Adopted 1998, our Jubilee Year
Committees at Larchmont Temple Brotherhood Larchmont Temple Brotherhood has a three-fold function: social, cultural and religious. It is a fellowship of Jewish men dedicated to the development of the Temple and the advancement of Judaism. The Brotherhood sponsors monthly Sunday morning breakfasts featuring a diverse range of speakers speaking on topics of both local and global interest. These breakfasts encourage family participation and promote a relaxed and congenial atmosphere. Members families are always invited to breakfasts and all other Brotherhood events. Brotherhood makes it incumbent upon itself to insure that new members and their entire families feel welcome at its activities and offers a complimentary first year membership to all new members. Brotherhood programs include: Yom Hashoah Candle Program, Fall and Spring Blood Drives in conjunction with Sound Shore Medical Center, Larchmont Temple Adult Softball Team, a bi-annual Progressive Dinner in conjunction with Sisterhood and Sponsorship of Wednesday Night Bridge among others. Brotherhood is also a sponsor of the Jewish Chautauqua Society. To get involved or for more information contact: brotherhood@larchmonttemple.org Chesed - Caring Community Committee The caring community reaches out and offers support to those Temple members who have lost a loved one, are ill or homebound. We offer regularly scheduled phone call visits to older members of our congregation, reaching out to those who may feel isolated and lonely, can help to organize meals for members undergoing prolonged medical treatment or recovering from surgery and help arrange driving for local medical appointments on a limited short term basis. When you need us, we will be there to support you. For information contact: caringcommunity@larchmonttemple.org Chevra Limud The members of Chevra Limud partner with clergy and other education professionals to create a vision of adult education and community building that reaffirms covenant through all aspects of Jewish life and learning in order to engage every potential congregant in covenantal Jewish learning and living. By helping develop thematic focus and content and serving as ambassadors to the Temple community the adult education committee helps to craft Jewish learning and living at Larchmont Temple. Cultural Arts A joyful committee that creates varied entertaining programming at Larchmont Temple on music, dance, art, drama or other cultural offerings. In recent years a wide range of special events have been held including an Israeli art show in celebration of the 60 th anniversaries of both Larchmont Temple and Israel in 2008, A Cabaret Evening with NPR radio host Jonathan Schwartz in 2009 and a Spring Sing featuring 6 cantors and 3 congregational choirs singing music From Bimah to Broadway and featuring our celebrity master of ceremonies Jeff Spurgeon of WQXR radio. To get involved or for more information contact: culturalarts@larchmonttemple.org
First Friday Community Dinners Kabbalat Shabbat Services are held on the 1 st Friday of every month at 6:30 pm in the sanctuary. Families are invited to sign up and attend our First Friday Dinner, catered by Plates of Larchmont, at 7:15 pm in the Garden Room with a supervised crafts table for the children. All First Friday dinners are open to everyone within the Larchmont Temple community (including all Nursery School families). To get involved or for more information contact: firstfridayreservations@larchmonttemple.org or firstfridayinfo@larchmonttemple.org Library Our Library endeavors to maintain a diverse, vibrant circulating collection that reflects the core values of Larchmont Temple. We acquire books that support our Congregation s annual learning themes including works of the Scholar-in-Residence. Our collection also includes current fiction, non-fiction, DVDs and periodicals for adults, young adults and children plus scholarly volumes that focus on the study of Torah. Our responsibilities include maintaining the physical collection and preparing thematic displays in the library. Our monthly column in the Temple News keeps the Temple community aware of what is new in the Library. We welcome volunteers who would like to join us in maintaining the Library. To get involved or for more information contact: library@larchmonttemple.org Limud Noar Youth Education Transformation Committee The Youth Education Transformation committee supports the work of the LT Youth Education team, partnering with them to blend formal and informal education for our k-12 th graders and their families. Our goal is to affirm covenant through all aspects of Jewish life and learning as we aspire to engage every potential young individual here at Larchmont Temple and beyond. To get involved or for more information contact: Youtheducation@larchmonttemple.org Membership The Membership committee promotes lifelong temple membership by helping members integrate into temple community and connect with other members. Working with our clergy and other temple committees the membership committee helps monitor membership issues. New Members The goal of the Larchmont Temple new member committee is to welcome every new member family into the congregation and help them feel "at home" by reaching out and creating opportunities for immediate and ongoing involvement in the life of Larchmont Temple. New members receive personal calls from a committee member to remind them of upcoming events and answer any other questions that might arise. The committee hosts a variety of events during the first year of membership. These include a welcoming brunch in the fall, a Havdalah service and reception at the senior rabbi's home and a family Kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner. At these events new members have the opportunity to meet the clergy, other temple leaders and committee members as well as other new member families. To get involved or for more information contact: newmembers@larchmonttemple.org
Outreach Committee Outreach is dedicated to meeting the needs of interfaith families as well as those considering conversion or who have already converted to Judaism. We also reach out to share experiences and ideas with other houses of worship in our Larchmont/ Mamaroneck community. Our programming not only provides opportunities to learn more about Judaism and other world religions, but also to meet other members of the temple, including other interfaith families. To get involved or for more information contact: outreach@larchmonttemple.org Ritual Committee The purpose of the ritual committee is to partner with our clergy team to help plan, define, and evaluate ritual practice, lifecycle, and worship services to ensure that the spiritual needs of our various constituent groups are being met. Ritual Committee also oversees the assignment of honors during the High Holy Days and oversees the Temple s greeting/ushering system during the High Holy Days and throughout the year at Shabbat and festival worship. To get involved or for more information contact: ritual@larchmonttemple.org Sisterhood Our Sisterhood creates programs and activities of value to women and their families, while promoting a sense of community where women of every generation can take part in study, worship and social activities. To get involved or for more information contact: michele@metschnet.com
Life Long Learning and Living at Larchmont Temple Larchmont Temple membership is built upon mutual expectation and responsibility. It is a relationship that endures only as long as its members make it real. As a congregation of committed learners, spiritual seekers and do-ers, we endeavor to create a diverse and dynamic series of learning opportunities, worship experiences and social action opportunities that enable all of our members regardless of age, family make up, or previous Jewish knowledge, to find a way in to enhance their Jewish learning and living. What follows are brief descriptions of many of those opportunities to engage in Torah, Avodah and Gimilut Chasadim. Torah Jewish Study at Larchmont Temple Adult Learning Opportunities We offer a wide variety of adult learning experiences ranging from the two year commitment of our Ben Bat Binah- adult b nei mitzvah program or our weekly Torah study on Saturday mornings at the Chevra Torah table, to a variety of learning series, lectures, book shares and films that are offered throughout the course of each year. Every year we focus our adult learning offerings through a particular Covenant Learning Theme gleaned from the foundations of a triennial cycle of God, Torah and Israel-- the ultimate cornerstones of the Jewish people. Youth Education: Kindergarten 12th Grade Our K - 12th grade program invites youth and families to find their place in Jewish learning. It is supported by Limud Noar, the Youth Education Transformation Committee, and run by Rena Fraade, Director of Religious School. Our full time staff, Dave Cohn and Andrew Paull, specialize in Music & T filah and Youth Programs, respectively. A staff of 15 part-time teachers devote their time to bringing formal and informal learning opportunities to our students. The LarFTY board, composed of 8 high schoolers, is responsible for creating and implementing youth programs for our 4th through 12th graders. Limud Noar supports formal and informal education programs by sharing input, volunteering, and working to engage the Temple community. Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparation Great care is taken to prepare our children and their families for their day of becoming a bar or bat mitzvah. In addition to private tutoring sessions to prepare students to chant their Torah and Haftarah portions, families are asked to participate in a variety of learning programs together in 6 th and 7 th grades. Families meet with the cantor as well as both rabbis as part of the preparatory process.
LTY: Larchmont Temple Youth The 8th - 12th grade programs at Larchmont Temple, collectively known at LTY, are designed to bring new and exciting ideas and experiences into the Jewish lives of our teens. With their b nei mitzah studies complete, teens are ready to explore their Jewish identity on a more sophisticated level. A variety of programs and learning opportunities are offered at different times and on different days. Some programs are grade specific. To explore all the possibilities visit our website page www.larchmonttemple.org/learning/lty_8th12th_grade or contact Rena Fraade, the Director of the Religious School at 914-834-6120, ext. 28 or rfraade@larchmonttemple.org. Youth Groups Our youth groups offer an environment in which our kids can create and strengthen their Jewish community together. Our calendar offers a full range of social action, learning, prayer, and exciting social opportunities all expanding the focus of Jewish community beyond the Religious School/LTY experience. High schoolers and their parents are kept informed of events and happenings through facebook and twitter, as well as our bi-weekly EBlast - middle schoolers will receive occasional emails with event information. JYGLT JR for grades 4 and 5, JYGLT - "Junior Youth Group @ LT" for grades 6 and 7; LT8 grade 8 and LarFTY - senior youth group, grades 9-12. NFTY/NAR - the regional Reform youth group - encompasses Westchester, Long Island, and New York City. Early Childhood Center Larchmont Temple Nursery School works to provide a developmentally appropriate, hands-on environment for every child. The children are afforded opportunities to explore, experiment and create through play and educationally and developmentally appropriate activities. The teachers goals are to encourage socialization, independence, self- confidence, and individual and group success in a nurturing environment. For more information about LTNS, its programs, schedule and fees, please visit our website at www.larchmonttemple.org/study/nursery or contact Debra Frankel, Director of the Early Childhood Program at 914-834-9244 or dfrankel@larchmonttemple.org. LTNS Summer Day Camp Larchmont Temple Summer Day Camp provides a fun-filled summer opportunity for our youngest constituents, the 2s, 3s and 4s. Waterplay, arts & crafts, music, yoga, sports and free play are included in each camper's schedule on a weekly basis. Families join us on Friday to celebrate camp Shabbat. Shabbat prayers are followed by challah, juice and a sing-along. Camp runs for 6 weeks, from the last week in June through the first week in August. For more information and an application go to www.larchmonttemple.org/learning/summer_day_camp.
AVODAH Worship at Larchmont Temple Erev Shabbat Friday Evenings Each week s service brings Shabbat spirit to life with a different expressive mode. Larchmont Temple offers a variety of worship experiences. Find the one that is right for you. Week 1: Two Worship Choices and First Friday Dinner: Kabbalat Shabbat - 6:30-7:15 pm A family-friendly service where we welcome Shabbat through spirited song, story and prayer. This service is followed by an optional community family-style dinner at 7:15 PM in the Garden Room with table blessings and an activity table for the kids. Shabbat Worship Faith Works - 8 pm A community Shabbat experience with prayer and song, and celebrations of life-milestone moments as well as a Torah service and teaching. Week 2: Shabbat Worship Service for the Soul - 8 pm Enter the Shabbat zone, renew your spirit and refresh your life-perspective. Spiritual renewal through music, guided meditation, instrumentation, introspection and inspiration. Week 3: Wine & Cheese Pre-Oneg and Kabbalat Shabbat - 6:30 pm Gather for pre-service refreshments in the front Temple foyer followed by Shabbat prayer and song to inspire a sense of spirit filled rejuvenation. Week 4: Shir Chadash A New Song - 8 pm Spirited music-filled prayer in exuberant worship modes with our Shir Chadash Trio featuring winds, percussion and multiple voices. A monthly Worship-Workshop engenders a Discovery-Dialogue on the ways and whys of prayer. Week 5: Communal Celebration - 8 pm For months with five Fridays, we ll share in our communal celebration of Shabbat.
Shabbat Morning Saturday Mornings Shabbat Morning Worship in the Sanctuary - 10:30 am With the Reform Movement s Siddur Mishkan T filah, as our liturgical guide, we share as a community in song, study and spirit. The highlight of the morning is the Torah service when our b nei mitzvah students offer the Torah and Hafarah readings, as well as teach Torah to the congregation by giving a d var Torah. Downstairs Minyan - 10:30-11:15 am This casual, intimate, musical Shabbat morning observance meets weekly in the Axelrod Chapel. Honor a yahrtzeit, pray for the healing of a loved one, become more comfortable with your prayer book Hebrew, or simply come to tap into the peaceful energy of Shabbat. LTNS Family Shabbat - 9:00-10:00 am, monthly (see calendar) Nursery School, Kindergarten, First Graders and their parents are invited to join in prayer, song, story and special birthday blessings as a family Shabbat experience. Services include a holiday-related art project and snack.
Gimilut Chasadim Acts of Loving Kindness Chevra Tikun Social Action Committee The Goals of the social action committee include: promoting hands-on participation in events that contribute to charitable causes and community; contributing financially to a variety of charitable organizations, funds for which will be derived from the "Social Action Tzedakah Fund; and promoting social advocacy at all levels of government and community. The committee meets once each month to discuss a variety of projects and events. All that is required is a desire to help repair the world. For a list of meeting times and upcoming projects or to see the various organizations that SAC supports see the SAC page on our website at www.larchmonttemple.org/performing_mitzvot/social_actionchevrah_tikkun/. To get involved or for more information contact: SAC@larchmonttemple.org Chesed Caring Community Committee The caring community reaches out and offers support to those Temple members who have lost a loved one, are ill or homebound. We offer regularly scheduled phone call visits to older members of our congregation, reaching out to those who may feel isolated and lonely, can help to organize meals for members undergoing prolonged medical treatment or recovering from surgery and help arrange driving for local medical appointments on a limited, short term basis. When you need us, we will be there to support you. For information contact: caringcommunity@larchmonttemple.org Making Mitzvahs Matter 6th & 7th grade Bar/Bat Mitzvah Program: 6th and 7th graders experience the importance of volunteering time to help others and how it can positively impact their own lives as well. 6th graders choose from pre-scheduled mitzvah opportunities in our LT community, the greater Larchmont/ Mamaroneck community, and beyond. These experiences expose our youth to a variety of ways they can make a positive impact towards tikun olam - repairing the world. 7th graders choose a larger project to which they commit more extended time and energy in recognition of their bar/bat mitzvah experience. For a complete list of 6 th grade opportunities, times and dates as well as ideas for b nai mitzvah projects go to www.larchmonttemple.org/mitzvah.
Clergy & Professional Staff Jeffrey Sirkman, Senior Rabbi Rabbi Sirkman was ordained by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1987. He received his B.A. in Religion with a concentration in Judaic Studies and a minor in Christianity and his M.A. in Theology, working under the guidance of Prof. Elie Wiesel at Boston University. Coming to Larchmont Temple some 25 years ago as Education Director/ Assistant Rabbi, he was instrumental in creating a vibrant and dynamic program for nursery through college-age children. As Senior Rabbi of Larchmont Temple since 1994, Rabbi Sirkman, in partnership with the spiritual leadership of the temple, has helped to create a covenant of congregational life, fostering personal Jewish commitment on the part of every member / household through an ever-developing relationship with Torah (Jewish Study), Avodah (Spiritual Search), and Gemilut Hasadim (Deeds of Sacred Kindness). Mara Nathan, Associate Rabbi and Director of Congregational Learning Rabbi Nathan has worked at Larchmont Temple in various capacities since 1994. Initially teaching in the religious school and acting as youth advisor, Rabbi Nathan served as rabbinic intern for three years before assuming her rabbinic post upon ordination. Rabbi Nathan was ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 2000. She received a B.A. in history as well as certificates in Jewish studies and women s studies from Northwestern University in 1993. As a high school student, she studied flute at the Juilliard Conservatory Pre-college program. Since 2010, in addition to playing an instrumental role in all aspects of congregational life including spiritual worship and ritual, Rabbi Nathan has focused much of her energy on the many aspects of education at Larchmont Temple. Fredda Mendelson, Cantor Cantor Mendelson comes from a lineage, which includes a grandfather born in Riga who spent his life as a cantor in many cities in America, after emigrating in the early 1900 s. Her love of music was also passed on through her mother who played the piano and her father who sang and played the violin. By 4 th grade, Cantor Mendelson was studying violin and became proficient in keyboard, piano, and vocal studies during high school. She received a BS in Music Education from Ohio State University and a Masters Degree of Music from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati. She pursued an operatic career as a Verdi mezzo-soprano throughout America and many cities around the world. She was invested as a Cantor at the Hebrew Union College in 1996. She has served Larchmont Temple since 1999.
Zeev Aviezer, Executive Director A native of Israel, Ze ev came to the United States as a teenager with his parents. In 1970, he earned his BA in economics and in 1973 his MS is counseling, from the Herbert H. Lehman College, CUNY. He has received a certificate in Adult education from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion where he is currently pursuing a Masters of Jewish Education as well. Zeev has been at Larchmont Temple since 1993. Debra Frankel, Director of Early Childhood Program Before she came to LTNS in 2006 Debra was the Associate Director of the JCC in Manhattan on the Upper West Side, where she worked for 6 years implementing an original music program and teaching music. In addition to teaching and working with young children, Debra was a member of The Magic Bridge Theater Company, a children s theater group performing children s musicals weekly from 2005-2006. Debra received her graduate degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Hunter College. She also graduated from SUNY Purchase with a major in Political Science and a minor in dance. Rena Fraade, Director of Religious School Rena has been involved in running our Religious School Program at Larchmont Temple since July, 2008. She received Masters Degrees in Religious Education and in Jewish Communal Service from Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in 2009, having studied at the Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York campuses. Rena completed a BA in Religion and Judaic Studies with Honors from Dickinson College in 2004. In 2011, the title R.J.E. (Reform Jewish Educator) was conferred upon Rena by the Reform Movement. In addition to serving on the Larchmont Temple religious school faculty, Rena has taught religious school students of all ages and a variety of needs in multiple settings.
Facilities at Larchmont Temple Our Temple Story Larchmont Temple Har Chayim was organized in 1948 by a group of residents of Larchmont and Mamaroneck eager to establish a Reform synagogue as well as a religious school for their children. Its Hebrew name, Har Chayim, means Mountain of Life. The original Temple was located in a Victorian mansion on Willow Avenue now knows as the Blum Builiding. Our present building was dedicated in 1954. Our current sanctuary, Social Hall and Garden room were dedicated in 2001 to meet the needs of an expanding membership which has grown from 50 to over 800 families, reaffirming covenant and our commitment to a vibrant Jewish future. Larchmont Temple has a number of spaces that it rents out for occasions such as bar/bat mitzvah, weddings, brit or baby namings. Our Garden Room, with its spectacular cathedral ceiling and exquisite lighting fixture, and a terrace overlooking our own Mermey Garden, is a perfect venue for a luncheon or an evening affair. The Social Hall is ideally suited for a cocktail hour, or in its expanded configuration, for a large event (over 150 guests). If you are in need of a smaller more intimate setting, for a Shabbat evening family dinner for instance, our Grant Conference Center offers seating for 50 with its elegant neoclassical décor and adjustable lighting levels. Information regarding rental costs and other requirements are available from our Executive Director, Ze ev Aviezer. For more information Mr. Aviezer can be reached at 914.834.6120 X14, or by email at zaviezer@larchmonttemple.org Cemetery As a congregation it is our responsibility to return our loved ones to the earth that was their source. This is our final act of caring. Our congregational cemetery at Mount Eden Cemetery is located in Hawthorne New York., amidst the foothills of Westchester County. The cemetery has ample space from which to select a grave site. It is possible to choose from single grave lots to multiple grave family plots. For further information about the purchase of plots contact our Executive Director, Ze ev Aviezer at 914-834-6120 ext. or by email at zaviezer@larchmonttemple.org Access for the disabled A ramp at the Willow Avenue entrance provides access to the Axelrod Chapel, Grant Conference Center, Temple offices, Library and religious school area. An elevator at the back of the building provides access to the Sanctuary/Garden Room level as well as the main level of our Early Childhood Center.