Weekly Newsletter

This is a reminder that daylight savings time has started this week and Shabbat begins at 4:25 pm; much earlier than last week.

As we did in previous years during the winter months at the Stanton Street Shul, we will have a later Kabbalat Shabbat starting at 5:15 pm every week for the next few months. The purpose of the later prayer service is to provide an opportunity for the many people who work until the final moments of Friday to get to shul and welcome Shabbat. Please remember to daven Mincha before coming to shul and to recite Shema before coming to shul on Shabbat morning.

We are excited to welcome a special Veterans Day Scholar-in-Residence on Shabbat morning, November 11.

Rabbi Melinda Zalma will be speaking after kiddush on the topic "Walking the Path of Honoring our Tradition: Halakhah and Mission in the Military."  All are welcome to attend!

Rabbi Melinda Zalma is the Program Director of the Women in Faith Fellowship at the Jewish Community Relations Council of NY.  She is also a chaplain (Commander) in the Reserve Component of the U.S. Navy. She served as the rabbi and spiritual leader at Congregation Beth Mordecai in Perth Amboy, NJ and Congregation B’nai Israel in Fleischmanns, NY. She received her rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City, where she also received her Masters in Midrash (rabbinic commentary). Before turning to her rabbinical studies, she obtained her B.A. in electrical engineering from Northwestern University. She and her husband, Adam, have two children.

Shul members received an online survey this week about the evolving Master Plan for our building. Please complete the survey ASAP; we are eager to have your input.

As for Shul friends who are not yet members: If you have thoughts about the building renovations, please share. Send an email to info@stantonstshul.com.

Want to become a member? We would love for you to join our community.

Membership dues are a key part of our budget, and your annual commitment makes you an integral part of the community. Our members are Stanton’s lifeblood, backbone, and future. Please help keep Stanton alive, vibrant, and growing. To become a member,  please click here. For questions, email office@stantonstshul.com.

We are thrilled to launch our Mommy or Daddy and Me class for its second year on Sunday morning, November 12th! The class, led by our own StantonKIDS early childhood professionals, will meet from 10-11am and will be open to infants and toddlers up to 24 months and their caregivers. The cost is $20/class per child, and we will provide fun activities, music, crafts, and a snack. Help us kick off this exciting venture! You can pay for the class on our Donate page, by selecting "StantonKIDS" in the dropdown menu, or by bringing cash or check to the class. Please RSVP to kids@stantonstshul.com.

Join us on Monday night for Rabbi Aviad Bodner's weekly Torah classes. 

The classes this week are sponsored by Alvin Goldstein.

7:00 pm - The Book of Shmuel

8:00 pm - Advanced Gemara Class - Sanhedrin

Men and Women of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to attend. To sponsor a class click here.

Kids ages 2-7 are welcome to join for our StantonKIDS program on Shabbat morning, November 18 at 10:30 am.

For more info and for sponsorship opportunities, email kids@stantonstshul.com. For the complete StantonKIDS and StantonTOTS schedule, click here.

Our special guest at this dinner will be Rabbi Joshua Yuter, our shul's former rabbi, who lives in Jerusalem. Rabbi Yuter will share words of Torah at the dinner.

Services will begin at 5:15 pm, and dinner will start at approximately 6:00 pm. Due to the high demand, registration will close on November 21st at 7:00 pm, unless we sell out earlier. Please register for dinner on our website.

We are excited to welcome a special Thanksgiving Weekend Scholar-in-Residence on Shabbat, November 24-25. Rabbi Joshua Yuter will be speaking during Friday night dinner and after kiddush on Shabbat morning. All are welcome to attend!

Rabbi Joshua Yuter was ordained in 2003 from Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He also holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Yeshiva University, an M.A. in Talmudic Studies from Yeshiva University, and Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. Rabbi Yuter is also an alum of Yeshivat Har Etzion. He has served as the rabbi of The Stanton St. Shul from 2008-2014 when he moved to Israel. Rabbi Yuter is an award winning blogger and writes and lectures on various issues pertaining to law, theology, and society through the unique perspective of a second-generation Rabbi with diverse personal and professional experiences and interests.

We will be celebrating the Festival of Lights with a musical concert and a Chanukat HaBayit (House Warming) in appreciation of all who donated to our Building Fund. Save the date! More details comimg soon. 

It's that weekend that all of the Jews of America sit around and eat Chinese food. You know why. You're in the city anyway, why not spend Friday night with your friends at Stanton and Yiddish NY! More details coming soon. Registration will open on November 27.

The Stanton Street Shul is pleased be a partner in Yiddish New York. The nation’s largest workshop/festival of Yiddish culture, is returning December 23-28, 2017 to the 14th Street Y in Manhattan. The only festival of it’s kind on American soil, YNY is a six-day gathering of klezmer music, Yiddish culture, song & folk dance, theater, lectures, language, workshops, performances, visual arts, and film, with affordable programs for adults, kids and teens! To receive a 10% discount on 6-day registrations,

To access the discount, enter discount code “YNY10” when registering online.

One of the many strengths of our shul is the variety and multiple talents and abilities of our congregants. It takes a lot to run our shul and our programming, and we can probably use your help. Are you a tech guru, web design aficionado, or social media wiz? A master event planner, fundraiser, or program coordinator? An accountant, lawyer, or investment professional? A trained carpenter, electrician, or contractor? If you have any of these or other skills, professional or amateur, that you'd like to contribute to Stanton, speak to Rabbi Bodner, Paul Ruffer, or another member of the board, and let's think about how we can help make Stanton flourish together.

Looking for a way to give back to Stanton, not right now, but maybe at some point in the future? Consider planning a long-term gift to the shul. We encourage anyone interested in discussing various ways to plan a gift now that will be given in the future to contact board member Michael Gordon or Rabbi Bodner. There are many ways to go about planned giving and we are happy to discuss the various options that might work for you. 

The Downtown Va'ad is an Orthodox rabbinic network, intended to advance the welfare and flourishing of the Downtown community. Check out the Va'ad on Facebook for more information.