How are you? In these challenging times, if there is any way the Stanton Street Shul can support you and your loved ones, please email us.
It's time for our Annual Membership Drive. You should have received an email to either join us for the fist time or to renew your membership. We need the financial support of our congregants so that we can rise strong from this crisis and continue serving our community. We are committed to being a welcoming institution with open doors and an open heart. Join today and participate in our Zoom services and classes!
Announcing Our 2020-21 Stanton Board of Trustees
Last Sunday we held our annnual membership meeting on Zoom, where we elected our 2020-21 board members. We are pleased to share the full lineup of this year's Stanton Street Shul Board of Trustees:
Jeff Katz (President), Jessica Spector (Vice President), Paul Ruffer (Vice President), Marc Schwartzberg (Treasurer and Financial Secretary), Margie Segal (Recording Secretary), Peretz Berk, David Deutsch, Risa Gerstein, Alvin Goldstein, Barry Feldman, George Kleiner, Brina Chu, Ellen Silverstein, Ethan Ellenberg
Mazal tov to the new and re-elected trustees. Thanks to the entire Board for your service and leadership during these challening times.
Shabbat, July 4: Shabbat Korach (12 Tammuz) 9:20p Shabbat Ends 9:35p Communal Havdalah on Zoom
Tuesday, July 7 (Tammuz 15) 7:30p Rachel Frazer's Class on Sefer Shoftim (Ends at 8:30p)via ZOOM Meeting ID: 835 5117 2681; Dial in phone number: (929) 205-6099
Wednesday, July 8 (Tammuz 16) 7:30p Richard McBee Jewish Art Lecture Series (Ends at 8:30p), via ZOOM Meeting ID: 811 6969 6258; Dial in phone number: (929) 205-6099
Thursday, July 9: Fast of Tammuz (Tammuz 17) 3:48a Fast Begins 9:18p Fast Ends
Pre-Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat Fridays at 7:15pm (ends before candlelighting)
Come together for davening as we prepare to welcome Shabbat in our own homes.
Community Havdalah Motzei Shabbat, 15 mins after Shabbat ends
Gather post-Shabbat to connect and transition from Shabbat into the new week.
"Virtual Rabbi": Rabbi Joe Wolfson Joins Us for the Summer
We are pleased to announce that this summer, during the months of July and August, Rabbi Joe Wolfson, Rabbi of The Bronfman Center at NYU, will serve as the Stanton Street Shul's “Virtual” Rabbi.
Rabbi Joe will offer a weekly ZOOM shiur beginning Monday, July 6th at 7:30pm. Meeting ID: 869 1718 3883 Call in Number: 1 (929) 205-6099
He will write a weekly dvar Torah for our newsletter (scroll down for this week's), will be available to answer congregants’ questions, and will attend Shabbat morning services in the Shul once we reopen with great caution in August. Details will be included in next week’s newsletter.
VIRTUAL CLASSES
Jewish Art with Richard McBee In advance of the fast of Tisha b'Av, Richard McBee, a Stanton member and co-founder of the Jewish Art Salon, will present a 3-part course on Jewish Art that will visually set the tone for the upcoming full-day fast that begins on the evening of July 29th. Classes will meet on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm, via Zoom.
July 8: “Maus” by Art Spiegelman and “Lamentations” by Mark Podwal July 15: David Wander “Holocaust Haggadah“ and Art & Auschwitz July 22: Mourning, Memory and Art: Images of the Destruction of Jerusalem
Each lecture is 45 minutes with an additional 15 minutes for discussion & questions.
To join by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use Meeting ID: 811 6969 6258
Rachel Frazer Teaches Sefer Shoftim (Book of Judges) Rachel Frazer offers an insightful, intelligent and novel approach to the Book of Judges (Sefer Shoftim). After the death of Joshua, as the new nation of Israel is struggling with external and internal threats, a series of unlikely, charismatic leaders emerge. Rachel's weekly study group will highlight a different personality/"judge" every week, including Deborah and Samson.
Please bring your questions, your previous knowledge and your intellectual curiosity for a stimulating evening every Tuesday night at 7:30pm. via ZOOM
Bring a Tanach to follow along or find the Book of Judges online at sefaria.org or alhatorah.org. If you don't have the text, just come anyway.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
All in-person services and programs at the Stanton Street Shul are canceled until further notice.
We are saddened to announce the passing of Ed Levinson, z"l, beloved father of Melinda Zalma. Mr. Levinson passed on Wednesday, June 24th, after a week in end-of-life hospice care. He had been suffering from dementia for a few years. Shiva has ended. Melinda may be reached at 646-322-5358.
Public Service Announcement - 2020 U.S. Census The 2020 Census is now underway, and we have learned that only about 50% of neighborhood residents have completed it. We strongly encourage you to fill it out if you have not yet done so. The census happens only once a decade, and determines how billions of dollars are distributed for public services such as sanitation, fire dept, public transportation, emergency response, sidewalk and street maintenance, etc. Please help ensure our neighborhood gets the funds it deserves by making sure you and your family and friends get counted. More information at www.2020census.gov.
Sonya and Nina Friedman have been beating the heat by enjoying an inflatable pool on the balcony, and admiring their matching bathing suits.
Cute photos are making us smile during these difficult days. Submit a photo of your own cute kid, pet, or plant to be included in a future newsletter!
DVAR TORAH
Dear Stanton Street Community,
I am so excited to be able to join with the community this summer - virtually at first, but please God in person in the not too distant future - to learn Torah together, and to be a resource for the community in whatever way I can be.
This week we read the story of Bilam - the gentile prophet hired by Balak, king of Moav. It’s an astonishing story involving talking donkeys, angels and the almost comic attempt by Bilam to curse the Jewish people, which only results in his showering down of blessings upon the people massed in the valley below him.
But perhaps the most fascinating aspects of the story is that it involves a significant change of location. Up until this point, the book of Bamidbar has taken place solely within the camp of the Israelites. But Parshat Balak takes place upon the craggy mountaintops overlooking them and must take place without their knowledge. Chazal, the sages of the Talmud, were clearly troubled by this and so went out of their way to insist that משה כתב ספרו ופרשת בלעם - that Moshe wrote not only his own story (i.e. that of the Torah) but also that of Bilam, even though at the time it took place without Moshe or the Jewish people’s knowledge (Bava Batra 15b).
What are we to make of this?
It strikes me that there is an important lesson that can be learnt. Bamidbar is a hard book. For the 15 or so chapters previous to the story of Bilaam and Balak it has been a narrative of failure, disloyalty and rebellion - the lashon hara spoken by Miriam and Aharon, the report of the spies, the coup of Korach and the striking of the rock by Moshe. But that’s not what Bilaam sees. Instead, he sees a people who treat one another with dignity and respect, whose community has God in its midst. A people worthy of being blessed.
For many of us, Jewish communal life and politics can sometimes seem like Sefer Bamidbar. A never ending cycle of stories of arrogance, petty politics, divisive statements and a failure to live up to our mission and values. Perhaps Parshat Balak teaches us the importance of stepping back away from the noise and taking a look from a distance with a fresh pair of eyes. And if we do that, we might just proclaim with Bilaam:
מה טובו אוהליך יעקב משכנותיך ישראל How good are your tents o Jacob, your dwellings o Israel (Bamidbar 24:5)
Wishing everyone much health and a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Joe Wolfson
ARON KODESH Restoration is Complete! The original hardware has been polished and replaced and the bronze dedication panels are clean and legible. The Yiddish reads: Moshe Aaron Rosenberg ז״נ / Miriam ע״ז and children The cover on the shulchan reads: This is donated by the Association of Bnai Jacob, the people of Brzezan, and its worshippers. Other than the incised letters on the stone pediment over the front doors we have few if any markings identifying the name of the Shul.
Volunteer Opportunity: Help Distribute Meals to LES Community Members (M-F 12:30-2:00 pm): Looking for human interaction and to do good for the world? We are looking for volunteers for weekday lunch shifts! We distribute 700 meals a day Monday-Friday at 504 Grand Street (in front of Eastside Kosher), 12:30-2:00. Meals are available for anyone who needs them. If you can help, please contact Penina at penina.seidman@gmail.com
When to Open our Shul: Despite an official lifting of restrictions on religious institutions in New York State, our shul will remain closed for the time being. We believe it is too soon to re-open in terms of safety. We are not comfortable with the notion of holding services limited to 10 Jewish men under 65. We are in touch with other downtown shuls and hope to determine a path forward together.
Thank you for your patience. We know that everyone misses shul and all the community and support it affords, but we know as well that it behooves us to remain cautious.
May God give strength and courage to health care workers, mental health professionals, and all who work selflessly to keep the rest of us healthy and safe during this time.
We pray that all who are sick may have a full recovery. To add a name to our communal misheberach prayer list, email us.
No one should go hungry at this time. Please share these resources with those in need: NYC Meal Hubs are located at 400 locations throughout the city and distribute 3 prepared meals (including kosher meals) per person, Monday through Friday--packaged to go. No ID or registration required. Just show up!
Seniors can receive meal delivery by connecting with their local senior center or calling DFTA’s Aging Connect at 212-AGING-NYC (212-244-6469) or call 311.
Most supermarkets (including Trader Joe's, Stop & Shop and Whole Foods) provide Senior early hours for the more vulnerable to shop safely during Covid-19.
Staying Connected While Apart
Even when we're apart, we are still a community. We encourage people to check in with one another by phone and email, so that social distancing does not become a time of isolation. Pick one or two "Stanton buddies" and check in weekly with your buddies!
While logged in to your account on the Stanton Street Shul website, you have access to the membership directory, including contact information for members and friends of the shul. You also have the ability to edit your own listing and, if you prefer, to hide your information so that it does not appear in the public directory. If you have any difficulty, please emailJessica Spector, membership committee chair.
Here's another way to stay connected: Head over to our newStanton Street Shul Group on Facebookto chat with other congregants, share LES news, quarantine parenting tips, recipes, a class you may have heard about, how you are doing, and what help you might need.
We Appreciate Your Support!
Although our doors are closed, our spirits, minds and hearts remain open during these difficult times. We are davening together on Zoom, supporting congregants with chesed needs, and hosting classes and events online.
Please consider sponsoring a virtual program. Now more than ever, we rely on your generosity to keep us going. We know this is a tough time and appreciate whatever you are able to give.
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