Weekly Newsletter

Please join us for a memorial service in memory of Ron Tarablous, Z"l, at the Stanton Street Shul, TONIGHT, Thursday, March 2, at 7:00 pm.

Ron was a devoted member of the Stanton community, an Israeli who lived for many years in the East Village, and an eclectic and fascinating person. During the evening, we will be dedicating a new bima cover in Ron's memory, generously donated by his family.
If you are interested in saying a few words in his memory, please email Anat: varon.anat@gmail.com

במלאת שנה לפטירתו של יקירנו רון ז״ל אנו נערוך טקס זיכרון בבית הכנסת ביום חמישי ה-2 במרץ בשעה 7 בערב. בהמלך הערב, נציג את כיסוי הבימה שנתרם לבית הכנסת לזכרו.
כולם מוזמנים להגיע ולזכור איתנו את רון״. הטקס יערך בבית הכנסת של רון 180 רחוב סטאנטון.
אם אתם מעוניינים לומר כמה מילים לזכרו של רון, שלחו בבקשה מייל לענת: varon.anat@gmail.com

You still have ONE MORE DAY to sign up for Stanton's Mishloach Manot Purim Project! Sending food gifts to friends and family, known as Mishloach Manot, is one of the four Mitzvot performed on Purim. It is a heartfelt way to emphasize the Jewish unity that lies at the core of the Purim holiday, and to create meaningful connections within our own community at the same time. Through Stanton's Mishloach Manot project, you can participate in giving a beautiful gift basket to your friends and family at Stanton, which they will receive on Purim when they come to shul.

If you are a shul member, you should have received an email a few weeks ago with your personal log-in code and instructions for how to participate in the project. If you didn't receive an email and want to participate, please contact us at office@stantonstshul.com ASAP.

Please sign up by TOMORROW, FRIDAY, MARCH 3, at 5pm (before Shabbat), in order to participate in the project!

There is a new cholent champion in the bayit! Congratulations to Eric Reich, the winner of Stanton's Third Annual Cholent Cookoff! Congratulations also to Runner Up Karen Blatt, a fierce competitor in her own right and the original Stanton cholent champion from our first such competition a few years ago.

Thank you to our other worthy competitors for feeding us so well (and reminding us that cholent is really best eaten during the day rather than right before bed): Hilda Epstein, Zipporah Nagel,  and Meira Shulman. The quality of the entries overall was spectacular and not a drop of cholent was left.

Thank you to our competition sponsors: Zur Apter, Malka Percal (in honor of Risa Gerstein and Judy Josephs for all they do for Stanton), Karen & Martin Wolfson, and Reuven Epstein (in support of Hilda Epstein's entry).

A huge thank you to Elana Reich for spearheading the competition, and to Mayer Sinensky and Rabbi Bodner for helping to coordinate.

Finally, thank you to all who came out to support the competitors, to eat bean and meat-based concoctions, and to judge. You have a whole year to recover until the next one!

Our community Shabbat dinners are always a good time, with great food and great company. This time, we're hosting in conjunction with Hadassah New York, on Friday, March 10.

All are welcome after the dinner to a dramatized "conversation" with Hadassah founder Henrietta Szold and some of the fiery women of Lower East Side history, including Lillian Wald and Emma Goldman. Like Queen Esther -- whose story we will read on Purim the following night -- these amazing women embodied “the power of women who do.”

Kabbalat Shabbat services will begin at 5:45 pm, and dinner will start at approximately 6:30 pm. Registration will close on March 6 at 7:00 pm, unless we sell out earlier. Please click here to sign up online. Dinner is $30 for Stanton members and Hadassah members, $35 for others. Sponsorships are available for $100 and include dinner for two.

Celebrate Purim at Stanton! The most topsy-turvy of the Jewish holidays is coming up and all are welcome to join us for a slew of festivities. Preferably in costume!

All are invited for Ma'ariv services on motzei Shabbat, Saturday night, March 11, at 7:10pm, followed by Megillah readings (traditional and women's only). Stick around for a fabulous Purim Party, and come back Sunday morning, March 12, for Shacharit services and another reading of the Book of Esther. For more info, read below. And don't forget to bring your own grogger!

If you are interested in sponsoring any portion of the Purim festivities, or in helping to plan and setup, email info@stantonstshul.com.

For a decade, we've been holding the only Megillah reading by women and for women on the Lower East Side, and this year is no exception! All women are invited to attend our very special Women's Only Reading of the Book of Esther on Saturday night, March 11, at 7:10pm.

Why a women's reading on Purim? The story of the Book of Esther (Esther!) is full of interesting female characters and feminist themes (or are they?); unlike many other holiday-oriented, time-bound commandments, women and men are equally obligated to hear the megillah read on Purim; and it's fun to get together and boo Zeresh's name as well as Haman's.

If you would like to get involved in Women's Tefillah at Stanton, or if you have questions about the megillah reading, please email women@stantonstshul.com.

Mariah did it! Milli Vanilli did it! Now it’s your turn!

That’s right, this year, the Stanton Street Shul will be hosting a Purim lip-sync competition! We’ve got a whole slew of spots open so you can sign up to lip-sync the song of your choice in order to win fabulous prizes! Just be sure to put on a good show, because you’ll be judged on style, costume, and performance. Don't let this chance pass you by! Click here to sign up!

It will happen at 8:15pm on March 11, after Megillah reading. And don’t worry, there will be food and booze, too.

Dress up as your favorite musical artist, a character from the megillah, or whatever you like--wear anything from a ball gown or a beard--but make sure you come out and pretend to sing! 

There is a suggested admission fee of $10, which enters you into a raffle for even more prizes! Pay at the door or online at https://www.stantonstshul.com/payment.php. Sponsorships are also available!

Sign up to SYNC here: https://goo.gl/forms/XhsUS5vMgJV8jEpI2

Before we can make our own plans to enjoy the holiday of Purim, we need to make sure others can enjoy it as well. Matanot la'evyonim, giving to the poor, is a central mitzvah of Purim. You can give matanot la'evyonim through Stanton: We plan on distributing funds to many organizations and individuals who need our support. We encourage you to make your donation in advance of the holiday so that we know how much will be able to distribute on Purim. Please give online on our website by clicking here.

The Downtown Va'ad Community is invited to a special meeting with former Chief Rabbi of England, Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, on Sunday, March 19, 9:00-11:00am

The program is titled Eruv and Areivut: Lines of Community Structure and Responsibility, and will include highlights, achievements and appreciation, as well as a look into strategies for our future. The event will feature Downtown Va'ad rabbis, lay leaders, and - most notably - Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Click here for more info!

Sign up at facebook.com/downtownvaad or email DowntownVaad@gmail.com.

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, Rivky Friedman, 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 members Michael Gordon or Rivky Friedman, 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.