Weekly Newsletter

Stanton Street Shul Weekly Newsletter Week of May 12, 2017 / Iyar 16, 5777

Parashat Emor

Support the Stanton St. Shul We rely on your generosity to keep us going with weekly prayer services, kiddushes, classes, kids programming, women's tefilah, cultural programs and other events. Click here to make a donation to the Stanton Street Shul! (We need your moral support, too: Click here to "Like" us on Facebook!)

Upcoming Events Women's Tefilah & Torah Reading: Saturday, May 13 9:30am-11:30am   Parents Day Kiddush: Saturday, May 13 11:40am-12:30pm   Scholar-in-Residence: Dr. Shai Secunda: Saturday, May 13 12:00pm-1:00pm StantonKIDS Lag B'Omer Celebration: Come celebrate Lag B'Omer with roasted marshmallows, outdoor activities, and make a Mother's Day gift! - Sunday, May 14 10:00am-12:00pm StantonTOTS: Join us for a morning of learning, for children up to 24 months old! - Sunday, May 21 10:00am-11:00am This Week's Schedule Erev Shabbat, May 12 (Iyyar 16) 7:15p Kabbalat Shabbat / Ma'ariv 7:45p Candle Lighting Tonight's Sefirah Count Is: היום שנים ושלשים יום שהם ארבעה שבועות וארבעה ימים לעמר Shabbat, May 13: Emor (Iyyar 17)   9:30a Shacharit   9:30a  Women's Tefilah 11:40a Parents Day Kiddush Thank you to our generous sponsors: Lindsey Bodner, David & Rivky Friedman, Larry & Linda Friedman, Judy Josephs, Eric Reich & Kids, Celia & Robert Rosenblum, Jonathan & Liz Miller, and Anonymous. (See below for dedication info).   12:00p Scholar-in-Residence: Dr. Shai Secunda   8:54p Havdalah   Tonight's Sefirah Count Is: היום שלשה ושלשים יום שהם ארבעה שבועות וחמשה ימים לעמר Sunday, May 14: Lag B'Omer (Iyyar 18) 10:00a StantonKIDS Lag B'Omer Celebration (Ends at 12:00p) Tonight's Sefirah Count Is: היום ארבעה ושלשים יום שהם ארבעה שבועות וששה ימים לעמר Thursday, May 18 (Iyyar 22): Rabbi's Class 7:00p Megillat Ruth, Part 2 (The final class in this mini-series will be on Tuesday, May 23)

Our Own Lower East Side Hero: Dr. Elissa Sampson Mazal tov to long-time Stanton Street Shul member Elissa Sampson, one of six "LES Community Heros" being honored as part of Lower East Side History Month. Elissa will be recognized for her many contributions to the neighborhood and to our shul.   Lower East Side History Month is an annual celebration in May of the rich and diverse history of the Lower East Side. Our StantonKIDS Lag B'Omer program at Siempre Verde Garden is one of many participating events.

Honor Thy Parents! Celebrate Parents with a Kiddush at Stanton Join us for a very special Parents Day Kiddush, Stanton Style, this Shabbat after services!    Kiddush is sponsored by:   - Lindsey Bodner in honor of Rabbi Bodner for Father's Day (which is also coming up) and all the StantonKIDS teachers and volunteers: Morah Laura, Morah Aliza, Morah Danielle and Morah Katie, Elissa Sampson, and Sam Deutsch.   - Judy Josephs in memory of her wonderful parents, Harry and Frieda.   - David & Rivky Friedman in honor of Sonya Dorothy Friedman's 1st Birthday and all of her doting grandparents.   - Larry & Linda Friedman in honor of Sonya's 1st birthday and in honor of the mothers of their grandchildren, Laura B. Schneiderman and Rivky H. Friedman.   - Eric, Aleeza, Zevi, & Leah Reich who wish Happy Mother's Day to Elana Reich and Diane Reich from your children and grandchildren.   - Celia & Robert Rosenblum   - Anonymous, in honor of ALL StantonKIDS parents because it takes a lot of good Parents to raise a Shul!   We also give a shout out to Jonathan & Liz Miller and Anonymous for their support of the StantonKIDS program and Parents' Day Kiddush.   For more info, to find out about sponsorship opportunities, and to RSVP, email kids@stantonstshul.com.

Women's Tefillah & Torah Reading THIS SHABBAT Our next women's tefilah, with Torah reading, is this Shabbat morning, May 13, for Parashat Emor. Join us for a warm and spirited davening led by and for women only!   Services will be held in the beit midrash and begin at 9:30am (same time as the traditional minyan).   If you'd like to get involved with Women's Tefilah, or if you have questions, please email women@stantonstshul.com.

Scholar-in-Residence: Prof. Shai Secunda on Shabbat, May 13, 12:30pm We are excited to welcome a Scholar-in-Residence this Shabbat morning, May 13.   Prof. Shai Secunda will be speaking after kiddush on the topic, "It's Alive! - Golems, the Power of Torah, and the Possibilities of Creation."  All are welcome to attend!   Shai Secunda is the Jacob Neusner Associate Professor of Judaism at Bard College, where he teaches in the Department of Religion. He earned his PhD at Yeshiva University, and then held posts at Yale and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on classical Judaism and its interactions with other traditions and on the Talmud's Iranian context. His book, The Iranian Talmud, has recently been released in paperback. Prof. Secunda writes regularly on Jewish scholarship and popular culture for the Jewish Review of Books.

Over The Rainbow: Lag B'Omer For Kids We’re shooting for Over the Rainbow with a great Lag B'Omer holiday themed family program that also celebrates Mothers Day and Lower East Side History Month. So, come one, come all on Sunday, May 14, 10:00am-12:00pm!    We’ll be going outside to our neighbors the Siempre Verde Community Garden. Our extraordinary art and music teachers will help children decorate pots and place seeds in them to create Mothers Day presents. There will be marshmallow roasting and other fun activities.   Lag B’Omer is an outdoors Jewish holiday that joyously marks the halfway point of counting the days between two important festivals: Passover (Pesach), which is associated with the barley harvest, and Shavuot, the wheat harvest. The bow and rainbow are symbols associated with Lag B’Omer and with the promise, or covenant, of a green world.   Bad weather? No problem: we'll be indoors at the Shul, and bring nature in with us.   We work hard to provide the highest quality StantonKIDS programming for our youngest members. We completely rely on donations to provide this programming, and every bit counts. So please consider giving to StantonKIDS! Click here to donate now.

SAVE THE DATE: Annual Membership Meeting on Sunday, June 4, 9:30am Renew Your Membership Now! All Stanton Street Shul members are encouraged to attend our Annual Membership Meeting on Sunday morning, June 4. The annual meeting is your chance to hear about all that is going on in the shul, ask questions, share suggestions, and elect shul board members.    The meeting is open only to shul members in good standing. If you are not yet a shul member, now's the time to become one! Our new membership cycle begins on June 1. Click here to sign up!   If you are a current shul member, now is the time to renew your membership by paying your annual dues! Click here to pay your membership dues online, or send a check to Stanton Street Shul, P.O. Box 1008, New York, NY 10002.   Please note: the rates for membership dues have changed. Please see below for current rates.   If you are not sure if you are a member, or have other questions about membership, email board@stantonstshul.com.

Membership Rates for 2017-18 In order to offset increased operating costs, the board has voted to implement a small, stagggered increase in dues over the next two membership cycles.   The rates for the coming membership year, 2017-18, which begins on June 1, will be: Patron Membership: $1800 Family Membership: $600 Individual Membership: $300 Out-of-Town Membership (does not include voting rights): $180   The rates for the 2018-19 Membership Year will be: Patron Membership: $2000 Family Membership: $700 Individual Membership: $350 Out-of-Town Membership (does not include voting rights): $180   The increase in dues is meant to maintain the fiscal health of the shul and not to be a barrier to membership. If these rates present a financial hardship to you, please speak to Rabbi Bodner or to a member of the board to work out an individual arrangement.

Volunteering at Stanton 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.

Planned Giving at Stanton 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.

The Stanton Street Shul is proud to be a member synagogue of The Downtown Va'ad! 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.

Get in Touch! The Stanton Street Shul is located at 180 Stanton St., New York, NY 10002   Our mailing address is: P.O. Box 1008, New York, NY 10002   Visit our website: www.StantonStShul.com Send us an email: info@stantonstshul.com   To submit an announcement for our newsletter email announcements@stantonstshul.com